Blacksouls - Painted!

My first unit of Abyssal Dwarfs painted! I'm really happy with how to colour scheme came together.
I think the brightness of the silver contrasts well with the rest of the darker colours, and I think the colours suit the army very thematically. The green tunics and grey gloves/boots came out fantastically dark after a wash - which I think makes them look like they've been busy digging through tombs, and ransacking whatever plunder they can get their hands on.
The unit champion is wearing gold armour, which is something plan on keeping consistent throughout my units.

I haven't decided on basing yet, so that's still to be done. I'm looking for a basing option that I can apply to an army with a 150+ models that looks decent and isn't going to be too much of a time-sink.
I snapped some close ups of some of the models individually too - they're just after the unit shots.

 Sync out.

Temple of Skulls: Unboxing

I'm a bit of a bargain hunter, so I frequent second-hand trading forums looking for a deal - and this is one I just couldn't pass up. I managed to pick-up Games Workshop's Temple of Skulls for a really good deal (half RRP!), although at this point I'm not sure what I plan on using it for.

The size of the terrain piece really surprised me - I'd seen pictures online, but didn't really realise how big it was. It measures in at around 40cm x 24cm and would be a suitable piece for 40K or a skirmish game, but it's scale and shape would make it a little awkward to use on a Kings of War table.

Well, I think it looks awesome, and even if I just use it as a decorative piece of blocking terrain - and it'll definitely help bring my battles to life!

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The Crypt Kings - Test Scheme

I got to work on some lore and background for my army, and have updated the LORE section of my blog, as well as the title and imagery.

As a result of an imminent trade with a buddy, I've also updated my army list with the units I'll be expecting.

I find that having some background to my army gives me more motivation towards the project, as well as helping me envision how my army should look on the table.

With a solid theme for my army now in mind, I put brush to model and the model came to life as I had imagined it.

Taking advice from various sources, this is the scheme I've decided on.

So, with the difficult decision making done, it's time for the long-haul of getting these guys table-top ready!

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Dark Horizons

So before opening my second Abyssal Dwarf Army box, a friend made an exciting and difficult proposition. He proposed a trade - my second Abyssal Dwarf Starter Army box for an Undead Army Starter box. I hadn't opened the second box yet, as I'm still working through my first Abyssal Dwarf Starter box and the War Conclave.

This was a difficult decision for me. I love the look of Mantic's Undead miniatures - when I was looking into starting a Kings of War army, Undead was the army that jumped out at me. But I have also committed to making an Abyssal Dwarf army, and started this blog dedicated to it's fulfilment.

Then it hit me - why not make an Abyssal Dwarf AND Undead army! It would be legal Kings of War army (I previously outlined army list restrictions) and I would have the opportunity to paint models from the my two favorite Mantic armies, and have them march under the same banner.
I can't believe that I didn't think to make an Abyssal Dwarf AND Undead  from the beginning! I guess it was because I only discovered you can combine armies with similar alignments together AFTER deciding on Abyssal Dwarfs. By the time I had learnt this rule, I was already set on a completely Abyssal Dwarf army.

After confirming the trade with my buddy, my imagination went into overdrive and within the hour I had a solid concept for my army, as well as deciding on a colour scheme for my troops.
So I've added some items to my TO DO list - revamping this blog with new colours and designs, updating my lore and fan-fiction, and redoing my army list!

I'm really excited about getting some Undead ready for war, and it's really only with a game like Kings of War I would be able to make an army like this!

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Orc Slaves Painted!

This was the other unit I had lying around - a Games Workshop Gnoblar Fighters box. This was a pretty nifty little box I picked up second-hand. The set comes with 10 different bodies and 10 different heads on each sprue, and two sprues in the box to make your 20 Gnoblars (I think there are a few spare heads too). Quick assembly and quick to paint - perfect for a small horde of cheap infantry.

They have a vicious, enslaved kind of look about them - which I thought would fit in really well as unit of Orc Slaves for an Abyssal Dwarf army. I wanted to do something a little different, so I painted them pink, mainly because it's hard to find an excuse to paint things pink. But I think the pink works really well contrasting with their dark grey tunics and rags.

Again, the basing isn't done as I haven't decided on a theme yet, and I had to use some spare 20mm slotted bases - so it looks a little messy.

Sync out.

Plastic Dwarf Comparison

Here is a picture posted courtesy of TotalWarGamer - a comparison between plastic dwarves/dwarfs from three different companies.

From left to right:
     1) Avatars of War - Dwarf Berserker
     2) Mantic Games - Dwarf Ironclad
     3) Games Workshop - Dwarf Warrior

Mantic Dwarfs stand a little taller than Games Workshop Dwarves, and are proportioned differently. They look a little more top-heavy, as opposed to the chubby looking Games Workshop variety.
The Avatars of War Dwarf is somewhere in between the Mantic Dwarf and the Games Workshop Dwarf in terms of height and proportion - and much thicker in the arms.

The Abyssal Dwarf models use the plastic Mantic Dwarf model model shown above, and then have metal Abyssal Dwarf pieces attached to evil them up - helmet toppers and shield emblems for example.

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Berserker Half-Regiment Painted!

Click photos to enlarge

So here's what I did with the other half of the Avatars of War Dwarf Berserkers set. Again, these are really great models - lots of options for dynamic posing, and adding little bits of detail here an there. I didn't really use any of the bits though (nose chains, trinkets, orc heads) as I wanted to get them done quickly, but I still think they look great and really detailed without them.

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Test Schemes

So far I've done two test schemes, one with red tunics and one with green tunics. I'm set on gold for the armour, and dark silver for the weapons and chainmail, grey on the gloves/boots and purple on the beards - the only thing I have to decide on is red or green tunics.
No one colour scheme is jumping out at me as 'the one', but at this point I'm leaning towards the red, as that seems to suit my theme from the army, which I guess at this point is still a fluid concept. Here are some photos:

Red

Green (wash is still a little wet!)

Here is the palette I used:

     Red - Formula P3 Skorne Red
     Green - Citadel Knarloc Green

     Purple - Citadel Liche Purple

     Gold - Tamiya Gold Leaf

     Grey - Formula P3 Greatcoat Grey

     Skin - Citadel Tanned Flesh

     Silver - Citadel Boltgun Metal

They aren't revolutionary colour schemes, but I think they both look fair considering each model only took me around 15-20 minutes to finish. Based on that I'm estimating I can get 5 troops done in an hour and a half.

When I have a specific theme for any army, usually the colour scheme paints itself. So I guess I'll think more on some background for my army, and once that is a little clearer in my mind hopefully deciding on a colour scheme will be easier.

Sync out.

Berserker Half-Regiment Painted!

One of the bonuses of choosing the more expensive Abyssal Dwarf army over the Undead army was that I already had some models I could use for Abyssal Dwarf units, and one of those units was the Dwarf Berserkers Boxset from Avatars of War.

This is an amazing boxset, absolutely superb - and very well priced.
Where to begin - there are so many bits and pieces that really allow you to fully customise your models - nose chains, trinkets, orc heads, mugs of ale to name a few.
What I found to be the coolest part was that the hands are attached directly to the weapons, and the arms are separate pieces - allowing the 'wrist' to turn and allow for a wide array of poses.

I haven't decided on basing for the army yet, so for now here are the painted models. For fun I thought I'd try some light conversion work, and made two of the models into likenesses of characters from the Gotrek and Felix series.

Click to enlarge

Abyssal Gotrek Gurnisson (minus eyepatch)

Abyssal Snorri Nosebiter

So that's my first Abyssal Dwarf Berserker Half-Regiment painted, I'll post the other Half-Regiment next!

Sync out.

The Cheerleader Effect

Barney Stinson

For those of you not familiar with this phenomena, it is described by Barney Stinson as occurring when:
"A group of women seem hot, but only as a group. Like cheerleaders, they seem hot, but individually - sled dogs."
It is also known as the Bridesmade Paradox or Sorority Girl Syndrome.
In support of gender equality, I'd also like to add that this also applies to groups of men - usually sporting teams.


APPLICATIONS TO FANTASY WARGAMING

Apart from something to be wary of, how does this apply to Fantasy Wargaming?
It came to me when I had finished my Swordmasters of Hoeth regiment. Individually, each model is painted to table-top standard. Nothing fancy. But when formed up in ranks, they look like a mighty force to be reckoned with indeed!

I suppose this effect is a foundation of getting a large fantasy army ready for the table-top. Painting a large number of troops to a good standard seems to me to be just as impressive as painting a small number of troops to a higher standard (as you would for skirmish wargaming).
In fantasy armies, where a lot of the detail is hidden by the ranks in front, it makes sense not to worry too much about the details - which will be obscured by the rank in front anyways!

In terms of time-management, it seems like a good investment of time to paint the first rank of five to a higher standard, and spending less time on the troops in the following ranks.
Of course, if you have the capability and capacity to paint all your models to a high standard, that's even better... but as someone that doesn't have as much hobby time as I'd like, this isn't the optimal option.

And there it is - the Cheerleader Effect, as applied to Fantasy Wargaming.

Sync out.

Spray Undercoating

The Abyssal Dwarf Army Box is perfect to use as a spray undercoating container. It's nice and big, and the thick cardboard will make sure it doesn't seep through to the surface underneath.
I've got my cans of spray undercoat ready and well-shaken (about 5 minutes of the maracas dance should do it). I've got two brands - the Citadel Black Undercoat Spray and the White Knights Squirts Flat Black Primer. The hefty price-tag is still on my Citadel spray (AU$22), which is the main reason I switched to the more affordable White Knight Squirt at AU$8.
I chose to do a black undercoat as I wanted my army to look suitably dark and evil, which makes black the optimum choice over white or grey.

So the next thing I do is arrange the units into little clusters or circles, to maximise the use of the spray - I don't like wasting the spray undercoat (at AU$22 a can I can't afford to!), so I've found this to be the most efficient way of doing it.
So I cluster them up, spray them, wait for it to dry (which takes less than 5 minutes on a warm sunny day) then reposition them to expose the facing with the least coverage. This usually takes about three rounds - fronts, backs, then tops of the models.
I'm not too fussed about getting perfect coverage on each model, as long as the paint holds onto the model when I'm basecoating with my brush then it's all good.

And now they're back on the shelf, primed, and ready for the brush! I'm probably going to spend a few days trying to decide on a colour-scheme, and I'll post the photos of the test-models I come with along the way.

Sync out.

Abyssal Dwarf Army Box Assembled

Fantasy armies always look awesome when formed up together. Here are some quick shots I took of the Abyssal Dwarf Army Box and the War Conclave, assembled on my shelf.
Front and center are the Mutated Throwing Mastiffs - check out my avatar on the right for a better picture.

These pictures really show just how much metal is included in the Army Box - which is why the Abyssal Dwarf Army Box is more expensive than the other Mantic Kings of War Army Boxes.

Alright, it's sunny outside so I'm off to get these guys primed and ready for painting! More photos up shortly!

Sync out.

Decimators - Assembly

So this is the last unit out of the Army Box assembled, which means I have finished construction of the first half of the Brimstone Abyss Clan!
As with the other units, these are the standard Mantic Dwarf Ironwatch, with extra evil metal bits stuck on to give them the Abyssal feel.
They also have all the crossbow/rifle options replaced with blunderbusses, which I think is a great touch.

I've got some photos of the army in it's fully constructed glory, but for now here are the Decimators!

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Immortal Guard - Assembly

Getting into the full swing of contruction now! Assembling miniatures isn't my favorite part of the hobby, and is usually the phase of the hobby that takes me the longest due to procrastination.

While waiting for things to dry, I tend to get caught up in TV shows - usually whatever I have running the background while I hobby.

But something has really driven me with this project. I don't have much free time - with work and family - but I feel like my progress has been pretty solid so far.

Anyways, these are the Immortal Guard, an elite melee unit for the Abyssal Dwarfs!

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Blacksouls - Assembly Part 2

My first solid unit complete! I wasn't really used to working with so many metal pieces, especially pieces that needed a bit of trimming to fit together.

I was glad that I didn't need to use greenstuff for the joins - I haven't ever used greenstuff before, although some of the finer joins might have been made a little smoother with it. I think they look great though, and don't think that any of those imperfections really matter in a regiment of 20.

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Blacksouls - Assembly Part 1

Blacksouls are the standard melee unit for the Abyssal Dwarfs. The unit of 20 is made using two Dwarf Ironclad Command sprues, and two Dwarf Ironclad Troop sprues and the largest metal bits bag that came in the Army Box.

First ten Blacksouls assembled!

To build my Blacksouls, I basically put together the 'standard' Mantic Dwarf using the plastic sprue, then made them into Abyssal Dwarfs by adding the evil metal pieces (from the metal bits bag) to them - there's a good selection of helmet-toppers and heads to choose from.
If you decide to give your troops shields (which I didn't) there is a wicked range of shield emblems you can use too.
Here's a picture courtesy of Children of the Kraken - the red pieces are helmet-toppers, the green pieces are the shield emblems, and the purple pieces are the Mutated Throwing Mastiff heads. The other pieces are mostly helmets, but there is also a banner pole, an elite torso and 3 extra weapons.

from Children of the Kraken

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