Hellboy and Captain Alatriste

Earlier this week I finished the Hellboy novel The Ice Wolves by Mark Chadbourn and have just started The Captain Alatriste book The Sun over Breda.

I found the Hellboy book slow going at first but it developed into a fine story, typically Hellboy but with some interesting twists. I would recommend it as a simple horror/fun read - not too taxing but one that moves along at a fair pace. Without giving away to much of the story, it does flit around a bit.

The Sun over Breda is book three of the Captain Alatriste series by Arturo Perez-Reverte following on from Captain Alatriste and Purity of Blood. Each of the previous books have been jolly good yarns - or typical Boys Own Adventures. Great summer reads. I'm looking forward to completing The Sun over Breda.

Full details are;
Hellboy - the Ice Wolves by Mark Chadbourn
Published by Dark Horse Books
ISBN 978 1- 59582-205-5
List price $12.95, but picked up for 99p (buy1 get 1 free from The Works)

The Sun over Breda - Captain Alatriste Adventure
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN 978 0 297 84864 6
List price £9.99 (hardback) but bought for just £1.00 in a remainders book store

Tony

Glasgee Lowland Rats - part four

A real quicky. Here is the painted banner for the Glasgee Lowland Rats. Painted on to sticky labels paper and drawn in pencil before being painted in acrylics.

The design is loosely based on a similar flag painted by Fog Soldiers, with the background of the flag of St Andrew. The two Scottish thistles are a little bit of artistic licence while the central scull motif is from a GW Tank transfer sheet highlighter with acrylic paint.

I have no idea what to write as a legend so have just added some rough letters/markings.

The flag will be cut to size before glueing to the standard pole and a thin sheet of tomato purée tube will be sandwiched in between the two images to give the flag some body.

The flag will be added once the miniatures are gloss varnished.

Tony

Glasgee Lowland Rats - part three

Progress on my latest Pledge, the Glasgee Lowland Rats is moving forward, with most of the painting now completed.

Photos One and Two - The fur has been drybrushed with Charred Brown mixed with a little Snakebite Leather and Bloody Red. The eyes are Red Gore with a pinprick of Bloody Red, while the muzzles and teeth are Snakebite Leather highlighted with Skull White.

Photos Three and Four - Show the tartan, which was built-up over a dark green base, stripped with blue and then criss-crossed with grey (not white as this would have been too bright) and finally the gaps were touched-in with red.

The small areas of red tunic were painted Bloody Red over Red Gore. There isn't that much red uniform to see on this group.

Photo Five - The white areas (there are a lot) are first painted grey - Stonewall Grey from Vallejo.

Photos Six and Seven - The White areas are now painted Skull White, leaving some of the Stonewall Grey to show through. I have also painted the drum body Blue and added some detail to the bonnet bands.

Photos Eight and Nine - More detailing. The gaiters were painted Stonewall Grey and then highlighted with Skull White. The stocking tops were painted Red Gore and then Bloody Red and the tartan detailing (and bonnet feather) - Stonewall Grey highlighted with Skull White.

As stated earlier the whole group is moving forward very quickly. I think this is down to the fact that these models are such fantastic sculpts and because of this have a huge amount of character making the miniatures a joy to paint.

More to follow.

Tony

Salute 2012, My Thoughts - part three

Part three has photos of a number of Victorian Science Fiction games and models. I enjoy building similar models to a scale of 1/300th or 6mm and am always on the look-out for suitable inspiration. The Japanese on Mars game was full of fantastic scratch-built and converted models. This little Japanese flyer/nef is just what I mean.

Tony

Games Expo 2012 - Birmingham, UK

Games Expo 2012 is being held later this month at The Clarendon Suite, Birmingham, UK.  I have attended this show for the last couple of years and can recommend it as a great day out. The event showcases a number of new board games and allows the adventurous gamer to try them out. It also hosts a number of tournaments as well as having an array of trade stands for you to spend your money at.

It is my intention to be there on the Sunday and I will be wearing my Dampfpanzerwagon T Shirt/Poloshirt so if you see me, make yourself known.

Full details are;
UK Games Expo 2012
The Clarendon Suite
Stirling Road (off Hagley Road)
Edgebaston
Birmingham
B16 9SB

Friday 25th (Gaming only - no exhibition)
Saturday 26th
Sunday 27th

Tony

Blogging - An open letter to my followers/readers

Since January 2012, I have set myself the challenge of finishing at least 10 groups of miniatures before the end of the year. Miniatures that have patiently waited on my to-do list for some considerable time. The inspiration for this self-imposed goal was seeing The Lead Adventure Painting League that sets painters a similar challenge of producing 10 groups of figures, but in ten weeks. (If any reader/follower is not aware of this competition, I would recommend that they check out this link).

Since February I have successfully finished The Battenburger Dwarves, The Gingerbread Set as well as Bombardier Bedford and the 1st The Moldsk Guard. I am currently working on The Lowland Rats (see earlier posts). However the challenge has had an unexpected and I feel detrimental effect on my other modelling projects.

As well as producing a couple of specialised modelling and painting articles for publication later this year and working on a number of gaming masters I have found that The Pledge has become too overpowering. I will explain. In the past I would try to produce at least one Masterclass Modelling article a month for Barking Irons Online. So far this has worked. However these articles take time and I have noticed that I have not had the time to produce one this month (don't worry as there is a natural stock pile so there will be one published this month and next, but this is not the point. I just don't have the time to produce new ones).

Secondly, Craig Andrews at BIO is also starting a new feature to run alongside the Modelling Masterclasses in which he features 'how to paint' articles - the first was uploaded this week on BOI, see this link. The problem. These new articles tend to repeat what I produce in my Pledge articles and have the disadvantage that once published here on this Blog, cannot (actually should not is a better term) be repeated on BIO.

I hope that I am explaining it clearly - the fact is I enjoy writing for Craig, seeing the articles published and then highlighting them here on this Blog. With The Pledge, I am competing with Craig and BIO, not having the time to produce NEW Masterclass Modelling articles and although enjoying the miniature painting, just don't have the time to promise that all 10 Pledge articles will be completed - actually even started!

My personality is one that if I say I am going to do something, then I will do it. The Pledge is putting this at risk and as I also feel that I have a responsibility to my followers, I am (with great regret) now saying that the full 10 articles in a year may not be fulfilled.

I enjoy my Blogging and as well as part-time work and producing masters for a number of companies but I still want to model and paint for myself, possibly without the pressure of feeling that I have let anyone down.

There you have it - a very long post - an apology which I hope will be accepted in the right way and although I expect that most Pledge projects will actually be finished (and on time) there may not be TEN.

Just so I am clear and not rambling-on. The Blog will continue, The articles for BIO will continue and I expect a couple more Pledge articles will be posted here. What I am no longer able to promise is that all ten regiments/groups will be completed in the planned deadline.

I hope to be able to give details of a couple more published articles later this year. I am currently working on two which will hopefully be finished very soon and I would love to start and finish a couple more terrain pieces for me - just for the fun of it. My current sketchbook is just crammed packed with loads of inspirational scribbles.

Finally, I want to thank all the readers (followers and modellers who just pop by for a browse) for the support they have given me and this Blog - Thank you.

Tony

Kyngs Own Royal (Home) Guard

Way back in October 2010, I entered a competition sponsored by Alternative Armies and featuring a group of 'Fencibles' or blister 54031. Full details have been posted here on this post and this post. While information about the miniatures can be found here.

Craig Andrews at Barking Irons Online has just posted this link giving more information on the conversions and the painting. The article was written by me in 2010, just after the competition results had been announced and gives some additional background to the Kyngs Own Royal (Home) Guard.

It has been such a long time since I wrote this piece that I had forgotten all about it. It is therefore even more satisfying to eventually see it in print. I hope that you enjoy it. Craig has hinted that this will be the first of a series of similar articles on painting Flintloque miniatures.

I am sure that there are also links to the other entries and I will try and find these links over the next couple of days.

Tony