Oldhammer undead - early 90s skeletons, wights and Vampire Lord

The terror is real this weekend as I sit upon a grizzly chair, in a horrifying room, surrounded by the most dreadful creatures of the night ever cast in lead - yep, it must be some classic undead fresh from the painting table! 

These guys have been a real treat to work on - there's a lot of character in these old models - I've painted them to match my Vampire Counts, which I've been working on revamping (unintentional undead pun), for about 2 years alongside many other fantasy projects. 

For some reason, I really love Wights! Something about those dorky helmets and overblown armour just screams 80s metal album cover art. The old wraith isn't far behind. I painted him I the early 90s style with a bright robe and some patterning like the good old days. I also added red for the weapon shafts for thrse models as it's a nice way to get a nostalgic splash of colour on there. 

The models were actually given to me by my bother who was recently gifted a treasure-trove of old models from someone looking to given them a good home. These guys have been restored and will soon be headed to the battlefield again, so will be seeing action the way they were intended in plenty of games of old fantasy.

While working on these guys, I also dug out one of my personal favorite models of the era - my old Vampire Lord. He was always my general in the 90s Vampire Counts army and has seen so much play, I can't even begin to recount it. Multiple games a week for a good few years. During that time, he killed thousands - probably the most blood drenched model I have in the entire collection. In fact, when I striped him for painting, the metal underneath was tarnished a dark black that cloud never be restored - which I'm taking as evidence of his dark and naughty history! 

Anyway, here he is all back in shape and ready for action. Many years ago, he always was equipped with the Frost Blade and Carstein Ring, so in honour of that, I've painted his sword in a magical icy blue. It's not the best photo I could do, but everything is packed away for an impending house move, so the light is what it is and his Cape is a bit obscured.

To top it off for some rare warhammer stuff, these photos are shot in the proper citadel graveyard that I bought to go with the army when I built them back in about 2000 maybe. Up next is hopefully the Black coach and some Grave Guard with halberds. 

These old skeletons are great though - all armoured as well. They go back a long way - some time in the 80s and long out of print before I ever started I  the hobby, which is rare to find. I just wish I could get my hands on a few more to fill up the unit! 

 

Warhammer Empire - Averland Army

Continuing the army showcases, today we have my old Empire army. This force has come together in quite interesting ways, as Empire models are now incredibly expensive to get hold of, so I had to be a bit cunning about waht to buy. Some models are still available from Games Workshop as they have been amalgamated into Age of Sigmar's free cities, so the Helblaster was easy to find, but most other things took a bit of effort. Handily, I was given a load of old Battlemasters models. I hadn't actually heard of Battlemasters before last year's forray into old fantasy. Essentially it's an old board game made with GW intellectual property that featured a range of pretty good plastic sculpts. In this army, the halberdiers, kinghts and crossbowmen are all Battlemasters sculpts.

I remember when the first pikes came out for Dogs of War when I was younger and how exciting it was to have a new weapon in the game. If you're not familiar with old fantasy, it would probably seem strange to think that at the time there were about a dozen weapons in the game shared between all armies (two hand weapons, hand weapons, double handed weapons, spears, halberds), so something new was really exciting. The pike regiment are Landsknechts by Warlord Games. I'm really impresed with the models, and I've been using them as an allied in regiment in games using the dogs of war rules. Pikes are mean too - fighting with 4 ranks is brutal when it's not uncommon for a unit to attack with only one rank. Actually, the pikes do have an interesting thing in there - my first paper bnner in a very long time! It turns out that the secret is to varnish the paper a few times before you start painting to stop it from curling up. 

The crossbows from the Battlemasters set are pretty good, but their bows have very triangular ends, so I shaved down the bow part to make them look better. Their faces are a bit lacking in detail too, but they do the job, and I like the feathers.

Handguns (below) are from the 6th edition box set. I'm not really a fan of the more modern plastics as I think the proportions for these guys are better. Handguns are a real mixed bag in old fantasy, as they only fire every other turn. With 2 ranks, you can fire them every turn by slowly rolling them forward, so a rank shoot each turn. In theory, I still think they're pretty shite, but being as they decimated a whole unit of Orcs in their first game, I can't complain too much. 

There are a few metal characters in the force - with a Knights Panther Grandmaster model being used as my general, metal wizard (below) and a Reiksguard captain leading the halberdiers. I was happy with the patterning on the Wizard's barding. I've done some patterning and stripes throughout the force and have been quite happy with the results. It's a lot of work though as I'm painting the yellow over a black undercoat. My one tip is that Balor Brown makes a good base for yellow as there's nothing brown about it and it's basically Averland Sunset, but is easier to apply!

I think the army is at about 1200 points so far, but 1500 is pretty close, as my planned list involves adding a great cannon and Outriders, all of which are built and 2 outriders are already finished. There's also a Steam Tank in the works. 

 

2021 in review - I painted 387 models!

Despite a distinct lack of posting on the Blog, it's actually been an incredibly productive year for me. More than any year I can remember, I could completely track my progress as I finished my first oldhammer Bretonnian Knight on 4th January 2021. Throughout the year, I made a huge comeback to Warhamer Fantasy with multiple armies in the works and models both old and new on the painting table. What you see is the result of all this effort - with several sizeable forces at good levels of completion. 

I got everything together on one table for photos and I have to say, I honestly don't know if I should be proud or scared. One thing I will say, is that 2021 was the year I completely mastered batch painting - often producing full 20 man units over a few days. It was also a year with a lot of time on lock down, although as I work in an essential role, I was still working full time through the whole pandemic. Despite that, I still struggled to get everything in shot. I did take individual army photos, so I'll post the armies properly later, but here's some shots: 

I also built and painted all of the terrain too!

I actually wasn't sure what the final numbers would be like as it was easy to lose track. If I was guessing, I would have said 200 models, not 387. That's including dragons, chariots and anything sharing a single base as one model, so there was no fiddling the figures! 

To break things down in the count, here's the list, with a rough idea of the points value in 5th Edition Fantasy (without magic items):

Skaven: 95 models complete - around 1500 - 2000 points depending on characters included.

Empire: 57 models complete, about 1250 points

Vampire Counts: 80 models, around 1250 points complete

Bretonnia: 17 models

Lizardmen: 37 models, Over 800 points complete

Orcs and Goblins: 31 models, 600 points complete with some extra models. 

Dark Elves: 25 models, 500 points complete plus Black Dragon 

Nippon: 23 models, 500 point army complete

Beastmen (still work in progress): 12 models

Total: 377 models complete in 2021! 

Oh, and aside from Warhammer, I painted Megumin from Konosuba by Klukva miniatures which makes the actual total 378...

Bretonnian 500 Point Army Showcase

 

So, a few weeks ago, I posted a few photos of my finished 5th Edition Lizardmen force. I did mention that I'd also done a matching Bretonnian force - and here they are in all their splendor! I got all the scenery out lately for photos, so more pictures of some of my old fantasy stuff should be inbound soon.

These guys and me go way back. In fact, they live in constant terror that my childhood self may return to abuse them once more. Luckily for the men of Bretonnia, I felt guilty for my past transgressions and in some kind of lockdown-induced haze, I decided it would be a good idea to finally get them back in fighting order. Many repairs and paint strippings were had by all and this force is the final result.

For those that don't remember or weren't there, these guys were part of the original box-set for Warhammer 5th edition that featured armies of Lizardmen and Bretonnia clashing over what appeared to be a tower, shack and barn. Anyway, they're ready for war once more and I even sourced a metal sorceress to back them up.

The sorceress model was always a very good sculpt, and it's nice to say that time hasn't been terrible for her. For the army, I wanted to capture a bit of the crazed mult-tone that characterized old Bretonnia so they have a few different colours, but yellow, blue and red feature quite prominently. I painted the knights with their own heraldry each. 

I also had a go at photographing a battle scene for them with a few skeletons that were marauding nearby. I just hope that isn't a Vampire Lord at the back, or those knights are toast...

Actually, I didn't have a general model, so I had to convert one (seen at the front of the lance formation) by using a knight and adding a cape and head swap. He came out pretty good in the end. The whole force is pictured below - complete with 10 archers. 

This project is now complete - I basically just ran out of models to be honest! I do have some more knights and archers, but I never collected Bretonnia at the time and getting any of the metals now is just painfully expensive. I actually finished this force before the Lizardmen, and I have plenty more of them to be getting on with (Including a Stegadon for Monster March ... hopefully)

Speaking of Lizardmen, am I the only one that thought that was an odd pairing - they're basically from other sides of the old world and have very little possible reason to ever cross paths. Here's one more classic-style battle photo for the road - 

A Bretonnian hunting party is ambushed by Lizardmen after straying too close to a concealed temple-city

The Captain's Log Returns - Oldhammer Lizardmen Project Begins

When I first started this blog, I often had odd editorial's filed under the "Captain's Log" tag. As time has gone by, I've dropped a lot of the odd little articles that I used to do, some more due to a lack of time than anything else. Some I'll bring back with time (my terrible fiction will never die!), but it seemed a fitting title to use for this little snippet.

There have been a few years that I've considered entering one of GW's Golden Demon competitions, but I never really had a project in mind. I'm a good painter for sure, but I'm not really up to the standard of those people who spend their whole hobby in search of painting perfection and spend hundreds of hours on every model. The truth is that I don't have the stomach for it, and I've got  enough other things to be getting on with that I don't have that kind of time. With that in mind, my chances of winning anything are pretty low.

That said, it's one of those things that I'd enjoy doing, and would be a great place to test some techniques and work on some skills. I've often thought that it would make more sense to enter something that was more of a personal project - something I'd create to own and enjoy.

So, a few days ago, I got to thinking about my first army - 1990s Lizardmen. I've wanted to revisit them for a whole long time, and to have a go at stripping and re-painting some of the most characterful miniatures of the day. I know that most people probably have no recollection of what the sculpts even looked like back then, but a lot of the metal models were actually really nicely formed and had a lot of character. They'd also make a great palette for experimenting with bright tropical colours and jungle flora, which is something I've never done.

I also absolutely loved the diorama that was made for the Armies Book in 1997. As a kid, I spent what probably amounted to weeks of my life staring at pictures of that thing. It was just amazing at that time, and I recently had the chance to see it in person at Warhammer World too. I started thinking about the 40k Shadowsword that I painted, which was sort of a childhood dream since Epic came out, and I thought - why not really live the dream?

As most people don't remember the models of the time, here's a picture of that famous Diorama featuring them. 

Taking the basic idea, I thought that I'd have a go at making a prehistoric (get it, because they're so old) Lizardman diorama. Something like a jungle scene - a rocky temple backdrop for 2 sides of a base with a sort of central pond. Maybe a waterfall. My old Slann could be relaxing in a temple thing with a view of some type of fish hunting going on below. The idea would be relaxation, they've earned their retirement by now and deserve to enjoy it! I've got pretty much every model from the generation, so a Terradon sailing by somewhere in there, and a submerged Salamander would be easy enough. I'll probably add a bit of a sub plot in with some baddies sneaking up, but I'm still working on that part.

So, earlier today, I clambered through the darkest cupboard of doom. After being assailed on all sides by forgotten childhood memories, Goosebumps books and an old Nirvana cassette tape that nearly bludgeoned me to death; I finally reached my prize. A big box of ancient Lizardmen!

Upon opening the box, perhaps because of the bludgeoning, I became almost convinced that I was in an episode of American Pickers. Yep, I was junk drunk and surrounded by rusty gold. It had the patina, and the price was irresistible!

Oldhammer for the Oldhammer God! I won't be able to use everything, but I wanted plenty of options!

Anyway, I grabbed a bunch of the good stuff and prepped it for stripping. What happens next, who knows, who cares, but at the very least, I expect to enjoy painting a few very deserving models. With any luck plans will work out and I'll get a cool piece I can keep and display with all my favourite childhood models in it - and that'll be pretty priceless. I might even put in a few in-jokes (that Slann needs his Forbidden Rod and Amber Amulet combo for sure!). If it goes well, I'll enter it in Golden Demon just to put a smile on some faces that remember the good old days.

Original metal skinks! Collect the whole set. I know I did!

In some ways, these are the models that I owe a lifetime of fun to. They had hundreds of battles back in the day; probably thousands. I think it's time they retired with the full battle honours they deserve!

Necromunda Escher Paint Scheme - Test Miniatures

I've been making some good progress on the Escher gang this week, and today I'm presenting the first finished miniatures. I actually meant to post this article when I finished the first one, but as I was a day or two late, I finished a second one! At this rate the gang will be ready to fight in no time!

For the colour scheme, I really wanted to evoke the classic look that Necromunda always had; with bright colours and patterns. I'd always fancied having a go at paining an army "2nd edition" style, so the gang was a great chance to take a trip down memory lane without having to commit to it as permanently as painting a whole army would've been (I think  have enough armies at this point too...).

It seems that the classic colours for Escher gangers tended to be yellow, so I wanted to work that in there. I've also gone with bright blue and some reds (especially on the weapons) to get that old skool primary colour mash-up going on. I've done a few areas with hazard striping too as it is classic, and not that hard really. I got a lot of practice in on the technique while I was painting my genestealer cult.

Vertical striped leg? I don't know if I'll be attempting that again soon. I do like the green hair ends though.

The old miniatures stand up pretty well considering that they're about 20 years old! I think the original game had great styling for the time, and the proportions are pretty decent. When I think back on the old mono-pose plastics that I used to collect compared to these, I really have to ask myself why I didn't buy more Necromunda at the time.

Hazardous!

The pictures could be a bit better, but I really wanted to get these up on the blog before I painted any more of them. Hopefully they'll be facing off with Ed's Goliaths soon!

Necromunda Escher Gang - The Build

I'd like to say that I've had these sitting around for the last 20 years waiting for the new edition of Necromunda. Unfortunately, that dubious honour goes to some guy that I bought them off of on eBay. I was fortunate enough to get a decent deal though, as with the announcement of the new version of what most people had assumed was a long dead game the prices have skyrocketed.

I was involved in the hobby in the 90s when Necromunda was a thing, but as a penniless kidd, I couldn't afford to play more than one game, which at the time was Warhammer Fantasy. Still, I've always had fond memories of Necromunda, so I was excited to hear about the new version of the game. I do have a few Necromunda figures in my collection, but no actual gangs as they were mostly bitts I bought from the old mail order system because I liked them - like the old Ash Wastes gang sniper. Good times.

Rather than my usual backing, I'm using an old video cassette. I wanted to use something as old as the miniatures!

Anyway, I got to talking to my brother (Ed from the BERSERKERBLADE blog) and we talked about splitting the new box game for Christmas; which should be cool. To add an extra level of fun, we thought we would try and get a head start by scrounging together a few old models, or building a few new ones, so that hopefully we'll have a small force ready to deploy on the day.

I know that Ed will be converting some Goliaths using some chunky Bloodbound warriors (I've given him some cool bits to work with, so I'll be excited to see what he comes up with). Unfortunately, finding modern analogues for Escher gangers was a lot harder, and after a bit of searching I decided to stick with the originals.

Today, I'm presenting the first wave of posts about this project. I've got the miniatures together and ready for paint. In the end, I had to do a few conversions in order to repair some damage; such as the chainsword that I added in place of a missing sword blade or the shotgun ganger that I had 2 of, so I've swapped it for a lasgun and modified the head.. It still seems strange that in the original game they used to encourage conversion as your characters developed. With fully metal models and separate sprues of guns, you have to wonder what kind of maniac would even attempt it!

Paint-wise, I'm looking to combine some modern and traditional techniques; with plenty of hazard stripes, cheques, black flames and patterns. We'll see how that goes, but if I can, I'll try to put some tutorials together to help people with their own projects. If I'm feeling brave, I might even try my hand at some tattoos. After all, it isn't really Necromunda without a few bright colours and some throwback styling!