Dug’s Dead Man’s Hand
Recommendations: 355
About the Project
The unboxing of Dead Man's Hand and some other videos online was enough to tempt me in. I received my starter box and began building. I think there is plenty of scope to play this game quite quickly as long as I can bodge some terrain together to play around. No hefty bestiary to get bogged down in. Here goes.
Related Game: Dead Man's Hand
Related Company: Great Escape Games
Related Genre: Western
This Project is Active
Ramshackle Barn
Renedra plastic terrain. I still have some ladders and pitch forks etc. to paint up for this kit, but the building and painting of the main structure is done.
I used mostly spray paint to get this done. Army Painter Leather Brown, Halford Red primer on the doors, Halfords Grey on the roof. Then I used some model mates Mud brown spray over mostlt the walls. It still didn’t look quite right so I dry brushed everything with wraithbone to bring out the tiles and boards and then dulled it all back down again with Contrast Paints. (Snakebite Leather on the doors, Watered down Wyldwood Brown on most of the boards, and some Creed Camo moss / water damage on the roof.) The windows are straight Wraithbone white and some Nulin Oil, orange and Leadbelcher were used on the rusty hinges.
I like the Army Painter skeleton bone over spray effort around the floor level to give a dusty look.Golden Button. Yay!
Community Spotlight: Oldhammer, MORE Tiny Elves & Dead Man’s Hand!
Got a lovely pat on the back for this project on the XLBS show last weekend. It made my Birthday weekend especially nice. The cactus sprue and the packaging red stone pillars got a special mention and Mad Dan McGillicuddy with his GW head got some love from the team.
Thanks for all the likes so far, but the project isn’t complete yet. There will be some female gunslingers added for fun options because due to a mix up… I have the Gunslingers 2 box. Lol.
Adding 10 women to my collection would seem a bit excessive, but I will add a couple as options for either side and probably kitbash most of the others into Sci-Fi cowgirls.
And at some point I will bodge together a battle report.
The O'Neill Gang. - Desperados.
The gang is finally painted and I am close to getting some games started.
I guess I am glad that they don't look too alike as criminals don't always want to easily recognisable in town if there's potential for a heist there someday.Desperados with pistolas.
Mechanicus Standard Grey heavy on these guys. Contrast Blood Angel Red here and there, plus Skeleton Horde contrast and Guillimen Flesh. Mostly because these were my latest paint purchases.Cactus sprue
I found some sprues where there were curves rather than the usual straight 90 degree connections between parts of the sprue. I cut them out and cut back any component connection points that were too big or angular back to the circular nubs that you see coming out from the "trunks" of the cactus you see above. Primed Deathguard Green. Washed with Camo Green Contrast Paint and hit with dozens of little white lines to try and give an impression that there are spines.
The GW modern sprues throw up a lot of curves for this type of terrain.Felipe Gonzalez - Desperados.
Argentinian cattle rustler and raconteur slayer extraordinaire he is the best shot in the gang. Even encumbered by saddlebags he's still speedy."Pretty Boy" Price - Desperados
"Pretty Boy" Price. Shotgun toting desperados. No one outside the gang seems to know his likeness, making it hard to pin down if his nickname is ironic or factual.Fleshtearer Red Contrast trousers with a Bugman’s Glow and red mix as a highlight. The mask is Steel Legion Drab and the shirt is Wraithbone.
Calamity Kelly - Desperados
The hide chaps get a return. Quite happy with my technique for these now. Mostly a Wraithbone base with sponged on Rhinox Hide. Calamity Kelly, the bosses nephew, is about to drop that dynamite and go for his gun… This is no surprise to his fellow gang members because he is the Jonah to all their efforts. They’re just glad the dynamite isn’t lit this time. He whacked a bank teller with a saddlebag and nearly tipped all the cash on the floor. Who knows? Maybe they’ll get away this time.
Juan O'Neill - Desperados
Probably my least favourite paint job this far, but I did get the beady eyes that I wanted and the renegade feel.Lawmen posse completed.
The group looks quite good all assembled. 
I now have a team to play with, but with no opponents I will get started on my Desperados in earnest. Given the random blind activation on cards being turned over I might be able to play solo Deputy with rifle.
Had another go at hide trousers and I think I am happy with the look. The Frostgrave Soldiers head really fits with this kit scale and look wise. I think I could do with making the waistcoats look a bit fancier given that this was often a way of showing off a touch of wealth or fashion sense without breaking the bank as it is only the front facing that had to be on show.
Deputies with pistols
Went for a Camo Green Contrast Paint for the jacket with a warpstone green and Deathguard Green mix as a highlight. The trousers are mostly still the Army desert yellow zenith over a Halfords red primer. I used Casandora Yellow wash and Morghast Bone and Zandri Dust highlights.
"For all your lynching and hog tying needs ... Buy McGregor's hanging grade rope. Let us slip you a length today." Made a mix of Avaland Yellow and Morghast Bone for the coat and then weathered with Zandri Dust and Wraithbone. I like the Nighthaunt Gloom jeans and the Shyish Purple top hat weathered with a Bugman's Glow purple mix.Deputy with shotgun
Went for a darker set of jeans with a mix of Ultramarine Blue Contrast and Nighthaunt Gloom and grey seer speckles. I love the way the sprue allows you to model the shotgun with the breach open.Terrain Idea.
Terrain idea. Some packing from an electric item. When I cut it away from the larger packing piece it left holes. Could have just accepted them as caves, but went for a layered card board effort to look like weathered wild west stone pillars. Sprayed red and zenithed with desert yellow and a dry brush of off white.
After feedback that the corrugation on the edges was jarring I used some filler and some sand as I made the last three pieces.Deputy with repeater.
Tried hide chaps for the first time. I think it came out OK. Sponge trick from the Gerry Can hobby tips series.
Marshal Bobby "Deadeye" Adair
Marshal Bobby "Deadeye" Adair. Fearless, a deadly shot, but with his peripheral vision issues and alcoholism... Some of his shots look more by luck than judgement.Sheriff Ulysses Summons-Lately
I liked the undershirt / long johns top that one of the torsos had. I gave him a badge in his hand to show that he’s under dressed and not had time to attach it to his chest.
I chose to set up the character for my Sheriff around the shirt. Ulysses has been awoken from his slumber to flash the badge and put down a ruckus. The older man has dragged up his trousers and thrust on his boots but heard a gun shot and left with no shirt or jacket. Maybe this time it’s serious.
The long johns I was thinking of were the salmon colour that have been seen in plenty of Westerns. I started with Fleshtearer Red Contrast then some Bugman Glow mix highlights and finally distressed with Bugman’s Glow, then Bugman’s Glow and Wraithbone mix to highlight. The Ultramarine Blue trousers and the Mephiston Red stripe perhaps nods to the old veteran’s stint in the army as a younger man.
"Mad Dan" Mcgillicuddy
Mad Dan is the Killer for the desperados. The skull is nice on the base. The plaid trousers was something they would have worn in the era. (The New York Irish Brigade had plaid trouse as their uniform in the civil war in the 1860s, just not the same as McGillicuddy is wearing). I seem to add plaid into every project, but I won’t probably add anymore, mainly to make Mad Dan standout.
Building the minis
The wild man model for my desperados, the “killer” with two pistols had a head swap from the bits box (it was a donation from a friends so not sure what it is from) with an ECW Warlord cavalry hat added.
My Marshall had a head swap (a GW imperial with the eye patch) with a Frostgrave Wizard sprue bottle in his holster (aka gun pouch).
One of the deputies had a head swap from the Frostgrave Soldiers sprue.
These head swaps left me able to pick all 11 unique heads on the sprue for the rest of the minis so I get to use them all. I managed to empty one entire sprue, leaving no items on it at all to give me one less sprue of clutter etc. And allowed me to try everything at least once and I think these minis had a bunch of character.
List Building
There seems to be a basic theme that you have a leader, a gang / faction specific more elite guy, a selection of regular statted guys and some low level levies (like in Saga for example).
So I chose to make desperados and lawmen from the 15 plastic minis on the sprues. The lists only required 7 minis to make a basic 21 points list.
Lawmen
Sherif (boss) – pistol
Marshall (faction specific) – pistol
Deputies – 1x rifle, 1x repeater, 1x shotgun, 2 x pistols
Desperados
Boss – Pistol
Killer (faction specific) – w/ 2 pistols
Gang members – 1x repeater, 1x shotgun, 3 x pistols
