Rel-Axe Time

I'll admit it.

I've been stalled out on painting.

I've yet to finish my IV/5c Sicilians, despite the campaign has been going for months now and they've rewarded me with two victories over Cory's Western Sudanese. Those 2 elements of 6Kn remain a bit of block. Sure they've been block painted and partially flocked, but the final touch eludes me.

So I do what I do when I stall. I switch course and do something different. For myself. Not for any army or project. Just something to remind me that painting is fun and worth doing for its own sake.

Case in point. Curious about HaT's entry into the 28mm plastic figure category I picked up their El Cid Spanish Heavy Infantry. Again...Spain. I was wondering if they'd be useful for 28mm Hordes of the Things as bulk out units for a fantasy army and as perhaps something the pre-Teen Visigoth could cut his teeth on, as he's getting pretty good at this painting thing.

I've painted lots of the HaT 20mm soft plastics in the past. 20mm is a favourite scale of mine and I've painted lots of HaT figs, their best and their stinkiest. I'm no 'metal uber-alles' hobbyist and am pretty pleased to see plastic coming into its own.

So on to the project. Here's what you get out of the box:

Interesting, if not truly inspiring. But as I have ranted about in the past, miniatures are raw materials. It's the hobbyist who makes the magic, not the miniature itself. Lets see if I can live up my philosophy.

I pick the axe guy for my first project. I like the two-handed axe. Nothing says to the enemy 'I'm going to whack your bloody noggin off and nothing is going to stop me, even you poking with your puny spear'. It's the weapon for people with a dedicated approach to person combat. So this guy is first.

Here's the finished product.

I really liked painting this guy. It was quick easy paint and really therapeutic.

The paint goes on easy. The figure has fairly deep cuts and flat surfaces. This is an artifact of the medium. The chain mail is not little holes, rather a raises textured surface. Finished it with a wash of black ink. for paint geeks, I used mostly all the Privateer P3 line, which are my new happy paints. Also the newer GW washes worked really fine.

I was happy with the results.

Axe-guy is pretty happy here as well. Been fighting dragons since I pulled him off the cork.

He's also taking care of my Elf infestation. But also useful for a scale comparison. He's pretty close to the LotR figures. A little slender and short next to the freakish mesomorphic lugs that inhabit contemporary 28mm figures.

Lots of fun. I look forward to the Almoravids.

http://www.hat.com/Curr28/Bx28007ALH/Bx28007ALHb.html

Thanks for reading.

(edited for spellling, yikes)

Songs for the Barricades!

Aside from the DBA, I do muddy my fingers in other games and periods...

For example:

The Charming and Very Evil Mark I. is continually trying to entice me into Napoleonics. Particularly the Pennisular Campaign. I have almost buckled. Something about Spain.

But my Spanish thing right now is the Civil War of '36-'39. (I got over the Second Punic War fever back in '07, still working through the Reconquista and Visigothic Spain.)

There is interest and momentum in our circle of comrades right now for some SCW action.

Don Don, another Calgary Camp Follower with some Iberian fever instigated the mess and it revealed a great deal of percolating interest in many of our group.

One of our prime movers Neldoreth has just done up some Anarchists

http://www.hourofwolves.org/?view=armies&which=scw&pic=4

Those of you who are familiar with his work should not be surprised. Those who are not should stop wasting their time on this blog until they have gone through his most masterful site top to bottom...Good, back now?

My contribution will be some scruffy Irish Internationlists. Maybe some Republican Regulars as well. (There is no truth to the rumour that I used to claim to have ancestors who fought with the Irish volunteers and the Mac-Paps in order to get free pints from sympathetic ears)

The whole period is full of myths, stories and legends that somehow transcend the truly violent period it was. Like many 'young punks' I was introduced to the period and particularly the Republican cause by the Clash's 'Spanish Bombs' from the London Calling LP. It suddenly made my upcoming book report of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' make a lot more sense. I really haven't looked back.

I was charged to find these guys from Spain keeping the faith. Play loud. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL9vAqQC1ys&feature=related

Those of who do not share the expressions of solidarity and resistance displayed in such a song with such vigor, I present a fascist baby-soldier paper doll for you.

Have fun at the barricade of your choice!

Next up some battle reports, painting and why Charlemagne was such a tool.

-Sean