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

50 Shades of Brown

I'm a day late on my updating every Saturday.  So maybe I'll just say I'm going for every weekend... until that doesn't happen as well.

In my defence, I spent a lot of yesterday drybrushing brown, brown, brown, and brown.

I decided that this week I would build and paint up the TT Combat crates that I got for my birthday.

All they need is an 80's Detective in an Audi...

While building them I remembered I had some other crates that I'd got for Christmas (2018 *cough*) that I'd built, but never painted - so I dug them out too before I began painting.  I'm not sure which company they are made by, it's been that long since I built them.  I think they came with a couple of "Jungle Outpost" buildings though.

... or an Intrepid Archaeologist searching for a stolen McGuffin.

While trying to find them I came across some fences, and since I'd be painting them in similar colours to the crates, they got added to the painting pile.  Which meant that the fencepost/columns that came went with them would also need to be painted.

8 Fences, 2 Fences with Gates, 10 Columns.  I'll need something for them to fence off now.  I've been having ideas for a new skirmish gameboard that they might work with - but I'll be waiting for better weather before I start painting up new base boards and suchlike.

Oh, and there were some chairs and tables too, so I added them as well.

These will most likely find play as added decoration for RPG battlemaps.  They're a little strangely scaled against each other, though they all came in the same set.

I did manage to get some paint on a couple of other miniatures this week as well.  I'm currently running a couple of Savage Worlds RPG campaigns, one of which is Pinnacle Entertainment's 50 Fathoms setting - think Pirates of the Caribbean meets Pirates of Darkwater (for those that can remember that cartoon) - one of the races, the Scurillian, are a group of magically created Crabmen, and my players have recently recruited one as a member of their crew.  I was frantically scratching my head for something that could represent them when I remembered I backed the Skull Tales - Full Sail Kickstarter last year mostly for the large number of Piratical/Fantasy miniatures.  The Darkclaw monster, while not exactly matching the description of the Scurillians, is close enough, so got painted up to add to the crew.

I just want a hug!

The same game has a set of Redcoats as well, so I painted one up, mostly using Contrast paints, with a few highlights, as a tester.  I'll hopefully get the other 7, and the two officers done over the coming week.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

I expect a lot of my painting is going to be RPG or Boardgame related for a while, possibly both linked together.  I do need to get a new 7TV cast together for July though - not that I'm able to go to Wargames Illustrated's 7TV Day V: The Crosstime Caper - as it clashes with Summer Stabcon (again!) - but I'll be having a game there with another 7TVer, just as I did for the Pulp day last year.

Hopefully the Supers Unlimited models I backed on Kickstarer from Kitbash Games will arrive in plenty of time so I can add to my 'acquired' total, but also get some painted up as a cast.


One thing I've noticed this week is that there's nothing like high-def photography to make you realise just how sloppy your painting is, but that I really don't mind all that much.  They're never going to win any painting competitions, but they're plenty good enough for my gaming table, and that's what really matters.

So, with 8 Fences, 2 Gate Sections, 10 Columns, 13 Crates, 6 Pallets, 5 Tables, 4 Chairs, 1 (very low) Bar, 2 Bookshelves, 1 Darkclaw and a Redcoat painted this week, I've managed to complete 53 things.  Drybrushing is my friend!

I'm still ahead of the game, and building up a bit of space for future arrivals.  I've still avoided any new purchases, and I'm not likely to head off to any shows - though Chillcon IS tempting me - so I'm pretty sure I'm going to end January well ahead.

Running Totals

Painted: 130

Acquired: 56