Mithril MM 182 Mannish Captain of Orthanc, painted as an Angmar Captain

Another sculpt bought from a fellow collector, a 1991Mannish Captain of Orthanc. The figure was a bit worn out - the tips of the helm are flattened - but I didn't mind too much. Overall the quality of sculpting is very high - there's only a minor glitch, namely an empty scabbard and no sword in it or anywhere else. If I were to do a diorama, it would be great to have a sword stuck in the ground, like he is negotiating a truce or about to start a duel.

I am not a great fan of Isengard, it never really appealed me, so I painted this guy with the colours of Angmar - grey-black like the northern Misty Mountains, and red like the colour of iron-rich stone, associated with Carn-dûm.

Not my best paintjob, but still ok I believe.

GW Space Marine Primaris Intercessor of the Dark Angels

I've got a number of Space Marines test minis and I have decided to paint some with different Chapter colours. So here's a Dark Angel, for you.

See Thirty Amazon - a first test

 

I was one of the lucky ones to be join the kickstarter launched in 2018 by Simon Howard and sculpted by Geoff Solomon-Sims, the See Thirty Amazons, directly inspired by the Citadel C30 range.

Unlike the originals, the new Amazons are multi-pose, allowing for a huge variety. On a negative note, though, joints are tiny and arms/heads are extremely easy to snap away. Well, you can't have your cake and eat it, as they say. At least, and this is the important bit, they feel extremely right.

 

 

For this reason the first paint test was made following the colours of this excellent John Blanche work which served as the cover of the 1984 Citadel Journal.

I'm quite happy with it and will paint more with a minimal colour variation on the hair, cloth trimming and shields.

Ready to fight any Slann, Pygmy or Norseman on her way!

Citadel Elric Kinslayer (1986)

Elric of Melniboné is one of the greatest characters in Fantasy literature, next to Conan the Barbarian, Gandalf the Wizard and a few others. He is simply a giant and an archetype for countless imitations who came after him, such as Daenerys Targaryen and her whole dynasty, or Geralt of Rivia.

Elric is oddly similar to Tolkien's Turin Turambar, another tragic hero with a noble pedigree, a complex relationship with his sister and a cursed black sword which ultimately kills him and everything he loves. Both were conceived separately: Tolkien wrote his stories first but they were published well after Moorcock's books, who in turn were inspired by Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword. Tolkien and Anderson had the same inspiration, and that's the saga of Tyrfing, a cursed sword from Germanic myth.

Elric's archetype is the cursed warrior/noble, unfit to be a hero were it not for his magic sword, for whose help he has to pay a dear price; it is an extremely popular archetype, especially with modern audiences. Unlike other characters before him, Elric was the first to draw a parallel between the black sword and the use of drugs, thus adding a new layer to the character.

This miniatures, sculpted by Jes Goodwin, was first released in the BC5 Eternal Champion Box in February 1986. Single character blisters were released in July through September 1987 to support the Stormbringer RPG that Games Workshop were reprinting under license from Chaosium. Elric Kinslayer is one of two sculpts made by GW, the other being Elric of Melnibonéin full armour. 

For the colour scheme, I went with that from one of my all time favourite depictions of the Albino Prince: the Dragon Lord.

Courtesy of R. Matthews' website.

Overall, I am very pleased: this miniature has been sitting next to my desk, already primed, for at least a couple of years and now it is done. This is probably my favourite paint job since the end of last Summer, so I hope to be back to high standards in the current year. I just need the inspiration and the right miniature...

Mario the Miner - Citadel Dwarf Engineer (1991)

There's something funny about this Dwarf, specifically the way he's cupping his hand to call. It's a 1991 Perry Dwarf, so it's naturally wonderful, even if the flame of the candle on top of his head is gone (a single fall from the painting table was - sadly - enough).

For some reason, he reminds me of this Italian actor, legendary Mario Brega, who could (and should) have played a Dwarf at some point in his career.

I believe the words to describe him are loud and cantankerous, which fit perfectly the character of Dwarfs. 

The miniature is armoured in leather apron and head cover, with a helmet and a mail shirt. He carries a large hammer, more a tool than a weapon, and a short sword. His bag of money hangs from the belt, of course.

"We don't want to buy anything! One more step and Kurt, here, is going to shoot your hats off!"

Mithril M394 Bodyguard conversion

 

I've been working on a project, as anticipated here. I needed an arm for a ranger, and since I can't sculpt, I happily looted it from the bodyguard figure of Mithril M394. This left me with an armless bodyguard and the opportunity to sculpt my own greenstuff arm. 

I have never been a good sculptor, as you can see. Consider this was, like, the third attempt (the first two were even worse). But overall my expectations were low, and the figure looks bad only for certain angles, since the shield (from Essex miniatures) is an excellent cover and the way it is painted helps to distract the attention from the relatively dull-coloured arm.

What do you think? It's an acceptable warrior, to be used as a gaming piece. I'm not going to present it at a competition :)

Marauder MM41 Ogre (1990)

The Marauder Ogres, sculpted by Aly Morrison in 1989/1990, are my second favourite Ogres after those made by Jes Goodwin. The interesting thing about them is that they are all dressed in fancy Landksnecht attire, and look like they have been equipped by a generous Imperial patron.

I've painted this one in deep blue and red, the colours of House Bramanti, the princely dynasty ruling over the city of Dralas in the Border Princedoms. It will be used as an Ogre bodyguard to Prince Aldo or his sister, Donna Caterina.

"Out o' the way, ye scum! Here comes the Madonna!"

The Bramanti are not an old dynasty, but they are a successful one. They have thrived by keeping a low profile and managing to unite the many factions of Dralas without threatening any. At the same time, they made sure to defend themselves and keep enemies at bay in many ways. The Bramanti are schemers, and highly respected by merchants for being moderates.

"Go where you know, and take care of the problem for me"

 "Yarp!"