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This blog is intended to document my wargaming hobby - things I think about the hobby, my projects, my painting, ideas about rules, and anything else that crosses my mind. I like people to read, and enjoy, it, but a large part of the reason for writing it is to record my thoughts and ideas for my own later use.
Hansa Nairoba and Bovan Tuk
Here are my two latest figures from the ‘Beyond the Gates of Antares’ range from Warlord Games. Hansa Nairoba and Bovan Tuk are a pair of mercenaries who fight for the ‘Freeborn’ faction. One, Hansa Nairoba (on the left of the photo), had a simple scheme, but required some tricky highlighting; whilst the other, Bovan Tuk, looked complicated, but simple to paint (other than the sheer number of paint shades needed!). …
More Monolith Ruins
Here’s my latest modelling and painting - the last three Monolith designs ruins.
More Concord - probably the last
I have painted some more Concord - probably the last - I have plenty of variety now, for a small skirmish game. I have constructed a gallery for my Antares models - see it here.
Ghar
Here are the last models from the Gates of Antares starter set - the Ghar battle-suits, plus ‘dismounted’ Fartok.
Painting was all done in my usual way, except that, as with the first battle-suit, I used a slightly less ‘flat’ matt varnish - Vallejo instead of Testors’ Dull Cote; that meant that the metallic colours retain just enough ‘lustre’ to look metallic - with Dull Cote they have a tendency to look like grey and fawn paint.
…Concord Drones
And here are the drones...
The magnetised, swappable, weapons work well, so it's all good.
Next up on the workbench, Fartok and the remaining five Ghar battle-suits; once they're done, that'll be the painting done for the starter boxed set.
Concord Infantry
And here, as I threatened, is a quick and dirty snapshot of my Concord infantry - four squads of five, and an extra squad leader - metal ‘freebie’ from the starter boxed set ‘Kai Lek Atastrin’.
Annual Review
At this time of year, I usually do a ‘review of the year’ - looking back at what I’ve achieved, wargaming-wise, over the past 12 months or so. This year has, on most fronts, been a real struggle, so this is going to be very short, and nothing like so well considered or well-written as usual.
The year has, in some ways, been defined by loss. …
Ghar Battle-suit
Here is my first Ghar. I want these models to look 'industrial' - the 'fluff' describes them as living only for war, and not doing 'aesthetics' at all - so I went for bare steel, with 'tungsten' tips to the limbs, brass piping and copper rivets.
Painting was pretty much how I always do it, but I find that Testors' Dull Cote is too matt for metallic subjects, so this has Vallejo Matt varnish instead, which has a slight sheen and allows the metal colours to still look metallic.
Concord
Here is the first test figure I’ve painted for the ‘Concord’ faction in Warlord Games’ ‘Beyond the Gates of Antares’ game. I painted it to test whether what I want to do will work. I think it will...
It's painted in more or less 'the usual way', except for a couple of things - I've primed it with Army Painter 'Skeleton Bone', and I've done a bit of highlighting before adding the 'dip'.
Desert Ruins
I found these ruins in my loft a couple of weeks ago… I bought them about ten years ago, and lost them in the loft. They resurfaced whilst I was looking for something else.
They're made by Monolith Designs. Steve Mussared, the owner, is one of the hobby's unsung 'good guys'… He's friendly, helpful, and supplies stuff very reliably (and quickly). …
Beyond the Gates of Antares
Whilst finishing off my most recent unit of Epirote phalangites, I have done some thinking about 'Antares' (as I shall call it from now on).
I'm not sure about what sort of setting to use - urban (indoor or outdoor?), industrial, countryside, desert, ice-world, or what? There is some (okay, a lot of choice!) …
And another unit of Phalangites
Despite the temptation posed by the Antares boxed set, I've finished yet another unit of phalangites for Pyrrhus' army:
The phalanx is about half-done now - 152 figures down, and about the same to go!
And Now For Something Completely Different...
(with apologies to Monty Python's Flying Circus!)
In a moment of madness, I pre-ordered the starter boxed set for Warlord Games' new Sci-Fi game "Beyond the Gates of Antares". This morning, it arrived. I am supposed to be a mature, sensible, historical wargamer... So why the heck am I as excited as an eight-year-old on Christmas morning?
…
Roman Cavalry
Yet more figures for my 'Pyrrhic Victory' project - a dozen Roman cavalry. I realised, as I finished them, that I actually need sixteen, not twelve, for a double consular army at 1:75. I'll have to paint another four at some point! There's a picture of the whole unit in the gallery. I also finished some …
Pyrrhic Phalangites
Yet more phalangites - this time from Epirus. Steve Hales from Little Big Men Studios has resized his Pyrrhic transfers so they fit Aventine Miniatures' rimless shields properly.
More Phalangites
And here is a second unit of Tarentine Phalangites. That is, I think, the last Tarentine levy unit I need. Next for this army will be Epirote phalangites - and a different colour scheme! But I might paint something for the Roman army instead - I haven't decided yet - partly because I finished these quicker than expected.
Etruscan Cavalry
During the period of the wars with Pyrrhus, the Etruscans (from Etruria - mostly modern Tuscany) were allied with Rome, and supplied troops. It's not entirely clear whether they were armed and equipped 'Roman style' or in their own, original 'native' style (which is really an 'Italian take' on Greek hoplite equipment). …
New Photo Albums
I have created two new photograph albums, showing most of the figures I've painted so far for my 'Pyrrhic Victory' project. First, Republican Romans, and then Pyrrhus' army. I have also added one photograph (of some Aventine Miniatures cataphracts) to my 3rd Century Roman album. I've also added a few photos to the …
A Pyrrhic Victory
Pyrrhus and a standard bearer
Several years ago, you may recall, I began a project to wargame Pyrrhus' campaigns in Italy. It stalled after a while, largely because I couldn't decide how I was going to 'model' the interaction between the Roman Maniples and the Phalanx - little meets large is hard to make 'work' in wargaming - either you have to game a very small part of a large battle, so as to have the small units (the Maniples in this case) a reasonable size, or else you have to settle for tiny maniples (a couple of figures) which look really silly. …
Restart!
I have had a year or so of being unable to gain write access to this blog - for which I apologise, for what it's worth.
It has been a difficult year since the last entry, for a number of reasons - not least, losing my father, and three other friends and relatives, during the early months of 2015. …
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