To think like an Ork - Kommando style

I have spent the last few days messing about with a project. I know, we all love a good project. In this instance the DarkTemplar sent over an inspiring picture.

Inspiring picture

Needless to say this sent me scurrying into the garage for my' Ork bitz boxes'.

Bits

I just thought the idea was amazing. You can see how any Ork Kommando would think this a superb idea. I was hooked instantly. And so it was that I started to delve into the deep recesses of the 'bitz box' to find the necessary elements.

The start

Before I knew it I was hacking open a barrel and making holes and generally sizing it all up. I would have to make it all look credible. The arms and head needed to be in right places to make it believable and then the legs could be assembled such that a slow shuffle was possible. The 'low to the ground' approach. It was bonkers and very exciting.

Getting a good head was also an important feature. You needed to know there was an Ork in there so no helmets allowed.

Head

I chose an open mouthed head with visible eyes and got to painting. I wanted the hole at the front to be just big enough to see flesh, eye and teeth.

Testing

He had instant personality and so I got to thinking about who this character might be. The story of Ned Kelly the famous Australian bushwhacker came to mind. Ned had a final shoot out with police in which, when they finally captured him, he was wearing a home made, bullet proof, set of armour.

Ned Kelly amour suit

Suddenly my Kommando had an accent. He was saying 'ga day mate' a lot and I contemplated calling my new buddy Ned. But well an Ork called 'Ned'? I'm not sure.

Anyway I thought to myself that any Ork of standing would insist that the barrel be painted red - everyone knows 'red ones go faster' and so I set about introducing a bit of colour.

Shoota

Choppa

It has been a joyful project and its one of the things about this hobby that really makes my juices flow. A mad idea that you just have to throw yourself into. He will be on a battlefield near me very soon!

Painting Tau

Well here goes. I had painted up some five fire warriors and a couple of gun drones using my normal method. Generally this works out as the base being PVA, apply sand before the first undercoat in black. Next is 2-3 layers from dark to light, followed by a wash, another highlight and finally some detail. I find it works for me and gets me to a playable quality.

However the world has moved on, as I discovered on a recent visit to the Games Workshop.

Colour chart

I had good fun with the woman in charge as she explained how it all worked. Before I knew it I was a fair few quid lighter and marching back to the car to try out some of the ideas. I even downloaded the Citadel Painting App.

To start textured bases - this was completely new to me. I found myself wondering what quantity to use. I had even bought a plastic applicator. This is what I went with in the end. I tried a few models including the base for the Recon Drone.

New basing

And I waited for it to dry wondering if I had made a mess of it...

Interesting outcome

This wasn't quite what I was expecting but hi ho. We soldier on.

I undercoated and waited for everything to dry.

In the mean time I tried the new colours on one of my older models.

Base layer

I have purchased a base layer, wash and two highlights for the tan colour scheme and the blues for the face. I first applied the base colours and then followed up with the wash.

The wash

It all looked a bit dark but I could see how things were working. After some time I went on to the first high light. I then picked out a few details here and there and it was coming along quite nicely.

Old and new together

Coming along

I am pleased with the progress and the desert type feel to the bases. I might try and add the odd tuft of brown grass or something. Overall though, I am quite enjoying the new painting methodology. I think they will look good on the board.

It feels good to be working on a completely new army using unfamiliar colours and methods.

Tau Kill Team

Many years ago I was tempted to have a look at Tau in Warhammer 40k. I even purchased a box of troops and half assembled them but then we moved on to new thing and they were left in a box and worked their way to the back of the garage......so many unfinished projects.....

This Christmas we were talking about Kill Team and how it would be nice if we all started a new army/team that was the opposite of what we usually play.

I am an Ork!! Tau seems like a very different concept and the plan was hatched.

Its here - Tau

I finally got around to placing an order and the postman did his thing as a result, a new project is born. I know nothing about Tau. Nothing!

The box I had were Fire Warriors, what arrived in the starter kit were also Fire Warriors which was tad annoying anyway....

Painting

My first decision was colour scheme. I looked around and there were a lot of options. I hate the white and after some thought I decided to go old school  yellow/brown option. I played around with one of the drones until I had something approaching what I had in mind.

Troops

I started to work on some of the Fire Warriors, the ones with the pulse rifles first and I was suddenly enjoying myself. I had a look at the basic rules for Tau and noted that there are lots of weapons and drone types so I paid a visit to the local Games Workshop store for a chat. The was a youngster in the shop painting up a Tau Kill Team squad. He had just played in a competition with them so I sat back and was educated. Always good to get first hand knowledge.

I purchased some Pathfinders to give me more options and I got into a discussion about paints and basing and Oh My things have moved on. I made some more purchases and now I look forward to trying out the new tips. Base coat, wash, highlight and edge is the new mantra. Lets hope it turns me into a proper painter. Where there is life - there is hope ;-)

Painting the Orlocks

I got the paints out and have been having some fun with my new gang. I have gone for that dark look with blues and browns.

Orlocks 2018

I am pleased with the progress so far. Lots of tidying up to be done and details to be picked out but they are starting to look the part.

I want to have a least one piece of strong colour on each model. I feel that it makes them unique. There is plenty of options to choose from. Hair colour, bandana, arm bands ... all kinds.

Next I want to get their names straight. This is always helpful and makes the game very personal.

Leveller and Rivits are my two Champions. I have settled into them with ease. Leveller is on the Heavy Stubber and Rivits is standing beside him with the Autogun held to his chest.

Nighthawk is my Leader at the front.

The rest have been christened but I have yet to get comfortable with them.

First game is on Monday and I am really looking forward to it.

Abominatroll - Arrrgh!

Gaming has been getting into a weekly routine which is just brilliant. We are playing Zombicide Black Plague. The Dark Templar has been keeping the blog alive with tales of some of our exploits. We have been enjoying the different abominations that visit and the scale of some of the models is just fantastic.

A couple of weeks back the Abominatroll visited us not once but twice in the same game. He can only be killed by Dragonfire and has 3 activations if he has line of sight. Scary!

To honour his enthusiasm I got the paints out.

Arrrgh!

He is one big dude. And when you start to work up close you find that there is incredible detail. CoolMiniOrNot have excelled themselves. A really enjoyable project.

On the board

Looks better on the tiles. Love the scale. The sword looks like a pin that could do no damage.

Over the shoulder

James

An enjoyable project and I wasn't sure how the man would turn out.

James

But here he is in all his glory. He is brimming over with annoyance and attitude. 'Here zombie, zombie. I've got a surprise for you' As he waves his torch into the dark recesses and brandishes his trusty axe ready to mutilate whatever scurrying mess happens to cross his path.

I can almost hear that Sean Connery, Scottish accent from here.

A welcome addition to the growing band of painted Survivors. I did consider giving him a liberal splattering of blood. His role in the last game seemed to warrant that but then the thought of the mess I might make if it went wrong deterred me. I have let a little blood dribble onto his robe and foot though ;-)

Zombicide Black Plague - Redcap

I had a good look at the many new characters and some of the models are just sweet. I know from the games played so far that some of the weaponry favours the magician's and marksmen. There are some good spells and bows that really do allow damage to be handed out.

I thought that it would be nice to have some other options so I have selected a melee monster in Redcap Rodney and Lady Faye for her movement and Luck.

Lady Faye & Redcar Rodney

Lady Faye starts with a +1 free Move Action in the blue, the first upgrade is +1 Action and this is followed in the orange by +1 free Melee Action or Lucky (re-roll all the dice for an action) and then in red +1 Damage: Melee, Iron Hide or Reaper Combat (Can allocate an additional hit to a zombie in an adjacent square)

Redcap Rodney on the other hand starts with +1 damage: Melee, first upgrade is +1 Action. The orange upgrade is +1 free Melee Action or Reaper: Melee (Can allocate an additional hit to a zombie in the same square) then the red upgrade is +1 free Combat Action, +1 to dice roll: Melee or Zombie link.

I really like the Redcap Rodney model so he is first up to the painting table. He will be unique on the playing surface and he should really stand out. Got to love that axe!

Redcap Rodney

I think he will be great to have because of the +1 Damage: Melee. This will be good to handle some of the Fatties early in the game.

Snakeskin

The girl is coming along nicely. I had to glue the cape to the base in the end. The foot alone was just too unstable. But that's OK.

I have gone for the purple and red look that is the Union. As a nod in the direction of the Masons I gave her a blue towel. Something to mop up all the blood that she will be spilling in the future ;-). A lovely model and some great detail.

I have had a look on the web and there are some stunning examples of paint jobs. Truly inspiring.

Gaming weekend approaching - preparations ongoing

Well myself and the DT have been bold enough to book in a regular gaming event. One a month and if we can work something else in between then all the better. Our first is scheduled for 2 weeks time and preparations are a foot. There may even be one or two new players in the coming weeks. Amazing.

Guildball

We are planning to have a game of Guildhall, building on our very enjoyable set of starting games. I plan to field the Season One team. I will hold Chisel in reserve for another day. Something to look forward to.

The painting is going well and I now have paint on all the models.

I still have more work to do. There are details to highlight etc but the bulk work is completed and it is all looking rather splendid.

I thought about creating a set of goals for my team. I had a look online and found some inspirational stuff for many of the other teams. I thought I would share some of them. Some really creative work here. Be inspired.

I really love this for the Fishermen. Someone had a proper brain box moment.

And how about this for the Engineers? Great thought process.

This could only be the Morticians!

And of course the Butchers.

I am still searching for inspiration for my own guys. We will just have to see if the muse pays me a visit. I would like it to be something of a Wow thing, a man has to set high standards you know.

Frostgrave

I am hopeful that we can get a test game for Frostgrave. The rules look handy enough and it has the potential to be a really fun campaign. If we could get one game every time we meet up then the war band could be building nicely.

I have been considering which way to go with my Wizard. As things stand I have started with an Elementalist, they seem to be fairly balanced, and then have chosen some low value spells to start off with. Spells are hard to cast in the beginning so I wanted to have a reasonable percentage chance when using them.

I plan to stick with the Zombicide names. So Baldric will be my leader.

I plan to use my Zombicide Black Plague models for the war band. I am preparing a list and having fun doing so. I have undercoated the models and at least two are advancing near to completion. I will keep you all posted on my final list and show the painting progress over the next few days. There is a lot of detail to the models.

I am very excited.

Marbles

Now this has become an interesting journey. I wasn't sure what to expect by way of the model for this guy. The drawing provided looks a lot like a gorilla.

Broad shoulders and short nose, quite stocky with a short neck. But when the model arrived it just didn't feel that way to me. The model has a long nose and narrow face with narrow shoulders. I thought about it for a while and was struck by its similarity to the baboon.

The more I thought about it the more it seems to be the right direction for me to take.

I had great fun picking out the colours and now he is quite an imposing chap. There is one flaw in that he should have a long tail. But maybe he lost that in a game of Guild Ball ..... its those Butchers you know, always on hand with a sharp knife ;-)

Marbles - I welcome you to team Masons!

Brick

I have been having some fun applying a little paint to my 'big guy', Brick. I love the model and he is coming along nicely.

He kinda reminds me of those old westerns where someone was nearly always called 'The Swed'. He would be built like the proverbial 'Brick S**t House'. Hence the blond look.

The model itself has great detail and it is a joy to handle. There are lots of little swirls on the armour and then there are the multitude of belts and buckles. Just a great piece of work. Hats off to the sculptor.

And Yes, he has got eyes. We learned from playing Blood Bowl that models just don't perform as well without eyes ;-)

Painting the Masons Starter Box

The paints have made a reappearance and I have been busy with the Masons starter box set. They are lovely to paint and there is a good level of detail. I am enjoying picking out little bits and pieces. The colour scheme is coming together and I think they will be a pleasure to field. I have added a chalk line on the bases just to make it feel like a pitch.

Mallet has that intense look to him. A man serious about success.

That weapon sure looks like he is going top cause problems for the opposition.

Zomtober 2015 - a big success!

Well there are not many days left in the month but what a month it has been. Zomtober 2015 has been a huge success and there are enough zombies in this household to cause considerable mayhem over the coming months.

I found this image online during one of my many trawls for inspiration and thought it was fun and worth sharing. Could it be Survivor Amy?

Anyway - last night I concluded the Orderly models from the VIP box set. Not huge variation to them but they are added to the hoard. Different colour shirts and hair but the blood splatter variation is probably the main difference.

There are 20 models in total for this set and one remains on the painting table. I have promised myself that I will finish him in the next couple of days. Will be be my 'Huggy Bear'? We will have to see.

Other than that, the zombies from the Zombicide box set have come along way.

We have the Abomination, 6 Fatties, 8 Runners and 16 Walkers. 31 models in total. (Just over half of the supplied models)

The Toxic Zombies have also done well, from the Toxic City Mall box set.

We have the Toxic Abomination, 2 Fatties, 4 Runners and 8 Walkers. 15 models in total (about half of the supplied models)

Add to this the painted Survivors of which there are 7 plus their corresponding Zombivors making a total of 14. It has been a very productive month.

Overall we a total of 80 models and at the start of the month 20 of these had some colour.

This was the the picture I took when I started to undercoat some of the models at the start of the venture.

It has been a journey and very worthwhile. I have enjoyed the painting and even learned a little along the way. The research into models has also been fun and I now have a cupboard with hotdogs and chilli awaiting a trail of the 'Texas Wiener'. The hidden upsides of our beautiful hobby.

Thanks for all your supportive comments and helpful suggestions. It has been a blast and long may it continue!

Toxic Walkers, coming to get ya!

These Toxic Wakers form Toxic City Mall are particularly fine models. You just have to hand it to the guys at CMON.

Once you get into the painting, the details come to life. I really am impressed with all the odd / broken angles, the skeletal detail along with the torn clothing, boils and spikes. To match all this the faces are superb, especially the eyes. They have real life in there begging to survive.

My first round of painting Toxic models saw me focus on the toxic element. I went for a green skin colour and if I am honest I was not that happy with it. The puddles on the bases worked well so I kept them.

When painting my lady of the night for Pimp Santa I reverted to more normal skin colours and was much happier with the outcome. I have followed that line of thinking for these guys and they are looking great. I particularly like the two guys.

I am learning to use really fine coats of paint. Getting a good even consistency seems to be trick. It can't be too watery or you lose the detail in the casting. It is working well for me.

I have also learned to turn the model in my left hand and offer the tiny pieces of detail to my right hand. I then balance my right hand against my left using the last two fingers while holding the brush between my thumb and first two fingers. I think this has come about since I started to use the magnifying glass. It works particularly well for eyes etc. I can press my right hand quite firmly against my left which creates a very stable platform and takes all the movement out of the tip of the brush.

I have struggled with these pieces of tiny detail for years. This technique has been a revelation. I get the eyes pretty much first time every time. I am so much more confident. It also works really well for the fine high light lines. With these I try to use the side of the brush where possible.

You guys may well be familiar with this technique but I share it for what it is worth. It has sure helped me.

I am down to my final four models from the planned multitudes at the start of the October. Very satisfying indeed.

Runner bases

In Zombicide Runners can properly mess you up. They move faster than Walkers and Fatties and can't be targeted if they are with other zombies, unless you have special equipment and/or skills. When the game is drawing to a close and it all hangs in the balance you need to be very aware of where each Runner is and factor them into your tactics. The dreaded 'All Runners get an extra move' has been the end of many a close game!

An issue for me is that they do not stand out from the other zombies. Well Fatties obviously do stand out but the Runners can just blend in with the mob. If you miss one, tucked away in a building or something, it can be a real problem.

I have been contemplating how to make them stand out. I had been working on a group of Runners for about a week now and then it struck me.

I could add a small yellow and black hazard strip to their bases. This could be used both with the normal Runners and the Toxic Runners, who also have their toxic green puddles. I changed the angles that the strip was applied so that it would have of an 'ad hoc' feeling. It is a very simple solution but definitely helps to draw the eye and will hopefully make them easier to identify 'in play'.

Happy hunting all you Survivors!

Zomtober - week 3

Last night saw a change of direction. I am putting it down to the wine and a joyous feeling. I was painting up my next 1970's VIP. I was still in 'pimp' mode and had been planning a red coat with zebra black and white trim. I had even contemplated a green stuff trilby and maybe even a cane. I was in good form and looking forward to the challenge.

Then......

Well then, I just seemed to 'turn left'.  My imagination got the better of me.  I started to feel a little christmasy, if that can be considered to be a word.

The next thing I knew I was adding a beard and moustache, white hair and saying 'ho, ho, ho'. with a big smile on my face. Another comic addition to the growing hoard. To be fair, I do love him.

I still have a fair few models to go. I have no Toxic Runners completed and I need some more Toxic Walkers and some ordinary Runners. With a week to go I am on track to have the full selection of painted models available for the next game of Zombicide.

The Survivors are ready to rock and roll.

And the Zombivors are looking suitably ghoulish.

Yes indeed - Zomtober 2015 has made a big difference. I just need to keep the pedal to the metal and complete another good week. Focus now, focus.

In the lead up to Christmas I might slow down and add a couple more Survivors to the crew.

I had pledged to the Black Plague Kickstarter. It all seems to have gone quite on that front but I am anticipating a lot more zombies in 2017! Has anyone else involved themselves with Black Plague?