Maciek's Dwarfs - Crossbowmen (156 points)

#Rank & file month 2

This month I give you a troop of Dwarf crossbowmen.

It was intended as a company of veteran militia of Karak Varg. These dwarfs are craftsmen in their daily lives but train regularly and muster in times of need. They have seen service in their native Grey Mountains but also in allied missions around the Empire and Bretonnia. Those foreign missions and lively trade contacts with the human kingdoms have clearly influenced their eclectic clothing.

Karak Varg crossbowmen defend an Empire village against the greenskins

All Marauder sculpts from the early 90s. The drummer was originally meant for Longbeards but thanks to his puff and slash clothes, he got reassigned to the crossbow company, where he fits much better.

I wanted an earthy colour scheme to fit the dwarfs. The visual inspiration was colours of the XVII century infantry. That meant browns, ochres (buff coats), black (felt hats) and white (shirts & collars) - nicely exemplified in this painting.

 

Image sourced from here (though originally meant to depict Massachusetts militia in 1630s)

However, when I base-coated the models I found rather drab, so I added a bit of vibrant blue, but not much to keep them grounded. The reasons for this colour restraint was the memory of my first attempt to paint these models in my teenage years. I was then determined to try out all the vibrant citadel colours I had. It did not end well. I am much happier with how they came out now.

The accounting: 10 dwarf crosbowmen (@13 points) + 1 drummer (@26 points) = 156 points

I admit March was a month of struggle to get sufficient time and motivation to paint. Heavy work commitments and the brutal, abominable Russian aggression on Ukraine meant my time and attention were focused elsewhere. The world has really become much darker. Hence, I only finished the unit started in February. Work is still in progress on the standard bearer for the crossbowmen but he will need to wait until future entries. 

In April I will switch subject -  time for the human allies for the dwarfs. Expect Bretonnians and... well, maybe also someone else :-)

Cheers, Maciek