More Dwarf and Hors Série Greens

Some of you may have heard me hint at a Zweihänder sergeant figure that might swell the ranks and allow you more easily to build even numbered units from the existing packs. Well, here is Serge, displaying the particular talent that allowed him to step from the rank and file and take a more prominent role in the regiment. I'm particularly fond of the look of utter happiness that John managed to put on his face (despite the beard). Sculpted by John Pickford as usual.

And finally, one more dwarf that will be included in the next release, though it will be added to the Hors Série range as it was not made as part of the actual dwarf range (though it scales perfectly with them). This one was sculpted by LordWriggly over on Bugman's Brewery and will delight those who have been yearning to add a female touch to their unit of pikewarfs. This spearmaiden is just the ticket.

To conclude this update, the next release will also include the long awaited duck... with friends (Evil Duck, Sallet Duck, Bishop Duck, Wizard Duck and Landsknecht Duck).

And a small reminder of the scale of the duck(s):

Dwarf Ponyrider Command - Greens

It's been a while since the last update, but there is plenty of new stuff in the pipeline, starting with the long overdue command set for the dwarf ponyriders.

First off, the captain, nicknamed "The Don", who can be equipped with either two pistols or a sword and a pistol.

 The musician has an integral head, blowing a hunting horn and an option of sword or pistol as his weapon.

The standardbearer is conceived as an upgrade for the core bodies, and consists of a new arm with a standard depicting a running boar and a new head (which can be used with the champion body as well).

There you go, stay tuned for more updates soon.

The Belfort

Another building,  a quicky this time as it is mostly stone. Another hardfoam one from the Ziterdes range. I'm calling it a belfort because that's what it looks like to me (for those not familiar with the term, it's a medieval watchtower/belltower). This is one of the more recent models in the range I think and it shows, crisp, hard edges and detail everywhere, you wouldn't believe this is foam until you pick it up and feel the weight. Hopefully they'll keep adding more with this level of quality.

I did some weathering on this that doesn't come out well in the pictures. Basically, some of those vertical streaks and shadows you may detect are actually greenish streaks in reality. Really. I'm actually quite happy how well this came out with minimal effort.

And in case you're wondering about the size, here's a scale shot with some figures (again, this is an impressive model sizewise) and some detail shots:

Windmill With Lookout Platform

It took a while to get it done, but I finished the Ziterdes windmill set. It's made from hardfoam with some lasercut wood details. It's a very large, and very nice model. The wings are a weak point in the design and I have pinned both them and the platform for maximum strength. I accidentally dropped it on the floor while painting and although one of the wings feels a bit loose if you push against it, it held.

I've included a few minis in the first and last picture to give a sense of scale. Did I mention it's big?

I decided to keep the actual mill part separate from the house part. Not only will this be easier for transporting, it also means the mill can be used on it's own without the rest of the building.

New Figures Available For Purchase

The following packs are now available to buy, while stock lasts.

* DWARFS (John Pickford):

WKD-09: Dwarf Core Infantry Command (3)

WKD-10: Dwarf Zweihänder Command (3)

WKD-11: Dwarf Zweihänder Action Poses (4)

WKD-12: Dwarf Zweihänder Unitfiller Poses (4)

WKD-04A: Dwarf Core Infantry with Spears/Pikes 4 (4)
WKD-04B: Dwarf Core Infantry with Halberds/Poleaxes 4 (4)
WKD-04C: Dwarf Core Infantry with Sword and Buckler 3 (4)
WKD-04D: Dwarf Core Infantry with Handguns 3 (4)
WKD-04E: Dwarf Core Infantry with Crossbows 3 (4)

* GOBLINS (Kev Adams)

WKG-03: Goblin Core Infantry Command (3)

WKG-10: Gob de Leon, Captain with Twin Swords (1)

 

 

* HORS SÉRIE (Brad Shier):

WKHS-04: Halfling Noble (1)

Town Buildings - Tower Finished!

Well, I managed to finish this hexagonal tower (see WIP here). I'm not entirely happy with it, but I learned a lot making it and will be able to improve with future builds. For those that wonder, the door is a resin cast from Antenociti's Workshop and the windows on the upper floor are plastic windows from the GW fortified manor set. The rest it scratchbuilt.

Dwarf Stretcherbearer Conversion Redux

I wasn't happy with the way the left arm on the stretcherbearer looked (somewhat short, too far out and more puffy than the right arm, all due to trying to accomodate for the slightly large width of the stretcher I made earlier), so off it went and now the figure looks much more natural. Both arms are now the same length and thickness. I need to tidy a few small things and then he'll be good to go.

Compared to one of John's uncoverted models and with a couple WIP headvariants to go with him (honestly, they look better in the flesh).

The tower is slowly getting there, here's another look at those windows. Not perfect, but it will do.

Various WIP builds and conversions

I'm currently in the middle of a lot of converting and scratchbuilding. For starters, I'm making an updated version of my dwarf stretcherbearer party, as I think I can make it better than the old one and perhaps cast up a few if the result is worth it. So far, it's going well enough, it's certainly better than the old one. Although I will have to tweak the left arm on the stretcherbearer body as it doesn't look right now (slightly too short I think). The left hand needs some work too:

With a couple heads (head conversion still WIP) and next to a metal dwarf for size:

I've also started on the casualty figure. I think he'll have an integral head. The stretcher needs work too: 

On an unrelated conversion, I'm also "imperialising a citadel dwarf from the handgunner set that came after the Marauder ones but before the current plastic ones. I really liked the idea for the original figure but it looked very flat and 2D. The addition of the wider helmet and puffy sleeves helps to flesh it out a bit. Still needs landsknecht shoes and a few little details:

Also WIP is this scratchbuilt tover, based on a hexagonal card box (see on the left in the image) I found in the craft section of a local store. I think the idea is to decorate it and use it as a pencil box. Anyway, when I saw it, the size and shape screamed "tower" at me, so I had to pick it up. Still a few things to add, but it's getting close. One thing I learned is that on conical roofs, I really should go with individual tiles. As it is, I went with short strips, but that made it look very shoddy. But that works for me too.

I used some fine plastic mesh for the windows, which will hopefully give the impression of leaded glass when painted:

Human Captain with Warhammer

Finally another update with a newly painted figure. This is a captain with warhammer from the very unique Lead Adventure Miniatures Bruegelburg range. I'm quite relieved it is finished, not because I didn't like the sculpt, I think it's great, but because it seemed like it was an accident riddled experience. I lost count of the number of times this got dropped, chipped, splattered with paint from another project, dropped again and got the hand reglued at least 3 times. But I got it done and it looks good, so moving on!

And a quick comparison with Pro Gloria (left) and classic metal GW (right). The scale fits in just fine.

From concept to figure...

Thought I'd show how some of the figures go from concept to mini. If the sculptor is really lucky, he gets one of these rough sketches from me that show pretty much what the final figure is supposed to look like. I usually add a second one in a static pose, with just the clothes and no accessories, for a clear view.

Most of the time though, and especially when conversions of existing poses are involved, what the sculptor gets is this:

An even rougher sketch, drawn with a mouse over a picture of the original mini. Pretty, isn't it? But it gets the job done. Besides, if the sculptor should feel like complaining, I'll just point out that for some of the early minis, I gave John some written instructions as well as some diverse images where I would say to take the pose from that, the clothes from that and that, add a hat like this, etc... We've come a long way, really... 

Oh, and in case you're wondering as to how faithful to the artwork the final figures end up being, here are the three figures that were used as an example (ok, the hornblower was still WIP, but the only other picture I had was without the swordarm). 

I'd say that's close enough...