I contemplated not posting some of my recent work because the end results are a bit disappointing. Maybe I attempted something outside my skillset, but probably it was just more outside my patience. Let’s take a look at what happened…maybe it’ll help someone else with what _not_ to do if they want to try something similar.
With my Prussians ready to see some action it was time to get some of the many creatures of the Gothic-Horror game ready for play. I have just about all the models made for waves 1&2 of the Silver Bayonet line, but I am determined to get all of wave 1 finished before I start working on the second. Up first I decided to tackle some of the best dressed goblins on the market. How can you beat a goblin wearing a tricorn?  Continue reading →
I’ve collected a sizeable amount of Silver Bayonet models, but I have not had the time to sit down and work on them. After some heavy-duty surgery, I found myself on 30 days of convalesce. With the excuse that it was doctor’s orders to take it easy, I poured myself into some work into some Silver Bayonet models. First out of the gate, I started with my Prussian warband. Continue reading →
It’s been a little quiet around here due to work and other life activities, luckily I had a simple project to ease back into the saddle. Here’s 20 1:72 “not-Alien” models from Elheim. They can be used in my games of Xenos Rampant, Fistful of Lead, Zona Alfa, Gaslands, whatever. Having 20 aliens seems like they’d have their use…
With the color scheme decided, it was time to get this team up and running. I decided to go with the typical plan of working through lineman, specialty players, and finish up with stars and staff. I understand the usefulness of batch-painting, but I have a hard time spreading myself over more than five to six models at a time. I get excited when a model goes from the ugly patchy phase of having base coats to the when it starts coming together, and batch painting large groups keeps models in that ugly phase for a long time. Did I also mention it’s really boring? My brain likes to see progress, so my batch groups stayed small. Continue reading →
After the Bandits, the Koryu, and the Ninja, I’ve now got a fourth buntai… the Sohei. Usually, I prefer to create and employ my own colors for factions, so this may be the first time I’ve simply gone with the faction colors as presented in the rulebook’s samples. I kinda like the black and white Sohei model in one of the pictures in the Ronin rulebook, but my other three factions are in darker colors, so for these warrior monks, something colorful to contrast was ideal. The traditional orange and yellow work. I used AK colors with a Seraphim Sepia wash for shading. not a perfect shade, but works for me!
A pair of Ronin and a Shugyosha looking for work. Any of these models could be used as either a Ronin or Shugyosha, but in my mind while painting, the two on the left were Ronin and the Ryu-looking model on the far right is the Shugyuosha looking to test his skills against the greatest warriors of my dining room table. The center model with yari (or nagae-yari) is from Warring Clans, the other two are from Bac Ninh Miniatures.
The Rampant series from Osprey is another ruleset I’ve become enamored with in recent years. While painting Ronin models, I’ve kept an eye on what could be combined into a larger force so I could flex the same models between both rulesets. So, without further ado, here’s the 24point Dragon Rampant warband using three Ronin buntais and three mythological creatures, the Yami No Taiyo (or the Dark Sun). Starting with the Jorogumo and going clockwise:
Lady Kage (Leader): Light Riders (Single Model Unit – 4pts)
Shuten-Doji & the Amanojaku: Bellicose Foot (Reduced Model Unit – 4pts)
Shadow Dancers: Scouts with Invisibility (5pts)
Bandits of the Dark Sun: Light Foot with Mixed Weapons (5pts)
Hypnotized Swordsmen: Elite Foot (6pts)
Even though Jorogumo don’t work with Bandits, officially, in Ronin, I painted them in similar colors knowing they were going to be her general foot troops in Dragon Rampant. As shared last post, Jorogumo can lead Koryu by entrancing them. Here, I’m using them hypnotized as her elite guard. The Oni, Amanojakuo, and Ninja…well they’re up for working in her employ for their own shadowy goals.
One of the advantages of Ronin, besides being a killer ruleset for small-scale skirmish gaming, is that it has a low model count. This makes collecting all the Swords-for-Hire or optional Mythological Creatures easy and affordable. Previously, I’ve painted up the Oni, Amanojaku, and Kappa. With the three above (L to R: Kitsune, Jorogumo, and Tengu) I’ve finished the other three types and completed all the creatures for hire in the world of Ronin.