Old Stuff day 2014

I was reminded by a post on Dulce et Decorum Est, that March the 2nd is Old Stuff Day.  I partook in this little blogging meme last year, so i figured, why not do it again, even though it's now March the 3rd (I was late last year too).

So, what to link to this year? Well, the guidelines for posting are:

• Posts that you considered special that didn’t receive as much attention as you thought they deserved
• Content that people liked in the past, but haven’t seen recently
• Posts you might have created before your site received much traffic, and now deserve to be reshown
• Or any content you’re particularly proud of!

When looking back through my older posts, I came across a pair of posts for my Urban War miniatures. One for the Viridians, and a second for the Syntha. For the Syntha post, I even put my painting scheme, something I planned to do more of, but never materialised. I was in fact hoping that I had posted the painting scheme I used for the Viridians, as I have recently regained a bunch of my minis for Urban War, including some rather nice Viridian models and it woul dbe nice to do them in the same paint scheme. But that was not the case. Even back then, with all my good intentions, I was still rather slap-dash in what I posted.

What can you pull out of the annuls of your blog for us to drool over?

Infinity: Highlander Cateran

A lovely model isn't it. Not OTT in it's stance, but realistic, and the scenic basing really sets him apart from the other sniper models, who stand in (what I think to be) an unrealistic fashion. I like it, so I ordered one. However, whilst ordering it, and looking at the pic online with the guy at my FLGS, we wondered if he really came with that 40mm scenic base, as it is larger than the 25mm base he is fielded with in the rules.

So which was it, normal base and that's just a pic, or a larger base with included scenery.  The answer?

Both!

Yes, that's right, the box contains the normal 25mm base, and a larger 40mm base. This means that you have the option of either the large scenic base, as shown below, or to base him for use in game.

Option 1: Full scenic

I'm a bit miffed by this, as one of the reasons to buy him is the way the model is set in all the pictures of him online, but yet you cannot use him like this in game (well, I guess in theory you could, but he'd be making a big target of himself all the time, which is not what you want from your sniper). How dare you give me choice? What do you think I am, some kind of hobbyist who spends his time modelling and tinkering with models? Oh, wait, right.

Option 2: Game legal

So, the question is, what to do? I could go with option 1: do him up on the full 40mm scenic base, with the realisation that I'll hardly ever play the game anyway, and when I do, suck up the larger base for all the difference it would likely make. Or is it to be option 2: go with the smaller base, with the small rock/staircase that is included, thereby being completely game-legal, but to my mind, losing some of his charm.

Option 3: Can't be arsed!

There is of course option 3, where I try to arrange some kind of set-up with wires/magnets/mirrors, where I can display him on the full base, and take this apart to be able to field him on the game-legal 25mm base. This sounds the most fun, but is in the end the least likely option.

Option 4: Half-way house.

Most of those I see in the forums (well, ok, I found 2) were based on the 25mm base with half the wall added. This goes way over the edges, but still doesn't look too bad. Seems to be a half-way house between most of the scenics kept, and large (but not 40 mm base size) presence on the battlefield.

Decisions, decisions!

Ménage du printemps: II Time travellers

The first two minis for the may challenge were started last night (I may have put a lick or two of paint on some of the others while I had the paints out). I went with the pair of time travellers to begin. For Dr Malcolm Ecclescake, I chose the studio colours. His outfit seems only to vary in the colour of T-shirt he wears. His leather jacket is as far as i can make out, black. I decided that this would be too much, what with the black trousers (that, and black is a real pain in the ass to get right) so I went with a dark brown (P3 ochre), with a black wash. It may not come out too well in the pics, as the black was is too shiny, but it looks the real deal IRL.

Base Coat

Inked

Sacsha Dubois does not suffer from the same monochromatism. I decided she was much more in the vein of Captain Jack, not afraid to add a bit of colour. I'm not yet sure as to what colour I'll settle on for the trousers and top, especially the cog motif, but I'm happy enough with the base. Combat ready, but yet fashionable.

Base Coat

Inked

 

Highlights and detailling to follow. Then I'll have to decide on how I want to paint the rest.

Urban War: Syntha III

Final group shots, with the bases of the Androsynths finally painted. I think I may go back and give the Pointman and Biomech bases another ink, as they're a little too plain as is.  Click for larger images. Below the cut there is the paint scheme I used. Again, this is mostly as a point of reference for me, if I want to paint up some more minis in the same scheme.

Paint scheme below the cut

Urban War: Syntha I

First two minis from this set complete. All that really needed doing to the Artemis Biomech was to paint the base. I'm not happy with the decking. I mean, I love the bases, but I'm not happy with the paint job on them. It seems a little lacking. The Pointman's base is particularly plain.

Pics after the cut. Warning, some pictures are of a bare bum in 28mm!

Urban War: Syntha WIP

Following on from my last post, I realised if i was ever going to use the Viridian Strike Force i had to wonderfully painted, I would have to find them some opponents. Fortunately, I had bought the Syntha boxed set at the same time, for that very reason.

I decided to go with a different paint style here, with much more layering. As the bulk of these guys are in effect robots, it means I can practice this technique, and it doesn't matter as much if it doesn't look 100% natural.

Finished of the Pointman and the Artemis Biomech this evening, will post the pics soon, until then, here are some WIPs:

Urban War: Viridians

This was what you could call an exercise in speed painting, this whole squad was painted in less than 3 hours. Somewhat of a record for me. I think even a record in that I have a whole squad of anything painted.

The reason for painting them is as follows. I bought a pot of P3 Battledress Green, with the aim of using it to finish off these guys, but I wanted to see if it dried to a khaki colour, or a darker green. This unit was sitting at the front of the cupboard, all based on their fancy bases,and undercoated ready to go, so I figured, why not? It's a fair enough colour to use for urban camouflage. 2 evenings later, and here we have a fully finished, (tabletop quality) Urban War Strike force.

In answer to my original query, I think it's a little too dark for the khaki colour I was going for, especially as my Infinity minis are undercoated in black (these were in white geso). Back tot he drawing board for that one.

I bought these about 1-2 years ago, along with a box of Syntha, with the intention of being able to run demo games for Urban War. I've been playing the Urban War family of games (including the predecessor Void) for quite a few years. In fact, I used to live around the corner from their bricks and mortar shop, when they had one in Edinburgh (nice way to spend too much money). I have a few painted minis (but not a completed force) sitting in my parents attic back in the old country, which I plan to pick up the next time I'm back over there, thereby having at least 4 basic forces to chose from. At least now one for those forces will be fully painted. That may be enough to attract the odd opponent.

More pics after the cut

Caledonian Highlander Army WIP

Here's the WIP shot of the Caledonian Highlander Army I'm working on. The SAS  has been quickly finished to less than table- top, but is the most complete. Next up is my piper/medic for my Caledonian Volunteers. The mini is Piper Bill Millin, from the Warlord Bolt Action range, but he fits in perfectly with the scale. I would have prefered if he were wearing a glengarry, like the rest of his squadmates, but I can live with the beret as I have yet to source heads wearing glengarries. I'd also like to add a rifle, like his comrades, just to bring the mini up to the same tach level as the rest of the group, but I don't really think it'll be an issue, afterall, the Highlanders in this game seem a little behind the times technologically speaking. Also, from my limited exposure to the game, the mini doesn't have to replicate exactly the arms he is allegedly equiped with in game. A red cross on one of his packs and we're good to go.

You can see I've started to try the tartan on the volunteer on the far right of the threesome. They'll be wearing government issue, or Black Watch tartan. I found a neat little tutorial on how to paint it and other tartans here. I think I'll be using my fine point marker for the black lines, to tidy up the join between blue and greed, and also to keep the line uniform. However, there's a sheen to the marker pen from some angles I'll have to work around. Maybe a layer of matt varnish at the end to tone it down.

 

Starting Infinity

I finally caved, when my FLGS got in a selection of the starter armies for Infinity that includes the Caledonian Highlander Army. I've had my eye on this game for a while, and after the release of William Wallace as a character for the Ariadnan faction it became no longer a question of if I would buy into the game, but when.

My first playtest of the game, with 2 other novices, showed up that there's likely to be a steep learning curve to the system. Mainly for 2 reasons. First off, the rule book is badly laid out, and secondly, each model has a list of skills and options that you have to go back through the rule book to reference. Obvioulsy, the second problem will be reduced with time, especially if I stick to one faction, and the first, Ihave circumvented by the use of youtube videos describing the basics.

I've added 2 proxies to bulk up my force to almost 200 points. This guy on the right as William Wallace until I get the real mini, and Piper Bill Millin from this blister as a Caledonian Volunteer medic, which makes it more of a conversion than a proxy, at least it will once I stick the right kind of rifle onto his pack.