6MMRPC Update: Side Projects

I haven't made any further progress on my 6MMRPC Hit List, but I have not been idle!  I've been occupied with some side projects, and haven't gotten back to the Salvage Crew Saga.  Personally, I've found it beneficial to follow inspiration when it strikes, hence my distraction.  Let's review what I've worked on this week!

Despite my intention to set aside the Arachnarok Spider, I decided to go ahead and block in some colors for the base.  I picked up a roll of cork at a local craft store, and I wanted to try it out on the base.

Arachnarok Spider Base WIP

I got a nice setup that looked like it would make a great beginning of a rocky desert badlands, which the scraggly dead trees fit.  Then I realized... these are supposed to be Forest Goblins.  Oops!  I went back to block in some green (VGC Goblin Green) and get a feel for where I should add grass flock.  I plan to have a mix of grass flock and sand, and perhaps go for a "dried stream bed" look.

This week I also received a mixed lot of figures from eBay, which included 15 Empire Militia figures in various states of disrepair.

Stir River Patrol (Empire Militia) WIP

I spent some time cleaning and repairing them, and adding in some alternate bits where necessary (including a few arm swaps).  The figures have a somewhat piratical look, and are noticeably different than typical Empire state troops (though they share certain stylistic elements, so they don't look out of place).  I plan to multibase them for Kings of War, and paint them up as the Stir River Patrol (livery of green and white).  I think this plays up the "pirate/nautical" aspect, as well as making since given Stirland is one of the poorest regions of the Empire (so the line between "river pirates" and "river patrol" is a likely a thin one).

Finally, I made progress on my first unit of Slave Orc Gore Riders, finishing the Gores (war boars) and the multibase.

The Gores have a dynamic "running/charging" pose, which looks cool but makes them less stable when mounting to the base.  To help keep them in place I pinned a leg on each model, which definitely helped.

I like the way the Gores turned out, and I'll do the full rundown on the painting once I finish the Slave Orc riders.  Once this Troop is done, I'll have five more to complete for a second Troop (which can optionally be ranked up into one Regiment of 10 figures).  I really like the idea of basing non-core troops as the smallest unit possible, which gives more flexibility in usage.  That said, basing them all on one larger base presents an opportunity for more customization and mini-vignettes built into the unit itself.  Either way, I think it's a great balance between the convenience of multibasing and the flexibility of individually-based figures.

That's it for this week's summary.  I intend to make some more progress with my Salvage Crew Saga this week and get my Seventh Target wrapped up soon!

- M:M

Citadel: Arachnarok Spider WIP

While working on figures for a Goblin army in Kings of War, I inevitably came across pictures of other players migrating from Warhammer Fantasy and seeing how their existing models will fit into Mantic's game.  I haven't really followed any Citadel/Games Workshop releases in years, as I haven't played Warhammer Fantasy since 5th Ed. (and a tiny bit of 6th).  However, when I came across the Arachnarok Spider for the Forest Goblins, I knew I'd want to incorporate that into Kings of War just on account of how impressive a model it is!

Arachnarok Spider, primed and based

This is a multi-part plastic model kit, and I have to say it was a nice throwback to my days of scale modeling.  Say what you will about Games Workshop's business practices or attitude toward the hobby in general, but their miniatures are very well made and have a very high level of detail.  The pieces went together flawlessly, and cleanup was very straightforward.

The spider comes with a couple of trees upon which its rear legs slot to give it some stability.  However, I decided I wanted to add a little more to the base (since this definitely qualifies as a "centerpiece" model).  I added some bits of cork to create a bit of broken ground, and help give the spider a small amount of additional elevation.

Arachnarok base, primed

The spider has a howdah with a pile of goblins riding along; you're given three different variants in the instructions, depending on what option you want on the spider.  Since I don't play Warhammer Fantasy, I tried to decide which of the options 1) translated best to the Goblin army list for Kings of War and 2) looked the coolest.  Ultimately, I decided on the "Flinger" option, which mounts a catapult on the back.  If nothing else, I figured this would work as a Slasher with Sharpstick Thrower if I play a game without homebrewed options.

Since the howdah covers so much of the spider's back, I decided to leave it off so I could paint the spider itself.  This will be the first large figure I've painted in sub-components, so I'm curious how it will work out.  While it will definitely make it easier to paint the spider, I don't know if the process of attaching the later components will make a mess.  Either way, the goblins will have to wait their turn!

Forest Goblin crew

I'm really looking forward to getting this model done, as I think it will be really impressive.  However, I want to make sure I do it justice and don't rush through it, so I'll be working on it off-and-on.  Also, I haven't forgotten that I still have the last three Salvage Crew figures to finish up the Seventh Target on my 6MMRPC Hit List.  I plan on getting at least one of them completed this week, if nothing else!

- M:M

Kings of War: Goblins

As I mentioned in my previous post on Ikit Claw, I've been looking through some older miniatures between 6MMRPC targets.  In the process, I came across some old Warhammer Fantasy (4th Edition) plastic Goblin Archers and Goblin Spearmen and decided to incorporate them into the beginnings of a Goblin army for Kings of War!

[Legacy] Citadel: Ikit Claw, Chief Warlock of Clan Skryre

While searching through some old miniatures, I found one of the first figures I painted and thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase some of my earlier figures.  Hopefully I'll see some progress over the years between then and now!

First up is Citadel Miniatures' Ikit Claw, Chief Warlock of Clan Skryre.  This is one of the first "real" miniatures I painted, having started with the likes of HeroQuest, Dark World, and then moving to Advanced HeroQuest (and from there to Warhammer Fantasy).  Advanced HeroQuest featured the Skaven quite heavily, and I always thought they were a very unique race with a lot of flavor.  I remember reading about the Skaven characters, and Ikit Claw was easily my favorite on account of his mastery of both magic and warpstone technology (plus he was armed to the teeth with practically every special weapon in the Skaven arsenal).

Oof... that's pretty garish!  O_o

The basic color scheme isn't bad, but the tones really need some adjustment.  The figure isn't much more than a basecoat, and Ikit would be serviceable on the tabletop.  Some basic washes would help a lot, as well.  Aside from bringing out details and providing some shading, it would also help "grunge up" the figure as it is currently too "clean" for a Skaven!

Oddly, I didn't incorporate any green into the figure.  Given that it's the "go to" color for warpstone, I'm guessing that either 1) I wasn't aware of that at the time, or 2) I didn't have any green paint at the time.  I would definitely add some green, probably in place of the blues; I'd also reduce the amount of red on the figure, or at least shift it to more of a crimson hue.

I still have several of the old miniatures for Skaven named characters, so hopefully one day I'll have the opportunity to revisit them.  Perhaps I'll build a Skaven army for Kings of War (after my Abyssal Dwarves... and possibly Goblins...)!

- M:M