The Heroes, The Zombie, and the Scenery.

No, not a pastiche on the C.S. Lewis novel, but what I've been painting this week.

I've finished 7 more of the Skull Tales heroes, plus a Zombie Sidekick, leaving just 7 more Heroes and a Dog to go to have completed all the models I have for the game.  I say "I have" because there were some Door and Treasure Chest minis as an add on, that I didn't buy, but they were more money than I felt they were worth, so I stuck with more 'gamey' pieces.

Again, there are some definite pop/geek culture references amongst batch two, one of which I really wish was different, but I can't have everything.

The Joker

Today was the day I finished painting
"Almost Captain Jack Sparrow"

Native Huntsman
"Hawkeye" I said to Mrs. Hill.
Then "No, not M.A.S.H.,
Last of the Mohicans."

Freedman
No specific reference here I can see.
Though he does match an NPC in an
RPG I'm running very well

Swordsman
Hello.  My Name is Inigo Montoya
You Killed My Father.
Prepare to Die.

Voodoo Shaman and Zombie
There is a certain Baron Samedi-ness
to the Shaman, but I think that's more
the skull makeup than anything else.

Far-Eastern Spy
No reference here for me
though theremay well be one
I'm not that up on my Eastern Cinema

Bodyguard
Kevin Costner he ain't.
When I heard there would be a "Turkish Bodyguard" that
would be a 'big fellow' I was hoping that as we had Inigo
this would be Fezzik.  Instead, I reckon this is Strong Belwas
(from the Game of Thrones novels - he didn't make the TV
series) which is just as good.

I also painted the The Walking Dead All Out War Scenery Booster from Mantic Games this week - I wanted to get some vehicles done for a painting competition, and these did well for that - and some objective markers and scatter terrain are always handy to have.  Not only that, Mrs. Hill will be running a Deadlands: The Wasted West RPG at some point, so Post-Apoc terrain will be very handy.

More Barricades

Barricades

Yet more Barricades

More Objectives.
So are Baked Beans

Objectives.
Campbells Soup is Important Stuff

I tried to do that sky/earth highlighting thing for the windows of the vehicles.  I've tried it once before and I'm not sure that I've "Got it" yet, but I think I'm getting better.

I also used a colour shift paint for the first time (and promptly covered it up with rust, muck and scratches).  It's interesting stuff to use, and I've been told that an airbrush will make its use much easier.  I've never really used an airbrush though, and don't want the expense of setting one up.  Nor do I have a "hobby room" outside of my area in the living room, so such things may have to wait.

Colourshift Paint

It makes for nice self-highlighting!

Black.

It'll never go out of style.

It all used to be one colour.

Honest, it did!

I think I should have done some kind
of Mechanic markings on this one.

"Dave's Garage" or something similar.
Maybe next time ...

And a Collage, because I put one together for my
painting competition entry and wanted to use it again.

So that's 28 models painted this week, and I didn't buy any models either.  However a good friend, apropos of nothing, bought me a bit of TT combat scenery - the Wild West Undertaker, which comes with 7 gravestones too.  And a Reaper Gravedigger to go with it.  So, that's 9 models acquired.  And very nice they are too.  More MDF and Plastic for the pile!  Still not quite 200 ahead, but I might get there next week, if going to the theatre (Back to the Future, the Musical!) doesn't get in the way of next week's painting.

Running Totals

Painted: 257

Acquired: 65

Holding out for a hero

As predicted, painting the Heroes for Skull Tales has slowed down the number of completed models this week. Batch painting is definitely a lot quicker, but I've enjoyed doing these more. Same feeling of accomplishment, but from a different source, I think.

Also, we've got a puppy moving in on Tuesday, so there's been a lot of moving things around the house to make it as canine-safe as we can - my painting area being in the living room that's meant a few things moving - and I'm going to have to stop leaving things out too. 

Fortunately my painting desk is an old writing bureau, so the desk part will fold up and lock.  It'll just take some re-arranging to ensure I can pack away and close things when I'm done.

Even so, I've completed 8 of the Heroes, and got the remaining 14 (plus two 'sidekicks' - a Zombie and Dog) undercoated, and all the flesh painted, which puts them into my Work in Progress pile, I suppose!

There are several 'homages' to Films, Games, T.V., and Books amongst the heroes - and I'm pretty sure I'll have failed to spot some too.

The Avenger.
I think he's been mostly dead all day.
I think he'd make a good Dread Pirate.
Definitely channelling The Princess Bride

The Cabin Boy.
Complete with Chicken.
I wonder if there's a pulley in there?
Maybe he's Guybrush Threepwood?

The Captain's Daughter.
So many jokes ...
I'll restrain myself.

The Cook.
Lovely Parrot. Two Legs though,
so not Long John Silver.

The Cutthroat.
I'm getting a definite Assassin's Creed
vibe from this one.

The Surgeon.
I've got nothing for this one.
No references at all.

The Twins.
Twice the Trouble.
But again, no reference point for me.

With two weeks to go until the vehicle painting competition, I might end up entering the ships from Skull Tales, but I also have Mantic's Scenery Booster for The Walking Dead game.  Four somewhat battered vehicles are in there, and I'm hoping to get at least one of them done by the end of the month as well. 

I'll just have to see if I can get them sprayed this week.

With just 8 models painted this week, I'm ahead by 173.  Just 16 left to go to have Skull Tales finished completely, and then I'll have to decide whether to do another 'project paint' or just have a bit of a 'this and that' month during March.

Running Totals

Painted: 229

Acquired: 56

All out of Enemies

I've finally completed all the enemy figures from Skull Tales - while I'm not done with the game, it feels good to say that this section of the painting is complete.

As it's the first full week of the month, I took a look at my work in progress pile to see if anything grabbed me, which really, it didn't.  I've been pushing on with the Skull Tales painting and really want to get it done, so while one or two things did say "paint me", they didn't say it very loud...

... though there were a couple of models sitting on my painting desk that I did get painted this week that aren't from Skull Tales, so maybe I can say I got into the WIP pile, at least a little.

Amazons

I found the Amazons difficult to do - there was a fair bit of bad moulding between the face and the spear that somewhat put me off the models. They were the last things painted this week, and I'm not too sure about them.  Still, they're perfectly usable, and from the distance they'll be looked at for gaming, are just fine.

Bootbiters

Whose boots they bite, I don't know, but whoever it is is probably going to need some new footware. The tentacles with the over-exaggerated suckers just made me thing of the Day of the Tentacle.  There was quite a bit of pondering about the suckers - but I did manage to resist painting them green.  Instead I did the suckers nice and bright, in homage to the Purple Tentacle, with the skin somewhat darker.

I feel like I could... like I could...
like I could... TAKE ON THE WORLD!!

Ghosts

The Ghosts were kept deliberately simple, just a few details picked out so they weren't the same colour all over.  I might go back and do something different with the hair though.

Longshades

These put me in mind of the Hydra, I almost imagine that the flesh is re-knitting over the skeletal head.  No idea if that sort of thing happens in the game, but that's my thoughts.

Stranglers

Animated Seaweed.  Sort of a more nautical Swamp Thing.  With one or two of the heroes I have yet to paint being mystical types, I'm thinking I might be able to get a couple of 7tv casts out of this set.  Perhaps one of the Undead and another of summoned Sea creatures.  I've mostly made Heroic casts so far (even the Shiva cast that I took to Board in Brum last year were 'reskinned' as heroes) so perhaps it's time I turned to the dark side.

Tarantula Anansi

A bigger creature this time - the Tarantula Anansi is the only model on a 50mm base in the game - it'll also make a good Giant Spider to pit against my RPG groups.  After all, the best way to make things more deadly in an RPG is to make them bigger.  Or combine them with another animal in a strange way ... I do have an Owlbear to paint at some point, though that's far from the strangest combination old school D&D came up with.

I'd actually forgotten that I had some Sea token models, they were hidden away in the Skull Tales Box, but as I was looking through for painting inspiration, I heard the small box inside rattle, and lo and behold found some more things to paint. Something about the Megalodon makes me think it's just shouting "Hello".

This also means that I lied when I said I had all of my ships painted - so technically I've painted up six vehicles that could be entered into the monthly painting competition I mentioned last week.  I fully intend to get something else painted for that, however - but these will remain as a fallback should I need it.

Familiars

Finally, I painted a couple of Critit familiars that have been sitting on my painting desk for a while - the Octopus was painted at the same time as the Kraken, above, for what I hope are obvious reasons.  The Eagle, I grabbed as well, as it's the only other Familiar that I had left out to do, and I decided that covered me for at least a little 'work in progress'.  Technically they are Mrs. Hill's models, but I painted them so I'm going to claim them for my 'done' pile.

Next week I'll start on the Heroes, and might also get some paint onto something with wheels or tracks.  Or I might not.  If the weather continues like it has this weekend, storm Ciara is going to prevent me from getting any spray undercoats done anyway.

36 models completed this week, so I'm up 165 for the year to date.  I'm going to need a bigger cabinet.

Running Totals

Painted: 221

Acquired: 56

Skull Tales - A Woo Hoo!

I've carried on, as I said I would, with the Skull Tales miniatures this week, and have made a fair bit of Progress.  If I carry on at this rate I should have all the enemies completed by the end of next week, and be moving on to the Heroes.

Contrast paints, with some highlights and details have been my go-to again, and likely will be for the whole project to give it a cohesive look when I actually get around to playing the board game.

I'm very glad I've got around to purchasing some Dullcote, to give them some protection, both from figure cases and fingers.

Bounty Hunters

Starting with the Human foes, I wanted a bit of colour to the Bounty Hunters, so gave them the bright yellow shirts.  I'm still of two minds as to whether I should add in some red stripes too, but for now they are complete.

Next up are the Undead - which I'm sure will prove very useful in my 50 Fathoms game, there being a number of situations in which Zombie Pirates might well turn up.

Drowned Ones

The drowned ones are disgusting.  In a good way.  It wasn't until I was painting them that I discovered they have some barnacles clinging to them too, which is a really nice touch.

Mummies

The Mummies got a straightforward 'mostly bandages' paint job, with some purple to add an Imperial tone.  These might well get use in some 7TV pulp as well - as there are two matching ones, perhaps as extras to go with the Crooked Dice pulp villain that I really should get around to painting as well.

Skeletons

 Skeletal Conquistadors will fit right in to 50 Fathoms, and definitely provide a different kind of undead to the Tomb Kings that I've been 'borrowing' from my dearly beloved when I've needed them for RPG situations.  I really do need to get some Skeletons of my own at some point - weirdly they are one of the things I've never actually got hold of.  But as I'm trying to keep the 'acquired' pile down, such things can wait.

Mermaids

Beautiful but deadly, I resisted painting the Mermaids with red hair.  These ones at least - I do have some from Dead Earth Games' Pirates of the Dread Sea.  Somehow I doubt I'll be able to resist painting at least one 'little' mermaid.  

Treasure!

The last thing I managed to finish this week was another piece of Mantic Treasure - a lovely pile of Treasure chests - I've already got some individual ones that were painted a while ago, but these make for both a good objective, and some reasonable cover too.

So - next week, more Skull Tales, but I also want to dig through the unpainted pile and find at least one Vehicle.  I'm part of several wargaming groups on Facebook, and one has a monthly painting challenge.  I've not got involved in many, but I really should.  For February the challenge is Vehicles - so I'll also take a look next week and see what I can find that inspires me to have a go at later in the month.  I think that all the ships and boats I have at the moment are painted, so it'll be something definitely not Piratical.  At least in a Golden Age of Piracy way.

25 Models painted this week, so the running total is looking healthier, but I didn't manage as many as last week.  Not that it's a competition, though I'm ahead by almost 130, for now.

Running Totals

Painted: 185

Acquired: 56