MORE TROLLS

More trolls stampede through a hamlet. Another batch of underbridge dwellers to go with the previous ones I painted. This lot were done with washes rather than hightlighting which is much quicker. A mix of Citadel Fantasy Tribes and some great Asgard sculpts by Nick Bibby (his trolls are scaly which is good).

Below they muster with the older paint jobs.

IMP WAR PARTY

Having finished a few undead units, I thought I would move on to some aerial bods. Ral Partha Imps, looking suspiciously like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz film (how they used to scare me).

The leader is Ral Partha demon

SPIRITS OF THE BEDSTAFF

In the M R James story "Two Doctors" reference is made to "the affair of the bedstaff", which is left unexplained to the reader (in cunning Jamesian style). A bedstaff seems to have been a wooden pin for securing the bed linen in times of yore, to stop the sheets slipping off.

These bedclothes seem to have acquired a life all of their own, as well as some gardening implements. More lovely Ral Partha figures from 1977, this is one of my favourites, later copied by Citadel in their Fiend Factory range. I decided to stick to the traditional sheeted phantom colour scheme.

I love the way the cloth hangs down over the face, and the hands (or whatever things worse than hands) are covered, so you are not sure if there is anything or not under there.

HOW DOES AN EGYPTIAN DOORBELL WORK?

Just toot and come in. Here we have some well wrapped warriors from 1977 by Ral Partha. The faceless pose is the standard Mummy figure from the Personalities and Things that go Bump in the Night range, but the chap with his face showing I think must be from some boxed sets Ral Partha released in the late 70's, if I remember correctly each box was a little game in itself. I must look them up in White Dwarf when I get a chance.

Very easy paint job....just coat d'arms linen washed with Agrax Earthshade...... 

EARLIEST PICTURE OF A FANTASY BATTLE?

I came across this wonderful picture on Playing at the World blog showing a fantasy battle put on in 1970 at a Miniature Figures Collectors of America convention. The fort (Minas Tirith in the game) is a converted Airfix Roman fort and I can make out Airfix Robin Hood figures there as well. Isn't it splendid?

THE BROTHERS OFGRIMSTOCK ABBEY

I don't have that many undead figures, but I dug this nugget from the lead mountain last year. They are Grenadier figures from about 1985, so fall into the "new-school" category in my collection, but they do have a real 70's vibe about them. The empty hood with raised nodules inside to paint as eyes, the improbably shaped weapon and the coffin shaped shield all remind me of earlier figures, in particular the Servants of Sauron pack by Heritage Miniatures. I picked these up a couple of years ago from EM-4 Miniatures at a show, where they often have rummage bins of cheap Grenadier bits and bobs.

I haven't thought of any fluff to go with them yet, other than the name.

2018 has kicked off to a good start with myself managing to get 2 games in so far and a promise of more to come. The first was a great game of 2nd edition Warhammer, after meeting up with some fellow Oldhammerers who live nearby. We played 3 scenarios from Terror of the Lichemaster which was new to me (although I had heard of it of course), on absolutely stunning terrain made by Geoff of Oakbound Studios. Here are a couple of not very good pictures which really don't do the terrain justice (or his figures for that matter).  Thanks to Geoff and H. (our host) for a great day gaming.

brrr.....that water looks chilly

The other game I had was against my old gaming friend Speckled Jim, facing off 2 Viking warbands using Lion Rampant. I thought I had won this but have just realised that I was claiming Victory points that I didn't deserve....needless to say I haven't mentioned this to the defeated Warlord. Next games in the horizon are a game of Dragon Rampant and a game of The Woods, using Oakbound Studio rules.

EARTHMEN OF BISM

Another lot of pre-slottas I painted up earlier  this year, they are Red Orcs from Citadels Fiend Factory range, I remember asking my Dad to pick me up a pack of orcs from some shop in Portsmouth while he was down there on business, and he came back with a little bag of 3 of these guys.....

Not how I imagined orcs at all, but I suspect the then very young Perry Twins were following on from Bryan Ansell's Age of Joman orcs which have the same long lugubrious faces.

Somehow I've managed to build up a unit  of these figures , mainly by getting the odd ones and twos in job lots of figures and I was wondering how to paint them. Then I remembered the Pauline Baynes cover of C S Lewis' Narnia book The Silver Chair which shows the Earthmen of Bism all looking very dejected and I thought that this look suited the Red Orcs very well.

I'm not a huge fan of the Narnia books (although I enjoyed this one as a youth), Aslan is so infuriatingly patronising and holier than though (unsurprisingly as he is supposed to be God masquerading as a lion), but I decided to get painting and here is the result.

Full unit with Giant Tusker support. Led by The Lady of the Green Kirtle (a were-snake in the story)

Close up of the Lady, a Ral Partha figure

The standard showing the Lady in Snake form (Minifigs skull on top)

Light relief in the form of Captain Arnold Grubber, his nagging wife Constance and their offspring. He has a sentient shield called Cross Watkins, but I neglected to take a close up pic of it.

Rear view shots showing the different cloth designs based on the book cover. I painted the chainmail as loose knit cloth.

Close up of the Tuskers.

Not my favourite figures, it has to be said, but quite fun to paint. Some undead coming next.