Some o' me pirates, rogues, buccaneers, and sea scum....

[Murphy]

Took some pics of some of my "lowest of the low" for my pirate town and adventures, (late 17th - early 18th century). Each one has their own little backstory.
For the raiding party, I put them all on a pirate vessel known as "The Rapture" and they are attacking a small Spanish village, "Puerto De Grasa"...

And here's the first one...a pirate drinking.
Pirate with a bottle, (Dixon miniatures I believe)....
Painted up with a wide combination of paints, (Reaper, Citadel, Vallejo).
Mounted on a flat washer, and flocking by Woodland Scenics and GF9

Backstory:

"When your life depends on who gets off the first shot, or who slices first, fastest and quickest with a cutlass boy, all of the fancy book learnin' and writin' you learned over in London Town, isn't worth a cup of bad grog out here. Here it's not learning to read letters or numbers, though those are important. But you also need to learn how to read the sea, the weather, and most importantly, you need to learn how to read men. Books won't cut your throat or stab you in the back when you least expect, but men will for a few shiny coins. I should know lad. I've done it me-self. Now let me finish off this bottle and I'll show you a tavern that has amazing grub, better rum, and women that'll  do....well....let's say....things you never thought of....and then some...."

[Murphy]

Reaper Pirate...
Painted with a Reaper/Citadel/Vallejo colors.
Mounted on a flat washer.
Groundwork by GF9

Backstory:
Ab'duuhn is a pirate with the soul of a poet.
With a leather patch where his left eye used to be, and his faithful monkey companion "Constantine" (yes, he named the monkey after the emperor.), watching his blind side; he sails the deep seas of the waters along the coasts of The Burning Lands, looking for plunder, and nursing a broken heart.
For Ab'duuhn loved a princess once...
And she loved him too....

[Murphy]

Reaper Pirate with Treasure Chest. (SKU 3006).
Painted with Reaper/Citadel/Vallejo colors.
Mounted on a flat washer.
Groundwork by Citadel.

Let me know what you think.

(FYI: He's not "Glossy", that's just the light reflection and the poor quality IcrapPhone camera I have.)

Backstory:
"Sakeem stood on the beach, scimitar in hand and the heavy small trunk full of gold and gems hoisted on his shoulder and held in place by his other hand. It had taken five years of pirating, pillaging, and plundering for him to amass this small fortune but it was well worth it. For it would be the ransom he would hand over to Tuzag The Dark Mage, who would then release Sakeem's beloved Anasa from the wizard's evil clutches as the bargain between them would then be fulfilled."

[Murphy]

Completed.
Pirate, (Either Foundry or Dixon, I can't remember which)...
Mounted on a 1/4" base. Flocked with a mixture of GF9, GW, and Woodland Scenic groundwork.
Painted with a mixture of Reaper, GW, Vallejo, and Craft Paints.
Shaded with GW shades, and Dr. Martin Inks.

Backstory:

"D'nembo moved slowly through the countryside, pistol and cutlass at ready. His eyes slowly and carefully scanned the tree-line up ahead for anything. Truth be told, he would he happy to hear the sounds of life around him; the squawk or chirping of birds, or the occasional sound of a large animal.
But here, there was no sound.
Only silence.
Which to D'nembo meant "Nothing living was around him."
And this worried him greatly..."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate.
Played around with a red and black color scheme.

Backstory:
"Coggins took careful aim at his target. He was a good shot, and this target was too easy to pass up. He was waiting for the signal to attack before he pulled the trigger and send the lead ball towards it's target, smashing into the skull of the Senora who was standing by the grape vines, humming to herself and plucking a few ripe grapes from the leafy vines. He didn't care if it was a woman. He didn't care if she was unarmed, and neither did he care that her belly was swollen from being with child. All he cared about was the golden necklace and jeweled bracelet that she wore. Soon they would be part of the spoils that he would get. "Dead women have no need for jewelry anyway." He muttered to himself as he set his aim upon her."

[Murphy]

Another Foundry pirate:

"Frenchy LaFleur fit and filled the billet for the "mandatory Frenchman" aboard The Rapture. A deserter from The Royal French Navy, LaFleur had made a bit of a reputation for himself in The Azores with a partner and a small but profitable smuggling operation. When he found out that the local government was onto him, he killed his partner, took both shares of the money they had divided up, slipped aboard a barque that needed men and asked no questions, and found himself bound for the Caribbean. Soon he was aboard and part of the crew of The Rapture. He's speaks French, English, and a decent Creole. He is better with a musket than he is with being trusted by people, and his shipmates often have a bit of difficulty having their backs turned to him. Despite this, his knowledge and skills have been valuable aboard ship and on shore."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate.

Backstory:

"Gert Van De Groot was also known as "The Dutchman", by his fellow shipmates aboard the pirate barque "The Rapture". He was quiet, and not quick to judge, but watched with his pale blue eyes. He kept his blades sharp and his musket clean and ready. He was one of the more dependable pirates onboard.
And one day, this dependability was dreadfully needed...."

[Murphy]

Foundry (or Dixon) pirate with grenades. I can't remember.

I like the color contrast of the red headpiece with the blue-green shirt. The skin color looks nice with this combo also. If there was anything I could change with this figure, it would be that I would have put a little more detail on the shoes. But it is what it is.

Backstory:

"Jaqu'in waited to rush forwards into the town after the first volley. His head already slightly awash with thoughts of gold, silver, gems, jewelry, fresh cooked goat meat, and wine. Perhaps if they stayed long enough, he might spend some time with one of the towns captured women. Yes indeed. Life was good. No more working in the cane fields in the hot, hot, sun as a field hand for him ever again."

[Murphy]

Dixon Pirate with treasure chest.

Heavier shading with Agrax than usual to help with the wood grain on the chest (which was missing a lot of detail).

The quality of the older Dixon figures can be seen as lacking when compared to the newer figures. The advances in figure molding and casting and the technology for design being evidence to this.

Backstory:

"Lublin carried his share of the treasure and spoils of his pirating days in the chest on his shoulder  as he walked steadily home to his village, and his beloved wife, and their children who he knew were waiting for him.
For three years he had been before the mast, swung cutlass, and run out the guns. He had weathered storms at sea, and sickness in ports and ships. Yet he had always held onto the hope of amassing a small fortune for him and his family in the poor village he had lived in. Now with his village just over the hill, he would once again be reunited with the love of his life, and their children, and with the coins, gems, and jewels that was his share of the years and dangers at sea, they would live happily ever after, and maybe he could start that vineyard they had talked about long ago. His pirating days were over.
However, unknown to Lublin; his beloved wife had run off with his brother two years ago to Milan, after allowing his brother to sell the two boys to a press gang, and the two girls to a travelling Moorish merchant.
Lublin's homecoming would not be as joyous as he dreamed it would be...."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate....

Played around with red/brown mixes for beards and hair, and then used GW Drakenhof Nightshade to give his shirt a dirty, sweaty, appearance. (Sailing in the Caribbean was a sweaty business and laundry facilities were few and far in-between)....

Backstory:

"MacTavish readied himself for the signal to attack the village. Ahead was the plunder they were searching for he thought to himself. He looked at the village ahead of them and the thoughts of his home village of Cromarty back in Scotland. He said a quiet prayer to himself for his long lost home and wished once again he could return, but as long as the English held the warrant out to stretch his neck because of a misunderstandin' between him and his family and the local governor, he was here and here he would be. He sighed heavily and waited for the signal to attack."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate....

Backstory:

"Millkens stood watch on the ground, his keen eyes ever alert for any possible movement out of the jungle as his mates unloaded the boat. Good at taking orders and fighting, he was also well known and trusted for keeping his eyes open, his mind and thoughts clear, and most importantly his mouth shut. All of these traits made him a valued member of the crew of The Rapture."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate (I think, or possibly Dixon), with musket and grenades.

Backstory:

"Right! You Spanish bastards." Collins thought to himself. "Once the Cap'n says attack, I'll give you papists a lead ball, and some grenades. That'll teach you all the error of your ways in sinking my brothers ship and killing him and his family. And you won't be needing your gold or silver, or jewelry once you're dead now, will you?"

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate with Grenades. (Yes another one)....

One of the biggest issues with painting figures and getting them to photograph correctly is the use of yellows, oranges, and whites. The light colors seem to wash out photos, and yellows and oranges themselves tend to be problematic when painting. You have to lay down a good base coat to work on. Oranges are a problem with this, as they have a tendency to be too thick and heavy or too light and runny. Oranges and yellows require patience.

Backstory:

"Petersen took aim with his musket awaiting the signal to attack the town. He'd done this many times before and knew how it would go. If fate was good, in a few short hours, he'd be on his way back to the ship with a sack of plunder slung over his shoulder, to be divided among the other spoils that would be gathered up. "Shootin' Spaniards and taking their treasure. It's good enough for me, and it beats having to work a real job somewhere for a few shilings." He thought to himself."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate with another heavy blue shading. I tried a wash on this guy and it simply didn't work on his shirt, so "dirty shading it is then"....

Backstory:

"Sanders advanced quickly towards the town, ready to attack at a moments notice. This was only his third attack of a target since being forced to become a pirate due to fates fickleness in future and fortune, thus his hands still slightly shook from nervousness and he hoped he would be able to carry out his orders. Thankfully he hadn't taken a life yet, but with the Spanish garrison in this town, this might change today and put him on a harder and darker path in his new career as a pirate. He hoped that would not be the case."

[Murphy]

Foundry Pirate, (I think)....

One thing I learned is that GW Doombull Brown makes a good color for skin for natives of North, Central, and South America.
It seemed that painting these figures were an exercise in color experimentation and applications as well as painting figures.

Backstory:

"T'sslo held himself at the ready, and waited on the signal to move towards the town. His throat was dry as he knew that directly ahead, the object of his revenge was nearly in his hands. All of those years of searching and now, Father Valdez who was now tending to, (or hiding in), the small church in the town, would soon answer to T'sslo for the crimes he had committed against his home village."