Blog Of The Five Armies

Laying down the (hobby) law for 2012

2012-01-28T07:06:00.005-06:00

I can't let the month of January go without copying my fellow gaming bloggers and posting a New Year planning post. So, after much soul searching I think I have a plan for my hobby this year. In fact, I mean to lay down the law, stick to my guns and complete this whole list (yeah right!).

For 2012 I have several painting and hobby projects to complete:

Paint one unit of 2/24th Biritish Line Infantry for the Guns of April Napoleonic project for Adepticon
Paint a unit of Gorgon Studios Etruscans for the Little Wars Charity auctio
Paint Fallaschirmjager and Panzer additions for my Flames of War forces
Build and paint my FOW terrain for home use
Paint a Lord of the Rings Harad army for Bilbo's Bash
Paint at least one unit of Etruscans for the Gorgon Studios army (I'm setting the bar low)
Play LotR and FOW more regularly
Play in a FOW tournament

As usual for me, there are so many other "wishlist" items I won't commit to as I KNOW I won't complete it all and it's not a priority at the moment. For the most part, I'd love to finish the rest of my English Civil War Royalists and finish another 1000 points of Gorgon Studios Spartans. But, I guess those will have to wait until I complete the list above. Plus, I need to leave room for the unexpected hobby challenge that is sure to come my way this year (it always does).

Of course, as I work on these projects I'll make sure to post WIP shots as well as complete pictures. PAnd we'll see how well I do by January 1st, 2013.

The Greatest Hobby Ever!

2012-01-03T16:16:00.007-06:00

Well, 2011 took a turn for the worse for me in November. But, I'm recovering and home for the holidays which I'm very thankful for. During this ordeal my family and I have had lots of generous and thoughtful people to help us out. For me, one group in particular really supported me...my gaming friends in the miniature gaming community. Whether it was visits, cards, care packages or Forum posts (thanks Adeptus Windy City Forums) from LotR SBG friends and others I've met in my gaming years. I'm truly thankful to have gotten to know these people and to be able to call them friends. I can't think of any other hobby where I could call people friends having only met them yearly at a convention or only talk to them on online forums. I'm truly a lucky man to have the opportunity to play games and talk hobby talk with some of the greatest people around.

This all leads to my first post of 2012 which actually recaps an almost perfect end to my 2011. About 6 months ago I was invited to start gaming with some local guys who play Flames of War and Ancients. I only had time to attend a few games but these guys welcomed me in from day one and made me feel part of the group. When I got sick, these guys called, emailed and generally kept checking on me. Having known them for so short a time I was truly amazed at this. Well, I told them I couldn't wait to recover and return to some games with them, not knowing how long that might take. But on New Year's Eve I got that chance by playing some FOW with three of the four members of this group. The location was 5 minutes away and my wife agreed to drive me (I'm taking advantage of that while it lasts!). For me, this was a fantastic moment as it marked my first game since falling ill and I hope it symbolizes where my gaming energies will focus during 2012 (Don't worry LotR SBG fans I still love that game too!).

Enjoy some pictures of our game and thanks again to all of my gaming friends. You truly are the best! Here's to many more games in 2012 and beyond!

I'm back!

2011-12-23T12:29:00.005-06:00

Well, it's been some time since my last post and a few things have happened. I had some health issues recently which saw me sidelined for awhile but I'm now home, continuing therapy and improving each day.

Which brings me to my second point: I finally felt like trying my painting skills again. I was not sure if my illness would affect my fine motor skills but everything seems fine. So, after painting one model to compare with my earlier Haradrim I was inspired to finish some more. No where near what I need to do to have any army but it's a good start I think.

So stay tuned and hopefully they'll be more LotR, Flames of War and British Line Infantry in the future.

Happy Holidays!

Haradrim: Day 1

2011-10-29T14:33:00.007-05:00

So here is where it begins. Although I failed to complete anything close to my required models for month 1 of the Tale of Four Gamers, I did do SOME work. The two painted models above were my test models for my Haradrim army from before the start of the project. So, technically, I have two models done! Below is the actual initial models I slated to finish in month 1. I still have a few bow strings to add and need to base my captain but this will be my initial group of models when I finally get some time to paint them. The bow strings are thin jewelry wire from a craft store. I cut and wrap these around the bow and then use super glue to hold them in place while I attach the other end to the opposite side of the bow. For the bows pulled to the ready, I cut two pieces, wrap each around the bow and then glue to loose piece to the hand. Once primed and painted it all looks pretty good.

So, although I have a lot on the hobby plate at the moment, I still hold out hope that I can finish my army by AdeptiCon 2012. If not, I'll certainly have a head start on my force for Bilbo's Birthday Bash 2012.

The Guns of April

2011-10-21T11:21:00.003-05:00

I've always been intrigued by the Napoleonic era and particularly the uniforms of the period but have never really know much about the conflict. I've toyed with painting a few figs for fun but the thought of painting the required numbers of models in 28mm scale always put me off from any real endeavour into the period. Well, my friend Dave Pauwels knows me to well so when he started tossing around ideas for a historical big game to run at Adepticon 2012 he of course brought up the idea of a Napoleonic battle. Not only that, but he suggested teaming up with the likes of Joe Krone, Dave Taylor and Brien Dulaney to do this project. Well, he had me at "You have to paint the British".

The result of this crazy idea has now taken virtual form in our new project blog "The Guns of April" (http://gunsofapril.blogspot.com/). Put together by the capable hands of Dave Taylor, the blog will detail our efforts to assemble and paint models to represent the 1812 Battle of Salamanca which we will re-play at Adepticon 2012. You can find more details at that blog along with updates from all sides. For my part, I will be working alongside Mr. Taylor to add to his already significant British force. As I do my part, I will make sure to post updates here on my blog along with posts to the Guns of April blog as well.

So stay tuned for some British Line Infantry soon!

Tale of 3 Gamers?

2011-10-21T11:16:00.003-05:00

Well, October has rolled around and I managed to get my figures together with the exception of a few bow strings. But, I failed to even prime my models! Epic fail on my part, which thus explains the title for this post. As if September wasn't a bad painting month for me, the next few don't look promising either. Add to this the fact that I have some other projects that are calling which may further put my Harad on the back burner. So, keep checking back as I will post pics of the Harad stuff I do complete but I'm pretty sure I know where I'll finish in this race. :)

The Great Eye Calls!

2011-09-01T20:10:00.004-05:00

Here we are, September 1st and it's time to get going on the Tale of Four Gamers project. For me, that means assembling my first 150 points(148 to be exact) which will be made up of the following models.

11 Haradrim Warriors w/ bow = 66pts
2 Haradrim Warriors w/ spear = 12pts
1 Haradrim Warrior w/ horn = 25pts
1 Haradrim Chieftain = 45pts

Stay tuned for shots of the assembled models and the final product for this month. The men of Harad will not fail their master Sauron.

Tale of Four AWC LotR Gamers Begins!

2011-08-26T21:47:00.008-05:00

What have I got myself into now? A week or so ago I got an email from my friend Brent Sinclair asking if I'd be willing to participate in an Adeptus Windy City Lord of the Rings Club version of the Tale of Four Gamers. Tim Kulinski and his crew out in Arizona had done the same thing earlier this year and it looked like a lot of fun. Well, I'm not one to rush my painting projects (which sadly explains my lack of armies!), but after some soul searching I decided I couldn't pass up the chance to participate in this project. Not only would it help me get a new army finished, but I'd be competing along with some great LotR hobbyists: Chris Balke, Brent Sinclair and Jeremy Williams.

The plan is to complete 600 points in 5 months. At the start of each month we will plan out 150 points in models and then complete these by the end of that month. The 5th month will be set aside for finishing touches like bases and display boards. Each of us will be responsible for posting our plan and completed work each month on our respective blogs.

Chris Balke: http://galadriels-mirror-cbalke.blogspot.com/

Brent Sinclair: http://thereandblogagain.wordpress.com/

Jeremy Williams: http://chefofwar.blogspot.com/

To keep score we plan to use the following point system:

Models painted on time: +5pts
Models painted late: +3pts
Models not painted: +0pts

And to encourage some gaming we'll score our wins and losses as follows:

Major Win: 5pts
Minor Win: 4pts
Draw: 3pts
Minor Loss: 2pts
Major Loss: 1pts

Games can start anytime after the second month when we have reached a 300 point level for our armies.

So there you have it. Should be a fun project and if I finish with any points by the end I'll be happy. Good luck to Chris, Brent and Jeremy. Can't wait to see the finished work from these guys.

Fallschirmjager vs. US Infantry

2011-07-14T06:58:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I had the chance to take my Fallschirmjager out for their first game of Flames of War against my friend Tyler's Americans. It was a great game and we already have another planned for this week. Below are a few pics of the action. I found that, not really understanding all the rules, I played my Fallschirmjager pretty defensively and when I did assault I was to spread out to be effective. The air support I had was fun but failed to really do much of anything. My standouts were my armour, especially my Marder II's. These guys took out a whole platoon of tank destroyers. I'm definitely getting 2 more of these! My Tiger did alright but I realized by the end of the game that I should have just kept him in place to fire as he would have been more effective.

The famed Luftwaffe seemed off their game this time around....but they still looked cool trying!

My Tiger I E taking out some Shermans.

The stars of the game, the Marder II's!

My Fallschirmjager hiding from the American tanks.

Supporting my Fallschirmjager

2011-07-07T23:00:00.002-05:00

Since my last post I've been busy with summer trips and other non-gaming activities. But, with my first game using my Fallschirmjager coming soon I got back to finishing up my force for the big debut game. With my Fallschirmjager company completed it was time to move on to some armoured support including two Marder II's and a Tiger I E which is pictured here. The Marder's are getting their final touches and I'll get some pictures up soon along with a battle report from my first game with the new force.

Now for something completely different: Part II

2011-06-03T14:50:00.010-05:00

After a couple of weeks of work I finally completed my Fallschirmjager Company! The force consists of an HQ with attached anti-tank gun and mortar sections as well as two Fallschirmjager Platoons. Even though I did not spend as much time on details like shading and highlighting as I might have liked, I'm pretty happy with the outcome. As I stated in the last post, I'm sure I'll be getting more detailed as I paint future FOW projects. I did take some step-by-step pictures and will put together a short tutorial on the painting process for these in the coming weeks.

Below you can see some pictures of the force:

Platoon I
Platoon II

HQ platoon

HQ command section

Mortar section

Anti-tank section

So, with my first full company completed it's time to get back to work on some 28mm projects. First up on the list are a couple of Gorgon Studio models. Then it's back to Lord of the Rings to paint a Dragon and build a Durin's Tower table for GamesDay Chicago. But rest assured, I'll be back with more FOW as soon as possible. There are two Mader II tanks and some Luftwaffe air support waiting in the Que.

And now for something completely different.

2011-05-20T14:09:00.007-05:00

Well, I finally started on a project that has been on my to do list for sometime. Flames of War Fallschirmjager! Thanks to my good friend Dave I managed to score a nice sized collection of models to get this army started. I managed to play a couple of games and loved it but just never had the time or motivation to get my own force painted. I think some of that was my own fear of the great unknown (to me at least) in the form of 15mm models. As you can tell from my blog I pretty much exclusively paint 25-28mm stuff. Anything smaller has always scared me a bit. But, after much online research I finally started my first stands this morning. Here, they are in all their glory.

I basically followed the Fallschrimjager color scheme out of the old Ostfront sourcebook along with the color codes from the newer Eastern Front book. I definitely had to rethink my normal painting when it came to these guys. I found myself wanting to do multiple highlights and even eyes! Well, I think I've convinced myself that there was no reason to go to these extremes so I did a slight flesh wash and left them as is. I think the final result looks fine. I'm sure as I paint more I'll get more detailed. Considering the stuff I've seen for FOW I know I could go overboard if I wanted.

Before I go back to the painting table I wanted to share some of the online resources I've been scouring over the last couple of months. I haven't ventured far so I'm sure people can tell me of lots of other places I can check. But for me, the first stop was the FOW site and their forums. You can find them at http://www.flamesofwar.com/. In the process of getting their newsletter each week I found a link to their podcast as well as an independent podcast called "What would Patton do?" (WWPD). I now listen to both shows but I really enjoy the show the guys at WWPD put together each month. They do a great job of talking about tactics, armies and hobby stuff plus they are so enthused about the game that you can't help but get fired up to play. I strongly encourage anyone interested in FOW to check them out at http://www.whatwouldpattondo.net/.

So stay tuned as my force grows and I'll add plenty of new photos, painting guides and maybe even some battle reports in the coming months. Plus, for you history buffs I might even try and come up with a short overview of my force and the history behind it.

Adepticon 2011 in the books!

2011-04-22T16:03:00.034-05:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since Adepticon 2011 and I'm finally feeling like I've returned to normal life. The excitement of Adepticon always takes me a few weeks to recover from. Below are some pics of the LotR Championship event including some of the new table surfaces we added this year. You can find the full set of pictures from the event here.I had a great time playing in my first ever Adepticon LotR event. My thanks go out to Brent Sinclair for taking over the event for me this year. And I should also thank Frank Brown, John Humphrey, and Tim Cornstubble who helped in various ways both before the event and during the event. Without folks like these stepping up to help I wouldn't have had the chance to play. So thank you guys!

I managed to finish my new Dwarf army for the event and was making a run at the best appearance award. But I knew this would be a challenge as great painters like Ty Finnochiaro and Marc Raley would be in attendance. Ty walked away with Best Appearance for his AWESOME Black Numenorian force. You can see some pics of his army along with Marc's Dwarves and my own Dwarf army. I was surprised to find that I had won Best Sportsmanship by tie-breaker (i.e. lowest battle score). So really, I won for doing what I do best....being not so great at playing this game I love. LOL!

Ty's Black Numenorians

Marc's Dwarves

My Erebor Dwarves With Adepticon in the books it's time to move on to new projects including a new LotR force for Bilbo's Birthday Bash, also know as B3. This great event is held in November and you can find more information or even sign-up here.

Adepticon 2011 fast approaching!

2011-03-05T08:12:00.005-06:00

Adepticon is just about a month away and I've recently kicked my painting into high gear to meet the deadline of April 1st for the Lord of the Rings Championship. Here are a few pics of some work in progress models along with what the completed bases should look like. Thanks to my friend Brent taking over the coordination of the event this year I will finally get to play in one of the Lord of the Rings events at Adepticon for the first time!

As you might tell I'm very excited about this. Having run the events at Adepticon for the past four years I've watched some great games and even greater players playing the game. Now I get to join this fantastic group of Lord of the Rings hobbyists and compete against some of the best players around.

So stay tuned for updated photos and information. And as always, check out the Adepticon forums at www.adeptuswindycity.com for more information on Lord of the Rings and Adepticon.

Bilbo's Birthday Bash 2010

2010-11-11T23:30:00.004-06:00

Last weekend I had my first chance to play in a LotR tournament by attending Bilbo's Birthday Bash. This event started last year and this year the organizer, Brent Sinclair, went out of his way to make it a huge success. With over 20 players, some from out of state, it was a top notch event.

Although my battle score was horrible I had a fantastic time and walked away with Best Appearance and Favorite Army. I was totally honored to win these as the competition for these was pretty stiff. My personal favorite army was John Humphrey's Grey Company. We actually tied for appearance score and I lucked out by getting a few more Favorite Army votes. John is a great painter and a great guy.

Below are pics of the event including a couple of John's army, Kyle Toth's Mordor force, another great looking army, and a few of the other forces in attendance. There were some really nice painted armies in attendance to be sure. In all the excitement I forgot to take some photos of my own force so I'll do that soon and get some up. Needless to say, with the likes of John and others I have to step my game up if I want to keep up at Adepticon 2011.

I'm back!

2010-10-03T17:03:00.007-05:00

It's been far to long since I posted a blog update. Summer has come and passed with little new miniature work from me. But, now that fall is here and Bilbo's Birthday Bash is around the corner, it's time I got some work done.

"What's Bilbo's Birthday Bash?" I hear you say. B3, as we call it, is a growing Lord of the Ring SBG Indy GT here in Chicago. For more information on the event check out http://bilbosbirthdaybash.com/.

My plan for a new army fell by the wayside. So, here is an addition to my current Minas Tirith force. Hopefully, I can have enough new models added to at least call it "partly" new.

Gorgon Spartan Army

2010-05-31T15:01:00.010-05:00

I finally have some good shots of the Spartan army I painted for Adepticon as well as for display at the Gorgon booth at conventions in the future. This is the first 1000 points of a planned 2000 point force using exclusively Gorgon Studios models. In addition to more Spartans I'm planning on some Greek cavalry and some allied Greek hoplites using the soon-to-be-released Etruscan cavalry and out current range of 1st class Etrsucan hoplites respectively.

WAB at Adepticon 2010

2010-04-03T11:32:00.002-05:00

Had a great time at Adepticon as always. On Sunday I played in the Warhammer Ancients Team Tournament along with my friend Dave Pauwels. Here are some pics of the fun.

For Sparta and Adepticon

2010-03-04T20:16:00.006-06:00

It's been a busy month of February with the ranks of the Gorgon Studio Spartan army growing each day. With the Adepticon WAB Team Tournament just weeks away there is still much to do. Here is the basic force so far minus shield designs. More pics of the awsome Gorgon shield transfers next time.

Now, back to painting!

A long journey

2010-02-07T22:04:00.009-06:00

For the past 6 years I have been painting 40k models for a great guy who loves collecting painted minis. Well, I recently had the pleasure of seeing the fruits of that long effort and over the coming days and weeks I plan to post pics of these models. I didn't have a chance to actually count models but you can see from the first picture that the size of this force is huge.

Gorgon Studios: Celt Chieftain

2009-12-03T09:17:00.005-06:00

My most recent project was painting the fantastic new Celt Chieftain for Gorgon Studios. This is one of the recent additions to our Ancient World range and I think Steve did an awsome job on this scuplt. You can check out more of his fantastic models at www.gorgon-studios.com.

Next up will be completing the rest of the skirmisher packs for the Gorgon Spartan range. My Christmas break will hopefully be a productive one.

Spartan slingers

2009-09-27T09:58:00.002-05:00

After slow progess I finally completed the first pack of Spartans from Gorgon Studios. I'm starting with the skirmisher models and will work my way up to the Hoplites as the final units. Stay tuned for more.

Sparta!

2009-08-18T20:18:00.007-05:00

After much anticipation I received the first batch of Spartans that will soon become the Gorgon Studios Spartan Army. I decided to start with some skirmishers as there have been no painted versions of these models up on the Gorgon site yet. I'm hoping to finish the first pack of these slingers by next week sometime. These models are fantastic sculpts (and I'm not just saying that as a member of Gorgon Studios!) and much kudos to Steve Saleh for his excellent work on this range.

I also found time to finish the final model from the Ancient World range, Sycorax the Witch. I may have to use her in my Pict army if I ever find time to get working on that army again. See www.gorgon-studios.com for more information on these miniature lines.

2009-08-09T19:15:00.006-05:00

One of the projects I was working on back in May/June was a painting article for Wargames Illustrated. The focus was on painting Gauls and featured the great plastic models made by Wargames Factory (http://www.wargamesfactory.com/). Well, the issue containing that article is now on sale so I thought I would share a couple of pics that I couldn't before. I also should note that my good pal Dave Pauwels has a fantastic Seige of Alesia Scenario in this issue as well. The information on the issue is below (in case you were interested).

From Wargames Illustrated site (www.wargamesillustrated.net):

WI262 is here! The latest issue of Wargames Illustrated - WI262 is now available online . It's another 116 pages packed full of the best wargaming action and all for the ludicrously cheap price of £4 UK - $6 US - €6 EURO - $12 AUS/NZ.This month we take on the theme of 'Caesar in Gaul' with several of our articles dedicated to ancient Roman action, but with plenty more besides.WI262 is published in the UK on 24th July (check out our changes to publication dates news story for full details on when you can get your hands on a copy) or you can order it from our website shop today.Subscriptions are now being taken on our sister 'Flames of War' website - hit the link below to subscribe, and don't forget all subscribers receive a free box set of figures.If you are renewing your sub we will pick this information up from your name and address details.You will need to register on the Flames of War website to take out a sub/purchase from the FoW online store.

Gorgon Studios is keeping me busy.

2009-07-21T18:18:00.007-05:00

I've been working recently on some models from Gorgon Studios, a company started by some good friends of mine. I worked on a few models for the company website (http://www.gorgon-studios.com/). Soon I'll be getting a box full of Spartans on my doorstep that will hopefully become the Gorgon Studios Spartan army. Stay tuned for updates over the next couple of months.

Blast from the past

2009-07-01T07:25:00.003-05:00

Below is a slideshow with pictures of my 1000 point Daemonhunter/Space Marine force. This was 1/3 of the Team Army that me and my friends (The Untouchables) brought to the 40k Team Tournament at Adepticon 2006. Our armies were featured in an article in White Dwarf 323 later that year.

I'm contemplating selling these models so I recently took new photos which is what you see here.

2009-07-01T07:13:00.001-05:00

Some exciting news.

2009-05-18T20:40:00.009-05:00

I'm very excited about the launch of this new miniature company from a very personal angle. The founders are some good friends and I can't wait to see all the exciting stuff they have lined up for the future. I already have a Temperance model on the way and I'll definitely have pics up as soon as I get started on her.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gorgon Studios Launches

Gorgon Studios, a cabal of veteran hobbyist, game designers/writers and miniatures painter, is proud to officially launch its website (http://www.gorgon-studios.com) and announce its partnership with world-renown miniatures sculptor, Steve Saleh.

‘Temperance’

Gorgon is happy to make its first Collector’s range model available. We are proud to introduce “Temperance”, a 40mm post-Apocalyptic she-devil. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, this multi-part figure heralds Gorgon’s eclectic Collector’s range. Walking directly from the blighted and nightmarish wastelands of the dark future, Temperance makes a formidable addition for the collector, painter or wargamer.

‘At the Hot Gates’

Over the next few months, Gorgon Miniatures plans to release its first two ranges of 28mm historical miniatures. First off, will be the re-release of Steve Saleh's excellent range of early Spartans, as a forerunner to a comprehensive treatment of the Classical era. Keep checking the website for availability, updates and previews of forthcoming figures.

Concurrently, Gorgon Publishing is working on both miniatures rules and some exciting RPG material. Stay tuned! The next few months will see lots of surprises. Again, all details of our products will be announced first on our website. Keep checking for updates.

Gorgon Studios http://www.gorgon-studios.com/

Caesar in Gaul

2009-05-11T15:48:00.003-05:00

I've been detoxing from the crazy fun of Adepticon 2009 but I have managed to do some of my commission work in the meantime. Although, dumb me forgot to take pictures! Now it's on to a project for a historical gaming magazine involving some Celts and Roman siege craft. I'll try and show some pics when and if I can.

In the works for this summer are more Republican Romans, finishing my Minas Tirith force for War of the Ring and maybe a GamesDay entry if I have the time and energy left. I'm going to dedicate myself to updating my blog pics at least once a week. Yeah, who am I kidding! Let's shoot for once a month first!!

Stay tuned.

We came, we saw, we........

2009-04-11T22:43:00.008-05:00

....managed to at least survive a couple of games. Dave Pauwels and myself played in the WAB Team Tournament at Adepticon 2009 and had a fantastic time. All the guys we played were great and I couldn't recommend this event more highly. Check out www.adeptuswindycity.com/forums for information on Adepticon and the Warhammer Ancients events being planned for next year.

Dave and I played an unholy alliance of Carthage and Republican Rome and we were thrilled to win the Best Appearance award. Below are a couple of pics of our stuff (The really nicely painted Carthaginian stuff is Dave's!).

Next up, I plan to touch up my Romans and finish the rest of the models I currently have to get to about 1300 points. My hope is to complete a solid 2000 points by next year's Adepticon.

t-minus 20 days.......

2009-03-14T19:01:00.010-05:00

It's been way too long since I updated my blog but I have been hard at work. I now have the 5 maniples of my Legion (2 Hastati, 2 Principies and 1 Triarii (not pictured)). I still need to finish up a few command models for these and do the bases but the bulk of the force is ready to roll.

Next up, I need to finish 7 Velites, 5 Roman Cavalry and my General and Army Standard. With just under three weeks left before Adepticon I have my work cut out for me (don't even ask about the other Adepticon tasks I still need to complete!).

The Fall of the Witch King

2009-01-30T08:23:00.005-06:00

I finally completed the Witch King diorama for the Gathering in the Desert LotR Indy GT auction and here are some pics of the final product.

A Gathering in the Desert Looms

2009-01-19T11:41:00.006-06:00

With the holidays behind me I finally had some time to get cracking on my model for the GitD LotR Indy GT auction. All I have left to finish are the bases of the models, the wood display base and some coats of varnish.

For more info on the Gathering in the Desert LotR Indy GT, check out their site at http://www.adeptusarizona.com/blog/?page_id=51

Deadlines approaching

2008-12-18T23:45:00.007-06:00

I'm painting some Lord of the Rings figures for a charity auction at The Gathering in the Desert, an Indy GT for LotR held in Phoenix. You can find out more at http://www.adeptusarizona.com/blog/?page_id=51.

I decided to do the diorama "No man can kill me". I wanted to make the figures usable both in the diorama and for regular game play so I decided to try using magnets as show here. The round silver magnets come from "Amazing Magnets" (http://www.amazingmagnets.com/) and the black metal strips I purchased at Michael's Craft Store. The nice thing about the strip magnets is they can easily be cut to any size and shape you need. The idea is that the strip magnet will allow the model to attach to either a standard round gaming base OR the diorama base without being permanently fixed to these.

Now I need to get cutting on painting these three to meet my February deadline!

Better late then never.

2008-12-05T15:33:00.003-06:00

It took me a but longer to finish my first unit let alone get some good pics of it. But, after much delay here it is.

I have to take a short break to do some commission work but I hope to have another 12 Hastati done before Christmas. I like to think of it as an early Christmas present for Hank. :)

Yes we can!

2008-11-14T14:23:00.002-06:00

I am thrilled with the speed at which this first unit is coming along. I have finished 5 models in about a week which is lightening speed for me. I have gone with a very basic painting scheme. Basecoat colors (off white, red, flesh and bronze) followed by a wash of GW Badab Black on the metal and Devlun Mud on everything else. Then, I reapply the basecoat color, add a highlight and that is it. Simple but I think it still looks pretty good.

At this rate, I should have my first unit of 12 done in another week!

The Rise of the Republic

2008-11-09T12:02:00.004-06:00

Adepticon 2009 is just 5 months away so it was high time I started my 1000 points of Republican Romans for the WAB Team Tournament. Here is the first of many Hastati models I will be completing in the coming months. These proud citizens of Rome will take the field alongside the mercenary menace of Dave Pauwels' Carthaginians. You can follow the progress of his army on his blog at http://www.rabidbatstudio.blogspot.com/.

One down, four to go!

2008-10-12T19:13:00.006-05:00

It's been a while but the time off has been put to good use. I've completed my Uruk-hai army for the Chicago GT. I took my existing force of about 300 points and added an additional 300 points in the form of 17 figures. These included some Uruk-hai crossbows, Dunlending warriors and an Uruk-hai Shaman.

So, army number one is done. Next, I'll be moving on to army number two: My Republican Romans. Check back soon for my first pics of this new army.

Mercenary work

2008-08-13T09:35:00.005-05:00

I've finished my last commission project so I can finally get started on my own army painting! Here are some pics of the three recent commission models I finished. Now it's time to get cracking on my Chicago GT army.

Greek week

2008-07-28T09:07:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I updated my blog but I have been a busy man. During the past two weeks I completed a second unit for my friend's historical army. I really like the way these guys came out and the color scheme was really easy to paint. I've been using the GW washes on both of the units I've done recently and I've been very happy with the effect. I now have a better idea of how I might use them on the LotR stuff I need to do next.

Macedonians on the March

2008-06-29T10:14:00.003-05:00

I finally completed the first of two units for Hank's Macedonian army. This unit painted up incredibly quick and I got to test out some of the new GW washes in the process. In particular, I used the Badab Black as an armour wash on the bronze by applying it over a bronze basecoat and then re-highlighting with the bronze afterwards. The other wash I used was the Gryphon Sepia as a flesh wash. I basecoated with Tallaran Flesh and then did one highlight of Elf flesh before applying the wash as my final step. I also used the Devlin Mud wash over the red on the musicians tunic. Again, two base colors (basecoat and highlight) followed by the wash as the final step. Now on to unit number two!

Hail to the Eye!

2008-06-20T22:47:00.006-05:00

I painted this new plastic Mordor Troll a few weeks back for the Orland Park GW store. The model is really nice and I was happy with the final look of the model even though I was under a time crunch to get it completed. I've never had much interest in painting a Mordor force but after painting this model and looking at the new army book I think I may have to reconsider that.

Macedonian Madness

2008-06-18T07:44:00.005-05:00

Another side project I need to complete before embarking on my own armies are some Macedonians. These are for a friend who is feverishly trying to get 4000 points ready for a trip to Historicon in July.

So, 6 down, 22 more to go!

Distractions

2008-06-12T11:21:00.005-05:00

Painting 5 armies in 2 years may seem like nothing to some people but one of my problems are the little distractions that come up. Here are some pics of one of those distractions. I've been painting Imperial Guard and Inquisitor figures on commission for a friend off and on for several years. This is the most recent batch of figures I just finished.

The Five Army Project

2008-06-11T21:47:00.006-05:00

So, here's the crazy plan. I'm ready to finally get some complete armies painted. With that in mind, I've set myself the goal of completing 5 armies by July 4th of 2010. First on the list will by my Uruk-hai army for the 2008 Chicago GT. This one is kind of cheating as I already have more than half the models done. Second on the list will be 1000 points of Republican Romans for Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB) After this, I plan to complete 1000 points of Ancient Picts for WAB. Then, by next Fall I need to complete another Lord of the Rings (LotR) army which I plan to be my Hobbits of the Battle of Bywater force. Then, it will be time to finish 1000 points of each of the WAB armies (Romans and Picts) and then do one more LotR force by 2010.

But before I can do all that I have some loose ends to tie up. First is a batch of Warhammer 40k Catachans and Inquisitor models I'm working on for a friend. Second will be a unit of 28 Macedonian Pike which I'm doing to help my buddies Dave and Hank complete a team army for Historicon. Since I can't be there in person I can be there in spirit.