Specialist Games revisited

Yesterday was certainly an exciting day for fans of the Specialist Games range as GW announced that some old favourites would be returning to our shelves as boxed games and stand-alone products. I had always hoped that GW might go down this route as it did with recent boxed versions of Space Hulk and Dreadfleet (a clear successor to Man ‘O War) and now we have official confirmation that it will happen although we are not sure when.

However, you don’t need to wait months, or even years, for some Specialist Games content; there is plenty of Specialist Games coverage here on Miniature Miscellany in the archive.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Here are a few of my favourite projects from the old Specialist Games range that I have worked on over the last few years.

My Epic scale orks. I have always loved the old-style orks and these models fit the bill perfectly. They are so characterful despite their tiny size plus the ork range is one of the largest in Epic. The great thing about orks is that they field a collection of rag-tag custom-built vehicles meaning you can easily combine models from different eras and this just adds to the eclectic look of the force. For these guys I went for nice bright colours which help such tiny models stand out on the tabletop.

I also have a sizable collection of Epic Eldar hailing from the Saim Hann Craftworld. I always intended to paint up an army of their 40K counterparts but the age of many of the Eldar kits put me off and I switched allegiance to their dark kin instead. The Eldar were my first Epic force and I learned a lot about painting such tiny models from these guys.

I also had a real soft-spot for Battlefleet Gothic and this was the one game that I was really disappointed they discontinued. Here is my Imperial Fleet. They represent the Battlefleet Maelstrom defending the Badab region prior to/during the Badab War. If GW ever release some Space Marine ships I intend to add some Astral Claws vessels to the fleet to tie them in more closely with my Space Marine army in 40k.

I also have a nascent ork fleet which I painted up this test model for. I went for dirty metallics and red for the orks with bright green as a spot colour on the lights/eyes. I also added a tiny check pattern to add interest and emphasise the size of the ship.

Finally, Mordheim was one of my favourite of the Specialist Games range and, unlike BFG and Epic which I came to later, I played it extensively when it was first released. Here are some Mordheim characters I painted up a few years ago. Interestingly, this isn’t one of the games mentioned in GW’s press release. Perhaps this is because it is now set in the ‘World-That-Was’ or simply because the models are not radically different the the regular Age of Sigmar range. Maybe it was simply on oversight (I get the impression GW are still undecided on how many or which games will see a come back).

This is just a selection of some of the Specialist Games content on this blog. If this has piqued your interest why not click on some of the tags below for more.

Battlefleet Gothic, Dreadfleet, Epic: Armageddon, Mordheim

The Ruins of Mordheim 2

Wooden House

I’ve finished constructing another building for my Mordheim table. This one is a wooden house. As with the other buildings the basic structure is made from foamcore which was then textured. Because I was using thick plastic card and balsa wood sheets for the exterior I used 3mm foamcore rather than 5mm so that the walls would not end up too thick. I chose a more rustic looking stone (Wills Random Stone) rather than the stonework I used on the tower house as this was more in keeping with the overall look of the building. By using a variety of different materials on my buildings I hope to achieve a more realistic look to the city as real cities are not uniform and different buildings are constructed from different materials  using different techniques.

Interior Detail

The interior is pretty straightforward so I won’t say much about it here. The floorboards were made from sheets of balsa wood with a pattern scored into them using a ruler and a pencil (the same technique was also used on the wooden exterior). Piles of rubble were built up using offcuts of foamcore which were covered with DAS putty and then had pieces of wood and roof tiles stuck into them. When dry they were covered with sand.

Up on the Roof

It’s worth saying a little about the roof tiles here. As with the cobblestones I use on my bases, these were purchased from Miniaco and were intended for dolls’ houses. The tiles are available in a variety of styles and colours and are made from reconstituted stone. I really can’t recommend these highly enough; they look very realistic and are easy to work with. They can be cut with a modelling knife or snapped with fingers. Although at first they seem a little fragile when glued down they are very sturdy. I used 1/24 scale tiles which were applied in layers starting at the bottom of the roof and working up. This was quite a time-consuming process as I had to wait for each row to dry before adding the next. There is nothing more frustrating than neatly gluing on a row of tiles only to knock them all off trying to add the next layer (as I found out by being impatient). The roof was topped off with some ridge tiles also from Miniaco. Although I intend to paint the roof, the tiles have a nice realistic look and could be left as they are.

I was planning on writing a tutorial on making buildings but I got carried away and forgot to take step-by-step pictures. With the next building I will try to remember and write a more detailed piece on the construction of the buildings.

All the best,

Andy.

Related Posts

The Ruins of Mordheim
Building Continues

Things that go bump in the night

With the release of the new Vampire Counts army book it seems appropriate that I’m painting undead at the moment. Here are the next two members of the warband: a necromancer and a ghoul. These were fun models to paint and reasonably quick; each of them took about a day to complete.

Necromancer

I wanted the necromancer to look pallid and unhealthy but definitely still alive. The skin was painted following Darren Latham’s excellent ‘Painting Faces Redux’ article (available from the White Dwarf archive on GW’s website). Also, I would encourage you to check out Darren’s blog, Razzaminipainting, if you have not done so already.

The skin was basecoated Tallarn Flesh and shaded with Dark Flesh followed by Scorched Brown. For highlighting I added Bleached Bone to Tallarn Flesh along with some Fortress Grey in order to get an aged appearance.

Ghoul

I’ve always been rather fond of the older metal ghoul models and it was nice to finally get to paint one up. As with the necromancer, for the ghoul I wanted a pallid but alive look to the flesh in order to differentiate him from the undead members of the warband. For this I used Anja Wettergren’s guide to painting Urien Rakarth fromEavy Metal Materclass which was perfect for the model. The book gives a very detailed account of the technique for painting the skin so I won’t repeat it here.

I’m really pleased with how the skin came out. However, it was quite difficult to photograph with it being so pale and looks a little washed out in the pictures.

Bela Lugosi’s not dead

Here is the vampire from the undead warband I’ve been working on. This was quite a quick model to paint (owing to the fact that most of the model is concealed beneath the cloak) and was finished in a day. I chose to use predominantly cold tones when painting the model in order to reflect its undead nature. The only exception to this is the splash of red blood on the sword. This adds a bit of contrast to the rest of the model and adds to the vampiric feel of the model.

The vampire was converted slightly from the stock model which came with a halberd held out to the side. I always thought that this looked a little awkward and this initially put me off the model. However, with a simple hand swap the models has a much more natural and fluid pose. Also, a sword seems like a much more appropriate weapon for a dashing vampire  (and is much more useful in the game). Overall I’m very pleased with this model which turned out much better than I expected. Now all I need is a name for him…

Plans for 2012

Well, it’s the end of the year. So what have I got planned for 2012? Next year will bring a lot of big changes to my life. I will be finishing my PhD soon (I’m hoping to submit my thesis around Easter time) and will also be looking for a job. However, I do have a number of hobby plans as well. First of all I have a number of unfinished projects which I am hoping to complete such as my Dreadfleet set and my Mordheim project.

I got a job lot of Mordheim models from ebay recently which included enough undead models for a starting warband. I plan on painting these up for a friend to play with when I start my campaign. Here are the models as they were when I received them. As you can see, they have a very basic paint job which will need stripping and repainting.

Rumors of Chaos

If internet rumors are to be believed, a new Chaos codex is planned for release in 2012. If this is indeed the case expect to see a return to my Death Guard army. My enthusiasm for this project stalled a little as they simply aren’t fun to play with. Hopefully Codex: Chaos Legions will make it possible to play with a fluffy army which is also competitive and fun. I plan on finishing painting my current units and adding a few new models as well. I have my eye on the fantastic  Plague Hulk and Daemon Prince models from Forge World.

An Unexpected Journey

Obviously the big news for next year is the release of the first installment of The Hobbit movies. The first trailer has already been released and looks brilliant. The trailer has been reposted on several blogs so I won’t repeat it here but if you haven’t seen it it is definitely worth a look. It doesn’t really give anything away but it is nice to see Tolkien’s world back on film. As a massive Tolkien-nerd I’m very excited about this and the news that GW will be producing a range of models for the franchise.

Happy New Year!

Andy.

Mercenary captain wip

This certainly isn’t the fat man dressed in red you usually see at this time of year but my Mordheim mercenary captain. This guy is going to lead my band of Reiklanders into the City of the Damned in search of riches. I armed him with a crossbow (a characteristic weapon of Reikland) as well as a sword and an axe if things get up close and personal. He also has heavy armour and a helmet for added survivability.

I think this is a really brilliant and characterful sculpt which is sadly overlooked in the GW range. Colour wise I stuck pretty close to the painted example of the Games Workshop website. I am particularly pleased with the stubble which was painted using a mix of Dwarf Flesh, Scorched Brown, Chaos Black and Fortress Grey. This was shaded by adding Codex Grey to the mix and highlighted using Dwarf Flesh to give the appearance that you can see his skin through the stubble. This technique was taken from the brilliant ‘Painting Faces Redux’ article from the White Dwarf archive. I would certainly recommend giving it a read as it contains some really useful advice.

This will be my last post before Christmas and, most probably, my last post before New Year as I’m traveling down to Bedford to spend the festive season with my wife’s family. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a big thank you to everyone who has followed Miniature Miscellany throughout 2011. See you in 2012,

Andy.

Building continues

Following on from yesterday’s post I’ve made some more progress on the ruined tower house. I’ve finished  texturing the walls of one of the side buildings with plasticard and added some plastic details from the Mordheim building sprue. I used Wills plasticard for the walls which proved quite difficult to cut and shape. It also comes in fairly small pieces and so I had to use two three to cover a wall and then fill in the gaps. I’m not sure if there is a better way kind of plasticard to use.

A photo with my Freelance Knight for scale:

All the best,

Andy.

The ruins of Mordheim

I have spent most of the last week busy with a modelling knife, steel ruler and a tub of PVA glue. Here are the results: some ruined buildings for Mordheim. I started with the building on the right as I wanted to begin with quite a simple building before moving on to anything more complex. However, I soon got carried away and constructed the more intact building on the left. Both buildings were constructed out of foamcore which was cut to shape and then distressed with a modelling knife in order to achieve a more ruined look. As you can see, both buildings are still works in progress and still need more work. I plan on basing these and adding rubble and other details to the bases. I will also add a coat of textured paint the the exterior of the walls.

The look I went for is the half-timbered houses which are a main feature of Empire architecture. This was achieved by gluing on strips of wood purchased at a hobby shop. I also detailed the exteriors with some GW plastic pieces I bought online. This helps tie the models in with the Warhammer Fantasy aesthetic and prevents them from simply looking like ‘historical’ buildings’. It is also a quick and easy way of adding some visual interest. With the more intact building I went one step further and added some interior detail including roof supports and a staircase in order to allow characters access to the upper floors. I also plan on making some ladders for the same purpose.

Blood on the Streets

I have also purchased the Mordheim boxed game and the ‘Blood on the Streets’ building set. Although I originally received the boxed game for Christmas 1999 the buildings have since been thrown away. I am reminded of an entertaining article I read in The Telegraph about the ‘four ages of collecting’ and how one of these is buying back all of the things you collected as a kid but subsequently threw away later in life .

My plan is to rebuild all of the original cardstock buildings using foamcore in order to get thicker, more realistic looking walls (the card walls really are too thin). I am also going to upscale the buildings by 50% in order to fit with the scale of my own buildings. While the card buildings are great for playing straight out of the box I feel that remaking them in foamcore will look a lot better and tie them in with the scratch-built buildings.

Here is my mock-up for the ruined tower house from the set:

This is quite a rough mock-up held together with dress-making pins just to get the size right and the placement of all of the details. The finished building will be textured with plasticard to look like the stonework seen on the card art. I also plan on embellishing the building a little with other Empire touches. The inspiration from this came from one of the wonderful buildings pictured in Warhammer Armies: The Empire (see the bottom photo on p.81). Below is a rough plan of how I want it all to look:

Have a great week,

Andy.

 

Mordheim freelance knight

In my last post I hinted at other projects which are currently occupying my time. One of these was the Mordheim freelance knight. I have always loved this model and, although I have no plans to get back into playing the game, I really wanted to paint this guy up. I think that the rag-tag look of the knight with his torn breeches and mismatched armour perfectly captures the feel of Mordheim and I tried to carry this through in the painting with a slightly shoddy, ill-kempt look to his equipment. This was achieved by first painting the armour with Boltgun Metal and then applying very thin washes of different shades of brown starting with Vermin Fur followed by increasingly darker shades (Bestial Brown, Dark Flesh and Scorched Brown). With the early washes you can be quite liberal but with the darker colours you need to target specific areas so that you don’t end up with a brown mess. The metal was then tided up with Boltgun Metal. I kept the other colours fairly muted too but added a bright red feather in order to add a splash of colour and to give him a dashing look.

The base is one of my favourite parts of this model. Recently I have been painting models for gaming and have kept the bases simple and so for this model I wanted to try something a little different and add a more elaborate base in order to really set the scene. To this end I used cobblestones from Minaco and coarse sand in order to build up the base and add depth. These were painted Scorched Brown and then drybrushed Snakebite Leather followed by Graveyard Earth, Kommando Khaki and Bleached bone. Gryphone Sepia and Devlan Mud washes were then applied in order to add colour. Silflor grass tufts were added between the cobbles. When the glue was dry, they were washed with very thin Scorched Brown in order to dull them down and tie them in with the base. This results in a more natural look.

I hope you like the finished result.