Reclaimer: Final Warmachine Mini of the Summer...

Well, it has been a great summer vacation as far as getting a lot of mini painting in.  Here is my final completed mini of the summer...a Protectorate Reclaimer...

Working on a new blog project which I'll be launching soon...

Strakhov: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

That's right, necessity is the mother of invention.  I was reminded of the old axiom when I screwed up painting this miniature!  I'm sure I'm not alone...but I find that eyes are a challenge to paint(especially on a certain squinty-eyed Khadoran warcaster).  The point of no return on a mini is about my fourth attempt to fix an eye...because after painting over the eye sockets 2-3 times you've built up enough paint that you've got a "bump" there and it won't look right...which means stripping the whole mini of paint and starting over.  Well that happened with Strakhov, but I didn't want to start over as, unlike usual, I'd already painted about 1/2 the mini before getting to his face.  So I modded him mid-stream...suddenly that left eye got a "green stuff" patch and the scar was lined more vertically to match an eye wound.  In the end...I like it! 
(click on images for larger pictures)

The other change I made to Viktor Strakhov(besides the eye patch) was to give him dirty blonde hair(as opposed to gray)...I just envisioned him a little younger in appearance than he is usually depicted. 

His paint scheme was a dark "black ops" version...he was meant to match my Khador Kommandos(he also got the "ruined trench" basing treatment).  In fact, here is with his comrades...

Thanks for viewing...Happy Wargaming everybody!
~Gareson

Vanguard Bodyguard

When I purchased this model months ago it was my intention to give it a Khadoran paint job and give to Zerkova(allowed under one of her army lists).  However, in the end, my Llaelese sympathies drove me in a different direction.  Most of my mercenary 'jacks are fairly muted and plain in appearance...appropriate for irregular warmachines maintained by knives for hire.  However, I decided that Ashlynn deserved a special warjack for her Highborn battlegroup...so I gave the Vanguard a Royal Llael paint scheme based on the heraldry on Ashlynn's portrait in the Mercenaries Forces book.  My 'fluf' is that this is Ashlynn's personal bodyguard warjack...and great care(and cash provided by Cygnarian agents) is taken to keep it's paint job fresh, as it is an important symbol of her resistance movement.  Here is how it came out...

The designs on the shield were challenging...as freehand is not my strength. However, I had a vision of what I wanted, and I decided to work 'outside of my box' in order to improve a weakness.  One thing I am happy with is the shading on the warjack...though subtle, it represents a patience I don't usually have for using ultra-thinned-down paints.  It took 7-8 basecoats(each) of purple and yellow...because I knew to get those light shades to look right that I couldn't cut corners. 

Thanks for visiting!
~Gareson

Kossite Ambush!

Recently finished a unit that was not a chore to paint! Painting commonly uniformed troopers can get a bit monotonous...ask any mini painter!  However, these Kossite Woodsmen, Khadoran auxiliary troops, were a pleasure to finish up....that's the beauty of irregular troopers: a mix of attire.  These models were largely speed-painted, so details might have suffered a bit...but a few washes and dry-brushing strokes seemed to have made them tabletop ready!  I'll let you be the judge...
(click on images for larger pictures)
Group shot...

Individual pics...

Now I found a little silly that the set of minis had 5 poses for 6 minis(4 original, 2 of the same(the archer above)).  I decided to slightly mod the archer pose with some green stuff to add a bandana and a cape(so at least the 'twins' look a little different from each other)...

So there they are, ready to ambush from the table edge!  For a snow-basing tutorial(which I used on the figures above) see my article on the "Just the Bases" blog. 

Old Man with Equilibrium: Orin Midwinter

Ever have one of those nights when you can't sleep because you have an idea for how you want to paint a certain miniature?  Laying in bed you think, "Ahhh, but I could try this-or-that effect!"....and then you have to get up and paint(even if its 3am).  That's what happened with my Orin Midwinter figure.

The Privateer Press sculpted him with such a dynamic pose, it cried out for a base that showed off his balancing skill...
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Here are a couple shots that show is leaf scatter basing done(homemade style) with Birch Catkins...

Figure Feature: Gun Mage Captain Adept

A great toolbox solo(especially for fighting my son's pesky incorporeal Cryx models), the Gun Mage Captain Adept is a great mini that, I believe, clearly inspired Privateer Press to go back and rework their Gun Mage unit to match the quality of this sculpt.

Here's my take on him...

He was a lot of fun to paint(as is the case with most Warmahordes figures).  I gave him a custom base carved into Vallejo Stone texture.  I hope you like the effect...

On my front burner now is a unit of Kossite Woodsmen....and not being a cookie cutter standard uniform type unit(which look great but are drudgery to paint) I am actually looking forward to doing them!

Happy Wargaming Everybody!

Figure Feature: Khador Kommandos

For a long time I held off on buying these guys...I just wasn't sure I liked the sculpts(was afraid they'd be too diminutive when I saw them in person).  Well a few months ago I picked them up and I have finally gotten around to painting them up...well, I like 'em.  I opted for a "Special Ops", very dark(black) scheme for these guys...avoiding the greys and greens I often opt to use on my Khadorans.  As it was a unit(with Flamethrower attachment) I didn't give each figure the same time I'd give to a solo model, but I think they came out o.k. nonetheless...
(click on images for larger models)

For the bases I used a "Destroyed Trench" theme that I will also be applying to my Kommander Strakhov warcaster model.  Basically some balsa wood bits, stryene(for steel trench supports), green stuff sand bags and the usual grit(sand and kitty litter mix).  Here's an overhead view for a better look at the bases...

Figure Feature: Khador Manhunter(I wouldn't mess with her)

Sometimes in the middle of painting a Warmachine or Hordes mini I take a look at the figure in front of me, take a moment, and say to myself "Yeah, that wouldn't be fun to face on the battlefield".  I'm not talking about on the wargaming table, but in real life, an angry, dual axe-wielding agile huntress would probably be no fun to engage in melee; such was the case with the "Manhunter"(female variant).  I like this solo a lot, not just because she makes a nice addition to my Khador army, but because, let's face it, she just looks cool.
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I liked painting the various brown and beige hues that make up her animal hide/fur attire.  I tried to keep the metallics muted to match this toned-down theme.

The base was a lot of fun(I getting to the point where I like to "dress up" my solos with custom bases).  I decided, to even make her that much more impressive a warrior, to have her balancing on a floating block of ice.  I sculpted the "ice" from modeling clay which I sealed with Mod Podge.  I painted it with a mix of Cygnar Blue Highlight & Turquoise Ink, and then dry-brushed it with Morrow White.  The icy water is Trollblood Highlight with a little white lined in to the wet paint..I coated it with water effects.  I thought about putting a gloss on the ice, but looking in my freezer, I noticed that ice is actually rather flat in sheen(or non-sheen).  Here's a better look at the base...

Thanks for taking a look....
Khador Kommandoes are now on my front burner with my Warpwolf Stalker and Gun Mage Captain Adept right behind them.

Figure Feature: Alternate Alten

There are few Privateer Press sculpts that I feel a desire to sub an alternate model for.  That being said, I'm just not in love with the Alten Ashley model(although the stogie is cool).  It's not that it's not a nice figure...I just think they have a better "Monster Hunter" in the PP stable...Seth Alkot of the Iron Kingdom line.  I really like this figure(MFKAS-Mini Formerly Known As Seth)...he has a lean, mean look fitting of the character's profile in the Minions book.  Here's my take on him...
(click on images for larger pictures)

They show him in a black coat on their website but I kind of wanted him in a more rugged, leather overcoat.  I chose Sanguine for the scarf(my story is that he picked it up from the Protectorate when he worked for them) and a military grey/blue for his bedroll(he 'kept' it after serving with the Khadoran forces).  I also chose to make his shoulder/elbow armor a nice bronze(maybe they were a parting gift from Cygnarian trenchers). 

I used cork tiling for his base(ripped it up) and accessorized with some sand grit, lichen strands and a floral bit(the flowers behind him).  You can't see it in the pic but I went over the flat, top surface of the cork with Liquitex Stucco because otherwise it very obviously appears as cork.

Thanks for viewing my "Alternate Alten"!