Dungeons and Doggies - Saint Bernard

Years ago we back the first Dungeons and Doggies kickstarter... When the doggos finally did show up we split them up. The only one I was really interested in, however, was this massive Saint Bernard. I'm not sure if the kids ever painted theirs...? Both seem to have lost interest in painting miniatures, for the most part (though Keiran DID paint three axolotl warriors from the last Reaper Bones kickstarter we backed... they may be the ONLY ones that have been painted... unless I painted some of the terrain bits I got...?) 

I cut it off it's original base and stuck it to a GW 32mm base with some cobblestones I made with a roller from Green Stuff World. 

It's a lovely minaiture, but, honestly, I'm not sure when or where I'll even use it... MAYBE, if I ever played Frostgrave again, I could use it there...? Apothecary? Mule? I don't know... 

I can't even think of a name... 

Foxy Wizard Vixen for Burrows and Badgers

I finished up the first of the critters I'm working on for Burrows and Badgers. Oddly, this isn't even for the warband I was planning for myself!? I'm working on a band of Highland Bunnies for myself. But I got it in my head to do some foxes for Amanda and somehow finished one of these first!?



She looks very friendly. I have a feeling all these critters are going to. Not sure why they'd be fighting each other... maybe they should all be friends and go on adventures together!?

I guess she is a FOX - a predator! And my warband is going to be made up of bunnies - FOOD! Not sure how excited Amanda is going to be about being the belligerent!?

(Who am I kidding, she is going to have a riot savaging my poor wee bunnies!)

The figure is based wooden peg doll that I've added milliput to. There is a wire armature under the staff and the arm holding the staff that was drilled into the peg.



Also a wire armature inside the tail that was drilled and glued into the peg.



The base on this one is a large metal washer, but I've since acquired a number of wooden discs to use for others.

I haven't really looked into war band construction that deeply to figure out what else I'd need to build. In my mind's eye I imagined a warrior or two (with sword and shield) and/or a ranger/archer type or two... Mind you, if I'm doing highland bunnies for my own warband, so maybe the rest should be in tricorne caps and red coats and carrying muskets!? (I believe there are rules for firearms in the game!?)


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog: 

I've been cleaning out the basement and done a complete sweep of the painting table and hobby room and putting EVERYTHING away so I can start fresh. Might be a few days before I get back to any painting or playing... Not sure what I'll be doing then. Hopefully back on track with THE PLAN and painting Necromunda stuff or Hellboy stuff...

Burrows and Badgers

Some time ago, Keira picked up Burrows and Badgers from Osprey Games - because cutesy, anthropomorphic critters! Who could resist!

Occasionally, she hints at wanting to play it.

I've had only the briefest of looks at the game - it is HER game, after all. I kind of expect that SHE should read the rules and teach ME!

I do have a PILE of Skaven that could be used as rats - and an assortment of other anthropomorphic animals that may or may not be of use. The problem is, most of the anthropomorphic critters we have are about the same size - "28mm-ish". The animals in the game, however, are supposed to vary in size - much like their real world counter parts. Oathsworn makes a bunch of really, very lovely miniatures for the game... but I think Amanda will likely execute me if I spent any more money on miniatures this year... but I did pick up those wooden pegs and got to wondering what I could do with them...

Well...



Conveniently Pegs come in a number of very different sizes! I have three so far 35mm, 42mm, and 55mm (I've also ordered a few that are 65mm and 75mm). I figured I could MAKE small war bands of animals using the various different sizes of pegs - 35mm for the small animals like mice and bats and small birds, 42mm for the medium sized animals like rabbits, cats, ferrets, and Toads, 55mm for the larger animals like foxes, hares, and hounds, and the 65mm pegs (when we get them) for the truly massive beasties (relatively speaking) such as badgers, beavers, large dogs, and large raptors.



I did some doodling in my sketch book. At first I thought I'd do them as "paint only" pegs...



And I tried starting with a highland rabbit



I don't know... I'm fairly pleased with how the tartan turned out....



but the ears aren't really working for me.

maybe if the eyes were a little lower and the ears started lower...



I started another one - this time with a Lochaber axe... but was feeling a little underwhelmed by it.

So I got to thinking...



What if I tried modelling on some slight detail with milliput...



I was thinking milliput because I knew my FLGS (Dragon's Den Games) had some and it was considerable less expensive than green stuff and, it's been a LONG time since I've used milliput, but I felt like it would adhere to wood as well as anything else... I'd kind of forgotten how... I'm not going to say "difficult milliput is to work with"... let's say "DIFFERENT milliput is to work with". It took some getting reacquainted with...



Some mice I started making with the small (35mm) pegs - trying out both types of milliput I picked up. (I has started on some feet with green stuff before I picked up the milliput).



Highland Bunnies! I am all about the bunnies (I blame Monty Python). This will probably be my main warband... if... y'know... I ever get around to FINISHING THEM (I started on these a few weeks ago, actually, but then had to put them away to concentrate on getting things ready for the Necromunda Weekend). These are done on the medium (42mm) pegs.

The one with the upright ears does have a wire armature underneath! - as do most of the critters with larger more extended tails!



I also started on a few larger (55mm) ones. A few of these I originally started as generic fantasy dungeon crawlers, but they're being converted into critters. I thought I might make a warband of foxes for Amanda to use - the Foxy Vixens!



Relative sizes... maybe not QUITE the size different between the actual real-world animals... but the foxes are bigger than the rabbits, and that rabbits are bigger than the mice, so...



Backsides - to show off their tails (and the pleats of the one kilt I've finished). Is that fox tail big enough? I didn't want to make it TOO HUGE...

Of course in practice, modelling on details (rather than just "paint-on" details) means that now each model will be an individual hand-sculpted master piece!? GAH!? Who has time for this!? Ah, well... I was having a LOT of fun doing this, and that's what this is all about, right? "Having fun"...?



Some wooden discs arrives in the mail yesterday - thought I might use these instead of the washers I've been gluing them on to so far... of course, these are not the same size as the washers... so I'll have figures on different sized bases which really tweaks my OCD...

Of course none of this was considered in THE PLAN, so, assuming I stick to it, I'm not sure when I'll get back to these... probably the next time Keira brings it up, I'll drop everything and start working on them again!

For some reason, one of my favourite lines from any movie ever comes to mind:

"You'll laugh at this one day. I'm laughing already..."


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

A painting update of some sort.

Might be finishing off some Necromunda stuff, as planned...

Or maybe a band of surly Highland Bunnies (with their wee mouse friends)!

(good grief...)

Monks, Marines, and Menacing Mammals!

An odd assortment of things rolling off the workbench this weekend…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

Monks from Black Tree Design

Command section for my USMC Platoon from Empress Miniatures. The figures are listed as “Army”, but I’ve  painted them in MARPAT to use as Marines. I’m not sure how different their kit is otherwise… There’s some minor differences in the figures. Not sure if that’s actually a difference in the cut of the uniform, etc or just style of sculpting… Regardless, they’re “close enough” for my purposes.

EOD team from the same.

For comparison, here are some of the Empress Miniatures with some of the Eureka Miniatures I already have:

From left to right: Empress, Eureka, Empress, Eureka, Empress, Eureka, Empress, and Eureka

And a comparison shot with some other Modern Americans. From left to right: Empress, Devil Dog Design, Eureka, Gripping Beast, Empress, The Assault Group, Devil Dog Design, and Empress

Not really a Marine… He could be a Future/Space/Colonial Marine -  like the ones from Aliens (which this chap is clearly inspired by)? … Anyway… the figure is an old Grenadier Model. This line is currently available from EM4 Miniatures. I have a handful more of  these I’d like to get painted up for Tomorrow’s War.

And the most fearsome creatures I have painted in a long time…

Fluffy Bunnies from Black Cat Bases.

Oh this will cause my players all sorts of grief and terror… I can hear them now: “There’s a… bunny… He put a bunny on the table… what’s with the bunny? I’m not going near it! Does anyone have a grenade…?”

There was a fourth one in the pack... but I'm saving it for a Hordes of the Things element. 

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

According to Blogger this is the 999th post I've put up on this blog… I think I’ll have to come up with something special for post #1000… Stay tuned….

Atalanta, Amazons, an Egyptian, and Dogs

A few more odd and sundry items rolling off the workbench this weekend.

I've tired of the standard grass green background for the photos, so I thought I'd let this lot frolic on the beach in saucy sea-side photo shoot...

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Atalanta and an Amazon (both from Wargames Foundry)


An element of light Amazon infantry (also from Wargames Foundry). These would be Auxilia in DBA and Spear in HOTT.


An odd Egyptian Spearman that was sitting on the workbench half-painted that I decided to finish up last night… (You guessed it; also from Wargames Foundry)


A pack of Mastiffs (NOT from Wargames Foudry! They’re from Warlord Games.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hopefully a game report of some DBA action….

So much stuff cluttering the workbench. It’s probably time to purge some of the stuff off of there that I’m not going to get to immediately – and just leave out enough stuff that I can finish in a day or two… what will that be…? More Amazons of actual historical Greek Hoplites.