Jaakko and Rugluk - Wrap-up

And here we are again! We've finally reached the end of another season of OWAC. It was an okay season, but I was hoping to get much more done. It was hard to find enough time to paint this spring and I also discovered that painting the same army for two seasons isn't my thing. Anyway, I'm in good spirits at the moment and really looking forward to starting a new project. There's still plenty of goblinoids left to paint, but for the time being I'll be taking my orky work underground and turning my attention to something different.

As usual, I continued painting more models during July, and a hero riding a wyvern and a snotling joined the army. The snotling was glued to the double-decker Pump Wagon from last season (that's why it's in the army picture) to complete an artwork-inspired miniature. There were a few easter eggs hidden in the project, (some of which?) which I'll reveal now. I had planned to include a couple more this season, but I ran out of time.

I already teased the artwork last year. I noticed that the snotlings in the artwork were actual miniatures and decided to recreate the scene. There wasn't room for that many snotlings on the wagon, however, so I settled on the five that I happened to have, placing them in roughly the same positions. This was a salvage project, so I had to leave the guy with the net in place, as it wasn't possible to remove him without breaking something. The miniature is missing the chaos of the original artwork, but hopefully it's still somewhat recognisable. Well, most importantly they've had the chance to mow down a few of those dwarfs!

Rugluk and his bodyguard, Drodab Ironbrow, are both tributes to their respective combat cards. The colours have been adapted to my less saturated palette, and the shield designs aren't identical to the originals as I didn't want to remove the shield bosses.

The wyvern is an upcoming model from Heavy Metal Hordes. It's an impressive sculpt and was an absolute joy to paint.

I also made some terrain, which you can see in the pictures above: a few small fields and a signpost for The Owl. I also started making some swamps, but the water effect resin I used had gone bad, so I'll have to start over.

Here are the points for the project:

+ the siege stuff from last season.

And here's what two seasons of OWAC looks like:

All in all, I'm very happy that I started painting this army. I've had the chance to play several games with it, and it's been an absolute joy. The most recent game was played a week ago, and here are a few photos from it:

Grom charged a unit of Dwarf Crossbowmen after his chariot was destroyed and managed to rout them. A nearby unit of Dwarf Clansmen fled at the sight of the bloodthirsty Grom, who pursued the fleeing dwarfs and hasn't been seen since.

On turn two the Savage Orcs (in the right flank) charged a neighbouring orc unit, succumbed to frenzy, and spent the rest of the battle fighting their own side. The joys of playing orcs! In the previous game, the Savage Orcs panicked at the sound of cannon firing at them and routed. Hopefully they'll manage to reach an enemy one day! Anyway, orcs did good enough and it was a fun game.

And that's it, I guess. My attention is already starting to shift to Season 10, and I'm already planning my next project. Next season will be a special edition, giving us more options than usual, so I'm trying to decide between going 6mm by finally opening my box of Space Marine or starting a Rogue Trader Genestealer Cult project. We'll see what happens!

Thank you, everyone! It has been a pleasure watching your projects grow. Happy painting, and see you again in Season 10! And apologies for the missing Ansell pose. I took the pictures on the literal last minute and I did't have my usual minions to take a picture with me in it.

Oh, and by the way, that's me in the picture, chilling on my throne and commanding my cult.

Jaakko and Rugluk - Leader month

Morrslieb was full and seemed to smile as Rugluk's warband crept from the trees.

The dwarfs had made themselves comfortable. Some still drank beneath The Owl's sign while others snored beside dying campfires.

Rugluk raised a clenched fist in silence.

Goblins slipped between the wagons while a group of boyz crept toward the sleeping guards. Even the trolls, after repeated threats from Rugluk, managed to stay almost quiet.

Then Rugluk dropped his hand.

"WAAAGH!"

The night exploded.

The dwarfs fought hard but the surprise was complete. Before long the survivors were retreating into the darkness, dragging their wounded with them.

Rugluk climbed onto an overturned ale wagon, looked over the wreckage and bared his teeth in a satisfied grin.

"...Maybe da old ghost knew a fing or two."

Welcome back! I'm in good spirits as I write this post, as I came very close to not finishing anything this month. There was never any fear of dropping out of the challenge, though, since I had already painted a half-orc shaman back in January. Byron shared a picture of the chariot riding Grom he was working on, and it gave me the needed inspiration to paint my version as this season's leader.

I had intended to paint more (and have a few half-finished heroes and shamans on the painting table), but I'm quite happy with these guys. I'm not sure what happens next with the army, but I might present some of the remaining leaders in the wrap-up.

I wanted to make a chariot-riding version of the original Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountains. So I simply cut the puddle base from under his feet and stuck him on a chariot. He has grown a lot since the first two sculpts.

This sculpt is quite busy and not one of my favourites, but I wanted to include a model that could pass as a half-orc. In fact, I'd also like to include a unit of scabbies in the army, but I need to do some collecting first.

This month in points:

And that's it for now. See you again next month!

Jaakko and Rugluk - Wild card month

Keeping watch over a lonely crossroads, The Owl has stood for longer than any village record can account for. Some claim it used to be a watch-post during wars against beastmen. Others insist it began life as a small monastery before ale barrels replaced prayer books.

Its sign creaks in the wind: a wide-eyed owl painted on a fading blue board.

The Owl has earned a reputation as a safe refuge on dangerous roads. Merchants, bounty hunters, pilgrims, mercenaries, and even the less reputable folk are all welcome.

There is also a rival inn farther down the road: The Weasel. Once the two inns were owned by brothers who quarreled bitterly over things long forgotten. The rivalry became a feud passed from father to son. Coachmen swear one stablemaster sabotages the other’s horseshoes. Fights are common during market season and customers argue over which inn serves better ale.

Still, when winter storms close the roads and the howling begins in the woods the hatchet is buried. Because whatever feud exists between Owl and Weasel, both know there is something worse waiting in the dark.

-------

A large dwarf camp sat beside the old roadside inn. Lanterns glowed warmly in the windows, and the smell of roasted meat drifted across the fields. Dwarfs crowded the yard, drinking from tankards, their armour stacked nearby in piles. Laughter rumbled beneath their thick beards.

From the trees above the road, Rugluk and his scouts watched in silence.

An orc beside him grunted, “We hittin’ ’em tonight, boss?”

Rugluk stared at the camp. Warm firelight. Full barrels. Fat dwarfs laughing.

”Yeah,” he muttered.

”An’ I want sum ale.”

Hello! I saved the wild card month for May in order to have a bit of a change of pace before the final push in June and July. The theme of this year’s wildcard month was determined when Graeme very kindly sent me a copy of White Dwarf 143. The issue includes instructions to build the Coaching Inn and stables, and I simply couldn’t resist having a go at it. This is the biggest single terrain piece I’ve done, and it ended up taking a large part of my hobby time this month, so no miniatures this month. Anyway, here are more photos:

Tom is actually also making a Coaching Inn and stables as his wild card. We thought it was a really fun coincidence and decided to name them as a pair after the Owl and Weasel. So, here’s The Owl-you’ll meet The Weasel a bit later.

I tried to be faithful to the original in most parts, but I did move the walls a bit so there wouldn’t be a gap between them and the inn, and I forgot a window. I also opted to make a gate that doesn’t open. I figured it would be a bit more sturdy this way.

I did some googling to see other people's versions of the build. The Lost and Very Damned blog (link) had a really nice version of the smithy and I copied some details from there while adding some further items. I might add a similar removable wall to the build later too.

A close-up of the stables. I rather like the look of the plastered walls and might make more buildings in this style in the future.

I like the inn part a lot, and I’m pretty sure it will be used on its own quite often.

I actually built a slightly modified version of the Fantasy Barn from WD 140 first as a test. I built one as a kid too, and I think it’s too tall. That's why this one is adjusted to fit the size of old cardboard houses.

I’m also working on a field and some fences to tie this one into it's surroundings, but I ran out of time. I’ll hopefully add them in later posts, along with some roadside signs.

Here are some WIP pictures. I’ll try to keep the explanations short, but feel free to ask if anything comes to mind.

The shape was first made from cardboard and foam core (after feeding the kids with things that come in cardboard boxes).

I followed my brother’s advice and covered the foam core parts and seams with paper. It’s supposed to make the structure tougher, but I later found out that it also helps a lot with the plastering.

Then some sticks, bits of XPS foam, and lots and lots and lots of small bits of cardboard.

Next, the walls were plastered with a mix of Polyfilla, fine sand, and water.

I happened to run into an ancient box of Polyfilla in December while emptying an apartment full of a literal ton of stuff. As far as I know, the last Rake hardware store closed in ’87, so the Polyfilla was clearly era-appropriate for an Oldhammer build. I had no choice but to save it and use it for the plastering.

And here's a final picture of the painted coaching inn and stables:

See you next month with a leader (or some leaders)!

Jaakko and Rugluk - Rank & File month #4

The camp had grown. Fires burned across the hillside while boyz laughed, fought, and argued over loot they hadn’t earned.

New faces had joined daily - hard-looking orcs, sly goblins, and even giants who towered over the camp, slow-witted and hungry, but useful enough to be welcomed.

Things seemed almost orderly.

Rugluk sat by the largest fire, chewing something questionably edible, watching his growing force with quiet satisfaction.

Not far away, goblins whispered among themselves.

“Dey say dwarfs been seen in da hills.”

“Heard it too. Whole army, marchin’ somewhere close.”

“Maybe dis way.”

Rugluk’s ears twitched.

He spat into the dirt and grinned.

“Let ‘em come.”

Welcome! I’m literally writing this post at the last minute, so I’ll keep it short. Let’s check out what I’ve painted this month!

I was relatively busy but managed to paint three Giants and a Goblin Battle Chariot. Not quite as much as I had initially planned, but that’s still a few miniatures cleared from the lead pile and enough for another Rank & File month. The Wild Card and Leader months are just around the corner, and I’ve actually already started crafting some terrain.

The first army I collected and played was Dwarves, so I’ve developed a real appreciation for anything that moves quickly. That’s one of the reasons why chariots are some of my favourite units, and I’m hoping to include more later.

I’m glad to see our mysterious wagon from last month in action. I can’t wait to steal one from a baggage train and push it up a hill in an actual battle. I’ve attached the (3ed) rules here to refresh our memory. I love this kind of crazy stuff.

This month in points:

And that's it for the month. Happy painting everybody!