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Author Topic: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus  (Read 29710 times)

Offline Too Bo Coo

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #30 on: June 21, 2018, 12:38:53 AM »
I know the Drabant sculptor, he is an amazingly nice guy. We're both in Moscow so he hand delivered me my William the Bastard. I highly recommend his stuff!
"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men."
-Willy Wonka

Offline Too Bo Coo

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #31 on: June 21, 2018, 12:47:55 AM »
As said earlier, try to contact Cuprum, and tell about your interest in Russian made figures.
He knows the market and the many Russian private makers.
I would be surprised, if the Russians have several not known outside Russia, who makes figures from their history.

I can ask around, but I dont think so. There is a pretty active gaming scene here in Moscow as well as St Petersburg.

Offline tomrommel1

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #32 on: June 21, 2018, 06:00:21 AM »
what a stunning project
In hoc signo vinces

Have a look at www.wargamesgazette.com

Offline Koyote

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #33 on: June 23, 2018, 09:10:10 PM »
Thanks, everyone.

I've made some progress on the vignettes.  The trees have been pinned to the bases, the tree bases and roots have sculpted, and I've selected the critters for each vignette. 





Like Western European folklore, Slavic folktales includes stories of wicked step-mothers sending their step-children into the forest where they inevitably encounter a hungry witch.  In one version of this tale the witch is Baba Yaga.

In my telling of the role of the witch is played by Reaper Miniatures' Estra the Spiritualist and some children from Reaper's Townfolk Children set. 

The Estra model has its right hand raised and its fingers opened like she's trying to grasp something or cast a nasty spell.  Estra isn't a very fast runner so she knows that she must hold off on the creepy witch shit until after she has the children secure in her lair.  So, what I've done is saw off her hand, rotate it 180 degrees, and pin it back in place.  Now, instead of grasping at a couple of lost children she just met, she's offering them an delicious apple.  Mmm... Tastes like green stuff. :)







Offline Hu Rhu

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #34 on: June 25, 2018, 09:56:29 PM »
Nice vignettes.  Looking forward to seeing them with a lick of paint, especially the Odin figure in the first base.

Offline Breazer

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #35 on: June 25, 2018, 10:56:24 PM »
Very nicely done, This will be another great army.

Offline syrinx0

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #36 on: June 26, 2018, 02:20:44 AM »
The vignettes really sell your story.  This will indeed be another great army.
2024: B: 0; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline Koyote

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #37 on: June 26, 2018, 03:17:21 AM »
Deraj Studios' Baba Yaga figure is a beautiful miniature, but its a bit.... larger than expected.  Oh well, this is what I get for not doing my homework. 



Oh well, on to Plan C. 

The Miniature Asian Chef mortar is too large, so I replaced it with large resin urn that was floating about in my bitz box.  Without a dremel, I had to carve out the top of the urn using  the largest bit that would fit in my pin vice (1/8" DIA) and a Xacto blade.  It took an hour and its a miracle that I didn't slice off a finger, but I managed it. 

The mortar's surface is too smooth.  I may add cracks and chips similar to those see on the Deraj Studios min. 

The bottom of the pestle is a resin RPG bit made by Anvil Industry.  I rounded the pointy part and pinned the other end to the bottom of the witch's hands.  I'm not sure that I like the finished pestle.  I may have to do a bit more work on it.

I used a small length of wire to make the mortar "hover" above the base.  I think she needs to hover bit higher.

The angle of the mortar isn't quite right and since the pestle's hand covers the right side of her head, I think she needs to face the other direction.

Clearly, my Long Winter marker still needs a lot of work before it's ready for paint.





More later...

Offline rumacara

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #38 on: June 26, 2018, 08:18:26 AM »
Love your work so i will be following with great interest. :-* :-*

Offline Koyote

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #39 on: June 28, 2018, 07:07:33 PM »
I have a painted Aeitus Arthur warband and a painted Age of Vikings warband, but no Age of Crusades warband.  I'm going to keep moving forward on my Pagan Rus, but in the event that the Adepticon SAGA tournament organizers decide to move to a one-source-book format or if I happen upon a Age of Crusades player, I want to have AoC warband ready to paint or play. 

I've decided upon Eastern Princes, more specifically, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania version of the Eastern Princes.  Since the Eastern Princes warband is a cousin to the Pagan Rus, I'm going to merge the two into this one thread.   

The majority of my warband will be comprised of models built from Fireforge Games' Russian Infantry box set.  While the Fireforge "resin" models that I've purchased are absolute garbage, I'm a huge fan of their plastics. 

I shopped around for mounted hearthguard but didn't have much luck.  The Gripping Best Druzhina Cavalry are meh.  Fireforge's resin Druzhina are absolutely out of the running.  Drabant has some nice Druzhina Cav, but both the selection and scale are too small.  Old Glory sells actual Lithuanians, but they aren't much better than Gripping Beast's Druzhina and they're 25mm.  I purchased Curteys Miniatures Eastern Medieval Mounted Knights, which are probably the best of those I've seen, but their poses are stiff, the casts aren't especially sharp, and their panoply is a bit heavier than I want.

To get a feel for Lithuanian armor from the period covered in Age of Crusades sourcebook, I've done some online research and purchased Osprey's Tannenberg and Armies of Medieval Russian 750-1250. Based upon what I've seen, there was a mix of  lamellar and chainmail shirts,acorn helms with chainmail neck guards,and a variety of shield types, including kite shields.  Overall, their armor was lighter than their Teutonic counterparts.  I envision them as somewhere between light and heavy cavalry.   








With a specific 'look' in mind, I started looking for plastics that I could kitbash or convert into suitable Lithuanian cavalry armed with javelins (which is how Lithuanian hearthguard are armed in AoC).  I began my conversion with Gripping Beasts Heavy Arab Cavalry.  This gives me lamellar torsos and 'eastern looking' leggings and horses.  Next, I added heads left over from the Fireforge Russian Infantry kit.  I used a bit from Conquest Games Norman Infantry kit for their kite shields and left lower arms.  The shape of the shield is a bit too elongated, but that's something I can fix later or simply learn to live with.  Lastly, I added the metal wire javelins.  The Conquest shield bit is perfect for putting a javelin in the model's shield hand.  The shield, hand, and arm are all one piece, so one can drill through the shield hand without worrying about the shield falling off. I will likely use some GS to fill in gaps and extend the chainmail coifs and neck guards.

Below are my first two kit-bashed Lithuanian hearthguard.





« Last Edit: June 28, 2018, 08:32:27 PM by Koyote »

Offline Hu Rhu

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #40 on: June 30, 2018, 10:01:05 PM »
Great looking conversions.

Offline Parrot

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #41 on: July 01, 2018, 05:38:31 AM »
Just curious, but what do you not like about the resin fireforge Russians?  Is it the sculpts themselves?  Are the ones that you have poor quality with air bubbles and deformities?  I ask because I bought into the forgestarter program when the Russians were announced and so have several of the resin cavalry figures, all unpainted.  Mine seen to be of decent quality, but if I want to finish a project of them, I will have to buy more and would like to know if my decent quality ones might be a rarity.

Also, the Scandinavian Infantry set which uses the same bodies has some different heads that might go well on Lithuanians.  I really like the conversions and might try something like that in the future.  It sounds like they are stock Arab heavy cavalry with Russian heads and kite shields and javelins?

I have also thought of looking at the Byzantine infantry with Russian heads and arms to expand the options for the Russians.  Do you have any of the resin Russian infantry, the City Militia packs?

Offline Koyote

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #42 on: July 01, 2018, 03:07:30 PM »
Just curious, but what do you not like about the resin fireforge Russians?  Is it the sculpts themselves?  Are the ones that you have poor quality with air bubbles and deformities?  I ask because I bought into the forgestarter program when the Russians were announced and so have several of the resin cavalry figures, all unpainted.  Mine seen to be of decent quality, but if I want to finish a project of them, I will have to buy more and would like to know if my decent quality ones might be a rarity.

I purchased their “resin” Russian City Militia pack and two packs of Chernyeklobuki. The infantry and riders are made from a material similar to Games Workshops Finecast material (which GW has stopped using). All of the models were, to some degree, malformed, misaligned, and riddled with air bubble holes. Some of the bits, like the riders' scabbards, were so misshapen that they couldn't be saved, so they ended up in the waste basket.  They are easily among the worst quality minis I’ve had the misfortune to buy.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2018, 03:09:37 PM by Koyote »

Offline pbjunky1

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #43 on: July 01, 2018, 05:34:20 PM »
I'm really enjoying this thread. The kit bashed lithuanians  look the part.

Offline Koyote

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Re: Koyote's SAGA Pagan Rus
« Reply #44 on: July 01, 2018, 06:09:10 PM »
Thanks.   :D

I've completed the initial assembly of my 8 Eastern Princes (Lithuanian) hearthguard cavalry.  Each model is armed with at least one javelin.  To mix things up a bit, I equipped a few with different hand weapons.  You can't see it from these photos, but I added a scabbarded sword and sheathed knife to each model.  Of course, the model with its sword drawn has an empty scabbard on its hip. 

The kite shields didn't look quite right so I shaved them down to the dimensions of teardrop shields. Getting a consistent size and shape was easier than I had expected.

They still require some GS work and basing, but they look good enough to play some test games.





 

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