Month: May 2021

Kettle Helms and Grit: Feudal Guardsmen for 40k!

Not every planet produces Guardsmen quite the same…

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Cadians may be the standard, but almost every planet pays a tithe of men. Feudal Worlds are no exception!

It is a good time to be an Imperial Guard player, at least from a modelling perspective. While Games Workshops offerings may be limited compared to yesteryear, there has never been such a proliferation of 3rd party parts and kits to build exactly the kind of Imperial Guard Regiment you want. Wargames Atlantic, Victoria Miniatures, Anvil Industries. All are options(not necessarily cheaper though!) for adding a bit of the custom touch to ‘Your Dudes’.

3D printing is possibly the best option available, and with pre-supported models and bitz now commonplace it isn’t even a difficult task. It is also considerably cheaper; one can print the parts at home, saving on shipping and giving you immediate gratification to boot. I personally haven’t delved too deeply into printed Regiments as much as I could have, due to my love of the metal Regiments Games Workshop used to put out, especially the Praetorians and Vostroyans. However, The Makers Cult, a Patreon and Cgtrader store, offer one of my favourite options. While they make a ‘not Krieg’ regiment that looks amazing, it is their Feudal Guard that got my attention.

A picture from the 3rd Edition 40k rulebook. The only mainline 40k product to show us a Feudal World to my knowledge!

The Imperium of Man is a diverse empire, and within its borders lie worlds of every conceivable type. One of these is the Feudal World, a type of planet that usually but not always is locked technologically in the Middle Ages. These planets often offer some sort of resource that doesn’t require more advanced technology to harvest, and the Imperium is loathe to waste resources bringing them up to space-faring status when it doesn’t actually make the job any easier.

Often, these planets are easier to rule in their backwater state then many other planets, and their feudal hierarchy perfectly meshes with the Imperium as a whole. The Emperor is seen as a distant but powerful monarch, with the feudal lords owing their fealty to him. Sometimes a King or other titled ruler will act as the go-between of the people and the Imperial Governor, but this is not always the case. In any event, due to these planets generally having a smaller population, their tithe is mostly resource based and not manpower.

However, it is not unheard of for the Imperial Guard to raise regiments from such worlds. These recruits are in for a rude shock upon learning just how vast and unforgiving the galaxy is, and often require a bit of extra training and time to get into fighting trim. Such a Regiment might look like medieval soldiers given primitive and easy to use Lasguns or Laslocks to go with their plate armour and tabards. This is a really striking and distinctive look, and one many a hobbyist has tried to tackle. Historical kits, Warhammer Fantasy models (particularly Bretonnians) and such are kit-bashed with the good ole Cadian kit. The results can vary from amazing to mediocre, but the famous Dave Taylor Genswick 33rd are probably the best example of it being done extremely well.

The Makers Cult Feudal Guard range has both heavily armoured, plate mail encased soldiers, and more recently men with a more peasant appearance. It was these latter troops I was very keen on. I learned quickly that my original idea to use spare Cadian lasgun arms wasn’t going to work, as the models just don’t quite match up. However, the laser rifles provided with the kit grew on me, and I like to think of them as primitive and easy to use Lasguns provided to the regiment.

Just what I always imagined Feudal Guard to look like!

The ‘Kettle Helms’ were what tipped me over the edge into printing a set of these soldiers. The Militia kit looks like just the kind of levy that might be conscripted from a Feudal World, with the more heavily armoured men perhaps being from a different class or caste, and therefore in a command position. The parts were all pre-supported, and I was keen to get cracking on so I loaded up a build plate or three and got my two printers going.

Here are the bodies in Chitubox. As you can see, these are multi-part models. With three build plates to produce 9 Guardsmen with full equipment it certainly took some time to print!

Being multi-part, it was a time consuming project. But around evening I had all the parts ready to go. The quality was excellent, with lots of deep relief and crisply defined detail. The paint will go on tommorow, but we can take a peek at the models before I paint them!

The first 4. These were fiddly to put together, and my fingers have a nice coating of superglue.
4 more! The sculpts really look quite good, and while being more semi-truescale compared to the Cadian line of models, this is actually an improvement. Primaris Marines will dwarf these guys, as they should!
Lets take a closer look. The lasguns are very arquebus in appearance, with a top-loading energy cell. Perhaps the function of these lasguns is supposed to be similar to ease training? That’s the excuse I’m using!
The backpack sits on a square nub on the torso, and lacks any straps. Perhaps the armour underneath the tunic holds it on? Either way, it is a nice looking backpack.
While being multipart, the parts line up quite well with only a few gaps. I must say I really enjoy the sculpts on these guys.

I have saved the Plasma gunner for last. This model was particularly fun to work on, with a really dramatic pose full of energy. The cable broke off when I was removing the supports during cleanup, but it was an easy fix.

This unlucky peasant seems to have drawn Plasma duty. The brutal and simple design of the plasma gun gives it a unique look and fits the bill of being a simpler and easier pattern given to Feudal Guardsmen.
The plasma gun has a bespoke backpack just for this weapon, and it looks great. Getting the model to stand on one foot was a ‘fun’ challenge.
Something the fully plate-armoured soldiers lack is visible faces, something these helmets allow. They have some great character, and add a lot to these models.

Now this was a project I really shouldn’t have started. I have loads of projects on the go, but being stuck at home combined with my hobby ADHD means I couldn’t resist. I needed to use the resin in the vat of my printer as well, so while these models didn’t use much resin at least it helped keep it ‘ready’ for other prints. I have had resin go unusable on me before, so I try to print at the very minimum of once a week.

These are cheap models to print, and now that I know the workflow I might print up a lot of them! I needed another regiment like I needed a hole in the head, but sometimes you just can’t resist the pull of a cool idea.

For now, I’ll print them 9 at a time and paint them as I go. That way I don’t have to stare down a pile of unpainted models, which can be discouraging. You’ll notice I said 9, not 10. That is because the Sergeants are going to be kitbashed from the rest of the Feudal Guard range and I have yet to purchase all the needed sets to do so. But lets take a peek at the plan for them!

I originally purchased this set to make my Feudal Guard, but had a rethink when I saw the Militia kit. I’m thinking of using the tabarded models at the bottom…
…Combined with the Sergeant upgrade kit. The Kettle Helms with feathers are what I am after. No capes!

I’m keen to see how these models paint up, and I will share progress of that when I do so!

Now, it would be remiss to say that Games Workshop hasn’t also finally thrown Guard players a bone or two officially. They have announced a new Cadian upgrade frame with plenty of heads, special weapons, and more importantly for me, a bolter for the Sergeant. Like many other Guard players I started with Cadian models and such a frame fills me with a little bit of glee as I think about overhauling my older models.

  • Finally some women!
  • That bolter…’chefs kiss’

And that is without talking about the new Tanith models! I’m super excited for these new Ghost models, even though I own a full set of the old Metal Gaunts Ghosts.

Men of Tanith, do you want to empty your wallets?

All in all, a fun day of 40k flavoured printing! My Feudal Guard need a name and backstory, and I’ll be back with painted models and lore to boot! But until then, Happy Wargaming wherever you are, and Forwards! For the Emperor!

Undeniable Victory: First Steps with Team Yankee Iranians!

An army slapped together from disparate parts…fitting for the period!

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The force (mostly) gathered. Lots left to do!

Team Yankee! It has been a long time since I posted about this game, but not for lack of wanting to. Other topics simply pushed it out of the way for a spell. But, staring down my ‘to build’ pile was a load of models for the game, and I really wanted a break from painting for a bit.

One of Team Yankee’s many supplement books, Oil War was an interesting direction for the game which had been almost laser focused on the European front of any WW3 scenario. But it made sense; the Middle East had been at war off and on with each other for most of the latter half of the 20th century, and these battles were a perfect petri dish to see how modern combat would actually look like. When two of my friends started Israeli armies, I knew I wanted something to fight them with. Initially, I was going to go with Syria(which use Iraq’s rules but with Warsaw Pact support), but after watching some very interesting documentaries on the Iran Iraq war, I was inspired to take up the sword for Iran.

An Iranian soldier takes cover during an Iraqi gas attack. The Iran Iraq War was as brutal as it was backward, as later on trenches became the norm. gas was commonly used, and Iranian soldiers would launch massive human wave attacks.

This was primarily due to just how unique an army they are in game. Using primarily Western equipment but utterly hostile to the West as a whole after the Revolution, and being aided by the Soviet Union. They have higher then average morale and courage values, but notably worse to-hit ratings and skill. It takes a very different sort of play-style to run then any other army I play so far.

In real life, the Soviet support would have never happened. The Soviets were viewed with just as much hostility as the West, and the ruling Ayatollah would have never condoned it. This could lead to some interesting narrative elements should I choose to include Soviet support later in my army.

The Iranian Army of the 1980s was an army in transition. The Artesh, or regular forces, suffered from leadership purges in the immediate aftermath of the Revolution, and was viewed as politically and religiously unreliable by the powers that be. The Shah had spent a great deal of money on modern Western equipment, like the British Chieftain and American F-14 Tomcat, and the army was mostly organized along Western lines. After the Revolution, this supply was cut off, leaving the Iranians with loads of kit they couldn’t replace. Some reverse engineering happened, and they were able to copy the TOW missile system. When Iraq invaded, the Iranians turned to North Korea and other nefarious sources for Russian style equipment, while the Iraqis enjoyed the unprecedented support of both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Iranians in a trench. I’m not sure if these are regular army or Basij troops.

The Iranians had almost a second army in the wings though, that of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Raised as police originally, this was mobilized into a fighting force rapidly. The Basij, or ‘The Mobilization’, was open to anyone 12 or older, and often went into battle assured that they would die as Martyrs. This meant enlistments were high, and while poorly equipped, were fanatical on the attack. Basij troops would often begin attacks and make breakthroughs, which were then exploited by the trained regular army. They would attack through minefields and straight at Iraqi lines, which would sometimes break under the stress.

A very young Basij volunteer, wearing slogans on his helmet. Unfortunately, Iran used many child soldiers, an utterly deplorable tactic.

In all, the Iranian forces were a very diverse and eclectic army, with supply issues rampant, poor tactics, and vast casualties. Yet, they often achieved incredible victories among their losses. The Iran Iraq War ended with a UN brokered peace agreement, with no territorial changes for all the blood spilled. Seven years of brutal war with nothing but tears to show for it. The modern Iranian military is a different beast altogether, something a more military minded blog can cover.

So with all that in mind, this army started as a bunch of cast-offs. My American army donated its M60 tanks, M109 artillery, M113 apcs, and Cobra attack helicopters. I bought two sets of Ayatollah’s Revolutionaries from Meeplemart during a sale, which gave me Chieftain tanks, and yet more Cobras. A Fate of a Nation Egyptian T-62 Tank Battalion box gave me, well, T-62s and a couple of Shilka anti-aircraft tracks. This was all tied together with a purchase of Iranian Unit Cards to allow me to field this rag-tag and often dysfunctional army.

The complete army-list. The sheer variety on order here is crazy. East meets West indeed!

Lets take a look at some of the models. I have focused on one of each model, as being unpainted this won’t be terribly interesting for some of you.

Ah, Chieftains. I know these well, with many in my British army. These lack the Stillbrew armour package, which never made it to Iran, and conveniently allows them to look different.
The TOW Jeep kit has both Israeli and Iranian crew options, and one of my friends gave me his spare passengers from his kits. They make excellent tank riders.
M60 ‘Pattons’ are the most plentiful tank in this list, but not by much. I have grown to love these ugly and tall tanks, with a certain thuggish charm about them.
These tanks came second hand, and will require a new lick of paint.
A T-62, perhaps captured from the Iraqis or supplied by the Soviets in this WW3 timeline. These offer some unique, non-western flair to my army. Most Iraqi captured tanks I believe were crewed by Revolutionary Guard crews, but I’m not certain. I hope its true, as that will add some lovely narrative flavour.
Using notably worse export ammo and lacking the missile option of its Soviet counterpart, these tanks nonetheless offer a fun choice in my list.
A Shillka! These would also be Iraqi captures or Soviet supplied. These are great for clearing the skies of pesky helicopters, which haven’t yet made a strong appearance on the Clubhouses gaming tables…
For a resin/metal kit, this was actually really easy to build and fun to boot!
A nice brick of resin and metal, these M109s will add some serious punch at long range. These kits have been superseded by a newer plastic kit, which I will use in my Western armies. These older kits will serve instead in the Middle East.
Still, the detail is sharp and will be fun to paint.
An M113, a capable metal box! It’ll carry my Mechanized army regulars into battle alongside the M60.
Tow Jeeps, a fun unit with a nasty punch. Given that my tanks cannot pierce most Western designs from the front, these will be essential to deal with those modern tanks.
A Cobra attack helicopter. When Iran reverse engineered the TOW, it was for these vultures to use. This is also my main tank killer, and with four of them in the list they will have to earn back their points fast!
These models came to me built and in rough condition. They will need some TLC before I hit them with the rattle-can.
And the infantry. These will feature heavily in a different blog post, once I get them washed and put-together.
And the hilarious Iranian dice. I’m not entirely sure how politically correct it will be to throw these dice, but they do roll ever so nicely…

This project is far from over, but they have the advantage of being fairly easy to paint. I’m torn between the Team Yankee box-art bone-white colour and the pale green Iranian tanks were sometimes seen in. With the decals I purchased I can definitely add some unique markings that will add some flair, but I have also seen some tanks bearing a portrait of the Ayatollah on them, which I definitely want to add. Vallejo makes a great Bone White spray which will make painting this army a breeze…that is saying without taking the infantry into account.

I have shied away from the ‘human wave’ approach of mass Basij infantry, as I was drawn to this army from eclectic armour. But I had to include at least one unit of the Basij to pay my proper dues to the Army. Is this list competitive? I don’t believe so, but it will be a blast to play. With Chieftains providing cover for the faster M60s and T-62s, and with ample support options, I am really looking forward to some Oil War gaming!

Of course, as a match-up for Israel it is a bit silly. Iran may, to use massive understatement, disapprove of Israel… but they don’t share a land border. And with Iraq and Jordan in the way, it is very unlikely that they would ever trade blows in person. But the Oil War book’s internal balance appears to work out between the armies between its covers, and so it should be fun. The new ‘Super Tanks’ now available to both NATO and PACT forces are a hard counter to my mass of tanks, but some wily side-shots may yet prove effective.

With the Ontario lockdown extended until June 2nd, I have plenty of time to get some more painting done. I must say I was very impressed by the reach my blog had during my ‘manic’ posting spree of the last few weeks, but the burnout has finally hit and alongside a close family member being in the Hospital(not from the dreaded Covid, thank God.) I have been…distracted as of late. But I find myself happy with less views if it means I don’t push myself too hard. Blogging is supposed to be fun after all!

In any event, I hope you enjoyed this look into Team Yankee Iranians! I will have some painted before long, and once Lockdown ends I will hopefully get some games in of all varieties! I have another project in the wings to do with Oathmark, a rank and flank game from Osprey, so look forward to that in the immediate future!

But for now, Happy War-gaming wherever you are, and stay safe everyone!

My Kingdom for a Truck! Next Episode of the Podcast is out!

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https://thefightingdice.podbean.com/e/the-fighting-dice-podcast-episode-two-my-kingdom-for-a-truck/

In this episode we discuss our lack of vehicles outside of armoured ones, and our newest completed units and where we intend to go next. We also discuss some other games we are keen on trying, namely Oathmark and Shakos and Bayonets.

I hope you enjoy!

Where there’s a Whip, there’s a Way: The Hosts of Mordor March!

250 models…I should probably start painting some.

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Four ‘heroes’ for the Hosts of the Dark Lord.

My Mordor army has been a part of my collection since at least 2003. It started off small, just a small force of Mordor Orcs that came in the Return of the King starter box. But over the years it has ballooned massively, especially with the addition of Morannon Orcs over the years, both independently and with the addition of the Pelennor Fields boxset when that came out.

However, the painting side of things has been dragged out for almost as long. Few models had been painted, and none of those based. This was a situation that had to be rectified if I wanted to ever play them properly.

I chose to start with painting one entirely new model, the Orc Taskmaster, and three models I touched up slightly and based.

So with this playing in the background…

Oh yeah, so this exists. God bless the 1980’s!

So without further fluff, lets take a peek.

First up, a Mordor Orc Captain. This model is long OOP, and is a fantastic sculpt, chock full of great detail.
Pardon my hands, but the light doesn’t catch the face all too well otherwise. I love the scavenged Minas Tirith armour, and the gruesome severed head on the belt.
The shield is also a great touch, and yep, that is another severed head. This model has more character then a lot of the more recent FW captains!
Another OOP model, a Morannon ‘Orc’ Captain. I found this model looked more like an Uruk Hai, which another blogger(long since forgotten unfortunately) also had done. He is still being fielded as an Orc Captain though.
The nice, spiny armour takes a wash really well. I didn’t touch up this model much, it was pretty good to start with.
Some detail I hand-painted years ago, which I kept.
Its Skully! The name the character has is Guritz, but he will forever be Skully in my mind. This is literally the third iteration of the model I have, and the only one that was made specifically to represent the Movie character.
Lots of great detail on this FW model, but that isn’t altogether too surprising.
The first entirely new model I painted today, an Orc Taskmaster. This is a metal model, and I believe he is still available, albeit it in Finecast.
This guy definitely has eaten well in Mordor. Meat perhaps is back on the menu?
This model is based of the Orc ‘inspector’ that almost finds Frodo and Sam in Return of the King. I didn’t take too long trying to copy the film version, and just went with colours that I felt worked really well.

Not too much work, but a nice fun distraction. I’m looking forward to painting more, but I’m avoiding burnout as best as possible so no masses of the same thing being painted days on end.

Just a short post today, I hope you enjoyed the read! Happy War-gaming wherever you are, and have a great day!

Might of the Royalists: Grenadier Guards, Part Two!

“Proper Bloody Guardsmen!”

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A section of the King’s Finest, ready to fight!

I decided a little while ago to take a tiny break from VBCW and get some other stuff painted. I had gotten tired of painting uniforms, and as I’m playing the Government aligned forces there were a lot of them! After a short trip to Middle Earth, I’m back with some Grenadier Guard goodness!

In my last post about these guys, I had just assembled them. I did paint one and show them off on the Facebook group, but that is where I stopped. If you didn’t see my last post on them, a quick summary; I got the heads done for me as a private commission(a free one, as it turned out, thanks to the generosity of my friend who made them), and I slapped them onto some Warlord Games BEF models.

I have a bunch of them, enough to field a sizable force given the scope of the game. But, they will more likely see the field in sections at a time, as the Grenadier Guards are a particularly strong unit with modern equipment for the era, and would mostly likely be split up to ‘stiffen’ up other units. This first section will slot in nicely with my already completed Royalists until the rest of the Guardsmen are completed.

Lets have a look, shall we?

The NCO. This is a photo some people have seen before, but for sake of completeness I have included him here. A nice model wearing a leather jerkin underneath his webbing.
The face detail on the 3D print isn’t that great, a fault of my printing not the file. But its the price I pay for having simply epic hats!
Lots of detail on his webbing. Pattern 37 webbing is rare in VBCW, but a unit like the Grenadier Guards would be among those wearing it.

Now, the NCO has been seen on the internet before…so lets move on to the Bren Gun team!

It’s not too clear, but he’s carrying a Bren gun magazine in his hand. A simple running pose, to keep up with the rest of the section.
Still, simple doesn’t mean boring. Lots of neat detail here. The SMLEs on these models have been my favourite to work on in 28mm so far!
His pack is chock full of detail as well!
Dakka Dakka Dakka! Wait, wrong game! Still, there is just something about a machinegun being hipfired…
More detail on the back, and I do love the little enamel tea-cup!
Walking fire toward the enemy barricades, this Guardsmen doesn’t mess around.

Now onto the normal Riflemen! These are the unsung heroes of any army list, putting down effective rifle fire and doing the most of the work.

A little(a lot) blurry. But this kneeling riflemen does the job. Nothing too fancy…short of his enormous hat!
The hint of an armband adds the obvious affiliation to these units…although with the hat is it really needed?
Another enamel mug!
A Guardsmen lobbing a Mills Bomb someplace!
The enamel mug strikes again!
Some of these heads don’t work quite as well…but that is the cost of having a unique unit!
I must say I like the 303. rounds in a bandolier on some of these guys, a great character detail!
Another Guardsmen closing in for bayonet-fightin! A good view of the face; nothing to write home about but considering most of it is covering the eyes…
The ever-present armband. Don’t leave home without one!
I love these SMLEs! So much chunky detail that takes the paint wonderfully.
Probably my favourite! Some bayonets with guts behind it will carry the day, anyday!
Even the cameraman was afraid to take this photo…at least that’s my excuse for blurriness!
The enamel mug strikes again! Tea time? In my VBCW? It’s more likely then you think!

Since two poses are repeated, I left those out. I had a great time painting this section. Nothing too difficult, and a nice days relaxing painting. The bearskins will certainly draw my opponents eye when I play them! As I play using the Bolt Action ruleset primarily, these guys will ranked as Regular(no Veterans in our VBCW!) but will feature a variation of ‘tiger fear’ as the enemy gets spooked by their presence enough that they focus too much on them. Mind you, only solid playtesting with my friend will iron out the kinks in the unit…it very well might be too powerful!

I was recently given a copy of the ‘Went The Day Well’ ruleset, a classic in the Very British Civil War community. I do wonder how my friend Ty and I will get on once we try them, and how our rather more military forces will play out. As we both play ‘Government’ style forces, Bolt Action seemed like an easier fit…but the Went The Day Well ruleset looks flavourful and fun, and is actually meant for the setting entirely…now just to print up a copy of the random event decks!

I do have a lot of civilian models to paint up, and a whole wack of Socialists to do as well. I just got an order of paint so that’ll be in the works shortly!

But for today, that is all I got. I hope you enjoyed the Grenadier Guard, and more of them will follow when…well I feel like it! Happy War-gaming wherever you are, and God Save the King!

VBCW – The Canadian Volunteers First Squad Musters

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My friends post on his Albertine forces is live! Go check it out for more VBCW goodness!

Hussars & Handgrenades

This afternoon was very productive! I was able to get the shade on the squad previewed the other day and I was able to get the first episode of my new podcast I am making with Andrew recorded, edited, and uploaded.

I can now say with much excitement that the first squad of the Canadian Volunteer regiment is complete!

First Squad of the Canadian Volunteer regiment with its general out front and the flag bearer taking up the rear!

On the right is a close up of the General and the left is the Flag Bearer

On the right is the NCO and the left is the bomber

Back and front of a riflemen in a shooting pose

The back and front of two riflemen in action positions

I had a lot of fun finally getting a squad fully painted. For next week I plan to finish the famous Blue…

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Lord of the Iron Hills: Dain Ironfoot for Middle Earth!

“I always found Thorin the more reasonable of the two…”

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Dain on his so-called ‘Rocket Sausage’ and on foot. They are both mean models, but fun to paint!

Dain Ironfoot! What a character. In the books he is a typically stoic dwarven lord, coming to his cousins aid during the bloodless Siege of the Lonely Mountain. But, despite my many issues with the Hobbit film trilogy, casting Billy Connolly was inspired. He added a certain roguish charm to the character, perhaps a little too bloodthirsty, but certainly memorable.

When I bought my Iron Hills many years ago, Dain Ironfoot was a major purchase. He is an expensive ‘Character Series’ model, and came in a special box and everything. With such a pedigree, a certain hesitance came when it was time to paint him. One does not want to mess up a very expensive and gorgeous model. And he is indeed riddled with small detail, all cast in sharp relief.

But, I’m slowly learning that painting doesn’t have to be to anybody’s standard but my own, and given the massive momentum I have going painting my Iron Hills, Dain Ironfoot was going to have to be painted. While I have my preferred version of him now that I have the ‘Old’ Dain, King Under the Mountain, painting this Lord of the Iron Hills version will give me many options when I go to play.

Lets see how I got on!

First up, the mounted version. I painted the boar first, and almost messed up right away by painting it light brown! Luckily I saw a picture from the movie and course corrected right away.
I painted his snout a brighter colour then a lot of people, just to add a lot of contrast.
His saddle is full of beautiful embossed detail.
I can’t harp on enough about how cool the saddle is!
In contrast, the body was actually easier. I made sure to paint his beard ‘tusks’ nice and bright. They are a stand out feature of his face.
His base is rather simple, but I added a flower tuft for some visual interest.
From the front, a view my opponents will hopefully see a lot. He’s not perfect, but I’m happy with him.

Now his foot model actually looks a lot like the actor, so I had to work really hard to maintain that detail. He wasn’t particularly difficult to paint to my very firmly tabletop standard, with the exception of the face.

On foot, Dain is almost just as dangerous. He has discarded his helmet.
I’m pretty bad at highlighting, but I highlighted as best I can on his face. The ‘tusks’ remain present and had to be nice and bright.
His back was a dawdle though, simply being a very nicely detailed but easy to paint fur cloak.
His warhammer I painted red, but I found painting the detail on it beyond the skills of my shaky hands, so I left it that colour. I still think it looks cool!

With this centerpiece model done, that simply leaves 15 Iron Hill Dwarves. 3 of those are the separate pack they sell with optional shields, meant to be used as dismounts for the Goat Riders. I was planning on fielding them as spear-dwarves, but a look at my army list told me that I was distinctly lacking in speed. A single set of 3 Goat Riders would actually help me with objectives, so I’m holding those 3 dwarves in reserve as dismounts now. Of course, with the Goat Riders being quite dear in price, that will have to wait for a little bit.

12 Iron Hills Warriors is not an insurmountable obstacle to paint, and so I will press on and get them done in short order. I cannot wait to paint King Dain, and will feature that when he gets done as soon as I can! I’ve seen some beautiful models painted already, so lots of inspiration in the wild for me to draw from.

And with that, a lazy Saturday’s painting is done! I hope you like him, and if you have an critiques I’m all ears. Happy War-gaming wherever you are. Yanâd Durinul!

Du Bekar! Yet more Dwarves for Middle Earth!

To Arms! The Iron Hills army grows!

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14 more Durin’s Folk for the Battle of Dale. Its all coming together…

I’ve been a very busy hobbit today. As I don’t have much to do during Lockdown, I decided to get another Iron Hills warband done!

I’ve talked at length before about the Iron Hills models, but I must say if your a newcomer here; One, great models with loads of detail that I’m definitely underselling with my paint job, and Two….don’t glue the shields on! By Durin don’t! It makes them monumentally harder to paint. But, a little perseverance goes a long way, and I slogged through and got them done.

Lets take a closer look!

A mighty block of shields indeed! Not much will want to charge this head-on!
As before, nothing too fancy. The shields honestly paint themselves with a wash.
With this many spearmen(spear-dwarves?) I’m definitely set. I could use more mattocks and crossbows…
They look pretty decent, but again a more experienced hand could probably elevate these models. Still, I’m happy with them and that is what matters.
A lot of similar poses, but differing the beard colour helps. It does mean they rank up quite nicely…
This Captain doesn’t want to remain in the shieldwall, he wants to get stuck in!
A simple cloak marks his rank, along with his helmet. Other then that not much distinguishes them from the rank and file armour wise, which I like. This is a professional army.
The banner has…interesting embossed detail. I definitely prefer the other design, but this looks okay too.
And with a shield he can stand in the ranks and not break Shieldwall, which is nice.

Another 14 Dwarves done, which means I have 28 battle-ready! And boy, do they look the business when all ranked up together!

Add in a block of mattocks and crossbows and this will be a nasty force to fight, even more so then it already is!

I almost wish they were on square bases to rank even closer together…

Now, this morning I posted a product review of the new ‘Old’ King Dain that will be leading the force, alongside his son Thorin III. But I wasn’t pleased with the good kings base, being just a boring 25mm base. So I fixed that in the most traditional way possible; I stuck him on a rock!

A small rock will paint up to be a much bigger rock. Sure, King Dain is a bigger target now, but he leads from the front, even at his venerable age.

This caps off a very busy hobbying day for me, with helping my friend get his blog off the ground and my review this morning. But I think I have earned a break…I say as I eye the rest of the ever-shrinking pile of unpainted dwarves…

I’m in the home stretch now!

There is always more hobbying to be done, and I cannot yet rest upon my laurels until this batch is done! One final effort, but I may leave younger Dain for a day all by himself. He is a very nice model.

Anyways, that is the last of what I got for today! I hope you enjoyed the read! Leave a comment if you liked what you saw, or have any criticism. Happy War-gaming wherever you are on this good (Middle) Earth of ours, and have a great day!