Adopt a Fell Caller, Save a Trollkin for life

I wasn't even really planning on painting up the Fell Caller but when I was base coating the skin of the Sons of Bragg Unit I had a bunch of extra paint left over on ye'olde wet palette and I didn't want to waste it so...I base coated the Fell Caller, Skaldi Bonehammer, and the Sons of Bragg.

I still had a good sized blob of paint on the palette and decided to wash the models and then do the skin highlight on them.

Once I was finished with that whole layering up of the skin, I picked up the Fell Caller to look at him and then I just picked out a color and started painting.  Well of course life got in the way of painting and the Fell Caller has been getting some sporadic painting love across the week and tonight I finally finished him up.

I have kind of a mixed reaction to this model.  I like certain parts of the model and then I dislike certain parts.



Like: The leathers - I thought they turned out really nice
Like: The skin - loads of shading difference in the muscles...getting better at it. I should probably add a third 'lighter' layer
Like: The armor plates - I dig the 'highlighted' armor

Dislike: The eyes - Damn it!! they just look off to me
Dislike: The torch - I tried doing a 'yellow' fire like effect and feel I failed horribly...oh and I hate the grey colors on it
Dislike: The bronze chain mail - definitely used the wrong colors there.  I really like the Vallejo line, but I think GW has the metallics down like no other
Dislike: I used a different glue than the Zap-a-Gap that I know and love, so I didn't notice a glob dried on the joint connecting the main body to the upraised sword until I had the model primed and dusted...I painted up the glob to look like fur but it is still irksome that I missed that while the glue was still wet.  I could have cleaned off the glob of glue.  Needless to say I won't be using that shitty-ass glue anymore.



Eventually I will go back through and attempt to fix up the 'dislikes' but for the moment, I am going to keep chugging along and finish what I started even though I am going to miss the deadline for a Slightly More Possible Dream 2012 by a ludicrously large margin.

And now to start working on the rest of the Fell Callers in the list, the Sons of Bragg.  I am going to paint each one up individually, so pictures to follow as I complete them.  Once they are all finished I'll toss up the group shot.

You know...eventually I am going to have to paint up Borka Kegslayer, I mean sheesh...it is his army after all.

SHOW ME YOUR WARFACE!!!!

Well I don't think I am going to meet the deadline for the Slightly More Possible Dream Painting Challenge.   

 

I paint too damned slow and I have only painted up two models!   

 

Aside from jacked up schedules at work, it is very hard for me to paint when my daughter is awake.  She has to be at the center of it all and that means right at my painting area and wanting to touch and paint everything in sight...but enough excuses.  I finished up the Dire Troll Mauler for Borka's battlegroup.

 

As you can see he is very angry and has very very large hands with which to rip your 'jack apart with

 

 

I did a lighter shade on the belly and the palms but it doesn't quite show in the photograph like it does when you are holding the model.  Next time I think I need to mix in another drop or two of the lighter grey with the basecoat to help separate it out more.

 

 

 

Over all I am pleased with the model but I think next time I paint up a dire troll I am going to leave much 'thinner' lines in the recesses of the musculature.

 

This guy really is just plain angry and those are some rather big meaty firsts!

Borka's Troll Axer, Krugg

I finished up the Troll Axer.  Not 100% sure I like the fact that I painted the entire front arc, but so be it, it might grow on me and if not, I'll just paint over it with black.

I have already put down 3/4 of the shadow grey basecoat on the Dire Troll Mauler and some of the dark fleshtone on the 'spines/hair'

Hopefully I'll have the Mauler finished up by tomorrow night or at least almost done.  

Borka's Drinking Buddies

There is an event on the Privateer Press Forums called “A Slightly More Possible Dream” that I have decided to take part in.  Basically, you have a 35 point list and you have one month to paint it up and then you play in a tourney with other folks who have done the same thing…now I am horrible at meeting painting deadlines, Nov 16^th in this case, but damn it, I am sure going to try!

Well I am going to be painting up a 35 point list (or trying my damnedest to do so) and while no one else is participating in Redding, I still plan to play the list in the next tourney and see how I do. 

I did choose a list that is not very model heavy because as the world’s slowest painter and I wanted to make sure that I have time to paint it all up.  Now I have been playing this list quite a bit lately in casual play and so far it has treated me well.

Borka’s Drinking Buddies (for a Slightly More Possible Dream)

Borka Kegslayer – WB: +5
Pyg Carrier
Dire Troll Mauler - PC:9
Troll Axer - PC: 6

 

Fell Caller Hero – PC: 3

Trollkin Champion Hero – PC: 3

 

Trollkin Champions – Leader & 4 Grunts: PC: 10
Skaldi Bonehammer – PC: 3

Sons of Bragg – Wrathar, Tor & Rhudd: PC 6

Just about every model in the list has weapon master which I really didn’t notice until I was staring at the cards one night while I was playing a game and Borka is just fun to play.  I love the sculpt for the model and his fluff is pretty great also.  On top of that he has some pretty solid spell list…and considering he only has three spells that is saying a lot.  I gave him a Mauler and an Axer and so far they have acquitted themselves rather well on the battle field.  The Trollkin Champions + Skaldi + Champion Hero + Fell Caller Hero is a pretty brutal combo that, pending the love of the dice gods, generally tend to wreck face pretty well.  The Sons of Bragg are a great character unit that can stand on their own and are a viable threat to most pieces on the table.

The one down side to the list is of course the low model count.  When you think about it, I only have 14 models on the table and one of those models is carrying a keg and doesn’t do much other than top off Borka with a few extra Fury.  I mean once I start losing models, the games tend to go downhill rather quickly for me. 

All in all, I am really enjoying the list and have even bought a few of those ‘crutch’ models that make the Trollblood synergies really come to life.  I have a full unit of Fennblades + UA and I picked up a unit of Kriel Stone Bearers + UA but I shall not get ahead of myself.  Before I put any paint down on any other model until Nov 16^th (other than primer of course),  I must and shall paint up the above list.  I’ll post progress pictures as I finish up each model.

On the plus side, there is a possibility that the armies painted up for this little painting shin-dig could end up in an issue of No Quarter.  How cool would that be, my table-top quality models on display in a magazine. 

HAHAHAHA epic…extra incentive…must finish painting them up!

Off to the painting table I go!

To become or not to become a Spartan Vanguard...that is the question.

I finished up the Russian Coalition Fleet, Tiny Flyer Tokens and all.  So I submitted my application to Spartan Games for their Spartan Vanguard Program.  They ask for up to 14 days to process the application, so now I get to sit and wait.

When I set up both fleets for pictures, I realized that I really liked the Russian TFTs turned out.  So in the future (at some point), I am going to be striping my Covenant of Antarctica TFTs and repainting them up all blue sky and flying like I did the Russian Coalition TFTs.



Since painting up both Fleets quick, dirty, and table-top worthy, I definitely believe that the Russian Coalition fleet came out better.  I am sorely tempted to strip and repaint up my Covenant Fleet but I am going to try and stick to my guns and leave it as is, rather than change it and possibly make it worse similiar to how George Lucas fucked up the original Star Wars trilogy.



I placed a rather large order with Battlefoam the other day.  With the sheer amount of Trollbloods that I own now (Hush Scott!) I figured it was time to get some foam and fill up my P.A.C.K. Air.  So 5 custom cut foam trays are incoming as well as trays for my Storm Strider, a Stormwall, the Mountain King and the War Wagon.  I figured since I would eventually own all those models (having recently purchased a Mountain King, and already owning a Storm Strider) I should own the foam to protect them.  The new foams will also allow me to store all of my future purchases for my Searforge Commission lists and Trollblood lists as well as possibly storing other random models.

For my next project I am going to finish painting up the Runebearer for the Trollbloods and paint up Borka Kegslayer and his brew buddy.  Hopefully by then, I shall have General Ossrum firmly in hand and will paint him up and the Wroughthammer Rockram for my Searforge Commission army.

Magnets to the MAX!!!

Did a bit of hobbying this week while I was working on my Russian Coalition models.  I bought the new Cygnar Heavy Jack Kit  and inside it contains all the pieces to assemble either a Centurion, a Hammersmith, or an Avenger.  As you can see there are a lot of bits to the model.  For those of us who have a grip of magnets from K&J Magnetics however, it has all the parts needed to assemble all of three Warjacks!!!  Oh the joys of magnets.



I choose to go with just one set of shoulderpads vs. swapping them in an out.  The shoulder pads were a bit tight and didn't fit very flush...at least not until I applied a subtle amount of pressure with the assistance of some clamps.  If I buy another kit, I'll use the other shoulder pads to help tell them apart.  The idea of jack-bulleting a pair of Hammersmiths across the board is pretty darn tempting

All of the arms and all three heads are magnetized.  I added guide pins to the left arm which holds the Centurion's Piston Spear and to the hand that is holding the spear.  The spear on the plastic Centurion compared to the metal Centurion is much more appropriate in scale and also rather un-wieldy with just a magnet holding it in place.  I am debating adding guide pins to the Avenger's sword and the Hammers...but as of yet, I don't think I need to.  Once I get a few games in with the model, this decision may change.

Centurion


Hammersmith


Avenger


Back to working on more TFT (tiny flyer tokens) for the Russian Coalition

Doughnuts of Doom

And I give to you the Doughnuts of Doom!!!

Russian Coalition Novgorod Class Frigates


The mighty 16 Tiny Flyer Tokens of the Russian Coalition


I am going to stipple some white around the bases of the TFT's and hope for cloud cover because remember in the world of Dystopian Wars it is always overcast!  Once I get the bases all 'clouded' up, I'll get started in on the planes.