Graeme's Formidable Fimir - January's Rank and File #1 (190 points)

 January - Rank and File #1

The first month of my second challenge… and Fimir are definitely proving a challenge! I made the mistake of thinking the preparation of the Fimir would be quite straightforward - they’re big lumps metal, without too much fiddly detail - should be a straightforward dunk in Dettol, a quick file and/or scraping away of mold lines, and away we go… Unfortunately, some of the mold lines on these guys were significant, and some of the models are showing their age and had started to oxidize, so I had to soak the models in vinegar, then scrub them with a stiff (plastic) brush to get rid of the powdery texture and get down to a paintable surface. Custom-made bases were needed to hide their ‘sandals’ on the bottom of their feet. Add my first foray into green stuff joins to the list, and it was the middle of the month before I even touched a paintbrush.

Luckily, the painting went pretty well - it’s the first time I’ve ever attempted to paint my Fimir and I enjoyed it. They’re such unique models, with weird character, weapons, and stances. I pushed myself to leave my comfort zone and try something new - so instead of flat skin colors, I went for a mottled skin effect, to break up the big surface areas, using quite subdued, natural-looking colours. I gave the weapons a bog-wood and corroded bronze effect, to give the idea that they were ancient weapons that had been fished out the swamps.

Fimir Warriors

5 Fimm Warriors : 160 pts
Hand weapon

Now, you’ll probably notice the bases of the Fimir are not finished. I’m planning to do some epoxy resin water-effects. But this needs a few practice runs, and I’ll probably do all the Fimir bases in one go at the end of the challenge, to get a consistent effect.

Boars

5 Boars : 30 pts

The preparation of the bases for the Boars took longer than actually painting them - I flew through these in a couple of days and was really happy with the results. I’ve left thee for next month, to give me a bit of cushion, since it’s a short month.

January's group shot:

All-in-all, I’m pleased with how things went this month. I spend the last six months of 2020 in a real hobby dip, but the OWAC has given me a jump-start again and even though I have less hobby-time, I’m way more productive!

I’m not sure what I’m going to do next month - I’ve got some more half-prepped warriors, which need some green stuff work before they’re ready for painting. I could also use my wildcard, to make some scenery - which would give me a chance to try out my water-effect ideas… with the down-side of using up my wildcard very early in the challenge… we shall see.

Anyway, it’s been great seeing the other challenger’s contributions - there are some really impressive armies in the making!

Onwards to February!