Wednesday, 10 February 2021

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!



*******

26 comments:

  1. What a delightful collection of adventurers and opponents! I particularly like the goblin with the piece of wood with two nails in it!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Iain! I think that Orc equipped himself at the local B&Q or hardware store!

      Delete
  2. What an excellent post again, Sidney! All figures are marvelous, and the advertisement surely cannot fail to seduce any fashionable adventurer, male or female. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's very kind - thanks so much! "Fashionable adventurers" are what we are all about, in Challenge XI ;) !

      Delete
  3. brilliant work as always, do like some kinky boots

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Martin! And there was me thinking those boots were normal.... ;)

      Delete
  4. Wonderful bunch of figures Sydney, really like the vibrant colours. Those are a pair of boots indeed, will you be modelling your pair for us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Peter. My own pair of the boots are in Chaos Black, Sir - so, maybe, in the next Challenge !!

      Delete
  5. Fantastic brush skill as always, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely stuff Sidney, I think I have discovered how the Pink Panther would appear in a bad acid trip ! Great figs
    Regards KenR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow...I've painted that demon twice and didn't see the resemblance to the Pink Panther... until now!!!

      Delete
  7. Wonderful work Sid! I love all the varied sculpting styles and character of these models. I particularly like the greenskin with the spiked club. As you say, it would be nice to find out where he came from. I seem to remember that Dallas this that same figure with the studded hip-high boots. Some of these adventurers' gettups must have been picked out by The Village People. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Curt!! I'll get around to The Village People in one of these Challenges!

      Delete
  8. Wonderful work. The boot card gave me a laugh and much needed.
    Well done.
    BruceR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ridiculous fashions and non-sensible footwear is what this Challenge is all about for me, Bruce! ;)

      Delete
  9. Sterling work there Sidney. Great to see another Midlam fan here and you really did those models justice! Studded boots FTW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Dallas! The Midlam Miniatures are so nice to paint up. And, thankfully, it's a good sized range!

      Delete
  10. That's a lovely red and I really like the orcs' skin. Also, one skull!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful work. Love that pink demon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. some very characterfull figures Sir Sid!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Sander - they were loads of fun to paint!

      Delete