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Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Pil on 11 October 2019, 10:25:19 PM
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Hello again. After painting HeroQuest earlier this year I got the urge to start on Battle Masters. I had lots of models and components but no complete copy so I sourced one to pick the best bits. Over the course of half a year I painted and based all the parts for a complete game, and made a storage system to keep the painted models safe in the box.
Without further ado, here are the pictures:
(https://i.imgur.com/iDIEmBs.jpg)
I'll start with pictures of the tower since it's a staple terrain piece for may people. You will see this tower in several pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/wtfl7ib.jpg)
I wanted the tower to have an old, weathered and ruined look. I used lots of greens to make it look mossy and somewhat wet. I painted the banner in neutral colours as I didn't want it to reflect either side of the game.
(https://i.imgur.com/fFSdcG3.jpg)
The doors (and many of the models for that matter) were painted with a limited amount of technique and a somewhat basic effort.
FORCES OF THE EMPIRE
(https://i.imgur.com/xWqquWf.jpg)
For my imperial troops I chose an Ostermark colour scheme (purple and yellow) as it is very striking. Also, I hoped it would appeal to my daughter. The Lord Knights have a lot of metal parts but the rest of the army is very colourful.
(https://i.imgur.com/tNUAbfi.jpg)
I had to decide early on how to do the basing. I filled all the lines in the bases with plasticene and glued sand on top. I painted the bases separately from the models which were pinned in place after painting. It took more effort than regular basing but I really hate painting sand after undercoating so I decided this was the least effort.
Each unit got a scroll on the base with name, shield and their number, instead of the old stickers they used to have.
(https://i.imgur.com/0dSrFbW.jpg)
For the knights I had to decide on a 'Bretonnian' type scheme (lots of different colours with their own heraldry) or a uniform scheme. In the end I chose uniform as I didn't want to break up an already small army into two pieces. I went for an easy to paint pattern in my army's main colours, with an easy to paint freehand symbol.
(https://i.imgur.com/VtJEa22.jpg)
The mighty cannon is one of the centrepieces of the imperial army. They are characterful models. For this project I used a cheap frost effect varnish instead of expensive matte varnish, hence the shinyness. Because I will only use the models for this game (probably) I don't mind too much.
(https://i.imgur.com/bV2Wqpn.jpg)
The rear of the cannon, which was painted in pretty basic browns and metals. All of the Battle Masters models don't have very sharp details. I didn't want to go to the effort of painting these in.
(https://i.imgur.com/CGwdJSw.jpg)
The men-at-arms for a nice core for the empire army. These were the first models I painted for the Empire (might as well get these over with, I thought) and also a tester for the colour scheme.
(https://i.imgur.com/pruEwzF.jpg)
The archers hardly have any faces but as a unit it works well enough. Don't look too closely.
(https://i.imgur.com/IDgTDfS.jpg)
The crowwbowmen. Next tot purple and yellow I kept the rest of the colours basic and natural: lots of browns, bare metals, gold details and white feathers. All these choices save a lot of painting time.
FORCES OF EVIL
(https://i.imgur.com/LI3KnQ5.jpg)
The evil forces are basically divided between a chaos part and a greenskin part. For the chaos models I went for unifying colours of black, brass (verdigris) and red. I always try to get away with painting chaos warriors lazily and I guess it shows, but on the table the effect is good enough.
(https://i.imgur.com/NEgL2R5.jpg)
I added a red border to the cloak to give them some colour without ruining their evil, black look.
(https://i.imgur.com/tJZ0ueP.jpg)
The chaos warriors are painted in the same scheme as the knights, somewhat simple, somewhat boring but still effective on the table.
(https://i.imgur.com/8ckgmLU.jpg)
For the beastmen I tried to vary their fur tones a little bit to add variety. It worked a little bit. The verdigris is a good way to paint metals on a model if you want them to have a bit more colour. The green complements the browns nicely. That grin cannot be fixed though...
(https://i.imgur.com/y0R64Va.jpg)
I wasn't a fan of the thug archers but I was actually very pleased how my colour scheme worked out. The skin, red, brass and mostly the bright mohawks really make these units stand out on the table.
(https://i.imgur.com/dYK8JDU.jpg)
The centrepiece of the evil forces is the Ogre model. I painted him to blend in with the rest of the greenskins (rather than with the chaos forces) so lots of natural colours and an evil sun symbol.
(https://i.imgur.com/ucCIiWL.jpg)
The rear of the model. You can see I kept the colour scheme for the clothing and armour very basic.
(https://i.imgur.com/uswqCLq.jpg)
The orcs were the first models I painted in this project (followed by the goblins), as for some reason Orcs always seem like a hassle to paint to me. I had lots of fun painting these and especially painting the shields (all my shields and bases are freehand). These orcs proved to me I was onto something when starting this project, as the models have an innocent, toy-like charm of their own.
(https://i.imgur.com/0x2zRIN.jpg)
For the wolf riders I tried to make the wolves look natural while also keeping it simple. It worked for me as far as the models worked, I can't really fix the grin on these wolves either. Still fun units to put on the table though.
(https://i.imgur.com/OQ7Fswk.jpg)
The goblins were my second unit and I must say I really like how these little critters turned out. These sculpts are very humble but also very much 'Kev Adams', down to the earring! These might be some of my favourite models from the game. Colour wise they were a simpler version of the orcs, without armour.
Besides the models and the towers I also painted the four fences/hedges which you can see in the background on the pictures. They turned out too dark but I don't think it's worth the effort to do something about it as they are flat and boring compared to nice looking scenery.
(https://i.imgur.com/ljqHLt4.jpg)
I made myself think of a storage system for these models as otherwise they would start roaming the house looking for a place to stay. In the end I figured out a way to get them back in the original box with protection. I used two KR Multicase P1T foam trays and cut out lots of pieces to make room for the units. I place them sideways into the tray and this makes everything fit. There is also room for the tower (the biggest piece).
(https://i.imgur.com/vgn5tIo.jpg)
I added some makeshift walls around the side (with the right materials and effort you could do a much nicer job) and put the mat and rules on top.
(https://i.imgur.com/9YLc4J1.jpg)
The whole box became more than twice as high but all the painted models are well protected and easy to move around.
There, I hope you enjoy!
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Superb.
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Great stuff 8)
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Yeah, that's absolutely superb. Battlemasters was a really fun game, and such a great value (if you had been old enough to realize you were getting two Warhammer Fantasy armies for cheap!). I played that game a ton as a kid - and would consider even re-making a set to play with the nieces/nephews.
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The game looked fantastic with all those little plastic warriors, but I found the Empire army to be far stronger due to their multiple cavalry bases.
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They’re beautiful! :-*
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The simplification of the Blanche motifs is a clever bit of paint throwing .Just having the confidence to let the designs remain organic with in the theme (be it by luck or design.) Is worthy of acknowledgement.
I've recently did a small colour scheme test set of empire figures from the game I replaced the heads on ten archers with old empire plastic heads and was planning on doing the rest(until I found out just how silly the price's are for these old spare heads.)
So once again a thread on here has cost me money as I'm doubting my choice to re base onto slotta bases and now want to go back and do the whole game on the orginal bases.
Cracking amount of work and well worth the effort.
Mark.
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Cracking stuff 8)
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What an excellent project - so good to see that you have done all parts of the game, and that they look so good and work together to well.
Hope you now get some great games in.
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Wow!! Excellent to see.
I used to have 2 sets of this game...most of my miniatures got painted as well, but only after being stolen for WFB...of course, they were later sold and traded as I gradually bought “real” miniatures.
I often wonder what has happened to the hundreds (maybe thousands) of miniatures I’ve painted and sold over the last 40 something years...are they still being used by someone? Repainted? In the bottom of a closet? Thrown away?
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Thanks all! I'm well pleased with the end result and I think the models really have a charm that was a bit downplayed by the studio paint scheme and the very gaudy shield and banner designs.
The simplification of the Blanche motifs is a clever bit of paint throwing .Just having the confidence to let the designs remain organic with in the theme (be it by luck or design.) Is worthy of acknowledgement.
Thank you! The flatness of the orc shields really needed a strong motif and I could think of none better than the evil sun. I deliberately varied a little bit in the designs but I always roll with the punches when it comes to painting, so it's a little bit of both (luck and design). When painting like this there are always some designs better than others so it's important to select the best ones for the front rank ;).
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That's a great set! Fantastic work on all of them, but I like the goblinoids most of all - and the wolves look amazing!
It occurs to me that you've got more or less got two full armies for Hordes of the Things there. By my calculations, you'd be a single point short for the Empire (easily remedied by adding a single-figure lurker) and comfortably overstaffed for the baddies - giving you options. And a stronghold as well!
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Brilliant work! Just goes to show that a good artist can make even mediocre sculpts come alive.
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Absolutely Fantastic Work!! I bought that game ages ago and was always thinking about painting mine up as well. Your inspiration is something that I now need to look at again. Thanks.
Regards,
Hitman
8)
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Well that's absolutely superb. I tried to paint some of the old Beastmen and archers a while ago and was absolutely defeated by the sculpts. You've made them all look magnificent.
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This is absolutely stunning stuff! I used to own that game, too, and, of course, it got ripped apart to play Warhammer and Fantasy Warriors. Your painting is really, really ace and you should use the models somehow.
But maybe for a better game than battlemasters?,;)
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This is an excellent set all painted up and ready. Kudos on working through the whole game, it really looks great, some of the best Battlemasters models and bases I've ever seen.
I've been searching for a lot of painted examples of these lately because I recently picked up a copy of the game and started playing with the kiddos. It's actually an amazingly good system, and wildly random, but that's definitely part of the charm. As a consequence, I've started painting up some of the units as well, and my plan is to paint the entire game eventually... I have a couple of units done already, just waiting to be photographed.
Great post, inspirational!
n.
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Brilliant work! Just goes to show that a good artist can make even mediocre sculpts come alive.
A good artist can make mediocre sculpts come to life, but I have to say that there are some excellent sculpts in this game. The men-at-arms are fantastic, the chaos warriors and knights are excellent, and even the figures with softer details such as the wolves and archers are still quite good. The biggest issue is the lack of diversity in poses, but I personally find that charming :)
Thanks
n
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I think the sculpts are especially lacking in detail around the mould lines. The front and rear of most models is ok in most cases. The archers have their face on the mould line which basically means they have hardly any face at all. The plastic itself also seems softer than HeroQuest or Warhammer.
I think most sculpts are good for what they are but they are not as crisp as Warhammer plastics from the same era. Of the designs I think the beastmen and wolves are the poorest, both because of the grin which is neither fierce nor funny. Also the flat shields are a step down compared to Warhammer models. All the empire models are otherwise rather nice and for the evil forces I like the greenskins the most.
I also really like the effect of the multi-basing and I think this game hit quite the sweet spot between a children's game and a wargame in look and feel.
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This is some brilliant work; hats off to you, good sir 8)
It's always an impressive sight to see an entire boxed game painted up, and you did a great job on yours for sure!
In fact, (as if I don't have enough projects simmering ::) ), since this game would be perfect to play with my little girl, I've just gone on Marktplaats and bid on the sole Ridderstrijd box on offer there right now... lol
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But maybe for a better game than battlemasters?,;)
Having once upon time bought the game mainly for the figures (most of which I have traded away years ago), I did also play through the game a couple of times and found it surprisingly interesting. Having been built as a five scenario campaign where the survivors could gain experience added some further flavour, and you could play through the whole thing in one day.
Other than the figures, I still have all of the other components left - maybe I should dig them all up one day and give it a go with a different set of figures from my collection? Another issue that I was not too fond were those movement trays, which for my tastes were rather bulky.
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Other than the figures, I still have all of the other components left - maybe I should dig them all up one day and give it a go with a different set of figures from my collection? Another issue that I was not too fond were those movement trays, which for my tastes were rather bulky.
You really should, it's a quick and fun game that's actually pretty good.
The thing about the movement trays that I like is that they contain all of the rule information you need. It's really elegant because there's no need for paper lists, tables, and other rules-reference materials! They are bulky though, and those little flag poles are pretty bad and redundant I think.
Thanks
n
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The thing about the movement trays that I like is that they contain all of the rule information you need. It's really elegant because there's no need for paper lists, tables, and other rules-reference materials! They are bulky though, and those little flag poles are pretty bad and redundant I think.
Well, in this game there was not much rule information to be found in the movement trays, just the attack/defense dice values (which annoyingly are not summarised in the rulebook, though are shown at the sides of the box), though having space for mounting the elite and skull/damage markers during the game is also handy. Speaking of the attack/defense dice, it is curious that the designers went for a single value for both, rather than having different attack and defense values (didn't HQ have different values for the two?).
However, the designers managed to integrate quite a lot of special rules/effects to the card system, and communicate them visually. Similarly for the cannon cards, where the long range effectiveness is gradually affected by the chances of premature explosion. The ogre special cards however feel a bit like special rules for the sake of special rules for a centrepiece model.
As for the banner poles, they look a bit like unnecessary addition - and would have probably looked better if they had been shorter. Also funnily the tower, where one might expect to see a banner flying, did not come with a one - though it is quite an impressive piece even without, especially when you consider that it only came in five pieces. The fences in their flatness were quite disappointing looking, though.
BTW: has anybody tried playing the game with more than the models that came in the single set? Considering the size of the battle mat, there should be space for quite some extra units, though the way the activation system works overcrowding the mat could lead to some frustration. Using whole two sets on a single mat might be quite a lot, but what about 50 % extra units for each side?
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...has anybody tried playing the game with more than the models that came in the single set? Considering the size of the battle mat, there should be space for quite some extra units, though the way the activation system works overcrowding the mat could lead to some frustration. Using whole two sets on a single mat might be quite a lot, but what about 50 % extra units for each side?
Check out the discussion threads on Battle Masters on Board Game Geek (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/700/battle-masters/forums/0); there are many efforts doing just that. And also adding different armies into the mix, additional cards and rules etc. Those boardgame guys are really into their rules and balances etc.
Coincidentally, Pil posted the contents of his entire post there as well ;)
Oh; and I am now also the owner of a set; it's winging its way to me now: it's just perfect to play with my 6 year old... ;)
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Thanks for the link to the BGG discussion, looks like there is a lot of interesting material - I will check it on detail later.
But for a clarification about what I thought by adding roughly 50 % of models to each side was to actually add one additional base of each unit type, except the ogre and the mighty cannon. This would give the Empire side 5 more bases and the chaos side 7 more bases.
That said, before I start experimenting with anything else, I will need to first dig out the battle mat and see if it actually fits on my current table - I am afraid the mat is too wide for that, which would necessitate playing on the floor. Or making a new downscaled version of the map...
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If you're after miniatures for your plans, I can heartily recommend Lionheart (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1150/lionheart) btw: it's an even more simplified competitor to Battle Masters, played on a traditional board divided into squares.
The miniatures are comparable in quality to the Battle Masters ones, but are made of a different type of plastic. Also the forces are basically two identical (Empire?) armies, but with enough variation in units to make it possible (probably) to split the two forces in such a way that you can do your proposed force expansion in Battle Masters, assigning certain unit types (of both armies) to a single side.
And the best thing; those games go for next to nothing!
I bought one set localy (it was brand new with the minis still on the sprues!) for €6,- ! And with 92 miniatures in the box, that comes down to just €0,065 per mini! 8)
We've played it a couple of times, but it is quite limited in its scope (although by no means dumb!), and now I'd rather use the minis for Battle Masters instead...
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I recall having seen Lionheart in my local game store once upon a time, but was not very impressed.
On other news, I think we are probably getting quite close to the 27th anniversary of the release of Battle Masters, which happened somewhere in late 1992. Checking my WD collection, there is an article and advertisement in issue 156 (December 1992), but I presume that MB released it a month or two before that to get proper exposure for the Christmas market.
Curiously enough, in WD 156 the price for Battle Masters is listed as £35 while a boxed set of WHFB 4th edition, released a few months earlier, was priced at £30.
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Thanks for the link to the BGG discussion, looks like there is a lot of interesting material - I will check it on detail later.
But for a clarification about what I thought by adding roughly 50 % of models to each side was to actually add one additional base of each unit type, except the ogre and the mighty cannon. This would give the Empire side 5 more bases and the chaos side 7 more bases.
That said, before I start experimenting with anything else, I will need to first dig out the battle mat and see if it actually fits on my current table - I am afraid the mat is too wide for that, which would necessitate playing on the floor. Or making a new downscaled version of the map...
The battle mat is roughly 5'x4', it should fit on a wargames table but not on most kitchen tables. There were two expansions with 7-8 bases, new rules for characters (a Lord Knight or Chaos Champion but with one wound instead of three) and points calues for all the units in the game which are repeated here:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/152294/points-costs-official
I've read of people playing with two sets so one and half a set should certainly work out.