An Anti-Paladin in hospital

 Some time ago I acquired a large lot of old Citadel figures, some of which had the dreaded leadrot. The seller wasn't a mini collector and I got them at s good price so I didn't make a fuss. They languished a few months on my desk looking folorn until this morning when they were sent to a spa bath of Mineral oil and pure Turpentine. Here they are recuperating before being undercoated. The mix of oil and turps had a very distinctive smell which instantly reminded me of going brass rubbing as a child.

Season's Greetings from Run Dingill.

 

A long overdue post, I really had to show my latest piece of  terrain , handmade for me by the very talented Geoff Solomon-Sims of Oakbound Studios. It is a model of Dun Ringill, an Iron age fort on the Isle of Skye. I've wanted to make this more many years, but something always got in the way of starting it. Happily, Geoff volunteered to make it, and in record time it was winging it's way to me. It's going to be called Run Dingill and is the headquarters of the Stormwatch led by Admiral Sirius, pictured here mustering outside the walls. The attention to detail is mind boggling and is fully documented here in one of Geoff's weekly videos which are well worth tuning into each Wednesday. So many many thanks Geoff... I'm sure I'll be asking you to make more terrain for me in the future, a frozen lake perhaps and some towering ice pinnacles.

It's been a very strange year of course, and I have been incredibly lucky (so far) in that the pandemic, really has had a minimal impact on my life. My work carried on as normal, my wife was furloughed on full salary and oldest son started Forestry college as planned. Having said that, my old Mum passed away just as the first lockdown started (at 93, non Covid related), and at the start of the year I was being knocked about by Hypo-Thyroidism, now thankfully under control, so 2020 is a year I won't remember fondly, but as things go, I think I got off pretty lightly.

I've got too many projects on the go of course. As always in the winter I get back into Dungeons and Dragons, and am determined to get some more figures finished for Monster Manual Monday and Fiend Folio Friday. My Joe Dever Minas Tirith collection is under way and I hope to be able to show some results soon, starting off with some Haradrim and Mumakil.

I've found I've had a lot less time to look at other peoples blogs and comment on them, so for this I apologise. Partially due to me wasting time looking at facebook groups. I really do prefer blogs rather than fleeting facebook posts, but they are more time consuming to put together. A happy medium may be Instagram....

Anyhow, I hope you all have as good a Christmas as you possibly can and we all look forward to a year without Trump, endless Brexit cock ups and perhaps even Covid-19.

TO CATCH A THIEF

Last week, I had a comment from a reader called Yaztromo's Confectioner , informing me of a battle report in the magazine GM, featuring Joe Dever's collection. Needless to say I was on eBay in seconds and found the correct issue April 1989 for a couple of quid. It arrived yesterday and I quickly flicked through to the correct pages. The first thing that struck me was the truly stunning mullet sported by one of the participants, but once I overcame my shock at seeing that I settled down to read the article called To Catch a Thief. The scenario appears to be set in the world of Lone Wolf, ie. Magnamund, but in most other respects it's a direct copy of the Thistlewood scenario in White Dwarf 45. We have a thief called Dal Khordas ( in Thistlewood he's Foro Malas) who has stolen a magic sceptre (TW a chalice). The good king Alin (TW Amias) has mobilised a small force to hunt it down aided by his ally Prince Pelethar (TW Baron Galen). The villain Kraagenskul ( TW Vassago) is keen to find the sceptre which the thief has hidden somewhere in the village of Marshbury ( Thistlewood). The forces have to hunt through the village looking for the magic artefact. There's even a teleporting tomb/ crypt and a magic sword which attracts undead just as there is in the Thistlewood scenario. Sadly there are no maps or army lists in this article, but several tantalising pictures where I can see stalwarts of Joe's collection as well as newer slotta based figures. This really is a great find and I'd like to thank Yaztromo's Confectioner for bringing it to my attention.

The resin church in the centre was in the last report I found. I have one of these, but don't know the manufacturer.

The unit of red cavalry was in the last report I found, and I believe they are Minifigs Cataphracts.

To the left we have an entire unit of LOTR mounted Nazgul...I can only assume Joe had access to cheap figures from Citadel.

Left foreground some Riders of Rohan from the 1985 Citadel range... behind them are Knights of Dol Amroth which featured in Joe's later games as Knights of Durendor from Lone Wolf.

Pretty sure I can see a big unit of Lone Wolf Giaks in the right foreground. Far left midground are the Red Minifigs knights that crop up in many of Joe's games, including Thistlewood.

DUSTY CADAVERS

 A unit for my Prehammer collection. Fiend Factory zombies led by an Asgard Wight.  Tried out contrast paints properly for the first time . Straight from the pot over a white undercoat, so worked quite well I feel. I'd been treating them as a wash which isn't the right thing to do. They certainly made quick work of these. I want to have a go at applying them over black undercoat, dry brushed grey or white.

THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN CELERIAC

 A quick unit for my Toyhammer army, a unit of fighting monks.

SOME PICTURES OF JOE DEVER'S COLLECTION

I don't seem to spend as much time just surfing the net nowadays, so was delighted to find a little write up  here , from a lucky fellow who attended a Lone Wolf Battle Day hosted by Joe Dever himself. I must admit that the Lone Wolf books came along just as I was losing interest in fantasy gaming and in particular Fighting Fantasy style books (what was I thinking of.... beer and wimmen probably), so I'm not well versed in the lore of Magnamund where the books are set, but although the battle shown here features Lone Wolf and also slotta figures, there are plenty of Joe's older collection to be spotted, including units that appear at Thistlewood!

I reckon this game took place in late '86 or '87 (one of the photos in the write up shows some Games Day awards dated 85 and 86). I have copied some of the pictures below which I believe were taken by Joe Dever himself. If I am breaching any copyright or similar, please let me know and I'll remove them.

Here we have initial deployment. The units at the bottom left are Hinchliffe Yonderley Men and featured in a picture illustrating Thistlewood. I reckon the red Minifigs knights on the right were there as well!

Some splendid green hobgoblins and orcs charge some foresters... many of these figures are outside my comfort zone being slotta castings (mounted on card here), but I can see a Citadel FA ranger, and the cavalry are Minifigs... possibly painted up to use as Haradrim.

Minifigs red AX knights, and a Garrison king charging some chaos warriors. the red goblins bottom left are Lone Wolf Giaks.

a close up of two of the Hinchliffe Yonderley men... so nice to see them in colour. The bald chap in the foreground is a Ral Partha necromancer, flanked by Minifigs Monk Spirits.

Some Citadel HYW crossbowmen defending a wall against undead. Perhaps these chaps fought at Thistlewood too?

Some action taking place indoors, using Dungeon Floorplans as recommended in the Thistlewood article. Some converted Dixon ashigaru and Citadel Easterlings tackle some Citadel DA vikings. In the foreground right is another Hinchliffe Yonderley Man.

So, very exciting for me to see some more of Joe's collection in colour. I love the whole set up with the terrain tiles which were very in vogue then, and the simple no nonsense basing of the figures. Take a look at the other pictures in the original article.

 

ROYAL CENTAURS

 Today I managed to get hold of something of a holy grail for my collection. Another of the original units featured in the Thistlewood scenario in WD43, from Joe Dever's collection. This time the Royal Centaurs of King Amias. Figures by Asgard, I was hoping to collect enough to create the unit myself, but I've only ever been able to buy three, so presumably quite a rare figure.

Here they are in the picture of the army deployment in the article.

And in another of Joe's battles

and finally arriving, perhaps a bit battered, to the attic. I'll need to replace the spears, some of which are cocktail sticks, but I won't interfere with the bases or painting.