Kings of War: Wissenland Crossbowmen (Pt. 2)

This weekend I was able to finish up my second troop of Wissenland Crossbowmen.

Kings of War: Wissenland Crossbowmen

Continuing to add units to my Kingdoms of Men army for Kings of War, the latest is a troop of Wissenland Crossbowmen.

Kings of War: Stir River Patrol

Kings of War seems to be very good at inspiring players to start several different armies, and I find myself lured by that as well!  I have a good number of Empire troops from my days playing Warhammer Fantasy, and I plan to repurpose them into a Kingdoms of Men force.  The first of the units that I completed was a collection of Free Company figures that I've painted as a regiment of Stir River Patrol.

Kings of War: Abyssal Dwarfs WIP

I didn't really get much painting done this past week, as it was spent running errands and prepping items for eBay (including some inherited miniatures that I will be selling).  Still, I wasn't completely idle and managed to get several figures prepped for my Abyssal Dwarf army in Kings of War.

The first unit is a Troop (10) of Abyssal Dwarf Blacksouls.  I thought about going for a more decorative base, but I wanted to see how the figures ranked up.  In addition, I imagine that dwarven infantry fights in a fairly compact formation (it seems properly dwarven, at least).  Due to their width, these figures do have to be adjusted a bit to account for the figure next to them.

The second unit is a Troop (10) of Abyssal Dwarf Immortal Guard.  These are the same figures as the Blacksouls, and essentially serve as upgraded "elite" infantry.  The description of the Immortal Guard says that their lives are extended magically, and eventually results in them being little more than animated suits of armor.  To reflect that, I selected the most enclosing helmet option for the figures and used it for the Immortal Guard.

The third unit is a Troop (3) of Lesser Obsidian Golems.  These are some nicely detailed figures and went together quite well.

The final and fourth unit is a Greater Obsidian Golem.  The picture doesn't portray just how big this figure is.  It very finely cast and is surprisingly light-weight.  However, the arms and head are challenging to attach sufficiently as they just sort of slot into an oversized socket joint.  I wound up pinning the head to keep it in place, and I'm not sure if I'll need to do the same for the arms.

Finally, I haven't forgotten my 6MMRPC Hit List!  I've finished three of my Edofleini, but I'm not yet ready to reveal them.  But as you can see in the picture below, the Edo are prepped and moving through my painting queue.  In addition to the two Underlings and Spawnling pictured below, I still have a Spawnguard and Guardling to complete.

- M:M

6MMRPC Midway Report

Copying the idea of a "midway report" for the 6MMRPC from Richard Barnes' Flames of Nerd blog, I wanted to provide a quick recap of the progress made during the last three months.  Granted, the halfway point was technically at the beginning of September, but I did get a late start on the 6MMRPC so it sort of works out.

Here is my current progress on my 6MMRPC Hit List:

1. (2) Troops of Abyssal Dwarf Slave Orcs (Kings of War) - completed
2. (5) Security Forces squad (Salvage Crew) - completed
3. (2) Orcs and (9) Goblins (Reaper Bones) - completed
4. Demon Marbrezuk (Reaper Dark Heaven) - completed
5. Deathsleet or Ebonwrath (Reaper Bones) - Deathsleet completed
6. (3) Doctrine Novitiates (Relic Knights) - completed
7. (6) Salvage Crew freelancers (Salvage Crew) - completed
8. (4) Pirates (Reaper Bones) - completed
9. (8) Edofleini core set (Counterblast) - currently being prepped
10. (7) Robots and Drones (Counterblast) - no progress 
11. (9) Robots and Drones (Salvage Crew) - no progress

As you can see, I've pretty much been moving in order down my list.  When I first drafted my 6MMRPC Hit List in June, I tried to mix up genres, game systems, and even material (plastic vs. metal) between my targets.  I think that was definitely a good call, as it's kept the challenge fresh and avoided potential burnout on any one thing.  That's definitely something I would recommend to any 6MMRPC participants who might have lost steam partway through.

As you can see, in addition to my "official" targets I've also completed a variety of other figures.  I'm still looking to finish the Bones I Vampire Set and earn the "Vampire Slayer" accolade (however unofficial it may be!).  I'm also really excited about Kings of War, and that's inspired me to dig out and repurpose some old Warhammer Fantasy models that have been lying in storage for years now.

For the less-than-great news:  I've totally lost track of Jokers.  Unfortunately, because I've been painting such an erratic selection of miniatures, it's hard to determine how many Jokers I've legitimately earned.  Also, my aforementioned excitement for Kings of War has resulted in a few eBay purchases to round out potential units (but by more than just a couple of figures, so they don't fall under that exemption on purchases).  And that's not including spending on the Bones III Kickstarter (um... let's not talk about that).

In conclusion, I think I'm doing very well in terms of painting existing figures.  I expect to complete my 6MMRPC Hit List by the end of the challenge, as long as I don't get too distracted by other projects along the way.  However, in terms of new purchases I've probably deviated and need to rein that in.  Still, the "mountain of metal (and plastic)" is slowly diminishing!

- M:M

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

Reaper Bones: Hill Giant Krug

Having been on a Kings of War kick lately, I realized that the Hill Giants from Bones II would serve as great Giant models for a Goblin army.  This week I finished up the first of the two from the Hill Giants set:  77313 Hill Giant Krug.

Kings of War: Slave Orc Gore Riders (WIP)

I found an unexpected use for the Orc Gore Riders from the Kings of War Two Player Battle Set, and so I've started prepping and assembling the figures for inclusion in my Abyssal Dwarf army.

When I originally picked up the KoW Battle Set, I did so primarily because it was a great deal on a starter force of Undead and it gave me the opportunity to check out Mantic's miniatures.  I didn't really have a need (or desire) for the Orcs or Goblins included in the set, so they were set aside.  However, once I finished assembling and painting the undead units, I decided to assemble the Goblin Spitters as a cheap unit of allies (they're a characterful and surprisingly viable race in Kings of War).

Shortly prior to the start of 6MMRPC back in June, I began assembling and painting the Orc Ax figures for use as Slave Orcs in my upcoming Abyssal Dwarf force (and finished them as the first target on my 6MMRPC Hit List).  Having reviewed the full army lists for Kings of War (2nd Edition), the Abyssal Dwarfs can take Slave Orc Gore Riders as a cavalry option.  They're not as good as Abyssal Halfbreeds, but they're a cheaper points cost and slightly more expendable.

Fulfillment should be starting soon for the Kings of War Kickstarter, so I'm hoping to get these done before the bulk of my Abyssal Dwarf force arrives!

- 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!

Kings of War: Slave Orcs

This weekend I completed the first of my Abyssal Dwarf units for Kings of War (as well as the first target on my 6MMRPC Hit List!):  16 Slave Orcs.

6MMRPC Update: First Hit WIP

My first work in progress (WIP) shots of the "first hit" on my 6MMRPC Hit List, the two units of Abyssal Dwarf Slave Orcs for Kings of War.  As I mentioned in my original 6MMRPC post, this was a project that was already underway, so it's at the top of my list to get it completed and off of my painting desk!

5 Orc Axes complete, Orc Marauder basecoated

The first picture shows the first five (well, technically the second five, but the actual first five were already complete prior to the start of the 6MMRPC) Orc Axes completed.  These figures are from the Kings of War Two Player Battle Set as a unit of 15 Orc Axes.  Instead, I repurposed them to make two Slave Orc Troops for my future Abyssal Dwarf army.  To help bulk out the units, I added the Orc Marauder from the Reaper Bones line.  The Orc Marauder has been basecoated in the picture above, which is where I realized that it would be very black/gray and I needed to add something.

The next picture shows the five Orc Axes mounted to the Slave Orc unit bases.  This completed the first unit (in the foreground), and started the first rank of the second unit (in the background).  The gap in the first unit is for a Rackham Dwarf of Mid-Nor figure; I haven't yet decided if I want to permanently attach him to the unit or not.

Additionally, the Orc Marauder is complete (and detailed in a separate post).  This figure will be mounted in the front rank of the second unit, next to the completed Orc Axes.  The figure serves as a sort of de facto "unit champion", even though Slave Orcs don't seem to actually have those in Kings of War (I assume the Abyssal Dwarves don't tolerate any of their slaves getting too mighty).  My next goal will be to complete the remaining five Orc Axes and get them mounted on the second Slave Orc unit base.  Once that's done, my first "hit" will be complete!

- M:M

6MMRPC Hit List

While catching up the LXG blog, I learned of the 6 Month Mountain Reduction Painting Challenge or (6MMRPC for short).  The challenge runs from 01 June through 30 November, so I'm already a week behind!  Below are the official rules per the organizer at The Spider Web of History:


1. No purchasing of new miniatures, EXCEPT if you use a joker. You get three jokers to use on a figure purchase. Could be a blister pack, an eBay bundle, or a single figure... you can't splurge. The only exception to this rule is if you need bitz or A FIGURE (singular) to complete a unit/warband, etc.

1.1 - There is an opportunity to "earn" additional jokers. If you complete an entire project (whole unit/army/warband etc.) with pictures of starting, WIP, and completion, you earn yourself a joker.

2. Gifts do not count against you (holidays, birthdays, etc.). Also, if you're given gift cards by your hobby illiterate family or friends, you can without penalty use them on anything you want miniatures wise.

3. Paints, terrain (or materials), and other hobby supplies do not apply to the no purchasing rule.

4. At least one hobby-related blog post and/or Instagram update a week. If you Instagram, be sure to hashtag your pic with #6MMRPC.

5. Zombtober will be part of the 6 month challenge so, Zombie related stuff during October is ENCOURAGED. Other theme suggestions are welcomed.

6. Anyone that wants to submit a before and after picture of a miniature that they are proud of completing during the course of the challenge to dmcffd@gmail.com will be entered into the running for a gift certificate to a online wargaming store of their choice. Judging will be by an un-biased person. Amount on the gift certificate will be dictated by winners nationality but should work out to about $30 U.S. I (Spiderweb of History) will not be eligible to win.

Before we get to the actual hit list, I have a couple of notes pertaining to my participation:

- I do not use Instagram, so expect all updates on my blog (as usual!).

- I do not own an airbrush, so everything will be painted by brush (so no quick starts!).

- I will endeavor to stick with the spirit of the rules regarding new purchases!  However, since some of my selections aren't "units" in the typical sense, I'll be using my best judgement on how many jokers I have available.  That said, I expect them to be used primarily on Kickstarters (*cough*Bones III*cough*).

With all of that out of the way, on to Magnus Mercury's Hit List for the 2nd Annual 6MMRPC!

1) Kings of War - Abyssal Dwarf Slave Orc Troops (2) (11 figures)

I've been working on these Slave Orc units since I completed my Undead units, and I'd like to get them finished.  As you can see, I've added a Reaper Bones orc and some other details to the mix.

2) Salvage Crew - Security Forces (5)

It's been a while since I progressed with the Salvage Crew Saga, and this is a great opportunity to complete the Security Force figures in one go.

3) Reaper Bones - Orcs (2) and Goblins (9)

The last remaining orcs and goblins from Reaper Bones I.  I already have a paint scheme selected, now I just need to get them done.

4) Reaper Dark Heaven - Demon Marbrezuk (1)

This being a sole figure, I consider it reward for progress made to this point.  I painted this figure many years ago, and for some reason I never finished it.  It's time to get some closure!

5) Reaper Bones - Deathsleet or Ebonwrath

I haven't yet selected which of the two dragons I will be painting, as I'm still working on a suitable base (because until that's done, all I think is "go home dragon, you're drunk").  However, if I manage to complete everything in my list, the second of these two dragons will be a backup choice.

6) Relic Knights - Doctrine Novitiates (3)

Prepped and ready to go, but my Relic Knights figures got pushed aside.  I think this will be a good change of pace and excuse to use some louder colors.

7) Salvage Crew - Freelancers (6)

These will be the last remaining Salvage Crew figures, and then I will have the entire batch complete.  If I can get this far, then it's time to sprint to the end!

8) Reaper Bones - Pirates (4)

Why haven't I painted the Pirates set from Reaper Bones I yet?  This is criminal, and needs to be corrected!

9) Counterblast - Edofleini Faction Core Set (8)

I love retro sci-fi, so the Counterblast KS was a no-brainer.  Now it's time to settle in and get to work on some menacing alien squids.

10) Counterblast - Robots and Drones (7)

Counterblast has some awesome robots and drones, and this will be a good change of pace from all of the organic Edofleini figures.

11) Salvage Crew - Robots (9)

Bonus round!  If I get this far, I'll tackle the bonus robot figures from the Salvage Crew KS.  The variety of designs really presents a chance to go wild with some color schemes.

So there it is, my hit list for 6MMRPC.  It seems ambitious, but I think the point of any painting challenge is to challenge oneself.  In the unlikely event that I complete everything listed above, I have plenty more figures to fill in the gap!  I look forward to tracking my progress over the coming weeks and months, and hopefully making good progress on the "mountain" of miniatures!

- M:M

Lore: Chthonic Dwarves

The Abyss inspires all manner of evil and depravity in mortals, and not all of it is consumed by fire and flames.  Among the fallen Dwarves, there exist those known as Chthonic Dwarves:  warped beings who dwell in darkness and experiment with forbidden knowledge, twisting flesh and souls as easily as their brethren work iron and bronze.

When I chose the Abyssal Dwarves as a faction in Kings of War, I realized it would be an excellent opportunity to use some of my old Dwaves of Mid-Nor figures from Rackham Miniatures.  While I don't have enough of these figures to make entire regiments, they still function well as heroes for "flavor characters" when mixed with other Abyssal Dwarf troops.

While I don't know the full lore for the Dwarves of Mid-Nor, they're obviously a twisted race of dwarves and so fit in with the Abyssal Dwarves.  I decided on the name of "Chthonic Dwarves" for them, seeing them as an extreme subterranean sort with an isolationist (and perhaps cult-like) society.  Where as the Abyssal Dwarves take the industry and militaristic aspects of the Dwarves to an extreme, the Chthonic Dwarves are more warped and focus on forging flesh and souls.  From them come augmented troops, strange mutated creatures, and animated constructs.

I think the union of Abyssal Dwarves and Chthonic Dwarves will provide a unique spin on an Abyssal Dwarf army, and should make for an interesting overall look for the army!

Dwarves of Mid-Nor: Master of Puppets

Today is my first painted figure from Rackham Miniatures:  a Master of Puppets from the Dwarves of Mid-Nor faction.

Kings of War: Ghouls

Today I wrapped up the last of my Undead units for Kings of War:  10 Ghouls.

Kings of War: Skeletons

This week I finished up a medium-length project:  20 Skeletons for Kings of War, by Mantic.  It is worth noting that in Kings of War, various troop types come in fixed unit sizes.  For the skeletons, I decided to mount them in to separate blocks of 10.  This allows them to be fielded as two Troops of 10 Skeletons or one Regiment of 20 Skeletons, depending on my needs.