New year, new weird creature!

 And so we reach the start of another year. Here is the best miniature that I did in 2024:

In 2024, I did some of my favourite conversions and miniatures. I feel that I got steadily better and was able to put out things that I'd not really expected. I made more classic Eldar (including finishing the harlequins, which I'm pleased about), and had a lot of fun converting various weirdos for Stargrave and Silver Bayonet. I did two Mordheim gangs, which were fun projects. And yet...

I'm getting a bit tired. I am a member of the miniature-making and Oldhammer communities, I suppose, because I miniatures and some of them are old. But I don't feel part of any community, really. At times it feels as if I make another model, enjoy the process of doing so, and then put it away for good. It seems as though I'm just chucking stuff out there onto this blog and onto Instagram and then... that's it, really.

To be clear, I'm not holding myself out as either a great artist or someone who needs/wants/deserves any sort of "clout" in this hobby. I'm an acceptable painter and converter. But I'm starting to get the same feeling from this as I got from self-publishing three fantasy novels: nothing really changes. Blogs and communities don't organically grow anymore (if they ever did). A post that would have got one response two years ago still gets one response. Everything feels rather static.

The obvious answer is "join a gaming club, play some games", but I'm not sure about that. I've met enough powergamers and Space Marine fanboys to be put off playing against people I don't really know. There comes a point where the comedy genius of saying "Heresy!" all the time fades.

So I don't know what I'll do over the next year. I'd like to keep on making things, but I'd like to do something more. Whether that involves playing any games, I don't know. Perhaps I'll try to do some other form of art. We shall see.

*

Anyhow, here's my first model of 2025. I found a load of bits that, with some clay and green stuff, fitted together (sort of!). The body and legs come from a Warmachine Cryx model, the head is a GW plastic squig, the knight is a Perry Miniatures medieval knight, and the tail is just green stuff. Together, they made a weird stumpy animal somewhere between a chicken and a deep-sea fish. 

An instagram commenter suggested that it looked quite like one of Brian Froud's creatures for Labyrinth, which made me think that it needed a whimsical paint job. I started with a red body for the steed and steel armour, with some brass bits, but this felt a bit too sinister and chaos-like, so I introduced some green and blue to the scheme. I also made a little carrot out of green stuff to dangle from the end of the lance. I imagine this is how the rider gets his weird steed to move.

All The Old Harlequins - Painted At Last!

Do you like Eldar harlequins, especially small metal ones? Then this is the post for you! A long time ago, I started repainting a few harlequins that I bought some time in the dark ages (one of them seemed to date back from me being 14 or so - that's three decades). Then, as my painting became more confident and I enjoyed painting them more, I got a few extra ones. And then I decided to collect the set. And here they are.

This is the first batch, which I started during the pandemic. My painting wasn't quite as good back then, and I might go back and tidy them up.

And here are some more...

 

All of these guys were damaged in some way and needed repairs. I think they're okay and work fine.

Here are some special characters, in the form of an avatar (whatever that is) and three death jesters, who look as if they are about to do the voodoo hoodoo that you don't dare do, people (yes, I did grow up in the 90s!).

This is the shadow seer, who is basically a wizard for the group.

This is a better shot of the avatar. I painted him very recently. I aimed for a black and white look inspired by Pierrot clowns, but hadn't factored in how difficult black and white are to paint. So I added some colour to him, including some shading on his guns.

And last of all is my favourite and the most recent. This is the high avatar, the leader of the entire unit. I spent ages on this model, as I wanted him to look particularly dramatic and insane. I am really pleased with the result. I think he might be the best thing that I've ever painted.

And that's that! All 32 of the old harlequin models, done and dusted. I've seen enough checks for now.

Even More Harlequins

 The end is nigh: I've only got a few more standard harlequins (if that's a thing) to do, and then I'm on to a leader with two pistols and the high avatar of the lot. I expect that I'll tidy up some of the first models that I painted: after all, I began this two years ago and, even if my painting hasn't improved in that time, I've at least started using some smaller brushes since then.

Anyhow, here are some more loonies. The face of the chap on the right was slightly miscast, but that probably makes him look all the more alarming.

The bloke on the left here is holding a bizarre weapon/gardening implement, which looks like some kind of spraying device. I reckon it's a web-shooter, as the body of it looks a bit like the webbers used by the Genestealer Cult. Still, it's suitably wacky. Also, he's got a face on his groin, just in case the harlequins weren't bizarre enough.

I also painted some more plastic genestealers this week, but then I put them next to the previous batch and realised that they were completely identical. So the new ones have been lost among the rampaging horde of not-quite Aliens. Instead, here's all four harlequins.

Another Bunch of Harlequins

 I've been painting some more harlequins. I find that they take quite a lot of concentration, both to actually paint on the fiddly checks and to figure out the colour schemes. Obviously they're supposed to be chaotic and jarring, but choosing quite how to do that is interesting. It's standard process to try to draw the eye to a model's head, but I don't think you can do that with models like this. I reckon that their outfits are a kind of dazzle camouflage, too bewildering to focus on.

Anyhow, they're a lot of fun to paint, and the models have loads of nice details even before you start adding your own. 

This guy - actually, I think this harlequin is female, although it's always hard to tell - has a plasma pistol (unusually, for these models) and a harlequin's kiss, a sort of punch-dagger-meets-food-blender weapon. 

This chap has a shuriken pistol, a chainsword and an outfit that a 1990s raver might consider a little excessive. Blow your whistles, craftworld!

This model is a Death Jester, a heavy weapons specialist. He's the third of a team of three. It was quite difficult to give him bits of colour while keeping to the sinister Venetian carnevale/Baron Samedi look of the Death Jesters.

And here's a picture of a whole bunch of harlequins, being bewildering. They're moving faster than the eye can see, which is why the picture is so blurry.

Introspective Retrospective 2023

 So, 2023 comes to an end. It's been a fairly drab one here in the UK, and hopefully 2024 will be an improvement. I've had a busy time making models this year, and here are the highlights.

For me, 2023's big project has been retro Eldar. I've painted a lot of models, including some great Jes Goodwin metal miniatures. I went for colours inspired by old, trippy science fiction, especially the pictures of Moebius, Chris Foss and Roger Dean.

Here are some vehicles.

Converted "Vitriol" skimmers

Converted jetbike squad

Wave Serpent

Another Wave Serpent

And some infantry:

Scouts

Fire Dragons

Swooping Hawks

Harlequins

And a couple of oddities, which aren't GW models but still work for the Eldar:

Not a Grynx

Not a Farseer

*

So, that's the Eldar. I also did some other models. I painted a rather stoned-looking dragon that I'd had knocking around for ages:

I also made a couple of gangs for Mordheim:

Heavily-converted Sisters of Sigmar

Marienberger mercenaries

But really, I save the silliest for last. I made a model of the Black Beast of Aaargh from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Most of it was sculpted by me, except the head.

*

The final thing isn't a model at all. It's a book called Legion of Bones, the third in my fantasy trilogy Dark Renaissance. It's a tale of murder and intrigue, set against a massive uprising by a horde of undead. All three of my fantasy novels are available HERE  - trust me, I'm a much better writer than I am a painter.

So it's been quite a busy year. I'm pleased with the progress I've made in painting. Eldar are rather unforgiving models, and require a "clean" painting style that I find tricky. I've really enjoyed painting them, and making the kind of army that I would have really liked to own thirty years ago!

Here's my favourite model of this year, the leader of the converted Vitriol squad. I hope you have a very happy new year, and lots of enjoyment and success with your models in 2024. 

Cheers!

Toby.

Even More Tiny Harlequins

 I'm approaching the end of my harlequin-painting spree. I'm on the last few models of 20 now. It's interesting to look back at them all, as the painting has got increasingly complex as I've gone on - not least because I've had to keep coming up with new painting schemes.

Anyhow, here are two more. The model on the left was missing its original (rather short) chainsword, so I added an old plastic Eldar one. It's the only chainsword in the unit, so I decided to paint it in a shiny colour, perhaps to act as a sort of standard. I did want to paint checks all the way to the model's feet, but the folds in the cloth and some odd cut-out bits defeated me. 

The model on the right is a solitaire, a character who fights alone. I had originally planned to give him a darker, more sombre colour scheme, but that plan did not survive contact with the enemy (ie me). I originally painted him with a yellow head, but it made him look too much like a boiled egg. Even harlequins have limits.

I've really enjoyed this particular trip into Oldhammer. Only two more to go, and they're both characters!

Meanwhile, here is an entirely normal scene from 1990s Oldhammer land:

Back to the Harlequins

 I often find that I get very into a painting project, buy a ton of stuff for it, and only make three-quarters of what I've got, if that. This week, I thought I'd go back to the harlequins that I was doing this time last year, and finish off a few more of them.

The big theme of last year was the Eldar repaint, and it was the harlequins that started it off. The Eldar gave me the opportunity to try new things and improve my painting, and I'm very pleased with some of the stuff I made. So it's nice to go back to these teeny Jes Goodwin models and paint miniscule diamonds on their loud trousers.

First up, here are a pair of suitably lurid types. I think the guy on the left is a minor hero. The blue Citadel catalogue describes him as a "warlock". The guy on the right is a Solitaire, and was missing his left hand. I gave him a new plastic pistol that I had lying around. I really am in awe of the sculpting on these models: the detail is incredible.

Next we've got a Death Jester. These guys provide ranged support for the other harlequins and have a macabre, slightly voodoo feel. Again, the miniature is really little, but the detail is super. The way that the ammo feeds out of a skull on his back is so cool. It seems that the harlequin models were pretty popular, as there are a lot of them knocking around, but the Death Jesters seem to be somewhat rarer. 

Finally, here is a High Warlock. I think this guy would have been a wizard, effectively: the equivalent of the current Shadow Seer. It's got a very cool blank faceplate, which I would have tried to paint to look like a reflection - like the canopies on some of the flyers I've done - if the rest of the model hadn't already been blue. As ever, it was a challenge to paint, but really enjoyable.

And while I'm giving everyone chequered trousers, I decided to finish off a plastic Mordheim/Frostgrave mercenary that's been sitting on my desk for a year or so. He's also got outrageous trousers. He was made out of plastic Empire parts, with a shield from a set of skeleton warriors that I've been slowly pillaging for bits. I will never paint chequers any smaller like this.

Right then, I'm going to rest my eyes for a while!