From SidneyR: Winter Adventurers in the Orcs' Pit (90 points)

 

Following on from my last post of a couple of Midlam Miniatures Curtgeld dwarves, this post features a few more of the Midlam Miniatures range, plus some Oldhammer treasures.

But before revealing all, how on earth have I got from the improvised 'Armoury' of "Count" Konrad von Hetzendorf in the Grote Markt of Laarden in 1688 to the Orcs' Pit under Challenge Mountain?  Lady Sarah - please grant safe and speedy passage for the journey with this Adventuring Sisterhood...

I very much enjoyed painting these Midlam Miniatures female adventurers.  There are three fighters and a cleric, the latter brandishing a holy book and a mace for any un-convinced parishioners.  I painted them all much faster than normal using Army Painter washes, which (if you have not tried them) are really nice to use and 'pool' and 'flow' very well indeed on a painted figure.  Not my usual technique, but - who knows - maybe trying new things is what the Challenge is all about.

I particularly liked the "winter" feel of the adventurers, with some of the sisterhood muffled up in cloaks, fur hats and gloves against the fierce seasonal snows.  The only figure which I thought was slightly unrealistic was the adventurer with the studded boots.  Please, fellow Challengers, no sniggering...  

If I was adventuring in a dungeon, they'd be my first choice of sensible footwear... possibly.  But, 'in for a penny, in for a pound', as the saying goes - I ended up painting them with Vallejo 'Dark Vermillion' with gunmetal studs.  Footwear such as this is all the rage in the Village of Hommlet, I've been told.

The male adventurers are also from Midlam Miniatures, and are also realistically proportioned and clothed.  More quick painting with Vallejo basecoats and Army Painter washes for these chaps.  I tried to keep the colour palette consistent with the female miniatures.

I particularly liked the bald adventurer.  He had a look of a nightclub bouncer about him -  though, thankfully, he's not employed at my regular favorite nightspot in 'Town'.  

I added a selection of winter-y tufts on the bases.  I wasn't sure about this, as I had intended the adventurers to be dungeon-delvers.  But the bases looked a little sparse without any tufts or grasses, and I liked the look of dry-brushing the tufts with yellow ochre (for the winter dead-grass feel) once they were glued on.

And once in the Orcs' Pit, we need some orcs.  WAAA-aaaaaaa-AGGHHHHHH.  

(Apologies, dear Challengers - I just felt the need to offer that scream to the Hobby Gods).  

The Orcs are a mix.  The smaller ones are three Midlam Miniatures orcs and one, the small guy with the spiked club, is a vintage 1998 orc from somewhere which I cannot remember.  Mr. Spiked-Club is a truly lovely figure - does anyone know which manufacturer made him?

The two larger orcs are from Midlam Miniatures (the rat-catcher orc) and an old Chronicle Hobgoblin, sculpted by Nick Bibby in the 1980s.  Shamefully, the hobgoblin has been in my painting pile since 1985.  Welcome to the party, Sir - finally!

Also in the Orcs Pit, no doubt causing trouble, is an old GW Chaos Demon.  He's another refugee from my 1990s collection which has never been painted.  He has a brother in my fantasy Samurai army which caused mayhem in some of the Samurai games we played 'back in the day'.  And now, there's two...

And, as I've mentioned before, pink and violet are (at least to me) always going to be the colours of Chaos! 

The dungeon paving slabs were easy to do.  Just cut plasti-card, and glue it to the base.  Not perfect, and not Golden Demon standard, but it works well enough I feel.

And so, on to the points.  Seven adventurers, six orcs and a nasty demon at 5 points each gives me 70 points.  And add in 20 for the 'Orcs Nest' Challenge, and that's 90 points in total.  

And, more to the point, more than a few hours of fun with my kids in lockdown as we explore the world of dungeon-delving after hours of Zoom Home Schooling!

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