Work in progress

Just a quick pic from the desk:

The big basket on the right, some Boschenberg troops in the center, and other miniatures patiently waiting......

Monsters, part 10

Slow, slow progress - a bit of ink added to the big guy...

Sorry, the pic is a bit blurry!

Monsters, part 9

Another brief post, with a pic even:

The first dabs of paint on that huge Reaper miniature I purchased some time ago...

Boschenberg musketeers, and more monsters

Now that the home network is once again operating, I can post some pics.  Here are the first five musketeers for my Boschenberg force:

The chap on the right is the first one painted, from some time ago; now he has four companions - a half-quarto I suppose.  The brown of the coat does not show up very well with my camera, but the blue sure does.


I also finished a few more monsters:

I am not particularly happy with the pose of these miniatures, but they should work well for gaming.


And a group pic:

Monsters, part 8

The slow rumble of progress continues...

The first finished monster of the project!

The base decoration is simple, deliberately so.  Just an assortment of model railroad-style stuff, with green flock added.  I think the rim of the base will be a close match to the tabletop.

Now, I just need to finish some human troops...

Monsters, part 7

Several months ago, I posted this pic of some old miniatures that I am going to repurpose as nickers for the Half Continent:

The chap on the right spent some time (err, a long time...) soaking in some Dettol, and came out looking like this:

And now, with some fresh primer and a new, round base:

A fresh start for a miniature that was purchased over 12 years ago.


As for the other three miniatures from the first pic, they have been finished, mostly, and are just awaiting a final decision on how to complete their bases.

More new miniatures

Well, when it rains it pours sometimes!  One more set of new miniatures have arrived:

Starting from the left is a Reaper War Dog, which will be pressed into service as a proxy for a tykehound or guard dog.  Second from the left is a trio of Mites, also from Reaper, which seem to be a match for the Reaper gremlins I have already purchased, and will also be used as grinnlings.  This will make a total of 11 grinnlings!

Second from the right is a set from Crooked Dice - Corn Dolls, commonly known around these parts as scarecrows.  On the Half Continent, these are called jackstraws, and are a particularly vicious kind of revenant (or undead construct).  Jackstraws are mentioned in the third book of the series, Factotum.  These miniatures will get some modifications, including some with tricorns.

The right-most miniature is a Reaper Troll, and I think it is a great proxy for a large monster.  The miniature is reasonably similar to the 'Swarty Hobnag', which is also mentioned in Factotum.


I will have more pics of these later, after the League of Augsburg miniatures are primed at least!

Grinnlings, part 1

The first pack of grinnlings have been pulled out of their package.  Now, the grinnlings on the Half Continent are small monsters that have taken to wearing the clothing of humans and occasionally sneaking into human cities.  This bit of background gave me an idea for a simple conversion of my gremlins from Reaper - adding a tricorn to one of them:

Here they are, along with a piece from the Wargames Factory WSS infantry set.

The bit I'm using is highlighted by the hexagon.  It is a simple conversion - trim the hat off, drill the bottom of the tricorn so it fits the top of a grinnling better, and some super glue to stick it on.

And, here is the first set, as of yet unpainted unfortunately:

The tricorn does not quite sit on the head properly, but I think it looks good.  This little conversion also re-acquainted me with the usefulness of the Wargames Factory plastic WSS boxes - even if you do not use them as designed, they are full of all sorts of bits that can be used for conversions and base enhancements.

My grinnlings, as compared to an Ebor infantryman.  These baskets are quite small, but a pack of them will be dangerous if underestimated.

Monsters, part 6

A little dab of paint here and there, and the result:

The smaller baskets are nearly done, with just a little something needed for their eyes.  It is unfortunate that these miniatures are bent over in the way they are - the faces are hard to see from the usual wargamer's perspective at the table during a game.

The taller one needs touch-up and details after a black wash, and of course all four of them need proper bases!

I did make another monster purchase today, after taking the above pic... We went to a small shop in Seattle called Gamma Ray Games, which has mostly board games and Magic cards (which was the primary reason for stopping - a birthday present for my oldest son).  The shop also has a small selection of miniatures, and I found these:

These are 28mm miniatures, but being gremlins they are rather small.  Although I am not too thrilled with the inclusion of weapons, I think that they will make great grinnlings, and, due to the store celebrating its 4th anniversary, the second one was 50% off!

Monsters, part 5

Here is a quick pic of what little I have been doing with these fellows.  The black wash, as you can see, was heavier than I expected.  Some drybrushing of the base color brought the scheme back together but I am not certain if it is right yet.  And a quick highlight to the teeth on these baskets does help the look.

Still more work is needed but they are slowly coming together.

Monsters, part 4

Just some small progress here:

I still have not stripped the paint from the fellow on the left, but the others are getting a little attention, including the Boschenburg troops in the background (although it is hard to tell).

And, a comparison pic.  The basket on the right is another from Darkson Designs, Beast of the Apocalypse.  I had originally thought that this miniature would work as a gudgeon, but I have reconsidered that and it will now join the legion of monsters while I search for a better construct.  Please note the the two baskets in the above pic are not nearly done; hopefully they will look better when they are finished.

Monsters, part 3

It has been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things here, especially as I am working some long hours, and the hobby area was torn apart and re-organized.  But there has been a silver lining to these events.  One, even with the long hours, I am finding that just attempting to relax afterwards by 'Net surfing is not enough, and the urge for painting is returning.  Second, during the organizational drive I found some old miniatures that might work for gaming on the Half-Continent:

The three primed in white are juvenile Growlers from the old FASA game Vor the Maelstrom.  Although they do not fit the usual template for nickers, they will be just fine.  The beasty on the right is an old WOTC Dungeons & Dragons miniature, and could easily pass as a cousin to the Handsome Grackle from Factotum.  I am not certain if it needs to be stripped or maybe I can spruce it up some, but I might try to switch out the base for a round one.

Monsters, part 2

Just a brief update:

I have clipped and puttied the basket, prior to adding a layer of fur.  The arms have also been drilled out and pins added.

I intend to let the green stuff cure for quite a spell before trying to sculpt the new coat of fur.

Monsters, part 1

Finally, after too much time has gone by, I have settled down to have a look at a miniature that could be used for a monster, or nicker, for some Half Continent gaming.

I am going to start off with the figure on the left, Darkson Designs Wendigo for their weird WW2 game. 

(The fellow on the right makes a pretty good gudgeon in my opinion though, and I will return to that at a later point)

The beasty is going to take some work, however.  This Wendigo is sculpted as an undead being.  It is my intention to skin over the open bits with some green stuff to give it a slightly more lively appearance.  I might reduce the forearm length also, as they seem a touch too long, especially in this pic.  The base, that accompanied the miniature, is 50mm in diameter, but I might try to replace it if I have a 40mm round base available.

Here is a comparison with an Ebor Miniatures ensign.  Big beasty is an apt term I think!

Some general notes on nickers

After nosing through the novels again, I have a few notes on nickers for the Half-Continent.

In Factotum (chapter 16), Europe and Rossamünd encounter a creature that could be straight out of a Lovecraft plot - a creature that is fairly amorphous and can reshape itself, even divide into smaller yet independent units.  And in chapter 22, there is mention of a 'pillboy' (pillbug) nicker and also one that is more akin to a treant.

During the fight for Wormstool in Lamplighter, some are described as bulbous and pudgy, while some are thin and lithe, and another has the legs of an enormous rabbit.

All of these are in addition to the beastman types that seem to be the most common.

So, in general, a wide variety of monster archetypes exist.  In my personal opinion, I would stay away from those minis equipped with armor and weapons, although some do use them.  The ettin in Lamplighter is using a lamppost for battering the walls of the outpost and he is wearing a small, two-wheeled cart on his head for protection!

A good example of nickers can be seen at this post at Lamplighter's Haven.