The Lead Tally

Hey Internet, 

Just a quick one. As part of my ongoing effort to encourage myself to paint more regularly and to stop hoarding Lead I introduce "The Lead Tally". 

I've seen plenty of other people doing the same thing on Forums and Blogs all over the internet. Seems like a good sort of thing to do. I'll just add it as a footnote on all my posts from now on. 

Because I used to work Freelance and have yet to break the mentality, I will start the clock running from April First.

MM.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +0       Painted: +0          Total: +0

6mm Bases

Hey Internet,

Just some quick photos today. I decided to base my 6mm figures in an effort to make them a little more sturdy and less prone to barrel-bending.

I've gone for a part-dirt, part-urban rubble base so that models can blend in whether the model is on in the open or in a built up area. I've let the grey dry-brushing spread around the piles of rubble to simulate dust.

I'm pretty happy with how the bases look, but I'm after a few second opinions before I set about basing a hundred or so miniatures in this style.

MM.

Kaiju One: Sandalphon, The Angel of Music

Hey Internet,

Been looking forward to this one - my first Kaiju. Its been a very long time since I last tackled a model of this size, but I've had a really good time getting it done. Do tell me what you think.

"Hey....you dont play Warmachines/Hordes...and your not supposed to start any new projects this year!?!" I hear you say...

Ha! I've not! (On a technicality)

I have stumbled into Warmachine and Hordes by accident more than anything. After much shopping around, I decided that I wanted some of elves for my 'Of Gods and Mortals' project, and that I would rather fancy some land-shark Kaiju for my 6mm 'Kill the Kaiju' games.

When I went to buy them I did not actually know both were made by Privateer Press. In fact, it turned out that they were both in the same faction, 'The Legion of Everblight'!

A fair few of my friends from my local gaming club play Warmachine/Hordes, so I thought I may as well join in as I had the models...

The Model...
The model itself is a 'Legion of Everblight ' made by Privateer Press for there 'Hordes' game.

I've never had a model from Priveteer Press before, but I must admit that I am most impressed. I got the model as part of the two player starter set that I split with a friend, meaning that I ended up paying only £30 for this big beasty, four smaller land-sharks, an eleven lady with a bow and five really nice trolls. By whatever metric you use, that has to go down as great value for money.

The models are made of plastic, and as anyone who has read my blog before will know, I'm not all too fond of plastic. However, I have to admit that I'd have rather have had everything in metal, but given the price and quality I'm not going to grumble on any further on the matter.

The castings are really crisp, sharp and have plenty of detail, but also have plenty in the way of flash that you have to clean up (like all plastic kits....).

However, the model went together without any bother whatsoever. In fact, PP deserve a commendation for the put-together-ability of their kit. Each component has an individually matched male and female joint that made construction a breeze. I had to do a little filling to plug some small gaps, but pinning together a metal model of this size would have taken hours, whereas in all I must have got this one ready for priming in less than an three hours, including gap-filling and cleaning up the flash and mould lines, without breaking a sweat (or swearing loudly, gluing my figures together, drawing blood....ect)

Painting...
I've decided to paint up each of my Kaiju in different colours rather than do them all with a single palate.

I went with a blue and black with pink bits for this one, and am rather happy with how it turned out. I approached this model with far more hesitation than usual on account of its size, but once I got round to it I painted the thing in just one evening.

I've done the base in the same way that I do my 6mm bases as it will primarily be used for 'Kill the Kaiju games.

Tokyo was not built in a day

Hey all,

This week I've made a start on a small city. Not a big start by any means, just three buildings, but a start all the same. After a little bit of experimenting with wibbly-wobbly paper buildings, I decided that it would be better to just bite the bullet and make my city out of good 'ol resin. However, this is going to cost a bucket-load, so I'm going to chip away on this project a little bit at a time with the plan to make a decent 3'x3' urban layout by the end of the year.

The two smaller buildings are by Scotia and the larger one is by Battletech.

I make a point of not doing 'bad reviews' on this blog out of common courtesy, but recently I ordered a fair few Scotia buildings, after being impressed by their low price and decent looking quality. However, when I got them I was less than pleased. Most of them were not terrible models, but were terribly cast, with nasty flash obscuring their detail, and the bottoms on many of them being 'hollow', as if they had not quite pored enough resin into the mold when they were being cast.

In fact, for the first time ever, I asked for my money back for a few of the buildings that were so bad that I just couldn't see any way of using them!

In a similar trend, the Battletech building was also badly cast, with the same 'hollow bottom' problem that the Scotia buildings had. I've had some Battletech buildings before (that I irritatingly got rid of a few months ago, before starting this project) that were superbly cast with almost nothing in the way of air-bubbles or flash.

I did not buy either variety of building direct from the manufacturer, and what with the bad castings, I am more than a little suspicious that they might be poor quality re-casts, rather than the genuine articles....

In better news, I also painted up a Federation 'Long-Track' AT-T mobile radar recently. Its a GHQ model, and as with everything I've had from them recently, its nothing less than a miniature work of art.

Better luck next time, eh?

MM.

Type-74 Tanks (GHQ)

Hey Internet,

I've done a thing again.

This time its a few NPCs for my 'Monster Movie' games - a couple of 'Type-74' tanks, the mainstay of the Japanese Self Defence Force's armoured corps.

The models are actually AMX-30s (French MBTs), but they look sort of like a Japanese 'Type-74' tanks - well, at least close enough for me not to care. All the important elements are there; the boxy Infa-Red spotlight to the left of the main gun, the rounded turret and the basic dimensions all match the '74 quite well.

These models are by GHQ, and like just about everything that company makes they are nothing less than tiny works of art. The detail on these things is fantastic, easily equal too or better than that on many of my 15mm tanks.

Annoyingly, two of the copulas are missing machine-guns because they were not cast properly. I'm sure that no one would have noticed the missing square-millimetre if I hadn't mentioned it, but its really bugging me that these models are anything less than perfect.

Odin Goldsmith

Hey Internet,

You know when you just have a model on your painting table forever? I think that this one must have been waiting patiently at the back of my desk for the better part of two years - he's Odin Goldsmith, part of the Anima Tactics miniatures range.

I had great fun painting this one up. It was real easy - nothing more than a bit of dry-brushing followed by a good few ink washes and glazes. I felt that the model was really lacking something right at the end of painting it, so decided to add a light purple 'glowing eye-slit' effect to introduce a colour other than green into the frey. I think it looks far better for having done it, but cant escape feeling that it looks a little forced.



I've not especially painted this model up to use as anything in particular, but there are many roles he may well take on. I've based him up like my 'Of Gods and Mortals' collection, mostly because this is my only 'Fantasy' Model Collection. I can see him fitting in well in a game of OGaM though, perhaps as a Jötunn or as any one of a number of Æsir. I've also strayed into the game Warmachine & Hordes recently, and as I don't really care for any of my chosen factions 'Warlocks', so he might well fit the bill for that project.


At just a little over 40mm tall, this model would  make a nice God, particularly with the glowing eyes.



A scale comparison with a 28mm figure.

Mobile Base Command

Hey Internet,

I've not been feeling all-too-hot for the last two weeks, so I've not been getting much done on the hobby front. I actually painted these a few weeks back, but never got round to posting them.

This is 'Mobile Base Command' - a state of-the-art mobile command post belonging to the Self-Defence forces. Packed with high-ranking military personnel and the worlds leading monsterologists, it can drive precariously close to the front line to provide command and scientific support, as well as added jeopardy.

In 'Savage Worlds' Mobile Base Command has some good command effects to help keep his allies in the fight, as well as a jury-rigged 'Sonic Beam' weapon that can be fired from the radar dish to confound and confuse rampaging Kaiju.

The model is a Battletech one, although I cannot recall it's name. Its a very nice casting, but the sculpt itself is a little weird - the details are sharp, but the basic shapes are sort of wonky.

I cant remember what these little thingies are called - they are modern American transports of some kind. The models are by Heroics & Ross, and while not the best sculpts in the world I think they look kind of all-right.