Lady/Queen McDeath.

Wow, I have been so busy at during December that I have'nt been able to do any painting at all, with one  exception. What I have been doing, when time allowed, is collecting and sorting out miniatures, but alas no real painting.

I did finally finish painting Lady (later Queen) McDeath, about a year after I started her. I followed the artwork from the cover of the McDeath Gamesmaster book. It's bright, and a very 1980's looking colour scheme, and I like it. I would like the buy another Lady McDeath and paint her in the black scheme from the poster which comes with the boxed game, but as she is a very rare miniature, this would not be practical.

Sculpting wise she a great miniature. Very similar to the artwork, with a well sculpted bodice and odd looking headress, as well as the skulls and jewellery. Her face is very expressional and has a haughty look to her. I am not sure of the sculptor, but she looks similar to the 1985 C46 Townsfolk, and some of the 2nd Edition Talisman miniatures.

So here she is...

Enjoy :)

 Lady McDeath: Sorceress; power behind the throne of East Albion; wife to the King; and owner of Spot.

 Side view.
The proportions and details of the bodice, shape of the dress/robe, and jewellery are nicely done, and the miniature has a sense of drama about her.

 Rear view, showing her long hair.

 Right hand side view.

"Fetch!"
Lady McDeath take Spot out for a little excercise.

The Gamesmaster's Guide.

Not sure what the next blog update will be on. I have three armies I collected over 2018 which I have'nt photographed, and am sorting out my Slaves to Darkness era Chaos Renegades.

McDeath Scenario: Spot.

The McDeath scenario.
This is something I have wanted to approach for a while. I have always liked the scenario, but it's only in the last few years I have got around to collecting the miniatures for it. My aim is to have not only the forces required to play the scenario, but also use those forces for the basis of two 3,000 3rd Edition Warhammer armies; McDeath's (Orc and Goblin list); and the Rebellion of the Just (Norse list).

There will be several updates on the McDeath Scenario, but this one is focusing on Lady McDeaths pet hound, 'Spot'. Spot is a two-headed Chaos hound, which breathes fire, has Iron hard skin, and has a Scorpion Tail mutation which can deliver a poisoned attack. In the scenario, Spot is Lady McDeaths pet, and obeys a limited series of commands.

I have collected all but three of the character models from the release sheet, I don't have Sandra Prangle or Markus Grimmock, but I do have stand-ins. The third model was Spot. The original Spot miniature is one of the Chaos Hounds from the C22 Creatures miniatures range. However there are two similar two-headed Chaos hound miniatures, and I have the other miniature than the one featured in the Scenario release sheet. When I picked the hound up from e-bay, it was missing it's tail, and in need of repair. So I added a spare tail I had from the C29 Giant Scorpion, all achieved with a little drilling and pinning.

I based Spot on a 50mm square base. I tried a 40mm base and a 25mm x 50mm base, but both seemed a little too small. As I intend to use but Spot, and the Beastie of Loch Lorm, as 'counts asTrolls' in a 3rd Edition Orc and Goblin army of McDeath (more on this in a later update), I wanted both to have the same base size. Both work better on 50mm, so that's how they ended up. Painting Spot was easy. I just copied the paint scheme from the McDeath Gamesmaster Guide cover artwork. It was just a mix of browns/beiges/ and white, over a black undercoat.
I am very happy with how Spot turned out.

Enjoy :)

'Spot' from the left side, showing the howling head. The other C22 Chaos hound, the 'actual' Spot, has the howling and closed mouth heads around the other way.

Right hand side.

Slight close up of the heads.

The replacement Scorpion tail.

 "Fetch!"
WIP Lady McDeath shown next to Spot for scale. I think that the 50mm base gives Spot a better and bigger battlefield presence, more befitting such a fearsome beast.

The Gamesmaster's Guide for the McDeath Scenario showing Spot. The tail in the artwork is slightly different, but I thought that the tail I had would work nicely.

Next update will be Lady McDeath. It's about time I finished painting her. I might get McDeath himself painted if I have the time.

'Scottish' Iron Claw 40k Squats.

Just for the fun of it, I have painted three test models from my 1980's Rogue Trader Era Iron Claw Squats collection. I have a small army of these, about 40 or so. I don't intend painting the army yet, I just wanted try out an idea.

I have been wondering how to paint my Iron Claw Squats for a while. I have broken down and expanded my original Squat army into four other Squat armies, and their (new) paint schemes are decided. However I wanted something interesting for these. I am currently preparing to paint some miniatures for the McDeath Scenario, and so I have Scottish themes current in my mind.

So I thought why not give these Squats a Scottish flavour? The idea was slightly touched on in the plastic Squat box set art with the red and white cap bands, and has been an ascpet of fantasy Dwarfs for a while. I think it looks good and is a different approach, it fits in with the clan idea of Squats, and also the idea that the Squats were orignally human colonists from Earth. When I get around to painting all of them I plan use a different tartan pattern for each of the Brotherhoods in the army.

Enjoy :)

 Three Squat troopers.
As the Squat models are wearing trousers, I considered them as trews. I opted for bright colours to offset the darker green of the jacket.
To add a little more Scottishness I painted the footwear as a combination of black brogues and white gaiters, as per a more Highland Scottish infantry uniform. Overall, I have tried to keep the paint scheme simple, with the main focus being drawn to the tartan.

 Trooper with Las-gun.
I really like this sculpt, full of character. I never liked the Iron Claw Squats in the 1980's, but quite like them now.

 Rear view showing the backpack.

 Auto-gun armed Squat.

Rear view.

 The second Las-gun armed Squat.
I added some Warlord Games Heather Tufts to the base.

 Rear view.

Next update will be something on McDeath Scenario miniatures.

FTD Pre-slotta Dwarf Army.

Aargh!
Another busy month with last minute blog update. I have'nt even done any painting! None the less, I have been collecting and sorting out armies. One of the armies I have finished (but not painted!) is my Citadel pre-slotta Fantasy Tribes Dwarf army.

The Fantasy Tribes ranges were a group of Citadel ranges dating from 1980 to 1983, and based on from the first set of Citadel ranges. The Fantasy Tribes ranges were broken down into racial groups, the Dwarfs being given the acronym FTD. They eventually ended up as early C-Series Dwarfs.

I have been collecting the Goblins and Great Goblins for years (since I picked up some in a GW sale in 1989), but I only started collecting the Dwarfs a few years ago. My original idea was to base the miniatures on 30mm lipped round bases, just like I have done with the Great Goblins. However I decided to make a 'proper' looking army of them, something I have been doing with some of my other pre-slotta armies recently. This entailed re-basing some of them, including the pre-slotta version of Bugmans Rangers. I really love the FTD miniature range and think that they have a 'down to earth' quality which later ranges (Citadel and others) really fail to have.

The pre-slotta army is below. In addition, I have been assembling an army based on the McDeath scenario. In the scenario McDeath controls an army of Orcs and Goblins (and a Giant). So thought I would be fun to use the numbers of Orcs and Goblins in the scenario as a basis for an 3,000 point from the 3rd Edition Warhammer armies lists, and of course using only Oldhammer era miniatures. More on that in another update, but there are some WIP photographs at the end of this update. I am also assembling a similar opposing army from the Rebels facing McDeath.

Enjoy :)

The army as a whole.
I can squeeze the miniatures into a 3,000 point army, but it would be better to have field the whole of them in 4,000+ points, allowing for more magic weapons, standards, etc, and maybe a Dragon or some Ogres.

Right flank.

Centre.

Left flank.

Spearmen unit, mainly consisting of FTD1 Dwarf with Spear and Sword. I need to convert the broken C06 range Dwarf Cleric into a standard bearer.

Dwarf warriors made up of FTD6 Dwarf with Axe and Hammer, and FTD7 Dwarf with Hammer and Pick, with an FTD8 Standard bearer with axe.

A regiment of FTD4 Dwarf with Axe and Mace, led by Drambuin from the 1983 Dungeon Adventures starter pack.
Some of these need repairing as the shafts of the axe/maces are quite fragile.

RR1 Bugman's Dwarf Rangers Regiment of Renown.
Although produced a little later that the FTD range, being made in 1984, the are contempary and fit nicely as an elite regiment for the army. These were originally based on 30mm lipped bases, but I have rebased them to fit with the army.

Another Dwarf warrior regiment made up of FTD6 Dwarf with Axe and Hammer, FTD7 Dwarf with Hammer and Pick, and FTD9 Dwarf Chieftain with Sword, with an FTD8 Standard bearer with axe. There are a few FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow in there too.

A regiment based on the FTD3 Dwarf Sword and Polearm. Like the FTD4, the shafts of the weapons are fragile, and a few require repairs.
The regiment is lead by the famous (and first incarnation of) The White Dwarf (code FS17, from the Fantasy Specials range).

Crossbow unit composed of FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow, and FTD2 Dwarf with Light Crossbow.

A second crossbow unit composed of FTD5 Dwarf with Axe and Heavy Crossbow, and FTD2 Dwarf with Light Crossbow, led by the FTD13 Dwarf with no name. 

Characters.
From left to right: FTS11 Dwarf Skeleton
with Axe and Shield (to be used as a bound Spectre); Queen Asabelle Dragonsmiter (and an unidentified cat) from the SS2 Dwarf Kings court box set; C06 Cleric; and Thorgrimm Brandedimm (Army General).

FTD16 Dwarf War Engine (on a reclaimed base).

Two DS1 Dwarf Cannon.
I have two cannons, and all the five crew, plus one in addition. Seperating the crew into two groups of three allows them to be fielded as two 3-man cannons.

Random extras:
FTD14 Dwarf Stretcher Party.
WF5 Dwarf with Inferiority Complex (which I might use as a Bombardier).

There seemed to be a lot of smoking in the FTD range of Dwarfs. Many of the Dwarfs are found smoking a variety of pipes. I think that it often give them a slightly German/Bavarian aspect.

More smokers.

A selection of the FTD8 Standard bearer with axe.

The army of McDeath! (WIP).
The idea is to assemble an army in the framwork of the 3rd Edition Warhammer Armies book using the forces at the disposal of McDeath during scenarios in the McDeath scenario pack, and the addtional 'Glen Woe' scenario.
Roughly this works out at 90 Orc Warriors, 15 Orc Archers, 12 Orc Crossbowmen; 40 Goblin Archers, and a Giant, not including the characters associated with McDeaths side. In addition, I have added some Goblin Warriors (Gobbos), the beastie of Lock Lorm, and a few Orcs/Goblins to top up units, and to make the army legal in a Warjhammer Armies lists.
More on this in a further update.

  McDeath and Lady McDeath, with cronies.

I have no idea what my next blog update will be on. I'm kind of intriged to see what it will be! :)

Citadel Temple Dogs.

This is a bit of  a last minute blog update, just finally updating before September passes by!

The truth of the matter is that I have'nt been painting in the last month, but most of my time has been work related. What miniatures related activies I have undertaken have mostly been collecting. I have been buying all sorts of odds and ends to complete units and add items to armies.

One of the great things about collecting older miniatures now, is, of course, e-bay. Now e-bay can allow access to many miniatures which I was unable, or never got around to buying, at the time. I find that it is a lot easier to source older miniatures now than it was sometimes at the time, and certainly more so than in the 1990's when their production stopped, but there was little way for people to sell them. Of course, e-bay can come at a price, but sometimes bargins can be found, or sometimes a rare miniature or sought after one turns up at a price which does'nt seem too bad. Two such things happened a few weeks ago.

I managed to purchase two miniatures in the last few weeks which I have wanted for a while, and complete a set as well. I bought the Samurai mounted on a Temple Dog, in mint condition as well, for £30. In addition, I bought the Hobgoblin Temple Dog rider for £12.50. I already had a spare Temple Dog for the Hobgoblin (as one does!) and a spare plastic lance for him. I had owned the Dark Elf Rider and Temple Dog since the 1980's, and she will be (as she was at the time) the General for my slotta based Dark Elf army.

I am aware that for some people that this might be too much to consider paying for these miniatures, but I always think that sometimes, especially for miniautres which do not appear with great frequency, it's sometimes worth the money. All three miniatures will end up leading respective armies. The Samurai leading my Empire list based Nippon army (although rules wise I would have to consider it a Warhorse); the Hobgoblin will lead a Hobgoblin Mercenary Contingent for a Hobgobla Khanate army (an Orc/Goblin list army, but using Hobgoblin miniatures instead of Orc ones, and other Hobgoblins in the Mercenary force); and the aformentioned slotta based Dark Elves.

So this update is really just me being pleased at collecting three miniatures, which not only will have a practical gaming use, and be fun to paint, but which are just nice to own and appreciate for themselves.

Enjoy :)

An original advert for the Temple Dog riders. I am not quite sure when they were sculpted, but the were part of a sale promotion in spring 1989. The plastic lances were from 1987, and the rules for Temple Dogs were released in Warhammer Armies in 1988, so somewhere between 1987-9. They were sculpted by Aly Morrison.

The three Generals (as yet unpainted).
There are two banner variants, the fan banner, and the flag/sashimono. I seem to have three sets of fans.
Temple Dogs were only avaliable in three lists in Warhammer Armies: The main Dark Elf list; the Hobgoblin Mercenary list; and the Samurai Mercenary list (which could only be used by Dark Elf armies!).

Temple Dog face.
It looks similar to Chinese Foo Dogs and the Pekinese type of dog. The dog itself is a  three part kit consisting of the left and right sides of the body, and the seperate head.

Side view.
When both parts of the body are placed together, there is a small round hole in the back above the front of the pelvis. This is where the banner pole is inserted.

Samurai General.

Samurai General.
I love the Samurai armour details.

Rear View.

Dark Elf General. Unlike the Samurai, but like the Hobgoblin, she has a small boss on her left hand to take a Citadel plastic (or metal if you had one spare) shield.

Rear view.
From this angle you can better see her great mass of 1980's Heavy metal/punk Mohawk hair. You can also see her lack of clothing. She is wearing a bikini thong, leather studded bodice/basque, a leather or metal chest piece on the collar bone (better seen in the above photograph), a neck choker, and either chainmail stockings or fishnets stockings. An electic mix for battlefield operations, even for a Witch Elf!

Hobgoblin General.
Like the Dark Elf, he has a metal boss to take a shield in his left hand. He has been sculpted in a Mongol/Far Eastern style, similar to Aly Morrisons earlier C36 Hobgoblin range. Again I like the sculpt and it's full of detail. I positioned the lance at a slightly differing angle to the other riders to give a more casual look as I thought it fitted the pose of the miniature better.

Rear view.

In addition to the Temple Dogs, I have turned my attention back to the Regiments of Renown. I bought the command group and several troopers of the RR6 Mudat's Half Orc Mercenaries, from somebody on the Oldhammer Facebook trading page, ensuring I now have a nice and neat regiment of 20 of probably not nice or neat (or hygienic) Half Orcs. I also rebased the Half Orcs I already owned onto 20mm square bases for gaming.

It is not just the Half Orcs who have aquired new shiney new bases. I have been rebasing and basing up all of my Regiments of Renown with an eye to use them in armies. Here is the pre-slotta version of RR5 Harboth an the Black Mountain Boys. I found an extra unpainted trooper to replace the variant with the halberd at the back.

Next blog update, which I promise with be sooner and better than this one, will be on the results of my sortings out of armies.