On the last day of Deadcember...

The dawn of a new year is just around the corner and it seems extremely likely that once again I have overestimated how many hours there are in the holiday season! Since there's no chance I'll get this lot finished today (especially with the Oakbound New Year mini to paint up for tomorrow) I thought I'd gather the undead together for a photo shoot of the army so far. These guys should get finished by end of play on Monday, a bit late for Deadcember but before work starts again.

 

 

These four terrain boards are also pretty much done. Just got to pour the resin and effects for the water (which might have to wait as there is nowhere big enough, dry enough and suitable for pouring resin and allowing it to cure for 48 hours at home at the moment). Four more boards to go which I'll slowly work on over the next couple of weeks. Sadly leaving for work in the dark and returning home in the dark isn't conducive to getting much done, hence the holiday splurge. Roll on light evenings! On the subject of which... please excuse the terrible photos, even at midday today there's not really enough light for photography! Perhaps I should hope we get snowed in over the next couple of weeks... well, we can dream.

 

A quick roundup of what's to be done still then:
Screaming Skull Catapults- need basing.
Heroquest Skeletons- needs bases cutting to 20mm square (using my new razor saw) and basing.
Zombie Dragon- done, hussah!
20 Skeleton Cavalry- need highlighting, leatherwork, decoration on barding/shields, glazing, metalwork and basing.
Monks of La Maisontaal- need basing and some details picking out.
Blue Blooded Bandits (in green)- need basing.
Krell's Krellingtons- done, hussah!
Spear Skellies- need shields finishing and basing.
Archers- need leatherwork, glazing, metalwork and basing.
Chariots...........
Former residents of Frugelhofen, Grimbrin's Mine etc. ..........

Mainly basing then, which I wanted to hold off on until I was doing the scenery anyway. Cavalry and archers have been my thing this week, hence their lack of completion. Should be done by end of Monday. And in case you're thinking 'doesn't seem like much for two weeks' work (quite a few of these guys were done in November) I didn't take the skeletons visiting to my relatives over Christmas, I took a band of outlaws instead!

A dozen familiar bandits from Foundry, ready for a demo game of The Woods I'm running next week.

Happy New Year all!

Draggin' out the dragon

I remember when first I saw the John Blanche painting of the Zombie Dragon...

It was about 1991 and at the time there were no Fames Workshop stores anywhere near where I lived. It wasn't until three years later I would visit an official GW and by then the Flying Cabbage had been releasedso I never knew there was an earlier model for the dragon... one bearing a stronger resemblance to the art... one sculpted by the legendary Tom Meier.

When I discovered (after the rise of the internet) that the beast existed my heart was set on owning one. But I didn't have my undead army any more and older minis were getting expensive so the though went out of my mind. Then, recently, I began to think of reviving (re-animating?) my first undead army and was delighted to discover that Ral Partha Europe still stock the original Meier Zombie Dragon! I had to have one, my army would have had one when I was younger if I'd had the cash to splash, and it had to be painted as per the Blanche illustration. So last week I set to work.

I haven't based him yet as I will be making some terrain to go with the Lichemaster stuff and will base everything at the same time so they everything matches. I also bashed out a not-Mikael-Jacsen to lead one of the units, following in the footsteps of Nico and Pil and green stuffing some flames onto the head of a skeleton. He's not as definitely a character as some interpretations of Jacsen but of all the skeletons I surveyed he seemed the most appropriate to me. I painted the sword so it is heating to an orange glow in the heat of his fiery hair, the better to smite his foes. His shield colours draw some inspiration from a certain cultural reference I'm sure you won't miss...