Some miniatures for Song of Blades and Heroes (Frostgrave undead and construct)

[Jagannath]

These are great! I might have missed this, but where ae the red guard from? Mega.

[Hobgoblin]

These are great! I might have missed this, but where ae the red guard from? Mega.

Thanks! They're Minifigs Hundred Years War figures. I got them on eBay: £2 for 8 in the same pose (so I have another three bases' worth). I had a good look round for some reasonably authentic-looking 14th/15th-century men-at-arms; these were the ones that had the most convincing poleaxes (rather than halberds or bills, which don't look very knightly).

[Hobgoblin]

Here's an experiment in speed-painting 15mm orcs: same recipe as the "giants" on the previous page - rapid dry brushing over a black undercoat and the odd wash here or there. They're obviously speed-painted with minimal effort, but as with the giant, they "read" as I want them to: vague dark shapes with nasty faces and cruel weapons. I've just acquired a load of these 15mm.co.uk orcs, and I'm also painting some up in my customary white-undercoated fashion. We'll see how they compare (they certainly won't be quicker ...).

[Hobgoblin]

And some more conventionally painted orcs. I'm not sure which I prefer; I think the quick black ones probably look more "orcish" en masse. But I'll probably mix them up a bit. The proof of the pudding will be in the basing. I'm awaiting an order of 50mm square bases which should arrive in the next day or two.

[Hobgoblin]

And a rear view.

These 15mm.co.uk orcs are, in my view, superbly orcish sculpts - much more so than most miniatures on the market. You can imagine them thronging in their thousands from dark holes in Moria or the Morannon.

[fred]

I agree, the second lot are better painted. But the first lot look more orcish. The style of painting on the second ones would look good for Wood Elves.

[Hobgoblin]

Yes, I think the black undercoat is the way I'm going to go for the orcs. I've based up the first lot (still to paint the base), and they just "read" properly against a fairly light-coloured base - a nasty swarm of dark things flitting across the landscape. And they're so quick to paint ...

Here are a batch of Magister Militum lizardmen. I might do a little more shading on their bellies, but I think they're more or less ready for basing. The thing is, these guys are tiny compared with the Blight Haven RPE ones (further up this thread). Those, increasingly, look like small 25mm creatures (small dragonewts or whatever). So I might end up just basing them individually and using them as heroes/garrison markers. My son keeps saying "Can we use them as space pirates, and we have just uncovered a hoard of 40 or so Traveller 15mm miniatures, which we're basing individually ...

As for these lizardmen axemen, the question is whether I put six or nine of them on a base. I've been working on a six-to-a-base formula so far, but these guys, being small and upright, would work as a fairly dense block of nine. Decisions, decisions ...

[Hobgoblin]

And here are a couple of based elements. I've given the bases only the most rudimentary paint job, but I'm quite happy with it so far. I may add a further light drybrush in white and pick out the greenery with a wash and selective highlights, and perhaps add bits and pieces of rock, but the goal for now is just to get plenty of units based up and ready for gaming. I know it's something of a heresy these days, but I really like the contrast of gloss-varnished figures with a matt, basically painted base. Above all, I like bases to be unobtrusive.

[fred]

I do like the lizardmen with axes above - they have come out very nicely. I think going with 8 or 9 on a base would look good, nice and dense compared to the others.

My son keeps saying "Can we use them as space pirates, and we have just uncovered a hoard of 40 or so Traveller 15mm miniatures, which we're basing individually ...

How can you say no!!


Bases - yes a medium brown shade before the final highlight may help lighten them a bit more. Personally I would put some flock on for the green areas.

The orcs do look suitably dark once they are based up.

[Hobgoblin]

I do like the lizardmen with axes above - they have come out very nicely. I think going with 8 or 9 on a base would look good, nice and dense compared to the others.

Cheers! That's exactly what was ordered by the Hobgoblin heir. So that's what's been done. And they do look nice and disciplined - elite troops, perhaps, with their enthusiastic grins and chest-beating pose. I'll paint the base tomorrow.

How can you say no!!

Well, exactly!   I may yet base them up as a heroic unit, but for now they're probably destined for individual basing, which will allow them to be suitably burly heroes for the Mayhem games (and suitably nasty low-tech types for sci-fi). And, as we plan to use the stronghold and garrisoning rules, we'll need a fair few "occupancy indicators".

And those Traveller miniatures are sublime! The Droyne may yet feature in Mayhem as flying heroes ...

Bases - yes a medium brown shade before the final highlight may help lighten them a bit more. Personally I would put some flock on for the green areas.

The orcs do look suitably dark once they are based up.

Thanks. I've deliberately gone for less contrast in the bases than in my 28mm stuff, reasoning that the clumps of earth/blades of grass, etc, are much smaller. Looking over them again tonight, I'm surprisingly pleased with them; they seem to "read" appropriately from a god's-eye view. The reduced contrast helps to the 28mm orcs to be "read" as giants, for example. But I may fiddle with things a bit when I've got a lot done.

Alas, I have a long aversion to flock! It used to annoy me when my units "moulted" during or between games!

[Hobgoblin]

Here's a wee orc officer.

I'm not sure whether he'll be based individually as a hero or will find himself at the front of a multi-figure element. I have a spare of him, so it might hinge on how the other turns out. This one was a bit of an experiment ...

[Catastrophic Plans]

Great progress, I like the orcs. That officer deserves a base all of his own surely!

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks! I've duly based him up on a penny. I think I may end up constructing two or three "sabot" bases to provide the option to switch between "heroic units" and individual heroes.

Here are the first three bases of goblins and ettins.

[Hobgoblin]

And here are the lizardmen axemen and their larger brethren.

[Hobgoblin]

Here's the based-up officer with some of his heavies.