Sooner than Later

So, here's more pictures of current projects and a game last night.

"Cometh At Me Broeth!"... or how ever them Normans did all that talking.

Old Glory Norman Mounted Command pack. I painted it kind of simple, how I like my Normans and how they seem to be depicted anyways, and glued his kite shield to his back. On a 25mm x 50mm plastic base. I will be using him in Saga (Hearthguard or Hero), Lion Rampant, and Hail Caesar.

Also painted up:

Same pack as above. I added the banner (it came with the pack) and kite shield on his left arm holding the mace. Can be used in Saga as a Banner or Religious Advisor (both needed in Norman Warbands IMO).

Here's the finished figs that are those Norman Crossbowmen (Reaper Anhurian Crossbowmen and Ral Partha Dwarf Crossbowman). I think they came out pretty OK for a speed-paint.

A project with no real purpose other than "cleaning up the lead mountain" are these last 3 figures from my Old Glory Rus Command pack I bought over a year ago. I REALLY like these figures and hope to use them in things other than Saga and the Pagan Rus faction - which I kind of don't like to play ... sadness...

I plan to put these 3 together in some kind of vignette/command model.

And the final product for my Scots Levy (Old Glory Irish Kerns). I used random shields to give them a peasant levy look.

Edit: Forgot about the games I played last night. Went to Spencer's and got 2 games in - My Vikings vs. his Anglo-Danes... just like the olden days!

First game was Clash of the Warlords and pesky ANglo-Danes won it in a open field game.

Second was Clash but we mixed it up with a shallow river (rough terrain) and single bridge in the middle. Vikings one that one with a bit of subterfuge... as much as one can get away with in Saga.

Lured the Anglo-Danes onto the bridge by baiting with an easy to kill Levy and wiped out the Anglo-Dane huscarls. Above you see all Anglo-Danes on the bridge, Viking hirdmen and bondi in foreground, sneakier bondi in the background as they crossed the river with precision timing. Sven Svensson the Viking chief and his bard in lower left corner.

The Viking bondi running across the river worked! Pulled Anglo-Dane forces off the bridge. Vikings then crossed and closed in. Harold Godwinson of the Anglo-Danes and his brother finishing off my bondi.

Looking grim but much closer than this picture makes it out to be.

On My Bench

Wow, I've really started slacking on the blogging!

Some reasons why, none of them major or dramatic:
Laziness.

What once was content for me is not now.

Some technical issues.
Reading other's blogs and thinking "Why should I blog it if they are already doing it and better?"

I'm on Facebook. I do this thing I call "speed updates" on my wall where I boil down 8 things into a sentence each and blurt it out – like:

Raiders yeah!
My garden has failed basil but the beets are going strong.
My kid is a high school Freshman!
Happy birthday to my cat.
Loving the show The Last Ship!

I will follow that format here but with pictures and focused on gaming!

On my workbench now:

Old Glory Irish Kerns WOR-19   Not painted as Kerns. I split a pack of these guys with Spencer earlier this year. They will form the beginnings of my Saga Scots Faction playing the part of my Scotts Levy. Spears are Old Glory Short Thrusting Spears. I hate putting them together and drilling out the minis to fit them but when I am done that hate turns into a satisfaction. The extra headache and work really pays off.

Though built to be Scots Levy for Saga I will also use them, if needed, whenever I need "cannon fodder" type troops for Lion Rampant.

They were painted in my usual technique of speed painting:
Glue to base

Base layer of Army Painter leather brown primer (from rattle can)

Skin

Tunics

spears

Hair

Quickshade with Army Painter strong tone

Matte

Glue on shields (painted the same way but separately)

Flock bases with some of that green stuff and watered PVA glue

The picture posted was pre quickshade phase. These are all done now.

Reaper Anhurian Crossbowmen. I have 8 of these painted up a few years ago (as per my blog here) and have used them well in my Norman Faction for Saga. They are Reaper so "Heroic" in scale and 32mm vs. the 28mm figures from others. They do look huge. No one has complained and I am fine with that.

I wanted 12 crossbowmen for Lion Rampant though. I had 3 more Anhurian Crossbowmen in my fantasy figure lead mountain (what happened to that 12th I have no idea). I needed one more crossbowman and found some older Ral Partha dwarven crossbowmen I have had laying around for over a decade. One of them is now painted up and will be a very short Norman!

Maybe someday I'll get some actual Norman Crossbowmen from Old Glory but that is real low on my list right now.

I saw Mad Max: Fury Road last May. It was awesome. Everything I dreamed it would be. I then remembered I had the reaper "Mad Max" mini… I forget it's product name … unpainted in that same lead mountain. I also had picked up a female modern hero type (this one is a rendering of Matrix-like character) last year in need of more heroic female minis with guns. Further, the guy in the long coat was a mini that my wife found in the vacuum cleaner last month! He's one I put together from Wargames Factory Apocalypse Survivors: The Men series.

Needing to whittle down that lead mountain some I decided to paint them too.

These were all done over Labor Day Weekend. Mostly on Labor Day.

Also spending time on lots of terrain and getting ready for the Saga Tournament I am hosting at Guardian Games, 12 noon, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015. I will, totally, Blog about that.

Terrain piece - marsh... the beginnings of

Also from Old Glory, this, my favorite mini of all time (almost), a mounted Norman I call "Get Some Bro!"

It's all painted now and I will share that one with you on my next post.

Take care, have fun, be safe!