Sláine 5 - Skull Swords Pack 3

Today we have YET MORE Skull Swords. This time carrying the feared repeater crossbow. These are my third and last pack of Skull Swords for now. Three packs of these murderous ruffians should be plenty for any scenario in the game. They'll be giving it a bit of this in a few weeks:

Now that I have enough troops and a couple of Skull Sword champions, I can start adding some of the more esoteric Drune units. One or two Badb to keep Feg safe might be the next port of call. 

But not right now. I have more than enough troops painted for the Slaine get-together myself and my gaming buddies have planned for March, where nine(!) warbands will clash on the sacred soil of The Land of the Young. Here's the whole warband:

So, that's two packs of Skull Swords with hand weapon and shield, one pack with repeater crossbows, two Skull Swords champions with hand weapon and shield, and Slough Feg. 

Let's take a look at them in a more natural setting eh? Chilling out at one of Drunemeton's many idyllic sacrificial circles.

So, with the Drune warband in the bag (unless I decide to add yet some more champions) it's onward to the next project!

Sláine 5 - Skull Swords Pack 2

The first three miniatures of 2024 come leaping into action! I've returned to my Drunes for Sláine, having neglected them for over a year. I've got a big Sláine  weekend coming up in a March, so it's time for reinforcements. You kind of need a few packs of skull swords for Sláine to hew through, in fairness.

These lay partially painted on my shelf for almost a year, so it's very nice to get them finished. 

I'm still using mostly Contrast paints over Wraithbone spray for these, as that's how I painted the others. The way I use Contrast has evolved a bit since I started my Sláine project, but I want these to stay consistent, so I'm sticking to the original technique for now.

This new pack of skull swords gives me nine Drunes in the warband, which is 62 points. Enough for a middling size game. I'm planning on another pack with repeater crossbows and then a couple of Babd to keep Feg safe. I'd like to have about 100 points to play with eventually, for a few options.

For Crom Cruach!

Sláine 4 - Skull Sword Champions

Today we have MORE skull swords for the Sláine project. This time a pair of champions. One from the new Warlord range, and one far older fellow, an OOP sculpt from Foundry whose time has come at last.

This guy had resided in my box of 2000AD minis for many years, with no project to call his own. With the release of the new Sláine game though, his lonely days were over, and as a little extra I decided to make him a champion, hence the 32mm base. 

Even when you've had a mini in your 'to paint' collection for years, I find it interesting that you only really look at it closely once you decide to paint it. I'd never noticed the little triskele on his sword hilt, or the fact that he actually had eyes. 

I painted him as the rest, and the contrast paint took to him well. His shield was very plain compared to the flamboyant designs of his new peers, so I freehanded a triskele on there to jazz him up some. 

It's rather satisfying having him finally added a wee force of his evil brethren.

Speaking of shields, look at this! This guy was a mini I'd been really keen to paint since the start of the project, with his massive over the top Gwar concert shield. He's a little more fancy than the basic skull swords, he has a fancier helmet, a better weapon, more bangles and that amazing shield. Let's see that barbarian Sláine get through this!

His basing is the same as the rest bar that little pile of bones. I think they belonged to a mouse. It's been in my bits box for about twenty years.

He's manspreading like crazy, but then big skull shields are great for confidence.

 So, a pair of new champions joins the force, giving me three heroes. It's past time I added more mooks, so another three pack of axe-wielding skull swords is up next, and a creepy Drune priest.

Sláine 3 - The Lord Weird Slough Feg

The Sláine project continues with one of my childhood favourites, Slough Feg. His pose is based on the iconic Bisley drawing for the Horned God series.

Feg is Sláine's predecessor, the old horned God, and he is not planning on retiring. Having thrown in his lot with Crom Cruach and the Dark Gods of Cythrawl, he now leads the Drunes, intent on destroying the land of the young. Also, he is as mad as a box of frogs.

How could you not love him? he also gets some cracker lines in the comic. His odd syntax only adding to his macabre appeal.

So yes, Feg, all round top guy. 

As to painting this loon, his skin took me a while to get right. I didn't want him to look too undead, as he isn't, just super old and fairly stinking. I uses GW Contrast paints almost exclusively, bar some highlighting. A mix of Basilicarum Grey and Fyreslayer Flesh mixed with medium finally gave me a nice wash for the skin. Over that I glazed, mostly in the recesses and on the elbows, knees and knuckles, purple, pink and red to add some unholy life to the flesh. Some minor highlights of Flayed One Flesh and finally Pallid Wych Flesh and that was it. 

The rest of Feg used techniques I'd tried on the Skull Swords for leather, cloth etc. All pretty natural materials. His horns and progressive washes of Contrast browns from Skeleton Horde down to Garaghak's Sewer, mixed with medium. 

So, now that the main man is done, it's time for some of his champions, and yet more Skull Swords.

Sláine 2 - Skull Sword Pack 1

 

So, that's my first pack of skull swords for Sláine complete. I'm sticking with the Contrast paint approach for this project, and I'm learning more about their uses all the time. Right now I'm of a mind that they won't replace my traditional way of working, but they will certainly add a very nice set of new techniques to my painting arsenal.

The Siocast these fellows are made from holds an insane amount of detail, and is quite pliable. These lads won't break in a hurry. On the downside, files are useless. The material shreds when filed, so a super sharp scalpel is your best friend when cleaning mould lines and such. It holds paint just fine, at least it holds primer fine. I'm using Games Workshop Wraithbone primer on these lads.

So considering I'm using new paint techniques on a new material, I think these lads are turning out pretty good. The shields designs are great, particularly the one you can see just above here. The designers have taken a lot from the art of Belardinelli, who drew the Sláine strip in the early days. 

Skull sword packs come in 3s, and die easy, so I have a couple more groups of these evil guys to paint yet. I need a bit of a treat though, so next up is their evil boss, the lord weird, Slough Feg.

Sláine 1 - Skull Sword Contrast Test Model

The recent Sláine release from Warlord Games was something I've been waiting for for a while. I'm a huge 2000AD fan, and of Sláine in particular. With some friends already painting up factions for the game, it wasn't something I wasn't going to be able to resist. So I gently laid aside the Silver Bayonet for now and took up the stone axe.

I decided to paint up the Drunes. I'm more often than not drawn to the bad guys, and their leader, the Lord Weird Slough Feg, is a childhood favourite. He's like Skeletor's cranky grandad. Sláine draws on rich seam of Celtic history and myth, and laces it heavily with delicious fantasy tropes. The Drunes, my faction of choice, misuse the Earth power running through the land, eventually turning it sour in their greed. So a lot to identify with there from modern life. At least Feg is straight up about destroying the world. Would vote for.

Anyhow, I decided with this project to go full Contrast paints, pale primer, the works. So with some (loads) of help from Juan Hidalgo's YouTube channel, I set to work on the first Skull Sword.

Lord Vade- I mean Feg will not be pleased.

Skull Swords are Drune soldiery. Bearing the dreaded Triskele and willing to part heads from shoulders at their master's slightest whim, they are a nasty lot. They wear breath masks to protect them from their Drune masters foul stench, as Drune priests begin to decay as they become more powerful, and you can only get someone a Christmas deodorant gift set so many times.

Yeah, look at those Skull Swords, getting their... asses... kicked...

I was on new ground painting this fellow, so there was a lot to learn. I usually paint metals first, but this time they'd be the last thing I painted on the mini. I find contrast very pleasing to work with, but up until this point it had been more of a supplement to my style. This was a another level though, and I'd have to dispense with some tried and tested ways of doing things. Old dog, new tricks? I dunno...

I borrowed heavily from Juan's Kruleboy Eavy Contrast painting video, as it has lots of natural materials like leather and wood. I find his videos suit my style well, and aren't too time consuming. One thing that did give me a bit of a pain in the arse is re-touching the primer after working on an adjacent area. That said, the Skull Sword took about four hours in total. I reckon I could shave an hour off that now I have the colours picked and I'm not searching for techniques. I'd probably batch paint troops too, maybe groups of three, which, conveniently is the size of a unit of Skull Swords in the Sláine game. 

I painted the bases in my usual recipe. Some dead leaves and withered plants give a nice impression of sourland.

I do like the control I get with painting the metallics more like I paint other colours; base, wash and highlights for the most part. I usually use a lot of drybrushing on metals, and I think I still will for things like chainmail and such. Contrast paints are fantastic, but they are just another arrow in the painting quiver. I do love being able to tint metals with Contrast so you can easily turn a single basecoat into steel, bronze, gold or whatever. I used Canoptek Alloy as the base metal colour on the Skull Sword as I like the warmer tone.

So, with the tester done, time for some buddies for this fellow.

Strontium Dog - Max Bubba's Revenge

Something a little more unusual today. A return to the pages of 2000AD, specifically Strontium Dog. What we have here is a rendition of poor Johnny Alpha on his worst day ever. Ambushed by Max Bubba's gang, his partner Wulf is gunned down and Johnny himself staked out and left to die.

This event kicks off the epic Strontium Dog story, Rage, in which Alpha hunts down Bubba and his gang. I was only a lad when I read this one, and it's one of those stories that sticks with you.

This little gem is a limited promotional miniature for Warlord Games' Strontium Dog game, handed out at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con, if my research is correct. Warlord Games have released a starter set based around this very tale, The Good, the Bad and the Mutie. It's most tempting.

The mini came to me via the most excellent Cheetor, a fellow 2000AD fan. It felt good painting something to mark the passing of Carlos Ezquerra, the co-creator of and main artist on Strontium Dog (also co-creator of Judge Dredd) who died just under a year ago.

Oh! A slightly different angle.

Of course, now I have a want to paint Alpha, Wulf and the Gronk. I can't really leave Johnny like this, can I?

Strontium Dog - Middenface McNulty

Something random from The Mumblings today. Those of you who are fans of the venerable 2000AD might recognise this fellow as the Strontium Dog Middenface McNulty, sometime pal of the main character in the Strontium Dog series, Johnny Alpha.

I've always been a fan of Middenface. When I were a very wee lad I used to love how he spoke in the comic. It was only when I got a little older I realised this was because he was a Scot, from Shytehill, in fact. Here's a wee taste of Middenface in action.

He's no gonnae go doon easy eh? 

At BoYL this year one of  my pals is running a Strontium Dog game (the schicklgruber grab) where the stronts attempt to carry out a warrant to arrest Hitler to bring him back to the future to stand trial. How could one resist a nuts game like that? So as I had picked up Middenface when Foundry were selling off their 2000AD range, I had my man.

I picked some quite vibrant comic book colours for Middenface initially, then dialed it back to give him a little more realism. I wanted to make him look a bit more like the seasoned guerrilla fighter and bounty hunter he is, so I gave him a fairly heavy five o'clock shadow as well, and just a touch of redness on his nose. He is pretty fond of the gargle.

Painting his tartan shoulder pad turned out way easier to do than I expected, though I have simplified it down some to work at 28mm. 

I'm looking forward to seeing Middenface in action at BoYL along with the other stronts the rest of the players have been painting. I'll try my best not to talk in a bad Scottish accent the whole time, but I can't promise there won't be at least one 'Take that ye scunners!' or 'Get that stitched ya bam!'

Judgement Day Xmas Break

Cheetor and I have agreed to take a short break from the Judgement Day project.  With various other commitments at this time of year, we reckon that February first is a good time to pick things up, so Judgement Day #35 will be posted on that date.

Cheetor has a swanky array where you can see all the entries for Judgement Day so far here.

Hopefully you will join us in February for more 28mm Dredd items (although there will be other items here in the meantime too)

Thanks for your enthusiasm for the project in 2015!

Judgement Day Post 34 - Private Raimi

This week Judge Williams gets someone to boss around as the first member of his squad is painted. Private Raimi of Bruce Campbell block Citi-Def front and centre.

The idea of roving groups of legalised militia toting lots of guns and not so much training or discipline seemed crazy when I was reading 2000AD as a kid. These days, not so much.

I agonised and procrastinated over the colour scheme for these guys, finding, in the end, some photos of American riot police and early 20th century American football gear that gave me some ideas. I've made Raimi a little haggard, as I enjoy painting haggard faces, and I've set this group up as an Apocalypse War resistance unit to face off against my Sovs.

There are several interesting sculpts in the Citi-Def box, not least the sarge, so I'm looking forward to adding to the squad.

Next week it's back to Sho3box for post 35.

Judgement Day Post 32 - Undercity Alpha Werewolf

We head below city bottom this week to the undercity. A less well know denizen of the old cities are the werewolf packs. Dredd himself spent a little time running with the wolves during one of his undercity excursions during 'Cry of the Werewolf'. Originally caused by a convenient radioactive compound, the wolves are one of the many dangers lurking in the undercity.

This particular fellow is an alpha, as he is enormous. The 'giant werewolf' from the Citadel Night Horrors range. He comes with a separate head, so some fur sculpting was required to give him a mane on the back of the head and neck. He also has his junk out. Fair enough. 

I wanted to go a bit further than a grey or black wolf, so I tried a little patterning on this guy. I'm happy with how it turned out, making what could be quite a plain mini into something a little more interesting.

The alpha, Prager, is the start of a group of unsavoury undercity dwellers I'll be adding to over the next while. Sho3box will be back next week with more Judgement Day.

A blast of dog breath alerts Judge Williams to danger.

Judgement Day Post 30 - Judge Williams

This week sees something of a red letter day in my submissions for Judgement Day. An actual judge. It was a real treat painting him, and seeing the familiar colours of the Mega City One judiciary come together as the paint went on only added to the enjoyment. I see a lot more judges in my painting future. I may even give old stoney-face himself a go.

Judge Williams here is not the most by-the-book judge, but several commendations for insane bravery have kept him off the Titan shuttle. He is currently kicking his heels as Bruce Campbell block judge, and it time he will lead an Apocalypse War resistance unit with the BC Block Citi-Def. His faithful boomsti... I mean lawrod will come in handy. It'll be...

...groovy.

This also defines my approach to any zombies for Judgement Day. It's deadites all round.

Next I'll be painting up one of my favourite denizens of the undercity. In the meantime Sho3box will be back next week as Judgement Day continues.

Judgement Day Post 28 - Undercity Terrain

This week, with minutes to spare, we have the beginnings of my under-city terrain set. Judge Williams will be along presently, but I want to take my time with him, especially after watching episode one of Ash vs Evil Dead, which was pretty damn great, incidentally.

Anyway, I have little in the way of sci-fi terrain, and I decided I would concentrate on the under-city of Mega City One. Concreted over and left to decay, the under-city is the abode of mutants, troggies and werewolves. You heard right, werewolves. So, this was as good a time as any to kick it off. These pieces are from the Mantic Mars Attacks range, pretty much prefect for urban ruin. As I intend to paint up plenty of Martians as well, this set will get plenty of utility for modern and near future settings. The modular buildings from the same range are bang on too, and will give me a few multi-storey ruins. I painted these pieces as rusty and dirty, and it gave me a chance to try out some sponge weathering without too much pressure. I like the random effects sponge give, I'll certainly be using it more. Once again the GW technical paints proves their worth. I love you, Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust.

I think I'll soon add a chem pit, and start looking about for some terrain mats. There are loads of great ones out, so I'm sure I'll find something to match. Course, I'll eventually need some denizens too, so troggies and werewolves are definitely on the list down the road.

Sneaky Orlok is sneaky.

As always, Cheetor will be back with more Judgement Day from Sho3box next week.

Judgement Day Post 26 - Judge Death

This week see the final addition to the dark judges, Deadworld's chief judge, Judge Death. He's probably my favourite Dredd villian, and he's dropped enough one liners over the years to show that he's definitely got more of a sense of humour in him than his brothers. It's probably the rictus grin. His recent outing in 'Dreams of Deadworld' portrays him in a much grimmer light, but still, he's ma boy.

He might be an undead mass murderer...

This sculpt of Judge Death is TINY. He and his lieutenants are 25mm really, but it's still my favourite sculpt of the dark judge's leader. He was quite straightforward to paint, even if I kept finding parts of the model I'd missed sorting during cleanup. Nothing like taking a file to an almost painted mini.

... but Judge Death loves a comfy seat.

With Judge Death finished, that completes my dark judge project. I'll no doubt pick up the Mongoose spirit forms, and probably the Foundry versions too, but that's for another day. Next up I think it's time I took a crack at an actual judge. Judge Williams, to be precise. Bruce Campbell's block judge.

Ssssssssorted.

As always, next week it's back to Cheetor at Sho3box.

Judgement Day Post 24 - Judge Fear

Phew! That was close. I really thought this was the one that was gonna get past me, but no, Judge Fear just makes it in time for the deadline.

My fears were groundless. Ahem.

Oh, Judge Fear...

This week sees another of the dark judges painted, the Citadel Judge Fear. It's not my favourite of the old dark judge sculpts, but like Fear himself, I can't help but like it despite it's failings. His ankles in particular gave me a nightmare. Removing his tab and pinning them to the base was akin to trying to decide which wire to cut before the timer reached zero and the bomb went off. Steady hands.

Judge Fear is the no-fun-but-you-have-to-bring-him-cousin of the dark judges. ALWAYS first to get smashed up, and a bit jealous of his brothers cooler powers. Plus: mantraps? A shrunken head on his belt? Bat wings on his helmet, which also has a little door he opens to scare you?

He's fantastic, isn't he?

Individually scaring everyone to death. That's gonna take awhile.

We got even more evidence of Judge Fear's loser status in the recent Dreams of Deadworld series in 2000AD. I just can't help rooting for him though. He tries so hard, bless him.

With Fear done, that brings the brothers up to three. I bet you can't guess who's next on the painting table? Next week it's back over to Cheetor in the continuing game of Dredd tennis.