Imaginations in 42mm (10)

I started painting the generals for my armies (see also this blogpost). As you can see, there are not finished yet (they still need some touching up, and most importantly, a thick layer of gloss varnish), but let's say 90% of the work is done.

When painting figures in the "toy soldier style", I go for simple block colours. There's always the temptation to add some short of shading or highlights, or to add too many details, but I try to resist that. The painting should be in bright colours and in large blocks (but not sloppy or imprecise). Moreover, I try to keep the original painting scheme of the toy soldier as closely as possible. Thus, if he had a blue uniform, he gets a new blue uniform. If he had a white frock, he gets a new white frock, etc. I sometimes add a few colours on small details that were not painted in the original paint job, but that's about ir.

I also never touch the face, unless for small repairs where the bare metal is showing. I feel that you can give a toy soldier a new uniform if he needs one, but repainting the face is like altering his identity. I feel that if you repaint his eyes, or give him a new moustache, he becomes a new person. Some might think this is somewhat ridiculous, and sometimes I think this myself, but it's one of these little pet peeves I have when repainting an old figure. You have to show him some respect, and let him keep his dignity. Not repainting his face is part of that.

The two figures on the left will become the generals of the blue army, the one on the right the generals of the green army. Since they didn't have any green in them originally, I decided to add a few green details such as their sashes and waistbands.

Oh, and I repaired the brown horse that got broken near its ankles, and added a transparant flight stand to keep it stable.

And a happy 2018 to you all!

Imaginations in 42mm (9)

For my Imaginations 42 mm project - for which we still have to play our first game - I was still short of the generals for both sides. So far, both forces had a single general on foot, but I felt I should have a proper mounted general, along with a mounted ADC, such that both figures together could also occupy a hex in the game.

Instead of ordering some additional 42mm figures, I decided to take a look in one of my boxes full of old toy soldiers, and draft some of them into service (I regularly buy cheap random heaps of classic old toy soldiers on 2nd hand websites, but quality and size is variable). The drawer that contained 42mm (more or less) mounted figures, gave me 4 suitable models I could use. I have no clue about their age or manufacturer, so if someone can point me in the right direction, feel free to do so (no markings on the base ...).

My drawer with mounted toy soldiers ...

These 4 figures will become 2 generals and 2 ADCs.

They are still in good shape, although they do need a good (re)paint job, Also, there is some minor damage, but nothing that can't be repaired or hidden. As for repainting them, I will try to keep the colour scheme as close as possible to the originals.

After I convinced myself these were the proper figures to use, I wanted to clean them up. The brown horse (top right in the image above) was bent at the ankles, and I wanted to straight it out a little. And then both rear legs of the horse snapped ...

Luckily, I am not too fuzzy about that sort of thing. Yes, I wished I had been more careful, but hey, such things happen, and I have become too old to get all upset about a broken toy soldier. I will try to repair the horse, probably by mounting its forelegs on a scenic element such as a small rock, such that the whole figure has some stability. I don't expect superglue will be able to hold the weight of the entire body when I simply glue the  parts back together ...

Work in progress

Recently, I acquired some 90s era miniatures from an old gaming buddy (see also this blogpost). The items below were once part of the Kryomek range, and are still in production by Scotia Grendel.

Two Automated Sentinel Towers (I also have some buidings in these range, see here):

 A bipedal warwalker (Goliath Storm Rider):

2 Tanks (full range):

... which are a nice addition to the ones I already had in my collection:

Oldies

More old miniatures ...

I acquired these as part of a larger trade (along with some 75 1980s Norse Dwarfs from Citadel) with a long-time gaming buddy. He wanted some old Magic cards, I wanted some old miniatures. No money was involved. Those deals are the best!

So, what are these?

• Citadel Giant "Nine Fingers" - advertised in White Dwarf 94
• Citadel Fimir - advertised in White Dwarf 86
•  Citadel Night Horror Vampire
• 2 Citadel Fighters - Knights of the Empire Sword 25 & Hammer 4
• Grenadier "Fantasy Lords 504 Pet Dragon"
• Ral Partha Dragon -- 11-482 White Dragon
• Grenadier "Fantasy Warriors 51016 Undead Troll"
• Citadel wizard