2016, a review.

So, we're well into 2017 now. I'll hold off on any commentary on how 2016 was in general, but here stick to a review of my painting for the year.


I'm not sure it was a particularly productive year, but there are some pieces I'm happy with. At least I have complete Frostgrave and Rogue Stars warbands.

 

 

 

 

Here's to 2017. May it be productive and full of gaming, modelling and painting.

Urban War: Oni Class Shogun Battlesuit with Katana

After completing my Triad Boss, and reading through Rogue Stars, I figured I really need some kind of Robot to go with my gang. To this end, I pulled this Oni Battlesuit out of storage. This is supposed to be a battlesuit, but looking at it, there's not much space for anyone but the smallest of pilots to go, so I'm calling it a Robot.

Pictured with the Triad boss here to give an idea of scale.

In the original Void 1.1, the Shogun was a battlesuit, armed with katana and shield, but of the many versions on the VASA battlesuits, I liked it the least. However in the Urban War iteration, this name was given to this melee orientated battkesuit, with some small range capabilities (there's a small gun in the battlesuits's mouth.

I'm not a fan of the back of the shield. It is really plain, which is unfortunate since you see most of the back of the shield after it has been attached to the miniature. I'm going to have to go back and do something with that.

Urban War Triad Boss

So after 2 hours at the pant table, give or take, I've squeaked out another of the minis I wanted to finish off for my Cleaning out the closet challenge for the end of the year. Ideally, I should have dropped the 2016 from the logo I made, as I had originally wanted this to be a winter event, but you live and learn.

This is the Triad Boss for Urban Mammoth's game Urban War. This was a limited edition release that came when you bought one of the original magazines that were the rules for the 1st Edition Urban War (issue number XX). He has his katana in hand, which I always thought a little cooler than the pistol wielding general release version.

In the end, I didn't paint over the cherry blossoms, as I previously planned to, but I do think they are looking a bit better than they were, if still not perfect. He also looks like he's leaning a little, which is kind of annoying, but is down to how he was placed on the scenic base I had already prepared. Good enough to get on the table at the head of a Triad gang for Rogue Stars for sure, though now I like the idea of fielding my Oni class Shogun battle-suit as a big ass robot to stomp on the other side. Either way, my growing Triad force has already gotten too large to be played as a Rogue Stars force, and will have to find another way to make it all on to the table at once.

I'll post a run down of what I have managed to complete for my challenge in the New year, but after finishing off this guy, I based up the last of the Viridians I had previously painted, leaving not so much to complete. 

Anyway, Happy Hogmanay to you all, see you on the flipside!

Triad Boss WIP

In a final push to clean out the closet this year, I've decided to finish my Triad Boss. There's a bit of time left in the year, so I reckon I can do it, but here's a WIP in the meantime. I tried to freehand some cherry blossoms on his kimono, that didn't work, and will be painted over. Otherwise it just feels good to be getting on with this guy.

One of the antlers on his helmet broke, and I had to green stuff him a new one. I'm not particularly happy with the result, but with the paint on him, if you don't look too closely, it's not too bad. A couple of hours this evening should see him done, and based to match the rest of his troops. Then to stat them up for Rogue Stars.

Urban War Triad Kabuki Doll

It may not seem like it from my entries, but I have been painting. Not quite with the gusto of the first week of this challenge,  but the nice thing is I didn't give myself a time limit, apart from 'this winter'.

I have a couple of posts ready to go, and this is the first of them. My Urban War Triad Kabuki Doll.

I'm pretty sure I've tried to finish painting her on three separate occasions over the 10-12 years she's been in my collection, but she's finally there. I think I might want to go back at some point and do something more interesting with the mask, but then the plain white look is kinda creepy too, so maybe not!

I am pretty happy with the hair. Painting black hair is something I am not good at, but this one looks okay from a distance!

She of course can be used in any upcoming Scifi games, and he base reflects this, but she could also be used in other time periods and eras due to the lack of hi-tech weaponry she carries. She would fit rather well into an Asian force for In Her Majesty's Name too.

Urban War: Triad Retainers

The third batch of minis from the list I have made myself is now complete.

I've recently finished off two 'units' of Urban War Triad Retainers. I hesitate to call them units, as in Urban War all figures are individuals, but the paint scheme certainly splits them into two definite groups, as do the paint jobs. The first, the red and white, were initially painted in 2004 (with the details being finished recently), and the second group, the green and orange, being painted in 2016.

These miniatures were originally released in 2004/5 (I know because it said so on the tabs, not because I could actually recall when I bought them) by Urban Mammoth, and are now available from Scotia Grendel. I bought these guys from Urban Mammoth's brick and mortar store in Edinburgh, and they finally made the trip over here a couple of years ago.

As you can see, the shading technique I used on the first batch was very rudimentary. The 2016 group has some quick and dirty 2 brush blending, so looks a bit smoother, I think.

The bases are the ones that I spoke of earlier, with the last two that I painted in this batch being put aside for the Triad Boss and a Kabuki doll, both of whom have languished in a half painted state for about as long as these guys.

As much as I would like to use these guys in a game of Urban War, it is more likely that these will go with the Viridians I have also finally put some finishing touches to (i.e. based) to be played with in some of the SciFi games I am trying to get set up.

Cleaning out the Closet

Hopefully, this post will be the first in a new series where I 'get stuff finished'. I have a long backlog of half painted minis and mostly done units and armies. The plan is to work through these and get them posted here over the coming winter. The list is as follows:

Frostgrave Ranger

This otherworld ranger mini is the last of my Frostgrave force from the Thaw of the Liche Lord campaign, and is almost finished. There is a bit of paint to splash onto her, and the base to finish, but no more than an hour or two of work. Then I can post the warband as a whole, and more on to the next one (a Chronomancer, but more on him later).

Dystopian Legions French Legionnaires

These are base coated, but have been sitting at the front of my cupboard for the last 2 years. Shouldn't take much to get them up to tabletop quality, then use them in 'The Men who Would be Kings', my new Dystopian Legions surrogate. Once I count up how many units like this I'll need, there may be more Dystopian Legions troops to complete that find their way onto the list.

Urban War Triad Retainers

The next few on the list are all old Urban War minis, that I intend to get ready for the SciFi gaming I plan to get into in the new year. For the retainers, I have 2 units of these, both bought back in 2004/5 one unit was painted back in then, but needs finishing off, and another companion unit that are undercoated. These, along with all the following Urban War minis, were in the large batch of minis I brought over to Canada a couple of years ago, and have been languishing in their storage box since then.

Urban War Viridian Special Forces and Sniper

I painted these back in 2014, all that needs done is the bases painted and them mounted. The minis can be seen here.

Urban War Triad Boss and Kabuki Doll

These are in need of being finished, the Kabuki doll has been picked up and put down at various points over the years and is mostly done, the Boss not so much, but these will finish off the Squad with the retainers and make them a playable force.

Urban War Triad Sumotori

There are two of these guys that fit with the rest of the Triad gangers that can easily be painted up to match this guy.

Urban War Viridian HMG

This too is painted, but the base needs a bit of conversion work and painting to make it fit with the rest of the squad.

Menoth Army

Finally, I pulled my Menoth army out of retirement (a locker at my FLGS). These guys were last used in MKI warmachine (we're now on MKIII) and are in a sad state of repair and variable state of completion. These guys were painted so long ago, there is no real trace of them on this blog. There's a lot to do in this pile, and could easily be a list unto itself. Once I get sown to this army, it will likely become an itemised list. So let's call this Wave Two.

So that's the list. A long post, but we had our first snow this morning here in Montreal, so winter is not so much round the corner as already here. Time to cosy up with Netflix and a paint brush and get on with this!

Colore ton Monde: September, New Tech

This has been a slooooow month, with real life getting in the way of hobby time to a much larger extent than normal. I won't bore you with the details, but I will excite you with a painted mini. One whole big fat painted mini, that is the grand total of this month's gaming output. Go me!

The theme of this month's challenge can be found here, and the rest of the minis are posted on facebook here.

He is rather fat though, that much is true. He is a Sumotori, a heavy (literally) for the Triad faction in Urban War. There are another two just like him to be finished off. In the end, the paint job really doesn't live up to close inspection, but he's done.

How I spend month's gaming time will be entirely determined on which of the products I have ordered arrives first. I am awaiting the Iron Scorpion box set from Spartan, which has been already delayed at the printers, and there's usually about a month's lag in me getting things from them over on this side of the Atlantic. I am also close to receiving two Kickstarters from Chaosium. Horror on the Orient Express, and 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu. Both of which are currently scheduled for a mid-October release. If these arrive, I intend to put together a gaming group for that, which won't necessarily compete directly with my gaming time, as that's likely to be a weekend evening event, however, prepping it is highly likely to eat into my time at the painting table.

Misaki/Kabuki Doll

I have long been eyeing up the Malifaux miniatures. They are beautiful creations, and there are a couple of factions that I could easily buy into. The game itself seems to hit all the right buttons, in that it's easy to pick up, and is skirmish based. That being said, I have restrained. Until my gaming time increases, there's no reason to buy into a new game. I will keep repeating this mantra, until I start to believe it.

I finally gave in, in a way, buy buying the beautiful Misaki miniature from my FLGS. My excuse is that she can easily double for a Kabuki Doll from the Triad faction in Metropolis, by Urban Mammoth. Therefore, I haven't yet bought into Malifaux. Yet.

Urban War Kabuki Doll

The only slight issue may be that Wyrd say all their miniatures are 32mm Heroic, and Urban War/Metropolis is technically 28mm, but I'm always very wary of what these companies say. I think there's little difference in most (at least fantasy) 28mm miniatures and 32mm heroic. Historical miniatures on the other hand, tend to be much closer in scale to what real 25mm/28mm actually is.

Either way, she promises to be a very demanding model to paint. I hope the result will reward the effort. First thing first, get her out of the box, and built. I have to say, I am rather unimpressed by the amount of flash on this model, especially on the handle of her weapon, the shaft of which is horribly bendy. If it weren't for all the bits and bobs attached to the shaft, I'd be tempted to exchange it for a brass rod. I may still do so.

Look at that kinky shaft!