Categories
Warhammer

#BeerMaW Entry Five – Salamander

I finished up my second Salamander model just before heading back to school. Hopefully I will still be able to find time for painting once my schedule kicks into hyperdrive. We shall see!

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

#BeerMaW Entry Four – Naiad Ensnarer

Attending the Lady of the Lake GT really got my hobby juices flowing, and I am eager to make progress on my Forces of Nature army. Next up on the painting table was a test model for the Naiad Ensnarers. I used the same colors as the Salamander and Druid I have previously painted, but in varying degrees. It is clear that this army won’t be done for a loooooooong time, as I spent the better part of 10 hours on this one rank-and-file model. Luckily, I have my old Warhammer armies to use in the meantime!

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

#BeerMaW Entry Three – Druid

Now that my Undead army is all set for Lady of the Lake, Keystone, and any other upcoming events, I can focus my efforts on new projects. My nascent Forces of Nature army is calling to me at the moment.

I decided to paint up a Druid. This is a (metal) Reaper model that I quite like. She comes with an adorable familiar which I will most definitely be painting up as well. I followed the same color progressions as my Salamander model, with a few new colors (such as the orange hair), and I am pleased with the results. This was also my first time trying out the basing scheme. It will be a bit more complex on the large unit bases, but you can get the idea from the 20mm base. Given that this is a Nature army, I want the bases to be fairly busy. Please let me know your thoughts!

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

#BeerMaW Entry Two – Mounted Skald

Having taken a week off for vacation, I returned to do a quick and dirty paint job on this old Wight King model from GW. In game terms, I am using it as a mounted Skald. It will be part of the Varangur allies to go alongside my Undead. This was the last model needed for Lady of the Lake – I will be flying to Minnesota on Friday!

I’m not a big fan of this model, nor the paint job I gave it. The shield was painted years ago for one of my Skeleton units. It broke off the Skeleton so I decided to repurpose it here.

Best,
Greg

Categories
Painting

#BeerMaW Entry One – Mounted Necromancer

If you haven’t heard about this yet, the Beer Phase podcast launched a “Model a Week” painting challenge. The challenge is obviously designed to help gamers stay on track with their painting, but it also places a special emphasis on models that have been neglected for years and years. The challenge kicked off this month, and people are tagging their entries with #BeerMaW on social media. Check out the introduction video here.

This is certainly an old model, but not one that has been collecting dust. I added a Mounted Necromancer to my list for Lady of the Lake, and did not own a model. Although GW makes a great plastic Necromancer on foot that was released several years back, they haven’t updated the mounted version in over a decade. And it shows.

I picked this guy up on Chaos Orc Superstore and was fascinated/horrified with him. It took pliers and pins to put this model together (the Necro is two metal pieces while the horse is four plastic pieces). I certainly did not paint him to the best of my ability, as I wanted to keep him consistent with my Undead army (the earliest models for which I painted in 2006 or 2007).

Behold, the dread Necromancer Eorlich von Thunderthighs:

A keen observer will notice some white spots on the model (click to enlarge the third picture and you’ll see what I mean). These were the unfortunate result of varnishing on humid day. 🙁

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Lady of the Lake GT – Individual Miniature Painting Contest

I am super excited to be attending the Lady of the Lake GT this July in Duluth, Minnesota. Lady of the Lake is a 2200 point Kings of War GT with lots of unique features, one of which is an Individual Miniature Painting Contest.

Individual Miniature Painting Contest

We will be holding a separate individual model painting contest.

A model entered into this contest MUST be a model that is NOT a part of your army used in the tournament. The model will be displayed for the duration of the tournament and must be turned in to the TO at the time of registration. The model must be a “fantasy” themed model, but can be produced by any manufacturer.

Points will be awarded for overall look, cleanness of painting, basing, converting, shading, details, etcetera.

2 GT tournament points will be awarded for participating in this contest.

A large plaque will be awarded to the winner and a small plaque will be awarded to 2nd and 3rd place.

As my school year is coming to a close, I am starting to have more free time to dedicate to hobby projects. To kick things off I decided to paint up my entry to the contest. I selected one of my favorite models of all time, an Age of Sigmar Warden King sculpted several years back by Juan Diaz. This model will be easy to transport (I am flying to the event) and it can also be used in my Forces of Order army for Age of Sigmar Skirmish (which I am fairly keen on these days).

If you’ve listened to Episode 9 of Unplugged Radio, you’ll know that I have a side competition going with Jake to see whose model places higher in the event. I may be showing my hand a bit early by posting pictures, but I’d like to think of it as setting the bar high for him. 😉

As always, feedback is appreciated.

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Forces of Nature Test Model

Hey all,

I have taken the plunge on starting a new army, and have decided to go with Forces of Nature. The army combines many different varieties of units (Salamanders, Naiads, Forest Shamblers, Elementals, etc.) and I wanted to find a color scheme that would tie all of these diverse units together.

I painted a Salamander as a test model, and I am thinking the combination of purple/green/khaki will suit my needs. For the Salamanders, purple is the dominant color. For other units, it will be green or khaki. But, all of the models will have at least some of all three colors present.

I tried to paint this guy as quickly as possible, as I have a LOT of infantry staring me down. As a result, the painting is a bit messy, but I think it came out nicely and will look decent enough across an army.

Please let me know your general thoughts/feedback on the model and color scheme. Also, I am wondering if I should go with a brighter final highlight on some of the colors, particularly the bone.

Best,
Greg

Categories
Warhammer

Kings of War Campaign – Week Eight

The eighth week of the campaign represented the last regular campaign turn. It was a mad scramble to claim last minute shards and experience points. The players did not know what would be in store for them the following week, but knew with a desperate certainty that they would need all the help they could get!

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On the outskirts of the Hunter’s Wood, the Abyssal Dwarfs and Elves fought with reckless abandon. In the end, Ar’noth prevailed. He strode victorious into the heart of the Wood, where the Green Lady gifted him with a shard of the Fenulian Mirror for his bravery.

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Perhaps it was madness that drove him to it, but Istvaan once again led his Ogres into the harsh sands of the Hadross Desert. There, he was forced into brutal conflict with the Abyssals who, under the cruel leadership of Apollyon, proved too difficult to defeat. In the wake of the battle, however, Istvaan abandoned his kin and roamed the desert, spying the telltale glint of a shard of the Fenulian Mirror poking out from beneath the dunes.

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On the main crossroads of Valundar, the Undead waged war against the Rhordians. The fight was cagey, with each General making careful, calculated moves. The resultant draw left both Generals free to explore the territory, and each General discovered one of the precious few remaining shards of the Fenulian Mirror.

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Last, but certainly not least, the Forces of Nature stormed the Goblin Hills in the Northeastern corner of Valundar. The cunningly cruel Goblins put up a hasty yet vicious defense of their homeland. In the end, Lord Adular took their leader captive and forced him to lead the way through the tunnels to the fabled Goblin treasure hoard. In the end, Adular recovered an impressive three shards of the Fenulian Mirror, among other loot.

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When the dust settled, the standings were as follows:

Jon, Peyton, Keith – 5
Chris, Jim – 4
Scott – 3
Kevin – 0

Tomorrow marks the final campaign turn, in which the Generals will be forced into an epic struggle to determine the future of Valundar, and perhaps even Mantica itself! Stay tuned for updates!

Best,
Greg