Witch Elf with Daggers 2 - Citadel 1990'ish

Hello all,

Not sure if I ever got this lovely little Dark Elf uploaded, but now, with her new base, I figured she deserved a bit of spotlight.
She is part of Citadel's second Dark Elven offensive, and although she is described as a "Witch Elf" there are very few similarities to todays psychotic half-nude, big-haired witch elves. Instead, she looks more like an adventurer, full of interesting little bits and pieces and unique weapons and armour. Her twin daggers also makes her look more like a close combat assassinesque elf.

One of theweird things about this mini is her eyes. This mini actually has the pupils sculpted. Gives her a very different appeareance.

Of course, she haas been painted to fit in with my Slaaneshi warband - and for once it poses little problem to devise some kind of background for why a Dark Elf would turn to the pleasure god - so the purple colour has been used freely.

And, just to finish with a flurry, we here have her next to KaYo's Temptress, showing to very different approaches to females in minitures. For me, both approaches has its place and while I would be much more inclined to use the Dark Elf as a player character or similar, the Temptress is much more likely to appear as a mysterious encounter in the woodlands. Good or evil? Noone could be entirely sure...

Hoped you enjoyed the old elf!

All the best,
Kasper

Golgfag - Ogre Chief of the Rutdroggs - Citadel RR8 1983

Hello all,

Another Ebay-buy that was motivated purely because I felt like painting the miniature was this Ogre. Compared to 'modern' ogres, this chap looks more like a (very) large human with a pronounced jaw. But this is none other than Golgfag in his first incarnation from ca. 1983. 

Leader of a Regiment of Renown, the Rutdroggs, Golgfag would be remodeled several times. But this version has always been my favourite. He might not look like someone who could raid Ulthuan, visit Skavenblight or similar, but he does have a very pronounced cunning look:

To emphasize this, I've painted him to look as much like a human as possible - although the purple tones were needed to tie him into the Slaaneshi warband. No idea that would entice an ogre to follow Slaanesh, but I'm sure this particular god would find somthing to tickle Golgfag into following.

One thing I really like about these old minis is that they seem plausible - the mace is a reasonable size and Golgfag's equipment looks like he has looted the best belongings of his victims.

A very nicely detailed mini and I really enjoyed painting him. Wouldn't mind trying some of the other members of this regiment, should they happen to end up on my painting station :-).

 The history of Golgfag's regiment was crafted into a pretty entertaining stoy:

The wars between the Goblins and Dwarfs had just begun when Golgfag and his Ogre band emerged out of the northern darkness. Golgfag was the chief of the Rutdrogg clan, and he saw the impending war as a good opportunity to gather loot and fresh meat. The Rutdroggs shambled out of their mountain homes and straight into the employ of Bogdan Legbreak, the chief of the Goblins of the northern Misty Mountains.

After a limited period of service Golgfag had taken part in several early actions of the war. The Rutdroggs proved themselves to be excellent troops, if somewhat undisciplined. One night after an especially long and intense drinking bout Glogfag and Bogdan, who had never liked each other anyway, fell to arguing. Within moments the whole Regiment was up and blood was flowing freely. 

By morning Golgfag's Regiment had fought its way out of the Goblin compound and taken to the woods.

Golgfag soon found employ again, however, this time fighting for the Dwarfs against his former allies. In this capacity he and his champion Grat'hud led a Dwarf party into the Goblin's stronghold and slew Bogdan in a bitter fight. Golgfag later established himself as one of the most adventurous leaders of the war and collected a great deal of gold, loot and captives before returning to the frozen north. (From http://www.solegends.com/citrr/rr08golgfags.htm)

A nice picture I found on the Internets, showing the evolution of Golgfags. 

I really prefer this, the earliest version; the one from 1985 seems of less quality, the one from 1998 too cartoonish and the 2011 one is far, far too busy for my taste.

Hope you also enjoyed this old mini!

All the best,
Kasper

Licklust - Slaaneshi Minotaur - Games Workshop 1991 - Warband 1

Hello all,
I know it has been a bit quite during the last month, but fear not - 'cos I've been busy. I finally managed to get the last beastmen from Fenris miniatures, got them painted, fell in love with the resin bases they came with, decided I needed to rebase the entire warband on these, ordered them, got them painted, and finally got some pictures of the (almost) finished warband.

As a project mainly consisting of painting old lead from the lead-mountain there was really no plan, nor any purpose apart from having fun. And it has been fun, and great to revisit old minis and also trying to get them all to more-or-less fit in a single Slaaneshi warband.

The first to be shown (and I'll go through the entire warband, even though I may have shown some previously but I've lost track and they have all been rebased so I've decided it is allowed :-)) is this stunning old minotaur from Citadel:

 

His details in the Citadel catalogue from 1991 are pretty boring - simply titled "Minotaur with Mace 1" and designed by "the Citadel Design Team". Annoyingly anonymous. Hence, to bring him back to life and make him suitable for a Slaaneshi rampage I've named him Licklust. A much better name than "with Mace" (although that is a pretty massive mace!).

 
One of the reasons most Oldhammers know this particular minotaur is that brilliant conversion and paintjob by Dale Hurst:

Still one of the top-ten classics of the time, it can be seen along with the other stunning models over at the brilliant blog http://eldritchepistles.blogspot.dk/2013/08/bryans-cabinets-of-chaos-5.html

I thought about going this route but I really wanted to just paint this beautiful mini as it is. Perhaps if I find another I'll give it a more exotic paintjob.

The mini is a pretty good example of the time - tons of character (just look at that face!), and some not so great details (toes, mace-handle) but despite these it was a pleasure to paint.

All the best,
Kasper

Talisman on Ipad and Iphone - a quick review

Hello all,
So last week I found out that Nomad Games had put out a version of the old Games Workshop boardgame Talisman for Ipad. A great game that I never got to play as much as I wanted to. Naturally, I bought it ASAP and have since played about ten games, some solo and others with my two sons.

So is it any good? Well to put it in a few words, yes, it is a very faithful adaptation of the board game so if you liked that, you will probably enjoy this version as well.

Below I've listed my observation after a few games, just to help you choose whether to buy it or not.
Please ntoe: I have not tried the online parts of the game nor explored much into the whole idea of character levelling - put both things are elements of the game you can disregard if you so choose).

The good
It is a, more or less, faithful adaption - everything is there and nothing noticeable has been left out. You can still turn into a toad, the warrior is still great and so forth. Actually I find this quite impressive, considering the huge amount of random events, spells, equipment and so on, that influence each turn.

The graphics are wonderful - the game pieces are painted miniatures and the map looks great.

The AI is good enough to be a challenge - not bad considering my first point above.

It works very well as an occasional pause - play it five minutes and resume the game without problems five hours later.

Quite a fun way to experience some of the less played characters.

The bad

To be honest I havn't found much bad stuff to list. One thing that has happened a single time is that the AI will sometimes (but quite rarely) go into stupid-mode. I had a Sage who would use spells to his (its?) own disadvantage. But considering the amount of random stuff going on I wouldnt see this as too much of a problem - some of the players I've played the real game with would also be quite likely (even more so than the AI) to make bad decisions...

The interface can be a bit counterintuitive at times. Sometimes it will be difficult (especially at first) to decipher what exactly is going on or what options you have. This is particularly noticeable when trying to cast spells on other players. This has caused some concern - I managed to get my smallest son's Monk killed because I misunderstood the situation.

A lack of an "un-do" option. As mentioned above, mistakes and miss-clicks happens and it would have been very nice to be able to undo non-random things.

Apart from these minor things, the game suffers from the problems of the original game, e.g. some characters are just better than others.

All in all, it is a very nice way of getting to play a great game, much easier than gathering a bunch of players and persuading them to play an old game, rather than one of the billion new (also great) games.

I would really recommend it - but please note that you will almost immediately buy one of the expansions (the Reaper) after which the game really shines.

It is also due out on the Iphone next week, which will make playing the game even easier.

All the best,
Kasper

Beastie Boys group hug - Beastmen from Games Workshop, Fenris, Harlequin and Runequest

Hello all,
Life has been weird which has kept me from blogging (and painting, and gaming) recently. In order to keep this blog from withering and dying, I figured I would post some pictures of the Beastmen, Goatkin and related beastial boys I've painted the last few months.

They are all part of Arkward, the Slaaneshi Minotaur's Warband, which has turned into something of a Zoo.

From the left we have the two old Runequest Scorpionmen I saved (and Slaaneshified), two old C48 Citadel Gargoyles (Gotalot and Zheted), an old Beastman from Citadel, a crossbow-wielding beastman from Harlequin.

In the center is Arkward (Citadel), flanked by a soon-to-be-enlarged pack of wild Goatkin from Fenris Games.

I think they look like they all fit together - despite hailing from four different companies and some thirty years difference from the oldest to the youngest.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by - hopefully I'll get back to painting and/or gaming soon!

All the best,
Kasper

Beastmen Comparison: Fenris - Games Workshop - Harlequin

Hello all,
Just back from Vienna and almost heading out to the airport again to catch a plane to the states, so only a brief post today - a comparison between the various beastmen I've painted the last months. Someone might find this useful.

from left to right we have a Crossbow-wielding Harlequin beastman, a brutish Goatkin from Fenris Games, an old Games Workshop Beastman, and finally another Goatkin from Fenris games.
As is obvious, they all mix fairly well and only the crossbow seems a bit out of place.

All the best,
Kasper

C48 Gargoyles - Zheted and Gotalot

Hello all,
As part of a recent shopping spree on Ebay, I got my hands on a couple of the old Citadel Gargoyles. They are part of the C48 range, dating to ca. 1984. They were cheap but unfortunately came without their wings. So I decided to greenstuff them a bit and make them look like smaller beastmen. They will thus be part of Akward's warband which is increasingly becoming a collection of beastly Slaaneshi followers.

The sneaky one on the left is Zheted, who carries a small sword or a large knife with him. He looks very much like a stealthy assassin, creeping through the forest, hunting for opportunities. He appears to have been gifted with a small scorpion tail, probably dripping venom...

The weird looking one on the right is mr. Gotalot (of what?). He is armed with a spear and a nasty attitude. He also seem to have received a mutation of scaly skin, giving him a better armour save.

Picture stolen from Stuff of Legends

 The original advertisement for the C48 range - some nice beasts here - would love to paint a complete set... I would buy Bld'Ngor and the rest instantly if the price was right :-).

The place where the wings were supposed to be inserted needed some serious green stuffing, but I think they turned out fine - it is very difficult to spot where the holes were.

They have been painted to fit Akwad's warband - i.e. purplish hooves, horns etc. They fit the role of smaller beastmen fine - could also work as mutated humans.

Hope you enjoyed them, they were a plesure to paint!

All the best,
Kasper

The Mysterious Dusk Demon from the realm of ... dusky duskiness?

Hello all,
So my mysterious demon, acquired for almost nothing in an ebay auction, turns out to be a Dusk Realm Demon from Chronopia. I know next to nothing about Chronopia, apart from how they apparently made quite bulky miniatures, but according to the internet there are very few of these painted and showcased online. This is one of them:

And the concept art - which I much prefer...:

 Both images are from here: http://www.chronopiaworld.com/artikel.php?id=130

I like the look of it, but I do think I will paint mine as a minotaur. A minotaur mutated into a more beefy version - massive growth? - and with chaos armour. Should look cool. Trust me. No, really, it will be fine....

Chronopia has been kind enough to describe what exactly a dusk demon might be:

Dusk Realm Demon

Faction: Devout
Type: Close Combat Individual

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.
Now to find out what a Bull Mymadon is :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Help ID'ing this old, massive, Demon?

Hello all,

This beast is a mystery no longer! Thanks to Donogh (from http://apokalypsisrpg.blogspot.dk/), I now know it to be a Dusk Realm Demon from Chronopia: http://www.chronopiaworld.com/artikel.php?id=130

I got this beast in a recent trade and I have no idea what it might be. It is massive and distinct, but unfortunately still undercoated (heavily) in black paint. I hope some of you experts may be able to identify it/him:

Front:

  Left:

 Right:

 Next to an old citadel minotaur:

It is a very chunky mini - quite heavy and solid. I don't think it is a Citadel mini, but to be honest I have no idea who made this beast. Any leads would be much appreciated!

All the best,
Kasper

Tribal Beastmen from Fenris Miniatures (on sale for -20% now!)

Hello all,
The last of my spring ebay-shopping spree included a nice selection of Fenris miniature (who, I just noticed, is having a sale with 20% discount on everything, including this range).
The Fenris Beastmen fit very well with the older Citadel beasties, but have a much crispier finish and are very well sculpted. Indeed Fenris is becoming one of my favourite companies for fantasy.
The first three is an inverted beastman (his lower body is turned 180 degrees, so that is his tail he is holding), a female gazelle like beastman, and a huge brute whose left side is twice as big as his right. A massive fist!

The following two are a small warthoggish beastman, armed with a sickle, and the natural leader of the pack, a huge brute, carrying a large bone around for clubbing humans.

Just to show the size of the leader, here he is next to an old Citadel Minotaur. A very imposing creature.

These beasts appear to be a nice alternative for beastmen of the more rural, tribal type. Their weapons are unsophisticated and primitive and they have little clothing and no armour.

They are super sharp sculpts, little clean-up needed, and the type of minis that you cannot wait to paint. Highly recommended if you spot them cheaply on Ebay.


All the best,
Kasper

Old Beastmen - Harlequin and Citadel comparison

Hello all,

So, delving deep into the intimidating pile of unpainted lead, I found a couple of old beastmen. One is a classic Citadel, while the other is a somewhat odd creature from Harlequin. Now it is odd, not because of mutations or similar extravaganza, but because it carries a Crossbow, and looks like it knows how to use it. I wouldn't normally agree with the notion of a beastman using such 'sophisticated' weaponry, but hey, this is Chaos! You can complain to the big mutated chap in the head office...

I painted both of them to match the "Beastie Boys", a Slaaneshi warband led by the minotaur Akward - e.g. humanoid flesh, purple horns and hoof. 

I think they turned out fine, and it is always interesting to see how the old miniatures rank up.

 

Smada'Vek, on the left, is the old Harlequin beastman. I remember buying it primarily because I needed Crossbows and fancied giving him a different weapon, although this never happened. I think I have one or two more of this type. 

It was originally marketed as 7303 Beastmen Crossbows, it was designed by Kev Adams in ca. 1996. It is still available, and sold by Black Tree Design as part of the HM1152 Beastmen Crossbows (3):

His companion is the unnamed Beastman number 7, sculpted by Michael Perry in ca. 1994. I find it a great shame they stopped giving their minis suitable names, but as a result this beast didn't get a fancy name but it did get its very own line in the 1995/96 Citadel catalogue:

 The two actually fit each other. The Perry one is hunched over, but if it stood straight there would be little different in their bulk.

 So the only difference is in their weaponry and if you are in the market for a crossbow wielding Beastman (perhaps for a chaotic warband), then this would be a cheap and nice-looking solution.

They'll join Akward soon, and might even allow the photographer to stay alive long enough for a group photo to be taken :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Heroquest: Chaos Sorcerer, Warriors, Zombies, and Skeletons painted

Hello all,
The ultimate bad guys from Heroquest: Chaos Sorcerer, Warrior bodyguard and undead henchmen. Not that they are that difficult to slay, they just look cooler than the other monsters on the block.

Mr.Evil Sorcerer, welcoming you to his dungeon - ready for a double high-five!

Dr. Borg, unmoved by anything and able to crunch walnuts with his left hand.

Long-forgotten kings of the past; mighty mummies.

Unfortunate victims of a hay-stack fire, Carl and Otto Bleistift.

Former kindergarten teachers Schmidt (left) and Walter have turned into somewhat restless zombies. But rest assured, they are always on the look out for lost children... 

All the best,
Kasper