JohnR's Month 4 - Leader and Monster Month (525.5 points)

A trip to wales for a get together for multiple significant family birthdays (18th, 21st, 40th, 50th, 50th, 50th and 80th!) was followed by two weeks in South West France this month, severely curtailing my painting time and I was going to take a mulligan*. But then we got back to Blighty with 6 days to spare and I just wanted to sit quietly and paint for some reason...

So here is my offering for April. Our eponymous (anti)hero, the pro/antagonist of my challenge, the man, the myth, the legend himself: Aksys the Evil.

Aksys is completely bonkers. His mood swings between black depression and gregarious friendliness, acute paranoia and a narcissistic, manic megalomania.

Sometimes he’ll wander through the camp, trying to strike up friendly conversation with plague monks or shake hands with goblins. Asking them about their day, what they do and whether they enjoy their job? At other times he’ll refuse to leave his tower, brooding in a black fugue, coiled inward, engaged in whispered arguments with himself. Then he’ll appear at his balcony and rant and rave, through spittle flecked lips, promising to drown the world in blood, all the while watched from below by his bemused minions.

Still he is a powerful mage and possessed of a devious cunning. His followers live in awe and fear of him: the fact he has a Jabberwock as a devoted pet probably helps in that regard.

Aksys raised Mittens from an egg and the creature follows him everywhere like a love sick puppy. During Aksys’ spells and rituals Mittens mimics his movements with gangly limbs, chattering and braying childishly as Aksys chants words of power.

Of course should anyone threaten Aksys, Mittens would tear their limbs off. A fact not lost on Aksys’ more ambitious captains and lieutenants.

I also put paint on a couple of Rat Ogres and their Beastmaster.

This month's tally:

Aksys, level 20 human sorcerer                240  points

Mittens, jabberwock                                  200  points

Skaven Beastmaster with 2 Rat Ogres        85.5 points

The army so far:

I'll try to get some better photo's next month...

*on the plus side it also meant several weeks off Facebook, which I didn't miss at all and don't plan on going back to :)

JohnR's Month 2 - Rank and File (979 points)

February is definitely my least favourite month of the challenge: 28 short days and sh*t weather. 1 out of 10, would not recommend.

On the upside though, I got some stuff painted :)

Just skaven this month. The original plan was to paint all 40 clanrats but 10 were still in the dip at the start of the month and by the time I'd gotten them cleaned up I wasn't in the mood to paint them so did the characters and support-rats instead.

30 clanrats with full command and 2 censer bearers.

3 jezzail teams, 3 warpfire thrower teams and 2 poison wind globadiers. I can't help feeling this is too much support for 1 unit of clanrats. Is this too much support? I feel like this is too much support. Probably have to paint at least one more regiment of rats...

Skaven characters. Skaven names are basically unpronounceable for non-skaven so, in the interests of clear communication within the Axis of Evil, Aksys has given each skaven a human name. Left to right these are: Brian the Assassin, Nigel the Sewertyrant and Steve the white skaven Sorcerer.

29 Clanrats, light armour, hand weapon and shields, standard and musician:  188 points

2 Plague Censer Bearers:                                                                                    80 points

2 Poisoned Wind Globadiers                                                                               50 points

3 Warpfire Thrower Teams                                                                                243 points

3 Jezzails                                                                                                            117 points

Nigel (level 20 Skaven Hero) heavy armour and halberd                                 100 points

Brian (level 10 skaven assassin) additional hand weapon                                  54 points

Steve (level 15 skaven sorcerer)                                                                       147 points

The Axis of Evil so far.

John R's Month 1 - Rank and File (681 points)

January is done and I'm learning loads.

Mainly what I'm learning is that I prefer painting toy soldiers to photographing them.

This is Bogrot and his ladz. They hail from the dark lands and have been awed into the service of the Axis of Evil after Aksys exploded their shaman in a magical dual.

I took photos from other angles in the hope they'd come out better. Not sure it worked.

Bogrot, the contingent leader and the contingent standard carried by Wozgrub (2nd and 3rd from left). Also the unit champion: Zogga and his command group (center and right). All flanked by two of the units fanatics. I was pretty happy with the way these came out so I took an extra photo :)

42 Goblins, light armour, shields and spears, standard and musician:      220 points

3 goblin fanatics:                                                                                         90 points

Bogrot (level 25 goblin hero): light armour and double handed weapon   69 points

Wozgrub (level 10 goblin hero): light armour and contingent standard     80 points

Zogga (level 10 goblin hero): light armour and additional hand weapon   31 points

Total: 48 minis. 490 points

Other stuff I managed to get paint on this month:

12 Dark Elf crossbows:              156 points

2 Clan Moulder Beastmasters and 8 giant rats: 35 points.

All in all this was a very productive month. However I've known from the off that I have to break the back of this army in the first 3 months. In the last 3 months my painting time is likely to be much more limited.

Onward to Victory!

JohnR's Intro Post - Aksys of Evil and the Axis of Evil

Mornin' all

This is my second crack at the OWAC. Last year was a modern historical minis Estalian force, which was fun, but for this year I've gone all old metal.

The army is an unholy alliance of 3 evil races: goblins, skaven and dark elves lead by an utterly evil and clearly insane human sorcerer. All chosen from 3rd edition WFB and Warhammer Armies.

Inspiration was obviously George W Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech and all those Fighting Fantasy books I wasted my childhood reading when I should have been getting a 'proper' education.

Here is our primary antagonist: Aksys the evil warlock and his pet jabberwock Mittens. Both by Ral Partha. 

Da Gobbo Contingent. 48 gobbos (inc 3 fanatics), 12 wolfboys, a Lead Belcher and a Drew Day Williams cloud giant. 

The Skaven. No doubt outcasts from skaven society, just waiting for an opportune moment to betray everyone in the most underhanded and duplicitous way possible: 40 clanrats (10 are still in the paint stripper) 7 gutter runners, 8 giant rats, 2 rat ogres, 3 jezzails, 2 warpfire throwers, 2 poisoned wind globadiers, an assassin and a sorcerer.

Last, but not least, The Dark Elves. No doubt wondering how the F they got into this situation and just hoping to survive, nick a few slaves and escape back to Naggaroth in one piece: 20 witch elves, 12 crossbows and 5 heavy cavalry.

So yeah, I know, this is a lot of figs to paint in 6 months. 

And I know what you're thinking.

"What if he runs out of stuff to paint?!"

Don't worry.

Just like the rest of you I have more stuff to paint 😊 Extra bits for each of the three main contingents and a small chaos contingent which didn't make it into these photos.

Finally: "For the Overlord!"

Chaos Champion of Slaanesh, Ex-evangelist of the Church of Holy Sigmar, Founder of the first Mega Church of Chaos and all round total scumbag: Pennith Gropeland.

Driven out of the Church of Sigmar for tax evasion, orgies in the vestry and questionable relations with the choir boys, Gropeland narrowly avoided the Witchfinder's torch and fled into the waiting arms of Slaanesh. In the chaos wastes he found his true calling: preaching to a flock of willing fanatics and building evermore grotesque and extravagant edifices to his own debauched excess.

Good luck everyone. See you on the other side!

JohnR's Estalians - Heroes of Might and Magic (632 pts)

 Leaders (and cannon) Month. 

Born the penniless son of Estalian fruit sellers, Diego Monte decided at an early age that peddling oranges in poverty wasn't for him and ran away to seek his fortune in the New World.

Decades later, Don Diego El Comte Del Monte (as he now calls himself) has returned. Commander of  the Galleon 'War Bastard' and captain of a powerful mercenary company.

Del Monte (pictured here with his army standard bearer Matias) is everything a mercenary captain should be: ruthless and brave but with a strong streak of pragmatism and a keen sense of self preservation.

This month I painted command groups for the crossbowmen and handgunners too:

Crossbowmen

Handgunners

The army has also acquired a cannon - probably from the deck of the War Bastard.

The cannon's name is Isabella. (She's named after the gun captain's eldest daughter). She's powerful and dangerous and the gun crew love her, though they admit she's pretty ugly. The cannon's not that good looking either.

Accompanying the army is the Magister Santiago Espinosa 'The Fray Bentos' and his assistant Pedro.

'Fray Bentos' is an honorary title from the Estalian College of Sorcery, of which Espinosa is a senior member. His years of study have given him great power but recently he has become obsessed with his own mortality and has begun to dabble in the dark arts in an attempt to delay the inevitable. So far Espinosa has managed to keep his new knowledge secret, though it has cost him an apprentice.

Pedro is Espinosa's new apprentice. He suspects that his predecessor might have learned an unpleasant secret about his master and that his death may not have been an accident. Pedro is clever and ambitious and determined not to suffer the same fate.

El Comte Del Monte: Level 20 Human Hero, light armour, shield, warhorse: 114 points
Matias: Level 5 Hero, light armour, shield, warhorse, army standard: 89 points

2x Tilean Crossbowmen (+2 Missile Elite) inc Standard : 36 points

2x Bandolleros Gringos (+1 Missile Elite) inc Standard: 33 points

'Isabella': 3 Man Cannon: 60 points

The Fray Bentos: Level 20 Human Wizard: 240 points
Espinosa knows the following spells: Battle Magic 1: Leg Breaking, Ignite Missiles, Enthuse, Cause Animosity. Battle Magic 2: Raze, Lightning Bolt. Battle Magic 3: Animate Sword, Cause Fear. Necromantic 1: Hand of Death, Zone of Life. Necromantic 2: Control Undead. Necromantic 3: Life in Death.

Pedro: Level 5 Human Wizard: 60 points

Pedro Knows the following spells: Battle Magic 1: Immunity from Poison, Cause Animosity, Fireball.

Here's how the army looks now:

I've almost run out of stuff to paint. I had planned to add a couple more regiments to the army but they're not Estalians and I'm worried that they won't really fit. Maybe I'll just mulligan June :-)

JohnR's Estalians - Count the Hooves and Divide by Four. (414 points.)

Rank and File Month 4 

My late uncle's go-to joke when we had to count sheep or cattle in a field.

Feel like I made good progress this month.

Estalian Caballeros led by Rocco 'The Tilean Stallion' Sindaco.

Among an army of swaggards and braggards Los Caballeros are the most boastful and rambunctious of the lot. Rumour has it that Rocco shares a certain characteristic in common with his horse. His comrades joke that he's a mutant; but the luckiest mutant alive!

Border Horse - 'Los Escorpiones' led by Estofado De Carne.

Invariably found in the vanguard of the army the life of a cavalry scout can be brutally short. On the upside, with a little luck, you can be the first amongst the enemy's baggage train and first in the queue at the whore house at the next town.

Rocco Sindaco: Level 10 Human Hero, light armour, shield, lance and warhorse: 66 points.

9 Estalian Caballeros (+1 Shock Elite): light armour, shields and lances, standard: 200 points.

Estofado De Carne: Level 5 Human Hero, light armour, shield, spear and warhorse: 40 points.

5 Border Horse: light armour, shields and spears, standard: 108 points.

It's starting to look like an army :)

The plan is to do characters next. Though I'll probably wind up painting more rank and file 😂

JohnR's Estalians - I need re-training (313 points)

 Rank and file month 3

A month is too long. After a couple of days I've forgotten my passwords, how to use blogger, the settings on my camera, what the OWAC rules are, the name of my missus and where I left the dog...

Anyhoo, here is this month's offering:

Estalian Hombres Villanos led by 'El Destello Corazón!'.

Mystery surrounds this infamous swordsman. Some say he's the illegitimate son of the Emperor Karl Franz and an Estalian serving wench. Others that he's seeking the six fingered orc who killed his father. Whatever the truth he's a dashing swords-master: irresistible to women, deadly to his enemies and adored by his men. 

'El Destello Corazón!' Level 15 hero, light armour and additional hand weapon: 83 points

21 Hombres Villanos +2 Shock Elite, hand weapons, light armour and shields, standard and musician: 230 points

The army so far:

Not sure if I'm allowed to post a group shot yet. If I'm not I'm sure The Overlord will delete it. Like I said: I can't remember the rules 😁

JohnR's 252 points, not bad for an evening's work.

Rank & File month #2

 I'm kidding of course.

Actually this month was a bit of a slog so I'm pretty happy to have added 22 mini's to the army:

It helped that the crossbowmen were started in January :)

These comprise the bulk of the army's missile troops and are used as skirmishers, or to support the infantry blocks in battle. As such they don't have their own command groups, though I might add these later.

10 Tilean Crossbowmen (+2 missile elite), light armour and crossbows: 120 points.

12 Estalian Bandolleros Gringos (+1 missile elite), light armour and handguns: 132 points.

Total: 252 points

Onward and upward, bring it on March !

Jeff McC's Wood Elves - June (646 Points)

Achievement unlocked: Paint all the things!  All the wood elves in my collection are now painted.  So as long as I can resist buying more, I just need to finish my dwarves, dark elves, orcs, goblins........anyhow you get the idea.  

Right, so photos of June's production.  I ended up adding 2 more models to the 24 I had identified in March for a total of 26 this month. First up, the Lord's Bowmen.  Particularly pleased with how the hero's bird turned out.

11 Lord's Bowmen with light armor and shield, led by a level 10 hero.  (261 pts)

 

Next 4 archers - the plastic archer on the left is one of the 2 additions, he was hiding in with some models that had been used for Frostgrave.  The archer on the right was stylistically different enough that I felt that I ought to try something different with him, and went for a "traditional" green color scheme (mostly to prove to myself I could).  I suspect he'll see more table top time in role playing or skirmish games than as a part of the army.

4 archers (44 pts)

I also painted the rest of my beasts and beastmasters, the right from foot on the dog was miscast or broken off when I got him, but I don't think it shows too badly.

3 wildcats (63pts) and 1 warhound (4pts)

4 Beastmasters (52 pts)

The second addition to the plan from march is a mounted high elf archer.  As I've no other high elves from this period, he was looking very lonely in the drawer, so I permitted him to join the wood elves.  Once I got my head around the idea that his scale mail could be leather scales, he came together quite nicely.  I added some variation in the color of the scales, but it think the wash overwhelmed it a bit and made it more subtle than I'd intended.  He'll serve as a hero for the Wood Riders unit.

Level 10 hero with Light armor, horse and bow (96 pts)

Finally, I have the wizard.  I've always really liked this model, and have wanted to do something special with him, ever since I managed to get a hold of one.  I think I finally hit on it.  While this is an autumnal army, I saw the wizard as tying the wood elf community together and representing all of the seasons, and tried to bring that out in the model.  I'm generally pleased with the result, though there are a couple of puddly wash spots I wish I'd done a better job of catching.

Level 10 Wizard with Barded Warhorse (126 pts)

That brings June to a close.  Next month: the armies in review; what was planned, what was completed and how it all comes together with the other half of the force. See you then!