Blood Bowl Big Guy - Sir Blubb the Ogre

While I was painting the other Blood Bowl Big Guy, Chompa the Troll, I decided to paint the ogre for the human team too. And because I stylized them as Bretonnians, the ogre had to be converted a bit - you can see it HERE. The rest of his team can be seen HERE.

The painting was somewhat unusual and interesting to me because it was probably the first time when I had so much human (not-decayed, not-vampire) skin to paint! I even had to buy a paint pot specifically for that reason. It was also a good opportunity to try painting some stubble, as well as some chest hair sticking from underneath the shirt. The rest was the same as on the rest of the players. Overall it was an enjoyable model - and looking at our last game, a true MVP too!

While it is widely known that no Bretonnian will ever stoop so low to employ mercenaries, there’s nothing wrong in being a bit creative when wrecking peasants is on the line! When the Cavaliers found themselves a bit overwhelmed with some of the more ‘aggressive’ teams, they decided to add some more serious muscle to their team. Using famous Bretonnian pastries, they convinced a brutish ogre called Blubb to be knighted - after which they promptly incorporated him into their ranks, bypassing the rule about unhonorable mercenaries. Sir Blubb may lack a bit in his manners and knightly conduct, but as long as he keeps playing this well and keeps answering every question with ‘FOR THE LADY’, no one will suspect a thing!

Zombie Legion - Forest Treasures

Part of the Zombie Legion

Yet another batch of old zombies to show, this time under a vague description of heavy containers / scenery pieces that zombies stand on or try to move. It was mostly a way to use some of the larger bits that I had laying around and without any good use for them - making them probably the most classical 'fillers' that I have in the legion.

People in Kislev say sometimes, that Varsavia is a perfect place to lose something. By means natural and unnatural, people, armies and whole cities can disappear without a trace. Remains of those can be then found much later, their original purpose already forgotten. Using his zombies’ eyes, Constantin patrols Varsavia for those lost treasures, because sometimes they can be really valuable. If not, they can be used as vantage points - or at least as a curiosity for Eshnuu, who really likes to deduct how some of those artifacts end up in Varsavian forests.

First is an ogre Leadbelcher Cannon that I made as an abandoned scenery piece in the middle of the forest. Adding various sorts of weathering to it was quite interesting. It was also dubbed once as 'zombies with guns'.

Next comes a dwarven wagon, next scenery piece left in the forest - taken from the Battle for the Skull Pass set. I decided to try out some water effects resin at least once in the legion, so I prepared a shallow hole in the base, filed off some of the wagon's wheel and submerged it in some sickly green 'water' - with a ghoulish zombie on top. A mini-diorama, I guess.

And the last one, two zombies dragging a treasure chest, because who said undead couldn't be used as menial labor? This piece is meant to be used in the legion together with the Stegadon. The monster's tail sticks out a little further than the base and it was difficult to find a zombie that would fit behind the monster without it looking weird - so I placed a small chest on the ground with two zombies beside it. Now the tail doesn't interfere with anything. Besides, I could use that rather cool-looking chest.

Underworlds Warband - Sons of Skalv

Second Warhammer Underworlds warband is now ready - this time, one based on Garrek's Blood Reavers. You can see the conversions HERE. The whole idea was to get rid of all the ornaments and make them look more like low-fantasy Vikings, turning them into raiders that do worship Khorne and believe is piling skulls for his throne, but know him under a different name and don't know anything about the 'mainstream' cult.

Besides simplifying their sculpts and changing some bits, I wanted to differentiate them from normal Khorne warriors through paint too. I choose pale, desaturated colors and painted their clothes in many different hues, not only red and brown. Their weapons are also simpler and dirtier than the ones proposed by GW. To make them extra special I freehanded some Norse- and Celtic-inspired tattoos on them.

In the end, work on them was a fun experience and I think they turned out pretty well. It was also probably the first time in my life when I painted so much human skin! Now all that remains is the Stormcast warband - they are easily taking much more effort than both other teams combined, several times over!

Another reality that’s reflected in the Withered King’s dreams is the appearance of the barbarian hordes living on the northern coasts of Vechernya. Speaking an alien language, warlike, unwilling to cooperate and worshipping Khorne in all but name, they are almost always at war with their southern neighbors. Sometimes they are pushed back and brought to heel by an organized effort, but they always come back under one name or another. The newest ones are just starting on their own Path to Glory, as warbands rampaging through the southern lands to earn the favor and respect of both gods and their ancestors. One particular group, all sons of a great warchief Skalv is particularly successful. If they will prove their worth and survive, future Vechernyans will tremble before hordes of bloodthirsty raiders, all claiming to be descendants of Skalv.

First, all the brothers together as a whole warband:

Next, the singular warriors, with Garrek Gorebeard and Bloodbeast Sarrek going first:

And last, but not least, the rest of them - Karsus, Targor and Arnulf:

Monster Slaughter - The Triton Family

And now for something different, once again!

Some time ago we visited our friends here in Berlin and they always have a whole pile of new board games to try out. That one time we tried something called "Monster Slaughter" - a game by French company Ankama that got funded through Kickstarter in 2017. It centers around a "cabin in the woods" horror movie plot where a group of teenagers explore a creepy, abandoned shack with monsters trying to murder/eat them - with the players controlling the monsters. Everything is represented by pretty good miniatures.

Each monster group is a family - a dad, a mom and a child - and there is a crazy amount of them: vampires, ghosts, clowns, werewolves and many others. I played Tritons, the fish-people, the ones you can see below. After the game, I asked if I can take them home to paint because I got to like those guys. That, and they are also probably the least stylized family of the whole bunch, which also was a plus for me. Most of them are pretty comical, which fits with the comedic style of the game, but it isn't really my taste that much. Besides, they are green and dirty, and that's exactly how I like my miniatures!

They were pretty fun to paint and our friends were happy with the results. The only thing I didn't like about them was the material, which is kinda soft and bendy, like the ones used by Reaper Bones. It was a real challenge to get the mother's trident straight and removing the mold lines was also pretty tough - but besides that, they are fine minis. They were also first board game minis that I painted, so that's something too.

And here are the cards with their stats that are used in the game - I used them as instruction how to paint them. This picture was taken from the Kickstarter page.