bench update 21 December 2024

I am a little behind with updates, so very briefly

* all minis mounted and base varnished

* used rattlecan spray, desert yellow then skeleton bone, to base coat to a shade that suits ashwood spear shafts and faded leather.

* used light grey (a housepaint test pot) to base color the "mixed wool" garments. 

I'll use a wash, and I think the test told me that Vallejo sepia is the right one, to change the leather and grey to the correct shades. Avoiding spear shafts!

bench update 14 December 2024

Missed a week. I've had a little craft project going - two battlemaps for exploring the Sunless Citadel - but with that more or less under control I've now got my Scots spears the right length, and today dealt with the frustration of trying to fix them to the Strelets minis. Only a couple of them have hands shaped at the correct angle. Very hot water, bend and set in cold... did not really work.

The picture shows some of the process: fix in place using super glue, then reinforce the join with PVA, then varnish over that once dry. Both PVA and varnish are somewhat flexible which prevents the object glued from popping off if the mini is dropped.

bench update 02 December 2024

I think the new 16 are all trimmed out. None too sure about spears/pikes because some of these are "Strelets natural" with thick spears while my other minis all had florist wire spears. I need to mount all of them before I give everything a detergent wash and stick them all on paint sticks.

IV/16 Scots Common rebase begins

Earlier this year I popped the minis off the "green sawdust" bases and soaked the paint off.

Unlike the Mongols the minis were guilty of being too colorful. Apparently what I'm aiming for is grey, which results from the mixed raw wool blends used at the time.

The pikes I had installed, based on the Strelets packs, are all too long. The length I'm aiming for is about 9' or no more than 40mm in scale.

Top left, the McHairies in packet. They will need to morph with Isles and Highlands. 

Second from top left, weirdly bad minis or minis hopelessly wrong for the Wars of Independence period that I want.

Left on the cutting board, the 16 minis I like from the originals.

Right, the Strelets militia that are my first pick for joining the pikemen ranks.

Mongol Conquest IV/35 complete!?!?

After so many months it's hard to believe but yes, the rebase and repaint project is finished. This shot is prior to the final anti-shine spray, which is smelly and takes at least a day to cure off. They do look a LOT better than the original. The basing had to fit in alongside the Steppe collection, because that's where the extra 2 LH come from. They are at bottom left and right.

bench update 17 November 2024

After a short vacation I'm back and the Mongol mounted are nearly done painting. I had an idea about highlights on the leather armor while adding a white-yellow highlight yesterday. But it will involve dry brushing and sometimes that backfires.

bench update 03 November 2024

Good progress yesterday! I have that "these are pretty close to finished" excitement. I have some more color decisions to make though.