Going deeper underground (Warhammer Quest/Generic Dungeoneering project)

[Modhail]

It's done and presented to the misses. She's very happy with the results:

With flash:


Without flash, with only the light built into the display cabinet:

The heroes haven't yet found their place in the top left "outdoor" section of the backdrop. And I'm looking forward to switching off the cabinet lights tonigh, as I made the mushrooms in the cave of glow-in-the-dark fimo, I want to see how they do.

Now to have a sit and bask in the heady mix of personal satisfaction, spousal appreciation and spring sunshine with a proper hot cuppa...

[Kyusumu]

Amazing job!  This looks fantastic!  Love it

[Commander Carnage]

  I'm not sure how I missed this one. Great work. It's got that whole old school monster manual feel going.

[Modhail]

Thanks, guys, glad you like it!

[Modhail]

Well the hobby has been on the back burner for a while (due to an outbreak of that pesky Real Life), but in the gaps in between I managed to paint this Basilisk:


It's made from the body of an Otherworld Miniatures Cockatrice, with wings from a Giant Eagle.
I chose to do it this way, as I rather like the historical/mythological overlap between the Cockatrice and the Basilisk and the confusion among adventurers/heroes this can cause (I'm just mean that way). In it's colour scheme I wanted to emphasise the reptilian aspects of the creature. I'll also be painting an unconverted Otherworld Cockatrice, but in more avian colours.
To further confound matters for any would be heroes, I also have a regular (the many-legged lizard type) Basilisk to paint. As I think the lizard-type Basilisk will have no special powers or attacks in my setting, it will be classified as a Lesser Basilisk, with the smaller rooster-serpent hybrid being known among scholars as the Greater Basilisk due to it's venomous nature and special attacks. When muddying waters I might as well go all the way.

[DeafNala]

Whatever you chose to cal it, the Big Chicken is a BEAUTIFUL creation/creature. VERY WELL DONE again!

[Modhail]

A careful resuming of this project, as an attempt to tease the Muse out of hibernation again:

The start of a 15 strong group of Urban Militia. The figures are from Harlequin/BTD, the pavises have been sourced from Mirliton.
The plan is to paint the men fairly subdued and scruffily (They are after all, not professional soldiers, just yokels from the Brewers Guild...) to give some nice contrast with the white and red heraldry planned for the pavises. No fancy paintwork or advanced techniques, just a quick job to get in the habit of painting again.

[Modhail]

Pavisier Painting Progresses. 

I'm on the home stretch with these ones. Just some highlighting on the red parts of the heraldry, guild symbols on the blue portion of the banner and some dirt/grime on the lower portions of the pavises. After these there's the other half of the Militia and their commander/guildmaster to paint.

[beefcake]

Very nice diorama piece and basilisk. I ave a bunch of the BTD stuff ready to start painting for Frostgrave. Great minis for a great price.

[Modhail]

Thanks, glad you like 'em.
Too true, it's just a shame the BTD site doesn't really do their ranges justice.

[Modhail]

So, here they are, all done:


Scruffy townsfolk behind bright colourful shields... Medieval working class warriors, of sorts.

Here's their banner:

The symbol on the blue streamer that forms the top of the flag is a crossed mash paddle and ladle, signifying that this unit of militia consists of members of the Brewers Guild. (Each guild in a medieval city, which my fantasy setting is heavily influenced by, was obliged to be able to arm their membership and so provide units of militia for the city's defence and policing and to fulfill military obligations to feudal lords that controlled the city. The units would be equipped according to the wealth and status of the guild in question.) The Brewers Guild, not being exceptionally wealthy or poor, but being a large guild (as beer was the main drink of the era), provides the pavisiers in my setting. As you can see the more well-off members have better gear and more important duties within the guild militia.

And here's the pavise of the bannerman:

The captain/guildmaster will get a similar shield, but with a canton (inset) bearing a golden tree on a black field.


About that heraldry: The shield designs aren't just chosen at random or for prettyness. There are some references in there I'd like to share.

The heraldry on the majority of pavises and the banner is the heraldry of Rivia, a sovereignty in the setting of the Witcher, from Andrzej Sapkowski's books and CD Project Red's Witcher game trilogy. My littly geeky tribute to books and games that I love.
Just this week I discovered, by accident, that this is also the heraldry of a historical Dutch family called Zael or Zael Utteneng. Who apparently held lands or office along a part of disputed territories between two Duchies in the Holy Roman Empire, one of which now forms my home province Brabant. Funny that. I just love it when such coincidences pop up!

The rest are nods to regional history:
The red three-towered castle on a white field is the medieval version of the arms of the Quarter of Oisterwijck, the 14th century administrative/feudal domain my home city was part of back then.
 The gold tree on a black field, that I will paint as a canton on the militia captain his shield, was the medieval version of the arms of the Mairie of 'S-Hertogenbosch, the larger feudal (sub)domain within the Duchy of Brabant that the Quarter of Oisterwijck fell under.

Not the proper/historical way this heraldry would be used, but hey, I'm playing a fantasy game here...