SITC Planning

While the varnish dries on the Ripper Suits I've been planning my build for the SITC. With the theme being non human I decided to try a dwarven building.  But what makes a building dwarven?

One obvious answer is to base something on the rather nice trio of buildings from Grudge of Drong, a 4th edition Warhammer scenario pack that is loosely based on India during the Raj.  I still have my original card buildings (unbuilt!) as well as an MDF version from Lasercut Architect, who I believe are no longer trading.  If/when I build Grudge of Drong terrain I'll probably go with the MDF stuff as a base, so that doesn't really fit with the ethos of the challenge.

I've also long wanted to do a dwarven forge based on Terrain for Hippos build, but I wondered if there was anything I could adapt from the Townscape. 

The Townscape does contain a quartet of dwarven builds.  Sort of.  In 'Bloodbath at Orc's Drift', building 19, the Half Timbered Cottage is used by the dwarves of Ashak Rise for their illicit gold panning operation.  Likewise, in 'Terror of the Lichemaster', buildings 6,7 and 8 are used by the dwarves at Gimbrin's Mine, along with an impressive wooden aqueduct and a minehead.  Now in every case the buildings are also used by humans (or elves) and are scaled accordingly.

I've always been slightly bothered by this, dwarves should have lower doors and windows and given the makeshift nature (dwarves - makeshift?  Never!) of the huts at Gimbrin's mine they don't need such high rooves.  Could it be as simple as just cutting a few millimetres off the bottom?

To try this theory I made a mock up of one of the buildings from TotL (No 8 in Warhammer Townscape).

Full sized building No. 9 with Mantic dwarf next to window

Dwarf on veranda

Dwarf next to door

Looking at the full sized build it is clearly a small hut.  Both minis are on bases though, and once the building is based that should be accounted for.  The scaling isn't bad actually, though the dwarf is low down to the window, he'd need a box.   

But is is better with a lower building?  to fond out I trimmed 4 mm off the bottom of the building.

Shorter building - window view

and with the door

I much prefer the lower building; the dwarf next to the window looks right, the door is low now, but OK and I can make it a bit taller if necessary.  I can also make the door wider, after all, most fantasy minis of dwarves depict them as wider than humans.

So now I have a plan for a dwarven hut.  I think it no longer looks obviously human, but can I do anything else to 'dwarfify' it?

Since the building is small I plan on trying a couple of builds to see which looks best.  I'm thinking a normal build, wooden plank walls and tiled roof as per the original.  I'll also try a stone version, after all, dwarves are great stonemasons.

If time allows I may even try a metal version, with girders, metal plates and pillars and a metal roof.  I've a feeling this might be too much, but it sounds fun and should certainly look non human.

I will say that I have another motive for this.  I am very slowly building stuff up for my Dragon Rampant version of Bloodbath at Orc's Drift in 15mm, and as I mentioned here I have fond memories of playing the preliminary games simultaneously.  I may well never get to do this again, but if I did, I'd need more than one set of buildings (you can see Kachas Pass here).  The Ashak Rise dwarves could easily use a building like this one, possibly a couple of small huts, so I' plan on replicating this project in 15mm soon, it will be ideal for Gimbrin's Mine as well of course.

The Second International Townscape Challenge

As I put the finishing touches to the Ripper Suits its time to announce (drum roll ish)

The Second International Townscape Challenge - Beyond Human

Bodvoc, Merijin and myself enjoyed the first one, and we've been thinking about a second challenge pretty much as soon as we'd finished.  what should we build?  More Townscape?

Now if you follow Merijin's Another Wargames Blog you'll know that he's finished all the Townscape buildings, so clearly we need to expand the criteria to give him something different to do.  Since all three of us have considerable collections of non human troops, something suitable for the non-humans sounds fun.  It would be nice to keep the same style so the buildings fit in with our existing terrain, but it's for a different race, so I expect to see some very interesting ideas here.

Not only are we extending the criteria, we are hoping to expand the number of contestants. So if you want to have a go, read the contest aims below and drop me an email (contact form at the bottom of the page). 

THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL TOWNSCAPE CHALLENGE – BEYOND HUMAN 

AIM

 To build a Warhammer model in the style of the Townscape appropriate for a non-human race

  
RULES (more sort of guidelines really)

The building may be based on one of the Warhammer Townscape models or may be designed from scratch, providing it fits in with the Townscape style.

Other sources may be used (e.g. the 4^th edition scenario packs, Grudge of Drong etc).

You have until the end of December 2021 to complete the model.

 

You must post one blog post before the end of November demonstrating progress.  Otherwise blog your progress however often you feel appropriate and link to each other’s blogs.

 

The challenge is designed to inspire and encourage.  There is no prize apart from the congratulations of your peers, both within the challenge and on our blogs, and as many pats on the back (self-administered) as is deemed appropriate.

 
 
GOOD LUCK

Warhammer Buildings - A Question of Scaling

Back in 2020 when I was making one of the Warhammer Townscape buildings in a build off with Merlin/Bodvoc I mentioned that I thought that the scale of the PDF was off.  Well I've recently found my original model of the same building.

Both versions of the building

As you can see, the original is smaller.  If you want the details, the main building on the original is 106mm by 106mm and 40mm rising to 80mm high. The more recent version based on the PDF is 122m by 124mm (woops) and 44mm rising to 88mm high.  Not a huge increase, but noticeable.  

From above the size difference is most obvious

Now this doesn't matter, after all, there's no set size to such buildings, and the difference is small enough that minis look OK next to either building.  I suspect that today's minis, at 28mm or even 32mm scale, would make the earlier build look quite small.  

Its interesting to me to revisit such an early build.  I must have made this pretty much as soon as I got Bloodbath at Orc's Drift back in 1985.  I photocopied the original building sheets and simply glued them onto 4mm thick card, thus the doors and windows are in pretty much the right place to match the artwork. The card was liberated from the recycling at work and is strong and very tough to cut, it's lasted over 35 years mostly in none too gentle storage.  Cutting out those doors and windows took ages.  Foamboard may not have the strength, but it's lighter and much easier to work with.  Otherwise, construction is pretty much the same as I do now; balsa timbering, filler/spackle for daub and card strips for roof tiles.

The question now is what to do with it.  The model is sound and needs only a little fixing up.  I'll have to sort those windows out, perhaps by filling them from the back and adding some form of leading, granny grating again I think.  If I'm putting in a bit more effort I'll give the timbering a light sanding as there are lots of bits where I've got the filler on the wood (or I could paint it up as moss?).  The daub could do with a bit more depth, true half timbered buildings have very little difference in level between the dub panels and the timber frame.

While the roof is OK, its a bit battered, and I prefer a bigger overhang (daub walls don't do well in very wet weather; a large roof overhang helps protect them).  To make the building look different I may even remove the roof and start again. A new chimney is a must (or perhaps a smoke hole if  I'm going for early Mock Medieval?), and I'll definitely add a base.

So this can be a project for the near future, once the ripper Suits are finished perhaps, and if this goes well, I've also found my original (unfinished) model of the Tavern.

Orctober - Review

As Orctober ends I thought I'd look back at the month and assess how well it went.

I've long felt that I work well to a goal (mostly), and this really helped me focus my painting for the month.  The lack of any gaming goals over the last 18 months or more made it hard for me to get much done, as demonstrated by my inactivity last year.  

However, if I set myself too strict a goal I find it hard to work as well.  I resent the time spent when I could be doing something else, I notice this particularly if I have a deadline for RPG stuff.

Orctober was pretty much spot on.  I knew I had to paint orcs, but I have so many different orcs to paint that it never felt like a chore, well, apart from all those red eyes.  I managed two complete projects and got a good way on with a third.  If I'd been less ambitious with the 10mm Mordor stuff I may even have completed the Ripper suits, but I've learned that if I leave stuff part done, its not always easy to get back to complete it, there's too much other stuff to do.

All this leads me to think what next?  Ages ago I did themed months, and this generally worked, but the projects tended to be too long to complete in a month.  I do wonder if looser themes with several small projects might work going forward?  Anyway, Ripper Suit completion first, then I already have some Gondorian troops in 10mm to base.  Then, perhaps, some dwarves?

Orctober - Mantic Marauder Ripper Suits Progress

With my Ripper Suits assembled and primed its on to painting.  I've done my research and watched a good number of YouTube videos and there are lots of ways I could approach the Ripper Suits.

I'm particularly taken with Sonic Sledgehammer's Grizzly Suit. The result is subtle, but looks very different to a Space Marine or similar, and I want to avoid that. I've based my painting on this, though with my own palette, and lots more fiddly details.

When it comes to colours, I wanted to avoid the 40K orc black or red with checks look; Marauders are much more militarily sophisticated, though they are happy to trade on the 'dumb brute' stereotype.  I didn't want an 'army green', with green skins there isn't much contrast.  I'm also avoiding grey, I might look at that sort of colour for my GCPS.  My previous Marauders (here) were a sort of vague Afrika Corps colour scheme (or any modernish desert unit), which looked good with the green flesh, so I went for a yellow/brown palette, conveniently close to the German Green Brown primer; you'd almost think I planned this.

The Vallejo Surface Primer was given a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone. Already I liked the results.

 

Primed and washed Ripper Suits

Once everything was dry I used Sonic Sledgehammer's foam stippling technique with Vallejo Extra Opaque Heavy Khaki. It gives a good effect, though I think I need to practice a bit to reach his levels of quality. I highlighted with a mix of the VEO Khaki and Vallejo Game Color Khaki with a final highlight of straight Khaki. 

I then went on to the details. Orc skin in two different shades of green, gunmetal for most of the metal pieces and VEO Heavy Charcoal for the pipes and tubes. 

There are a lot of little details on the models, pipes, straps etc, and there's a temptation to add a lot of colour here.  However, these are military combat suits built for effective use; none of this 'red to go faster'.  Real life military rarely go for lots of brightly coloured equipment, that said, a little bit of spot colour will lift the mini and give interest to the eye.

So the final stage will be to add some detailing, but not lots.  Family stuff has taken up a lot of October (plus the opportunity to have a day playing the music of Josquin de Prez), so I'll be finishing these in November.  After that, maybe I'll get the rest of a Marauder Striek Force done, as I now have Deadzone 3, and these Ripper Suits need some friends.

I also got to go to FIASCO today, Leeds Wargames Club's annual show.  It's been a while since I've been to this show, but it looks like the only one I'll get to this year, and the first one since Recon 2019.

I didn't get much, some cheap brushes and a couple of Reaper Bones minis, but it was great to get to a show again and meet T'Other One and Bodvoc, along with his SAD Wargamers (Settle and District).  Bodvoc has done a better write up of the show (with pictures!), I struggled with the dim lighting that the show is cursed with, so didn't do much more than just gaze in wonder.  One participation game that stood out for me was a Mandalorian themed skirmish.  The 3D printed minis were excellently done, and made me think I need to investigate this more for both my 28mm and 20 mm Star Wars games.

Orctober - Mantic Marauders Ripper Suits

Whilst the varnish on the 10mm Mordor orcs was drying, I started my next Orctober project, something for Deadzone.

I have quite a few* of Mantic's Deadzone/Warpath Marauders (or orx as they were briefly known).  I painted up the infantry a while ago but these were gifted to a gaming buddy to encourage him to start his own Deazone team.  I recently started rebuilding and painting the old restic infantry, but I wanted to add more variety to the team; the restic models aren't great for this.  When I heard about the forthcoming hard plastic Marauders I decided to hang fire to see how well components from those work on the restic infantry.  Once I get the chance to try, I'll let you know.  

I've never build any of the Ripper Suits though, and these are impressive bits of kit.  Building the two versions seemed like a good Orctober project, so here we go (NB: NOT 'Ere We Go).

I'm not a fan of working with restic.  There are techniques to learn and it cleans up differently from metal, resin or hard plastic.  Still, once cleaned up the models build up fairly easily once you work out what goes where.  The rotary cannon must fit on a left arm, but otherwise there is a lot of freedom with the components.  Some of the joints need a bit of help; drilling out the sockets on the arms is a must, but go carefully otherwise you'll have to fill with greenstuff.  I speak from experience.

Here they both are, built and undercoated with Vallejo German Green Brown Surface Primer.  I've left the heads off for now to make it easier to paint the suits.  They'll get painted separately and glued in place once everything's finished.

Note heads on sticks

I'll get some paint on them once the primer has cured.  Given the amount of armour on them I might approach them rather like Space Marines, or should I treat them more like vehicles?  I think I need to do some research.

*Or lots and lots, depending on your viewpoint.  I prefer to think of them as being the perfect amount.

Orctober - 10mm Mordor Army Finished

They are done.  All the Mordor troops I currently possess are now painted and, where possible based, ready for Fantastic Battles.  You can see them started here, and some more progress here.  Of course I intend to add to them, as is they are about 500 points worth, and that includes a hefty 100 points in the Witchking.  Fantastic Battles uses a command system so I suspect that having unreliable as a racial trait for orcs means that I'll need lots of captains to try and keep order.

The whole army so far.  Most based for Fantastic Battles, with a small pile of 'spares' ready for the next batch.

I wasn't sure what colours to paint wargs. Tolkien describes them as grey, which works well for a fairly naturalistic scheme, and the minis themselves are very much 'big wolves'. The film wargs are more shades of brown, and I felt this contrasted better with the dark tones in the armoured riders (armour, shields and flesh on some of them). The undercoat had a Vallejo Game Color Khaki drybrush, I then darkened the back with VGC Beasty Brown (the same colour as the fur cloaks worn by some of the orcs, animal welfare issues?) and further darkened the back with a line of Army Painter Dark Tone. I darkened the eye sockets, but perhaps they would have looked more menacing with a red dot?

I'm not completely happy with the red eyes on the shields.  I think it looks a bit crude, but then it is orcs painting it, and on the tabletop it should look OK.

Heroes and commanders.

I'll probably use the Nazgul as a wizard.  The Warg Chieftain will be a thief attached to the rest of the wargs

Witchking on Fellbeast (to borrow film terminology), probably a Dragon/mage Lord character company and Mordor Trolls

Warg riders and wargs

Two companies of orc bows

Orc warrior company and orc 'elites'.

I selected some of the best armoured orcs to base as a separate company in case I ever want any guards, think Bodyguard of Bolg from The Hobbit.  They are based more in ranks as they might be better represented by a Regular company.

Three more orc warrior companies

Another view of the army showing my attempts to make most of the companies look fairly irregular.

The minis were based on Renedra 40mm square plastic bases which had previously had magnetic sheeting stuck to the bottom.  Heroes have 20mm square bases.  The bases were then textured with a mix of fine (Chinchilla) sand, burnt umber craft paint and PVA glue.  This was carefully applied with a dental tool, then smooshed into place with a damp brush. A few stones were added for rocks. I normally drybrush with lighter browns and bonewhite, but the mix, when dry, showed the light colour of the sand as highlights so that wasn't necessary.  I don't really know how I managed this, I hope I can replicate it in the future.  Once dry I glued fine static grass in place with PVA craft glue, then neatened up the edges with burnt umber paint.  I may add some tufts in the future if I can find some that don't look ridiculously large, and maybe some clump foliage too.  

The Witchking hasn't had his base finished because I want to add some ruins to it.  I'll see what I can craft.

I certainly think that my painting method works well on these tiny minis.  Only the Nazgul were painted in a more traditional method of increasing highlights.  Black is a hard colour to get looking right on minis, but I think these came out OK.

I'm really looking forward to trying the game.  Bodvoc has had a game or two already, and thinks it will work well for Lord of the Rings style games.  I'll also look at expanding my forces.  More orcs certainly but possibly also some Haradrim and/or Easterners.  I already have a few companies of Minas Tirith troops, since its good to  collect two armies I'd better do some more of them too.