Silver Bayonet - Igor Rigorov

Returning to my Silver Bayonet unit, I've finished off this creaky old fellow. Hailing from the venerable Deadloque boxed set, this old soldier will serve as an irregular in the unit. 

Igor was an old solider even before he died. Having long served Kapitán Morozov as a tracker through the deep woods and vast wildernesses of Europe, his skills have lost little of their edge despite Igors subsequent lack of eyes, nose or ears. His ragged uniform hangs loose on his once robust frame, but  his rifle is kept scrupulously cleaned and oiled. In fact, he maintains much of his fellows gear as well, as some lack the dexterity or wit to do so themselves.

Igor was painted in a reasonable approximation of a Russian uniform. I will forgive myself any historical errors on my undead Russian soldiery. I did freehand a little decoration on his cartridge pouch from a Russian example though.

Yeah, look at me, all historical. It's quite fun looking up quite detailed uniform guides for Napoleonic infantry and then applying them to undead I have to say. It's also nice getting paint on these old boys after intending to for some time. A lot of time. More time than some of ye have been alive possibly.

So, Morozov finally has a subordinate to boss around (you know how sulky vampires can get when they're not in charge) and I have two bulky greatcoat-wearing line infantrymen on the paint station next to bring the unit up to half strength. 

'How's my hair Igor?' 'Magnificent Kapitán.'

Splinterlands - Doctor Blight

The good doctor here is the first 32mm miniature based on the online CCG game Splinterlands, and was sculpted by Drew Day Williams.

The wargame translation of the CCG is the brainchild of Jason Lye, aka 'Ye Alchemist', whom many of you know I am sure. The finest purveyor of genestealer cult rarities among other things. If so inclined you can find Dr Blight here: https://www.splinterlandalchemist.com

You can also find Jason's Dr Blight Splintertalk blog post here:  https://www.splintertalk.io/@hurricanelye/dr-blight-32mm-metal-tabletop-figure-now-with-added-paint

Dr Blight was a very pleasant fellow to paint. By using thinned Contrast Black Templar over an Eshin Grey basecoat it gave me a good deal of the shading for his coat right away. Some stark edge highlights and that was the greatcoat just about done. On the mask I used one of my paints du jour on, Corax White. An excellent base for white as it is off white enough to allow pure white highlights to show over a Corax White basecoat, though in this case I shaded it with the appropriate Apothecary White, thinned to about 50/50.

His undercoat, belt, gloves  and staff were painted various browns, shaded with Agrax Earthshade and then highlighted with Pallid Wych Flesh mixed with the base colour. Some thinned Seraphim Sepia on the robes and gloves gave the leather a little more warmth.

The lamp I wanted to burn quite low, so I added several glazes of Nazdreg Yellow contrast paint around the metal of the lamp and onto the greatcoat.  I also added a touch of Sunburst Yellow to the lamp edges before glazing with Nazdreg Yellow.

So there we are, one plague doctor to go!

Silver Bayonet - Kapitán Radu Morozov

So, a new year yawns before us. Rather than my usual look back at the previous year's hobby, this year I'm just going to plough right into a new project, that being a unit for the recently released Silver Bayonet. I'm going with Russians, but as is my want, undead Russians. I'm using this project as an excuse to paint some of the Witchlands Flintloque minis I've had in storage for some decades now. They're pretty much ideal. So, off we go!

The first member of the band is the enigmatic Kapitán Radu Morozov. 

A vampire of impressive age, he hails from Wallachia originally, but has spent many years roaming the Ottoman Empire for reasons known only to himself. Most recently he has been pursing rumours of a Turkish town plagued by two mysterious Janissaries, notable as the Janissaries had been violently disbanded decades earlier. To secure the location of the town he has gathered a retinue to pursue such leads as he has gathered thus far. 

Radu is not of a mind to let any would be vampire hunters hinder his search, and is something of an artist in his use of extreme violence.

So, the unit is off the blocks. Next up a rather ragged old veteran hunter.

Genestealer Cult - Corrupted Hierarch

 
Today we have a return to a favourite project of mine, the genestealer cult, or, in this case, the genestealer coven. This is an idea that goes back to the very beginnings of the genestealer cult, when a desperate patriarch might seek power from the dark Gods. Fascinating Xenos/Chaos mashup ensues. I adored the coven when it appeared in White Dwarf 116. The whole idea of a cult turning to chaos fascinated me. I mean, how could my young mind resist this illustration by John Blanche?

My coven is an offshoot from the main cult. What's that you say? A coven inside a cult? Jesus Dave. 

I've been accused of cramming far too many themes into my projects, (Big Trouble in Little China Terracotta robots using stolen Eldar tech anyone?) but I care not a whit. So, my Admech Genestealer cult now has a chaotic element, and the one I most wanted to make was the hierarch in chaos armour (closely followed by the purestrain with daemon weapon). You can see the original 4th Generation Hybrid Magus with chaos armour below. I've wanted to convert one evert since. If you have copies of White Dwarf 114 - 116 I heartily recommend taking a look.

Many of my favourites hark back to these issues. Mutant bombs, cult limos, rogue psykers (Blackstone Fortress rogue psyker, I'm looking at you) and cult beastmen. It also cemented the Imperial Guard plastic kit as the ideal brood brother base model. I have managed to see these models in the flesh since, and now I love them all the more. Little did I know that years later my most fervent hobby prayers would be answered and we were showered in cult kits. 

I gathered up the parts for the Hierarch (he'd be a Primus these days) and set them by. Fairly recently I finished up my pirate crew (for now) and wanted a new palette cleanser. So I began work on Khrovak Starn, Hierarch and disciple of Khorne.

Khrovak is based on a Khorne champion with a scattering of cult parts and a Legion of the Damned bolter. His sword is from the Wrathmongers/Skullreapers kit. An insanely useful kit for Khorne fans. He only needed some minor greenstuff work.

Much of the colour palette was already set, but the on the armour I wanted to try something new. A while back I used contrast paints to paint the black iron armour on my wights and wondered if I could do something similar here. I painted the armour in Chainmail and then gave it a 1:1 Contrast Medium:Flesh Tearers Red. I settled nicely while still allowing the sheen of the metallic through. I edge highlighted it with Stormhost Silver, recess washed it here and there with Agrax Earthshade with a wee bit of Druchii Violet, and that was it. I'm very happy with it and I'll be using it on any future rage-based armour schemes.

The black daemon sword is highlighted with various greens and then glazed with Waywatcher Green. I think it sets off nicely against the red armour and also matches the rest of the cult who tend to have green gun casings and power packs on their backs. 

The other thing I had to settle on a colour scheme for was the wee bone dagger. This might seem simple as its well, bone, but I'm thinking ahead to Acolyte and Tyranid Warrior boneswords. I added the black 'jewels' with green highlight to give it a weird slightly icky organic look and I think it worked.

So now I think adding a possessed Magus and maybe a unit of beastmen would give me enough to add to my normal cult to field a coven. My mindslaves can double nicely as mutants too. 

That's the coven itch scratched for now!

Ghost Archipelago 9 - Boarding Hooke, the Drowned Ogre

 

After a slight hiatus, the Mumblings returns with another undead offering for your perusal. Allow me to present Mr Hooke, or as his crewmates know him, Boarding Hooke.

Sloughing and slouching his way around the deck of the Kraken, the lumbering form of Mr Hooke is not a sight for the squeamish. His flesh, softened by his long slumber in the ocean depths, is saggy and reeking. 'Like a big loaf o wet bread ee' is.' Bosun Woodlock has been heard to say of the ponderous ogre, not entirely without affection.

Even though Hooke seems constantly on the verge of disintegration, he is shockingly resilient and devilishly strong. His flesh swallows weapons lodged in his sodden bulk while he pulverises their wielders with his club. The crew know him as Boarding Hooke due to the massive rusty hook that serves as his left hand in part, but as much for his talents in boarding actions. Despite appearances, Hooke is a strong swimmer, and can scale the side of a vessel and annihilate half the crew before they've even loaded a musket. When Hooke and Smiling Jack work in tandem they can clear a vessel in jig time.

When not splattering decks with brains and offal Hooke tends to the Kraken as a master rigger. He is quite dextrous, considering.

Hooke is a rather large resin Ogre from Warploque Miniatures. His large expanse of flesh was most pleasing to work on, and he is packed with detail, such as his little octopus friend on his back. I used my usual palette, though I did take GW Screamer Pink out for a spin on his intestines. It's a brilliant colour I plan on using more often. That and GW Contrast Volupus Pink are my new best pals.

His base is encrusted with marine debris, including some real crab shell that's been in my bits box about thirty years. I knew I'd get to use it one day.

With the addition of Hooke, that brings my band of undead pirates to completion for now. I do plan on coming back to add a couple more members, but one needs a change to refresh the hobby mojo. Hopefully I will get to use them in a game of Ghost Archipelago in the not too distant future, but for now we will step down the gangplank and bid the Kraken farewell as she vanishes over the horizon.

Ghost Archipelago 8 - Jarl Hakon

 A red letter day for the Ghost Archipelago project today. With the addition of the hunter, Jarl Hakon, the crew finally becomes useable in games, having reached ten members. I do plan on adding a few more, but it's nice to have  game-ready crew.

Jarl here is another Arcworlde sculpt. How that rope cast is a mystery to me, but it looks cool. He'll join the crew as another specialist.

Jarl is only nominally a member of the crew of the Kraken. Though willing to pitch in when required, he is his own creature, and is oft left to his own peculiar devices. No member of the crew is ever foolish enough to touch Gertrud, Jarl's viciously barbed harpoon.

The Kraken came across Jarl Hakon floating on a battered section of ship's hull. He stood astride the wreck, harpoon in hand, as if waiting. When called out to, he shouted back that his ship, the Naglfar, had been attacked by a great beast that morning, and he was the last surivor. He had driven it off with his harpoon, but it was a cunning devil and would wait until he grew weary and attack again and again.

As Jarl roared back this answer The Old Man of the Sea leaned in close to Captain Wither and informed him that Jarl had, in fact, been keeping vigil on the limpet-encrusted remnants of the Naglfar for more than eighty years. Such had been his punishment at the hands of the wight whale. But his penace was at an end now, and the Old Man had need of Jarl's skills.

Thus the Old Man whispered down over the side of the Kraken and across the waves to the agitated Norseman. No soul aboard the ship heard what bargain passed between them, but soon enough Jarl was clambering aboard. Since that day he has proven his mastery over beasts of land and sea, and while he is not to be drawn to discuss the fate of the Naglfar, he is stalwart and reliable, which is enough.

Jarl has an old school whaler thing going on, so I painted his coat like old oilskins. The rest pretty much followed the recipes used on the other crew members. He's a big lad, so he went on a 32mm base. I try to keep base sizes consistent, but sometimes you have to go with what looks best.

So there we have it! The crew of the Kraken is ready to explore the Ghost Archipelago in search of redemption, and possibly booty. I have a few more pieces to add, some treasure and one or two more crew. Or several. I have fishmen (Like the lads from The Flying Dutchman in Pirates of the Caribbean), more undead pirates, and various sea creatures and monsters all vying for a place on the Kraken. With a few choice additions I can have a viable Warcry band shortly.

So, I hope you've enjoyed the slow muster of the Kraken's compliment, sure twas only a joy to work on me hearties! Yo-ho!

Ghost Archipelago 7 - Undead Deckhands 2

 

Yo-ho ye sea biscuits! Another pair of old salts here for your inspection. I need at least four deckhands for the crew for Ghost Archipelago, and these two swabs complete that compliment. As the others, they are armed with cutlasses to keep things nice and simple. I might add some deckhands with other weapons once I get a few games in, but for now I'll introduce you to Bilgewater and Ned Mawgan.

Ned Mawgan is the youngest of the crew that sails aboard the Kraken. Barely out of his teens when the curse struck the ship, Ned is particularly bitter about what might have been. Perhaps due to his lost youth, Ned is full of vim and vinegar, always first over the rail and always advocating the most straightforward action. With his mortal life so close to his thoughts, the curse lies gently upon him, and there are times when he can even pass for the man he once was. It is this ability that allows Ned to venture ashore now and then, to secure such supplies as the Kraken might need, and hound the locals for news. The Kraken's crew might be dead men, but they still love gossip.

Ned even convinced the captain to allow him to visit his home once. It was against his better judgement, but the Captain harbours no small amount of guilt for Ned's fate, and so allowed it. Slipping silently into a lonely cove in the moonlight, the ship waited on Ned to return. So he did, and rather than the expected tale of horror and woe, Ned returned with a tale of a mourning family joyous at their son's return, however briefly. They await him still, and this knowledge steels Ned's heart against whatever trials the Kraken must face.

Bilgewater is the most forlorn of all the Kraken's crew. In stark contrast to young Ned, Bilgewater retains no memories of his mortal life. He rarely leaves the ship, and only very occasionally appears above deck. His penchant for haunting the deeperst parts of the vessel earned him his nickname, but in truth, neither he nor his crewmates can now even recall his real name. Bilgewater sees to his tasks without complaint, and his eerily detached manner is a grim warning of what awaits all the crew sbould they slip too far into despair.

These two fellows bring the crew up to nine, almost minimum size for a game. I have my final member, the as yet unnamed harpoon wielder getting some paint at the moment. With luck the whole crew will be done shortly. Of course, there are a few more I want to add after that. The drowned ogre for one, then perhpas another specialist, and I have a sharkman that would look nice with a bit of paint.

On a side note, I started using a new varnish, AK Interactive Ultra Matte. It really means it, the finish is  very matte indeed. I've been using Daler Rowney Matt varnish for years, with no complaints. AS the AK Ultra Matte is water-based, my only concren is that is won't be as hard wearing. Have any of ye had any experience with it?