Quarter 4 & Year End Painting Review

Quarter 4 minis

So 2013 draws to a close, and at this point I am confident I can present my summary, sure that nothing else will be finished before the New Year.

I set out at the start of the year with a strong intention to paint more than I did in 2012 (click for link); 2012 was a pretty poor year. I began to change my painting style at the end of 2009, and it has continued to evolve since. That has coincided with my interest in low-model count skirmish games. Prior to that my main gaming buddy Rob and me set out to try and play with painted minis as far as possible (something we headed towards in our WH40K days). So the numbers of models I painted each year dropped (not sure of the exact totals for 2010 and 2011) to the low-point of 2012 where I only painted 24 minis.

So I set a personal target of 48-50 minis for 2013 (I am not sure I actually published the target to begin with). It took until the end of July for me to start to open up any clear distance over that target and in the end after paining Sho on the Anima Tactician I have painted 63 minis across several ranges, as well as odds and ends of scenery. A much better year than the year before!

My 2013 minis; all 63

Quarter 1 - 13 minis
Anima Tactics: 7 minis
Pulp City: 3 minis
Supers: 2 minis
Zombies: 1 minis

Quarter 2 - 13 minis
Anima Tactics: 10 minis
Pulp City: 3 minis

Quarter 3 - 17 minis
Anima Tactics: 6 minis
Pulp City: 6 minis
Freebooter's Fate: 4 minis
MERCS: 1 mini

Quarter 4 - 20 minis
Anima Tactics: 13 minis
Pulp City: 2 minis
Batman Miniatures Game: 1 mini
Zombies: 4 minis

2013 totals - 63 minis
Anima Tactics: 36 minis
Pulp City: 14 minis
Freebooter's Fate: 4 minis
MERCS: 1 mini
Batman Miniatures Game: 1 mini
Supers: 2 minis
Zombies: 5 minis

So October was clearly my best month of the year with 10 minis and February my worst (although Giant Hadron was finally finished as the only mini of that month!).

As for 2014, well I have some thoughts on the year to come...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all readers; I hope you all enjoy a wonderful festive period.

For your enjoyment, there is a Christmas-themed Pulp City Battle Report over on the Pulp Citizen (click for link).

Batman Miniatures Game Rules Update

Knight Models have issued a free download updated rule book for the Batman Miniatures Game.

The English-language translation this time looks much better, thanks to the involvement of a couple of native speakers no doubt. This is a full update, with new layout and content. With the page count I think I will be waiting until a print version is available, but this is an excellent step forwards by Knight Models I reckon. I suggest heading over to their site and downloading this if you are interested in the game.

The Riddler (BMG)

The Riddler is my first finished mini for the Batman Miniatures game/DC Comics range of models from Knight Models.

As soon as I saw the first mini in the line (Batman, naturally) I was impressed, and when  I learned of the range I was in. I don't play the Arkham series of video games which much of the imagery and character design for this range is drawn, but I do like the minis range. A lot. So much so I can see myself collecting the loot given a chance. They have already begun to diversify the line to include DC Comics characters from outside the games (Deathstroke; Green Arrow), Watchmen characters, and other DC movie characters (some Dark Knight characters; Superman as seen in the Man of Steel), so it is an increasingly eclectic mix.

I don't know that I will ever actually play the game to be honest. The current English translation is in need of a lot of work I feel, although it clearly has a strong following among fans of the rules, and I have a much more established preference when it comes to super-powered gaming! But the minis are mostly great, although the metal is super-soft which is less than pleasing, and at least one mini (DKR Bane) is clearly out of the established scale, but they are tolerable issues.

The sculpting is exquisite in my humble opinion. Ultimately I struggled with this, simply because some parts to paint were so finely detailed. That said, I am fairly happy with the final result all told, and I will continue to add to my collection of the minis. I just expect to paint them occasionally, focusing more on other ranges I am more likely to game with right now (Pulp City; Anima Tactics; MERCS; and Freebooters Fate). Still, maybe another will be painted up before too long, just watch this space....

Zomtober 2013 Reflections

So another Zomtober draws to a close (for most; some die-hards are still adding to their walking dead and survivor stock-piles! Good on you guys!), and here are the four minis I managed for the project.

I am very happy because I hit all my planned deadlines (for me that is a 'big thing') plus I also managed to finish off another six minis for other games and ranges, so my most prolific month of the year so far!

Finally, if Zomtober participants want to add a comment below, then I will tally up everyone's undertakings in this post.

Zomtober Tallies (click names for links to blogs)
Rob & Charlie (Four Colour Super Minis): 30 Zombies and 11 Survivors
Brummie: 3 Survivors
Pulp Citizen: 4 Zombies
Dizbuster from BotLL: 2 Survivors and 4 Zombies
Blaidd Dwrg: 6 Zombies and 4 Survivors
Robert Audin: 2 Zombies and 1 Survivor
Kieron: 22 Zombies, 2 Survivors, 4 Cops, 8 Civilians who aren't meant to survive...
Colgar6: 4 survivors and 4 zombies
Michael Awdry: 9 Zombies
Shelldrake: 19 zombies and 18 commandos painted up for Zomtober
Panzer Kaput: 4 zombies and 2 survivors
Jon Shields: 12 zombies and 3 survivors.
Matt: 15 regular zombies, plus one giant super zombie!
Kasper: 4 Survivors
Rwwin: 14 survivors and 13 zeds
Modhail: 3 Survivors, 2 "Personality" Zombies (Waldo and Mime), 12 Lampposts, 1 Section of pavement, 9 Gas canisters, 4 Fire extinguishers, 1 "Soylent Green" vending machine, 9 Zombies*, And 1 Portolet....

Guys, if you add your name and Zomtober output to the comments I will update the list accordingly.

Zomtober 2013 (Week 4)

Posted with a day to spare, and finished 4 days early; get in!

The last of my Zombie Clowns  for now; I would like to find at least one more that fits well enough with the two smaller Tengu ones.

In Zomtober I have added 4 Zombies to the 'horde', and done enough work on at least one other Zombie to finish it quite quickly when I feel like doing so, and in all have painted 10 minis this month (so far: 4 Zombies; 4 Anima Tactics; 2 Pulp City), taking me to 53 minis painted for the year, and surpassing the target I set for myself at the beginning of 2013. Time to aim for 60 painted minis in 2013 now I think!

Anyway here is the last of my Zomtober entries, and I just wanted to take a moment to say 'very well done' to everyone who has taken part or offered encouragement.

In the next couple of days I will post a thread so people can comment their totals and we can track just how many extra Survivors and Zombies were added to the Zompocalypse in Zomtober 2013!

Another Undead Over On The Anima Tactician

This has been a very productive month for me - 10 minis so far and counting...

Zomtober has helped a lot to give me a boost with bother painting, including some Undead stuff for Anima Tactician. This stuff could have qualified for Zomtober, but I decided it should not deter me from painting some of the Zombie backlog, so I did not count them towards the targets.

Click here for the latest Anima Tactics Undead unit, another Type-005...

Zomtober 2013 (Week 3)

After the lead in of the Anima Tactics mini earlier, here is my intended entry for week 3 - another Zombie Clown.

This one is also by Tengu, and is one of a pair that have separate heads and arms to add variety. This is my 24th Zombie in total, and also the 49th mini I have painted this year. The Zombie horde (well horde is being generous, but what else can it be called?) started a couple of years back, and has so far only really featured in games of Pulp City, but I have been working up some ideas for a Zombie rule-set, so Zomtober has proven a productive period for me in more ways than one.

Aside from Zomtober, I began the year with the intention of painting at least 50 models after the paltry 24 completed by me in 2012. well I have now doubled 2012's total, and I am very close to achieving my my target with a couple of months to go. I am a slow painter who loses motivation quite easily, so I am pretty chuffed with my output so far. If I could hit 55-60 minis painted in 2013, that would be very cool. Assuming I hit my original goal, I may stretch the target in blocks of 5 and see how I progress.

I am pretty confident that barring disaster I will have a fourth and maybe fifth Zomtober mini completed by next Sunday. In addition, Rob and I have one of our annual battle reports lined up for the end of the week which will need to be turned around within four days...

Over on Anima Tactician - An Undead Appears....

Click picture for link

I should have my next Zomtober mini finished later, but in the mean-time, there is this Undead I have posted to the Anima Tactician.

More images and discussion if you follow the link.

My Zomtober motivation has spilled over into other things which is cool.

Zomtober 2013 (Week 2)

Another week, another deadline met, another walker added to the cause!

I will never be as prolific as so many of the guys taking part in Zomtober, but I hope for all of us it is about getting something done we may have been struggling to do otherwise. For me that is certainly true - this mini was started many, many months ago and is only now at last complete. He is the second of a planned trio (since I paint my Zombies to match up in groups of 3), and although not brilliant, he will do. The orange was a bugger to do though!

Engaging in Zomtober has actually helped me get paint on to non-Zombie minis, so that is positive too. For example I finished Cenette here on my Anima Tactician blog simply because of renewed motivation, which was a nice bonus.

Back to Zomtober, I was thinking I should create a central post listing everyone who took part and how much they achieved (whether 1 mini or 100 hundred, it doesn't matter, just taking part and getting stuff finished is the key).

Coming up I don't yet know if it will be more Zombie Clowns or the last of this 'orange trio' next. Stay tuned. And finally, good luck to everyone with each week of Zomtober.

Zomtober 2013 (Week 1)

Whew, first deadline achieved! Always a good start.

Lots of the Zomtober participants have posted their first minis, so it looks like Zomtober 2013 is off to a flying start. There is some great stuff being posted, and it is cool that some who have been struggling to 'get stuff done' are using Zomtober as a spur to tackle some minis - which is a key part of the Zomtober philosophy. I heartily recommend chasing down the stuff people have been posting,m and the blog roll to the right is a good indicator of their progress.

This year I am trying to through some clown Zombies (as well as finishing off another triad), because as scary as the walking dead may be, undead clowns are scarier still, surely!

This one is from Tengu Models, and another addition to my range of Big/Boss Zombies; the other two Clown Zombies are more 'normal' size, also from Tengu. I have just been over to the Tengu site, and I will have to pick up some more from them soon as they have some great stuff. I find they scale nicely with the Studio and Hasslefree Zeds. The base is Fenris as is usual for my Zeds.

So that is Week 1 done for me, and I have been doing bits of work on the other target models.

Quarter 3 Painting Summary

Click to enlarge

Until Zomtober 2013 kicks off, time for my quarterly update.

The update features another collage using fotor (and amazingly, I exceeded fotor's in-built collage image limit, so a creative solution of putting a collage in a collage was needed!).

Q1 yielded 13 painted minis. Q2 also yielded 13 painted minis. Q3 surpassed that standard with 17 painted minis. That takes me to 43 of my 50 target for the year - it looks like with 3 months to go (including a planned 4 models for Zomtober), that is an achievable goal.

Nothing too large this month unlike the Wrath of Nature last quarter, or Giant Hadron in Q1, but still 17 minis done. And that is even with the disappointment of not yet painting a couple more Ninjas (for Pulp City), or painting more for Anima Tactics (I would have liked to have painted at least a couple more Anima Tactics mins).

Q3 saw me paint stuff for Anima Tactics (6 minis), Pulp City (6 minis), Freebooter's Fate (4 minis), and MERCS (1 mini).

Top row (l to r)
Ninja Sensei (Pulp City)
Saint Astraega (Anima Tactics)
FCC Saboteur (MERCS)
Hamadria (Anima Tactics)

2nd row (l to r)
Alessa Raincross (Anima Tactics)
Apagado (Freebooter's Fate)
Harlequin (Freebooter's Fate)
Primate of Nature (Pulp City)

3rd row (l to r)
Hellhound/Type 004: Hellhound (Anima Tactics)
Master Assassin (Freebooter's Fate)
Coscritti (Freebooter's Fate)
Ninjas (2) (Pulp City)

Bottom row (l to r)
Shadow Double (Pulp City)
Empire Agent (Anima Tactics)
Primate of Mystery (Pulp City)
Erika (Anima Tactics)

Zomtober 2013 Is Coming...

It is time...

Zomtober 2013 is nearly here. The dead will walk off painting stations and into minis cabinets and cases.

The Zomtober gauntlet is thrown down once more!

So far we have myself, Rob (his blog can be found here) and Simon Q (his blog can be found here) and anyone else who wants to get some walkers, runners, fat zeds, boss zeds, or even hapless survivors painted. So if you want to join in (and we can link to your own blog), let us know!

For my own part I have some Zombie clowns to do, and maybe another Zombie group. It is time...

EDIT UPDATE:
Also joining in the blog roll for Zomtober are:

• Robert of Fiends in Waistcoats (click for link)
• The Demonic Visions (click for link)
• Doctor Warlock via his Illustrated London News blog (click for link)

As for the ground rules: paint at least one Zombie or Survivor per week, simples! Deadlines are 67th, 13th, 20th and 27th of October.


EDIT UPDATE 2:
Another joining in:

• Michael of 28mm Victorian Warfare (click for link)

And another hoping to do something too:

• PMMDJ of Metal Skirmish (click for link)

EDIT UPDATE 3

• Jon of Lead Admiral has signed up (click here for link)

EDIT UPDATE 4

• Dr Zombie via his LAF workbench plog (link)

EDIT UPDATE 5

A couple more volunteers...:

• Keiron of the Cheaphammer blog (click for link)
• Baconfact of the Baconfat blog (click for link)

EDIT UPDATE 6
More living impaired contagion is unleashed!

• Bandit86 of the badit86 blog (click for link)
• Cheetor of SHO3BOX (click for link) (now confirmed!)
• Mr. Marx of Bloggity-blog-blog (click for link)

EDIT UPDATE 7

More Zomtober madness:

• Shelldrake of Shelldrake's Zombie Wargame Blog (click for link)
• Colgar 6 of Colgar6 and the Infinite Legion of Toy Soldiers (click  for link)
• Lord Siwoc of Brains and Guts!!
• Clint of 28 Dice Later (updated to list the correct blog venue!)

EDIT UPDATE 8

Other bold souls wanting to delve into their metal/resin/restic/plastic mountains...

• Christopher of Dispatches From The Rim (click for link)
• Modhail of Modhail's Meanderings (click for link)

EDIT UPDATE 9

Clint's blog for Zomtober updated in UPDATE 7; also more hardy souls added to the cause:

• Matt of Paintbrush and Superglue
• rwwin of The Color Blind Model Painter
• Zerloon of Zerloon Place
• Irqan of Plastic Zombie

EDIT UPDATE 10

More zombie-minis-fans come aboard:

• Terry of Miniature Mayhem 
• Maj. Diz Aster of THE QUICK AND THE ZED (great handle, great blog name)
• Deserter of Chris' Miniature Woes
• ColKillGore of My Little World Of Dementia

EDIT UPDATE 11

Another covert...:

• Kasper of Zombiecide

EDIT UPDATE 12

And yet another...:

• Pacarat of the Pacarat blog

EDIT UPDATE 13

And another:

• Fred of Lead Reckoning

EDIT UPDATE 14

• Panzer Kaput of PanzerKaput's Painted Review plans to join the fun, doubling up in week 2.

FCC: Saboteur (MERCS)

Click to enlarge

Okay, this was a a typical surprise  for me - I say surprise as this was started after the other FCC, but finished before them, which is fairly typical for the random way I approach much of my painting!

The Saboteur is a model for the FCC House 9 faction for MERCS. In the corporately-controlled future world of MERCS, the FCC are an anti-corporate affiliation or largely like organizations that operate independently of each other.

House 9 is based in the middle and near east and may be considered freedom fighters or terrorists depending on point of view! The Saboteur exemplifies that idea with his rules representing his civilian appearance (harder to pick out among other combatants - penalty to hit; encouragement to allies if martyred - a bonus if removed from the game). Being armed with a a Molotov Cocktail and the futuristic equivalent of an AK-47 just finishes the package off!

It will be interesting to see how the game plays. Right now my focus for low model count skirmish games is on Pulp City; Anima Tactics; Freebooters Fate; and now MERCS. Each offers its own unique game-play features, and MERCS looks no different. I look forwards to finally getting to grips with some games when i have some factions painted up.

Colour-scheme wise, I have actually used the same palette that I am using on the para-military FCC House 9, so he should still tie-in with the rest of the unit. Hopefully work will continue on the remaining FCC before too long, and I manage to avoid too many other distractions.

MERCS: Starting FCC House 9 (WiP)

Click to enlargify

I don't tend to blog 'work in progress' too often, but I thought I might do WiP's on my MERCS Megacon squads as I go, as this represents a bit of a departure for me (painting squads of minis for the first time in a few years, with an approach to painting that is a bit different than I used in my WH40K days).

What I am aiming to do is paint at least a little bit (even if only for a few minutes) each day on these until they get finished.

They are unlikely to be finished at the same time, as I will start to diversify the palette a little on them as I go to emphasize the rag-tag nature of House 9.

I am aiming to finish the Housemember first since that should then offer a bit of a template for the rest of the unit.

Firedragon Games (2): Concrete Low Walls

Styled like the Low Walls in the previous post regarding Firedragon Games terrain (click here for link to the post), these are the last of the batch of pieces I bought from Firedragon.

This particular pack is £4.50 GBP for both items, again excellent value in my humble opinion.

Preparation time across all 5 pieces was brief. Painting on these was slightly complicated by the fact that the sandbags are integral, but really was no problem at all.

The painting was largely as for the previous pieces, over a black undercoat.

I am very happy with the five items I purchased from Firedragon. For the five it came to £12 GBP plus shipping. It has meant I have been able to ready five items useful for cover etc. in relatively short order.

Because I am very happy with the quality, I will be ordering from Firedragon again, as I plan to pick up their bunkers, which I think will support the same kind of games I will be using these in.

Pegasus Hobbies: Altar of Evil

Click to embiggen

I have had this for a few years, and it has yet to get trotted out for a game (but maybe something soon could feature it!). That said, I do think it is a very nice piece and so wanted to say a few words about it.

I am a time-strapped hobbyist, so anything that adds to my options without using up too much time is a 'good thing'. The Altar of Evil is a pre-painted one piece item, so perfect if it fits the right kind of game. I have plans soon for this, but I could easily see this in games of Anima Tactics or even WH40K if I ever take that up again, or other fantasy games I am sure.

The item comes fully painted and no extra work has been done on this. It is made of polystone (a mixture of plastic resin and stone powder), and so is quite weighty. It comes in a functional box so it can be packed away safely when not in use.

In terms of footprint, the diameter is around 6 3/4 inches, and the height is around 4 1/2 inches. The figures used for scale reference are a 13th Company Space Marine and Pulp City's Gentleman.

Online, I have seen stockists in the UK listing it from £17.99 to £24.99. If you can get it for less than £20 GBP, and if it fits your needs, then I think it is good value.

Firedragon Games (1): Low Walls & Sandbagged Bunker

Click for close up

I ordered these from Firedragon Games last week when I was working out the kind of stuff I could use for MERCS games, and after finishing these pieces I have to say I am very happy indeed, and that I feel these are great products.

Pictured for scale are (l-r): 2 x 13th Company Space Marines; Studio Miniatures Zombie; Infinity model; Pulp City Gentleman.

The Low Wall pieces (2 of the same piece) are currently £2 GBP each, and the Sandbagged Bunker is £3.50 GBP. When I ordered these I picked some other prices which I am still painting, and will post when completed.

I think those prices are tremendous value. Yes the wall could be made of foam card, but at the price, and ready assembled, I think it is hard to argue against them.

They were well cast, with only a few bubbles on the Sandbagged Bunker (which I filled with liquid green-stuff). Preperation required was only minimal, a quick scrub with soapy water as well as the liquid GS filling.

I sprayed the sandbag piece with a bone colour; washed with Army painter Soft Tone; dry-brushed Vallejo Buff then Vallejo Pale Sand.

The concrete walls were undercoated black, painted with Vallejo Neutral Grey (with a touch of Field Blue here and there just to make for a slightly uneven base colour); then washed into recesses with Soft Tone; then dry-brushed Vallejo Medium Sea Grey; final dry-brush with Sky Grey; then thinned Soft Tone to mark some extra discolourations.

In all I think these are great. I think they represent excellent value and do the job they need, occupying nice small footprints on a table top (but enough to comfortably fit 2 x 30mm bases), while quick and easy to prepare and paint up.

I plan to use them in MERCS, but they could easily see use in AE-WW II (when I eventually get around to those!), or similar games like Dust Warfare; Pulp City; Force on Force; and of course the venerable old WH40K.

Easy Reversible Game Board (2' x 3' approximately)

One game I play (Pulp City) and one I plan to start playing soon (MERCS) both nominally use a 2' by 3' playing area. I have accumulated a few options for play areas for Pulp City already, but I got to thinking about MERCS games and wanting something I could just throw on the kitchen table when needed and slap some terrain on top of.

This board is double sided; brown one side and grey on the other, so I can do urban or wasteland set-ups easily.

The board itself is super-easy: a 60 cm by 90 cm cork notice board. Obviously that is not quite 2' x 3', but close enough for my needs. The painting was done with cheap acrylic paints from discount shops and in all probably cost the equivalent of around £12 to £14 (I had some paint already so a guesstimate is the best I can offer). The board itself was purchased through Amazon, but as prices do vary, it can pay to look around.

Each side probably had around an hour painting time at most, and the advantage of the cork is it provides some texture. I painted it by first splodging paint on and using a roller, adding a lighter colour onto a darker colour and rolling that in. The brown side then had some more colour sponged on (using very cheap household sponges).

Expect to see the boards getting some use soon enough.

Texture/colour close-up

Build time: none!
Painting time: maybe a couple of hours all-in, over around 4 sessions.
Cost: around £12 to £14 for effectively 'two' boards (although only one can be used at a time of course!)

Upcoming Project: MERCS

I have a new project that I am finally getting underway - I say finally, as over the past 2-3 years I have acquired the minis 4 factions for the MERCS game, and they have sat there untouched. That is all set to change.

MERCS is a futuristic squad level game where each player has a force of 3-5 models (5 is the standard game size).

The world is one where corporations have supplanted nations in pretty much every area of a citizen's life. Each Megacon is a vast entity, a conglomeration of an incredible array of businesses, and in the present day of MERCS just 9 Megacons remain in control of much of the world. Outside of Megacon control are the Lost Margins, territory of the FCC (Free Corporate Control), a loose affiliation of organizations that oppose the Megacons, but will occasionally work with a Megacon to further mutual goals against a rival corporation.

The MERCS of the game are corporate security soldiers in super-advanced armour, the ultimate enforcers of Megacon will. Currently 7 Megacons have minis available, as well as 2 FCC 'Houses'.

CCC Yellowjackets

So far I have picked up: CCC (primarily focused on North America; their squad is the Yellowjackets; and it was their Heavy model that drew my original attention, but I was fortunate to order the rule book when it came out and acquire the limited edition Incinerator); Kem Var (South America; they use stealth technology); FCC House 9 (a rag tag looking bunch; based in the Middle East and part of Asia; the can work with representatives of Megacons as Black Ops); and Keizei Waza (Australasia and South East Asia; equipped with nuclear powered armour and a martial sense of will).

I have also begun to prep some terrain to be suitable for games of MERCS (and some will be suitable for other games too), so expect intermittent posts over the next months that will directly or indirectly relate to MERCS as well as other stuff (such as wanting to paint some more Freebooters Fate minis before too long).

Images ©  2010-2013 MERCS Miniatures.

Meanwhile, Over On My Other Blogs....

Saint Astraega

Readers may recall that this year I set out to paint more minis than last year's paltry return of only 24. I actually set a goal of at least 48, and so far things are going fairly well.

Over on the Anima Tactician I have posted Saint Aestrega (click for link), my 27th completed Anima Tactics mini, and I *think* my 39th mini of the year so far.

Meanwhile, over on Pulp Citizen, I have been working away on a Minion Month Painting Challenge (click for link).

The story of the year so far has been:

• January: 6 minis (2 Pulp City; 2 Anima Tactics; 2 supers)
• February: 1 mini (Pulp City) - 7 in total
• March: 6 minis (5 Anima Tactics; 1 Zombie) - 13 in total
• April: 4 minis (4 Anima Tactics) - 17 in total
• May: 3 Minis (1 Pulp City; 2 Anima Tactics) - 20 total
• June: 6 minis (2 Pulp City; 4 Anima Tactics) - 26 total
• July: 8 minis (4 Anima Tactics; 4 Freebooter's Fate) - 34 total
• August: 5 minis so far...(4 Pulp City; 1 Anima Tactics)

Primate of Nature

That has yielded:

Anima Tactics: 22 minis

Pulp City: 10 minis

Freebooter's Fate: 4 minis

Supers: 2

Zombies: 1

eBay Sales Listings

I don't often put things on eBay, but it is long overdue that I should

have a clear-out.

I have put a number of listings up today, including some OOP minis such as Zoats (x3 listings); a Limited Edition White Dwarf subscription Space Marine; and some box sets no longer made in metal by GW (such as Masters of the Chapter; Space Marine Veterans). there are a number of other lots too, so please check them out:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/pulpcitizen/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Brotherhood Crew

The Brotherhood

Here is the full Brotherhood Crew after the Painting Challenge in their sinister glory (and see here for Rob's Crew), repaired Master Assassin and all! You may spot I have re mounted the left arm at a changed angle; I am hoping that will make it a tad more durable. Still a pain of a mini to be honest!

Left to right:

• Coscritti
• Master Assassin
• Harlequin
• Apagado

This is not strictly the Starter Set Crew, as I swapped Apagado for Bonaccia (both are Specialists with similar costs in doubloons). That means I have Bonaccia to paint up when I feel motivated, and Ragg Chiflad, a Goblin mini that is a 'convention only' special. I am not planning to make a Goblin Crew yet (but you never know!), but he looks like he could be fun to pain once I work out his basing.

I have some more Freebooter's Fate minis on their way to me so do not be surprised to see some more in the next few months.

Master Assassin

Two days later than I hoped for, but my side of the Freebooter's Fate Painting Challenge is done. Rob inevitably got his done on time, but I am glad all the minis are finished, even if I had to right to the end of the month to do so!

It has been great to see Rob's Crew building up (see here) over the weeks and it will be nice when we can get some games in with them., Who know, we may each have some more options by then.

The Master Assassin is a Leader, so that means I now have a core Brotherhood Crew and can add more Specialists since the unlocking models (Deckhands and Leader) are complete. In fact, the Specialist from the Staretr Set is in the queue since I substituted Apagado for that mini. I also have some very special stuff on order too, so more on that when it arrives...

Painting the Master Assassin himself has been a big pain in the bum from start to finish to be honest. I think it is a great looking mini, just that mine fitted together pretty badly, which meant green-stuffing, which in turn meant it could not be painted in separate components. And as it had to be assembled first, it has some very hard to reach parts. Not a mini I would ever choose to paint another of I think.

But it is done, and that is the main thing. Well it was until I lined up it up to take a picture of the whole Crew, and then pinged off his left arm which know needs to be put back in place. Grrr.

I will try and get a group shot soon after i have repaired the Master Assassin. I may look for a less fragile Leader too while I am at it...

Harlequin

Click to enlarge-cate

Whew! Just in time.

This is far from brilliant, but it is done, which for me is the main thing given the vast numbers of unpainted minis I own!

I struggled a bit with this, partly down to my poor prep as it was a pain to clean up, and then I just rushed putting it together. I will say that as nice as the sculpts are, some of the part fits are poor and some of the casting has been aggravating. Still, I should have been more diligent, so only myself to blame for not being so.

Eagle eyed readers may noted I have not painted the hair tie; that will be rectified as soon as possible now I have noticed!

Over on Rob's blog, he has stayed the course despite technical difficulties that have made blogging awkward. We are 75% done and both on course. In time we should be able to get some gaming done with these which would be nice.

The Harlequin adds some minor variation to the overall colour palette I have been using with the Brotherhood, but I hope she will still look like she fits appropriately among the rest of them. Still, I felt I was rushing this (and to be honest I was), but that is part of the Challenge. I am also trying a new way of doing eyes since that has been annoying me recently, so not ideal, but I think I know how I will be doing them going forwards.

In terms of the Brotherhood as a Crew, the Harlequin like the Coscritti is a Deckhand. Each Deckhand allows up to 2 Specialists to join the Crew (such as Apagado), so I will look at Specialists when I eventually bolster the ranks. Between the 2 Deckhands the Harlequin looks more formidable in terms of cost in Doubloons, but until I get some games in I cannot comment with any semblance of insight.

The next mini for the Challenge is the Leader - the Master Assassin. I am still putting that together, so there is nothing quite like pressure, eh?

Will I succeed? Stay tuned!

Coscritti

Click to enlarge-ify

My second Freebooter's Fate mini for the Paining Challenge is a Coscritti, a Brotherhood Deckhand. As near as I can tell Coscritti means conscript, so the idea of a conscript assassin is quite interesting. In Brotherhood terms a Coscritti is in fact a low-rung member, the lowest rungs of their agents who must prove their worth.

In Freebooter's Fate Deckhands are the building blocks of you force along with your mandatory Leader. Deckhands allow you to pick Specialists, so you cannot focus on an uber-elite force - you always need some of the less powerful guys.

With all my Brotherhood minis I aim to work with a dark colour palette to emphasize their shadowy nature, even if they are painted in a non-uniform way, masks and weapons excepted.

I have blocked out most of the colours on the next unit I will be painting for the Challenge, and if I can finish that blocking out in the next few nights I will be content that i should complete that on time. In the mean-time I need to assemble and undercoat my fourth model for the Challenge, so I am behind on that so far.

Rob has now finished his first two minis (click here for link) so we are both on course. Stay tuned to both blogs to see how we get on.

Apagado

Click to embiggen

My first Freebooter's Fate mini, and my first deadline met of the Challenge. A couple of days ago I wondered if I had left too little time to finish this, especially as I planned to watch some of the Wimbledon final, but here it is, done on time.

Apagado is a member of the Brotherhood, a faction that dwells in darkness and shadows, and characterized by the assassins in its ranks. He is a Specialist, meaning that a Crew will need at least 1 Deckhand to field Apagado. I have the Brotherhood Starter box set, and picked this blister pack up too. S

I have yet to give the game a try but have heard good things. It should be interesting to play since it is dice-less; cards are played to resolve conflicts including battles. In addition, each Faction seems to have its own unique play style from what I read in the rule-books I have picked up so far. Naturally the Brotherhood are stealthy, sneaky types with special rules to reflect that.

The eventual plan is that we get our respective Crews painted up; gather some scenery that is suitable; and maybe get some games in before too long. Rob kindly gave me a resin ship as a birthday present this year, and I have since picked up a cool little rowing boat from Fenris, so I hope to build up a little harbour set-up to reflect Longfall (the setting for Freebooter's Fate). I also have a growing collection of GW jungle trees, so an island jungle seems a certainty, and should be a cool alternative to Longfall-based games.

We have 3 more weeks for the Challenge to go, and so far so good; however I need to keep my momentum if I am going to complete this one. At the same time I have a few Anima Tactics and Pulp City minis on the go so if I can get more than the 4 Challenge minis painted this month I will be pleased.

I have two more Freebooter's Fate minis prepped, one of which I have tickled a little with the hairy sticks so hopefully I will hit all those deadlines, but stay tuned to see how I do.

Quarter 2 Painting Summary

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Like the previous collage this was produced using fotor.

If you read the previous post, then you may recall I am aiming to paint more minis this year than last (target one), and ideally want to hit at least 50 minis (target two).

Well target one is already achieved as of this month. I have now painted 26 minis this year in 6 months, versus 24 in 12 months last year; and that is even with some big minis in the assorted paint-jobs of 2013.

(clockwise from top left)

Luzbell (Anima Tactics)
Green Emperor (Pulp City)
Valis Ul Del Vilfain (Anima Tactics)
Juliette Kaim (Anima Tactics)
Elhaym, Maiden of Light (Anima Tactics)
Odin Goldsmith (Anima Tactics)
Yuki (Anima Tactics)
Grimm Elder (Pulp City)
Azriel (Anima Tactics)
Styx (Anima Tactics)
Janus Faith (Anima Tactics)
Night Fright & Leech (Pulp City)

(centre)
Wrath of Nature (Anima Tactics)

In point of fact, I also painted an exchange mini, but for this count I am focusing on those minis staying in my own collection!

Freebooter's Fate Painting Challenge

First new post on here for a while, but hopefully there will be an increase in activity over the next month or so as I launch into a new Painting Challenge.

If you have read my Pulp Citizen blog (click for link), you may recall that I have gone in for a few Painting Challenges, and they are useful for focusing my wandering attention I find.

Well recently I have taken the plunge into getting some of the gorgeous Freebooters Fate minis (settling on the Brotherhood as I like the assassin aesthetic), and my main gaming buddy Rob has some Pirates - so the only left was to ensure we get around to painting them.

Consequently we have decided to set July as our Freebooters Fate Painting Challenge! The goal is simple: paint one mini per week to create a Crew of at least 4 minis by the end of the month. Now with the speed Rob paints at, I suspect he will be fine, but hopefully I will deliver on my end of the Challenge.

The deadlines are each Sunday - the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, so stay tuned!

Anima Tactician (shameless plug)

A quick shameless plug for one of my other blogs: Anima Tactician.

Anima Tactician (link) is Anima Tactics-centric; therefore the content is all about my forays into that game and related topics.

Anima Tactics is a tabletop minis game, using a pretty low model count, and clearly influenced by Japanese console rpgs such as Final Fantasy, Suikoden, Breath of Fire et al.

So far I have painted 13 minis for the game (having kicked off my painting in earnest late last year), and I hope to get that to around 30-40 by the end of this year - eventually I would like to have at least one painted example of every mini in the range.

So please come across and check out the blog as I stumble through what is for me a fairly new hobby diversion.