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...)

So... I Had an Idea...

... and a weak moment on Amazon...

Because, you know, I didn't have enough projects on the go...



Coming Soon to Tim's Miantiure Wargaming Blog:

I just...

I can't even...

Sohei Archer Conversion

As I had mentioned when I posted the Sohei Buntai, I figured I really needed some archers in the buntai – the two teppos (of which I will only really ever be able to field one in any battle) was simply not enough. Sop a day or two later I placed another order to Perry Miniatures and in less than one week they were in my hot little hands ready to be converted.

What I got was This Pack of Ashigaru archers (I also got some Ashigaru and Samurai spearmen, but those were for different Buntai!) because none of them had hats on and I figured would be easy to convert to monks in cowls. The other three are destined for the Ikko-Ikki Buntai as bow-armed Monto.

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

Their fronts – with some other Perry monks I kept handy for reference.

Their backs.

I’m not totally happy with them… but it’s not like I’m making a master for production – any minor flaws will hopefully be hidden by the paint.

I’d like to get these guys painted up tomorrow – that way I’ll have TWO complete 400 point buntai ready for the 10^th Annual Wargaming Birthday Bash/Winter Wargaming Weekend…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I don’t think there’s a game going on tonight… so in a few days I’ll be posting a few things I finish painting up this weekend – the monks, an ashigaru or two, some head counters… after they’ve made their appearance on Analogue Hobies

1812 Masters Update

Coming along very nicely…

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


well as nicely as can be expected from a lunk like me… (judge them not too harshly until you see them cast, painted up and marshaled on the table in the hundreds!)

anyway… hopefully at least the British infantryman will be done shortly, as will a couple of the generic militia. If the stars are right I should hopefully start mould-making this weekend and start casting up a storm next week – Huzzah!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More of this master/mouldmaking and casting buisiness…

War of 1812 Infantry Sculpt Update

Last week…? Maybe…? The days they are just flying by... It seems like it was forever ago, but it was probably last week (maybe it was two weeks...?) that I make a mould of the 1812 infantry doll and I’ve been working on a few new masters of regulars and militiamen. Here they are:

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


The chap in the middle is a British Regular (from the 41st or 49th Regiment of Foot). The other fellow with the beginnings of a stovepipe shako (on the far right) is going to be a US Regular infantryman. The rest of them are going to be militia. I’m probably going to do a few more militiamen as well (different jackets).

They’re a bit crude… but when there’s 220 of them all painted up pretty-like on a table full of beautiful terrain… no one will even notice…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Maybe some Elves… or maybe I’ll just go ahead and finish up the 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots), I mean it’s not like I have any shortage of other historical stuff to paint for the 2nd Annual Analogue Hobbies Winter Painting Challenge… I had just figured I should get a few fantasy things out of the way because I’ll be focusing on historicals for three months… but there isn’t that much fantasy stuff I really NEED to get done right away… so…

War of 1812 Infantryman Sculpt

Here’s where my latest sculpt is at…

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


(plus a few of the others I’m working on in the background…)

No, he’s not balding, I’ve left the top blank to add different hats (shakos for regulars and top hats and wide brimmed hats, etc for some of the militia).

I was thinking I might make a mould at this point and cast some dolls. Then I can add different hats to the dolls and have them holding muskets in a variety of positions (mostly marching), add haversacks and canteens and maybe knapsacks on a few… then make moulds of those and cast by the dozens! Huzzah!

I thought I might even cut of the cartridge box and turn the bayonet scabbard into a sword scabbard and make an officer figure…? Maybe even some ensigns…?

I may or may not add cording on the front of the jacket - perhaps just leaving that as "paint-on detail", keping them just a bit more generic...

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More pics of the modeling…? I totally cleared the workbench of painting projects – planning to only get out ONE at a time (so as not to get so easily distracted…. We’ll see how that works out…).

See...? Sculpting!

Well my painting totals for the year are about to level off as I've been distracted by a little sculpting project... Ah well, keepin' it fun is what it's all about, right?

Here's a little teaser:


The image it deliberately small and of low quality because it's sort of a secret.... A secret I'm hiding right out here in the open...!? Anyway, so SHHHHH!

Also got a game of HOTT in with the kids and a couple of their friends which I may or may not get around to writing a report of in the next couple days...

stay tuned!