From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths (20 Points)

These four 28mm scale "white metal figures" of Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have painted them to represent the "dreaded ring-servants of the Dark Lord Sauron in Middle-earth" so as to field them as a 'Lord Of The Toons' Bellicose Foot unit (Reduced Model Unit) for “Dragon Rampant” by "Osprey Games".

Originally I had planned to simply paint these figures in exactly the same way as I've pigmented all my ghosts, using a white undercoat with plenty of green shading and simple white dry-brush. But having seen the 'official' paint-job on the now OOP Twilight Ringwraiths manufactured by "Games Workshop", I thought I'd try a distinctly bluer palette, so therefore primed the quartet with two layers of "Vallejo" Steel Grey.

The Fallen Kings were then 'muddied down' with a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Steel Grey, and an even lighter touch of Heavy Bluegrey. With the bulk of the spectres finished, I subsequently 'picked out' their grotty gloves with a combination of "Vallejo" White and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and their eyes with a dab of  "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

I also layered their teeth with a dash of "Vallejo" White, and decided to imply a haunting look in their somewhat softly-detailed faces by adding a splash of "Citadel" Druchii Violet just beneath their eyes. This colour sort of replicated the facial make-up I spotted the actors wearing when they appeared in Peter Jackson's 2001 epic fantasy adventure film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".

Glad I've had chance to minion a post from the prolific Simon., his distinctive style can be spotted from miles away and I do love it. These are great and will make a very unexpected bellicose foot unit, not played Dragon Rampant for ages, must play again


Martin

From SimonM: "Warlord Games" Dalek (35 points) - Curtgeld

This "easy-build plastic" Dalek model is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be assembled from the plastic sprues found within either the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" "fast-paced tabletop miniatures game" or the “Davros And The New Dalek Empire” Expansion Set. Created by Terry Nation (and Raymond Cusick) in 1963, this particular variant of the Kaled's Mark III travel machine is based upon their Time War shell and first appeared in the April 2005 BBC Television series story "Dalek".

Due to the Kaled mutant not coming with any base, the drone was first super-glued onto a 40mm lipped circular stand, and only then primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being treated to a double coat of Brass. The human-sized pepper pot was then washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and given a hearty dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Brass.

With the 'basic' painting phase completed, I decided to slightly convert this particular Dalek by cutting off his control arm, and re-positioning it, courtesy of drilling a small hole in the model. This figure is to be my "Curtgeld" for the "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge", so I wanted to make it a little different from the other 'off-the-shelf' Dalek's you can buy.

Once the piece was firmly re-attached, I ‘picked out’ the Kaled mutant's eye stalks, 'sink plunger' and multi-range variable power destructor using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Finally, I pigmented its audio scanners with a dash of "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey, as well as tidied up the Metaltron's fender with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

I have also turned my attention to another of the free miniatures “Lucid Eye Publications” have kindly sent me as part of my recent orders with their company. These figures all consist of the self-same wizard sat atop a dice whilst smoking a pipe, and whilst not quite as cartoonish in style as the manufacturer’s other “Toon Realms” sculpts, they certainly seem to still fit the genre quite nicely.

As before I’ve decided to utilise the models as statues/objective markers for my games of “Dragon Rampant”, and paint them so as to represent a variety of materials. For this version I wanted to try my hand at a somewhat waterlogged stone statue, in order to test out a possible palette for a much larger figure I want to enter into the AHPC.

The sedentary wizard was therefore primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and subsequently washed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and finally "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. As a final step he was dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

Total - Dalek (5 Points) + Curtgeld (25 Points) + Wizard Statue (5 Points) = 35 Points?

JmilesR: Simon your pointology is, indeed, correct. 

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" King Victor's Royal Guard (30 Points)

These five "cartoon scale" white metal figures of King Victor's Royal Guard are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range as a pack of four miniatures. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have painted the warriors in the colours of the Guards of the Tower of Gondor so as to field a six-figure strong unit of (Elite Foot) Guards of the Citadel for “Dragon Rampant” by "Osprey Games".

Initially primed with two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, these personal bodyguards to the twenty-sixth ruling Steward of Gondor were dry-brushed using some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and subsequently washed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. They then had their boots and spear shafts layered with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and their belt buckles, spears and helmets delicately dabbed in Gold. All of these areas were later washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to dampen down their pigment's vigour.

The Tower Guards' helmets, armours, chain-mail, shield emblems and spear-tips were treated to a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. These parts were later delicately dry-brushed with (more) Ironbreaker. Finally, each knight’s linen surcoat and feathers were ‘picked out’ in “Vallejo” White and ‘shaded’ with a tiny amount of Pale Grey.

In addition to these five fine fellows, I have also managed to paint up another of the manufacturer's characterful sculpts, in the shape of Sterling The Wandering Knight. This miniature was completed using a similar palette to that of King Victor's Royal Guard, and will represent Denethor's eldest son, Boromir in my forthcoming 'Lord Of The Toons' campaign...


From DaveD - Blax you continue to taunt (or is it educate) me with your figures from the nether regions of your lead pile. Cartoon scale - thats a new one! Good to see you are back on the Nuln Oil too i was getting worried -pretty sure you used to be able to get that on prescription in the UK.. 30 points it is!

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" King Victor's Men-at-Arms (40 Points) - READY

These eight "cartoon scale" white metal figures of King Victor's Men-at-Arms are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range as a pack of four identical miniatures. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have painted them all in the colours of Gondor so as to be able to finally field a twelve-model strong unit of (Heavy Foot) Minas Tirith Knights for “Dragon Rampant” by "Osprey Games".

Initially undercoated with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, Denethor's warriors were dry-brushed using some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal in order to bring out some of their large cloaks' detail, and subsequently washed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The soldiers' boots were then treated to a touch of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, whilst their sword hilts and belt buckles were given a lick of Gold.

Both of these areas were later washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Finally I 'picked out' the Men-at-Arms' helmets, neck armour, chain-mail and shield emblems using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, and eventually dry-brushed these parts with (more) Ironbreaker.

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Excellent work here Simon, these fine warriors look ready to defend the realm.  I have not yet had the chance myself to play Osprey's "Lion Rampant" or any of its spin-offs, but the rules look super fun and I expect these fellows will make a fine showing.  The careful highlighting of the assorted metal parts is a particular success, well done.

And for points, well, maybe I should just check with this Palantir thing to see what the calculation should be...after all, I don't think there is a downside to Palantir use, is there? Things seemed to work out fine for Denethor...

That will be 40 points for you Simon, great stuff. 

GregB

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Grove's Shrubs (45 Points)

These eight 23mm tall "cartoon scale white metal figures" of Grove’s Shrubs are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be brought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Trish Carden to be the Shrub Henchmen for Yewan the Treeman, I actually thought these miniatures would make some excellent-looking Ents for my ongoing 'Lord Of The Toons' project using the "Dragon Rampant" rule-set by "Osprey Games".

Initially primed with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, the talking trees were 'immersed' in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and later dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, as well as (the somewhat lighter) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. I then 'picked out' their leafy beards using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

Finally, the ancient shepherds of Fangorn Forest had their eyes 'dotted' using a tiny spot of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre" and the fungi living on their backs treated to a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red. These oyster-shaped toadstools were subsequently shaded using a splash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before each ensemble was tidied up, courtesy of either some additional “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, Heavy Brown and/or dash of “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade.

With two units of Lesser Warbeasts completed, I also turned my attention to one of a handful of free miniatures “Lucid Eye Publications” have kindly sent me as part of my recent orders with their company. These figures all consist of the self-same wizard sat atop a dice whilst smoking a pipe, and whilst not quite as cartoonish in style as the manufacturer’s other “Toon Realms” sculpts, they certainly seem to still fit the genre quite nicely. 

As a result I’ve decided to utilise the models as statues/objective markers for my games of “Dragon Rampant”, and paint them so as to represent a variety of materials. To begin with, I thought I’d prime the wizard with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and subsequently treat him to a double coat of Brass. The figurine was then heavily washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Brass.

To give the idol some ‘weathering’ I applied plenty of "Citadel" Nihilakh Oxide over the miniature, and later ‘blended’ this in with the rest of the colour scheme by giving it a second dry-brush of "Vallejo" Brass. Lastly, I pigmented the 28mm “Games Workshop” circular base beneath the wizard using “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, as well as a mixture of “Citadel” Nuln Oil, Biel-Tan Green and Agrax Earthshade, before dry-brushing the ‘stone plinth’ with more “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey.

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Great work on the shepherd shrubs(?), Simon, but I have to say I'm really taken by that wizard-smoking-on-a-die, especially with how you did the verdigris with the gold. It really makes a terrific looking marker. I have a somewhat similar game marker that I need to paint and I think I may pilfer your recipe for it. Thanks and Well Done!

-Curt

From SimonM - "Toon Realms" Lord Rascal's Icky Spiders (25 Points)

These five "cartoon scale white metal figures" of Lord Rascal’s Icky Spiders are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have previously painted half a dozen of these arachnids for the “Dragon Rampant” rule-set in a simple “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and “Citadel” Abaddon Black colour scheme, so wanted to make these metal horrors rather more eye-catching on the tabletop, especially when mixed in with their much more monotone brethren.

As a result I decided against just super-gluing the Lesser Warbeasts to their 30mm lipped plastic circular bases and instead drilled a tiny hole up into their underbelly before attaching them to some pieces of wire. This allowed me to prime them with impunity, predominantly wash them using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brush the fanged critters without having to worry about catching their bases with my brush and doing some considerable tidying up once the bulk of their painting was finished.

In order to cover as broad a palette as possible I decided to pigment my eight-legged horrors with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, Heavy Red, Heavy Blue, Heavy Green and Heavy Violet. I then ‘picked out’ their pointed teeth with “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Agra’s Earthshade, and the furry fiends’ eyes with a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Bloodletter. However, for my red spider I applied two dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre over its eyes, and shaded them with “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.

Only once the Necromancer’s fearsome minions were fully-painted did I drill a small hole into the models’ separately finished bases, and pin them in place using a small quantity of superglue. Finally, the arachnid servants were varnished using Vallejo" Gloss Acyrlic Varnish and had their stands flocked using “Citadel” Static Grass.
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M. Simon's second course is a beautifully-prepared selection of spiders. Don't be worried, there's enough for everybody! 

These five-point morsels give this chef another 25 points! Now, I think an aperitif is in order before the next course... *shudder*

Ev

From SimonM - "Toon Realms" Lord Rascal The Necromancer & His Icky Spiders (40 Points)

This "cartoon scale white metal figure" of Lord Rascal The Necromancer is produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. "Provided with one 30mm display base" and sculpted by Steve Saleh, this nefarious magic-user is set to be the lead villain of my 'Lord Of The Toons' project using the "Dragon Rampant" rule-set.

Capable of firing lightning bolts from his very fingertips, the figure was initially primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and later heavily dry-brushed using some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. I then applied some “Citadel” Ironbreaker to the Summoner's staff, and washed both his robes and metal pole with Nuln Oil in order to darken them down.

Due to wanting this wizard to appear close to death himself, I painted his flesh using a combination of “Citadel” Rakarth Flesh and Reikland Fleshshade, and subsequently 'highlighted' his fingers, toes and facial features with a bit more Rakarth Flesh. Originally, I had been considering painting Lord Rascal's eyes red, but then felt that "Vallejo" Dead White would probably provide him with something akin to the look of a Nosferatu instead.

Lastly, I thought it would be quite nice to paint his unholy staff's skull in exactly the same way as I've previously painted his Skeleton Swordsmen and spear-carrying Warriors; almost as if to suggest what happens to those Undead soldiers who anger him greatly. As a result the unfortunate head was pigmented using "Vallejo" Dark Sand, heavily washed in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and finally dry-brushed using both (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand, as well as Dead White.

In addition to Lord Rascal, I have also painted seven of his Icky Spiders. Six of these metal horrors were rather simplistically painted using a double undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, an enthusiastic dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, as I wanted one to stand-out on the tabletop as the Lesser Warbeasts' leader, kept one miniature separate from its plastic lipped base until after I had painted it using a combination of "Vallejo" Dead White and Pale Grey. Only once the eight-legged arthropod was fully-painted did I pin it to an already finished stand.

All the crawling critters' eyes were 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and glazed using a splash of "Citadel" Bloodletter. All their fangs were layered in "Vallejo" Dead White" and shaded with a dab of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.
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The Toon peril grows apace... 40 points for the Necromancer and his arachnid servants, well done Simon!

Ev

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Lord Rascal's Skeleton Warriors (20 Points)

These four "cartoon scale white metal" figures of Lord Rascal's Skeleton Warriors are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh and destined to form part of the Necromancer's ever-expanding army of Skeletons, I thought these Undead soldiers would probably form part of a second Light Foot unit I'm currently planning for my 'Lord Of The Toons' project using the "Dragon Rampant" rule-set.

Originally primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Dark Sand, the quartet were heavily washed in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and subsequently enthusiastically dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand. I then dry-brushed them rather more lightly with Dead White, before 'picking out' their spear-tips and shield emblems using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

In order to give the pole weapons something of an edge, and to 'highlight' the details on the skeleton's ornamental armoured boss, both of these areas were later delicately dry-brushed with a little bit of "Citadel" Ironbreaker. I also painted each of their shields in either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Blue, Heavy Violet or Black, and eventually dirtied them all up with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Finally I used "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to pigment both their leather boots and spear-shafts, and also applied some Heavy Brown to their spear-straps. All of these areas were subsequently shaded in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.
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Good to see you bulking up the forces of the undead with some spears! How else are you supposed to keep cavalry at bay?

That's another 20 points for these ossified fellows, Simon, and on to your third submission for the week!

Ev 

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Sir Bones & Lord Rascal's Skeleton Swordsmen (25 Points)

This "cartoon scale white metal figure" of Sir Bones is produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh and destined to lead Lord Rascal's ever-increasingly contingent of Skeleton Swordsmen, I thought this Undead knight would probably form part of the Necromancer's Undead Light Foot unit I'm currently painting for my 'Lord Of The Toons' project using the "Dragon Rampant" rule-set.

Initially primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Dark Sand, the miniature was arguably drenched in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and subsequently dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand. I then dry-brushed him rather more lightly with Dead White, before 'picking out' his sword, armour, belt buckle and shield emblem using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

In order to give Sir Bones' hand-weapon something of an edge, as well as 'highlight' the details on the skeleton's ornamental armoured boss, armour plating and buckle, all of these areas were later delicately dry-brushed with some additional "Citadel" Ironbreaker. I also painted the warrior's shield and ragged under-garments in "Vallejo" Heavy Violet, and his billowing cloak with Heavy Red.

Both of these areas were eventually dirtied up with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before I patiently dry-brushed the knight's hooded travelling cape with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. As a final touch I pigmented the flesh-less soldier's belt with a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Alongside Sir Bones, I have also managed to complete four more of Lord Rascal's Skeleton Swordsmen, bringing the Light Foot unit's total to nine. All of these Undead combatants were painted in precisely the same way as their knighted leader, with the only difference being that their shield's were randomly base-coated using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Blue, Heavy Violet or Black before being treated to a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

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The first of three for this week from you Simon, and I see you've given us more of the Toon Realms range - these are tremendous fun, and I suspect they are the ideal gateway drug to get the kiddies into wargaming!

25 points for these bony little beggars, so let's kick on and see what other treats you have in store!

Ev

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Lord Rascal's Skeleton Swordsmen (20 Points)

These four "cartoon scale white metal" Skeleton Swordsmen are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and are available from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh and led by Lord Rascal, I thought this quartet would form part of the Undead Light Foot unit I'm currently building for my 'Lord Of The Toons' project using the "Dragon Rampant" rule-set.

Originally primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Dark Sand, the four miniatures were somewhat soaked in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and subsequently dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand. I then dry-brushed them rather more lightly with Dead White, before 'picking out' their swords and shield emblems using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

So as to give the hand-weapons something of an edge, and to 'highlight' the details on the skeleton's armour, both of these areas were later delicately dry-brushed with a little smidgen of "Citadel" Ironbreaker. I also painted each of their shields in either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Blue, Heavy Violet or Black, and dirtied them all up with a shade of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.
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I do like these guys! Lucid Eye are producing some extremely nice sculpts (or 'skullpts' as the case may be); definitely a studio to watch.

20 points for these cheery (and chibi) undead!

Ev

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Yewan Grove The Treeman (7 Points)

This 45mm tall "white metal figure" is produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be brought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Trish Carden, and suitably Treebeard-like in appearance, I thought this miniature would make an excellent leading tree herder for my current 'Lord Of The Toons' project.

Initially primed with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, the Ent was 'immersed' in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and later dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, as well as (the somewhat lighter) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. I then 'picked out' Yewan's marvellously leafy beard with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

The ancient creature's eyes were 'dotted' using a tiny spot of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre". Whilst the fungi found living on his arms and back, were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. The Treeman's two toadstools were painted in a similar fashion, albeit their stalks were pigmented using a little "Vallejo" Dead White and Pale Grey.

Finally "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade were applied to Grove's spear, and some Heavy Bluegrey to the weapon's tip. As I wanted to show that this 'sharp point' was actually made of stone as opposed to wood, I washed it with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and then carefully dry-brushed around its edges with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. 

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What a terrific figure to head your hedge of saplings. I love his leafy beard and that baleful yellow-orange eye. The sharp blue stone heading his spear is a great counterpoint (excuse the pun) to the subtle tones of the figure. Very nice.

Due to his larger size I'm going to score him as a 40mm figure. Well done Simon!

From SimonM: "Lucid Eye Publications" Grove's Shrubs (20 Points)

These four "cartoon scale white metal figures" are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and are available from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Trish Carden and led by Yewan Grove The Treeman, I thought these miniatures would make excellent Ents for a 'Lord Of The Toons' project I currently have in mind for my tabletop.

Originally primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, the quartet were generously drenched in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and later dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, as well as (the somewhat lighter) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. I then 'picked out' their straggly beards with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

All of the  humanoid-shaped shrubs' eyes were 'dotted' using a tiny dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre". Whilst the creatures' backs, which are riddled with tiny toadstools, had all this emerging fungi pigmented in "Vallejo" Heavy Red and later shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

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Those are some great looking entlings, Simon. Their pose makes me thing, 'Get off my lawn!' which kinda works in this setting. The bark effect is great and I like what you did with both their toadstools and their beards - groovy minis and thanks for sharing!