Painting is Only Half the Job...

I've been working away like a mad man this weekend, modelling like there is no tomorrow in between various domestic tasks and projects. One of the major jobs completed was the basing for two Armoured Rifle Platoons and HQ for my Flames of War (Late War) US Armoured Company. I'll post some pics to back up this post when the light is better for shooting.
All that painting and basing means I had a lot of time to think, keeping the mind busy while the hands were at work. That brings me to my point: basing is just as important as painting, especially with smaller miniatres, say 15mm and under. To my mind there are a number of reasons this is the case. Here's the key ones from my perspective - feel free to add your own as comments.

Pimp It Up!
A miniature is a lot like a car. Anyone can own a plain old sedan but how many people do you know own a car with chrome mags, chop top, fully tricked block and leopard skin apolstery? Maybe that's an exaggeration but you get the point. Make an effort on the base and something ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.

Even better, effort invested in basing can compensate for average painting skills so if you're not the best painter in the world or you want your miniatures painted quickly then decent basing is the go.

Visual Drama
Every miniature's base is an opportunity to add to the drama of the model(s). A paint job says a lot about the model - who or what it is, where's its been before now and more. What it cannot do is put the model in context now. A base does that because it tells a story about where the model is at this very moment and what is happening around it. By chaning the basing style you can change the time, place, season, even the planet!

Decent Miniatures Deserve a Decent Base
You spent a lot of hard earned wonga on those models right? Hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Why would you skimp on the basing when you invest so much elsewhere? It's very easy to make an expensive, well painted model fade into the background with a dull or half finished base.

Basing is Cheap
The core materials for basing are glue, sticks, rocks, sand / plaster and paint. Most of that is either FREE or available at very little cost. All the natural stuff is right outside your door (assuming you live outside a city and even there you can hopefully find a park). The rest is mostly available in discount shops and hardware stores. As an example I use sample pots of paint for basing. One 250ml pot will last years, even at the rate I go through the stuff.

Basing is Easy
The hardest part of basing is the effort of doing it. The actual skills required are simple, easy to learn and can be executed quickly and in a production line method. Some people are a bit better at arranging figures and terrain on a base to reflect an interesting or realistic situation but anyone can space things out, balance materials vs. miniatures, etc.

Bring It All Together
Where there are dfferent units or miniatures in an army the basing is an opportunity to bring the whole force together. That leaves you room to experiment with different paint schemes between units without things looking like a mad woman's breakfast.

Ego Massage
Let's face it, one of the best parts of being a gamer is showing off that new toy to your mates. How much more impressed will they be when the base is every bit as good as the paint work? There's nothing more encouraging than compliments and every time you get one it will spur you on to even greater heights.

Vive la Difference
Unless you're lucky enough to be able to scuplt you're going to be stuck more or less with the same models everyone else has, me included. Even some conversion work or green stuff can only make your miniatures so much different from what everyone else can buy. Not so with basing. Your bases are entirely your own, bringing a uniqueness to your models. Every single base can be different in hundreds of ways from materials to composition.

And That's Enough...
I can think of a good few more reasons to base well - re-sale value, protection for the miniatures, simple enjoyment and more but that wil do for now. Hopefully if you've read this it will encourage you so make a bigger effort next time you're basing your miniatures. If you do get stuck in please leave a comment and a link so others can enjoy and get inspired. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Millsy

Confessions of a Myopic Procrastinator, Part the First

I'm not what you'd call an efficient painter of figures.

I never seem to have enough time to paint an army to completion these days, and as a result, I have a lot of half-completed armies lying around. The last army I completed was a Warhammer Empire army back in 2000 (now lost), and since then I've accumulated figures for various others without really settling on one particular target.

I'm too easily distracted, and by the time I get home from work, my energy levels are just about up to cooking dinner and sitting back with a good documentary or movie. And now I'm all out of excuses.

A few years back, I chanced upon the GW Ogre Kingdoms figs. I thought they're nice big figures, suitable for painting by a chap with failing eyesight, they're mostly plastics, so the price is kept down, and if by chance I ever get to play with them, I won't need a horde to make an army. Genius!

I began my army and got as far as a Tyrant, a couple of regiments of the big lads (6 and 4 figs respectively) and got started on some Gnoblars, whose tiny size meant that I was stuck at that stage for quite a while.

Well, what with the eyesight having deteriorated to the point where even Ogres were getting to be a big ask, and getting married, taking an overseas honeymoon, and setting up a new house together at long last with my lovely wife, the whole army thing kind of moved to the back burner. And yes, well-spotted, more excuses right there.

So a couple of months ago, I decided to get some new glasses. Multifocals are a revelation; my close vision is restored, so no more holding books at arm's length! Even better, I might be able to get started on the army once more...

So that's where I am now. The army as it stood a couple of weeks ago consisted of a Tyrant (Army general and pretty much the ultimate multi-wound combat monster when tooled up properly), 6 Bulls (standard Ogre footsloggers), and 4 Ironguts (heavies with 2-handed weapons).








This motley crew has now been joined by an overnight wonder, the Butcher. I was going for a look of ground-in dirt and blood on this guy, and I finished him from undercoat to this point in the course of a day. Clearly revelling in my new-found vision, I even gave him a couple of Gnoblar assistants.

I think he needs a little more work, most notably on the exposed skin, to give it a bit more highlighting. Needs to look a little more unhealthy, perhaps? We'll see how that goes further down the track...

Next project, the Gorger, an unbreakable killing machine who arrives after the battle has kicked off to take the enemy in the rear (cue Frankie Howerd leer).

This one isn't as straightforward as the Butcher (and he certainly needed a lot of putty gap-wise). The Gorger has a lot of flash, and in some awkward places. It's nearly impossible to shift without a drill, since the socket for the upper torso is almost completely blocked. You get the same problem with the arms and head, so there's a lot of cleanup work required before he's ready for assembly. Pinning is definitely on the menu as well, since I don't trust the way he's put together.

I hope this isn't an ongoing problem with Citadel's metal miniatures; their plastics have been improving all the time, but I'd hate to think they've dropped the ball with the bigger multi-part metal castings.

I'm probably going to be a while with this one...

HOTT "Friends of the Wild Wood"

Wow! Almost 4 months since my last post. I do have a pretty decent excuse though - I took the family on a 5 week UK holiday and had an absolutely brilliant time.

Since I've been back I've been doing a lot of clearing up and planning projects. All that is more or less completed for the time being, meaning can get back to actually turning out some stuff. I'm almost finished my first HOTT army - Friends of the Wild Wood. This will be a force of humans, hobbits, elves and hangers on, all dedicated to protecting the wild wood from nasty folks.

The starting list will be a full 24AP:
General (spears) x 1 - 2AP
Forestal (hero) x 1 - 4AP
Wizard (hero) x 1 - 4AP
Hobbit horse (riders) x 2 - 4AP
Elven bow (shooters) x 2 - 4AP
Satyrs (beasts) x 1 - 2AP
Ent (behemoth) x 1 - 4AP

I'm currently bidding on a cheap lot of plastic Wood Elf bows which will give me enough for 3 bases with a couple of extras. Today I finished off everything apart from the elven bow. Here's the army so far...

General
A bunch of very old Essex 25mm hobbits I bought when I was in my teens. These are amongst the first miniatures I ever bought and I've stripped and repainted them at least 3 times now including this time.

Forestal

Another old Essex fig from the same batch. He's meant to be a ranger but does well enough as a forestal, taking "gentle care" of the wood with his massive axe!

Wizard

Essex again, and much improved. He originally had a hideous grimacing disc-shaped top to his wand. Fortunately that "fell off" at some point. I've replaced it with a flame from my Mordheim bits box.

Hobbit horse

Some cheeky Essex hobbit riders and accompanying dog handlers.

Satyrs

Eureka Miniatures satyrs, bought recently to bring some variety to the army. Lovely miniatures and a doddle to paint up.

Ent

Finally my ent. Eureka Miniatures again and a really nice miniature, not to mention about the only half-decent priced ent I was able to find! He has a bit of an affro going on, maybe it's spring?

That's it for now. I'm keen to get these guys squared away so the elven bow will be straight onto the table assuming I win the auction. I've already started a second army - Eureka Miniatures Conquistadores - more of that later.

Cheers,
Millsy

The Sword and the Flame

I've been interested in colonial gaming, specifically British colonial gaming, for years. Some of my favourite films are The Four Feathers (1939), Khartoum, Zulu and Zulu Dawn. I'm fascinated by the idea of a few indomitable men battling relentless hordes of angry natives, desperately defending a dot on a map thousands of miles away from the heart of Empire and the Widow at Windsor.

Having just read Armies of God: Islam and Empire on the Nile, 1869-1899 I found I could no longer restrain myself so I finally caved in and bought The Sword and the Flame (TSATF) 20th Anniversary Edition by Larry V. Brom.

TSTAF have been the default rule set for colonial gaming since almost the dawn of time. The majority of gamers who play in this period start out with TSATF and a considerable proportion stay with them. Having now read the rules cover to cover I can see why. The rules are simple but not simplistic. They are clearly designed to produce a fast flowing, entertaining game where individuals take on a life of their own and perform heroic feats to be talked about years after the event. At only 15 or so A4 pages they will suit Friday nights where brain power is on the wain.

Once aspect of TSATF I particularly like is the departure from strict UGOIGO turn sequencing. Players draw cards from a deck and the card drawn determines which unit acts (from either side). Randomising the turns between individual units on each side means you cannot guarantee a certain unit will move and fire when you need it to. Desperate actions, last ditch defences, mad rushes and heroic charges are all possible.

I've started looking around at various lines of miniatures for the Sudan. At present I can't go past the Perry Brothers great range of both British and Allies and Dervishes.

 

Copplestone Castings also has some few choice pieces including a particular favourite - British Naval Brigade in sennet hats!

I'm debating cutting the standard TSATF unit sizes in half. At 20 figs per unit they seem a bit large for one-to-one skirmish gaming. That will also reduce the budget and allow me to indulge one of my chief gaming vices - buying lots of different figures and owning two complete opposing forces.

So here I go, off at last to ensure the sun never sets...

Private Thomas Cole: Why is it us? Why us?

Colour Sergeant Bourne: Because we're 'ere lad. Nobody else. Just us.

Cheers,

Millsy

Dark Age Skirmish - Norse Raid

We kicked off our Dark Age Skirmish project last night. We're using Mordheim rules with custom warbands and scenarios (written by me with some assistance from the lads). The buildings are scratch built, the longship is a plastic kit (and a somewhat a-historical one at that) and the miniatures are a mixture of manufacturers including Gripping Beast, Foundry and Black Tree Design.

The first scenario is a Norse Raid on an Anglo-Saxon settlement. A "warband" of villagers attempts to hold up two warbands of Norse Raiders until the local Anglo-Saxon noble can arrive with his Fyrd warband. You can download the scenario here if you're interested.

 

 

 

The Norse came ashore on turn one and two. The alarm raised by the local shepherd boy was a while coming, meaning the Fyrd would not arrive until turn five. Was he asleep at his post? The shepherd boy was also slow to run and was eventually shot in the back, then caught and killed halfway back to the village. He'll never make that mistake again!

 

The Norse advanced relentlessly on the village in two groups whilst the villagers hastily brought in their sheep and formed a defence of sorts. How long could they hold out against such a well armed and ruthless foe?

Strung out in a line across the open fields before the village the defenders faced off against the Norse. Poorly armed and trained they were slowly isolated and killed in twos and threes. The Norse suffered hardly any losses.

As the battle progressed the Anglo-Saxon Fyrd arrived and began to make a difference. The villagers were killed to a man but the Norse were now suffering casualties at a much faster rate. Norse attempts to abduct women and steal cattle were thwarted by the need to continually reinforce the melee against the Fyrd. Eventually both Jarls were killed, one Norse warband fled and the other withdrew in disarray having failed in their raid.

On reflection we may have to make the villagers slightly cheaper or slightly stronger. They were almost no threat to the Norse and unbalanced the game to an extent.

Cheers,
Millsy