“Hola amigo, I come to suck your blood!”

Hi everyone,

I played two games of Silver Bayonet this weekend, and I decided to paint up something related in order to get me wound-up for a long haul on the game.

I decided to do something easy in oils and went for the ghosts.  I painted these in an ethereal green. The amazing part is that I painted all six in less than  three hours and a half.

When I restart painting minis for this game, I will have to finish my French team.  I am tired of playing with them unpainted – very shameful on my part, especially when I harp on that this is my favourite genre!

Until next time stay safe and have fun as always.

NR

Hi everyone,

I just finished my demon for Silver Bayonet. As mentioned in the previous post, I painted this miniature in oils except for the axe and bell which were done in acrylics.

Unfortunately, due to my incompetence with a camera, a lot of the highlights on the back of the model were lost. I tried taking shots with different settings but the shot below was my best attempt!

Also, one of the drawbacks of oils is the shininess of the medium, as you can see in the pictures.  This can easily be addressed with mat varnish, but I want to let the paint cure for a week before applying the varnish.  The thing is I did not want to wait that long before posting the pictures!

With my second attempt at oils, I am now convinced that this is the way to go and I will be expanding my oil paint range in the coming weeks.

The fun and relaxing nature of the medium has revitalized my love for miniature painting and there is no going back.  As time goes by and I become more efficient in this medium I will paint more miniatures in oils until acrylics become the exception to my painting and not the norm.

For my next oil painting project, I will try to paint up the ghosts and spirits for TSB.  This will be a new challenge from the darker colours I have used for the first two miniature.

Until then, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I am continuing to practice with oils, and as I have said in the last post, I am enjoying the process a lot.

The next mini is the demon, and I thought it would be interesting to show the difference in the painting process.

With oils you can you use acrylic or enamel primers.  I use Vallejo acrylic primers.  The colour of the primer depends on the result you want to achieve.  In this project I went with three types to experiment, but in my first attempt I went with black – since oil paints are very opaque it worked in my favour.

Pre-glazing is probably the most important step in this technique.  It is one step I never knew about.  Pre-glazing gives the latter layer of paint something to adhere to.

The best paints for pre-glazing are colours with high tinting power like Van Dyke Brown and Indigo. There are only a handful!

Most of the colour then has to be removed with a makeup sponge after letting the paint to set for about 10 to 15 minutes.

I call this the ‘fun process’. The first layers are like a delicate drybushing!  The paint mixes with the pre-glaze and instantly creates shadows and highlights.

The next layers are added on then feathered in with a soft brush.  The great thing is that you only need cheap synthetic brushes and sables are kind of useless.

One thing I learned is that the oil paint dictates the speed you paint at, and this forces you to chill out, relax and go with the process.  If you have only ever painted with acrylics like myself, you will have to re-learn the attitude you need to paint with.

Another thing to keep in mind is the ‘Fat over Lean’ rule.  Before I got in line, I was having a lot of difficulty.  I suggest you do some research about the nature of oils and how 2D painters use them for some foundational background.

Below are two videos that helped me get started and trouble-shoot most of the problems I had.

Below is the miniature with the cape and clothes painted up. Since I went with black, I had to minimize the highlights in order to keep the black ‘reading’ as black to the eye. I also wanted some colour in the cape, so I highlighted with light violet and light blue rather than white.

I will let you decide if I managed or not!

That is all for now.  Next week I will continue with the detailing and hopefully post the finished product.

Until the next post stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

The last two weeks I started watching the videos of James Wappel who paints nearly elusively in oils, and I was blown away!

I remember in the early ’80s historical miniature painters used to use oils.  In that time, acrylics started to come into popularity, so I never had the inclination to use oils.  I could achieve all the effects I wanted with acrylics.

After watching, Mr Wappel do his magic, and making it look so easy, I decided to jump in and I am very happy I did so.

It is like learning to walk all over again.  My first attempts were disastrous, and I was over the moon.  Oils have given me a new and enjoyable challenge.  I do not envision ever stop using oils.

Below is the first miniature I ever painted completely in oils that is good enough for the tabletop! It was painted over a black acrylic undercoat.  It took me several attempts to get to this result.  If I painted this in acrylics it would be ten times better.

Nonetheless, I haven’t enjoyed painting miniatures this much in a very long time!

I will not do away with acrylics altogether.  I will still use acrylics to paint 15mm and 10mm armies, and certain details like gems and gold trinkets.  Over time though, as I get better and more experienced with oil paints, their use will come more and more prominent in my work. If not for the quality I can achieve, then for the sheer enjoyment I get out of the process.

So until my next post, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I have finished up some conversions for my French team.  During play, I found that two sappers are better than one. Also, I wanted another Imperial Guard veteran to match the one I already converted.

While I was at it, I also converted up a doctor which I don’t have and another supernatural investigator which I can use with any force. There is a French doctor in the 2nd French set, but I do not intend to buy it since I have all I need now for the French.

All the miniatures come from Victrix sprues.  I went with Victrix because they are slightly larger and fit in better with the metal miniatures.

The most work went into the Doctor miniature.  I had to scrap off nearly all his clothes in order to add the new stuff on.  His bag was super fiddle to make, but in the end I managed to get a good likeness using a piece of sprue as a base.

The twin hand guns on the Supernatural Investigator’s back and the Doctor come from Front Rank Miniatures. The book comes from a Dark Angel’s sprue.

For the Imperial Guard I went with an ahistorical look.  It had to match the first, so I went with some medieval parts.  I also enlarged him slightly to make him a bit more imposing.

The sapper is just a grenadier with and added apron, two-handed axe and some extra height.

That is all for now. Until my next post, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I just finished a troll from Gamezone Miniatures. I found this model not only very nicely sculpted, but also the right scale. This is actually in resin and very affordable.  I might get the other one holding a dead horse’s head.

The next miniature is a ‘Church Giant’ from a board game called ‘Bloodborne‘. I honestly have no idea what this game is.  I found this on Ebay for just €3.90 and I snatched it up!

You can get it from HERE.

I added the bone wings from a plastic Reaper miniature.  This will be my demon.  I think it suits the gothic setting perfectly!

The last is my ‘living suit of armour’. I bought this from the same shop on Ebay as well. It is also from a board game called ‘Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood of Venice’.  Once again, never heard of it – even though I am familiar with the brand.

That is all for this week.  I will continue painting up more miniatures for the game, as well as working on a new diorama.

So until next post stay safe and have fun.

NR.

Hi everyone,

I added three more ‘infantrymen class’ minis to my team, and I still have three more to go to get a 10 man strong squad.  All these miniatures are not really needed for Silver Bayonet, but I will use them for other games.

In the meantime, the figures were painted up in different uniforms of the allies that fought with the French during this period.  I did this to add some colour and variety.

The first is an Irishman with the green uniform, the second is an Italian in the white uniform, and the last is also an Italian, but from the northern Piedmont army.

I have a Swiss voltiguer and a Bavarian fusilier left to paint, but I want to add another French fusilier.

Until next time stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I managed to finish painting up four more miniatures for my French Silver Bayonet team.

I wanted more Grenadiers, a Guard miniature and an artillerist.  I want to add a bit more colour and variety within my force, so I decided to add some models from allied contingents.

The Grenadier with the yellow uniform and the big cross is the first.  He is from the Neuchatel Battalion or the famous ‘Canaries’ as they were often called. The model is a conversion from a Perry Miniatures plastic figure.

Both miniatures below are conversions.  I wanted to give the Imperial guard an ahistorical veteran vampire-hunter look. So I gave him a crossbow instead of a musket and some neck-protection!

The Neuchâtel Grenadier has an ‘over-the -top‘ holy symbol, boldly and bravely declaring their allegiance to God.

The next two miniatures are from the Front Rank catalogue.  They are both Imperial Guard artillerymen. I will be using the first as an artilleryman, since the official range lacks one.  The second with the crate I will use as a Grenadier

I have also started work on some more infantry. I will be painting these up from several allied batallions in Napoleon’s army.

In the first picture, one will be from an Irish batallion, one from an Italian batallion and the kneeling fusilier from the piedmontese ‘Legion du Midi‘.

This should breath some colour into the force.

The second picture contains a French Grenadier and two Bavarian fusiliers. I chose the Bavaians to continue to diversify my force.  The Grenadier was chosen because I want four Grenadiers in total

That is all for now.  My next post will be either some of the infantrymen painted up or a painted up monster.  I will see how my fancy chooses.

Until next post, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I spent most of last summer playing Silver Bayonet (besides a few other games), and if there is one lesson I learnt – the hard way – is that at times, you need more bodies on the ground.

To cut to the chase I needed more infantry men.  So I decided to use the miniatures I bought from Front Rank.

These included, one Polish Vistula fusilier, two French light infantry men, and one French fusilier. This made a huge difference in certain missions. These past two weeks, I decided to paint them up.

That concludes a nice but steady return to this project.  I am currently working on more infantry men for my French, but I want to diversify and add some colour to the force, so I will be adding in some allies.

Until next post, stay safe and have fun.

NR.

Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to post up some more profiles I have been working on for TSB. The latest games I have played are with vampires and just like with the Ghouls, the Cultists and the Werewolves – I wanted to spice it up a bit.

Below are the new vampire profiles.

THE VAMPIRE MASTER

The first up is the Vampire Master.  This is probably my favourite scoundrel in the gallery of villians I have come up with.  He is not that different from other vampires, but he does have more health and the option to use a hand weapon (or an ancient family heirloom as I see it!).

He also has the ability to shapeshift into a bat form, which gives him the ability of flight.

This character, in my humble opinion should be used in a campaign.  I found the best results when he is revealed at the end of a three to four part scenario campaign.

THE VAMPIRE BRIDES

I have seen many Hammer Horror classics, besides many vampire movies of all qualities.  The best among them always have the brides of the master.  So I told myself – TSB cannot be any less!

The brides are basically identical to normal vampires, with two fundamental differences.  First they come in threes,  and secondly they are bound to a particular point on the gaming table.  This could be a ruin, or a monument, or a cemetery. They can never move beyond six inches of the designated point.

Their purpose is to guard the site they are bound to and stop our intrepid heroes from fulling their mission.

NEW BORN VAMPIRES

Vampires are tough opponents, and they are usually accompanied by revenants when they appear in a scenario. I thought that since vampires tend to get stronger the older they get, why not have some weaker new born vampires running around the campaign – especially in the beginning with the first scenario.

In order to reflect their inexperience as a blood-sucker, I reduced several of their stats and removed the attributes strong and soul sheer.  This makes them more manageable, but still very dangerous!

The games I have played with these vampires have been very, very tough; I must admit.  During the first games I made these blood suckers a bit too strong, but after nearly a month and 12 games, I think I have them pinned down.

If you are interested in running them, keep them till last in order to give your team some time to gain experience.

That is all for now.  I hope to finish off my 10mm High army so I can get back to dedicating all my time to painting this range. Therefore I soldier on through the brush strokes and and the flocking!

Until next time stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I have finally finished the clue markers I bought from Alternative Armies.  The great thing about them is that they pass as scatter terrain as well.  I found playing with them makes a world of difference.

The last two I painted up were the biggest pieces and the most detailed as well. I kept the palette very simple and when I gave the models a wash, I only used two washes – Burnt Umber and a darker Burnt Umber.

The last picture is a group shot of all the pieces in my collection. I really like these models from AA, and I hope they make more.  In the meantime I will be buying some of their new mechs in 15mm.

I have to go back and fix the troll now.  I am not sure how I am going to do it without stripping it.  I will have to give it some thought.

Until next time, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

Another short post proving that TSB is not dead!  Last post, I was working on the objective markers for TSB, and today I have painted up three more.  I find this a great way to relieve the stress of painting up armies for a long period.

I have actually also finished the troll for this game as well, but I am not happy with how it turned out, and I am thinking on ways to fix/improve it.

In either case, the objectives were painted up with three different browns and highlighted with lighter gradations. Then I just gave them an oil wash and let them dry.

That is all for TSB this week.  I might add some profiles for different vampires next week as my test games are yielding better results.

Until then, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I’m back today with another quick update for TSB.  I do not want to abandon hobby-time on this project altogether, despite the fact I am busy with the 10mm High Elves at the moment.  For one, I enjoy the game a ton and two; I find painting TSB very relaxing.

So I went back to it this week and did some work on the clue markers.  Since I am intrinsically a lazy person, I naturally started with the easiest of the lot – the skull piles.

These are very simple to paint: a base of sand colour, then several washes and drybrushing – then presto! –  piles of skulls.

Next up were the crates.  I have not painted them as yet, but because they are identical, I wanted to make them slightly different.

I approached this with some Mod Podge, tissue paper and a brush.  If you don’t have Mod Podge, then watered down PVA glue will do fine.

Simply fold the tissue several times (depending on thickness) for strength then cut the tissue paper to your prescribed size. Fit the tissue into place by pressing it in gently to get it into a fitting shape.

Next add some Mod Podge to the bottom of the tissue and fix it into place.  Then add Mod Podge to the top and mould it into the crates.

Then let it dry and paint it up.

A simple procedure to make two identical objects look different.  Now I have to find the time to paint them up.

Hopefully, my next post will be the finished Troll, but everything seems to be going in slow motion at the moment.

Until next time, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everybody,

I have played well over thirty games of TSB – all of them solo and all of them lasting about 35 to 45 mins.  Up till now I have always used 2D plastic bases as my clue markers or objective markers as they are commonly known throughout the gaming community.

So a few weeks ago I decided to use 3D markers and I went searching through the interwebs to see what would strike my fancy.

I came upon some items from Alternative Armies that were affordable and suited the period and genre of the game

First up are the abandon wagons.  These are fairly chunky pieces of resin and are also fairly priced.  They are also made for the black powder era, so they fit in perfectly.

I was surprised to see how well cast they are with no bubble holes or flash.  It is the first time I bough resin products from this company and I was very happy with the quality.

Next up are the crate piles.  They come in packs of two which is great.  They are also explicitly made for the period which is an added bonus.  The downside is they are the same.  This is a minor issue though, and easily solved with some glue and tissue-paper.   I will show how to do this when I get to painting them.

The hand cart below is the only item that is cast in metal.  It is a cute piece and very affordable for what it is.  it comes in three parts – 2 wheels and the body.  It was also well cast, but there was a bit of clean up need (especially around the wheels).

Last but definitely not least (since they are my favourite of the lot) are the skull piles.  I thought these would make excellent clue markers for scenarios with ghouls or maybe cultists.  They can also be used to denote ritual stacking of human skulls to mark territory or for a warning against interlopers.

I just wish they had higher piles I could buy!

A quick update for an hours work.  I do not know when I will be painting these up, but at least I can play games that are visually more interesting.

Now I have to go back to painting my troll!

Until next time, stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I had two days off and I spent it all on hobby – it was glorious!  I managed to finish off all my Dark Wolf pack, including the direwolves.  I also worked on my 10mm High Elves – but more on that later.

Below is a closer look at the newer wolves I painted up.  As you can see there are three types of subtly different colour schemes.  One is based on dark grey, one on dark blue and the last on a mid-grey.

I did not want any browns because I did not want them to look like a normal pack of wolves.  All black and grey makes them look scarier to me.

The last two models are my direwolves.  These beautiful minis are from Gamezone Miniatures and they come in resin or metal (the resin version is half the price roughly).

I wanted to simulate the story of ‘The lions of Tsavo‘.  These were two rogue man-eater lions that terrorized Tsavo in the latter part of the 19th century.  There was a great movie with Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas called ‘The Ghost and the Darkness‘ – I highly recommend you watch this!

I have played a three part mini-campaign that leads up to the direwolves appearing in the third scenario. The clicker is that you never know if only one or both will appear.

Well, that is all for me for now.  I am not sure what else to start in TSB range.  I might continue my team or focus on a single large monster.  I will think about it.

Until then stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

So I have started another project out of necessity – a 10mm High Elf army for a ‘Fantastic Battles’ campaign – so this project is not getting as much time.

Nonetheless I am trying to spread out my time over these two projects as best I can, but the High Elf project might have to get the bigger slice of my attention for now.  I will be opening up a project on my 10mm High Elves soon.

In the meantime I have started work on the Dark Wolves, which I did start to paint several weeks ago. I managed to give them a basecoat.  Today, though, I have finished the first batch.

I will also re-post the profiles for Alpha Wolves and Direwolves below just in case anyone is interested.

I might be able to post another four wolves next Thursday if all goes well.

Until then stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I have been working frantically on my 10mm High Elf army, because I have a ‘Fantastic Battles’ campaign coming up soon, so I lacked behind on my Silver Bayonet project.

But I have received my Gamezone troll and a Nasier Greathorn (for my demon) from the defunct Wrath of Kings rang.

Scale is Everything

I put scale as one of the top choices when it comes to purchasing models for The Silver Bayonet.  I found the scale of the troll and the Greathorn to the average human to be spot on.

I also received my Corelocks from Lucid Eye miniatures.  I will be using these as proxies for Hobgoblins.  I don’t like the Hobgoblins from Northstar.  The models are fine, but they look too fantasy-like.  I think these are more appropriate.

Hopefully I will have more finished work next week.  Until then stay safe and have fun.

Best regards,

NR

Hi everyone,

I have finally finished the ghouls.  I admit that I did rush them a bit – spending about 3 hours on each.  For a slow painter like myself that is very fast.

I went with a more stylistic approach with the violet and purple shading, but I felt that they were looking a bit drab.  I added the blood effects to further create some interest .

When you examine them up close, you will notice hat I did not spend anytime blending in the layers.  This was done on purpose.  It was part of the stylistic approach to facilitate speed, but when seen from a birds eye view on the table I think they look very good.

The last two were the ghoul female and the leader.  I left these two to the end because they required the most work.

That is all for now.  I am not sure what I will do next in this project. I might do the dark wolves since I already base-coated them. If not I will work on my viking war-rhino, I will spend the rest of the day thinking about it.

Until then stay safe and have fun.

NR

Hi everyone,

I have finished another three ghouls.  I now only have two more to go before this cannibalistic clan is complete.

I hope to finish the ghouls by next week.  My next post will probably be a review of some miniature – I will have to see – but until then;

Stay safe and have fun,

NR

Hi everyone,

Another short post.  I finished painting up the next three ghouls.  They are painted up in the same fashion as the other ghouls.  With these I have official past the half way mark to finishing all my ghouls.  Huzzah!

The next post will most probably be more ghouls, because I have start another three of them.

So until then, have fun and stay safe.

NR