WIP Graveyard

Finally some new posts, it's been a while. Busy painting that is! So much painting that posting was bit on the slow side. What is going on: a graveyard is born :) First work in progress pic of the graveyard is here:

This is actually a test graveyard, before the BIG graveyard will be made. The nice citadel scenery tree is giving that extra gnarly look to the graveyard and the hirst arts walls are precisely the stone walls you see at the edge of a graveyard, at least that is how I see it. Some more painting on the earth and adding some green moss and grass, and this piece is done!

Prison Tower

And finally the prison tower got a slab of paint. Painting the stone is easy and gives it directly a great and finished look. A plann to give the buildings a more weathered and run down look, but for now this tower is good for playing.
Look at them dwarfs posing around the tower, true dwarven craftmanship of course! :)

Christmas Modelling day

Then there was christmas, a time where some of us were actually free and not working! The ultimate chance for a modelling day and maybe a game to conclude! A good turnout where the 4 of us were actively building and painting during the day.

I built the prison tower and Arjan was busy with his two towers project, painting that is! One is already looking great and is finished, this one is also getting a nice piece of paint and the next game I expect two nicely painted towers are there (with all these other towers it is becoming a real San Giminiano). Hans was really busy with his ruined tower, that is now a great and big piece for our games of Mordheim. The ruined tower right away got some play time the same evening with skaven running around through it!

Van A tale of some gamers

Arjen also joined the building and played around with the hirts arts building blocks. He is hooked right away and the new molds that came in will give him the opportunity to start building as well! We're looking forward to new elven structures and the like!
Look at this gaming table! A lot of buildings present and still more to come:

A gaming report still has to follow but look at everyone pondering their strategy during the game! A very good end to the Christmas modelling and gaming Mordheim day!

First 3 slayers finished

It's been done. The first 3 slayers are finished painting. The final basing was quite quick and I added a pile of gold to one of the slayer bases. That's what it's all about for them orange haired axewielding maniacs!
With no further ado, here are the pictures:

The Ruined Tower - W.I.P.

To prove Tom isn't the only one at work with the Hirst Arts molds, I'll post some WIP of my own little project: The Ruined Tower (mold #65). It is more or less build, just needs some paint (still have to buy black paint as I have run out...).

Let's start with some overview pictures:

In the background you can see the grinded shells that you put in bird cages which I used on the parts of the base that have no 'stone' on them. It's really cheap stuff (about 90c for 2 kilo!) and has some nice pieces of shell in them to make things more interesting.

In the mean while, Nora the cat is wondering what all the fuzz is about, she doesn't look very impressed...

These parts will be added later, 'cause it's easier to paint them unassembled:


And finally a shot from above:


I'll post more pics once further progress is being made.

Mordheim Slayer warband painting (3)

And again I spent time painting 3 slayers for my Slayer warband. They were already quite far but it is all in the details. After painting the skin and the trousers it is time for painting the axes. Wood colored axes is nice but you want some wood grain, painting the axe heads first layers was with boltgun metal after which chainmail accents were put on. Badab black wash to enhance shadows and nothches on the blade.

I painted the gold items first with boltgun metal, then dwarf bronze, then shining gold an some very small accents with chainmail. This is finished with devlan mud to blend all the colors in. It gives a nice gold feel, that is worn, gives good details to all signs and runes and is overall shiny as the slayers like it!

Furthermore the leather glove and pouches was done with black, snakebite leather, graveyard earth and a blend of graveyard earth and bleached bone. Again a finish with devlan mudd. Since I got the devlan mud, everything is done with this stuf, the new washes are great! For christmas the foundation paint set is on my wishlist and I got some info that indeed it will be under the christmas tree. I can't wait how the new foundation paints handle and how they give the miniatures a start of color.

Just a few more touch ups and I will give you really nice pictures up and close of these 3 slayers in order to admire all those nice little details! :)
How much time did I spend painting these 3 dwarfs? Hmmmm just totalling up all my small paint sessions I think 6-8 hours per dwarf. That includes all tests of the blends and combination of colors.

The Haunted Orphanage

A new day in Mordheim and the slayers are completely recovered from their previous battles and are hungry for their doom. If some gold was found in the process that would also be nice of course.

It was said that the there is an orphanage in Mordheim where all inhabitants were killed when the comet hit Mordheim. One of the ghosts haunting the orphanage is the wife of one of the inhabitants of Mordheim: herr von Donnersmarck. He wants his wife to find rest. Retrieving her weddingring to Von Donnersmarck would mean very much to the rich merchant. That is precisely the scenario the slayers are interested in.

They've also heard some hatefull greenskins are hunting for the ring as well as some foul undead. All those ghosts and other scum of the earth is a tempting melee to get stuck in as a slayer!

Indeed when entering the area where the orphanage is found other warbands are present and heading for the orphanage. From four sides the greenskins, some pirates, the slayers and the undead approach cautiously the battlefield. The slayers hurry towards the orphanage when on the far side one of the orcs is going ballistic and charges towards the orphanage...all alone...how brave...

The pirates take it slow and carefull while the undead again sneak onto the area of the orphanage. The slayers loud bragging and shouting are bounding towards the orphanage and quickly enter the orphanage terrain. The ghosts appear all together and crowd the somewhat startled dwarfs. Between all those dwarfs one of the sturdy clansman discovers the wife of von DOnnersmarck and quickly gets the ring. Could it be so easy and quickly be over?
Nothing is what it seems, while all the other warbands still strugle to get to orphanage the slayers start fighting the evil headmaster and other ghosts. Meanwhile the undead very swiftly and cunningly sweep towards the dwarfs to stop them from leaving the area. Two slayers intercept them with their axes. Incredible odds of 4 to one for dwarfs but it's the best thinkable situation for the slayers. THey are in thei element and start swinging their axes through undead zombies, ghouls and dregs.

Meanwhile from the other side gunshots were heard and large gunpowder clouds can be seen. The pirates are having a go at the greenskins. The greenskins do not advance that fast because they keep squabling amongst each other. When encountering some ghosts the orcs are terrified and run away in the opposite direction screaming and jibbering. Only after a very long run dare they look back to see that no ghost is chasing them. The pirates are not only gunning at the greenskins but also start for the dwarfs and on this side also a slayer runs towards these foes. Easily taking on 3 pirates single handedly the slayers keeps his ground. How many hits this dwarf parries and how many slices he gets in are uncountable (the dice were favoured by Grugni). This is truly a frenzied slayer in his element.

What is going on with the 2 slayers and all those undead? They are hacking away and getting their hits in. The vampire from the last battle again sweeps in to finish off them pesky dwarfs. No such luck, these are truly gritty dwarf slayers not to be messed with. They parry every blow and since one dwarf is now fully occupied with undead, the giant slayer leader takes on the vampire by himself. It is an incredible exchange of blows and this time the giant slayer gets his kill. Although he was seeking his doom, a vampire less in the world is a good thing.
There is the dwarf clansman who is heading for safety with the ring who is keeping out of the line of sight of the gunning pirates who are now very close. Will he be clear in a few steps or will he be shot at and stopped in the end? The slayers finnish of some more undead and pirates in the process while indeed the clansman heads for safety and delivers the ring to Von Donnersmarck.

What was going on with the greenskins this battle. They were on the field, they were crowding some pirates who got some heavy losses but further than that they weren't realy seen today. The slayers were keen to get some axes in but no such luck today.

The dwarfs leave the batllefield and go sharpen their axe blades for the next encounter, oh and they go counting their gold of course...gold, gold, gold, ..., gold, gold gold