Blipvertus multigame Dwarf army
Recommendations: 662
About the Project
It started out simple. I wanted a Viking army for Saga but I wanted it to be different because everyone does Vikings. So instead I did seven other armies. I finally hit upon the idea of using Dwarves as my Viking stand in. Dwarves are also a part of Norse mythology and they’re ill tempered and armed with axes. Seems like a natural fit! When Oathmark came out with a plastic Dwarf infantry box I found everything I’d need for a Saga army. You can make dwarves armed with bows, something that is pretty rare for most Dwarf models, as well as spear and axe armed dwarves. You can also equip figures with a weapon in each hand making them a great substitute for Berserkers. One of the nice things about this box is all the figures are wearing chainmail and to me, that’s quintessentially dwarfish. Originally I was going to make the spear armed dwarves my warriors and my axe and sword armed dwarves as my hearthguard. But Oathmark came out with a box of Heavy Infantry Dwarves so I may use them as hearthguard. These also feature chainmail but also have segmented armor and some platemail. They also feature a lot of steel face masks integrated into their helmets. This is something I love because Tolkien mentions something similar in The Silmarillion about the dwarves in Middlearth. With my Viking army all planned out and a couple of boxes of minis, I was set. Huzzah! Then Age of Magic arrived. And Warlords of Erewhon. The unit options in both games increased the variety of units a Dwarf army could take. So I set about trying to find suitable minis that would look good together. I found a nice set of crossbow armed dwarves from Conqueror. Conquer also had dwarves armed with two-handed axes. Both units are also in chainmail thus making it easier for them to blend in. I then found some chainmail wearing handgunners from Mirliton. Because I’m getting minis from several different ranges I worried about how to make them look like a cohesive army. I asked our local guru, Sean Twiddy. He’s one of the smart guys that teaches art at one of the local universities and uses miniature painting in some of his lessons. Sean is also an avid Saga player. He suggested using the same color pallet for the whole army in order to tie it all together. So I tried it and painted up a test color scheme and I think it’ll work. The header/thumbnail photo is of the test minis. I’m going to try to document how I got to those finished images. I’m going to try to show and explain every step as well as show the sources of the materials used.
Related Game: SAGA
Related Company: Studio Tomahawk
Related Genre: Fantasy
This Project is Active
Spearmen Pt 8
Washes done, I next added grass tufts and cork “rocks,” both from Army Painter.
Next up, shields!
Spearmen Pt 7
Beards done, touch ups and washes to go. Spearmen Pt 6
Just the beards left to do and touch ups and the basic painting is done. After that, washes. Spearmen Pt 6
Just the beards left to do and touch ups and the basic painting is done. After that, washes. Spearman Pt 5
Just a general update. I dry brushed the base Army Painter Skeleton Bone, painted the boots Vallejo Flat Brown, the pants Army Painter Desert Yellow, the leather belts Vallejo Mahogany Brown, the dagger grips Vallejo Brass and the chainmail Army Painter Plate Mail Metal and the face and hands Vallejo Dark FleshSpearmen Pt 4
Painted all the bases Army Painter Leather Brown. Next, a light drybrush. Spearmen Pt 3
After filling in the bases with basing compound I allowed it to dry overnight. I then brushed glue onto the bases then dipped the minis into a tub of sand and shook off the loose sand. 
I then allowed the glue to dry overnight. I then used the dental probe to scrape off errant bits of sand. Once satisfied, I mounted the minis onto some wooden paint sticks. 
I then gave them all a coat of Army Painter Wolf Grey. I’ll most probably break up this mass into three smaller groups and assembly line paint them to completion before moving onto the next group.
I generally find groups of 8 to 10 minis is small enough not to get overwhelmed by sheer numbers but big enough to feel good about knocking them out that I’ll stay motivated and press on to the next group.
Your mileage may vary.
Spearmen Pt 2
I built 24 spearmen and one banner bearer. 
After assembly I used Litko 25mm magnets, peeled off the paper backing ...
and added a drop of super glue and glued them to the base. I’ve done this to the minis I’ve already completed and painted the edges of the base again so they all blend in. 
Saga allows you to have a single banner in your army. It can either be with your Warlord or with one of your units. 
Saga doesn’t use unit leaders but Warlords of Erehwon does. So these figures with the fancy helmet crest will be the unit leaders. I may add pennants to their spears as well but that’s a few steps off. 
