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

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

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

Amazing free 1:600 scale 54-gun warships - Easy to build as well :-)

Hello all,

So our re-creation of the 1426 Battle of Brouwershaven (scenario here) was a success and great fun. But one thing I wanted to show immediately is an amazing source of free ships which also look very good.

These are examples built by J. Knudsen while those below represents my limited abilities - but only using twenty minutes or so for all three.

A talented guy named Jeffrey Knudsen has a link on his website (Wartisan.com) where from you can download a pdf containing the necessary parts to create these very nice ships:

 They are 17th century warships in 1:600 scale (although this is quite easy to change by altering the printed size) and the instructions are very easy to follow.

It should be noted that I completely botched these - mixed up the sails, couldn't be bothered with the last mast and the rigging, and yet they still looked very, very nice.

If you set aside more than the twenty minutes or so I used (while watching Supernatural :-)) the results could be quite amazing.

So if you are looking for some quick to build, free ships I simply cannot see why you wouldn't chose these :-).

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

Mutated Beastmen from Fenris - Perky and Vic - Oldhammer Beastmen

Hello all,
As this is 'Conference-season', life is a bit busy. But luckily I've got a few painted miniatures that I've not yet uploaded. The two below were bought alongside Bob and Thumper (such stupid names) and have been baptised as Perky and Vic (almost as stupid names :-)) by Fenris Games. Perky is a Goatkin Warrior while Vic is a Goatkin Scout. Quite appropriately, Perky is a brutish beastman with more than a hint of a warthog, while Vic is a graceful antelope mixture.

I tried to exaggerate Perky's piggish origin by giving him a more pinkish colour scheme. He carries a sickle and no armour - emphasizing the tribal feel these beastmen, or Goatkin, by Fenris all have.

Vic, on the other hand, seemed to demand a light paint scheme. I choose a very white which looks alright, although on hindsight behaps the pale colour might not be suitable for a scout? She carries a small dagger and a light club and, again, no armour.

Here is Perky's privates - love the realism and scuplting skill put into these beasts.

As with Bob and Thumper, these are an absolute pleasure to paint. I would really like to paint the entire Fenris Goatkin range. And as for their use, while I probably will never get to use them, they do seem absoolutely perfect for a small Beastman warband - a retinue for a Chaos Champion, a small unit for Warhammer or anything similar. Full of character!

All the best,
Kasper

Mutated Beastmen from Fenris Games - Thumper and Bob (sic!) - Oldhammer perfect

Hello all,

A while back I noticed some of the beastmen (or Goatkin, as they call them) being produced by Fenris Games. And they looked brilliant. Then I happened upon a couple of them going cheap(ish) on Ebay and snatched them. 

And I'm really happy I did so. 

On the same day they arrived in the post, I couldn't stop painting them. They are brilliant sculpts, great details and fun mutations. And no un-needed details here - just plain simple savage tribal-beastmen. Most of them have some kind of mutation, straight out of a Realm of Chaos book, and all of them have great individuality.

The first to be reviewed here are these two chaps, one with a very large left arm, and one whose entire lower body has been twisted 180 degrees. So, yes that is his tail that he is fiddling with...

The beast on the left goes by the official designation of FGGK11 Goatkin brawler "Thumper" and costs £3.50. Thumper is a better name than some of the goatkin have been given, but still... 

Sculpted by a Snuurg, who I don't know but I like his style!

The confusing being on the right is Bob. Yes, they named him Bob. Oh dear. Mr. FGGK12 Goatkin warrior "Bob". Perhaps the crappiest name ever imagined - especially compared to how brilliant this beastman is. Again, sculpted by Snuurg.

This is what "Bob" thinks of his name!
Also notice the sheer size of Thumper's fist. Who needs a weapon with mutations like that?

Both beasts were painted to fit into the Slaaneshi Warband led by Akward, the Minotaur, hence the purplish horns, hooves, etc.

In summary, these are wonderful sculpts. Anyone looking for beatmen for a Realm of Chaos Warband, a wild unit for his or her's beastman army,e tc, should really consider these. Great size, great details, and a pleasure to paint!

More Fenrisian beasts coming soon(ish).

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

Mordheim as a computer game?!? YES PLEASE!

Hello all,


Focus Home Intertainment has announced that they will be publish a computer version of Mordheim! made by some company called Rogue Factory (?).

 Oh lord, oh lord, please, please let this be good... I know I am just setting myself up for yet another massive disappointment, but I really hope this will be a great game. Perhaps I can will it to be good?

Keywords: turn-based tactical game, unit customization, iconic Mordheim factions (including Sisters of Sigmar, Possessed, Skaven, Mercenaries from the Empire), recruit new units, equip them with enhanced gear. Evolve and customize your warband.

More info here: http://www.focus-home.com/index.php?rub=news&id=675, but I've copy pasted the description here:

MORDHEIM: CITY OF THE DAMNED UNVEILED WITH SCREENSHOTS

Focus Home Interactive and Rogue Factor today proudly unveil the first video game adaptation of Games Workshop's cult classic Mordheim. Set in the Warhammer world's decimated Empire city, Mordheim: City of the Damned is a turn-based tactical game where you lead warbands into bloody and lethal skirmishes. The game blends RPG elements, fast-paced tactical combat and intricate unit customization in a time wrought by chaos and rivalry where only the strongest survive. 

After the Comet of Sigmar crashed on Mordheim, the City of Damned turned into a terrifying battlefield where rival warbands fight fiercely for the control of key neighborhoods, looking for glory and fortune by acquiring the very valuable Wyrdstone fragments. 

Pick your warbands from iconic Mordheim factions - Sisters of Sigmar, Possessed, Skaven, Mercenaries from the Empire, and many more - and lead your troops to battle. Recruit new units, equip them with enhanced gear. Evolve and customize your warband with the experience gained from each successful mission, transforming them into a terrifying force on the battlefield. 

Devise the best strategy to annihilate your rivals. If you fail, some of your units might lose a limb... or worse. Keep in mind that in Mordheim: City of the Damned, a dead unit is lost forever! Consider the environment when formulating your battle strategy, exploiting the unique buildings, ruins or the layout of the streets. Deploy your troops carefully and anticipate the actions of your adversaries to set up ambushes! Organize ingenious battle plans where the talents of your units will be as important as your own luck during key moments of combat. 

Loot items and weapons hidden in the ruins, or steal those of fallen opponents. Survive the dangers that abound in the City of the Damned and collect as many Wyrdstones as you can, but remain ever vigilant. Mordheim is one of the most treacherous places in the Warhammer world! 

In these epic battles where fame and glory await, your strategy will definitely be your best ally! Visit the four corners of the City of the Damned to complete multiple missions in the solo campaign, or challenge other players in enthralling multiplayer modes. 

Riches and infamy await you late 2014 in Mordheim: City of the Damned! 

Please, please let this be a good game...

All the best,

Kasper

Tor Gaming? Halfling Paladin or rich Goblin knight?

Hello all,
I stumbled across this beautiful miniature:

I've since tried to figure out what it might be and what else is coming in Tor Gaming's forthcoming fundraiser (I think this also works as a link to it?). But I must admit I havn't been very succesful - a secretive company or my Googl-fu is not strong today.

If you have ever bougth any of their sculpts or know what they are planning I would really appreciate the information :-).

Anyways, I've signed up for their newsletter and hope they will give some more information before the fundraiser (https://gleam.io/3nGlb-392T4e ) goes live on the 5th, as I really like this mini!

All the best,
Kasper

Old Runequest Miniatures: Scorpion Men (Beastmen conversions)

Hello all,
Along with the old Runequest Dragonnewts (pictured here), I also got some fun looking Scorpion men. I initially bought them because I thought they were variants of the old "Runequest Box 4: Beast Men - Scorpion Man with Club". 
Unfortunately, they were not and are two pretty crappy conversions, or rather destructions of the originals - the clubs ares gone, shields have been inexpertly added, and bothhave received (even more inexpertly) a new beastman head. 
I've been working on them with green stuff to hide most of the old conversion and have added a little something special to them to make them more Slaaneshi - I think they have, under the circumstances, turned out just fine :-):

Mr. Scorpion Man #1

The distinct claws were bought - after much searching - from an online bitz-shop.

Mr. Scorpion Man #1

The purple should tie them in with the Slaaneshi warband nicely, but I guess that the browns could have used a bit more variation.

Mr. Scorpion Man #1

The original scorpion men looks like this:

 (picture from http://www.collecting-citadel-miniatures.com/wiki/index.php/File:RQ4-10.jpg)


The beastman head used for Mr. Scorpion Man #2 (below) may have been a skeletal head originally - not sure. If anyone can identify where these heads originate I would appreciate the information.

Mr. Scorpion Man #2

I've left this scorpio's shield blank until inspiration strike me for a motif.

Mr. Scorpion Man #2

Considering the circumstances I think they look effective, and - if you don't look too closely - they look nice :-).

All the best,
Kasper