M4A3 Sherman Platoon - Flames of War - Urban Platoon (1:100)

Hello all,
Due to weird circumstances I ended up with some Shermans as part of a payment for a lecture I gave on Holy War. Why Shermans? Well, I really love the tank and have a 69% win-rate in it on World of Tanks :-). A rather crappy tank, but immensely fun to flank your opponents with.

So, Flames of War? Hmmm, never seen the models before but they sure look nice on the net :-). They were an absolute treat to put together and I'm quite impressed you get both decals (damn, those are annoying to apply!) and magnets in the box. And the detail of the minis were superb.

I decided to paint these as quickly as possible so I could use them as a gift for a friend so they were painted in one evening. Boy, that is a hard learning curve trying to paint 15mm historical miniatures all of a sudden! I had to figure out which of my greens would be most appropriate through trial and error and while it was really fun putting the models together (easily the best fun) some of the parts were just too small for my clumsy hands - two machineguns broke and I had to give up mounting the belly gun. No way I would ever get those on!

 
But they turned out fairly well - I wouldn't mind fielding them thats for sure :-). Never did figure out how to downtone the shiny nature of the decals.

Now, as you might have noticed, these have a banner. Not historical correct but the recipient of the gift has a thing for the crusades and hence the "Deus Vult" (God wills it) motto and the designation of (pope) Urban platoon :-).
The models could have used a few more hours of finish but I needed them done to present next day - hence the crappy pictures...

Alright, now you may kill me for all the historical incorrect colours, banner, etc :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Dusk Realm Demon painted (Old Chronopia monster-demon)

Hello all,
Faithful readers might remember the big hulk of metal I bought some months ago on Ebay. It was a big blob of black undercoated metal and I had no idea what it was but it only cost a pound or so and looked interesting.
Luckily, Donogh (from apokalypsisrpg), identified it as a Dusk Realm Demon from Chronopia. I've never played Chronopia, nor do I know much about the system and it's world, but it is pretty obvious that Mr. Demon is not a peace-loving hippie. Far from it, the demon emanates violence and a "come to the Chopper"-attitude towards life.

So I've actually been looking forward to painting this beast and it turned out to be quite fun. So, without further ramblings here he is in great company:

 The Dusk Demon, flanked by a couple of old Minotaurs. This should help show the size and immense bulk of this brute. All are mounted on bases from Fenris Games, and have had some pretty-pretty flowers from Army Painter added. They actually demanded the flowers - Slaaneshi gits :-).

The Demon was painted to fit with the warband - as a sort of almost transcended, heavily gifted minotaur champion. Or perhaps, as this has been a recurring problem, this is the demonic shape Slaanesh would appear to a Minotaur in. A Minotaur wouldn't care for some pansy little daemonette, but this beast should get the attention of even the baddest chaos-worshipping minotaur out there!

This also meant that it has been painted in the usual colours (purple, bronze) and with 'normal' skin, rather than a demonic flaming hue or something similar. I guess it would have been more appropriate aligned with something more base, such as Khorne, but diversity is inherent in Chaos (unless when it isn't)...

The shield has been a problem. The mini was actually finished some time ago but I couldn't figure out what to do about the shield. In the end I choose a simple, quikly painted Slaaneshi symbol - consider it a placeholder :-).

A rear shot, showing the somewhat weird armour. Looks effective but difficult to move in - but I do love the tiny tail-armour, not something you see everyday!

 Last picture is one we could call "Beauty and the Beast", for obvious reasons :-).

Chronopia-lore describes the demon thusly:
Taking its name from the place that spawned it, the Dusk Realm Demon is a brute in every sense of the word. It exists only to kill and maim and while it is given to fits of blinding rage, it commands a keen intellect. These Demons seem at home in the utter dark of the Under Realms and the sweltering twilight of the deep jungles. So hideous is the presence of a Dusk Realm Demon that it causes abject fear in all who encounter it and like its smaller cousin, is capable of devastating attacks with its horned head. A charging Dusk Realm Demon has been known to be able to withstand the charge of a Bull Myrmadon.

I think it may be unfair to call Mr. Demon 'hideous' but I agree that this guy should at least cause Fear+2 in anyone anywhere nearby :-).

Hope you enjoyed the beast, more Shadow of Brimstone coming shortly, but I needed a break from them minis...

All the best,
Kasper

Dusk Realm Demon painted (Old Chronopia monster-demon)

Hello all,
Faithful readers might remember the big hulk of metal I bought some months ago on Ebay. It was a big blob of black undercoated metal and I had no idea what it was but it only cost a pound or so and looked interesting.
Luckily, Donogh (from apokalypsisrpg), identified it as a Dusk Realm Demon from Chronopia. I've never played Chronopia, nor do I know much about the system and it's world, but it is pretty obvious that Mr. Demon is not a peace-loving hippie. Far from it, the demon emanates violence and a "come to the Chopper"-attitude towards life.

So I've actually been looking forward to painting this beast and it turned out to be quite fun. So, without further ramblings here he is in great company:

 The Dusk Demon, flanked by a couple of old Minotaurs. This should help show the size and immense bulk of this brute. All are mounted on bases from Fenris Games, and have had some pretty-pretty flowers from Army Painter added. They actually demanded the flowers - Slaaneshi gits :-).

The Demon was painted to fit with the warband - as a sort of almost transcended, heavily gifted minotaur champion. Or perhaps, as this has been a recurring problem, this is the demonic shape Slaanesh would appear to a Minotaur in. A Minotaur wouldn't care for some pansy little daemonette, but this beast should get the attention of even the baddest chaos-worshipping minotaur out there!

This also meant that it has been painted in the usual colours (purple, bronze) and with 'normal' skin, rather than a demonic flaming hue or something similar. I guess it would have been more appropriate aligned with something more base, such as Khorne, but diversity is inherent in Chaos (unless when it isn't)...

The shield has been a problem. The mini was actually finished some time ago but I couldn't figure out what to do about the shield. In the end I choose a simple, quikly painted Slaaneshi symbol - consider it a placeholder :-).

A rear shot, showing the somewhat weird armour. Looks effective but difficult to move in - but I do love the tiny tail-armour, not something you see everyday!

 Last picture is one we could call "Beauty and the Beast", for obvious reasons :-).

Chronopia-lore describes the demon thusly:
Taking its name from the place that spawned it, the Dusk Realm Demon is a brute in every sense of the word. It exists only to kill and maim and while it is given to fits of blinding rage, it commands a keen intellect. These Demons seem at home in the utter dark of the Under Realms and the sweltering twilight of the deep jungles. So hideous is the presence of a Dusk Realm Demon that it causes abject fear in all who encounter it and like its smaller cousin, is capable of devastating attacks with its horned head. A charging Dusk Realm Demon has been known to be able to withstand the charge of a Bull Myrmadon.

I think it may be unfair to call Mr. Demon 'hideous' but I agree that this guy should at least cause Fear+2 in anyone anywhere nearby :-).

Hope you enjoyed the beast, more Shadow of Brimstone coming shortly, but I needed a break from them minis...

All the best,
Kasper

Slashers painted (Shadows of Brimstone 10)

Hello all,

One with the horror show; this time the Slashers. Notice how great Josh has become at lining up monsters.

The slashers are one of two types of medium monsters and actually very difficult to kill. We've had three of these turn up and they are very hard opponents. The idea behind them - a sort of mix between locusts, beetles and something entirely weird - is also cool.

Unfortunately, the models are sort of flat and without details. Perhaps ahd I had an air brush these would be fun but in my case I had more or less given up getting nice results and had settled for quick results. Hence the lack of detail. But, hey, they look great from a distance :-).

And Josh really likes his new pets - just look at him parading them around :-)

All the best,
Kasper

How many horses for an artillery train???

Hello all,

So, one of the advantages of working at a University is that the library service is (usually) excellent. so whenever I notice an interesting book I'll have it on my desk within a few days. Something I very much enjoy. And abuse :-). 

One of these less-than-work-related-reads was a book entitled "The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1363-1477" written by Robert Douglas Smith. A great read with a ton of interesting details, highly recommend it.

Now, at the end of this book is an interesting transcript of a contemporary document listing the entire contents of a Burgundian artillery train from 1475. This is fascinating reading; for instance, it had six bombards, three of iron and three of copper alloy, all with mantlets and sleds for these but only twelve shots (stone balls) in total for all. This in contrast to the (smaller) courtaux-guns which each had 200 stone shots included in the train. Also noted are the number of 'crew' needed for such an artillery train; e.g. pioneers (400), millers (4), and miners (50) who travelled along with the guns.

I think you will agree that this document is a wealth of information!

But the single number that stunned me most was the total number of horses needed for the entire train (guns, ammunition, the 4000 dozen bow strings, the 1000 spades, three pavillions and one (large) tent for the Duke himself, etc.).

So, how many horses would you guess a train this size needed just for equipment?

The answer is 5.245 horses, excluding those among the additional 800 aides and workers lucky enough to ride rather than walk. Nearly six thousand horses. Good luck replicating that in 28mm! :-).

Now, if anyone wants the document I have a pdf copy of the transcript - contact me below and I'll email you a copy. It really does contain a ton of information regarding everything from how many crossbow bolts were transported to the wages paid each day.

All the best,

Kasper

Samael - Demon Lord from KaYo Miniatures (almost SFW?)

Hello all,
So I showed the Temptress from KaYo Miniatures earlier in all her beauty, but today it is time to reveal the dark master she serves. Once the Temptress has tempted lone wanderers - enticing them with her amble  talents - it is only a matter of time before they welcome the embrace of Samael, lesser Demon Prince of Slaanesh:

The happy demonic couple

Samael is quite large and imposing. His wings (there were two options supplied by the Kickstarter, these and a more demonic and evil set resembling those of a bat) were difficult to photograph while keeping the demon itself focused, hence the lack of details on these.

A sculpt of great quality but as it was put together from four or five seperate pieces there was quite a few gaps to cover and I wish I had done this more meticulously - the groin area in particular turned out to be a bit rougher than I had thought it would be once paint was applied.

But a nice figure to paint, and the quite calm of the sculpt seems to enhance his bad-ass-ness, in my view.

I really enjoyed painting these two - there is a third miniature to join the party shortly - a priestess - but her face is causing me all kinds of problems due to minuscule details.

Hope you enjoyed them :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Temptress from KaYo Miniatures - Somewhat NSFW?

Hello all,
As a treat - both for the horror of painting the Shadows of Brimstone minis and for it being weekend - here is a nice, foxy Slaaneshi temptress I found stretching in the woods:

She was part of a Kickstarter run by KaYo Miniatures last year. Very nice details and a pleasure to paint. Now, she is quite nude and someone might have a problem with this, but then again I've painted male barbarians with as little clothes on and as the is a Slaaneshi temptress, I myself have no problems with the amount of clothes she has chosen to wear for her little stroll through the woods.

Her 'official' title is the "Mistress" serving the demon Samael - who will be uploaded one of the next days - and the two does make a very nice couple.

Anyways, I enjoyed painting her and I hope you have enjoyed seeing her in the flesh (very much, so to speak). She sure is nicer looking than the recently shown Shadows of Brimstone miniatures.

All the best,
Kasper

Hungry Dead (Dancing Girls) painted (Shadows of Brimstone 9)

Hello all,
Another set of Hungry Dead from Shadows of Brimstone.
These ladies apparently used be saloon girls and as such they are a pretty fun, and somewhat different, idea.

Apart from their faces these are actually quite fun and an opportunity to add a splash of colour to the monster line-up. Unfortuately their faces are lacking, I was quite confused as to whether to paint them as skeletons or zombies, but considering their hair is still firmly attached I choose the zombie style. But the mouth and eyes seems more skeleton-like than zombie.

Their dresses were actually quite fun to paint - despite weird details such as the under-dress disappearing in places - and had I been more positive at the time I might have gone to town on their clothes. As it was, having spent far too long trying to figure out what to do with their faces, I went for a few simple white stripes. I may return and clean these up a bit and add a few more, but for now they will work fine.

The red dress in particular could use a few highlights/shades, but I really like how the purple turned out. I've decided to paint the show girl in the same tones, just to add an in-game grim reminder what will happen to that hero should she fail her mission :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Hungry Dead (Ol' Miners) painted (Shadows of Brimstone 8)

Hello all,
One of the most numerous enemies in the boardgame Shadows of Brimstone are the Hungry Dead. They come in three different types; an old miner, a dancing girl, and a generic walking dead. They are also the worst minis of the lot! Crappy proportions, bad details and weird faces.

These are the Old Miner type - not bad from a distance, with the old pickaxe being a nice touch.

Up close and personal they are just terrible.

Needless to say, these were painted very quickly.

But they will work and just look how good Josh is at getting his trained zombies to dance for us!

All the best,
Kasper

Void Spiders painted (Shadows of Brimstone 7)

Hello all,
Another day, another set of monsters - this time it is the nasty little Void Spiders:

Josh discovers he is intensely arachnofobic

My son insist on calling them "face-huggers" and they do resemble those very much. Arachnid, no eyes but a huge, gaping maw underneath.

All twelve are exactly the same, so I tried to add a little variety thourgh which parts were painted pink/light green and by having two sets - one coloured as the Tentacles and the Goliath, and one as the Hell Bats.

The greatest detail of these are the mouth, and as this is hidden by the stance of the critter, it would have been nice to have one poised on the hind legs or similar. In hindsight I should have converted a few to just this, but that is something for next month, next year, or the next life :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Goliath painted (Shadows of Brimstone 6)

Hello all,
Another monster painted for Shadows of Brimstone - and this time it is a real monster!
Towering over Josh is his new best friend, a Goliath:

It is a beast to photograph as well - couldn't get the entire beast focused nor in the frame.

As with the other monsters from Shadows of Brimstone there are very few details on this beast, apart from the face. I choose a deep purple to hide this fact and to tie it in with the Tentacles.

Also, note how the two parts that make up the head are put together so that there is a very annoying gap in the central eye. Why would anyone do this?

Despite these facts, the Goliath looks imposing and from a certain distance quite good :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Fenris Games Goatkin - Bob and Pinky - Beastmen 1

Hello all,
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!
So, little time for posting but as I have a ton of images ready for upload I'm just going to go ahead and post them with little text - hope that is okay :-).

The first group is the beastmen from Fenris. Some have been shown before, but as the warband is now finished and all have been rebased on the beautiful bases from Fenris, I think I'll go ahead and re-show the old with the new.

First up is a 'backwards-forwards' goatkin called Bob, and a tentacled goatkin named Pinky (yes, they still have ridiculous names, I'm afraid :-)):

All the best,
Kasper

10mm Knights and Bowmen - Kallistra 100YW Longbowmen & WOTR Mounted Men-at-Arms

Hello all,

In betwixt painting the miniatures from the boardgame "Shadows of Brimstone", I've also managed to get two more units done for my friend's Warmaster army.
The first is another cavalry unit. Produced by Kallistra Miniatures, it is a very nice unit - one of those that always makes you wonder just how brilliant it would look if painted by someone talented.

War of the Roses Mounted Men-at-Arms.
But, as mentioned, a very nice unit - kept in the colours of the army; green, white and a dash of red - as befits a pseudo-Walesian army.

I'm not entirely sure the red works, it may be too close tot he brown. For the next one I'll try white lances with the red drapery.

The other unit is a humble bowman unit. Somehow these always gets painted last but as you always have a few of these units they do deserve some paint. Hundred Year War Longbowmen:

Also by Kallistra, the miniatures have a lot of detail and was actually quite fun to paint. And quick :-).

The command group is picked from other units, just to give the unit a focal point.

The colours are, again, green, white and red. The army looks really cohesive and quite impressive. Can't wait to get all the minis painted :-).

That is it for now - more Shadow of Brimstone minis coming soon, as well as a a AAR of our first 'real' game this weekend.

All the best,
Kasper