Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: tikitang on May 21, 2023, 02:37:40 PM
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I have always had a thing about large models on small tables and I have decided 54mm is the future of wargaming for me.
It's something I've had on my mind for a while, but I finally took the plunge when I discovered Irregular Miniatures' 54mm Fantasy range (https://irregularminiatures.co.uk/54mmRanges/54mmFantasy.htm), which I love!
As such, I have cleared out all my 28mm projects and am starting on a new 54mm journey.
I bought a band of six orcs and a band of five "dungeon delver" types (elf, dwarf, halfling, human wizard and human 'adventurer'), and started painting them last week. I'm not painting these with one specific ruleset in mind, but merely to have some classic fantasy figures available for any system geared for 3-10 models per side.
I decided to start with the orcs, so here is the first:
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH4WSHRCA2V7QdG3f5Ws6s90uESC9kniTRKS8L1zdB4QYPNb9DfVG0co2H30edJiEy6m9yOLGEKeRC_hBMPWTsHWg6OKFeaVIrqHub-l6Su0QtjZq5L4gWQNjjUdx6IXed3e98sZRxsNHhgO8a02C-8-QHpD3MSaOJE3wR5bG5HJzvTzBoYIH8rnd/w640-h480/20230521_090616.jpg)
I originally intended to paint this guy as a Red Goblin from Warhammer Fantasy Battle 1st Edition (1983), but my red came out more of a beetroot colour, which I thought looked terrible. I decided, rather than attempt to correct it, I would just change gear and go for the more traditional murky green, which while not being very original, I think looks more 'classic'.
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I got a little bored painting orcs, so decided to go for a human today. I had an urge to paint the wizard first.
I can never decide what colours to choose for any miniature by myself, so when searching for inspiration I usually prefer to borrow existing paint schemes from illustrations based on literature, and had considered painting him up like Gandalf the Grey (grey robes, black boots, blue hat).
But then I realised that, as much as I enjoy it as a novel, I don't want to wargame or roleplay The Lord of the Rings; Gandalf is far too powerful, narratively, to pitch against a mere handful of orcs. No, I don't want my wizard to be an incarnate Maia, I want him to be a fully mortal man, who just so happens to have mastered sorcery. That way, if he makes a spellcasting blunder or dies with an axe through his skull, it won't feel narratively incongruent.
So I decided to paint him as 'The Magician' from the Ladybird learn-to-read book series from the 1980s entitled Puddle Lane (https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/800/893/1317893800.0.x.jpg), written by Sheila McCullagh. I own the entire series of PL books as I enjoyed them as a child and wanted my own children to benefit from them. It's never made clear who the Magician is in the PL stories, but it is clear that he studies magic as a discipline, rather than having some innate divine power.
I carefully examined the illustrations in the books to figure out how he should be painted (including the very rare instances of him wearing a hat), and went for this:
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2-6EEGvGDGFQpMTS33hGjA9oHL0T51_Ou8kKA4bHkAQOsKJjLP3i018xfAGXQCpxGIl3MR8FqoIAt1-EDLM4Ye6QqpyTyCIiztkfOu4OwXQP3jtoHi5kape_yCnnfLSDbKXxzgJ2fBaasMojLGAEhm2pTtmmfYSVYXjjGOvaft6hTCOfnfmivpTG/w640-h480/20230524_161949.jpg)
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicV4NDM3PnCl6owmP0w4QY87kbqKr7o1XWr_yYzm78IdywFIUD2SS5EY0Bd-XJdow6nHi9Rre-p-mTM2wZs3eVkEk0L37DGvwrslW5qBoe5PpXDXXCYMf9bvwQyBU9DmgL-j-KGswrtTLW-MHIIipAp-RnhFlunXWaC40e76t7OzPZT580OF5fBufn/w640-h480/20230524_162001.jpg)
I don't usually go for elaborate designs such as this, preferring simple, bland colours, but in 54mm scale it feels like there's more scope for it, particularly for an amateur like me! Despite the rather zany appearance, I'm quite pleased with how he turned out!
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WOW that wizard looks awesome! :o
Great stuff man! :-*
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That wizard is absolutely top notch, I love how you've painted him.
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Lovely painting.
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You're off to a great start Tik!
Not heard of the 54mm Fantasy range before so will check it out, cheers.
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Those both look good, but I do have to say the freehand designs on the wizard are very nice. I’ve looked at Irregular’s 54 fantasy before, and went back to look again after your first post. Some of the medievals would seem like a good fit, if you needed more humans.
If I’m not carefuly, I’ll end up ordering a “little” project of three dozen or so to add to my to-do lists…(On the other hand, I’ve already got 54mm medievals, so maybe a few could mix in … argh!)
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Looks great.
If you are not a member already then join the Little Wars Revisited Forum here:
https://littlewarsrevisited.boards.net/
Lots of people doing 54mm fantasy...
Mike
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Thanks for the kind comments, all!
I’ve looked at Irregular’s 54 fantasy before, and went back to look again after your first post. Some of the medievals would seem like a good fit, if you needed more humans.
Yes, my thoughts exactly! I'm planning to start out by just using the orcs and fantasy humans/humanoids (i.e. elf, dwarf, halfling etc.), but I can see myself getting a bunch of skeletons and really expanding into some of the Medieval figures in the near future as well!
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The Oldhammer part of me feels like you should try and track down some of the early 80s Citadel fighting fantasy miniatures which were plastic 54mm fantasy
http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Fighting_Fantasy (http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Fighting_Fantasy)
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Tikitang have you seen the fantasy figures that Tehnolog produce. They are quite cheaply available on ebay.
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The Oldhammer part of me feels like you should try and track down some of the early 80s Citadel fighting fantasy miniatures which were plastic 54mm fantasy
I could try doing that...but Irregular Miniatures are easier to get hold of, and metal (which I much prefer)! They also have an old-school feel about them which is close enough to the Oldhammer "vibe" for me, without needing to track down rare and specific miniatures from the era.
Tikitang have you seen the fantasy figures that Tehnolog produce. They are quite cheaply available on ebay.
I have indeed seen those, but I wouldn't choose them over Irregular Miniatures as I am not very keen on plastic and don't particularly care for their cartoony style.
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These are fantastic - and the psychedelic wizard is superb. That's what a wizard should be!
I can see the benefits of sticking with metal - the heft is attractive in its own right. There must be a lot of scope for Gary Gygax-style "conversion by paint" with the historical Irregular 54s - it wouldn't take much more than a non-human skin tone to get the Roman elite, wolfskin and all, looking like a D&D hobgoblin, for example. And the Dark Age figures tucked into the Ancients section offer plenty of candidates for adventurers, berserkers and bandits.
If I were doing this, I'd be tempted to take a look at the Bob Olley ogres and trolls from Ral Partha Europe as potential small goblins. They're 40mm tall and quite skinny, so they'd work quite well as "dungeon vermin" in 54mm, I think. There are some with javelins, bows and crossbows (as below), which would help them fit in as small humanoids (and they're quite cheap):
(http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/shop/images/02-152b.jpg)
(http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/shop/images/02-149a.jpg)
(http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/shop/images/02-152a.jpg)
Oh - and for "dungeon monsters" that might fit quite well stylistically with the Irregular stuff, have a look at the Asgard re-releases from Alternative Armies (https://www.alternative-armies.com/collections/tabletop-games-and-asgard-fantasy). There are a lot of monsters in the 40-60mm range - like this chap, who, given his stance, looks dead on as a human-sized lizardman in 54mm:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0371/5545/products/fm38_composite_1000pix_1024x1024.jpg?v=1663685559)
And I'm tempted to launch into the scale myself just for the opportunity to field a small goblin on a velociraptor!
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0371/5545/products/fm2c_1000pix_1024x1024.jpg?v=1648737099)
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These are fantastic - and the psychedelic wizard is superb. That's what a wizard should be!
Thanks! That is most kind of you to say.
I can see the benefits of sticking with metal - the heft is attractive in its own right.
Quite so!
the Dark Age figures tucked into the Ancients section offer plenty of candidates for adventurers, berserkers and bandits.
Yes, also my thoughts; their Medieval and Dark Age models offer great potential for expanding the fantasy range. I think there's also some great Arthurian potential between those two ranges.
Oh - and for "dungeon monsters" that might fit quite well stylistically with the Irregular stuff, have a look at the Asgard re-releases from Alternative Armies (https://www.alternative-armies.com/collections/tabletop-games-and-asgard-fantasy).
Oddly enough, I was just thinking this morning about looking to see what AA have to offer; I knew they had some big'uns in metal which might go well with 54mm characters.
Those Asgard 30mm ogres would make excellent 54mm scale 'Little People' in the Arthur Machen tradition!
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I really love the wizard - excellent work of the brush! I shall follow your thread with interest!
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Thanks, Gibby!
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I had a day off work, so was able to squeeze in another orc!
I've decided to alternate painting one orc, followed by a hero, followed by another orc, etc. etc. to help break up the monotony.
As I was 100% happy with the colour scheme from the first orc by the time I finished, I just repeated it all over again:
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Na_jAMb4SczKCLRGPAmeqoF93Vu6bUlTvsR8gX6SBb5KMJSRUVAHbaWck2UrL4ES-SkHjR1nxfnsjAQjv5FNtRCrnUh-mFdwa_MTqJVyzNZJS4AzPJ8mwsB_1kVXwkttLMFsWBtIzCLK9GfRNyMEF6HaYtO2bMBEM4ELn2FKaY9JZLMU2g3Id5UQ/w640-h480/20230529_231446.jpg)
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Painted up the dwarf today as work was quiet and coffee breaks were many!
As I said, I normally prefer to use an existing illustration rather than try to come up with my own colours (as I never know what to go for and usually always regret it), but today I decided just to look at the model and let it "speak" to me.
I came up with this, for better or worse:
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIf1f9UWsViDWjNAU4bwunC_NB3XU6YK2fG-YUwsBmpzWSRB4KDQwhkiR5r2rmQ1Vp0Y7Qjei0IBvfOm4uBH0y5OKoMi1_NzGrQWsCePf4PeSemQXhGZtTqP4_viFcvo255kX08ppmE1VkJ17sITlKthP54YCQNGp8pznNvNnPH5EliHQsntpkdoU/w640-h480/20230530_203011.jpg)
I've decided I really like the medieval "parti-colour" look, so I'm probably going to paint the other miniatures in a similar fashion, albeit with different colours.
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He looks cool, clearly a much more serious fellow than the orcs...though I like how he's left the wizard to sort out the two orcs :D
I don't know why it hadn't occurred before but they'd work well for HeroQuest.
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Thanks!
...I like how he's left the wizard to sort out the two orcs :D
He's just pausing to take a selfie before leaping heroically into the fray!
I don't know why it hadn't occurred before but they'd work well for HeroQuest.
They would if one had a giant HeroQuest board with 40mm squares!
I had considered that, though, and even thought about painting the figures like the illustrations from HeroQuest, but in the end I decided not to.
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I did make myself a HQ board with 30mm squares...well I made a couple of compact boards, the first just reduced the room sizes while the second eliminated the corridors. I came up with a SoloQuest ruleset to randomise the dungeon as I explored.
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Finished this guy off today.
My first free-hand shield, inspired by those Hobgoblin often gives his orcs.
This orc's face seemed to be miscast when he arrived; his nose, eyes and mouth were a melted blur. As such, I used green stuff to reform his nose (I gave him a big, pointed one instead of the flat ones the other two orcs have), lower lip, and add a lolling tongue. The tongue is not nearly as good as the other orcs' (I should have copied that style more closely) but it's better than a gap.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkV0w75qempUrtICnhaH3X5J2DpJ-Yx4NLC1y_o3FvZqNc263-2PuKbJhezre55r4955GGyJi_bhR7Pke7HBvIs4UsV8O5Yh412t338Fk6e9oBJToUmscSheMxvPSpTLJ-9AI0_MnaPY-3csdgb38dtlCe1v4Fq2uC-7MClp8EQlRNWvSeSEVI9Z4/w640-h480/20230605_141318.jpg)
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That shield is absolutely magnificent! Great green stuff skills too!
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Yep, cracking job on both fronts!
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He looks great! The new nose adds a nice bit of differentiation too.
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Thanks, all.
The new nose adds a nice bit of differentiation too.
There's another orc in the gang (yet to be painted) who has that larger, bulbous nose variant, which seems to be deliberate. My nose on the orc above is an exact mimic of that nose. Not sure why the original sculptor gave one orc out of eight a different shaped nose than the others...but now there will be two!
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This is getting cooler and cooler. Really fun to see the 54mm scale and some unusual miniatures :)
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Looking good! You’re making it harder to avoid ordering a bunch …
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Onto the next hero: THE BARBARIAN!
This guy is NOT an Irregular Miniature — my first deviation from the plan — but he's still made of good old fashioned metal!
He is in fact a 54mm Thunderbolt Mountain miniature, sculpted by Tom Meier in 1990.
No longer available new, so I had to order this used (but unpainted) from eBay in France.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cX0G7osVi0VE92PNfwSU-iTJZ-fXqj_sdZfc36AIgizlbGWs5T7xLMeXl7yNuGqxYd-FfjTf_p9Acci7ZS7QNvod_oDNlGTgK3w89Md6WbTDseiW5wO_LK_Jur_xEJi28Q5CV0Zx0yUssjaDWzArI0ZPB8wnPU36WC7yCdfQD676HQL2Tze35jgz/w640-h480/20230606_225404.jpg)
Because he was from a different manufacturer, I was worried about him not quite fitting with the Irregular models, but I think he looks good along side them. His pose is more dynamic, but that reflects his barbaric energy, and my common basing and painting style makes him look part of the gang. He's on the taller side, taller than the other Irregular humans, but that seems appropriate given his nature. and it turned out I was right to be!
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I love it! The colours and the choice of minis are great. All the old school charm but in a larger scale!
I'm also moving more and more projects over to bigger scales, doing:
* Weird WW2 in 1/35,
* Victorian horror in 60mm
* Three Musketeers in 60mm
* Robin Hood in 60mm
* Conquest of America (conquistadors and aztecs) in 60mm
* Legends of China in 60mm
And I have collected a bunch of 54mm figures for fantasy as well, but they are still unbuilt and unpainted.
Also bought a bunch of kits to do Star Trek TOS in Mega Construx, which is also around 50-54mm-ish. ;D
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You don’t think it’s because we are all getting old and out eye sight is going?
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I love it! The colours and the choice of minis are great. All the old school charm but in a larger scale!
Thanks!
I'm also moving more and more projects over to bigger scales, doing:
* Weird WW2 in 1/35,
* Victorian horror in 60mm
* Three Musketeers in 60mm
* Robin Hood in 60mm
* Conquest of America (conquistadors and aztecs) in 60mm
* Legends of China in 60mm
And I have collected a bunch of 54mm figures for fantasy as well, but they are still unbuilt and unpainted.
Which miniatures are you using for all of the above? In particular, the fantasy ones?
You don’t think it’s because we are all getting old and out eye sight is going?
I'm only 39 (40 later this summer), so hopefully that's not happening yet, but in my case I just find the miniatures in this scale more satisfying both to paint and to look at on the table. Also, I'm not so great with small details such as eyes and things, but if the miniature is larger then they don't look so bad!
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Which miniatures are you using for all of the above? In particular, the fantasy ones?
For the fantasy ones I sourced quite a few from bigger scale manufacturers (1/32 - 54mm) like Andrea Miniatures, Pegaso models and a bunch I don't currently recall because I *am* getting older. I generally looked up the main manufacturers for 54mm and checked if they had any fantasy ranges.
For the 60mm stuff it is mainly the prepainted Toy Soldier ranges like King and Country, John Jenkins Designs, Thomas Gunn, etc... as well as suitable resin figures from Lemax (christmas figures) that can fit my setting with some paint or some conversions. For Aztecs and Conquistadors I also got a bunch of unpainted metal figures from Morgan Miniatures.
For 1/35 WW2 there is a huge wealth of kits and resin figures, both historical and weird.
A couple links to my stuff (and of course the one in my signature as well):
3 musketeers and robin hood: http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/ (http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/)
Victorian Horror: http://victorianhorrorfigures.blogspot.com/ (http://victorianhorrorfigures.blogspot.com/)
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You don’t think it’s because we are all getting old and out eye sight is going?
That’s the upside. The downside is that boxes of 54mm lead are getting harder to handle as I get older. ;)
My personal primary 54mm projects is medieval skirmish in plastic, using the currently oop Accurate figures introduced in the ‘90s. If I had to do it from scratch today, I’d have to hope that I could get the Expeditionary Force figures.
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This week it's two orcs.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfoXmTDVmIZ_MlEtwKTX83udJGrt6iAEaqN43SqD_HGmPl4FWN477U_XL0IKt-B2WmTMjLy28sLeIIfPCwgpGdrmlnPDzzulyixRTzebvJ5iSgoWQd1LUMTdjLIP2ADsHW9jy6nOjd_35VWVTmSL4wfNVkiKnfd3ZOhJ1uVH0dgKM76_BFmHL4lNj/w640-h480/20230615_002710.jpg)
The guy with the buckler: I thought about giving the buckler a face similar to the last one, but I just couldn't be bothered. Also, it was a bit awkward to paint due to the angle and the proximity to the base. I'm not very happy with the final design, but I have no desire to make any further adjustments, and at least it's quite bold.
The guy with the bow: I purchased him very recently, separate from the initial six orcs. He was actually a wolf-rider, complete with inbuilt saddle stuck between his legs. I cut the saddle away with clippers and green-stuffed the area around his boots, loins and thighs to make it seem like he was always supposed to be infantry.
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I'm not very happy with the final design, but I have no desire to make any further adjustments
In the light of the morning I'm rethinking this...
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Another fine pair. Good work with the bowman conversion, I'd not have guessed he was a rider.
Does that mean you've got a wolf coming soon?
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Thanks!
Does that mean you've got a wolf coming soon?
No, I ordered the rider alone (along with another spear-wielding rider who is in the production line), sans wolf.
I thought 54mm wolves might be a bit too much on a 2' x 2' table... plus, I hate basing cavalry, as I don't like the mix of base shapes (e.g. circular and rectangular)
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Nice work on these! I'd keep the buckler as is - it looks like recent loot!
The bowman conversion is great.
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Nice work on these! I'd keep the buckler as is - it looks like recent loot!
Thanks, but it's too late!
I went there...
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpZa7p6uXuE-mvik8NRMKJanqvx56Vnwor61yEC7NHyKJZYpcSBaK2wKIK0u6tN4L6TjVZxhC-mtnCORrPT8PJvkB75MElqZpmVlaZQ9YlQjTmrqCrJxVQuZN-SazOCz1pQgubrVm7TZ0r10VkpUr5uy6gYv_Aliw_KJu1IA8mQgjfS-MS1nqgM_e/w640-h480/20230615_120008.jpg)
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Ha - well, that looks even better!
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The revised buckler looks great!
Yeah a wolf at 54mm might be a wee bit too big lol might be fun though...I could see it munching its way through quite a few orcs.
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A riderless wolf might make for a good third-party monster.
In one of the rulesets I am thinking of trying, Battleblade, which has been specifically designed for 54mm gaming, there's a scenario where two opposing sides fight a third-party monster in the centre of the battlefield (as well as each other). An oversized wolf might prove a worthy candidate for this role.
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That sounds cool. I was going to ask if you had a particular ruleset in mind or a particular number of minis you wanted to get painted before playing a game? Any plans to do a post battle report too?
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I think I would like to get all my orcs finished (three more to go) and my first wave of heroes finished (four more to go) before running a game.
I have a number of rulesets in mind, but not settled on any one in particular. Off the top of my head, here's a few: Mordheim, Ravenfeast, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Death in the Dungeon, The Dolorous Stroke, Savage Blades, Metal Storm, Battleblade and Mörk Borg.
Oh, and also Sword Weirdos and Song of Blades & Heroes.
Battleblade is probably my first port of call.
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W Britains produced quite a range of 54mm models for The Fellowship of the Ring when Peter Jackson's trilogy first came out, you might find something useful on Ebay from that range!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/4815/45109958944_f7c97b759d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bJdkbQ) (https://flic.kr/p/2bJdkbQ)
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A halfling has joined the heroes (sporting the mi-parti or parti-colour look once again).
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa-ZWrFCHWhgfQsFi-2vF_XCj_FL47rFV5yrbdOklnkeYDnKtp1_ivrgg0adgMUoRFDTmh47ZwjUhDRpLWiKSOl-LbA94VPWPFlSEvY5WBRxt2gPbNmQnrm4JL2UKgj7wyCV6z280q3qQnE1VOAV8PzbnHBLhlzTqtOxVHGRRqvn-ZmRj1YPmkA7Lpbo/w640-h480/20230621_091544.jpg)
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Strangely, I've found myself with much less time for painting in the summer months, even though work is quieter.
I had a new delivery of Tom Meier's Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures this week, and managed to find time to paint one known as the "anti-paladin"!
This fellow originally (https://ralparthalegacy.com/cdn/shop/products/TBM-D-1004-box_1_1024x1024@2x.jpg) came with a two-handed sword he held in both hands (one hand gripping the blade), but when I opened the box I discovered one of the quillons of the cross-guard was considerably shorter than the other, no doubt an accident in the manufacturing process. I tried to 'fix' this by shortening the other quillon, but I cut this too short and essentially ruined the weapon.
Then I had another idea. I had a look in my (very small) 'abandoned projects' box and found a Bob Olley minotaur armed with a spiked mace. Although not a 54mm model, the minotaur's hands were exactly the same size as the anti-paladin's, so I cut off the minotaur's hands and glued them onto the anti-paladin's wrists. A perfect fit!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2AV318Ef-73T4m2DpIsesfxPbabRutF5oE4rUe8LKYbFzr5_3_KxvyDHayQK-wSBeTgneo-9Gm0Q4Oikk3OC68f-HTj0h2IBkUNb6I55GLu9Num-nQ9ePqegwv2wVCyilXO-F0KZtlv-H7qa6tRlum6RUK7s-oUVmjXW4fDr63a3ozG4MpHJOh0WEA8/w640-h480/20230713_122209.jpg)
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That's an excellent fix - it looks really good.
With a mace, he can do double duty as an old-school cleric as well!
Mr Meier is a very talented sculptor indeed, and I really like the painting on this guy.
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Thanks; I appreciate your comment!
Already got plans for a cleric character, though, so will keep this fellow purely as a fighter type.
If you are not a member already then join the Little Wars Revisited Forum here:
https://littlewarsrevisited.boards.net/
Lots of people doing 54mm fantasy...
Thanks for the tip, Mike! I've just joined the board; looks like some people are doing some great stuff there.
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Tikitang - apologies very late to an excellent thread. I love what you’ve done but especially the wizard and the fact you’ve gone with the complicated book outfit rather than the less dramatic (made out of leftover upholstery supplies) TV version (what were they thinking the wizards hair wasn’t even white!). A real blast from the past, thank you for posting.
Balm
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Thanks!
I love what you’ve done but especially the wizard and the fact you’ve gone with the complicated book outfit rather than the less dramatic (made out of leftover upholstery supplies) TV version
Indeed! I'm not sure which came first, the Ladybird book series or the Yorkshire Television show, but (from what I've seen on YouTube) the latter looks pretty dreadful! I never saw it as a child, which I'm very glad about!
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I took a two month break from painting over the summer (not through choice, more through circumstance) and towards the end of that period (just a couple of weeks ago) I had a little crisis where I almost abandoned the project, but I managed to "pull up" from that particular nose-dive and things are now steady and back under control again.
At my current pace of work it appears I'm going to achieve only one miniature a week, if I'm lucky, but that's okay.
The latest addition to the project is this orc, who I have decided will be the leader: he has the largest weapon, has more armour, and his helmet has more protection around the face (including a massive nose-guard).
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuZQuYzmjJ1NPff2YcH0IrZgdnW9evLlSzDVbQEMHBhE0jS_1kj_fSWzRYgtdInwPuvyduYRmb0dIoiFV57_RmViFoix2_BYgUkDc-1TgfcSO1k0a9dMj87SQXu_mBAqrXVqiqmkvLaqV8iDOaMFhdQeyoB-l0NFswbxpsq11ak2U1iIRARnc0R01UNs/w640-h480/20230909_145505.jpg)
That leaves only two orcs to go before I have a complete* orc warband.
* When I say 'complete', that is to say: I will have painted one of every type of orc model that Irregular Miniatures sell.
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I'm sorry to hear things have been slow / disrupted but it's good to see you back tikitang.
The orc leader is a 'fine' looking fellow. I'm not sure if it's the big sword over his shoulder or the extra armour but he looks beefier.
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I'm sorry to hear things have been slow / disrupted but it's good to see you back tikitang.
Thanks!
The orc leader is a 'fine' looking fellow. I'm not sure if it's the big sword over his shoulder or the extra armour but he looks beefier.
Pretty sure it's just the large sword and extra armour. Otherwise he is the same size and physique as the others!
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At my current pace of work it appears I'm going to achieve only one miniature a week, if I'm lucky, but that's okay.
I haven’t picked up a brush in about two months either. If you maintain that pace, you were only planning to do a couple of dozen anyway, right? So it’s less than a year, which doesn’t seem too bad. Choose the right rules and some sort of game can appear before that.
For clerics, I guess the question is whether you want a heavily armored figure with a mace. I actually have these two from Irregular painted up for my 54mm medieval skirmish:
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Funnily enough, I have both of those figures and the chap on the left is actually next in my paint queue! He is indeed going to be my cleric. I am not interested in the D&D-style-armoured-cleric-with-a-mace type; I like my clerics robed, staffed and preferably holding a cross. That fellow on the left couldn't be better suited for the role. You've done a very nice job on them! I was going to go for a brown coloured robe myself. The fellow on the right I was going to make into some evil necromancer type.
you were only planning to do a couple of dozen anyway, right?
Correct! I have two more orcs to go and a handful of humans. Reckon I will have them all painted by Christmas.
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Now I’m going to have a paint a few to get the urge to repurpose my 54mm medievals as 54mm fantasy…
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And here he his: a cleric, or, as I like to call him, the Holy Hermit!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQi2RyZlN7viyzsACd7Kud56Gwnmrgi9ShST3kj1vcW10dw1NBO8ljfV_Iv6g96D0bhTh7glLrjW3SoGDqKaQn1wLfaWyrzwrZ0XhEEyGi-fM3ARmeDEYvWli61OJD4rUFaEUQvhbBdph38L_FjmBKNxc8MtMBki_gy9YQ6xLxTa73MdNyADOMK-3UR0/w640-h480/20230914_160521.jpg)
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This week's miniature is my penultimate orc:
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0nVD4TB3rbfoex7kSsdJ9A1q_Ra5emgB_TOXU54gISrPFXA571eACt_7CXb1Bj0Daf0VErH-4eN7PBnAxK69T5at9-exEX_3GOGGMO8bFMiHsOcW-0f4qPFwDMyKcetBgOXZnVOQWQu3AkMJCgCP-qLdxHLyuJ-wIfd9oZaFQFiqam0UXqgjXVkZJLc/w640-h480/20230921_154355.jpg)
Only one more to go after this, then I'll have a complete orc warband (i.e. every 54mm orc made by Irregular Miniatures).
This fellow is the only orc in the group that came with a large bulbous nose, as opposed to a flat, pig-like one with a ring through it.
You may recall that one of my other orcs came with a casting fault so I replicated the same nose this one has in green stuff. Not sure why there's a nose variance in these otherwise identical-looking monsters. It made me wonder if the pig-nosed ones have undergone some kind of ritual mutilation?
In any case, I have a couple of updates to share:
1. Over the summer I decided I wanted to separate the Irregular Miniatures from the Thunderbolt Mountain miniatures. Even though they're the same scale, their sculpting style is markedly different and even though my painting style is consistent, the difference, visually, between the two ranges is quite jarring to me. As such, I'm going to run two separate 54mm projects: one project will be skirmishes between Irregular Miniatures warbands, of which there will be more models present on the table at a time (like eight models per side), and the other project will be skirmishes between Thunderbolt Mountain miniatures, of which there will be much fewer miniatures on the table (perhaps three at at time). This is to ensure the two sculpting styles never meet on the table and thus avoiding the visual irritation this will produce!
2. I stumbled upon a ruleset last week called Many Ages (https://www.wargamevault.com/product/429814/Many-Ages) which really seems to tick a lot of boxes for me in what I want from a skirmish game. Using Many Ages' warband creation system, I calculated my orc warband (when finished) will be worth about 100 points. In order to ensure the opposing force (comprised of humans, elves, dwarfs and halflings) are equally matched, and that no Thunderbolt Mountain miniatures will be involved, I've ordered another batch of miniatures from Irregular, mostly consisting of 15th Century men-at-arms and archers.
I'm looking forward to finishing the orcs (which I'm not a fan of painting) at last, so I can work solely on the humans and their kindred.
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Another grim looking chap, great stuff.
I know what you mean about mixing ranges...if I ever won the lottery I think I'd get my own fantasy range sculpted to make sure the style and scale was consistent.
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Excellent work on that latest orc! I especially love the shield!
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Yes, that’s some great freehand on that shield. I started painting some fantasy 54s this week; plastics, from a bucket they sold at Toys R Us just before they went out of business. It has seven different poses (good sorceress, witch, rogue, barbarian, elf, dwarf, and orc), and mixes reasonably well with Marx Robin Hood figures and the old Airfix 1/32 medievals. If I get through a few of those, perhaps you will have made another sale for Irregular … :D
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Fantastic shield on that last orc!
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Thanks, all!
My newest wave of Irregular Miniatures arrived at the end of last week. As I said before, these latest miniatures are to pad out the human(oid) warband, having now removed the Thunderbolt Mountain miniatures from their ranks (due to aesthetic differences).
The Thunderbolt Mountain miniatures will now be separated into their own exclusive project where they can revel in their unique sculpting style free from common riff-raff. As such, the IM warband needs more members if they're going to match the orcs for manpower and arms!
One of the new IM models I ordered is a man-at-arms wielding a bill (I guess that makes him a billman). He also came equipped with an arming sword and a dagger, both strapped to his belt on either hip, but frankly I hated the way these looked on him. Irregular are a little hit-and-miss with their sculpting style, and I have not been impressed with the state of the swords and daggers hanging from the belts of their medieval range; they're so small and spindly, and in my view really detract from the model's general appearance. So I removed them with a combination of clippers, knife, file and green-stuff. It's not very historically realistic to only go into battle with a bill, but this is fantasy and I guess that means historical realism is optional.
Once again he sports the mi-parti look on his padded gambeson, which adds some visual spice to an otherwise fairly bland paint job!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-dfCb78zCV5syi4b_vXypHmboytLyF_Z-GEXag5U44RBi1-akOXmLJuCg7xofOi0x0iPm0HU97gZmXAPNwFiu-Cu4W1t1eQEkeyOIiPcO2lQNqoQwm5xZvGFUqfbfMDk206bF7VhZvk3Ldd5WrxnbT-mG-H1DsOKtal0Owv6Nb3uztPKzlgzdJH3yo8/w640-h480/20230926_105131.jpg)
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Managed to squeeze two miniatures in this week! That's good going for me.
Today we have a mysterious cloaked adventurer.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpwLNWZ0oJVWzrKvrTeCaZUqygmFUWsSeJmigxqjkd-FHYBXz0pAkgL1u8MSpL7PfTJVrz-y8GTSf8Z8llApGHiTg3uJ-h5_Kg4g26AYfe7rBDzIvkichcelJ7Ns0yf4WCkUlggl5bQ8bwLt6xlyXqarG7l2zjGVctaj3C31gVsvhSe1Dt2GWDKPxtho/w640-h480/20230930_144044.jpg)
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi853iXzLuWY3BNWtTanWveYuB39DRehNqvKPMvYwfGirqdELVVjwvUz3Dr2EIIGbR-PhUNd0H6w4Dopkwklw2mshHRfoE8yU8YWi02YJ-0Qzx59WN0n3GwLK1nm0xu2x80zbPExYZHWxJ7IiHbBDI4LxDFMmFRuQjiERiupoPzkpOXlcoAUbCuDQ8m42E/w640-h480/20230930_144122.jpg)
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lpgl1oW4FBUf8UIBpoALLdz3NF9LA7W6OqrOQsG_FCD0Rojr9wxsDCVO7XDU2UJgwe5tA2FS2ornxy93ha9bYEoVxrptFmacHXTPz-gTyYTGY2mlocSMWPzjQMTA3BlqWPLlzVOKK14oPw5K3uwu3TBRbPgGOA-oQq0Z2oJ685SieCdpApKoIcrFvl8/w640-h480/20230930_144105.jpg)
For the cloak design I borrowed some inspiration from Hobgoblin's First Oddventurer (https://hobgoblinry.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-first-oddventurer.html?m=0), though strangely I'm pretty sure I had this exact colour scheme in mind already when I first saw Hobgoblin's model some weeks ago, only he'd beat me to actually realising it.
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Looking good, some cracking free-hand on the hood particularly.
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That cloaked adventurer is wonderful.
Great paint job.
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He looks terrific!
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Thanks, all!
I'm kicking off this week with a pint-sized update:
Yesterday I received a delivery of 54mm loose weapons made by Langley Models — part of their 54mm medieval range (https://www.langleymodels.co.uk/awd1/index.php?route=product/category&path=260).
Included in the nine-weapon kit is a war hammer, a morning star, a couple of axes, a dagger and a few swords (most of which are in their scabbards). The reason I purchased this pack is to supplement my latest purchase of Medievals from Irregular Miniatures, many of whom (as I mentioned in a previous post) have swords strapped to their belts of a highly questionable sculpting quality. I've cut and filed away the worst offenders and have replaced them with the new Langley weapons, which are a significant improvement.
One of the things that has been bothering me for a little while about this project is my halfling, who I painted some months ago; his puny dagger meant his capacity for combat effectiveness was somewhat limited, depending on the ruleset used. Thanks to the Langley weapons re-supply, he's now much more dangerous — brandishing the morning star!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wSOboBbXeLG0dZaHimuIlJuZkv1MfGF9KPbR6QgiS-RU2VY6Rvwpwz-t_WN8IOWcvPF8uBMeMktagKorPfwA86JcdhpceY82KfyiB_2JSBQGVBd86yLt3YP6V2fshc3HFebWwqnW_k0E6Oa5BYknUUiTr7LpjqpyxW93I0_qe-K6RVCIhrDsOBQ1YLE/w640-h480/20231003_122822.jpg)
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Great work on these figures.
Not sure if you know about this range but it is an old one which used to get advertised in the Military Modelling magazine back in the 80's.Phoenix Models Atlantis range.
https://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/products_32_fantasy.htm
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Thanks!
Yes, I did stumble upon that range recently, but I'd say its general theme is outside the realm of what I'm doing!
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Really like this project as I'm a 54mm (well....60mm) guy myself and pretty much do all of my gaming in 60mm (historical mostly). Just wanted to point out that we make 11 different Orcs in 1/30th scale (i.e. modern day 54mm). Now, our orcs are purposely oversized, so keep that in mind (in 28mm, they're about 38mm and bulky). We like them that way. We were going to convert a large part of our fantasy series to this scale, the goblins would particularly interesting, but alas got busy with other priorities. Projects like yours give me hope that gaming in this scale could catch on. I'm too old to see small scale figures. :D
Orc Unpainted Figure Kits (https://www.firstlegionltd.com/60mmfantasyfigurekits.aspx)
Look forward to reading more on this project.
Matt
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Hello Matt! Nice to meet you. Your First Legion 60mm historical models are great, though pricey! I have, however, long been an admirer of your 40mm Crusaders and was thinking of buying them some time back, before I went down 'Route 54'.
One of the reasons I never did was because of shipping costs; I don't suppose you have a UK distributor?
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Nice to e-meet you as well. Our 60mm painted historicals are on the expensive side when you compare them with our makers. But you get what you pay for as they say. :) Yes, our 60mm Orcs in resin are also not "cheap". This is primarily due to the scaling. A human at 60mm is 60mm tall. As our orcs are purposely designed to be much larger than humans and extremely bulky, they have more resin than all of our 75mm figures do (about 50% more!). Anyway as you were seemingly struggling to find sources of fantasy figures in that scale, just thought i'd present an option to you.
Our 40mm series is unfortunately a dead series. We haven't added to it in at least 12 years. As we have now fully shifted to 3d modeling about 3-4 years ago, we may revisit other scales as our catalog of 60mm sculpts grows and grows.
We do have a UK reseller, Maison Militaire. You can get in touch with Tina from their website.
https://maisonmilitaire.com/?v=7516fd43adaa (https://maisonmilitaire.com/?v=7516fd43adaa)
This will obviously save on shipping costs. Speaking of shipping costs, during the Pandemic we stopped using USPS entirely due to the ridiculously high number of lost and non-delivered parcels and only ship with FedEx. We may revisit that at some point.
Best,
Matt
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Our 40mm series is unfortunately a dead series. We haven't added to it in at least 12 years.
I don't know; I wouldn't say a series that is 'complete' is dead! If it's still purchasable then it's very much alive, in my view. Plus, I prefer to collect miniature ranges which are 'finished', rather than open-ended, as you know precisely how much it's going to cost and how much space you'll need to store it!
We do have a UK reseller, Maison Militaire. You can get in touch with Tina from their website.
https://maisonmilitaire.com
Unfortunately they don't seem to stock the 40mm Crusaders! Ah well, I've got my hands full with the current project anyway.
Speaking of which, here's this week's miniature: another man-at-arms!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGewjQZ5NJxY1sZNBVb_CjuA4u71ftjXYvsaaq7lOFm7z24KKmOmfJhSax4AfKSzQzerlHwzMMnhkStQ66knWUd5s5k5cgVTmcNCikBsZsVQxGlzYkojw0eyrSlnlUGXHwO3aq-SwDNmuyUSVxI02NvZ731Hm4oxiIBxzfqXhtMDZ6WgJxGGxxBz5Y7A/w640-h480/20231004_175922.jpg)
This fellow is marketed on the Irregular Miniatures website as a pikeman (though I think he'd also make a good banner bearer). Unfortunately the model doesn't come with a pike (or a banner), just an empty hand grasping vainly in the air. Thanks to Langley Models (and some advice from Hobgoblin) he's now wielding a war hammer!
Like the last man-at-arms, he came with a crudely-sculpted sword strapped to his belt, which I removed.
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Yea, i can see why he's a pikeman. Took me a minute cause i looked at the photo first, but now that you mentioned he was too poor to afford his own weapon, the pose makes sense.
And yes, unfortunately, the 40mm ranges are dead. They are not nearly complete, but at the time we started, our focus was so firmly fixed on our 60mm painted figures, we just decided to make what we had and call it a day. C'est la vie.
Maison Militaire won't stock the 40mm, but they will order them and import them for you. They have an open order with us now, so if you want 40mm figs just tell them what you want and they'll do the legwork. In any case, carry on with the big mini project - i want to see games played images. ;-)