Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: lilljonas on December 08, 2020, 09:40:08 PM
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This thread will cover my stumpling steps as I hope to learn to sculpt entire miniatures on my own. I'll start with converting minis, and work my way from there. Hopefully, at the end, I'll have a new army as well as a new skill. An army of intreprid, blood thirsty hobbits emerging from the chaos of the 16th century Italian Wars.
Wait what?
(https://i.imgur.com/SZt1Crp.jpg)
I've always been impressed by people who can sculpt, but never got the time or gumption to try it out myself beyond fillin a gap or two with green stuff. That time is ending now. I'm setting out to learn at least sculpting basics, as I think it would be very useful as a wargamer. But how? I need something to keep me focused, and keep me motivated. Something like the siren's song of a fresh, new start - a new army.
My club is primarily playing historical wargames, and we've been kicking around the idea of a hybrid historical and fantasy setting for a long time. Focused on the early 16th century, which would both suit a lot of the Warhammer fantasy style and a lot of interesting historical armies. Basically we could use more or less the same armies, only sometimes playing historical games and sometimes the Swiss mercenaries team up with orcish landsknechts to beat the Spanish tercios.
From nowhere, the idea of making a small detachment of halflings sprung up. They could fight as a supporting force for other armies, especially the Warhammer Empire one at the club. They'd be very human-like, so easy to "renaissance-ify". I can also use a lot of historical bits such as heads and weapons for the conversions.
Starting out, I looked at images for what would be typical early renaissance, and still easy to sculpt. Big collars and coifs turned up on many pictures, and would have the additional benefit of covering up neck gaps. I'm using the Wargames Atlantic plastic halfling set as my starting point, adding perry miniatures heads from the foot knight and war of the roses sets:
(https://i.imgur.com/pWd4R3E.jpg)
The heads fitted almost perfectly, and it was love at first sight once I put these finished diminutive soldiers on my workbench. They will work fine as my green stuff learning course. I even did a bit of an attempt at a breastplate, something I'll need to add to quite a lot of the infantry to suit the period. Since they turned out better than I expected, Project Italian Halflings is cleared for liftoff!
My immediate plan is to convert the 40 halflings in the box, trying out some basic infantry types:
-spears/pikes
-halberds
-sword and shield (rondeleros)
-archers
-heavily armoured men-at-arms
The aim/challenge of this project will be that every single miniature will have at least some part that is greenstuffed. I will also attempt to make a whole hobbit from scratch, no ready made parts (except sword blades etc), before the project is done.
If I can get most of these out of the kit, I think I'm set for a small halfling force. This will be great. :)
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Hats off to you sir! That's a neat project with some admirable ambitions!
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Those heads look fantastic on the hobbit bodies 8) 8)
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Great concept! I am surprised at how well that works. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Thanks for the kind replies. And yes, I was also pleasantly suprised how well the two kits work together. This far there have been maybe two heads on the entire two perry boxes that were a bit too narrow, but otherwise they've been working perfectly.
After the first small steps, I wanted to try to sculpt something bigger. Breastplates and armour in general would be necessary, and would be a good practice run for two things I've been struggling with before: making sharp lines in green stuff, and making smooth surfaces.
Luckily, it turned out that breasplates were easier than I expected, but most of all - a lot of fun!
(https://i.imgur.com/V6czwBa.jpg)
I used the perry foot knight bodies as a reference, as well as some other pictures from early renaissance armour. Sculpting these made me start to think about the background, and I imagine that a halfling exposed to European warfare would worry a lot more about upper body armour than leg armour. To protect from strikes from above, the guys in the front ranks will be packed with heavy pauldrons, chainmail and plate armour.
My next problem was that the heavy weaponry from the perry sprue came with arms that are way too long. This meant that I needed to speed up the learning curve a bit and sculpt some entire arms. Beeing able to hide mistakes behind plate armour and puffy sleeves turned out to be a blessing.
(https://i.imgur.com/tc8mj6I.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sqfElPC.jpg)
These guys are fierce! But they needed some heroic leadership when marching up to men twice their size. A champion, his standard bearer and musician steps up to the plate:
(https://i.imgur.com/NUkrUFf.jpg)
The champion's right arm turned out a bit wonky, but some of the wonkiness of his pose was saved with a pauldron. I wanted him to stand out even more, and found a picture of a Renaissance knight with a big chain over his breast. Idea stolen!
Meanwhile, the standard bearer turned out great and he's one of my favourites this far. The musician's pose is also a little bit off, but I'm happy anyway. After all, as I practice I'm bound to make better minis either by luck or design.
I'm approaching eight armoured halflings, which would make them a playable unit in Saga. I think I'll pause at that point and make more types of infantry first.
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Really nice idea and realization!
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These look great! Really fun concept, looking forward to seeing them painted up!
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my goodness, I don't see an awful lot of 'stumbling' there, rather some top-class skill with the green-stuff!
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Nice work - your skills are far from just being beginner level. Looking forward to seeing your "full sculpts".
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There’s something about hobbits in full plate that is just awesome, well done!
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Thanks for the kind replies! This project is keeping a better speed than I predicted, as I try to find some time every evening to sculpt. It's really fun. :)
The next group of hobbits are some archers. I imagine that they are are not professional soldiers, but a militia formed during these troubled times. So they will not have much armour or a very uniformed look.
(https://i.imgur.com/zbHyIVq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/I6GcKWl.jpg)
These had not so much sculpting on them, just some pieces to make them look a little bit more renaissance than medieval, such as some puffy sleeves.
With so little sculpting, I was ready to be a little bit more adventurous with the next unit. These are rondeleros, infantrymen with shield and sword:
(https://i.imgur.com/lPzuWtZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5a5dYjO.jpg)
This type of infantry got popular in this period. They found their niche as more nimble and effective in heavy terrain than the pikemen, but could also dodge into enemy pike formations to make breaches. A perfect job for a halfling! While the name gives away their spanish origin, their fighting style and equipment got popular across Europe. I gave one a morion helmet (a.k.a "conquistador helmet"), and I made some adarga shields. These unusually shaped hide shields were invented by the Berbers in North Africa, and spread into the Iberian peninsula where both muslim and christian armies ended up using them. By the early renaissance, they had spread together with the idea of the rondeleros, especially in Italy where Spanish soldiers fought a lot during the Italian Wars.
After these inital minis, I was ready to take the next step in sculpting. I thought that the small parts that I make would be possible without armatures, but even just an upper arm lacked the structural stability to not droop before curing. So here it is: my first armature! :P
(https://i.imgur.com/2JpygcH.jpg)
He's going to be a champion for the rondoleros.
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There’s something about hobbits in full plate that is just awesome, well done!
Indeed, I think the plate armoured ones are my favourites this far. I didn't expect it, and I basically made a few just to try it out. Now I'm considering making a big unit of "little greatswords". :P
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My goodness lol
I really like these - well done. Great concept and lovely conversion work. They're going to look great when they're painted 8)
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My goodness lol
I really like these - well done. Great concept and lovely conversion work. They're going to look great when they're painted 8)
Thank you!
Next up I started to sculpt some heads. This was really hard, as even half a millimeter too big or small really shows. Some are hits and some are misses, but I'll keep making new ones and improve as I practice.
(https://i.imgur.com/rTVzZ1N.jpg)
The first guys using homemade heads:
(https://i.imgur.com/HgjxNbA.jpg)
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Impressive work!!
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What a great idea and you are getting excellent results!
:-* :-*
You will also have the added bonus of having a completely unique army too!
8) 8)
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OUTSTANDING! The conversions are BEAUTIFULLY crafted creations. I love your original heads. VERY WELL DONE
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Lilljonas really great stuff, although you’ll never be satisfied with a shop bought model again as you’ll always think ‘oh I could add x,y,z’. It’s a really satisfying process and well worth it.
If you can get yourself some procreate. It’s a two part putty like GS but much better, it holds its shape better so you can get sharp edges easily, you can vary the mix for different properties much easier than GS and is easy to carve and sand once dried. I haven’t been back to GS since I discovered it.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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Excellent concept and execution 8)
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Impressive work!!
Thank you! :)
What a great idea and you are getting excellent results!
:-* :-*
You will also have the added bonus of having a completely unique army too!
8) 8)
Yes, it might not be the best halfling minis out there but they are mine, which is a pretty neat feeling.
OUTSTANDING! The conversions are BEAUTIFULLY crafted creations. I love your original heads. VERY WELL DONE
Thank you!
Lilljonas really great stuff, although you’ll never be satisfied with a shop bought model again as you’ll always think ‘oh I could add x,y,z’. It’s a really satisfying process and well worth it.
If you can get yourself some procreate. It’s a two part putty like GS but much better, it holds its shape better so you can get sharp edges easily, you can vary the mix for different properties much easier than GS and is easy to carve and sand once dried. I haven’t been back to GS since I discovered it.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
Thank you, I'll pick up some procreate online. I'm also curious about other putties, like magicsculpt and supersculpey. I'll be holed up over the holidays to that'll be a good time to experiment more.Excellent concept and execution 8)
Thank you!
Some more progess on the halflings. I'm mainly focusing on improving head proportions now. Some have been too small and some too large. I'm doing these in bulk, making half a dozen faces or so every night, instead of trying to get just one or two perfect ones. It's easier to make ten and discard the worst. :)
(https://i.imgur.com/3RUHgEUl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/y1jUtA9l.jpg)
Overall I think these are better proportioned than the previous batch.
I'm also working hard on developing the patience to leave stuff overnight instead of trying to make everything in one go. Here's an upcoming musician for the rondeleros:
(https://i.imgur.com/0SJn1EEl.jpg)
He's going to get a horn in one hand and be waving a sword in the other. My main issue now is that I'm running out of bodies! Only four left. I ordered more from Wayland Games, hope they'll arrive before the holidays clog up the postal system.
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I'm also working hard on developing the patience to leave stuff overnight instead of trying to make everything in one go. Here's an upcoming musician for the rondeleros:
That is the struggle! Especially when you get a flash of inspiration! lol
Excellent work though, really impressed with your sculpting! Keep up the great work
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That is a really good start!!!!
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That is the struggle! Especially when you get a flash of inspiration! lol
Excellent work though, really impressed with your sculpting! Keep up the great work
Yes, I've introduced a system where I put every mini that I've sculpted on up on a different shelf, and then I don't get to take anything from that shelf until I start a session next day. It might be to overdo it, but it pays off every time I'm NOT smudging uncured details on the other side of the mini by accident.
That is a really good start!!!!
Thank you!
Ok so what's more renaissance than puffy clothes? Maybe rediscovering a profound love of ancient Greece philosophers, but it's close. So I took a break in trying to sculpt helmets, and instead made some puffy hats. Turned out it's easier than helmets. This is great news for any future halfknecht units.
They're hard to photograph though, as it's all just slightly glossy green.
(https://i.imgur.com/9WWL8Cjl.jpg)
Close-ups
(https://i.imgur.com/6Jw6WQAl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/m8UVUQSl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ic4QFmsl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/r98Cjcjl.jpg)
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I like those heads, full of character and perfect for Hobbits!
8) 8)
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Wow, those sculpted heads look great! I am so looking forward to seeing some of these guys painted.
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I like those heads, full of character and perfect for Hobbits!
8) 8)
Thanks!
Wow, those sculpted heads look great! I am so looking forward to seeing some of these guys painted.
Thanks! You'll see some... soon! :)
First of all I finished the three remaining halflings. These are the most sculpted ones yet, working on arms, hands and heads. Hands are very hit or miss, I'll try and get some bulk practice in when I get the next box of halflings.
(https://i.imgur.com/BHLfAox.jpg)
One flag bearer, one musician and one guy that might be some kind of champion in a unit maybe?
After priming I picked out the archers, and started testing a paint scheme on them. This might kind of be the colours of Milan, but could also be close to Venice.
(https://i.imgur.com/iGgxKQM.jpg)
Just a WIP putting down some block colours to see how it works. I'll try to get time to tidy things up tomorrow. The yellows will be worked up to much lighter beige, and the blue will be a lighter shade than this as well.
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Your sculpting and converting abilities are outstanding! I'll be following with great interest! Cheers!
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Really great project, love a good conversion and halflings are fun, following intently, I have a box of the halflings, will do something similar.
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So these Hobbits are the legendary “Hovitos” of long ago, who were worshipped by the jungle people? :)
Dan
(https://www.originalprop.com/blog/dylsoagh/2009/01/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-high-definition-still-idol-1080p-01.jpg)
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This isn’t my thing at all but I absolutely love it! Look forward to seeing how the project progresses.
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Your sculpting and converting abilities are outstanding! I'll be following with great interest! Cheers!
Thank you! I'm still just starting out sculpting, hopefully I'll get better with some practice too. :)
Really great project, love a good conversion and halflings are fun, following intently, I have a box of the halflings, will do something similar.
Thanks! Yes, I can really recommend trying out some headswaps and such. It's a pretty fun kit with lots of weapons.
So these Hobbits are the legendary “Hovitos” of long ago, who were worshipped by the jungle people? :)
Dan
(https://www.originalprop.com/blog/dylsoagh/2009/01/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-high-definition-still-idol-1080p-01.jpg)
Haha, now I want to add some hobbits from other parts of the world as mercenary reinforcements. ;)
This isn’t my thing at all but I absolutely love it! Look forward to seeing how the project progresses.
Yeah I'm usually more of a Napoleonic and WW2 painter, but this has just completely taken over my hobby focus the last couple of weeks.
Anyways, with no more bodies to convert, it's painting time. I've been working more on the archers, and you can start of see the colour scheme properly now:
(https://i.imgur.com/07H0I1s.jpg)
I also started painting the armour plated hobbits. And let's not beat around the bush: barefoot plate armour men-at-arms look both insane and insanely cute:
(https://i.imgur.com/TncE5fz.jpg)
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The painted archers are brilliant! I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the force as they’re completed!
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Gorgeous :-*
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Nice conversions and painting.
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How did I miss this thread? These are ACE! (PS: Did you see my marching halfling pike regiment using the same plastic sprues?)
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The painted archers are brilliant! I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the force as they’re completed!
Thank you! I was not sure if I should have pushed the red-white scheme more, now they're a little bit more rag-tag and random. Maybe I'll try it with future units.
Gorgeous :-*
Thank you!
Nice conversions and painting.
Thank you as well! :)
How did I miss this thread? These are ACE! (PS: Did you see my marching halfling pike regiment using the same plastic sprues?)
Thanks! No, I didn't see it. I haven't seen that many painted up examples of these guys, I'd love to see yours. Is it here on LAF?
Anyways, the archers left the painting table today, forming the vanguard of my little hobbit army:
(https://i.imgur.com/iHC9Uczh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/peIBnT8h.jpg)
My own personal victory of sorts with these minis is that I don't think that the hand-sculpted heads stand out that much from the rest, which is what I feared before painting them.
And here's a small preview of what's on my Christmas vacation painting list:
(https://i.imgur.com/UHFOLQ3h.jpg)
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They look great. I really like the aesthetic you've created!
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Getting better with every step! Im looking forward to see all of them painted!
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Great looking halflings - I like that they are not based on the standard north-west European medieval trope. The heads you have created from scratch fit in very well - good work!
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Excellent work on them, I've been seeing those on Facebook. You did a great job achieving a cohesive look.
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Thanks! No, I didn't see it. I haven't seen that many painted up examples of these guys, I'd love to see yours. Is it here on LAF?
Not as well painted as yours, but I am struggling to master the surprisingly different medium of acrylics after 35 years of enamels! See here ... http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=125951.msg1589742#msg1589742
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They look great. I really like the aesthetic you've created!
Thank you!
Getting better with every step! Im looking forward to see all of them painted!
Thank you, and you'll see some progress real soon. ;)
Great looking halflings - I like that they are not based on the standard north-west European medieval trope. The heads you have created from scratch fit in very well - good work!
Thanks! Yes, I think that's going to show more and more as I get better skills and can do more with the clothing and armour.
Excellent work on them, I've been seeing those on Facebook. You did a great job achieving a cohesive look.
Thank you! I think they'll tie in together a bit better when painted as well. Though it's going to be quite a lot of colours, given the period.
Not as well painted as yours, but I am struggling to master the surprisingly different medium of acrylics after 35 years of enamels! See here ... http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=125951.msg1589742#msg1589742
Those look great! I like the look of them en masse, makes me more determined to build some proper pike blocks.
Anyway, Christmas vacation means a lot of painting time. I managed to paint up all halflings except the ones armed with pikes and halberds.
First up are the rodeleros. I wanted to do something with the shields, so I gave most of them a blue chevron. A... cordon bleu, you could say. ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/kOhNJlo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NtsvYST.jpg)
The men-at-arms turned out to be mostly metal painting. I added some gold here and there to keep them from looking too bland. The few puffy sleeves I added also helps a lot to give colour to them. They are ready to wade into the thickest of the battle and break through the kneecaps of whatever dares oppose them.
(https://i.imgur.com/KLoOicf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0gymtlr.jpg)
I also ended up making a lot of minis that can fight in these units if I'm using them for Saga, or can be command groups for games like Warhammer Fantasy or Pike and Shotte etc. First up are some standard bearers. I have not yet decided on what flags to use, but I'm slightly leaning towards them being from northern Italy. So I might up ending using a combination of both Milan and some princely families from there (like the Sforza), as well as condotteri (sort of mercenary captains) employed by them. The coloured flagpoles were chosen to emphasize the red and white scheme, as so much of the minis are covered in metal.
(https://i.imgur.com/YoComLu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/z8Df8nG.jpg)
The musicians got horns. Later on I'll try to make some pipe and drums, as those seemed very common, often depicted in pairs.
(https://i.imgur.com/uO5elGc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hH3wfBM.jpg)
And finally, some commanders. I used the chains as a sign of their status. They can either lead units, or be relegated to further back if I end up making better looking ones.
(https://i.imgur.com/9pIsA2P.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DrKqXnd.jpg)
These were more heavily converted than my archers, and it was fun to see them painted. Basically all metal armour except the leg guards were converted, and on some of them the entire arms and heads were converted as well. Next up will be some more "vanilla" troops, in that the spearmen are mostly head swaps. But there are some surprises in there as well. :)
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Very characterful.
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Very characterful.
Thanks!
Weather has been awful here, so I've been painting a lot. That includes finishing the first box of 40 halflings. The last batch consisted of pikes and halberds.
(https://i.imgur.com/bei5esAh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DCIXpWlh.jpg)
The box comes with arms very lowered or holding the weapons upright, so I'll probably convert some arms with weapons at 45 degrees to make several ranks in the big blocks. The halberders got a regimental chef, armed with skillet and sausages.
(https://i.imgur.com/3VaeENkh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/P9Mi9L0h.jpg)
These guys all got a scheme of green and white, but with some reds in there to keep it more interesting. Some of these have sculpted heads of varying quality, but it's a good way to keep track of my progress at sculpting. Don't throw all your mistakes in the trash!
(https://i.imgur.com/DWN1U7sh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uyffDOMh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FD8kRmLh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x0xLIUNh.jpg)
The pikemen will form the main blocks of troops, so I'll probably focus on bulking these out first when I get more boxes. The guys in the front rank got some extra armour to be able to stand the push of pikes better.
And here's the last batch in a group shot:
(https://i.imgur.com/84JCvith.jpg)
Finally, the whole force altogether at current strength:
(https://i.imgur.com/MpvHrceh.jpg)
I'm pretty stoked with how they turned out. This is a solid foundation that let me try out converting several unit types. Next step will be to first bulk out the units, and then expand the horizon with new unit types. We still have no artillery or cavalry, though I have some things brewing on my work desk already. I'd also like to dive deeper into the early Italian renaissance and see what different things I can turn into half-sized versions. War wagons? Petards? Gendarmes? Who knows where this will end. :)
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A great little army. Really nice conversions and painting. I'm looking forward to seeing which standards you choose for them!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
Thank you!
A great little army. Really nice conversions and painting. I'm looking forward to seeing which standards you choose for them!
Thanks, it's still up in the air which family or families I decide to have them align with.
Anyway, in the Italian Wars a lot of armies on all sides outsourced their light cavalry to stradioti, a type of mercenaries. Hailing from the Balkans, primarily of Albanian birth, the stradiots had some distinctive traits such as their beards, high hats, shields and flowing robes.
(https://i.imgur.com/FHG9xAKh.jpg)
Hmm... beards, pointy hats and robes, you say? That sounds almost suspiciously gnomish to me! It only makes sense then, for my Italian hobbits, to recruit some of the infamous stradigoats to fill the role of light cavalry. TTCombat makes these (https://ttcombat.com/products/halfling-goat-rider-archers) halfling goat riders, with magnificiently cute goats. To make stradigoats out of them I'll simply need to build up the hats, turn the Van Dykes into bushy beards, add the distinct shields and maybe also build up the shirts into bigger, billowing coats.
First up is a sorcerer. While a bit out of place in the more historical games, he'll serve well as a test run and when they're used in more high fantasy type games. And he already came with a conical hat!
(https://i.imgur.com/MTusYQ0h.jpg)
Liking the look, I set out to convert more stradigoats. These have only received hats, but there are shields of green stuff curing for them, and then I'll work on their beards and clothes.
(https://i.imgur.com/rFEgpV3h.jpg)
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Very nice indeed. I just recently painted some 'westernised' stradiots to be brigands in my Tilean campaign. Yours are gonna be little (yeah, I said it) works of art!
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Very original and a fine spark of imagination! Brilliant!
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Very nice indeed. I just recently painted some 'westernised' stradiots to be brigands in my Tilean campaign. Yours are gonna be little (yeah, I said it) works of art!
Thanks, going to have fun with putting small beards and robes on them. :)
Very original and a fine spark of imagination! Brilliant!
Thank you!
As I maybe mentioned, one goal of this project was to get the confidence to sculpt an entire mini from scratch. I thought that would be somewhere towards the end, but guess what ended up on my hobby desk yesterday?
(https://i.imgur.com/23lheUjl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Cpy1sqfl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FnAWzD2l.jpg)
Still a lot of things I want to make better on the next one, but it's a scratch sculpted mini! He'll be sent off to join the pikemen, and then I'll start making more halflings wire armatures.
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Great work!
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That's great! Wow! I wish I had your skills!