Remeber the Alamo...Again....Still

So I know I may be beating a dead horse here but while I had a camera out for the other shots this week also took some individual shots of the Alamo figures that I used for the LPL Round 5 entry...both the Mexicans and the Defenders....and since I love these figures so much I wanted to post the pictures up for you to enjoys as well.

Lets start with the Mexican soldiers...who haven't been seen with their completed bases up to this point.

And here are the four Casualty Markers

All Really fantastic figures with a lot going for each sculpt....I see more of these in my future.

Even though I've shown them twice already here are some new individual shots of the Alamo Defenders as well

well there they are....Some of Boot Hill Miniatures finest!

Cheers,

Blue

LPL Round 10: ....This is the End.

As I finished up the Averlanders' from my last post my mind shifted quickly to thinking about the teams that I wanted to put together for the last round of the LPL....which was also a themed round: Sci-Fi.  With this topic in mind, over the last couple of months I have been slowly expanding my very modest collection of 40k models....first with some Squats and later with some Marauder Orks (the only 40k models produced by Marauder).  I had two excellent teams picked out and was already thinking about how to display them for my final shot....when the whole ankle thing happened....and those thoughts went right out the window.

My new reality for the foreseeable future was that I would only be able to sit at the painting desk for very short (30-45minute) sessions once per day.  This is required a new system.  So I quickly forgot about the squats and focused on a group of the Orks.  Having read about some new (to me) fast painting techniques I decided to give one a try. 

I started by base-coating the figures with my normal Dark grey primer.  I then attempted to give them a Zenithial Highlighting...which I found was hard to do with a spray can....but there was no time for a second attempt...so I went with it.  Here is what they looked like....as you can see the droplets of spray from the can are too big and coarse...I can see why most folks that employ this technique do so with an air brush.

Here is what they looked like.

I then started to apply a very watered down coat od my ancient Goblin Green to the Flesh areas.  The idea here is to let the zenithial highlighting "shine" through the thinned payers of paint to add some instant shading.

I then did the same thing to the cloth, leather and armor portions of the models.

Areas that were going to end up as metal were painted solid black and teeth were given a coating of bone.  When all areas had their thinned base coats applied I then slapped a coat of Miniwax Tudor Stain on them and let them dry overnight. 

Once dry and coated with Vallejo brush on Matte varnish I painted up the metal areas using my normal technique and took care of any details like eyes and teeth.....and they were done!  Record time for me...I bet I spent less than 3 hours painting 6 miniatures...thats fast for me!  No they won't win any prizes...and they got stomped in the competition...but I got a new team in (personal victory) and I didn't further injure my ankle by spending too much time at the desk...here is the final result

I found this new (to me) technique to be very interesting and something that I hope to refine in the future....perhaps a post dip highlight on the flesh might make them "pop" at bit more.  I think a finer spray for the zenithial highlight like you can achieve with an airbrush would make a major difference as well....I might just have to put one on my wish list.

Cheers,

Blue

LPL Round 9: Averland's Best

Late last winter I was approached by a fellow member of the Lead Adventure Forum about a small painting commission.  thebinman had a group of old empire figures that he wanted me to paint up for him as a Mordhiem warband from Averland.  Since he offered to compensate me in old lead I had no choice but to accept....:)

...I had hoped to complete two teams of thebinman's figures for LPL teams but as things worked out with RL I was only able to get one completed before the contest ended.....this team was my Round 9 entry.  I picked my 5 favorite figures from this commission and went to town!  Among the group of figures that thebinman sent along were many classics and the choice was difficult but these five seemed to fit well together with their strong Puff and Slash style...plus the variety of heights/races made for an interesting team.

Anyway...here is my entry photo

This is a hastily taken iPhone picture...the camera does pretty well!

Loverly figures all!

As I have been laid up with my ankle, one of the tasks I've managed to complete is the basing on these guys...I also took proper pictures with my better camera...so lets look at each figure in detail with those photos.

On the left here we have a classic Marauder Halfling.  Just a wonderful face on this guy...I stupidly sold my complete unit of Marauder halflings when I got back into the hobby a few years ago and after painting this guy they have gone back on the acquire list!

 Next to him is "Piers," (...'cause he has a crossbow see?! haha...very clever) a venerable model from the early Citadel Empire range.  I like the figure overall...the look on his face is a bit odd...but still fun to paint.

In the middle we have one of the absolutely wonderful Marauder Puff and Slash Ogres...and one I hadn't painted before! I tackled most of this small range for a previous LPL entry but this guy was new to me and that made him particularly fun to paint.  I was a little perplexed about the severed head between his legs (see the picture of the back of the figure)...to me it was unclear what type of head it was....shrunken head trophy?  Head of another Ogre? Troll? so I went with a flesh color that could be interpreted a number of ways...:)

Next up is another bad ass figure... Smiorgan Baldhead from the Eternal Champion Personalities range...I figure I covet very much!  ...love the wicked scar on his face!

And last...but certainly not least....one of the absolute best dwarf miniatures....Ever!  The Marauder MM15 Zweihandler Figure.  My copy of this figure is still untouched....its one of those ones that I'm kind of intimidated by...so having another to work on in a completely different color scheme was really a pleasure.  His beard gave me fits...and still might get one more highlight...but overall my appreciation for this figure was only increased by having painted it....Now I'm itching to get to mine!

The Yellow and Black color scheme proved to be a fun challenge as well....both of these are colors that I tend to avoid doing large areas of if possible.  Black in particular has always been one I've avoided...I had to do a lot of internet research on different techniques before I found one I was willing to try...and over all I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Anyway....gotta get back to the couch and put my leg on a bag of ice!

Cheers for now...

Blue

An Update on Life from your boy Blue

Howdy all,

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks....its been a hectic time for old Blue.  This Spring/early Summer has just been a whirlwind in VT.  My work schedule has been insane...I've been traveling for work and a brief holiday in Ohio with my parents...followed by a intensive field school for the museum.  In the midst of all this I was frantically trying to keep up with my painting "obligations" for the LPL and other painting challenges....and just barely keeping my head above water...

...and then...just to top things off...On the 8th of June I fell stumbled down the steps carrying my 2yo son and landed on my ankle sideways....fracturing 3 bones in there.  (my son was fine...)  this put me flat on back for a week...followed by surgery...They used a metal plate and no less than 7 Screws to reattached the most displaced bones...

Thats right.....I'm bionic now!

I don't know whose foot that it is but it looks NASTY!

....surgery, of course, led to more time flat on my back...but at least I had pain killers to help pass the time.

It has now been two solid weeks since the injury....and I'm slowly emerging from the opiate induced haze I've been  living in and starting to reengage with life.  Thanks to a TON of support from my wife, kids, and friends I've survived this far and now just need to wait for the damn thing to heal up.  I'll be in a non-weight bearing cast for a least a month more...and then a walking brace for another couple of weeks...but things are on the mend....finally.

As you can imagine this is meant that not a lot of painting has been accomplished. By sheer force of will I managed to get a team painted for Round 10 LPL.  I had to experiment with some speed painting techniques...and the team still looked rough and got slaughtered at the polls but it was a new team....and that was important for me.  As I find I can spend a bit more time each day in an upright position I have been trying to tackle some of the small lingering tasks from my to-do list.  Namely finishing off the basing and details on various teams from the LPL that I had to turn in without completely finishing by the deadline...as well as getting some photography done....So I'll have a few posts for you all over the next few days just documenting those aspects of what I've been up to.

I hope to be able to spend some quality time behind a paintbrush in the next week or two.

Cheers for now!

Blue

LPL Round 8: Remember the Alamo!

So...For Round 8 of the LPL I was forced to recycle a team....this was a tough decision...this was the first rerun team I've had to use in the last 3 LPLs...sigh.  There was no avoiding it.

In order to try and freshen it up a bit...I finished the bases and took some new "studio" photos.  Once again just wonderful miniatures...please check out the Boot Hill website it is full of wonderful minis.

Cheers,

Blue

LPL Rounds 6 and 7: Return of the Brets

Hey guys...."real life" has really gotten the best of me in the last few weeks...sorry for the lack of postings.  But no need to waste your time grumbling...

For Rounds 6 and 7 I dipped back into the batch painting of the Bretonnians that I've been working on this year.  For these rounds I submitted two teams of Darkenwald Scouts...these are the 5th edition "Squires with Bows" which I envision and the foresters and scouts in my Fluff.  With the completeion of these two teams this unit is all but done...I need to paint the banner and find one more figure...another copy of the guy standing and firing with the hood on....and I'll have a solid unit of 18.

...anyway...here are the pics....Group pic coming soon!

The pictures aren't the greatest as they were taken in a hotel room with less than great lights....also I obviously forgot to bring my basing supplies with me on this trip so those will be finished up later.

Cheers for now!

Blue