Wanted: GW 'Knight of Umbar' Ringwraith on Foot.

Hey Internet,

Just updated my 'Living Wants List' - CLICK HERE if you want to try and sell me something!

This time around, I'm after a Games Workshop 'The Knight of Umbar' Ringwraith on foot.

If you have one that you'll like to sell, leave a comment or send me an email.

Goodnight!

MM.

The Plastic Soldier Company - Credit Where Credit Is Due.

Hey Internet,

Just a quick one to give some credit where it is due. 

Yesterday afternoon I placed an order with the Plastic Soldier Company, and at midday today it arrived though my postbox!

PSC was having a 'Black Friday' 25% off sale, so I picked myself up a SCW Armoured Car for my WWII Polish Resistance. Better still, the PSC only charge 10% of the total order value for postage.

Delivery in under 24-hours for £.50...

Not Bad PSC, Not Bad.

MM.

Pax Britannica - The Cannon and Artillery-Men [5]

* * *

"At Byfleet we came upon an Inn, but it was deserted."

"Is everybody dead?"

"Not everybody. Look! Six cannons with gunners standing by."

"It's bows and arrows against the lightning. They haven't seen the Heat Ray yet."

- The Artillery-Man and the Fighting Machine, 
Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds 

* * *

Hey Internet, 

Today we have the last of my 'Martian Empires' British figures - four guns, with gunners standing by.

With my enthusiasm for this project somewhat ebbing, these guys took much longer than they should have to get done - about 3 weeks from start to finish. 

That said, they were nowhere near as painful as the Infantry were. The castings required far less 'clean up', and with no rifles or webbing they painted up rather quickly. 

One oddity is the gunner 'pulling the lanyard'. This figure is supposed to have a turnpike, but for some reason the tool is far too short, being about 2mm off the 'ground'. Given that it would have looked rather strange to have a gunner just sort of holding a stick on each base (and with me being unwilling to bore-out and convert the bloody things myself) I opted to fashion them into 'lanyard pullers'.

I mean, yeah, I know that even a heavy gun's lanyard would be scarcely over an inch thick, and these guys look like they are pulling on a 3" Naval Rope, but - bah! - it was either that or leave them off all-together and have two man gun teams, which would have looked even worse.

With these done, I have only to paint the Expeditionary Force's armoured support and this project will be at an end. Well, at least for the time being.

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +91       Painted: +126          Total: +35

Miniature Mo'Vember 2014 - Week 1

Hey Internet,

Here is my first week entry for Miniature Movember, a 15mm Scale WW2 Russian Cossack Officer.



The point of all this is to raise a little money for a good cause, so please Click Here To Donate a few quid.

MM.

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +91       Painted: +107          Total: +16
***

Miniature Movember 2014 - Now open for donations!

Hey All,

This is just a quick update. I'm now running my local wargames club's Miniature Mo'Vember campaign.

It's dead simple - the Club has its own Mo'Vember account and team, and will be posting people's painted miniatures up on it for everyone to see.

This of course means that we can now take donations and they will go directly to the Mo'Vember Charity.

CLICK HERE to take a look at the Mo'Vember Miniatures so far, and perhaps to pop a few pennies in the bucket.

Pax Britannica - Command Stand [4]

Hey Internet,

This week we have what should be the last of the British Riflemen. One of the stands is the Commander of the force, and features an Officer and Flag bearer.

click to enlarge

The Officer was a pig of a model to 'clean up'. It had the some of the worst flash I've ever seen on a model. All of the castings of this 'pose' are just as bad - if I hadn't got these figures off a friend, I'd have asked in strong terms for some replacements!

That said, with more than a little effort with a set of needle files he's ended up looking pretty all-right. He even has a bright white Pith on to mark him out.

The 'Flag Bearer' is a conversion - I snipped and ground away the rifle of a standard infantryman and replaced it with a shortened steel spear. Black Hat do do a British Standard Bearer figure as part of the Martian Empires range, but the flagpole/lance is cast in white metal and so thin that a stiff breeze would destroy it, and despite my best efforts I couldn't find a way to substitute it for one made of stronger stuff. I think it looks rather neat considering. Oh! - and the flag is printed; I'm not nearly that good a painter.

This is the last of the 'basic infantry' for this project, and to be honest it fills me with joy to type those words. They have been absolute pigs to get done; I mean, I did enjoy doing it and all, but I'd have liked it a whole lot more if they had been cast better to start with.

I think that I've ended up with a decent 'finished product', but the pain it took to get them done has left me to glaring at them spitefully now they are done.

Eh!....do you like them?

Four guns, with gunners, and I'm done with bloody Martian Empires! Hurrah!

MM.

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +91       Painted: +106          Total: +15

200th Post!

Hey Internet,

Just realised that the last post on here was my 200th!

Fancy that, eh!

Mr.Marx

Mo'Vember Painting Challenge

Nikola Tesla. a man with a fine moustache.

I stumbled on this fine idea over on the world of the good Mr. Blease...

For anyone who's been living under a rock; Mo'Vember is a annual charity campaign raising funds and awareness for male health conditions like Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer and Mental Health troubles.

Its pretty simple; everyone who signs up spends the month cultivating their upper lip, their friends and family and anyone else they can rope in sponsors them a few quid, and everyone who looks at their face is reminded of the awful conditions the charity represents.

If you fancy joining in, here is the link: http://uk.movember.com/

Anyway, this is the miniature version. I'm not exactly sure how it raises money, but I'll work that out a little later on.

Here are the rules;

"for a bit of fun that next month will be “Mo’vember” rather than November and that each week we have to paint up at least one figure with a moustache".

I'm going to go have a dig in the lead mountain for some suitable figures. Should have my first figure done over the weekend.

MM.

David Bowie, playing Nikola Tesla. 

Pax Britannica - Re-basing [3]

Hey Internet,

Bit of a boring one this time. After feeling no small amount of discontentment with the final product of my recent labours, I decided to do a U-turn and re-base the whole lot.

This proved to be no fun at all. But its done now. And no figures were destroyed in the process.

As it turns out, 100x20mm bases are rather unique to 'All Quiet on the Martian Front', making it quite awkward to use figures based this way for other war games.

click to enlarge

After a rather obsessive and agonising period of soul searching and deep existential meditation, I decided to re-base them, four to a stand, on 40x40x2mm MDF (from Warbases). This makes them quite compatible with Alien Squad Leader, Future War Commander and Space 1889: The Soldiers Companion, as well as All Quiet On The Martian Front.

With a good number of guys at the gaming club interested in 15mm sci-fi, but totally uninterested in goofy Tripods, I hope that they might actually get to see a fair bit of use.

Plus, they make a much better firing line. Wouldn't be British if they couldn't do a good firing line.

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +91       Painted: +106          Total: +15

Soviet Reinforcements!

Hey Internet,

Painted these up a little while ago - Five 'T-62 Main Battle Tanks' (by GHQ) and Two 'Heavy Assault Tanks'  (by Plasmablast Games).

They are painted in a 60's Soviet Green colour to match their commander, Nova Streltzý.

Together, these machines will form the balance of the Eastern Bloc factions 'normal army stuff' in my upcoming Japanese Monster Movie Games.

Fun Fact: The T-62 was used by the entire Eastern Bloc: the Soviet Union, Red China and North Korea. This means that I can keep the number of 'normal army tanks' that need buying and painting up to a minimum. What with all the radioactive dinosaurs stomping around, the chance of someone taking issue with the historical accuracy of the Commie Battle Robots supporting tanks is probably pretty low, but, well, you never know. T-62s also look really cool. Really, really cool.

As ever, the GHQ tanks were fantastic. In particular- they managed to cast the things with the mold lines, faint as they were, only crossing flat surfaces. Fantastic!

The Plasmablast tanks will play the part of the mighty Mammoth Tanks from the Command & Conquer series of video games.

I did a review a little while back on these beasts - but to reiterate; they are superb little things, attractively designed and well made, and were a real joy to paint. There's another one waiting in the wings for emolsification, but I've got something special planned for him.

So, what do you think?

MM.

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +59       Painted: +74          Total: +14

Fancy Wargames Paraphernalia

Hey Internet,

A few years ago, I got to thinking; I spend all this money and time and effort, buying and painting figures, but the other apparatus of my wargaming is a load of rubbish.

My dice were a missmatched heap of other people's spares, my tape-measure came free with a book of carpet samples, and I carried it all around in an duff old pencil case.

It has taken four years, but I am shabby wargamer no more!

Bow down before the majesty of my Fancy Wargaming Paraphernalia!

A snazzy metal tin to keep it all in. The tin is complete with embossed Grecian figures, and originally contained Christmas fudge.  

A full set of surplus Casino Dice, with matching white polyhedrals, frugally purchased from a RPG/Comic/General Geek Emporium that was going out of business.

A 1950's Steel-Flex Rule made by John Rabone & Sons of London, purchased this very week off Ebay for a pittance. It is only marked in Inches, because centimetres are wrong and bad.

T-96 'Anti-Kaiju' Guns - Image Stacking with new Camera

A little while ago I painted up this pair of T95 'Anti-Kaiju' Guns, but any photos of them that I took looked rather flat and strange.

With the delivery of my Shiny New Camera it felt like time to really get to grips with image stacking.

Image stacking is a process where you take multiple photos of a difficult subject focusing in on different points on it, then merge the images together so that the entire subject is in focus.

CombineZP is a great (and free!) peice of software to give it a go with.

Looking good, eh?

MM.

Why no posts?

Hey Internet,

I've not posted anything in a little while, but for a change its not because 'real life' has been getting in the way of my nerdy fun time. No - I've been painting quite steadily for the past few weeks, and I've even written up the blog posts for everything I've got finished.

What it is, is that I've only gone and bought myself a shiny new camera.

Ever since a friend of mine started getting me into photography a few months back, it has been my arduous task to pick out a camera from the many hundreds that there are out there.

In the end I picked for a Cannon EOS M. I don't really know what that means. My friend who knows about cameras and things picked it out for me, saying it's the best balence's of capability and cost. I liked it because it's blue.

So, excited beyond my hearts constraints, I have chosen to hold off on any photography until the new apparatus arrives.

Give it a week. It's gonna look good.

MM.

Tokyo Was Not Built In A day... [3]

Hey Internet,

I've done a bit more of Japan City.

Two more big ones and four littler ones.

This time it was far less tedious compared to my first attempts. It turns out that using a scalpel to score them along the folds and to cut out the fiddly bits saves a he'll of a lot of time, and males for a far less wonky office block.

All together, looks like I'm about 1/4 of the way there, or at least the box is 1/4 full...

MM.

*Updated 25-09-2014: Fixed broken links.

"Kirov Airship" by Ratgard Miniatures

Hey Internet,

On seeing this, I knew that I either had to write something up on here or otherwise place an order for one.

LINK HERE

The hobby budget for this month (lifetime?) is exausted - but, gaw, I don't half want one.



It is, of course, the iconic Kirov Airship from Red Alert 2.

Find me a Centurion!

Hey Internet,

I've been playing the rather fantastic Mental Omega mod for Red Alert 2 rather a lot for the last two days. If your a fan of Red Alert, give it a try. Its fantastic. Honestly.

If you've not played Red Alert 2, go download it now. Like. Seriously. Stop reading. Go play it.

Wait, no, keep reading. I need a hand with something.

As with just about every computer game to ever cross my screen, one unit has jumped out in particular as something that must be owned in miniature.

This time, its the Chinese Centurion Walker.

Its the biggest, meanest thing in the game, and as such deserves its place on my gaming table. Like, its a giant Chinese siege robot that topples tanks and crushes entire bases single handedly.

The plan is to integrate it into my 6mm "Monster Kaiju Battle Hour" project. Should fit in seamlessly as part of the Soviet force.

So - I put it to you 'the internet' - I know there has to be a model out there that would fit the bill for this one.

I'm not looking for an exact facsimile- just a model that encompass all of the 'spirit' of the thing - a big cannon walking on three or four mechanical legs - perhaps even with the bunker complex on its back.

Doesn't want to be too big though. Size wise, I'm thinking that it should be no much larger than about 40mm in height. It's 6mm after all. Will go larger if the model is nice though.

So - give me your suggestions!

Mr. Marx.

PS. This is only a small 'one model' detraction. I'm still plunging away at the All Quiet stuff at the moment.

Honsby-Armstrong Artillery Locomotives

This week the Royal Garison Artillery have taken delivery of the first of a new type of machine, the Honsby-Armstrong Artillery Locomotive! Running on endless tracks, and with the power of no less than twenty-four good horses, these fine machines have the capacity to manoeuvre even the heaviest of our guns into position.

Hey Internet,

I do present two Honsby-Armstrong Artillery Locomotives...

The eagle eyed amongst you will, of course, recognise the models to be Soviet WWII era 'Stalinets Tractors'. However, I have cunningly painted the radiator casing, headlamps and doorhandles a brassy-coloured metal colour, flawlessly transporting the machines back in time to turn-of-the-century England!

A gift from a friend who had no use for them, these models had been an unloved part of a Soviet Flames of War force for five years or so. Interestingly, this force had no artillery in need of towing, so they never got used. Not even once.

Coming across them quite by chance recently, I thought they'd be just the ticket for the late-Victorian / Great War-ish project that I am currently working on.

I've had a bit of a play around painting them. Being the first vehicles in this project, I wanted to tie down a number of painting techniques and effects that can then be rolled out across all of the British vehicles for the project.

I had to get the green just right. I wanted that particular shade of pale green used on some British equipment around the time of the Great War.

The colour had to be fairly easy to achieve so that I could paint up a dozen or so tanks and other vehicles in a uniform matter. It took three attempts, but I think that the one that I settled on looks about right.

This was the colour that I was going for.

Other than that, it was the smaller details, but in particular, I wanted to try something different with the windows and headlamps. For a long time I've been painting both in the same way, going for a sort of 'blue gem' effect, but recently I've noticed that, while pretty, the effect is totally overblown and utterly unrealistic.

Instead, the windowpanes have been painted flat black and lightly gloss varnished. I'm quite sold on this look for medium scale models like this.

Hopefully the headlamps are looking more realistic too. With them, I've just done highlighted circles of silver. Looking at the photo above, I can't help but feel that its the way to go, particularly with the big lamps of the first quarter of the century.

Some Blue Moon Mark I Tanks and a pair of Flames of War Tog IIs should be on their way before too long. I'm quite looking forward to giving them the same treatment.

Do let me know what you think, eh?

Mr. Marx.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +59       Painted: +69          Total: +9

Tokyo Was Not Built In A Day... [2]

Hey Internet,

A little while ago, I started construction of Japan City, Asia.

Originally, I'd planned to do the whole thing with Resin buildings, but after some reflection on the hideous cost involved, I've decided to switch to 'papercraft' terrain.

I've never been a fan of paper terrain. To me, its always looked a bit..well...crap. That said, the buildings in the classic monster movies that inspired this project were hardly a lot better...so if anyone asks, its a homage, not me being cheap!

Two down, a fifty or so to go. 

I've made a start. Two buildings - took me about an hour each. Turns out folding and gluing paper really isn't something I was born to do...

Some 'free papercraft building' links;

http://www.sarna.net/files/media/cardstock/

http://dathbain.tripod.com/id1.html

http://www.timewarpcomics.com/gamesite/btech/?what=terrain&pagenum=1

MM.

TOG 1 or 2 ?

Hey Internet,

Today a package finally arrived in the post - yay!

Within it was a Flames of War TOG 2 tank model that I ordered about two weeks ago, and have been looking forward to receiving with childlike excitement.

For you that don't know, this magnificent beast is a TOG.

Irritatingly, I ordered two, the other one has been placed on 'back order', whatever that means.

More to the point, as soon as the postman was gone, I of course got out my new toy for a bit of a play.

As fate would have it, I recently took delivery of some Blue Moon Mark I tanks. The Blue Moon kits come with both 'Male' and 'Female' sponsons....and I'm building them as gun tanks....and the 'spare' machine gun sponsons just so happen to perfectly fit my pretty little TOG....

....so.....why shouldn't I build the model as The Old Gang of the Royal Navy Landships Commitee originally intended?

These drawings gives a fairly good impression of the original design. 

I mean, the sponsons are not *100%* historically accurate as they are from a Mk.I, rather than a Mk.V tank, but on the other hand, the machine guns contained within would be being used to mow down Martians in revenge for the 1899 'Rape of London', so, I'm not all too fussed on that front.

I'd need to get some Matilda II turrets to complete the transformation, but that is no problem really.

Feeling really jazzed about doing this.

Let me know what you think!

MM.

The Living 'Wants List'

Hey Internet,

One of the things that I have come to enjoy as part of this funny old hobby of ours is the swapping and trading of miniatures.

Like most of us, sometimes I find myself hankering after some long out-of-production lump of lead, or would like to buy a single figure without having to shell out for twenty of his identical friends.

Up to now, I've done my trading though the 'Lead Adventure Forum' (Username: Mr.Marx), but it occurred to me that this blog would be a good place to do the same thing.

So, here is a living list of the various bits and pieces that I look to acquire. It is 'living' in the sense that I will update it from time to time as my interests change and things come into my possession.

I've got Paypal, a chequebook and a heap of wargames stuff to trade.

If there is something on the list that you just happen to have laying around in need of a new home, drop me a line through the comments box below, or on over on the LAF if your also a member.

***

WANTED

Nothing Right Now.


***

FOR SALE

Nothing Right Now.

***

Last Updated: 13 - 07 - 2015

Black Hat British Infantry [2]

Hey Internet,

I've finally gotten around to finishing my two platoons of Black Hat British Infantry.

All in all, its taken me two weeks to get the thirty of them painted up and based. To be honest, it was quite a chore to get them done.

The painting itself was not bad at all, but the clean-up of the flash and mold lines was really quite arduous.

I got these figures from a friend* who had them around collecting dust, so they are quite old, and given that fact, I have no idea if they are reflective of Black Hat's casting quality nowadays.

That said - and I am loathed to give a bad review - but the casting quality really was awful.

Almost every figure had prominent mold lines - sometimes two sets of mold lines per figure! Some of them also had major 'mold misalignment' issues. There was one 'pose' of figure that was so systematic in the poorness of its casting that every last one of the 'pose' had to be discarded.

After many hours filing and cutting, I got around to painting them. The figures are 'really big 15mm' or 18mm/HO scale, and as such they possess a pleasing level of detail and paint up rather nicely.

After a good deal of 'umm-ing' and 'ah-ing' I decided to go with turn of the century Khaki uniforms rather than the more stereotypical scarlet Redcoat. This made painting them a far speedier process, which was rather a good thing as, to be honest, the whole 'casting' issue had soured the whole modelling project for me, and enthusiasm was in short supply.

I've got some more Black Hat Commanders, Artillery and Gatling guns yet to do, but I think I need a rest before getting back into painting them.

I've got the first of the 'Tanks' on the way, so I'll probably do some of them before boomeranging back into the rest.

Mr. Marx.

* cheers Neil :)

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +59       Painted: +67          Total: +7

AQotMF British Infantry [1]

Hey Internet,

This week I've painted up a stand of British riflemen for 'All Quiet on the Martian Front'.

"But - what?!" I hear you say. 

"I'm quite sure sure that you said at the beginning of this year that you were not starting any new projects!" you continue.

But "ha!" say I, "I am not breaking my self-set rule! I said only that I would buy new figures for new projects - to put figures I already own to good use is the very intention of the ban!"

"...ah..." you must succeed, "...that's probably all-right then".

So, yeah...

I've painted up five British riflemen for 'All Quiet on the Martian Front'. 

The War of the Worlds has always been one of my favourite books, and something that I've always wanted to game. 

Yet, ''All Quiet" was not a game that I had previously given a second look, as on first glance. I found the tripods goofy and the tanks uninspired, but after a friend bought into it, I strayed onto the games webpage, and soon saw the new models for the BEF faction.

I'm not crazy about the 'official' miniatures - but luckily a friend of mine gave me a huge pile of Black Hat Martian Empires figures. They are the same strange '18mm' scale as AQotMF, so should do nicely.

I've plenty of infantry and a good battery of guns. The uniforms and weapons go against the 'cannon' of the game, but I'm really not too fussed about that. To this little force I'll add probably add some of the Heavy Infantry and a fair bit of armour.

Fortunately, most of the tanks I want don't exist in this scale yet - but between the centenary of the Great War, and Flames of War's new foray into the period, I only expect a short reprieve for my bank balance.

Oh, and one more thing -

Something that all my wargaming friends mock me for is my habit of writing down exactly how I paint everything.

I have a good reason for doing it though - firstly, my memory is a bit 'iffi' nowadays, and secondly, I tend to jump between projects a heck of a lot, and being able to settle back into a project at will is an incredible luxury.

On the off chance that you really like these figures, here is how I painted them;

MM.

Tsar Wars - Robert Fett (#2) - Statistics

Goodafternoon Internet, 

Robert Fett now has some rules for 'In Her Majesties Name';

Robert Fett

Statistics: Pluck: 3+, Fighting: +2, Shooting: +3, Speed: +0, Cost: 58

Talents: Intuitive, Marksman (Carbine)

Equipment: Breastplate, Breath Preserver, Carbine, Pistol, Fighting Knife, Gas Bomb

I'm still yet to play a game, so any guidance from those better in the know would be greatly appreciated. 

Doktor Whomen!

Hey Internet,

I rather enjoyed this Japanese parody of Dr. Who. Thought I'd share.



MM.

Figure Finder - Tsar Wars: "The 'Ranker" (#1)

Goodevening fellows of the Internet,

With Emir Jahbah and the Dark Invader planned out, its time for the next figure to be found: A Human version of THIS.

This time it is Jahbah's personal champion "Ranker". This poor, fearsome creature imprisoned in the cave system under the Emir's palace,

Ranker's name is taken from the outcry of the first man doomed to face him, a young Australian adventurer, who upon seeing his opponent remarked; "Bloody 'ell mate, you can't really expect me to take that bloody great 'ranker all by mysel-Uhh-Ahhhh!".

For this guy I was thinking a really big savage or cannibal type, enslaved from the deepest depths of uncharted Africa would do the part.

I'm not all too hot on makers of Pulp figures - but I expect that there must be something out there that'll fit the bill. I'm not opposed to the idea that he be afflicted with gigantasism, so a ~40mm might be an idea?

Failing that, the Victorian age was one of discovery and wonder - and something akin to a 'desert Yeti' or some great African ape cannot be ruled out....

^ I know this is a picture from the Irish famine rather than Africa, but it illustrates what I'm going for.

So, anyone got any ideas?

MM.

Tsar Wars - Robert Fett (#1)

[Edit 00:17/09-07-2014] My first ever '360 rotation' GIF. ^

* * *

Assassination?, Agitation?, Dynamiting?, Kidnapping?, Sabotage?  – if you need something questionable doing, Robert Fett is your man.

With a career spanning two decades, Robert 'Bobby' Fett has taken on employment everywhere from Peckham to Peking, rightly earning a reputation as one of the finest sells-swords that money can buy.

In that time he has worked for every manner of persons, ranging from crooks to Kings and from governments to the l'Internationale.

And, on account of having retained certain receipts, he has long evaded all repercussions from Special Branch, the Secret Service, Okhrana, Deuxième Bureau, Geheimpolizei  and a dozen more agencies, enjoying a freedom to work for whomever he chooses, and to take that work where-ever it should lead.

Little is known about Fett beyond the tales of his adventures; and even his name is thought to be a 'nom de guerre'.

No living man is known to have ever seen his face; for he is never without that armoured hat and faceplate that have become is trademark. Some speculate that he is perhaps disfigured in some way.

However the prevailing thought is that it is simply his method of concealing his identity, so that at those times that he is not working he may enjoy a normal and happy domestic life.

And, while he has never displayed any love for the Queen or the Empire, Fett's voice has a distinct cockney twang to it. That said, this too is suspect, as he has been known to be able to convincingly throw his voice in the course of his work in the past.

But, what is it that raises Robert Fett above every other blaggard with a rifle?

Firstly, he possesses a cruel and meticulous cunning that he puts to his violence. A dozen times or more he has used this gift to outwit and confound his score, lining them up and striking them down like a row of dominoes.

His physical prowess is also above a cut above the rest. A large, strong man in rude heath, Fett is a fine shot, even from the hip. He has also been seen to have great skill in fighting with that particular type of fighting knife that is at the moment so popular amongst Americans.

Finally, Fett is never without equipment that represents the state of the art of military science. Along with his signature armour, he favours dynamite, poison gas bombs, fighting knifes and a revolving-carbine whenever it comes to a fight.

Currently it is not known whether Fett is working in a freelance capacity, or is held under a retainer; but in either eventuality he has worked quite exclusively in central Asia for some months now, acting against interests of the British Empire and involving himself in deputes between the various warring tribes. At this time, his employers are unknown.

* * *

Hey Internet, 

I've wanted to paint this model, exactly like this, for ages. 

I have, as you have hopefully cottoned on to, painted him up as a Victorian version of the bounty-hunter (and all round 'bad-ass') Boba Fett from Star Wars franchise. 

All the characters in the Tsar War's project are supposed to be analogues rather than 'steampunk versions', so the model has been left nice and low-key...you know....rather than glueing random cogs to it.

I just went with a thematically appropriate colour palate: Green Armour, Red 'T-shape' visor, drab underclothes, yellow shoulder pads. 

I also gave him Moroccan Red Leather gloves, as I wanted to reference the original colours as much as I could, but red cuffs did not 'look right' on the model. I know this looks kind of goofy, but I rather like the idea that he puts on his exorbitantly expensive gloves as he steams off in SS Slave I.

Only took one evening to paint up and I really rather enjoyed doing it. First model that I've done in a little while that I've felt happy with once finished. I usually have a gnawing feeling that what I have painted 'could have been better' or that I 'could have done something differently', but for once I actually feel good about something. So, Yeah!

The Model is a Immortal Battalion PLP-159 Rifleman Eglinton by Artizan Designs. 

The model is a great sculpt with a really nice design and concept, that is sculpted and cast to a high standard. I ordered it though North Star, who supplied it swiftly and without problem, as they always have done in the past.

What do you think?

MM.

Some photos at strange angles

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +58       Painted: +37          Total: -22