From Curt: 'A long time ago in a fantasy far, far away...' (Corsucant and Sarah's Yacht to finish in Cybertron) (126 Points)

Hi All,

I've landed on Corsucant and thought that I'd try for something close to home for the planet's theme of 'Imperial / Good vs Evil'.

I've been a big Star Wars nerd ever since seeing the first movie as a kid in '77.  So when I discovered that my friend Kawe over at Westfalia Miniatures/One Gold Piece had done a brilliant range of fantasy not-Star Wars minis I knew I had to give them a go.

First up are our doughty heroes. These seven adventurers will be very recognizable as: The Apprentice, The Princess, The Old Master, The Smuggler, The Bugbear, The Butler Construct and the Trashcan Construct. 

Then we have our iconic arch villains, with The Liche Lord and his Honour Guard, and the terrifying Death Knight.

I actually had a print fail on the Death Knight where his sword didn't properly resolve. So I replaced it with some plasticard, doing a sort of anime thing with the shape of the blade. It's a bit of a bodge but I actually don't mind it.

The other fun thing about these being 3d prints is that it allowed me to scale up the Death Knight to be a little more imposing.  David Prowse would be pleased.

As to points, most of these models are 28mm, but The Death Knight, Bugbear and Liche Lorde are well over 40mm, so let's say 66 base points. The Corsucant location will give me another 20, and I'm going to be a clever lad and use The Princess for Sarah's Star Yacht to drop me into Cybertron, where I can use the two constructs for the Robot theme. So all this will give me a total of 60 bonus points for a grand total of 126. 

This will also give me another Squirrel point (my 6th)

There are 5 skulls tucked away in there with the baddies.

I will fill in 'N' for 'Not Star Wars' for my Alphabet Soup challenge.

Thanks for dropping in for a look! 

- Curt

From Millsy:

Oh my. How cool are these Curt?!?! This may well be the thing that finally flips my Star Wars switch from 'meh' to 'yeah'! Maybe. :-P

The deep rich red of the Honor Guard has a distinct Inquisition vibe about it and these feel far more scary than the movie version henchgoons. I can see myself using these as cultist/harem guards or something of that nature. The Death Knight's sword is an amazing piece of brushwork too and I would love to know how you achieved that effect on the edge. I absolutely love all of these.

I naturally gravitate to the bad guys in almost all sci-fi and these are no different but there are definitely elements of the good guys that resonate for me. The subtle Disney Beauty and the Beast homage is just brilliant (or is that just me?) and The Butler Construct is particularly good. I love that you've kept one leg a different colour too.

Well done working the Challenge Quadrant to get yourself a tidy bonus on top of the minis themselves mate. 126 points it is!

From PeterB: Post 2: A Frostgrave wizard and a droid [Gethen to Altair IV] (55 points)

For my second post of the week, just a couple of quick stop offs on the Inner ring. Firstly, to Gethen for the theme of Ice and cold. A quick rummage around the bits/spares box and I found enough parts to build a Frostgrave wizard.

She certainly looks like she is wrapped up warm enough to deal with the cold. I have discovered previously painting bases for WW2 winter wear Russians that a nice thick layer of Citadel Stirland mud drybrushed white makes a nice quick frosty looking ground.

Then over to Altair IV with the theme of old robots. Well, at Salute last year I spotted this little dude and I just had to buy him. I feel terrible for not noting the manufacturer. I normally keep track of these details by keeping the insert cards from blisters in a small scrapbook, but he just came in a plain bag. 

He is very reminiscent of one of the droids from the classic movie Silent Running from 1972. I have inherited a love of contemplative sci fi from my Dad and remember watching this with him. To this day I still find it fascinating how they performed these droids.

Finally, just as a "pallet cleanser" and experiment I painted this 3D printed orc. This is my second attempt with citadel contrast paints (first attempt here.) for the green skin and I think I was more successful this time. Although I am still not sure what all the fuss is about, it took three coats of Plaguebearer flesh on top of a white undercoat to achieve this. I am sure I could have probably achieved something similar with one coat of traditional green and a brown ink.

So, three 28mm scale models 3 x 5 points = 15 points

2 x planet bonuses = 40 points

Total points = 55 points.

From Millsy:

Three really lovely miniatures for your second post of the day Peter. I really like the metal effect you've achieved on the orc shield. That slightly blue tint on the spikes really makes them pop and stand out against the rest of the metal. Nice!

55 points it is mate. Love em.

From ForestP: 15mm Alamo (yes, the whole thing) [Arrakis] (480 points)

So, after my last post I decided to dive headfirst into a Warp Maelstrom and humbly asked Millsy to give me a challenge. He sent me to Arrakis... the desert world, vast and deadly. In the immortal words of Frank Herbert, "You never talk of likelihoods on Arrakis, you only speak of possibilities." So, of course I needed to do something to match this sandy and lofty challenge, but what? 

"Remember the Alamo."

Oh yeah, I have one of those! Purchased nearly a year ago from Old Glory Miniatures and languishing on my "to do" shelf.

It's... a lot.

Why languishing you say? Well, the whole thing, when put together is 40" x 58" (see below). Even when piled up, and not laid out in it's proper configuration, it fills a 44" x 18" shelf. Most of the buildings and walls are 2.5" tall, but the largest piece, the Church is 3.75" tall. Doing some math the whole thing in component parts would fit in 22 6" cubes... 

In all it's glory.

I started out laying it out as you see above, just to see what I am getting myself into. Next I used a Dremel to grind out windows and doors/entrances that should be open, and made some minor repairs to cracked pieces.

This is going to be fun to paint.

You know, one good thing about the pandemic is that I now have plenty of disposable masks laying around that I can use when grinding resin. Nasty stuff, but oddly enough has a rather sweet, almost apple-like smell when grinding. How odd. Once I was satisfied with opening up the windows, doors, and other entrances that I wanted I gave everything a quick bath to clean up resin dust and mold release agents. No pictures here; too wet.

The next couple nights, and a few early mornings before work, I ended up priming ever piece in Krylon Colormaxx Paint+Primer Matte Sand Dollar (5600). I went through an entire can of primer, plus part of another before I was finished with the job. There are a few spots that only got a light coat, but I figure they will look just fine once I started with the dry-brushing.

The whole jobber primed up. What a beast!!!

Since I had much of Thursday devoted to, yet again, another online training where I primarily just had to listen, I decided to go ahead and start on the dry-brushing. I am using both George Nelson's "The Alamo: An Illustrated History", as well as my own photographs from visiting the Alamo multiple times during my many TDY's to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.

The first step was tackling the church interior, going from the lightest-to-darkest. The interior walls were slathered on with Folk Art Vintage White (4646), and the areas of rubble also got a light dry-brush coat of the same color. The wooden ramp was painted/dry-brushed with Apple Barrel Brown Oxide (20511), and more of the same color was lightly brushed onto the rubble to provide more depth and variety. The exterior brick was all dry-brushed with Folk Art Linen (879). The marble columns and sculpture at the front of the church were also brushed in the same Folk Art Vintage White as above. I finished up the rubble with a very light dry brush mix of 2:1 Folk Art Vintage White and Pure Black (2957CA/4656). The last bits were dry-brushing the wooden door with the Apple Barrel Brown Oxide, and highlighting over that with a bit of the Folk Art Linen mixed 1:1 with the Vintage White, painting the bricked over windows with Vintage White, and finally the sand bags with a 1:1 mix of Folk Art Linen and Vintage White (then hitting them with the lightest dry brush of 1:1 Folk Art Vintage White to make them pop).

That looks like it was properly weathered in the desert if I don't say so myself.

Great detail, even on the interior of the model.

This piece me a whole night to paint, it's so large.

Saturday was the main day for painting for me. After fortifying myself with coffee I decided to simply work around the Alamo and just knock out as much as I could. Wooden parts, like the artillery battery positions were dry-brushed with more Apple Barrel Brown Oxide, then given a light wash of Vallejo Sepia Shade (73.200) before being highlighted with a 2:1 mix of Brown Oxide and Folk Art Camel (953). Areas of exterior brick were still dry-brushed with Folk Art Linen, with plaster being painted with a 1:1 of Linen and Vintage White. Thatched roofs were brushed with Folk Art Camel, and given a Sepia Shade wash to give depth, and then a Linen highlight. Areas of rubble were dry-brushed with a mix of any of the aforementioned colors, or mixes thereof, to give depth and an interesting visual look to each.

Here are a few simpler pieces to give you an idea of detail.

Interior view of the kitchens. Man, these models really have great detail.

Main gate with the roof on.

The Trevino House.

And here is the entire thing in al its glory! Took me about a week and a couple days of working every night, plus all day on an entire weekend to knock it out. I think I'm done with terrain/scenics for a while...

View from the South.

View from the West.

View from the North. Note, the model comes with the northeast corner before it was breached.

View from the East.

The entire piece did come with two small scenic pieces in metal/wood, the well, and the rubble and flagpole. 

Well with 15mm figures to give a scale reference.

Same with the flagpole.

I love the fact that one of the details were the outside latrines!

Soldiers got to poop!

This is a great model. My only gripe is the some of the buildings don't quite like up like the should. If you see in the above overall images the long barracks don't quite line up all the way. It's fixable with how I've laid things out, but still annoying. Other than that, a great bit of kit.

In summation, my points estimation is as follows:

22 x 6" cubes @ 20 = 440 points

Arrakis (Middle Ring via Warp Maelstrom) = 30 points

From Millsy: Monster crafting bonus: 10 points

Total = 480 points

Until next time, folks. Where I'll be painting something... smaller. 

Forest

From Millsy:

I'm kind of lost for superlatives here to be honest Forest. When you told me what you were up to I knew it was going to be worth waiting for, but even then I wasn't prepared for what you've delivered. This is something else mate. This would have to be right up there with one of the largest terrain submissions we've ever had.

Never mind the size of the thing, the level of care and attention to detail you've thrown on top is wonderful. The stonework on the church, the weathering on the walls and thatch, even just the consistency of the finish across such a big piece is brilliant. It would be a privilege to game on a table graced by your Alamo and no mistake.

Cracking effort Forest. Worth absolutely every minute you invested. BOOM! 480 points!

From BenF: Kings of Kings and Kinsmen - 15mm Persian Guard and Commanders (Glorantha) (115 Points)

For this week's entry, I've managed to finish off the elite forces of my Later Achaemenid Persians. I do love an underdog. While armies of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, British Riflemen, English longbowmen, or Early Imperial Romans do hold a certain allure, I tend to be drawn to the side which might have been victorious if only a decision, a deployment, or just dumb luck been different. To that end, alongside the Persians, I'll also be working on early Napoleonic Prussians and Russians, and also some Remnant Imperial Stormtroopers this challenge. 

While the Achaemenid Persians are a much maligned force, a careful reading of the Greek sources show that some Persian troops and leaders, often fought bravely, if a little recklessly. Some might even say heroically. Xenophon tells of how in 401BC, Kūruš, better known as Cyrus the Younger, pretender to the Persian throne, led his kinsmen cavalry in a heroically doomed charge against his brother the King of Kings, Artarxerxes II at the battle of Cunaxa, being cut down at the moment of victory. 67 years later, on the Granicus River, Spithrodáta, the Satrap (military governor) of Lydia and Ionia, and his brother Raucaka, led another doomed, but ferociously reckless charge of Persian cavalry against the Companions of the Boy King Alexander of Macedon. I hope you will forgive me channeling my inner Ancient History Teacher, and handing over to Diodorus Siculus:

The Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii

[17.20.1] But the Persians resisted bravely and matched with their spirit the valour of the Macedonians, as fortune had brought together in that place the finest fighters to dispute the victory. [17.20.2] The satrap of Ionia, Spithrobates, a Persian by birth, son in law to the Great King Darius, and a man of superior courage, hurled himself at the Macedonian lines with a large body of cavalry, and with a guard of forty companions, all of the Royal Kinsmen and of outstanding valour, pressed hard on the opposite line and in a fierce attack slew some of his opponents and grievously wounded others. [17.20.3] As the force of this attack seemed critical, Alexander turned his horse towards the satrap and rode at him. To the Persian, it seemed as if this opportunity for single combat was god-given. He hoped that by his bravery Asia might be rid of its terrible menace, and the renowned daring of Alexander halted by his own hand, and the glory of the Persians saved from disgrace. He hurled his javelin first at Alexander with such a mighty throw that he pierced Alexander's shield and drove through his breastplate. [17.20.4] The king shook off the weapon as it dangled from his arm, then kicked in his spurs and, using the momentum of his charging horse, drove his lance squarely into the satrap's chest [17.20.5]...The point, however, snapped off against the breastplate and the broken shaft recoiled, and the Persian drew his sword and drove at Alexander, but the king recovered his grip on the lance in time to thrust at the man's face and drive the blow home [17.20.6] The Persian, fell, but then his brother, the noble Rhosaces, galloping up drove his sword down on Alexander's head with such a blow that it split his helmet and inflicted a scalp wound [17.20.7] As Rhosaces aimed another blow at the break, Cleitus the Black dashed up on his horse and cut off the Persian's arm.

Even Darius III Codomannus, whose moment of panicked flight at the battle of Issus was immortalised in the famous Alexander Mosaic, fought bravely and with distinction in the campaigns of the warrior king Artarxerxes III.

In case you can't tell, I'm a bit of a fan of Achaemenid Persians. The bizzare and ornately decorated pyjama clothing, the wide variety of troop types, and the 'foreignness' of this arm provides a painting, as well as a tabletop challenge, which only adds to the allure. 

These are all 15mm Forged in Battle figures, and they're rather spiffing. 

First off, the Hûvakâ, or the Royal Kinsmen Cavalry. Armoured, and led by a satrap, these are slightly converted figures, with a few headswaps and some moving of the spears to a more suitable charging pose. I went all out with this lot when it comes to the gold bronze armour, ornately decorated tunics, and other bling. I'm pretty satisfied with how they came out, and can happily report that yesterday they led a charge against my mate Steve's Companion cavalry in a game of Basic Impetus 2 - a game winning charge as well. So much for the curse of freshly painted figures. 

Hûvakâ guard advance under the Achaemenid Royal banner, led by a prince of the blood.

Next, a base of Bactrian cavalry. These capable light cavalrymen from central Asia fought with bow, sword, and javelin. They served with the Achaemenids, and then under Alexander and his successors.

Next, its the strangest of Persian innovations - the terrifying, if largely ineffective, scythed chariot. I used foil from the top of a wine bottle to make some reins for the driver. Despite his heavy armour, the strategy was for him to charge at the enemy line, then jump off before the whole thing contacted, hopefully causing a lot of destruction. I don't care to think about the survival rate of the drivers. I've scored this wierd beast as a 15mm vehicle and a 15mm foot figure for the crewman - I think I spent more time on the horse saddlecloth decorations for the chariot than I did on the Bactrians! I hope this is ok. 

Finally for this week's entry, its the commanders themselves. The chap in the chariot is Darius III Codomannus, the unfortunate King of Kings who had taken the throne and was attempting to win a civil war when the brilliant maniac Alexander III of Macedon invaded, intent on proving himself better than his heroic ancestor Achilles and conquering the whole of Asia. For the other bases, the chap with the standard bearer is a Satrap - or perhaps Kūruš the usurper. As with the Hûvakâ, I again went to town with the clothing decorations, reflecting the wealth and power of these leaders of one of the worlds first great empires. For the other general, I did a headswap to give him the plumed helmet, and he will act as a cavalry leader - perhaps Spithrodata or Raucaka, though hopefully more fortunate in battle. 

Darius in his Royal Chariot. The colours are from the Alexander Mosaic

The Satrap goes to battle under the banner of his house

Cavalry commander with a Hûvakâ guard escort

That's it for this week. I'm currently working my way through the last options of the Persian army - Thracians, and some Persian foot - slingers and the enigmatic Takabara and Kardakes, and perhaps even the Apple Bearer foot guards. 

Summary of Points for this entry

• 17 x 15mm mounted @ 4 points = 68 points
• 2 x 15mm vehicles @ 8 points = 16 points
• 3 x 15mm foot figures @ 2 points = 6 points
• Glorantha (Outer Ring) bonus = 20 points
• Millsy: +5 points for details

Total = 115 points

From Millsy:

Glorious work Ben! These are, to use your own words, rather spiffing! At first glance I didn't notice the scale and thought I was looking at 28mm stuff. I was impressed even then, which makes your work so much more impressive at 15mm. You've really gone to town on the range of colours and details which just adds to the overall WOW factor of these.

With the quadrant bonus and the extra points I'm awarding for the lovely detail work that's 115 points added to your tally. Nice work mate. Spiffing!