Ninja from Reaper

Another one of the Reaper Bones figures, the Ninja (80032). You can get it as a regular metal mini in the Chronoscope range and then it is called Ninja of the Ghost Dragon Clan (50182).

Black with a grey drybrush, silver for the sword and some flesh-paint. Nothing special but another character to use in pulp games or even fantasy ones.

A useful little figure that is dead easy to paint.

Welcome Bullcher Feb with blog Bull’s Waaagghhh shock full of zombies, Blood Bowl, Batman minis and other fun stuff. Go check it out!

First mini of 2016 – Ann the Battle Nun from Zombicide Black Plague.

I got a great big box in the mail the day before Christmas. Well timed, indeed! It was the first delivery of the Zombicide Black Plague kickstarter, the basic box. Lots of zombies and six adventurers to battle with them.

Strangely enough Ann the Battle Nun was the first to hit the painting table as she might find double use in the CSSS, I’m sure she finds bashing cultists just as rewarding as bashing zombies…

Not a great sculpt, as the face wasn’t much more than a blob, but she’ll do on the tabletop.

By the way, I had a great game of the original Zombiecide yesterday at the club with mates Thomas and Koen. First time I tried this series of games and we had great fun with it. So much fun that my Black Plague version is set up and ready for a game with the kids now.

Welcome mysterious new member T. of which I have no info. If you have a website of your own then make a note in the comments below and I’ll link to it.

Another year gone, another year ahead

Zoop!

What was that?

That was your 2015, mate.

Oh, that was quick. Do I get another?

Sorry mate, guess you’re not.

That sort of sums up the year. It went fast!

All in all a very god year in all aspects. I would really like to live it again, let’s just hope 2016 will be as good.

So, what happened?

Blog:

Posts – 111, for a total of 479

Followers – up 33, to 164

Hits – around 77 000 for a total of 182 K

Miniatures:

20mm and 6mm

Nothing at all!

28mm

Fantasy: 3 Small, 42 Medium, 8 Large, 2 XL

Pulp: 27 M

SF: 3 S, 1 M

Western: 9 M

WWII: 4 soldiers, 2 vehicles

Dust (1/48 scale): 42 soldiers, 4 vehicles

Other vehicles: 21, mainly boats

54mm

A hard project for an atheist...

The Nativity Set – 3 figures – that’s a first for me…. My secret project for 2015 and it will be an ongoing project to get a proper diorama for my wife.

Terrain and scenery:

Soerabaja Harbor in the 30s and in a game of Pulp Alley.

Mainly Soerabaja Harbour with lots of stuff in it. It’s seen action in our Pulp game and in the 17^th Century so far, and there’s interest in expanding it.

Also some Frostgrave terrain, jungle, Qonset huts for Dust and small stuff for use as clutter in our games.

Some thoughts on 2015

I did paint all my Shadows of Brimstone figures except one and playing with that boardgame using painted figures is really great.

Dust– I was really put off by the stupid Kickstarter-mess but I have regained my painting mojo now.

I joined the gaming club Little Wars this year and that has been a hit games-wise. I have started playing Pulp Alley and tried a bunch of other games and  made a lot of new friends. Simply excellent! It also means that I suddenly have access to a lot of terrain which is great.

My son David has become a steady gaming companion which is also great fun. We’ve decided to make Wednesday nights our gaming nights with either a game at home or at the club with friends. He’s already been at the club a couple of times and we’ve played Open Combat, Shadows of Brimstone and Dust Warfare there.

There is hope for the daughter also, She really enjoyed a game of Arkham Horror the other day and beats me in Love Letter.

The oldest son is lost to computer gaming, unfortunately. Well, not totally unfortunate as he is studying for a career in computer game design. That can't be all bad, actually.

It’s been a very good year for modelling and painting. Slightly better than 2014, making it the most productive so far.

What’s in store for 2016, then?

I will certainly try to paint all or most figures for the other board-games I have or will get. I’ll try to do a game at a time, considering the number of games coming my way...

Dead Man’s Hand will get a revival, both modelling wise and games-wise. You’ll see a couple of buildings here soon.

Frostgrave will certainly see a game or two and also more terrain and figures.

I’ll continue painting Dust minis and try a couple of more games.

Other than that I will probably flit between this and that. With all the board-game figures, Dust and all that tin, resin and plastics residing in boxes under my painting table I will have no difficulty finding something that stokes my interest.

"You will have a good year, do you hear!"

2016 will hopefully be another great year. Hope yours will be a great one also.

A very warm welcome to new follower Tradgardsmastare with a whole host of blogs – the active ones seem to be Lamplighter’s Heaven (gaming based on the books by D.M. Cornish), Emperor vs Elector (diplomacy in imaginations), The Dutchy of Tradgardland (an 18^th Century imagination in Northern Europe and also full of this and that – I thought I was already following this charming blog but it seems I wasn’t – that’s been rectified), Army Red/White and Others… (54mm figure-gaming with the Funnylittlewars rules, seem to be set in Tradgardland in 1912) and Pavillion of Splendour (wargaming with ancients).

Another one, welcome Mr. J with no active blog I could find. If you have one then make a note in the comments below and I’ll add it here. 

Raven Clan Mystic from Blood Rage

This witch comes from the Mystics of Midgard expansion for the Blood Rage boardgame and is part of the Blood Rage kickstarter I received a while ago. In the pack you find two identical mystics for five clans and this one is just perfect as a witch for Frostgrave. She is really great as a witch for whatever fantasy-themed game you play, actually.

I changed her integral base to a clear one from Sally 4^th. 

Paints used:

Basecoated with Vallejo Foundation White and a wash of Army Painted Dark Tone ink.

Dress – Black highlighted with Vallejo 822 German Camo Black Brown and 871 Leather Brown.

Cloak – 886 Green Grey, wash of AP Strong Tone, highlighted 886

Cauldron – Citadel Dwarf Bronze with a Strong Tone wash

Hair – 883 Silver Grey with a Dark Tone wash

Feathers – Black drybrushed with 992 Neutral Grey

Leather – Formula P3 Bootstrap Leather

Arm warmers – 962 Flat Blue, Citadel Washes Asurmen Blue and highlighted 962 and Citadel Ice Blue (Note – the blue is the clan colour and all Raven Clan figures will have something in this blue colour to tie them together visually)

Welcome new follower Lee Brady with Harold’s Revenge that is all about Oldhammer, SAGA, Frostgrave, miniatures, museums, dioramas and other great stuff. Give it a look, it is well worth the time.

Holy Family Nativity Set from Thunderbolt Mountain

So what on earth is this? Has the old atheist turned religious lately?

Fear not, I’m still very much an atheist but this time of year is the time to make people around you happy.

My wife's got relatives that have a rather nice nativity scene diorama big enough to stand in a bookshelf and she really likes it. Let’s just say I stayed rather luke-warm to the whole idea of having one of our own.

But… I do like the sculptor Tom Meier and the figures he makes. At his web-shop, Thunderbolt Mountain, he’s got a lot of great minis and among these a nativity set in 54mm scale. I’ve been looking at it for a couple of years and last year about this time I decided to go for it.

If we're going to have a nativity scene diorama at home I would at least make it myself.

So, here they are. The first installment in the nativity scene - three not totally unknown people that caused quite a stir. My wife got these as a julklapp (Christmas gift) yesterday (yes, we celebrate Jul on the 24^th) and she was very happy with it.

I’ll work more with this to get a decent diorama with a stable of some sort, animals, shepherds etc. I think I have presents for a couple of years at least :-)

Paints used (Vallejo unless noted):

The child:

Skin – Pale Flesh with a wash of Army Painter Soft Tone wash and highlight of Pale Flesh

Manger – Cork Brown with a wash of AP Strong Tone and highlighted with Cork Brown and 977 Desert yellow

Straw – 914 Green Ochre highlighted with 847 Dark Sand and 837 Pale Sand

Blankets – Coat d’Arms 240 Unbleached Wool with a Soft Tone wash

                 972 Light Green Blue with a Strong Tone wash and highlighted 972.

The Mother:

Skin – as the child

Dress – 948 Golden Yellow with a Soft Tone wash. Highlighted with 948 and 837 Pale Sand

Cape – 966 Turquoise highlighted with 840 Light Turquoise

Sash and bonnet – Coat d’Arms 240 Unbleached Wool highlighted with white

Hair – 822 German Camo Black Brown.

The Father:

Dress – 886 Green Grey with a wash of AP Strong Tone and highlighted 886 and 971 Green Grey

Cape – 872 Chocolate Brown, Dark Tone wash and drybrushed 872 and 875 Beige Brown

Rope and footwear – P3 Bootstrap Leather with an AP Dark Tone wash.

Hair – 989 Sky Grey with a wash of AP Dark Tone

Skin – Pale Flesh with Strong Tone wash and highlight Pale Flesh

God Jul everyone!

Cringing captive – sacrifice, from Pulp Figures

Another captive for the Perilous Island campaign. She will see action as either a native maiden or as Princess Monukii in the next Blood Sacrifice game (and she will hopefully not go the same way as Lady Elaine…)

Anyway, she is from Pulp Figures and is sculpted by Bob Murch. A great figure and a must for a serious pulp gamer J

Her skin is painted Vallejo 822 German Camo Black Brown with an Army Painter Dark Tone wash. Dress is 850 Medium Olive highlighted with Citadel Scorpion Green

Sea Serpent from Blood Rage Boardgame

I backed the Blood Rage kickstarter earlier this year and I got the loot in in October. The first miniature is painted now - the sea serpent. It will obviously be used in the game when we start playing, but it could also see use in both fantasy and pulp settings. A great mini.

It’s made in a grey rather hard plastic that is easy to clean from the very faint mold lines.

Paints used:

Skin – Vallejo 928 Dark Yellow + wash with Army painter Strong Tone Ink

Tentacles - 982 Dark Yellow and got several washes with Citadel Washes Baal Red, more on the tips and only one close to the body

Mouth – 985 Hull Red highlighted with Citadel Scab Red

Teeth – Vallejo Game Colour Bone White with a Strong Tone wash and more Bone White as highlight.

Water – 962 Flat Blue with a wash of Citadel Washes Asurmen Blue. Highlighted with a mix of Flat Blue, Citadel Ice Blue and white getting progressively more white at edges.

Everything got a coat of gloss varnish and is ready for the table.

First stop will probably be in our Pulp Alley campaign on Perilous Island.