Reaper Miniatures from 2006

 Going through some old picture files I stumbled upon these photos...painted back in 2006.  These were some of the first miniatures I had painted "properly".  No store bought washes back then....you had to make your own son.  All have since been rebased on 25mm squares....many have been touched up to modern standards.  Heck back then I really did not even do bases.....

Anyway....that was a long time ago...don't judge me!

...and yes...I could not even take a proper photo back then.

The Major Project for 2021

One year ago (2020), I began the process of rebuilding a large part of my 15mm Sci Fi collection, having sold off a large part of it in 2018/19.  That process took 6 months; 2000 models later that goal is achieved.  My 15mm armies are bigger, and better than ever (like the Six Million Dollar Man...without the Six Million Dollars).

During Christmas of 2020 I actually ran out of 15mm models to paint (and the drive to paint more of them in any case).  So, I did something that I never thought I would get around to: I dived into my 28mm Fantasy and Historical model inventory: old Ral Partha Chaos Warriors and Perry Miniatures War of the Roses troops.  

After completing those small projects I decided to finally pursue something that I had meant to for years: to build an Agincourt army of French and English forces to use in Lion/Dragon Rampant and as a replacement Bretonnian/Empire army for Warhammer Fantasy & Oathmark.  300+ figures planned.  No small force.

This is a massive project for me which will take up the bulk of 2021.  

Here we go.  

Otherworld Miniatures Pig Faced Orcs

  Sunday Double Feature!

I painted these guys years and years ago, Pig Faced Orcs from Otherworld Miniatures.  They are based on the classic D&D Orcs from the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeon and Dragons Monster Manual.  There are a couple of Reaper Miniatures figures in there as well...just for good measure.

Otheworld Miniatures Pig Faced Orcs

This force is basically a warband for Dragon Rampant or Song of Blades and Heroes.  I could do a better job now on the skin.  Oh well, a painted model is usually better than an unpainted one.  

D&D Orcs were actually all manner of colors....the dark green of GW was their own creation.  I went with an Olive Green in homage to the D&D Cartoon from the mid 1980s.

The Orcs are a mix of spearmen, hand weapons and double hand weapons.  In Dragon Rampant they would be classified as Bellicose Foot.  In Oathmark I would likely use them as Linebreakers.  

Manbane is the Warlord of this motley band.  The Shaman is preparing is favorite mean: human hearts....in BBQ sauce.  

The Orc archers are joined by Scarr, a Gnoll Ranger.  He prefers to dine on human hands...their hearts are too spicy for Scarr.

This is not a huge force.  Just big enough for small skirmish games.  The price of these models has gone up steadily over the years, and at 5 GBP each it is simply too expensive to make an army out of them (maybe one day...I have had them in my shopping basket more than once).  They make make an appearance in Oathmark as auxiliary troops, alongside my larger Otherworld Miniatures Hobgoblin force (to make an appearance here soon).  

Ral Partha Fantasy Armies - Skeletal Ballista

Yesterday I discovered that I  have never photographed by these poor chaps: my Undead artillery battery.  Shame on me.

The kit was easy enough to assemble.  Few mold lines to clean up (almost none).  

Ral Partha Skeletal Ballista

These guys are from Ral Partha Europe.  In the 1990s, Ral Partha was bought by FASA.  They subsequently released new miniatures for the Fantasy Armies Range (originally designed for Chaos Wars, Ral Partha's version of Warhammer).  All of the miniatures released by FASA during this period were 28mm scale, vs the 25mm that was common in the 1970s and 1980s.  The detailing is excellent, however they do not mix well with the older Ral Partha ranges...the models are just too big.  

The skeletons are 28mm.  Nothing flimsy about them.  All my skeletons over the last 20+ years are done the same way: primed ivory, then airbrushed Reaper Masters Yellowed Bone, then given a warm brown wash...these days Anthrax Earthshade.  Its nice not having to make my own washes in these modern times.

The crew is held onto the base with white tac.  If necessary they can be removed to fight in melee or as casualties.  I should probably sand the mold line off their metal bases.....all Ral Partha 28mm Fantasy Armies figures come with metal bases.

They are ready for battle....they are always ready.

Perry Miniatures Rose of the Roses Burgundian Army, complete

 I finally got around to taking a group photo of my War of the Roses Burgundians today.  This army was in my queue for about 4 years, unbuilt.  It was basically a trial army (4 boxes total), so I did not purchase everything that I normally would for a large force.  The infantry and missile troops need to be increased substantially, by at least another box.  There are two cannons left in my queue to complete as well.  They would count as Elf Ballistas in Oathmark.

I decided to base these on 25mm squares, specifically for Oathmark.  However, in hindsight I wish I had based them on 20mm instead.  It would have made them easier to use in KoW and older Warhammer editions.  The thing with bases is that you can always increase unit footprint via using special movement trays.  However, you cannot downsize as easily.  Oh well. 

The force consists of:

King Edward IV

Lord Fauconberg

12 Mounted Men at Arms (Oathmark Heavy Cavalry or Dragon Rampant Elite Riders)

12 Mounted Crossbowmen (Oathmark Rangers or Dragon Rampant Light Riders)

40 Men at Arms (Oathmark Linebreakers or Dragon Rampant Elite Foot)

20 Pikemen (Oathmark Spearmen or Dragon Rampant Heavy Foot)

10 Handgunners (Oathmark Rangers, or Dragon Rampant Heavy Missiles)

10 Crossbowmen (Oathmark Archers, or Dragon Rampant Heavy Missiles)

There are a lot of things I would have done differently for this force.  I consider it a learning experience.  The Perry kits allow so much customization that I was really overwhelmed by the whole assembly process.

The Foot Knights are highly detailed.  There is a lot of stuff (bits, straps, ect) to paint and quite frankly I was a bit lost for awhile.  The belts are very small and hard to paint.  GW Contrast paints would have worked better.  

I used Mig Steel for the armor.  This was a disaster since other acrylic paints did not want to adhere to the steel basecoat.  I would do these totally different now, with different effects and technique.  

The crossbowmen were a challenge.  I had to research crossbows to know what the heck the various parts actually were.  I had no clue what a Windless crossbow was.  I still have all the Pavises left for these guys.  I could put them on their backs or attach them to their bases as a shield to hide behind.  Not sure what to do with them.

The mounted knights were a painting disappointment.  I could have done better and I really wanted to do spiral colored lances.  I tried but failed miserably.  The barding was a pain in the ass to assemble (it does not want to fit 100% at the front of the horse, requiring sanding and filler to get a half decent look).  

Hand gunners were easy enough.  

The mounted crossbowmen were a bit of a pain to paint.  Lots of individual parts.  There were no assembly instructions so I had to research what went where.

The worst part of this whole project was painting the Burgundian crosses.  Black then lined with multiple shades of red.  Getting complete uniformity across a whole army (cross size) was impossible.

So, that is it.  My first foray into historical miniatures.  In hindsight I should have done an easier paint scheme.  Burgundians, with their white and blue livery and red diagonal crosses were much more challenging than I bargained for.  Anyway, it was a good learning experience.  I now know how to build these kits and what and what not to do.  I could have done a lot more color on the knights....that is my biggest disappointment.  I am on the fence on whether to keep them or sell them off.  I need another 40 or so troops (infantry and archers) to truly finish the army off for Oathmark.  Sadly, as it is, the force is far too small for Kings of War.  I still have two cannons left to paint up.  Not sure if I will do them in Burgindian colors or not.

The Perry plastic kits, IMO, are superb.  There are innumerable build options and the level of customization is huge.  Plus, they are cheap when compared to comparable fantasy kits on the market.  If you want a realistic and large human army for historical or fantasy wargames, then look no further than Perry Miniatures.  

Alternative Armies - Old English Dragon

 

I am trying to post at least once a week.  However, remember, I am a lazy blogger.  Anyway, a week ago I finished this for my wife, an Old English Dragon from Alternative Armies.  Since she was born in the year of the Dragon I have made it a habit to paint one for her every so often.

This time, she wanted blue.   Normally I do not use Vallejo Game Color paints, but this was an exception.   I wanted a vibrant color, so I went with Imperial, Magic, Electric and Glacier Blue, all airbrushed.  Lower scales were Vallejo Ice Yellow and Pale Sand.

Alternative Armies Old English Dragon

He is not perfect.  I could have done better.  Alas, perhaps next time.  

I have another 43coming in the mail from Reaper Miniatures.  White, Black and Gold.  That will round out the Original Dungeon & Dragon classic Dragon colors.