Ranks and files and almost a mulligan for me this month.
I started with the best intentions, but instead I managed to finish less than half of what I had planned... DAMN!
COMMISSION
Two units of dwarf quarellers. 16 models each, 32 models in total. Full command. As always no standard bearer because I'm still developing the flag designs. For them i opted for a classic, fast-paced color scheme, one blue and one red, in a true Age of Empires style... Yep. Again grass green and snow bases, as requested by the client (a choice I find horrible). He also changed his mind about the border and now wants a classic Goblin Green, which I don't have and had to order; so, for now, the trim is naked plastic (and that's why I hate being a commissioned painter).
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| Sjor, are you hearin a strange "Whololo" yourself? |
RANKS AND FILES
NOTE: Before reading this next step, you HAVE TO play Wind Rose: Army of Stone. You'll find the video on YouTube. Thank me later.
I've long owned a handful of dwarves from MOM Miniaturas, the famous Spanish company that recently switched production from resin casting to 3D resin, a real shame. I've never liked the design of these specific dwarves, but the guys in Spain sent them to me for free. However, I still hadn't found the will to work on them: they're far too tall and crude compared to the GW miniatures, and the overall design clashes with that of the other dwarves. I've been tempted several times to sell them or use them for something else, perhaps as terrain elements, but then I thought: Ancestral guardians! So, I fixed them up, replaced the crude and "stoney" weapons with some from the Mantic kit, and painted them straight away. The idea is that the descendants of particularly virtuous and noble dwarf heroes collect the remains of their relatives and place them inside statues bearing the deceased's likeness, even including some of the hero's favorite and cherished items. Those statues are then protected with great runes and skill and armed with ceremonial weapons and buried in the clan halls or outside the Mountain, to guard the entrances to the stronghold. In extraordinary cases, the spirits enclosed within the statues awaken to protect the People and the Dvarven Holds once again.
Some might object that the painting of these guardians is dull and uninteresting, that I could have dared to add a little dirt to the stone, a little corrosion to the weapons. You're right to point this out, and I myself had a hard time NOT proceeding with heavy weathering. But I thought that, indeed, such precious objects, such revered ancestors, are not neglected by their descendants, who often take care to keep the stone clean and the weapons polished, not allowing the dishonor of neglect to fall on the statues of their Guardians, so reluctantly I kept them simple and clean… For the weapons I chose a monoblock of ancient bronze, like the more famous Ghal-Maraz, which according to my head canon belongs to the same typology of artefacts.
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| Hail to the fallen!... So hail to us! |
DWARF TREASURE HUNTERS
Two more models from our family collection, refreshed and retouched to modernize them and incorporate them into the project. This time, they are my wife's first player characters, created for Heroquest campaigns. One is the dwarf warrior Ataz. He is a kitbash based on the body of a plastic ironbreaker, with horns from a chaos raider and a backpack from the Catachan warrior kit, painted based on an old artwork she liked.
The second model represents Ataz's daughter, Viz, created and played with after his passing. Viz was also built starting from the body of an ironbreaker, but with the front made of Greenstuff to give her a more feminine look. Some runes and details were added from the same kit, as were the weapon and shield. Special mention goes to the head: I don't had a female head in my bitzbox, so I picked a male head from the plastic chaos raiders. I chose the beardless one with earrings, filed down the chin and proportions a bit, and sculpted a greenstuff helmet to hide as much “manliness” as possible. After sculpting the hair, I added the original quiff at the bottom of the ponytail and some braids from the beastmen kit. With my current skills, I'd make different choices today, but overall, we've grown fond of this tough warrior lady.
And now let's get to the elephant in the room (quite literally): the giant dwarf.
I'm not sure how I came into possession of this Russian Technolog, probably from some cheap mixed lot. The fact is, Bjorn liked it, and instead of using it as a toy, he convinced me to paint it for him. So, last year, since his birthday present, which I'd ordered, was late, I showed up with this painted dwarf. The model itself is charming, despite some sculptural deformities in the hands and face, but my son loved it and even insisted I base it so he could play with it despite its size! Since I'm an adult and have a terrible imagination, I started to protest, but I was quickly silenced by the story of this incredible dwarf.
You must know that Ubbe was once a perfectly ordinary dwarf, a young warrior who served as a scout alongside other companions... one day the team was attacked by goblins: surrounded, the dwarves were ready to fight dearly when the greenskin shaman who led the tribe pulled out a crude staff and began charging it with a strange, sizzling energy. Fearing for the lives of his companions, Ubbe emerged from the shield wall and leaped at the shaman to wrest the weapon from his hands. After a brief struggle, the two were engulfed in energy and exploded together. When Ubbe awoke, his companions were safe, the goblins dead or driven away, and everything seemed to have resolved itself for the best, even if the helmet suddenly felt too tight. Over the following days and weeks, Ubbe began to grow slowly and steadily until he reached a size impossible for a Dwarf! Despite the respect and gratitude his companions showed him, Ubbe couldn't stand to remain in that condition, unable to predict how tall he'd grow. So he decided to leave the mountain and join a group of adventurers seeking a magical or alchemical solution that could rejuvenate him in time for his wedding!
"So I can use him according to the rules of the Ogre Mercenary, Dad."
My son is definitely wiser than I am.
WAR MACHINES
The beer cart I built last time was so popular that one of my Instagram followers decided to give me his incomplete one so I could sculpt another driver and finish it. Of course!!! Here's the second cart, so my dwarves never run dry.
Below is the updated table with this month's progress...
Thats It For this time.
As always: keep painting, stay old school!
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| Fresh beer, come get some! |
