Pike Block painted in Citadel Contrast Paints

Today I realised my trusty matt black spray paint was used up. Rather than wait for a delivery I thought I would crack on and try something new...brown!

After I had given the figures a coat of Humbrol mid brown, I dry brushed them with a couple of lighter coats. Around this time I decided to try and paint them with my new Contrast paint. For this the dry brushed highlights will be important.

I was happy to see that Templar black makes for great blackened armour painted over the highlights. To this I added some scratches using a lead pencil.

Dry brushed and waiting for Contrast colours.

Humbrol mud brown made for a good starting point, it took care of the snap sack, shoes, pike and belts in one go.

Snake bite leather Contrast goes on and looks great with the highlighted brown.

 The black Contrast paint makes great armour, I’m really quite impressed. My limited Contrast colours won’t get the whole figure done but it’s a cracking start.

I also found you can paint over colours to tweak them in hue. Fun and refreshing and a great way for getting another block of figures finished.

A Forest of Fun

It’s time to bring out the old plastic brush bristles again and get cutting. Lengths are measured and cut to 80mm.

The ends are flattened with flat pliers, then cut with scissors to create the spear head shape. Then a pliers width of bristle is shaped by gently squeezing the the section just below the spear point from all sides. This will act as the shanks that go down the pike to stop it being hacked off. It’s just another little detail that make working with these bristles a winner. Not only that but a £3 brush will supply hundreds of pikes, enough to make Alexander the Great clap with joy.

 They look quite chunky here, but when I compare my old metal pikes to these broom bristles, the latter wins over looks for me every time.

Up to my sleeves in Dip.

The second sleeve of shotte is finished and queues up for the brown stuff. 

I almost forgot the courier in my haste to base up with the mud. Something I tried that worked quite well is to brush some of the mud onto the horse’s legs when wet. This of course will give the perfect look to a mud splattered horse.

Colonel Harry Geal takes to the field.

My Soft tone Army shade must be over ten years old now. A thick ‘skin’ has formed over the surface after the last few times using it. This has to be pierced by a stirring stick to get to the sticky goodness underneath. The solution is still going strong though after all this time. It’s quite rewarding to still be using it, although I did have to throw my Strong tone away last week. It had become quite thick and gooey. I added some paint thinner to it but this made it worse. It was never the same so I switched to my old Soft tone instead. I find it better to shade the model with washes to bring out certain details, then use the Soft tone to lock it all in and make it bomb proof.

Citadel colour paints are very handy for changing colours, this guy used to have brown trousers. A quick once over with a green Colour paint and now he looks a lot smarter.

Match-cord...bloody match-cord! Well there’s always one.

 The tar pit is open for business, bring your Mammoths, Dire wolves and Ground sloths to the party. 

Fuss and Feathers

A tired and mud splashed Courier to relay orders across the battlefield to the hard of hearing.

The Commander in Chief now has his Lifeguard to keep him safe.

These are all elements of play for the Commander in Victory without Quarter. The Lifeguard base is basically a saving through for the C-in-C. If he attaches himself to a unit and the unit is destroyed he would normally loose his life, but with the Lifeguard being removed instead, the officer can stay in play.

The C-in-C can issue orders to units within 12 inches of him on the battlefield. The Courier allows him to try a reach units that are a bit further away, he can move 3D6 per round. If any doubles are rolled though, the Courier is killed and the message does not get through. Either that or it is misunderstood or ignored.

The fun bit!

I always enjoy this bit the most, it’s time to stick’em to the bases. The first unit of Geal’s Regiment of Foote prepares for battle. The grey is very somber and seems to lend itself to the puritan look, especially with the white cuffs on the coats.

A spare casualty from last year earns his place on the base.

These figures are from Redoubt Enterprises, Bicorne miniatures and old Renegade miniatures. They all scale nicely together, on the large side of 28mm. 

This regiment will make the fifth in the army. 

 

Citadel Colour Paints

I had this figure from eBay who had been painted white and his face had been painted. I was about to take him outside to undercoat him black, when I thought this could be a chance to try out the new Colour paints.

Well, I have dabbled with them before, mostly to change colours I had already painted. Painting on a white undercoated model gave a very good shading and the results are really quite good.

Very quick and the results are instant. I haven’t got all the colours and the blue was ordinary acrylic paint washed with blue ink. Also the metal sword was acrylic paint too.

He’ll do. I decided to try a do his horse in the same way.