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Undead Samurai.

May 28, 2018, 1:45 pm
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A quick (UK) Bank Holiday update on a pair of test models for my Undead Samurai army. The first is a C18 Undead Samurai , by the name of Ne. The second is a converted C05 Oriental Hero miniature (one of the later Wargames Foundry castings), converted to be mounted on a spare 1980's Citadel Lord of the Rings ME64 Ringwraith (alternative) horse which I had. An obscure mix I admit!

Ne I have painted in the same way I plan for the rest of the Undead Samurai army. I have based the scheme on the historical Samurai of the 'Red Devils Brigade' of Ii Naomasa. I need to paint the sashimono detail, which I will decide on later. Instead of painting the skull and bones bone colour, I have opted for a slightly more ghostly/ethereal look to them. The reason I did this is because Japanese Undead Folklore seems to lean more to the spirits and less to animated undead and skeletons. I also intend adding some of the Wargames Foundry/Ex-Citadel Samurai to the dozen or so C18 Undead Samurai I have, so painting more fleshy looking miniatures a more 'spooky colour' I think will work better.

The converted mounted C05 Samurai I have painted as a mounted spectre. I like Spectres as part of armies, and I consider no Undead army is complete without some sort of Ethereal component. Painting wise he was simple. White undercoat, and then a couple of washes with Citadel Nihilakh Oxide. Once dry, I highlighed a few of the edges with white.


Enjoy :)
Ne.
Ne from the right side.
Samurai Spectre.
I just removed the solid metal base and filed the inside legs a litte to fit him on the horse.
Right hand side.
Citadel OH5 Oriental Champion Wu-Jen.
I plan to use this miniature as the Level 25 Necromancer, but paint his skin pallid.

Note sure what the next update will be on. I do really need to get down to some serious painting. :)
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AOS: Tomb Kings/Death army conversions.

June 7, 2018, 12:23 pm
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I am taking a break from Oldhammer and returning to an abandoned project: my Age of Sigmar (AOS)  Death army.

With the new AOS Soul Wars coming soon I have decided to dig up (if you excuse the pun!) my Undead. I decided to collect a wider Death army, with emphasis on the Deathrattle aspect. To give my army a theme and distintive look I have decided to combine the current GW kits with old parts left over from my Tomb Kings army. I was, and still am, less than happy that GW dropped the Tomb Kings, so I see this as a way of still carrying on the Tomb King theme in the AOS world.

My army theme is loosely based of the Crimson King, previewed in White Dwarf #377. The backstory is that Imrathepis of Numas, also known as the Crimson King, was an arrogant and warlike king who usually rode atop a Warsphinx. He met his final end taking on a horde of Ogres in the mountains, his army ground to dust, and his mummfied body smashed to pieces. I like the idea of through great magics he is finally reassembled and seeks vengeance in other realms, and I love the paint scheme used in the White Dwarf article (see below).

With that in mind I have been converting up some of my Death miniatures with the tomb Kings bits. Skeleton warriors have been given Tomb King Shields, and the Black Knights Tomb King head swaps, shields, and spears. In addition, this week I have finally got around to converting up some of the big beasts for the army. With the Mortis Engine, I have again added more Tomb King parts. I have also converted a Mortach riding beast, combining it with the upper torso of a Necrosphinx. I plan to use it as both a Necrosphinx if I field it in a Tomb Kings army, and a stand-in Zombie Dragon when used for a Death army. The third conversion again has it's basis from a Mortarch riding beast. I have combined it and War Sphinx parts to create a Warsphinx riding mount for the Crimson King, or another Zombie Dragon mount in the Death army.

I am on holiday again from this weekend, so I hope to get a lot of these painted, and more! I want to have a modern, portable, gaming army finished soon, and so have a motivation to finish this project very quickly.

Enjoy :)
 The Crimson King article in White Dwarf #377.
I like the slightly later, Iron Age as oppossed to Bronze Age, look of the army. I think it fits better with the AOS Death army.
 The King himself atop his Warsphinx.
 Tomb Guard.
Skeletons.
I will be using the current GW Skeleton models, with old Tomb King shields.
 The Mortis Engine.
It's a big model. I have added a variety of Tomb King shields, heads, and spear arms.
 I have replaced the plain skulls with the Tomb Kings headress ones on the lower skeleton spirits. On the upper one I have used the horned skulls from the new Citadel Skulls box set.
I have also replaced the Necromancer (see below).
 Close up of the Tomb Kings face masks.
 Tomb King style Knights.
 Tomb King shields.
 Instead of using the Necromancer which comes with the Mortis Engine I am going to use the dismounted Necromancer miniatures, with a Tomb King head swap and the addition of a Tomb Guard blade on top of the staff.
 The Mortis Engine Necromancer.
I have conversely converted him to be a dismounted Necromancer. I have done a simple head swap, and then stuck him on a 32mm citadel base. I like the idea of him floating in a spooky, ethereal way.
 The Necrosphinx.
I have converted this useing the upper torso of the old Tomb Kings Necrosphinx, and the body of a Mortarch riding mount. I love how this conversion has come out, it gives the Necrosphinx a feeling of flying and menace.
I will add more skulls and items to the base at a later date.
 Close up. I thought that the skull head would tie-in with the skulls in the body.
 The body.
 I replaced the original tail end with the sting tail from the Necrosphinx.
 To cover where the saddle should go I added a skull plate from the Necrosphinx kit.
 Flying!
 The Warsphinx.
This was a simple conversion. I used a spare 'rock' from the Zombie Dragon kit to act as a stabiliser for the whole model, and to give it a greater look of it flying. In addition it made the models back more lever so that the howdah, from the Tomb Kings Warsphinx kit (aka 'Warkitty'!) is more level.
I will put the plastic Tomb King miniature, representing the Crimson King, in the Howdah.
 The left side.
Again, I will be adding more skulls and items to the base.
 Close up of the head.
I used the Warsphinx head, pinned onto the neck, to give it that extra Tomb King feel. The end of the jaw was missing, so I added an Orc jaw from Citadel skull set to give it that little bit extra.
Rear view.

Next update will be on painted Death army units.
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The summonings of the Crimson King.

June 30, 2018, 1:01 pm
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Despite the lack of blogging I have been busy painting. Last week I spent idly glueing skeletons, but this week I decided to get some serious painting done. Having several days off this week I managed to really get stuck into some serious painting, completing 60 Skeleton Warriors, 20 Grave Guard, a Necromancer, and the Crimson King himself.

As I detailed in my last blog update I am basing the army on the theme of the story and background of the Crimson King. I have painted the army with that in mind, using the shield designs from the White Dwarf #377 article, and also painting the spear staffs red to give the army a Crimson King feel. To give the army a more Age of Sigmar/spooky feel, I have painted the bone on the Skeletons with Nihilakh Oxide. I kept the painting style quite fluid rather than very precise to give a feel of the ebb and flow of animating magic running through the Undead.

In addition I managed to paint the King himself, using the plastic Tomb King miniature used in the article, which was orginally including in the Warshpinx kit. I mounted him on a Mortarch mount conversion, which is to be an alternative, more supernatural, reincarnation of the Crimson Kings Warsphinx mount. I will use the Crimson King model as an alternative model for Arkhan the Black, to lead the army. I like the idea the Crimson King coming back from distruction, and with greater powers, like Arkhan.

I still have several elements of the army to finish off. I am repainting blades and armour on one unit of Black Knights to match the rest of the army, and I have another unit of them to paint. I would like to paint some more Skeletons, and convert up more Tomb Kings/Grave Guard. I am currently working on the Mortis Engine.

Enjoy :)
 The weeks painting!
Sorry about the terrible photograph.
 Side view.
 Other side view, showing the shields.
 The Crimson King riding his flying dread abyssal mount.
Like the original Tomb King Warsphinx I have painted it a Crimson red. 
 The right side, showing the Warshpinx/beast in full leap.
 The Crimson King giving orders to his army.
 Left side closer up, showing the scrreaming trapped skulls!
 More Skulls!
 I swapped the Abyssal beast head for a spare Warsphinx one, and then added an Orc jaw bone to the end to fill the gap and add length.
 Here kitty, kitty, kitty... :)
 I am painting and converting a Mortis Engine, and so I had the Necromancer spare. So I stuck him on a 32mm base, swapped his head for a Tomb Kings one, and now have a Necromancer who looks like he is floating in a spooky way.
 Close up.
 20 Grave Guard.
I added a Tomb Kings standard, and kept the same paint scheme as Skeletons to tie-in with the rest of the army. I did'nt add the shoulder armour to keep them looking lighter and more suited to hot climates. I love these miniatures, they were fun to paint paint, look great, and the helmets remind me of the old Citadel C17 Skeletons from the 1980's.
 Command group.
 Grave Guard.
 Skeleton warriors with spears.
I have copied and based the shields on the original article miniatures. I did however want to keep at least one element of red on each shield.
 More Skeleton warriors with spears.
 Skeleton warriors with swords.
 Regimental leaders.
On a couple of them I have swapped the sword arms for Tomb King Khopesh arms.
 Skeleton standard bearers with old Tomb Kings standard heads.
WIP
Sneek peek of the Mortis Engine.

Next week more Undead!

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Mortis Engine and Black Knights.

July 20, 2018, 12:22 pm
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My blog updating has been a little remiss of late, but in fairness I have still been painting and collecting. I have nearly finished the AOS Death/Tomb Kings style army, finishing the Mortis Engine and the painting (repainting in this case) of one of two of my Black Knight units.

Outside this, I have been adding to my Space Slann army, increasing the size, and will be rebasing and painting them after I have finished the Death army. Also, I have been spending money on a collecting project I have wanted to do for a while, the 1990's 'Big Hat' era Chaos Dwarfs. I never liked them at the time, but have grown to like them over the intervening years. I have built a small army, again, more of which later.

Due to the crazy hot and sunny weather in the UK, I was not able to take proper photographs, one of the other reasons my blog update has been delayed. I do need to construct a photo box, but in the meantime I took the photographs in the garden.

Enjoy :)
Mortis Engine.
Like the other elements of the army I have substituted some of the parts for old Tomb Kings parts to keep with the Crimson King theme.  
Right hand side.
Tomb Kings shields.
I swapped the heads for Tomb King arms and heads.
Close up.
I swapped the supplied Necromancer for the plastic Necromancer kit that can be bought seperately. I converted the top fo the staff with a Tomb Guards blade, and head swapped with a Tomb Kings head.
As for the Mortis Engine, I swapped the Skeelton heads for Tomb Kings heads on the lower two, and Beastman horned heads to the upper pair from the Skull set.
I also swapped out the icon for a Tomb Kings standard from the Warsphinx/Necrosphinx, with the pole cut off. I wanted to give it that extra Tomb Kings feel.
Tomb Kings Black Knights.
I had orginally painted these up in a similar style to my Tomb Kings army. However I re-painted them in line with the rest of the Crimson Kings army.
Charging!
Unit leader.
Standard Bearer.
Musican.
Charging, left and right sides.
Galloping, left and right.
Shields.
I copied some of the designs from Tomb Kings articles, and wanted to have at least one piece of red on each shield. It is the Crimson Kings army after all!
Frontal photograph showing the head, weapon arm, and shield swaps.

Next update will be the last batch of painting of the Crimson Kings army.
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The Necrosphinx of the Crimson King, a Wight King, and the Tomb Guard of Princess Meritites.

July 27, 2018, 12:25 pm
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I have finished painting the last of the elements of my Age of Sigmar Death army, based on the Army of the Crimson King. I painted the Necrosphinx conversion, a conversion of a Tomb Kings Tomb King miniature, and a converted unit of Black Knights.

The Necrosphinx is a conversion made from Tomb Kings Necrosphinx parts, and an Abyssal beast. I added the torso from the old Necrosphinx onto an Abyssal beasts body. The fit was suprisingly easy to do. I liberally added skulls to the base to give a great feel of otherworldly-ness, and painting them the sam colour as the skulls inside the Necrosphinx to give the impression that the Necrosphinx was infusing the skulls with it's magic as it passes over them.

The Wight King is a very simple conversion. An old metal Tomb Kings range Tomb King, on a new 32mm base. I have swapped his arms for a plastic arm with an axe from the Necropolis Knights kit, and a right arm converted from the basic skeleton warriors set. The idea is to have a Wight King in gaming terms armed with a Black Axe. In background terms he is minor son of the Crimson Kings, perhaps from a secondry or lesser wife, as was common in Ancient Eygpt.

The Black Knights are similar in apporach to my other unit. They are a converted mix of Tomb Kings parts applied to the current Black Knights box set. The Tomb Kings parts I used were from the 2011 release Tomb Guard (an excellent box set, and sadly missed). I wanted to make then different from the previous unit of Black Knights, and use these parts to link them into the Tomb Guard from the Crimson King article in White Dwarf #377 (May 2011).

To give the Tomb Guard a bit of a focus and a raison d'etre, I made the unit leader a royal one, and that the Tomb Guard were their personal Tomb Guard. I felt there was a lack of female aspects to the Tomb Kings (and GW as a whole to some extent) and so decided to do a conversion I wanted to do for a while, and convert up a Tomb Princess. I used a spare 1990's era female Dark Eldar torso, which worked out well as a female breastplate in a similar style to the usual Black Knights torsos. I also sculpted some long hair in a female style from green stuff to add to the female look. I named her Meritites, which is ancient Eygptian name meaning "beloved of her father", was apparently used by many ancient royal women, and seemed to fit the Daughter of a Crimson King whom I always assumed to be a very dominant personality.

Enjoy :)
 Necrosphinx.
 Close up.
Front.
Right side.
 Left side.
 Wight King with Black Axe.
I have named him Neferkare, which was a male name linked with Horus. As he has a hawk-headed axe, I thought that would be fitting.
 Rear view.
 Black Knights/Tomb Guard of Meritites.
 Princess Meritites.
 Rear view.
 Standard Bearer, with a standard from the Warsphinx kit.
A selection of Tomb Guard/Black Knights, converted using a mix of Tomb Guard and Skeleton Warrior parts.

Next update might be Space Slann, or maybe Chaos Dwarfs.
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The Watcher in the Water.

August 24, 2018, 12:22 pm
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I have finally managed to update the blog!! I've been meaning to post an update, but work and other things seem to just have got in the way. Also, I forgot my new apporach to the blog. The idea was to update with smaller updates detailing what I have been painting/collecting, but I kept thinking thinking "I'll get this or that sorted, then have a 'proper' update". But enough of that, I'll start that from September. What I have been doing is collecting a 1990's/4th edtion/Big Hat Chaos Dwarf army, and I am also preparing to paint up the three armies of the Vengence of the Lichemaster scenario.

With that in mind, here is a little update of a distraction I painted. Some time ago (mid 1990's) I bought this and painted it quite basically. On whim, and because I thought it deserved better, I repainted it. It was produced by Fantasy Forge in the early 1990's. Scotia Grendel Miniatures eventually took over the range and now sells it under the name 'Swamp Creature':
http://www.scotiagrendel.com/Products/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2810

As the name suggests, it is loosely based on the idea of the Watcher in the Water, the creature that attacks the Fellowship of the Ring outside Moria, in the 'Two Towers'. I am sure it can be painted up in a more oceanic look in order to terrorise shipping, but I have opted for the murky dwelling creature of the Misty Mountains. Size wise, it is 6 inches long, by 4 inches wide at it's widest. As an aside, I always wondered how it got there in the first place, but I suppose it was put there when a lot smaller by Sauron or Saruman.

Enjoy :)
"Watch out Mr Frodo!"
I base coated the creature in a dark green, and then prgressively highlighted it with lighter greens and khaki, giving the whole thing an Agrax Earthshade wash.
I wanted to give it the look of something slimy, living in a murky, dark, pool. I went for a mix of dark green and dark brown mixes for the pool wate, and also gave the whole model a coat of Citadel 'ardcoat to make it look wet, shiny and slimy.
Icky looking weeds on the tentecle.
The head.
Tentecles.
More tentecles!
I painted the sucker parts of the tentecles with Kislev Flesh colour to add a little more colour and paleness.
"Poor old Bill".
A distance photo of the Chaos Dwarf army on a board on the bed. Better photographs soon..!

Next update will either be the Vengence of the Lichemaster armies or Chaos Dwarfs.
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Citadel Temple Dogs.

September 30, 2018, 12:28 pm
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This is a bit of  a last minute blog update, just finally updating before September passes by!

The truth of the matter is that I have'nt been painting in the last month, but most of my time has been work related. What miniatures related activies I have undertaken have mostly been collecting. I have been buying all sorts of odds and ends to complete units and add items to armies.

One of the great things about collecting older miniatures now, is, of course, e-bay. Now e-bay can allow access to many miniatures which I was unable, or never got around to buying, at the time. I find that it is a lot easier to source older miniatures now than it was sometimes at the time, and certainly more so than in the 1990's when their production stopped, but there was little way for people to sell them. Of course, e-bay can come at a price, but sometimes bargins can be found, or sometimes a rare miniature or sought after one turns up at a price which does'nt seem too bad. Two such things happened a few weeks ago.

I managed to purchase two miniatures in the last few weeks which I have wanted for a while, and complete a set as well. I bought the Samurai mounted on a Temple Dog, in mint condition as well, for £30. In addition, I bought the Hobgoblin Temple Dog rider for £12.50. I already had a spare Temple Dog for the Hobgoblin (as one does!) and a spare plastic lance for him. I had owned the Dark Elf Rider and Temple Dog since the 1980's, and she will be (as she was at the time) the General for my slotta based Dark Elf army.

I am aware that for some people that this might be too much to consider paying for these miniatures, but I always think that sometimes, especially for miniautres which do not appear with great frequency, it's sometimes worth the money. All three miniatures will end up leading respective armies. The Samurai leading my Empire list based Nippon army (although rules wise I would have to consider it a Warhorse); the Hobgoblin will lead a Hobgoblin Mercenary Contingent for a Hobgobla Khanate army (an Orc/Goblin list army, but using Hobgoblin miniatures instead of Orc ones, and other Hobgoblins in the Mercenary force); and the aformentioned slotta based Dark Elves.

So this update is really just me being pleased at collecting three miniatures, which not only will have a practical gaming use, and be fun to paint, but which are just nice to own and appreciate for themselves.

Enjoy :)
An original advert for the Temple Dog riders. I am not quite sure when they were sculpted, but the were part of a sale promotion in spring 1989. The plastic lances were from 1987, and the rules for Temple Dogs were released in Warhammer Armies in 1988, so somewhere between 1987-9. They were sculpted by Aly Morrison.
The three Generals (as yet unpainted).
There are two banner variants, the fan banner, and the flag/sashimono. I seem to have three sets of fans.
Temple Dogs were only avaliable in three lists in Warhammer Armies: The main Dark Elf list; the Hobgoblin Mercenary list; and the Samurai Mercenary list (which could only be used by Dark Elf armies!).
Temple Dog face.
It looks similar to Chinese Foo Dogs and the Pekinese type of dog. The dog itself is a  three part kit consisting of the left and right sides of the body, and the seperate head.
Side view.
When both parts of the body are placed together, there is a small round hole in the back above the front of the pelvis. This is where the banner pole is inserted.
Samurai General.
Samurai General.
I love the Samurai armour details.
Rear View.
Dark Elf General. Unlike the Samurai, but like the Hobgoblin, she has a small boss on her left hand to take a Citadel plastic (or metal if you had one spare) shield.
Rear view.
From this angle you can better see her great mass of 1980's Heavy metal/punk Mohawk hair. You can also see her lack of clothing. She is wearing a bikini thong, leather studded bodice/basque, a leather or metal chest piece on the collar bone (better seen in the above photograph), a neck choker, and either chainmail stockings or fishnets stockings. An electic mix for battlefield operations, even for a Witch Elf!
Hobgoblin General.
Like the Dark Elf, he has a metal boss to take a shield in his left hand. He has been sculpted in a Mongol/Far Eastern style, similar to Aly Morrisons earlier C36 Hobgoblin range. Again I like the sculpt and it's full of detail. I positioned the lance at a slightly differing angle to the other riders to give a more casual look as I thought it fitted the pose of the miniature better.
Rear view.
In addition to the Temple Dogs, I have turned my attention back to the Regiments of Renown. I bought the command group and several troopers of the RR6 Mudat's Half Orc Mercenaries, from somebody on the Oldhammer Facebook trading page, ensuring I now have a nice and neat regiment of 20 of probably not nice or neat (or hygienic) Half Orcs. I also rebased the Half Orcs I already owned onto 20mm square bases for gaming.
It is not just the Half Orcs who have aquired new shiney new bases. I have been rebasing and basing up all of my Regiments of Renown with an eye to use them in armies. Here is the pre-slotta version of RR5 Harboth an the Black Mountain Boys. I found an extra unpainted trooper to replace the variant with the halberd at the back.


Next blog update, which I promise with be sooner and better than this one, will be on the results of my sortings out of armies.
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FTD Pre-slotta Dwarf Army.

October 30, 2018, 2:26 pm
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Aargh!
Another busy month with last minute blog update. I have'nt even done any painting! None the less, I have been collecting and sorting out armies. One of the armies I have finished (but not painted!) is my Citadel pre-slotta Fantasy Tribes Dwarf army.

The Fantasy Tribes ranges were a group of Citadel ranges dating from 1980 to 1983, and based on from the first set of Citadel ranges. The Fantasy Tribes ranges were broken down into racial groups, the Dwarfs being given the acronym FTD. They eventually ended up as early C-Series Dwarfs.

I have been collecting the Goblins and Great Goblins for years (since I picked up some in a GW sale in 1989), but I only started collecting the Dwarfs a few years ago. My original idea was to base the miniatures on 30mm lipped round bases, just like I have done with the Great Goblins. However I decided to make a 'proper' looking army of them, something I have been doing with some of my other pre-slotta armies recently. This entailed re-basing some of them, including the pre-slotta version of Bugmans Rangers. I really love the FTD miniature range and think that they have a 'down to earth' quality which later ranges (Citadel and others) really fail to have.

The pre-slotta army is below. In addition, I have been assembling an army based on the McDeath scenario. In the scenario McDeath controls an army of Orcs and Goblins (and a Giant). So thought I would be fun to use the numbers of Orcs and Goblins in the scenario as a basis for an 3,000 point from the 3rd Edition Warhammer armies lists, and of course using only Oldhammer era miniatures. More on that in another update, but there are some WIP photographs at the end of this update. I am also assembling a similar opposing army from the Rebels facing McDeath.

Enjoy :)

The army as a whole.
I can squeeze the miniatures into a 3,000 point army, but it would be better to have field the whole of them in 4,000+ points, allowing for more magic weapons, standards, etc, and maybe a Dragon or some Ogres.
Right flank.
Centre.
Left flank.
Spearmen unit, mainly consisting of FTD1 Dwarf with Spear and Sword. I need to convert the broken C06 range Dwarf Cleric into a standard bearer.
Dwarf warriors made up of FTD6 Dwarf with Axe and Hammer, and FTD7 Dwarf with Hammer and Pick, with an FTD8 Standard bearer with axe.
A regiment of FTD4 Dwarf with Axe and Mace, led by Drambuin from the 1983 Dungeon Adventures starter pack.
Some of these need repairing as the shafts of the axe/maces are quite fragile.
RR1 Bugman's Dwarf Rangers Regiment of Renown.
Although produced a little later that the FTD range, being made in 1984, the are contempary and fit nicely as an elite regiment for the army. These were originally based on 30mm lipped bases, but I have rebased them to fit with the army.
Another Dwarf warrior regiment made up of FTD6 Dwarf with Axe and Hammer, FTD7 Dwarf with Hammer and Pick, and FTD9 Dwarf Chieftain with Sword, with an FTD8 Standard bearer with axe. There are a few FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow in there too.
A regiment based on the FTD3 Dwarf Sword and Polearm. Like the FTD4, the shafts of the weapons are fragile, and a few require repairs.
The regiment is lead by the famous (and first incarnation of) The White Dwarf (code FS17, from the Fantasy Specials range).
Crossbow unit composed of FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow, and FTD2 Dwarf with Light Crossbow.
A second crossbow unit composed of FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow, and FTD2 Dwarf with Light Crossbow, led by the FTD13 Dwarf with no name. 
Characters.
From left to right: FTS11 Dwarf Skeleton
with Axe and Shield (to be used as a bound Spectre); Queen Asabelle Dragonsmiter (and an unidentified cat) from the SS2 Dwarf Kings court box set; C06 Cleric; and Thorgrimm Brandedimm (Army General).
FTD16 Dwarf War Engine (on a reclaimed base).
Two DS1 Dwarf Cannon.
I have two cannons, and all the five crew, plus one in addition. Seperating the crew into two groups of three allows them to be fielded as two 3-man cannons.
Random extras:
FTD14 Dwarf Stretcher Party.
WF5 Dwarf with Inferiority Complex (which I might use as a Bombardier).
There seemed to be a lot of smoking in the FTD range of Dwarfs. Many of the Dwarfs are found smoking a variety of pipes. I think that it often give them a slightly German/Bavarian aspect.
More smokers.
A selection of the FTD8 Standard bearer with axe.
The army of McDeath! (WIP).
The idea is to assemble an army in the framwork of the 3rd Edition Warhammer Armies book using the forces at the disposal of McDeath during scenarios in the McDeath scenario pack, and the addtional 'Glen Woe' scenario.
Roughly this works out at 90 Orc Warriors, 15 Orc Archers, 12 Orc Crossbowmen; 40 Goblin Archers, and a Giant, not including the characters associated with McDeaths side. In addition, I have added some Goblin Warriors (Gobbos), the beastie of Lock Lorm, and a few Orcs/Goblins to top up units, and to make the army legal in a Warjhammer Armies lists.
More on this in a further update.
  McDeath and Lady McDeath, with cronies.
I have no idea what my next blog update will be on. I'm kind of intriged to see what it will be! :)

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'Scottish' Iron Claw 40k Squats.

November 9, 2018, 2:39 am
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Just for the fun of it, I have painted three test models from my 1980's Rogue Trader Era Iron Claw Squats collection. I have a small army of these, about 40 or so. I don't intend painting the army yet, I just wanted try out an idea.

I have been wondering how to paint my Iron Claw Squats for a while. I have broken down and expanded my original Squat army into four other Squat armies, and their (new) paint schemes are decided. However I wanted something interesting for these. I am currently preparing to paint some miniatures for the McDeath Scenario, and so I have Scottish themes current in my mind.

So I thought why not give these Squats a Scottish flavour? The idea was slightly touched on in the plastic Squat box set art with the red and white cap bands, and has been an ascpet of fantasy Dwarfs for a while. I think it looks good and is a different approach, it fits in with the clan idea of Squats, and also the idea that the Squats were orignally human colonists from Earth. When I get around to painting all of them I plan use a different tartan pattern for each of the Brotherhoods in the army.

Enjoy :)
 Three Squat troopers.
As the Squat models are wearing trousers, I considered them as trews. I opted for bright colours to offset the darker green of the jacket.
To add a little more Scottishness I painted the footwear as a combination of black brogues and white gaiters, as per a more Highland Scottish infantry uniform. Overall, I have tried to keep the paint scheme simple, with the main focus being drawn to the tartan.
 Trooper with Las-gun.
I really like this sculpt, full of character. I never liked the Iron Claw Squats in the 1980's, but quite like them now.
 Rear view showing the backpack.
 Auto-gun armed Squat.
Rear view.
 The second Las-gun armed Squat.
I added some Warlord Games Heather Tufts to the base.
 Rear view.
Next update will be something on McDeath Scenario miniatures.
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McDeath Scenario: Spot.

November 16, 2018, 1:18 pm
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The McDeath scenario.
This is something I have wanted to approach for a while. I have always liked the scenario, but it's only in the last few years I have got around to collecting the miniatures for it. My aim is to have not only the forces required to play the scenario, but also use those forces for the basis of two 3,000 3rd Edition Warhammer armies; McDeath's (Orc and Goblin list); and the Rebellion of the Just (Norse list).

There will be several updates on the McDeath Scenario, but this one is focusing on Lady McDeaths pet hound, 'Spot'. Spot is a two-headed Chaos hound, which breathes fire, has Iron hard skin, and has a Scorpion Tail mutation which can deliver a poisoned attack. In the scenario, Spot is Lady McDeaths pet, and obeys a limited series of commands.

I have collected all but three of the character models from the release sheet, I don't have Sandra Prangle or Markus Grimmock, but I do have stand-ins. The third model was Spot. The original Spot miniature is one of the Chaos Hounds from the C22 Creatures miniatures range. However there are two similar two-headed Chaos hound miniatures, and I have the other miniature than the one featured in the Scenario release sheet. When I picked the hound up from e-bay, it was missing it's tail, and in need of repair. So I added a spare tail I had from the C29 Giant Scorpion, all achieved with a little drilling and pinning.

I based Spot on a 50mm square base. I tried a 40mm base and a 25mm x 50mm base, but both seemed a little too small. As I intend to use but Spot, and the Beastie of Loch Lorm, as 'counts asTrolls' in a 3rd Edition Orc and Goblin army of McDeath (more on this in a later update), I wanted both to have the same base size. Both work better on 50mm, so that's how they ended up. Painting Spot was easy. I just copied the paint scheme from the McDeath Gamesmaster Guide cover artwork. It was just a mix of browns/beiges/ and white, over a black undercoat.
I am very happy with how Spot turned out.

Enjoy :)
'Spot' from the left side, showing the howling head. The other C22 Chaos hound, the 'actual' Spot, has the howling and closed mouth heads around the other way.
Right hand side.
Slight close up of the heads.
The replacement Scorpion tail.
 "Fetch!"
WIP Lady McDeath shown next to Spot for scale. I think that the 50mm base gives Spot a better and bigger battlefield presence, more befitting such a fearsome beast.
The Gamesmaster's Guide for the McDeath Scenario showing Spot. The tail in the artwork is slightly different, but I thought that the tail I had would work nicely.
Next update will be Lady McDeath. It's about time I finished painting her. I might get McDeath himself painted if I have the time.
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Lady/Queen McDeath.

December 31, 2018, 1:25 pm
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Wow, I have been so busy at during December that I have'nt been able to do any painting at all, with one  exception. What I have been doing, when time allowed, is collecting and sorting out miniatures, but alas no real painting.

I did finally finish painting Lady (later Queen) McDeath, about a year after I started her. I followed the artwork from the cover of the McDeath Gamesmaster book. It's bright, and a very 1980's looking colour scheme, and I like it. I would like the buy another Lady McDeath and paint her in the black scheme from the poster which comes with the boxed game, but as she is a very rare miniature, this would not be practical.

Sculpting wise she a great miniature. Very similar to the artwork, with a well sculpted bodice and odd looking headress, as well as the skulls and jewellery. Her face is very expressional and has a haughty look to her. I am not sure of the sculptor, but she looks similar to the 1985 C46 Townsfolk, and some of the 2nd Edition Talisman miniatures.

So here she is...

Enjoy :)
 Lady McDeath: Sorceress; power behind the throne of East Albion; wife to the King; and owner of Spot.
 Side view.
The proportions and details of the bodice, shape of the dress/robe, and jewellery are nicely done, and the miniature has a sense of drama about her.
 Rear view, showing her long hair.
 Right hand side view.
"Fetch!"
Lady McDeath take Spot out for a little excercise.
The Gamesmaster's Guide.

Not sure what the next blog update will be on. I have three armies I collected over 2018 which I have'nt photographed, and am sorting out my Slaves to Darkness era Chaos Renegades.

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Dorian Hawkmoon

January 16, 2019, 10:28 am
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I've have started reading 'The Chronicles of Castle Brass', by Michael Moorcock. For those of you unfamilar with it, it is a compliation of three stories set in the a post apocalytic Earth, set at least a 1,000 years from now. The setting is part of the Eternal Champion Multiverse, and the central character of these books, and the earlier books, is Dorian Hawkmoon, Duke of Koln [Cologne,Germany].

Now, Games Workshop produced a miniature of Dorian Hawkmoon, and other miniatures depicting characters from the Multiverse, in it's BC5 Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion boxset, produced in 1986. This miniatures depicts Dorian before the overthrow of Granbretan, when he still had the Black Jewel implanted in his skull. Whilst reading the book last night I thought it would be fun to paint up Dorian today for no other reason than for the fun of it. Which I did.
The boxset can be seen here:
http://www.solegends.com/citboxes2/bc5eternalchampion.htm

The miniature is lovely. Sculpted by Jes Goodwin, Dorian has all the grace and elegance which is suggested in Moorcock's writings, by some of the artwork based on the books (I am thinking of Rodney Matthews artworks in particular), and also which Jes Goodwin was to produce in his ranges of Elves in the following years. The miniature was fun and quick to paint, with nice detailing. One word of caution is that the miniature is delicate. The casting of the ankles is thin, as is where his sword meets his hand. I have seen several broken, and have anectotal evidence that this is common. As he is the Duke of Koln, I painted the shield with flag of Cologne.

Enjoy :)
 The 1986 Grafton Books edition (1987 re-print).
The cover artwork is by Mark Salwowski.
 Dorian Hawkmoon, Duke of Koln.
 Rear view, showing his firelance.
 Shield, based on the current flag of Cologne.
 Front view.
I am currently sorting out my Rogue Trader Tratior Legions, and so might return to the project I abandoned a couple of years ago. However, I have been distracted by a big box of Slann, and the Eternal Champion range today, so I really need to focus on a project for my next update.
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Rogue Trader Imperial Army: an old paint scheme make anew.

January 30, 2019, 1:31 pm
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 A long time ago, perhaps around 1990 ( I cannot quite recall), I painted some of the 1987/8 first releases Imperial Army miniatures for my Imperial Guard army. I wanted an 'army looking' colour scheme, but GW did'nt really have any khaki green paint, and I did'nt have access to World War Two/Vietnam colours. So I chose a basic scheme based on the 'Trooper of the Army of Retribution IX campaign' on page 161 of the Rogue Trader rulebook. This was the old Woodland Green for the clothing, Goblin Green for the armour.

Many years later, but still some time ago (!) I paint stripped them and tried out differing paint schemes. One was more 'army Green', then I tried the classic Codex Grey, and then a few in the much later Catachan Green and a mix of Vellejo paint, but none of them really worked. So I just boxed them up and forgot about them. Which was a crime for just cool miniatures.

Over the last week or so I dug out the old Imperial Army miniatures and thought "why not paint them up in the old paint scheme, only with better painting than 1990?" So I did. The result was great fun, and personally quite heartwarming in a way. My old Imperial Army/Guard had returned to life as I always recalled them, but with better painting than when I was 16. At some point I will do a more in depth look at the range, and I will be painting more in the future, but not yet. When I do, the army will be based on the Hylgar's Hell-Raisers Army list from the 1988 Book of the Astronomican.
Enjoy :)
'Trooper of the Army of Retribution IX campiagn' on page 161 of the Rogue Trader rulebook.
A terrible photograph of a weeks casual painting.
I need to base them, but have not decided on how yet.
Left to right:
Trooper Bruce, B-Trooper Gaxt, and Reconaisance Trooper Kai.
Trooper Langton, Point Trooper Hulme, and Trooper Lifeson.
Trooper Black (one of my all time favourite miniatures), Female Trooper Rutherford, and Trooper Trooper Caidan (I noticed the painting error on his puttee from the photograph and have now rectified it). 
Trooper Rothery, Trooper Brough, and Trooper Peart.
Trooper Morris, Imperial Garrison Trooper (from the first Rogue Trader releases), and Trooper Turner (with Heavy Bolter).
Three of Trooper Chow.
This miniature was often used as a 'standard trooper' in many blister packs as well in the hard blister packs of Imperial Guard sold around 1992. He makes a good generic grunt model. I like the backpack and blanket roll.
Sgt. Hicks (another of my all time favourite miniatures), and Trooper Jones with Ork head.
Lieutnant Olsen, and the Imperial Assault Trooper from the second Rogue Trader flyer in March 1988. As an aside, he looks very much based on the C100 Imperial Space Marine sculpts.
Talisman Timescape Astronaut.
I have included him as the Hylgar army list includes an entry for a Lieutnant with a Power Axe. I have painted him up in slighly more industrial colours with the idea that the Power Axe is used as part of semi-industrial equipment on thier planet, rather than being a standard issue.

Next update will be on my real current project,  re-painting Luggub's Drop Legion. Rynns World has been warned! ;)

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Gordal Luggub.

February 4, 2019, 6:22 am
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I am starting to re-paint/paint my early era rogue Trader Space Ork army. My army is based on the Ork list in the 1988 Book of the Astronmican, and the additional rules published in the White Dwarf magazines from the time, mainly concerning the Dreadnoughts and random vehicles stats.

I had painted this army some years ago, but was never very happy with it. It seemed to me a little flat and dull. The paint scheme was based loosely on the World War 2 German army, as the early Ork sculpts suggested, but by doing that I feel I lost something of the Orky-ness of it all. The bases did'nt offset the miniatures very well, and I did'nt really like the German tank paint scheme I used for the Dreadnoughts.

All of this was a shame. I love the early Space Ork range and background, the era before the 1990 Clan based army lists and miniatures. So I am re-visiting them with the aim of combining the World War 2 German look, with that early Space Ork vibe. I have also started using some of Ciadels Technical Paints which are great I am very keen on using the Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust combination to creat some rusty Ork Vehicles, armour, and guns.

So here is Gordal Luggub, Commander of Luggub's Legion, Charadon Ork Taskforce, assigned to attack Rynn's World.

Enjoy :)
 Gordal Luggub.
He is from the RT202 Space Ork Command Group range, sculpted by Kev Adams, and released in 1988.
I have painted his armour to look rusty and grotty, rather than shiney and pretty, to give that lived-in and messy Ork look. I used the Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust combination over a black undercoat, and highlighted with Runefang Steel. I will be using this a lot in the repainting.
Rear view.
I have based him on a new 32mm Citadel round base. I think that the Orks in Powered Armour look better on this size base. The rest of the Orks will be on the standard 25mm round bases.

Next update will be more Orks. I will, as time goes on paint more Imperial Army Troopers, but for now, it's the Orks. They do, afterall, have Rynn's World to invade!
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Rogue Trader Ork Dreadnought pilot, taking a break.

February 8, 2019, 12:27 pm
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I've been painting a lot more Rogue Trader Orks, but more of those in other updates. For now, here is a conversion of an Ork Dreadnought.

I have always loved the film 'Kelly Heroes', and Oddball's tank crews in particular. One of the crew, known as 'Turk', amused me. It must have been the fez, as I like fez's. So I converted an old solid based Orc crewman  from Citadel's Arcane Monstrosities TA4 Orc War Machine. It was a simple conversion, bending the arms, and adding a green stuff fez and cigar. The Dreadnought was painted in a rusy style, with Citadel's Typus Corrosion, Ryza Rust, and Runefang Steel.

And so there you have it. A chilling out Ork pilot, taking a break somewhere on Rynn's World.

Enjoy, and don't hit me with any negative waves Moriarity. :)

 Chilling out.
 Close up.
I do love how Citadels Technical Paints turn out.
I am not sure the Fez looks as tidy as a real fez, but could always be more of a smoking hat instead.
 Rear view.
Oddball's crew.
Next will be more Rogue Trader Space Orks!
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Kulo, Governor of Xit.

February 14, 2019, 12:45 pm
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Another Space Ork from the 1980's, but with a little difference.

I am currently painting my 1980's early Rogue Trader Space Ork's with a mind to creating the Ork Drop Legion which invaded Rynn World. However I also have in mind the Ork forces used in the 'Wolf Time' scenario, from the 1988 Book of the Astronomican. So whilst painting some of the Drop Legion, I decided to paint up my conversion of Kulo, the Ork Governor of Xit.

In the background, Kulo is a very fat and loathsome Ork. He does'nt wear any physical armour, but has field armour, and is equiped with a bolt pistol and power glove. None of the 1980's Orks seemed to fit this description and so I decided to convert my own one.

I wanted to keep the conversion parts limited to the 1980's. For the body I used one of the 1980's Judge Dredd range JD3 Fatties bodies I had spare. For the head I swapped the Fattie head for a plastic Orc head from the Warhammer Regiments set, using greenstuff to hold it in place and create a fat neck. Finally, I selected a few items, including a Power Glove, from the RTB101 Space Marine plastic box set.

Painting wise I loosely kept the theme I am using with the Drop Legion Orks: rusty metals, and semi World War Two German army colours. As both Kulo, and Luggub's Drop Legion, are part of the wider Charadon Empire I thought this was a sound idea. I gave Kulo a lighter shirt colour to show off how fat his body is, and also so I could make the light shirt mucky suggesting the lack of hygiene which is sadly a feature of the Charadon Empire. I also painted his nose and face a little flushed to suggest over-indulgence of food and drink.

Enjoy :)
The artwork of Kulo in the Book of the Astronomican, drawn by Tony Hough. I met Tony Hough once at Salute, he was a nice person, and we chatted about his artwork.
The army list entry for Kulo.
Kulo.
I based him on a 40mm round base. I am still considering what basing materials to use for the Orks, so will add more to the base at a later date.
I kept the greenstuff around his neck a little rough to suggest cellulite and various warts/skin problems.
Side view, with the Power Glove. I painted the Power Glove rusty, and then lightly painted the checks on the it to suggest peeling paint.
Side view, with the RTB101 Space Marine Bolt Pistol and pack, no doubt trophies from Kulo's rise to power.
Rear view. Less said the better really!
Size comparison with Kulo and one of the RTB102 Space Ork Raiders for scale.
RTB102 Space Ork Raider.
I have been painting lots of these, and Ork Dreadnoughts. More of these in later blog updates.


Next updates will be more Space Orks. Rynn's World, you have been warned. :)
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Rogue Trader 'Bomber Class' Ork Siege Dreadnought.

February 21, 2019, 5:20 am
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As part of my redux of Luggrub's Drop Legion, I have been painting Ork Dreadnoughts. Now, more on the bulk of Ork Dreadnoughts once they are finished. However as part of this I decided to convert a spare Ork Dreadnought into a Siege Dreadnought. I thought Luggub might need one for attacking New Rynn City.

Most people who are interested in the Rogue Trader era, especially the early era, are familar with the Ork Dreadnought rules first published in White Dwarf #100, and later included in the Warhammer 40,000 Compendium. However, anecdotally it seems that people are less familiar with the Ork Dreadnoughts in the 40k section of the 1988 Warhammer Siege book. The book details three different types Dreadnoughts each for the Orks, The Imperium, and Eldar. I chose to make a 'Bomber Class' Ork Dreadnought because I liked the combination of las-cutter and phase-field generator, and felt it would be a challange to represent both items in a conversion as Citadel had never made models for either.

I started off with a Super-Attack Onslaughter Ork Dreadnought, bascially the big four-armed one, as the Bomber is equiped with two power claws, as well as the las-cutter and phase-field generator. I used the short legs option because I reasoned that the Bomber would require a study lower centre of gravity for using the las-cutter and phase-field generator, as well as having to be close to the ground/walls/fortifications to use them.

For the las-cutter and phase-field generator is used two old plastic Zoid parts. On the Dreadnoughts right hand side I added my version of the las-cutter. This is a cut down Zoid leg, with a nice looking tube thing on it. I placed the phase-field generator on the left hand side to give the model a certain symmetry. For this, I used a random Zoid piece which reminded me of the Star Trek Warp engines, which is similar to the warp technology used in the phase-field generator. Finally, for the headshield I used a few cut down lollipop sticks, some metal mesh, and a couple of squares of plasticard.

Enjoy :)
 Warhammer Siege (1988).
The  'Bomber Class' Ork Dreadnought entry in Warhmmer Siege (1988).
 Before painting.
I added another piece of lollipop stick, some cut up sprues, and a little model barbed wire to the (60mm) base as rubble.
 Painted. :)
I used the Citadel Typus Corrosion/Ryza Rust/Runefang Steel over black undercoat combination. I love the Citadel Technical paints, as for the Orks they create a grotty, rusty, out of warranty look to their weapons, vehicles and equipment. I dry-brushed some yellow with black stripes onto the claws to suggest that at some point there was a visit from an Ork health and safety officer.
 Rear view.
 Las-cutter.
 Phase-field generator.
I think it looks like the Star Trek Warp Drives.
 Top view of the headshield.
I added a couple of pieces of plasticard to break up the blandness of the mesh and suggest a half-hearted (or with Ork perhaps half-arsed) attempt at extra protection. For those unaware, the headshield is a canopy which provides the Dreadnought, and any assualting infantry, with extra protection from above when assaulting fortificaions, etc.
 Base, complete with rubble.
I have used Citadel's texture paint 'Agellan Earth' for the soil. I wanted the base to have some rubble, etc, to suggest it was close to fortifications. I will be adding some flock tufts to this, and other Ork basing, once they are delivered by Royal Mail!
 Thw WIP Ork Dreadnoughts.
Various Ork Dreadnoughts in a variety of levels of painting. I have eleven Ork Dreadnoughts.
 For fun, I converted and painted up a 1980's second Edition Blood Bowl Orc. 'Converted' is really  grand description for glueing a RTB101 Space Marine bolter on his right hand.
Luggub's Drop Legion has an option for 'Exotic equipment', one of which is 10 suits of Carapace Armour, so I might use him and some other Blood Bowl Orcs as those. They might also make good 'Scumbos' for the Wolf Time scenario.
Rear view.

Next update...
...more Orks. :)

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Justin Coutange

March 14, 2019, 2:44 pm
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I've been putting off this blog post for a couple of weeks. It's an unhappy post. On the February 28th a good friend of mine, Justin Coutange died. He had been ill for a little while with a brain tumour, but his sudden death took all who knew him by surprise.

Many people in the 'Oldhammer' and gaming community knew him via his blog, The Masterworkguild. Although he had'nt blogged for a while, his collecting, painting, and contributions to the Oldhammer Facebook Group were well known. For those interested, his blog can be found here:
http://themasterworkguild.blogspot.com

I had known Justin for a long, long while, 32 years in fact. We first met at school, Shoreham College in West Sussex, when he was 14 and I was 13 years old, back in 1987. We both collected the ESCI 20mm plastic Napoleonics, inspired by the 1970 film Waterloo. We also collected fantasy miniatures. He had a few Wood Elves, and I Undead and Goblins, amongst other things. We hang out at school, and started gaming with hotpotch armies on his mothers living room floor (much to her disapproval!), or dining room table (even more so!). When I set up my table at home, we gamed there on a table of artifical Greengrocers plastic grass (my parents were Greengrocers) and rocks.

The first battles were messy affairs. Rarely did we finish a game, or if we did it was usually a bloodbath. By this time, late 1987 onwards it was 3rd Edition Warhammer. With the release of Warhammer Armies in 1988 armies and battles took better shape. I usually fielded Slann, sometimes Dark Elves, or Orcs and Goblins. Justin always opposed me with his Wood Elves. His mother disapproved of his gaming, and he had little time or money to spend on his army at first. I, by contrast had a part time job from the age of 13, and parents who did'nt really care what I spent my money on.

...and so we gamed, painted, and lived through the arguably the  'Golden Age' Warhammer.

Games Workshop Brighton opened in 1989, so we hang there, or gamed at our parents houses. Justin was never really taken with Warhammer 40k. Fantasy Battle was his love, and Wood Elves his passion. When he went to Uni, we stored his collection at my parents home as his mother did'nt want the clutter, and in the holidays we sat painting in the summer sunshine.

When we were older, we still kept in touch. Neither of us were impressed with 4th Edition Warhammer, or the following Editions. We looked into other games and manufacturers, and returned to 3rd edition Warhammer, and to Napoleonics. In fact, two weeks before he died he sent me a copy of General d'Armee. Deep in his heart he still longed to defeat Wellington. Strange considering his ancestors were disinherited by the revolution of 1789.

In later years we met up less. We didn't game much, but chatted and kept in touch. His job and family, and my work kept us in contact but not always in the same place. Blogging and Facebook kept us closer and that 'Golden era' alive. We had both diversified our collections, Justin spent time on Orcs and Goblins, and Undead, amongst other things. Some years ago we had a last hurrah as it turned out, with a two day 5,000 point 3rd Edition game. Our classic match up: Wood Elves vs Slann. The battle reports can be found here:
http://goblinlee.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-battle-at-tower-or-trouble-at-mill.html
and
http://goblinlee.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-battle-at-tower-or-trouble-at-mill_24.html

Sadly, we did'nt stage another of our epic battles. In the 'old days' 5, 6, 7, or 8, point battles took place. But alas no records of those epic stuggles remain (we even conducted a siege!). Life, and now death has got in the way of that. Time can do that.

Many people will remember Justin for his contributions to 'Oldhammer', for his sculpting, especially  his great Undead Ogre sculpt, and as a nice person.  He was much more than that, but for those he knew in the gaming world, I think that's a good way to remember him.
For me, he was my friend.

 Justin as I always remember him. I think he's in his 20's here.
 Justin's famous sculpt of the Undead Ogre. It was meant to be an undead version sculpt of Jes Goodwins famous C23 Ogre Hrothyogg.
He sent me one for free.
 The Goblinlee.
Not many people are aware but he sculpted a Goblin, and sent me five of the casts.
Why the Goblinlee Goblin?  Look two photographs down...
 ...rear view...
 ...he sculpted my name on the tab. It was the Goblin Lee. :)
The Grenadier Treeman.
Why?
Well this was Justin's first Treeman miniature he ever bought . He never liked it, but I did. Years later, in about 2000 and something I saw a paint stripped one for sale on e-bay. Hmm, I thought. I have'nt seen one of those for sale before. I always liked Justin's, so I purchased it. It turned out it was Justin selling his old Treeman, and I bought it without knowing he had been selling!
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Spikes Harvey Wotan, and friends.

April 11, 2019, 5:27 am
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I've taken a little break from painting and blogging (although not picking up stuff on e-bay!) for a while. However last week I decided to get back into painting, and decided on some of the old C16/D3 Chaos Dwarfs ranges.

Before I go any further though, I would like to comment on last months blog post concerning Justin Coutange. I wish to thank everybody to sent sympathy and condolences, and who shared their comments concerning Justin, both here on on the Oldhammer Facebook group. I did'nt think it would be personally appropriate to reply to each of the comments, but it was better to leave them to stand for themselves without me adding anything.

Concerning the Chaos Dwarfs, I originally painted my ally contingent of Chaos Dwarfs a few years ago, but despite the positive response, I was never quite happy with the paint scheme. Given my recent experimenting with Citadels Technical Paints on the Rogue Trader Orks, I wanted to give that technique a try with the Chaos Dwarfs. The Technique was the same: black undercoat; base coat of Typhus Corrosion; varying levels of application of Ryza Rust; and then highlighting of Runefang Steel.

I am very happy with the outcome. They look suitably rusty and Chaotic, and more how I personally imagined Chaos Dwarfs. I always thought of them lurking about on misty, snowy, desolate mountains fighting Dwarfs, Gobliniods, etc. With that in mind I gave them a dark grey base, with snow (Citadel's Valhallan Blizzard), and some Icey tufts (from Serious-Play).

Enjoy :)
 Spikes Harvey Wotan.
This moderately famous C16 Dwarf was one of the characters in the White Dwarf pull-out scenario from White Dwarf #83 'The Crude, the Mad & the Rusty. This scenario saw Spikes, Oxy O'Cetylene and his Tin Man, and a pair of Khornate Goblins, hunting down the Ogre Skrag the Slaughterer.
 I do like how the rust looks. I have decided to make the weapons, and for the others the shields, rusty. All that misty mountain air!
 I like how Spikes Harvey Wotan's skull masked helmet looks, giving a dead-eyed Chaotic look
 'The Friends'.
On the left is Badbreath Blackbeard, and on the right Grimdur Gutwrencher.
Like all of the other Chaos Dwarfs, while the metal will be rusty, but there will be a little dirty colour from items such as helmet plumes, beards, and scabbards, as well as any items of clothing.
 Zelazad Hornhead and Origol The Horrible.
 Ori Pointed-Beard (sporting his pointed beard!) and Jabbertooth Eyesplinter.
 Ori and Jabbertooths rusty shields.
 Chaos Dwarf Crossbowmen.
These were'nt named but were numbered. Here are Crossbow 4 and 3.
 Not Chaos Dwarfs, but part of the army.
I have expanded my Chaos Dwarf collection over the last few years, and I have also added some non-Chaos Dwarf items to add an extra (little!) something. Here are, on the left the LE5 Psychohobbit, on the right is the Chaos Familar Iron Armoured Imp.
 Chaos Dwarf Bazooka.
I love the Bazookas, they look great and they have that 2nd/3rd Edition warhammer vibe of random fantasy nonsense.
 View of the loader, with a firework looking rocket.
 Rear view.
Yes, that patched-up bag of explosive rockets look Health and Safety safe to me!
...and now for something random.
I wanted to test out another of Citadels Technical paints, Nighthaunt Gloom. This paint is usually used for Ethereal miniatures. I chose an old JD3 Perp Judge Dredd miniature, Theobold Wen, which I have wanted to paint for a while. He looks quite Victorian, and thought he would make a nice Ghost.
Painting wise, it was just a wash of Nighthaunt Gloom over a white undercoat. I like how it has turned out, and plan to use this for painting Ghosts, with the greener version Hexwraith Flame for Scpetres.


Not sure what the next update will be on. I had'nt planned on painting all of the Chaos Dwarfs. I am currently sorting out all of my Fantasy Battle armies, and have been collecting the last items for my Slaves to Darkness era Daemon Legions.
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Ratspike: John Blanche.

May 30, 2019, 2:14 pm
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Back in 1989 GW published a book of artwork by two artists who had arguabley a profound influence on GW, and many gamers, during the 1970/80's: John Blanche; and Ian Miller. That book was 'Ratspike'.The first half of the book showcases John Blanches art, whilst the second half focuses on Ian Miller.
In this blog update I will focus on John Blanche, updating on Ian Miller in a few days. It is not my aim to photograph all of the artwork in the book, just some of my favourites, some of the most famous, some of the more 'safe for work', and some of the most interesting. It is also not my aim to breach any copyright, it's their talent, I just bought the book.

For those of you unaware John Blanche is an illustrator and sculptor who has been associated with GW since the 1970's. During the 1980's he provided a lot of the artwork which many people associate with that era of GW. He has continued with this association until the present day. Now I am not going to give a detailed biography, or a break down of his artistic style and influences, my aim here to show a few photographs from the book. For a more detailed look at the man himself and his work here is a link to the Wikipedia page on him (it does have other links at the bottom of the page):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blanche

Why this update? Well I used to own this book 'back in the day', but over the course of many years it had been lost. A week or so ago I saw it for sale in a bookshop in Brighton, where I live and incedently where the book was published. I purchased the book (for £30) there and then as I love the artwork inside. Also, I have since found it has given me a fresh-old perspective on my various collections of miniatures. I have a lot of plans forming for armies, converting, and painting, and have been sorting out boxes (and I mean boxes!) of stuff, as well as raiding e-bay. This is probably why I have'nt really done any painting, or blogging of late, and why this feels to me a little of a stop-gap blog update. But that is soon to change...

Enjoy :)
'Ratspike'.
In the book it asks why they chose the name 'Ratspike'. The answer was "well we liked the sound of the word".
 I should add here that I don't own and printer/scanner, so all of the pictures are photographs!
Inside cover.
John Blanche and Ian Miller, December 1988.
"Being in its Entirety the Presentment, Form and Elucidation of Ratspike- a Work of malevolent Shape and deormed Intent which is hereby put before the gentle and educated Reader to further his Knowledge, Wisdom and critical Faculties in but a single Area of human Endeavour: the Study and examination of the dark Arts of Illumination".
Red sun face, looking very much John Blanche.
Titans.
Some of John Blanches miniatures, a mix of conversions and others.
Close up of his Ogre conversion.
His famous Minotaur conversion with the Mona Lisa banner, which won the 'Master Painter' at Games Day 1987. 
'Warhammer 1'.
Used in on the cover of the first edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
'Gunderwald'.
What looks like the classic 'Dragon and a Damsel in distress' (although she looks more like an annoyed Banshee/Ghoul). The photograph does'nt do justice to the level of detail.
Close up of the Dragon. I am going to use that paint scheme somewhere. 
'Gothermond'.
Orcs on the prowl, one with blunderbuss.
'Untitled'.
The picture reminds me of Valinor in the Silmarillion. I love the detail on the dome of the ship.
'Troglodytes'.
Looking very much like the early Slann artwork. John Blanche did do some concept sketches for the Slann, which the Perry Twins, and Trish Carden (formally Morrison) sculpted.
'Slann'.
Again as with the above artwork, this gives a good impression of the inhabitants of Lustria. This art appreared in the Warhammer Armies book, in the Slann army list.
'Untitled'.
John Blanche included a many Sky Galleons in his artwork, either as focal points or background. I like the idea, and they have a very fantasy look to them with all of the baroque clutter and the sun face sails.
Another 'Untitled', but it is clearly a barbarian Mona Lisa.
'Untitled'.
A wizard of some sort. He reminds me of some of Rodney Matthews artwork.
'Nuln'.
'Good King Otto'.
I am not sure if it's meant to represent a story, but it does suggest that. For me it is a very warm, Summery artwork, with a blend of Oak King Paganism and Goodly Christian King elements to it. It also has a lot of the 1980's Warhmmer gothic which John Blanche brought to his art. And Sky Galleons again, of course. :)
Bottom panel.
Not sure if this is another of rendition of King Otto, or one of his questing Knights. I do love the details, and I plan to convert up a miniature for my Empire army in a similar vein to it.
'Amazonia Gothique'.
John Blanches famous artwork, which featured on the cover of White Dwarf #79, and in the 3rd Edition rulebook. In the introduction piece in Ratspike he states (paraphrasing) that he wanted to paint something in contrasting colours of green and red. Also he wanted to paint a female who was'nt semi-naked.
She even made it into lead form, as the 1980's Citadel LE15 Chaos Amazon. I have the miniature, which I should really get around to painting.
http://www.solegends.com/citle1990/numbered/le15amazonwarlock/index.htm
Close up of the shield, armour, face, and wild hair.
'Rieklanders'.
More inspiration for my Empire army. My plan is to assemble a regiment of Empire Knights for my 3rd Edition Empire army, loosley based on John Blanches artwork.
Slightly closer view.
'Dart of Harkness'.
Close up of the center of the picture. I took several photographs of the whole picture, but none of them would come out clear.
This was used in the McDeath scenario. It was on the cover of the scenario book, and was supplied as a seperate poster (which I have, and plan to frame). The centre shows Earl Dart of Harkness fighting King McDeath and Queen McDeath.
'Terror of the Lichemaster'.
This was used for the eponymous scenaro in the Spring 1986 Journal.
Again, I have the miniatures for this scenario, which require painting. I plan to use the Skeletons and the Lichemaster also as the basis of a 3,000 point Undead army, and for the monks to be in my Bretonnian army.
http://www.solegends.com/citcat198603cja/index.htm
You think you're having a bad day!?
'Dwarf Lord of Chaos'.
Used as the box art for Citadels BC6 Chaos Dwarf Renegades box set. You guessed it, I have these and need to paint them too!
http://www.solegends.com/citboxes2/bc6chaosdwarfs.htm
'Skeleton Horde'.
A lovely, evocative, piece of artwork. Used on Citadels PBS1 Skeleton Horde plastic boxset.
http://www.solegends.com/citboxes2/skeletonhorde.htm
'Knight Panther'.
A lovely picture of an Empire Knight. This I am sure acted as the basis for the Citadels Knight Panther miniatures.
John Blanche stated in Ratspike that he based this artwork on Géricault's Napoleonic Officer, and enjoyed the cross-over from history to fantasy in his art. The piece is called 'The Charging Chasseur'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9odore_G%C3%A9ricault 
Close up. Citadel did actually make some Knight Panthers in 1989, and then again later.
'Untitled'.
This is a very moody looking piece of art, which draws the viewer in. The (terrible) photograph does'nt really do it justice. I might use this as a backdrop of photographing some miniatures.
'Lay Down All Hope'.
A bit of Imperial Guard 40k gothic-ness.
'Across the Styx'.
A clear allusion to the Mythological river Styx, but with a punk/gothic/post apocalpse feel to it. I love the Boatman/Death, with John Blanche details such as the checks, and the red.
I'm not sure if the woman is based on anyone he knows, but the man with the white hair look familar...
...looks to me like Tony Ackland, part of GW in the 1980's.
'Confrontation 40k'.
A very 40k piece of artwork with a punk feel to it.
Confrontation was the precurser game to Necromunda. It was published in the very late 1980's in White Dwarf, and had a small range of miniatures.
http://www.solegends.com/citcat1991a/cat1991ap036imphivegangers-02.htm
'Adeptus Mechanicus'.
The strange and esoteric techno-mages of Mars. This art was used in the 1st Edition (Rogue Trader) 40k rulebook. I always found this piece very creepy!
'Terminator Space Marines'.
The famous art from Citadels RTB9 Terminators box set, released the same year as Ratspike.
Silly, but I never released until I read Ratspike that this was by John Blanche.
 'Untitled', but clearly a Genestealer Cult.
It's used in White Dwarf #119, for the Genestealer Cult Army list.

The next blog update will be on the second half of Ratspike, concerning Ian Miller.
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