28mm Fantasy - Citadel Miniatures Dungeons & Dragons Red Dragon, circa 1986

 My wife was born in the year of the Dragon.  Needless to say, she likes Dragons.  I painted this boy years ago.  My wife since adopted him as her own, and every so often I add to her dragon brood.  

This is one of the few Citadel miniatures that was made for TSR, a Red Dragon for Basic Dungeons & Dragons.  The box art is of course from the iconic Frank Mentzer boxed set for levels 1-3.  When I think D&D this is the first picture that comes into my mind.  

Citadel Miniatures Red Dragon for TSR's Dungeons & Dragons

He was easy to paint: a series of Reaper Master series reds.  I cannot remember which ones...it was so long ago.  Yes, I kept the box.  Skalathrix lives in the Cloudwall Mountains, just west of the City State of the Invincible Overlord.  She is one of the most dangerous denizens of all the Wilderlands.

Every Red Dragon needs treasure.  These came from Dwarven Forge.  I used to have 31 boxed sets of Dwarven Forge resin dungeon and cavern sets (I got them when they first came out and were relatively cheap at the time).  I never really used them and eventually sold them years ago to a guy in Japan for $8000.  I thought he was nuts.  

My wife's brood is growing: Red, Green and Blue dragons sit upon their rocky perches.  

In any case, this particular piece will always remind me of my wife.  She puts up with a lot.  

28mm Fantasy - Ral Partha Fantasy Armies Chaos Imperium Archers & Crossbowmen

 In the 1980s and 90s fantasy wargaming was all the rage.  There were many systems out there: Warhammer, Battlesystem, Chaos Wars (Ral Partha's own massed battle rule set), the list goes on.  Sadly, plastic models had yet to arrive on the scene.  If you wanted to wargame then metal was the only option.  Ral Partha, one of the oldest manufacturers released a whole range of models, branded as Fantasy Armies, specifically for massed battle games.

During this period model ranges usually lacked the diverse number of poses that we have come to expect from plastic models.  Quite simply, at the time, it was too costly for developing a wide range of poses for the same model.  The market was small and sculpting was still done by hand, a very tedious process indeed.  So, if you wanted say a unit of archers, you were likely stuck with one pose (or two, if you were very fortunate).  This was the way back then.  One good thing however, it potentially made painting a lot easier.  There is something to be said for a massed unit of identically painted troops.  

These guys below are from the Fantasy Armies Chaos Imperium range: bowmen, longbowmen and crossbowmen.  They fit well enough into my old Warhammer Chaos armies, specifically for Khorne and Slaanesh.  Back in WH 3rd edition, Chaos was able to field missile troops, which gave them a much needed ranged punch to their otherwise close combat themed forces.  They also served in Battlesystem games for AD&D at the time.  Sadly, I did not play Ral Partha's Chaos Wars during this period.  This is my loss indeed since it is a great rule set.

These models were sculputed by Bob Olley, my favorite sculptor from the 80s and 90s.  

In any case, I have long since divorced from WH.  My Chaos armies are were long ago retooled for D&D, specifically for the Judges Guild Wilderlands setting.  Khorne became the forces of the City State of the Invincible Overlord and Slaanesh morphed into the armies for the City State of the World Emperor.  These models may be clones, but the sculpts are quite detailed and have a lot of extras on them that is easy to miss.  Old does not mean subpar.  Not by a long shot.  

The crossbowmen below  have a lot going on: plate armor, chain, leather and other accessories.  

Due to their helmets, the longbowmen have a very Elvish feel to them.  They were done in a pink to match my Slaanesh.  

The regular bowmen fit best into the CSIO forces, looking far more "martial" than the other two sets.  Yes I even did the eyes.

For many folks, the idea of rank upon rank of identical models is horrifying.  However, for me they bring back fond memories of a simpler time, both in gaming and in life in general.  

They may be clones, but they are always eager to take the field and die for my amusement.

15mm Sci Fi - Brigade Models Hover Vehicles

This year has been slow for 15mm Sci Fi.  More to the point, I am on a bit of a hiatus from that range right now.  After painting 2000 models and 200 vehicles last  year I am a little burnt out.  Instead, I have been concentrating on historical and fantasy figures.

Anyway, today I realized that I did not post up my vehicles from Brigade models that I finished some time ago.  My GZG NSL forces needed something more fitting to their background and color scheme, so I painted these up to match (more or less).

There is not much to say about them.  They were all done in Valljeo model air paints.  Various grey greens, airbrushed for a color modulation effect.  

I usually add crewmen and pintle mounts where possible.  

Anti-air turret is from GZG.

Decals add to an otherwise boring color scheme.

I will eventually return to 15mm Sci Fi.  There is a ton left to paint, all from Khurasan.  

Perry Miniatures - War of the Roses Light Cavalry

 Well, after a month of continuous painting I am almost through my 28mm Perry Miniatures War of the Roses Miniatures.  I saved the cavalry for last (for whatever reason).

The one thing that I found annoying with this kit was the lack of instructions.  The kits seem to be designed for someone who knows how to assemble historical models.  This one in particular was challenging since you could make lancers, crossbowmen or archers.  The issue with this was what to put where on the actual models.  

These took 5 days from start to finish.  

Historically, Europeans did not field mounted archers.  They did not have the cultural background, skills, mounts or necessary terrain for such troops.  Mounted Crossbowmen were fielded by the Germans in the late 1400, but they behaved more like light cavalry than anything else.  In any case, I went with this setup since I felt it gave me the most flexibility than simple lancers.  In hindsight I would have done a few things differently.  But hey, this is my first time with this kit.  They will make an appearance in Oathmark and Lion/Dragon Rampant.

Riders and mounts were done separately.  There are so many bits of this and that to paint that doing the whole model at once would have been a nightmare.  I airbrushed the horses two colors of Vallejo brown.  I could have went for more variations but I am lazy.  When doing dozens of horses one has to compromise somewhere.  

Spots add some variation to the horses.  There are a lot.  You cannot see them for the picture angle though, mainly because I am a lazy photographer.  

They are organized into two units of 6 riders each, with a musician for each one.  

Uniforms are a continuation of the Burgundian theme.  I hate white.  Painting the crosses is a huge pain in the ass.  Why did I choose this livery?  Likely because I am an idiot.  

Well, this brings me very close to finishing my Burgundians.  Only 12 heavy cavalry to go.  They will be easier to complete then these guys.  Far less individual parts to paint.  I am indifferent to these guys.  They turned out ok, but I could have done better.  I am learning how to paint Perry kits though, which is very helpful.  

15mm Sci Fi - Individual basing vs Group basing

I have a large painted miniature collection, both in 28 and 15mm.  The problem is I can never decide on a rules system to rule them all.  This impacts my model basing strategy since some games are structured around a specific basing system.  Over the years I have come up with a number of ways to make my collection, for both miniature scales, as flexible as possible.

Before I go into details, lets go over some of the rule systems that I use and or plan to use.  

Fantasy

• Warhammer/Oathmark - Individual based models.  Movement trays.  
• Kings of War - Group basing.  
• Hordes of the Things - Group basing.  Base size dependent on model scale.  

Sci-Fi

• Gruntz - Originally designed for individually based models.  Version 2.0 is moving towards group basing but can be utilized either way.  
• Alien Squad Leader - Group basing.  Units take 2-3 hits before elimination.
• Tomorrows War - Works best for individually based models.  Group basing can be used with difficulty.  
• USEME / Fireteam Andromeda / Laserburn / Beamstrike / No Stars in Sight / Clash on the Fringe - Individually based models.  

Originally, I  began my miniature painting career with Dungeons and Dragons in the 1980s.  RPGs are by their very nature individualistic, so group basing was totally unknown to me at the time.  This carried over once I began painting 15mm figures. 

As time went by I was exposed to move and more game systems.  Many of these used the group basing concept.  It seemed strange and unappealing to me; why would someone hamstring themselves by basing their miniatures in large groups?   Eventually though, I began to read some of these systems and found them appealing, particularly Alien Squad Leader for sci fi and Hordes of the Things for fantasy.  The problem was my entire collection was individually based.  What to do?

The answer was quite simple: create the bases needed for each game system and find a way to temporarily secure models to them.  This would preserve my desire for flexibility while at the same time allow play with group based games.  

For a game like Alien Squad Leader the process was rather quick: take an MDF base and flock it in the same style as my miniatures.  Blue or White Poster Tac is then used to attach the various models to the base (temporarily).  Some of my models use large bases which prevent multiple models from being placed on bases this way.  This is not always  aesthetically pleasing though.  My solution to this was to create, where possible, small dioramas on specific MDF bases, trees, clump foliage, rocks, ect.  This provides the visual bulk needed when a single model is placed on a base which is slightly too big for it.  

Alien Squad Leader Regular Infantry, on 50mm square bases.

Hordes of the Things required a bit of a hybrid approach.  At 28mm all units have a 60mm frontage (depth being variable depending on the unit type).  This is a pain since my collection is based on 20mm, 25mm, 40mm and 50mm square bases.  In some cases, depending on the unit type, there is simply no good solution.  Behemoths for example are 60x60.  This means I can get 1 Ogre miniature on a base.  Not exactly visually appealing.  For other sizes though I use a combination of my ASL approach and custom bases.  

Hordes of the Things Custom Bases: Taking an MDF base of appropriate size, I then use plasticard strips to create a base with a recessed interior.  This is more visually appealing than just placing a 50mm base on top of a 60mm base.  In some cases the depth of the base (say for flying units, 60mm x 40mm) is the same as the base of the model I am going to use (40mm x 40mm).  In this case only the sides of the 60mm base have plasticard, since the depth of the base is the same as the model.  The figure then simply slides in between the two edges.  The model is secure since the width is slightly less than 40mm.  Just enough to get the model in but not slide out.  

Custom MDF bases, some with magnets

Models are  now ready for a Horde of The Things game.

None of these examples is particularly original or creative.  My idea was to be as simple and utilitarian as possible, allowing  my models to be used in a variety of ways without being tied to one particular game system.

Perry Miniatures - Mercenaries 1450-1500, Crossbowmen

I finished these today.  Not perfect, but a little better.  I had to research crossbows since I never saw these types before.  Again, my ignorance of this age hinders me.  

That is two boxed sets down.  24 Cavalry to go.

Perry Miniatures - Mercenaries 1450-1500

This year I decided to finally paint my Perry Mercenaries boxed sets that I purchased years ago.  My inspiration came from the fact that I wanted something besides Chaos and Undead for my Oathmark games.  However, I have not painted 28mm figures in years, so I am very rusty.  Needless to say I also am very hard on myself and so far the results are not that impressive to me.  

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a great painter, not even good really.  Sometimes I can produce something out of this world.  Other times its crap.

I decided to go with Burgundians.  That was probably a mistake.  I hate painting white.  Truly.  That combined with hand drawn crosses and it is really a nightmare.  

It has also been about 10 years since this boy assembled plastic model kits.  My ignorance of this time period in history also did not help with assembly.  In hindsight I would have mixed and matched arms and torsos differently.

The only washes used were on the armor.  Everything else was shaded by hand, the Kevin Dallimore way. Like any art form, whether that is superior to using washes for shading is a matter of preference.

I am struggling with the armor, strange as it seems.  I have not painted full plate in years.  I airbushed everything in Mig Steel, then washed it in thinned Tudor Polyshades, then drybrushed it with Vallejo steel.  I am meh about it.  By this point I was already thinking, "Why are you doing this you fool?  You suck and this takes too long.  Just sub it out to a painting studio".  I did some livery on a couple of knights based on some ideas off the net.  Meh.  Looks pretty amateurish.  

I hate white.  The Duke of Whoever The Fuck You Are stands ready beside his impetuous son Sir Yellow Hair.  They apparently need help in determining which way to attack.  The heraldry is supposed to be a Fleur de Leaf.  Its crap, but hey, its my first.  

The pikemen really went no different.  I tried different colors.  Meh.  I should have mixed and matched arms more.  I went for a uniform look, matching up like minded arms and torsos.  

King Henry is in the middle.  Golden Armor.  Rich fucker!

I added some stripes to the pants of a few fellows.  I like stripes.  

So far I have tried a few white schemes.  I prefer working in triads, so I tried two schemes Valleo Pale Sand/Off White/White and Silver Grey/Off White/White.  Not sure which one is better.  One is cold and other warm with a yellow tint.  My wife says the latter.  My middle son says he cant tell the difference.  Fuck!  Someone just tell me what to do already.  

I added some gold on a few of the knights to break up the sea of steel.  

I painted some helmets Burgundian white and blue to again break up the mass of metal.  Apparently in this age some folks actually painted their armor, so my take is not too far off history.  At least that is what I am telling myself.  

The crossbowmen are almost done, with 24 cavalry up next.  The crossbowmen are tricky; I had to do some research to figure out what was on some of the models.  Again, historical ignorance.

It has taken me three weeks to get this far and I am already beat.  My mind is debating with itself: keep or sell.  My skills have atrophied over the years by just painting 15mm sci fi.  I have relied heavily on extreme highlighting and Tudor Polyshades in the past to finish off models at that scale.  However I am struggling with these larger figures and using bright colors.  My skills are just not up to snuff at the moment for this historical stuff I think.  What I picture in my head and what I am able to produce are two very different things.  In hindsight I should have gone for an easier scheme, such as red and blue.  

I hate white.