Fantasy in Fifty Four

[sir_shvantselot]

You don’t think it’s because we are all getting old and out eye sight is going?

[tikitang]

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!

[white knight]

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/
Victorian Horror: http://victorianhorrorfigures.blogspot.com/

[RSDean]

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.

[tikitang]

This week it's two orcs.



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.

[tikitang]

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...

[Lost Egg]

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?

[tikitang]

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)

[Hobgoblin]

Nice work on these! I'd keep the buckler as is - it looks like recent loot!

The bowman conversion is great.

[tikitang]

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...

[Hobgoblin]

Ha - well, that looks even better!

[Lost Egg]

The revised buckler looks great!

Yeah a wolf at 54mm might be a wee bit too big  might be fun though...I could see it munching its way through quite a few orcs.

[tikitang]

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.

[Lost Egg]

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?

[tikitang]

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.