More modern Russians

To complete my troika, here are Eureka's 15mm Russians with Sphera (Spaceball) helmets (earlier posts here and here). I painted these the same as my first batch.

The miniatures are mostly the same, except for the helmets. There's a new pose for the prone PK MG, a new RPG-22 pose, and the RPG-7 gunners don't have the rocket-carrying backpacks.

All in all, a superb range: fine detailing and casting, realistic poses, and a large variety of figures and equipment, all filling a gap in the market. My only complaints are the absence of RPK LMGs, and a relative paucity of officer/ NCO figures.

Facelift!

As I discussed a few weeks ago, it's time for a new header image. What do you think?

Old and busted

New hotness!

Dark Ages

In 2013 I'm looking into working on my 'Saga' forces. I've been using dismounted Rohirrim as proxy Anglo-Danes and this has to change. I'm also going to get a Viking force- for me, Viking raids are what the Dark Ages are all about. And those Conquest Normans are so neat. And then there's the Welsh...

4 Saga Points of Anglo-Danes. Not Rohan, no sir.

I'm really waiting to see what Gripping Beast will do with their generic unarmoured warrior plastic kit rumoured to be coming in April, but here are some trials using GB plastics:

Anglo-Dane Hearthguard with Dane axes

Viking Hearthguard

Viking Hearthguard

I really like the GB plastic figures. I'm making plastic warlords for both factions, and banner bearers. I decided to go with slottabases (rather than the flat discs which are in vogue) to match my other 28mm stuff.

I'll go into more how-to detail later in the year when I get more figures, but as you can see I've gone for some aesthetic choices with my factions. Limited colour palettes, organic vs. geometric shield patterns, and somewhat muted tones and battle damage.

Russian counter-terror troops

Spurred by the imminent arrival of their Chechens, here are more of Eureka's modern Russian Federals, painted as an internal security unit. (Check out my earlier modern Russians here.)

There's no historical support for these paint-schemes and they're not based on any particular unit or time, but they look 'kewl'. The helmet is the Maska-1Sch. I gave the weapons wooden stocks so they would stand out a little more.

AK

AK with grenade launcher

PK MG

RPG-22

Here's a photo-dump of pics I used as inspiration and reference (Google Images is my friend):

Who knows what battle-hardened visages are hidden under that fearsome armour plating?

 Edit: Here's a pic of the boys in action:

Lords of Middle Earth

It's been a little quiet on WwB recently, but now I'm looking forwards to a few days off to paint, game, and generally recharge my batteries.

I recently received Lords of Middle Earth, the expansion to War of the Ring. I quickly painted the (somewhat uninspiring) figures to match my (if I say so myself) marathon effort earlier in the year.

Aragorn, Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond

Witch King, Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, Balrog

Still, better painted than unpainted. They'll add to the game, because the one thing that WotR needs is more decisions (sarcasm smiley goes here).

I also picked up Treebeard via the BoardGameGeek store.

We're a rescue team, not assassins

Another change of pace…

We move, five metre spread, no sound.

Dillon, you son of a bitch!

Old Painless is waiting...

Anytime...

What the hell are you?

The more I see Predator, the more I love it. The Scene’sUS SF were another impulse purchase, perfectly matched by Khurasan’s VacationAlien.

I did enjoy Predators; I thought it paid suitable homage to the original without being cheesy like the AvP films were. I’d like to see a figure range to complement Predators.

As a treat, here’s a very catchy musical:

Defenders of The Shire

Here they are, after several years of languishing and a few weeks of painting: my hobbits. On the one hand, I really look forwards to having a game with these little chaps, but on the other hand, every death will be an epic tragedy...

Here's what I painted this month:

Everyone except Bullroarer

Bullroarer, Fatty Bolger, Bullroarer again, Farmer Maggot, Paladin Took

Shirriffs

Archers and horn-blower

Militia

Here's my entire Shire Defender force with the eight archers I'd painted a few years ago, and Farmer Maggot's dogs. Not a 'legal' force if you're into that sort of thing. (Q: Why no Bullroarer? A: He's been dead 250 years!)

Farmer Maggot with Grip, Fang, and Wolf.

(Farmer Maggot drew the short straw when they were giving out twee hobbit names.)

"Don't trust black dogs with orange eyebrows"- Terry Pratchett.

And here's a special guest: Golfimbul meets Bandobras 'Bullroarer' Took and is about to be introduced to the civilised game of golf...

Well, thanks for following me on this month-long journey. I did enjoy painting this likeable and characterful force. I've needed your support and a deadline to get this project completed. Unfortunately, I didn't get any work done on my hobbit holes, and I really should prioritise them now.