New toys

So these guys arrived in the post this morning (thanks Ryan!). 3 Orc Wolf Riders (1980) and an Orc bolt thrower (1987) all  Nick Lund's Grenadier miniatures.

Also included was a Chaos Dwarf (looks to be part of a weapons crew), 2 Citadel Black Orcs and an Orc Boar rider (probably Citadel but I can't find any markings identifying it).

A little searching on Solegends.com confirms that the Black Orcs are part of the "Giant Black Orcs" http://www.solegends.com/citcat912/c20169blackorcs-h.htm which I think formed Eeza Ugezod's Mother Crushers. Eeza Ugezod himself should be on his way to me so now I have 2 of his mates to keep him company. the Chaos Dwarf is Loader 2 from the swivel gun crew http://www.solegends.com/citcat912/c20291rcchdwfwms-h.htm. Still can't find out where the boar rider is from.

Edit: I have worked out that the boar rider is indeed Citadel and is a C21 Orc Boar Rider - "Gaglob" riding "Ripper" http://solegends.com/citWDAds/citwd1986/images/WD808608p64Various-01_03.htm

Bugmans part 2

Didn't have much time to work on the Dwarves this evening so I only got to put in an hour or so on them. The dip didn't quite give me the effects I was hoping for, was looking for something a little more dramatic. It isn't too bad I suppose and the shiny finish is quite distracting (although that will disappear once some highlights and a matt varnish have been applied). I am continuing to play around with the camera and the lighting set-up so these pics vary again from the last batch. I do like the improved colour in them though.

As the models still needed more depth I went over the skin tones with a flesh wash, the leather parts with a dark umber wash and finally the blue with a dark blue wash. I think this has had a nice effect that's starting to bring the models together more and will result in better highlights and contrast on the models. 

And a few ultra close-ups that reveal every flaw!

Next up I will add the highlights and details which should result in the finished article (other than basing them of course). Then I will hopefully get to use them in a game next Wednesday. Plus I have a parcel waiting for me at the post office - I think it is a bunch of Goblin Wolf Riders that have been sent to me by a very generous player in Cape Town. My first arrival of new old models :)

Bugmans all round

So here are the Bugman's Rangers base painted. I chose to go with the blue shields as it gives the models a nice focal point against the neutral tones used on the rest of the models. I am going to experiment with these models by dipping them now to get the shading done and then going back to add highlights. I also chose to give Joseph Bugman an orange beard as he is the young Bugman depicted before disappearing during the war. I am trying to learn to paint faster so these guys really haven't taken all that long so far, around 5 hours to date - which is usually about how long it takes me to paint a single miniature. So I am flying at record speeds here! ;)

I do need to get a better set-up sorted to take photos!

Lets hope the dipping does a good job. I know this is not going to be a paint job to rival the amazing work by Phreedh, Jaecke, Dreamfish or Blue but I am still expecting a pretty good result.

The Orcs are coming

So the eBay bug is back. Only I am now no longer scouring the net for old Blood Bowl miniatures but rather old Warhammer miniatures. The drug is the same, only the flavour changes! ;)

So my first Warhammer 3rd edition purchases are as follows:

Which all makes for a nice start towards the Orc and Goblin army I am looking to build up first. I am hoping to win a bid this week on a Wyvern but I suspect the bidding will get too rich for my tastes.

Added to the above are the current Orcs and Goblins in my collection - all of which need stripping and repainting. Which is starting to look like a decent warband now.

Joseph Bugman's Rangers

So the first project I have decided to embark upon to to repaint the unit of Bugmans Rangers I have. They are the original pre-slotta base miniatures - http://www.solegends.com/citrr/rr01bugman.htm. Here they are as I was given them many years ago. I think there are 2 rangers missing as they were originally sold as 8 rangers and a command figure. I have 14 rangers and 2 command figures (one is missing from this pic and the dwarf at the bottom right is not actually part of the unit)

They have now all been undercoated and the (very basics) painting process has begun.

Baby steps

Welcome to the first post in my first ever blog. A momentous occasion for sure, only I don't really know exactly what it is that I am going to fill this space with. I do know that this is going to be dedicated to my re-discovery of Warhammer Fantasy 3rd Edition, a journey in which I hope to remind myself of the joys of playing Warhammer. Playing for the sake of a good time and a memorable game, not (as has become prevalent in modern Warhammer) a test of who can build the best list and find the most loopholes / nuances in the rules to defeat their opponent. This isn't tournament Warhammer, it's Oldhammer. Probably better described as tabletop fantasy roleplay battle...

Anyhow, for a start I am going to use this place as an area where I can document what (3rd edition or earlier) miniatures I have found lying in the dusty corners of my painting studio and how that rag-tag collection grows into what will hopefully become a few armies. I am also looking to re-learn the rules by playing through a few of the old mini campaigns. Then maybe I can look at some bigger games.

So what is my gaming history and why 3rd edition? Well 3rd edition is the first set of Warhamemr rules I discovered. Exactly when or where I managed to get my hands on the rules I am not sure. Sometime in the early 90's, possibly 1993 when I was in my first year at university and discovered my very first ever wargames club (good old WARP for those who may have been a Wits). I do know I borrowed the rule book from someone and scanned it into a fax machine from which I printed out the pages - most probably just the basic rules but they were enough. I have vivid memories of the artwork and miniatures presented in the book. Looking at my eBay bought copy of the rules today I am still just as enthused by the images on these old pages so they clearly got something right back then!

Come to think of it I do remember playing a game of Warhammer with a school friend back in 89 or 90. The devastation caused by a vortex of chaos spell remains fresh in my memory banks! :) So I clearly found the rules before my days at university. Anyhow, I digress...

My miniature collection started purely as a way to represent the various roleplaying characters me and my friends were playing in school. It evolved to try and cover using them as Blood Bowl miniatures too, so what I have in my original collection from the late 80's is a very mixed bag. Some years later on of these friends donated his collection (mostly Dwarves) to me, but as they were largely pre-slotta base and I was not playing Warhammer at the time they got lost in the cupboard. I got back into Warhammer in 5th edition, but only started playing in 6th edition.I started a Bretonnian army and kept going with them till 8th edition where I have found my enthusiasm to play Warhammer has waned as the whole tweaking your army for tournament play type games left me cold.

So now I embark on a new journey. Lets hope nostalgia is even better than I remember it to be! :D