NMTBH & Front Rank figures - a new project

[spqrdave]

Never Mind the Billhooks has re-ignited a long-dormant desire to get into the Wars of the Roses. I've chosen Front Rank figures over the Perry plastics (see my blog post below for why that is) and put together a few units over the last couple of weeks. I'm opting for speed-painting and getting the armies finished in a reasonable amount of time. GW contrast paints and FR figures are, I find, a perfect match for my painting style.

https://spqrdave.blogspot.com/2020/09/war-of-roses-never-mind-billhooks.html

cheers,

Dave

[Atheling]

Nice work 

[Roo]

Nice blog entry and I understand completely the thing about plastics...that’s why I have a box full of various Perry WOTR sets that remain I assembled even when armed with NMTBH rule set which looks good.  Too many exponents of the plastic arts on LAF put my efforts to shame.

Your forces are nicely painted and look great.  FR figures are nice but they don’t sit well with some other manufacturers but who cares they have extensive ranges as you state.

Keep them coming!

[levied troop]

I was in a similar position a few years back and made the same choice - and now ‘Billhooks has revived the project
Those contrast paints worked better than I expected, nice job.

[Bloggard]

love FR figures, and they've worked beautifully with the contrast paints. Really pop.

* what do you in terms of undercoat?

the 'proper' GW ones, or plain white?

[Atheling]

love FR figures, and they've worked beautifully with the contrast paints. Really pop.

* what do you in terms of undercoat?

the 'proper' GW ones, or plain white?

A good set of questions as I'm one who has never really got my had around contrast paints; that's not to say they don't create some great results, it really comes down to my own lack of knowledge

[Bloggard]

I asked as I've used them with white undercoats - this gives the 'truest' and brightest result. But arguably you don't (always) want that.

these look great anyway.

[Atheling]

I asked as I've used them with white undercoats - this gives the 'truest' and brightest result. But arguably you don't (always) want that.

these look great anyway.

I'm still lost. Look forward to hearing what spqrdave has to say.

I do wonder if I'm missing out on something with the contrast paints re: speed painting (Beja/Afghans) thus the enquiry

[Storm Wolf]

RE: GW contrast paint

Yes they work best with white undercoat, but I also like using a grey undercoat for a slightly more muted effect.

I have even had a small success with highlighting black with grey and then white and then tinting back with abaddon black, depends what works for you?

Good luck anyways

Glen

[Bloggard]

have beem meaning to try a kind of 'zenithal' higlights approach myself (dark purple spray - brushed on white!), but suspect that does take patience / skill I haven't got ...

Atheling - I wouldn't say there's much to it - just a question of what colour you use to undercoat, which can obviously modify the shade of neat paint somewhat, and then slosh the CPs on ... (although having said that, there is trial and error, type of figure and personal taste when it comes to the sloshing on bit! I'm certainly no master of the overall process. It's always a bit 'suck it and see').

anyway, apologies to the OP. If you've time to comment further on the CPs all to the good, but appreciate not the main point of the thread.

[spqrdave]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

The contrast paints go on over GW Wraithbone primer. I don't think there's any great secret to using them but to be honest, I've been using a fair bit of inks and washes in my painting for years. I think the most difficult part of it (if "difficult" is the right word) is getting used to the consistency and how the contrast paints flow. As I said, I've used inks for many years in different parts of my painting and the contrast paints have a similar consistency. I don't think they would work as well over large flat surfaces. To get the best results, you need figures with deep folds and recesses (as the FR figures definitely do).

cheers,

Dave

[Captain Blood]

They look great Dave. Very bold painting 
I really like some Front Rank figures (like their Late C17th range) - although I've never been so keen on these WOTR TBH. I find them a wee bit cartoony and quite, um.. old school, if you know what I mean? But you've made them look very nice indeed.
They're also totally different in style and stature to the Perry figures (of which I have several hundred), so I couldn't use them if even I loved them.
Personally I love building and painting the Perry plastic figures, but I appreciate it's not for everyone. And I agree with you that the casting of their metal figures is often terrible, which is a great shame. I can't really understand why they haven't addressed it, because it's not like it hasn't been said repeatedly for several years, and by many people 

Hey ho...

Good luck with Billhooks. I'm just getting into it, and I like it!

[spqrdave]

I've also purchased the GW contrast medium for "watering" down certain colours. Water mixed with the contrast paints doesn't work. A proper medium is required. Many of the contrast paints are far too dark (i.e. too much pigment) for my tastes and don't provide enough ...ummmm... contrast. The dark purple, for instance (can't remember the silly GW name), comes out as merely a dark purple with little or no depth or contrast. Mix in some contrast medium (no set formula here, just trial and error), and you get a nice rich purple but with depth and contrast.

I should point out, however, that none of the figures in this thread/post use the contrast medium technique. I'm still figuring it out and experimenting. Maybe the next batch

cheers,

Dave

[spqrdave]

They look great Dave. Very bold painting 
I really like some Front Rank figures (like their Late C17th range) - although I've never been so keen on these WOTR TBH. I find them a wee bit cartoony and quite, um.. old school, if you know what I mean? But you've made them look very nice indeed.
They're also totally different in style and stature to the Perry figures (of which I have several hundred), so I couldn't use them if even I loved them.
Personally I love building and painting the Perry plastic figures, but I appreciate it's not for everyone. And I agree with you that the casting of their metal figures is often terrible, which is a great shame. I can't really understand why they haven't addressed it, because it's not like it hasn't been said repeatedly for several years, and by many people 

Hey ho...

Good luck with Billhooks. I'm just getting into it, and I like it!

Thank you sir!

I agree with all of what you say (except the love for building plastics, of course ).

"Old school" is probably spot on for at least this Front Rank range but the older I get, maybe I'm starting to identify more with "old school"

My gaming partner in this endeavour is using Perry plastics, mainly because he already had them in his horde of unpainted figures. My army will just look more robust and manly next to his!

[Bloggard]

I've also purchased the GW contrast medium for "watering" down certain colours. Water mixed with the contrast paints doesn't work. A proper medium is required. Many of the contrast paints are far too dark (i.e. too much pigment) for my tastes and don't provide enough ...ummmm... contrast. The dark purple, for instance (can't remember the silly GW name), comes out as merely a dark purple with little or no depth or contrast. Mix in some contrast medium (no set formula here, just trial and error), and you get a nice rich purple but with depth and contrast.

I should point out, however, that none of the figures in this thread/post use the contrast medium technique. I'm still figuring it out and experimenting. Maybe the next batch

cheers,

Dave

Dave - great stuff.
your concise comments here regarding CPs, and in your previous post, are absolutely on the money, and interesing you use the wraithbone primer.
I thought you weren't using white (that light pink doesn' work at all on white for example).


the 'old-school' / cartoony look is, increasingly, what I really like about the front ranks.
I've had a bit of 'change' in that respect, hence my getting into Dixon (old west, here I come!), but that's another story.