That's Interesting: An International Warhammer Conference Captured on YouTube

Here it is in all its glory (see link below): 

https://www.youtube.com/@warhammerconference

The first video (see below, included so you can get a feel for it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KNs_Gnq1Z8

I have to say that I am fascinated! In know 40K in particular is so old it has its own creed and history within its history. Fascinated to see the dedication and interest this generates!

Games Workshop (GW Demon) - WIP

Confession: This one was pulled from the archives (a year ago). Backstory ..I had a moment of weakness, I think I was in need to cheer myself up with a tonic and "it" took advantage of me!  Daemons are like that, they attack you when your defences are down and this one appeared unexpectedly in an aisle in local non-wargaming shop (Boyes) during a boring shopping trip (see below, yes I totally blame the Games Workshop Daemon for taking advantage of me, I am weak and it promised me riches [but it took my wargaming soul]. I have primed, washed and base-coated it [and washed it again for good measure] to gain the following effect): 

Despite being a bit over the top, it is very, very good fun to paint and it is one of the "classic Warhammer miniatures" - just sought after just to paint (see below, I like the way fantasy holds no bars so you are free to experiment - although you could say I went for a typical "Demon Red" painting scheme, three layers of paint [shade, base, highlight] and a wash on the metals! Presentable but not yet totally finished): 

Vallejo Game Colour paint range did the trick, along with their washes. The next stage is spot highlighting and some extra "detailing" on the base! Watch this space ...

A retro-project approaching its completion: Games Workshop Warhammer Starter Set circa 2003 - The Orks!

Before Xmas this was the state of play of my Warhammer Starter Set - bought for me as a birthday present circa 2003. The Empire troops are long painted but the Ork (careful not to drop into the LOTR spelling convention here) are still wanting a  bit of attention (see below, the Ork Boar Chariot and Ork Archers are just primed, Ork Chopper Boyz looking ok): 

The Ork Chopper Boyz are pretty much done - an extra bit of work on the blades won't go amiss (see below, these Ork Boyz don't seem to be the 1HD wonders of Second Edition D&D I remember so fondly of in my youth , more like 3-5HD "bad ass" things you try and avoid if at all possible):  

So during the Xmas break I went to it with gusto [it was a bucket list item]! The Ork Archers get their final painting session (see below, basing and flocking of course still to follow): 

The Ork Crew and Wild Boar Chariot was the most challenging. In short, a lot of work .. albeit mostly brown and metal (see below, it did however become a mix between a "labour of love" and "point of honour to finish without rushing". Note:  the Spear Ork is really working hard to find something "to hit"):

A close-up of a typical Greenskin - showing off with a whip, prodding a Wild Boar and bigging himself up (see below, where is a juicy, defenceless Elf when you need one?): 

Nearly there, just the last bit of basing to do! Not that bad after twenty years - I was just waiting until I learned to paint?

Nurgles .. Fun with Painting .. Nominally Fantasy/Sci-Fi

The good thing with good old "make-it-up" fantasy and science fiction is that nobody can really tell you are doing it wrong and really anything goes, especially when you are talking boiling beasts of  Chaos like GW Nurgles (see below, this was a little bit of an exercise in dry-brushing, first pass Army Painter Primer [Grey], then Vallejo Brown Dipping Formula, then Vallejo Dark Flesh, using a slightly worse for wear GW/Citadel Dry Brushing Brush): 

Just for experimentation I decided to throw an ink glaze (Vallejo Skin Ink) over it to get a wet look (see below, admittedly most of this would be lost when I dry brush but inaccessible places will still look dark, dank and wet): 

I now have a wet looking band of Nurgle miscreants (see below, the "game" they are being painted for is a "Party of Demons in Hell" take on FrostGrave - which should be interesting, I intend to mix and match to make an "old ball bunch"):

I then stopped the batch process and took one through to completion, or at least very near completion (see below, dry brushed passes of 50:50 Vallejo Caymen Green/Camp Green, Vallejo Camo, Vallejo Rotten Flesh on the main body): 

Another, this time close-up view, in the unnatural light of day for this "demon-thing" (see below, Vallejo Blood Red, for flesh - boils Vallejo Vermin Brown "tapped" on some with with Vallejo Off White): 

I also plan to use these as standard "biggish monsters" for RPG [Undead and Chaos]. Painting wise I experimented here and there on the other bits, such as introducing Vallejo Blue Ink into the guts finding an old guide to painting miniatures useful, but having to convert "old" GW to closest Vallejo. I had fun basically :) 

Hero Quest the Game Continues

In keeping with the 1980/90's "retro" post of my latest 1970-80's Traveller acquisition, a game that I missed out on acquiring in my youth (though I have managed to play it since) was the Heroquest series. This now has come my way via the sad circumstances of a games clear-out as one of the co-owners passed away, but in their honour I shall educate my family in the ways of Heroquest over the coming Covid winter (and paint a few of the retro models to boot! The "Barbarian" springs immediately to mind). Going back in time, I think I had just moved on from my first RPG phase at that juncture (it was not pulling in the girls methinks) and Games Workshop was pushing me away with the huge amounts of models required (masses of "orcs" .. or is it "orks"?) for their epic fantasy battles (in retrospect, fool that I was for thinking that!). I vaguely remember my nephew becoming interested in Space Crusade so I did see Heroquest on the shelves alongside it. The good news for me and the family is that it is D&D-lite on rules but epic in charm which is win-win  (see below, the beautiful box and remember to see the unforgettable video): 

Alongside Heroquest was Advances Hero Quest which I think was a way to route impressionable youngsters over to Warhammer, an armies even Peter Jackson would be proud of (see below, behold hoards of evil Skaven): 

This surely brings down an embargo for me to stop collecting things and start painting (with the possible [noted] exception of some 15mm Traveller figures for my Xmas present).

Dangerously Interesting .. but I am resisting because of a .. silly price .. and no immediate [or rather ever] use for them!

Follow the link below: 

https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-DE/Warhammer-40-000?N=610446033+1362237159+3955247813&Nr=AND%28product.locale%3Aen_DE_fw%2Csku.siteId%3ADE_fw%29&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bproduct.startDate+%3C%3D+1598742540000+and+product.endDate+%3E%3D+1598742540000%5D

I don't know who or what the Death Corps of Krieg are, other than that they look lovely figures (I am ignoring the insane vehicles [£100!] .. apart from the gorgeous armoured troop carrier which looks so "crazy WWI Steam Punk").

They remind me of the "Steel Legion" but at £4.60 a figure these are for the insanely rich and sadly out of my comfort zone. A little bit WWI French in a gas-mask!

Tomb Banshee - Impulse Buy

Passing through Tesco last week I noticed an Age of Sigmar magazine, kind of overpriced at (£8) but in these times of "closed shops" and "no unnecessary travelling and mingling" it seemed an incredibly prudent buy on reflection. So I decided to treat myself seeing because it looked like a generic "cool undead" sculpt (see below, a D&D monster if there were ever a GW monster that could be used for other RPG games - I also got a bottle of red Khorne Bloodletter Red, which could be useful):

Welcome to the Painting Tray "Ms Tomb Banshee"!

The "Joy of Nurgle"

Following the recent posts about GW Fantasy figures that "took my eye" it may come as no surprise to you that yet another set has come my way .. this time that of Nurgle - yes the mark of chaos is truly on me now. The appeal of a set of figures that could be as easily used for 40K or Age of Sigmar was completely of secondary interest as I play neither - but I could do in the future if my kids want to. No the primary appeal was that of "The Dark of Nurgle"; the fact that I just "took to" the look and feel of the Nurgle Plaguebearers with their sprawling guts and infestations (see below, "plastic hell" comes your way):

I suspect this is how the Horus Heresy started (see below, as they come closer you just have to know that little bit more about them):

Each one seems just a bloated sack of bile and hatred for the "clean living" beings of the multiverses, but the closer you look you notice how each one has their own mark of uniqueness about them (see below, isn't there something to love about them?):

From a horned creature with abominations erupting from its stomach to another horned being of decay being tormented by a "Nurdling" hanging from its intestines (see below, what's more I can see no complicated army painting schemes being needed here):

In fact each Nurgle is unique, but that uniqueness is lost in the squabbling hoard intent on its mission of death (see below, who needs smart uniforms to look nasty?): 

Why try and be nice when you can be simply mean! This Nurgle in a former life was probably a "Tax Inspector" or "secondary School Teacher" - there must be sufficient pent up anger and hatred to freeze the blood of a Terminator or Pilgrim Priestess (see below, my guess is that this fellow does not care what you excuse is, you're guilty in his eyes and the sentence is death

As if the larger terrors were not cause in themselves to like Nurgel, these tiny terrors that "hang along" are reminiscent of the hoards of seemingly harmless small Snotlings that cavorted around Green Skins armies - harmless that is until they got in close with numbers and evil pointy things (se below, it is that insane mad grin that means you know you are in trouble - a bit of artistic license is taken with a few Nurgle Plaguebearer spare parts and a disembodied hand chasing a tiny Nurgle after it has obviously been "naughty" and needs punishing!): 

My initial use for these beasties will be to scare the pants off some unwary adventures in the bowels of the castle of a (very) Mad Mage! They will initially kill them easily enough, but then the when dying bodies explode, the splattered guts will cause mayhem in themselves and the adventurers woes will truly start.

Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs (well "lizardmen")

A surprise project! Ahem, alert fantasy ... on the painting tray. 

An unexpected arrival for 2013. I have acquired a bucketful of "oldish" Games Workshop Lizardmen (see below):

Your classic "tin of goodies" being discarded from the depths of my local wargames club's shelves. Not an army as such but odd bits, mostly plastic but some metals. A selection of figure types are shown below:   

The aim is to let my kiddies paint them with me, put on some bright colours suitable for reptiles and wash them dark with inks, let them settle down and highlight at my leisure, unless the kids steal them as extra "baddies" for their Star Wars Lego adventures. This chap below has shades of "Jabba the Hut", although I do have to find (or make) an "arm" from the pile of discards. All part of the fun of the hobby.

Even the basic GW Lizardman foot soldier has a certain charm (see below):

There are certainly enough of them to tear apart a low level party of adventurers (evil DM laughter fades ...), the smaller ones being ideal substitute for small "Kobolds" (carrying poisonous blow-pipes ... more evil DM laughter).