PTS 65 + Ninja + Norse Gods + Mustering the Troops WW100 Project

Ninja and Norse Gods!

Painting Table Saturday 65th Edition. With a new painting chair and some fresh lead on the table this week. Here are some circa 1985 Ninja from Citadel miniatures and some Norse Gods sculpted by David Soderquist at Bronze Age Miniatures, where my beloved Tharks and Thoat came from. In the background you may also spy an old Grenadier Giant Ninja!

Also, the blog for Mustering the Troops has just gone live. It is a blog designed to support a WW100 project to paint 4000 miniature figures for a Gallipoli diorama in the forthcoming Great War Exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand, which will open on Anzac Day this year and run through to Armistice Day 2018.

Kiwis Volunteer Now!

Sir Peter Jackson leads the creative team currently developing the Great War Exhibition, of which this diorama will be a part, as an official New Zealand WW100 project. Rhys Jones, keen wargamer and former Chief of the New Zealand Defence Forces, is leading this painting project. The figures have been designed by Alan and Michael Perry from Perry Miniatures in the UK.

This project offers the opportunity for Kiwi wargamers to join the thousands of other New Zealand volunteers in all sorts of projects, exhibitions and events for WW100. At the end of the exhibition this diorama will remain on public display in a museum, so will be a lasting legacy from us all.

I am looking forward to the arrival of troops and will update progress on this blog. Currently 58 days to go and 600 miniatures are in the country awaiting despatch to painters. If you are an expert painter living in New Zealand and wish to participate, register online at Mustering the Troops now!

God bless you and have a great week!

PTS 64 + SAGA + Lord of the Rings

King Théoden, Háma and Gamling.

Painting Table Saturday 64th Edition. Back to the Lord of the Rings inspired SAGA army. King Théoden, Háma and Gamling are coming along nicely. 

Also, I am going to be painting some Turks as part of Sir Peter Jackson's (with Richard Taylor and historian Christopher Pugsley) massive Gallipoli diorama, part of the ‘New Zealand Great War Exhibition’, which will open on Anzac Day this year and run through to Armistice Day 2018. 

Rhys Jones Rhys Jones (The authentic Armchair General) put out the call to arms to paint 4000 Perry miniatures for the exhibit and I have volunteered the Tamahere Officers Club and myself as a point of contact for the Waikato region. Roly Hermans is putting together a blog site that should go live early this week. It will have club contact details from around New Zealand for those that want to participate. 

I will keep you updated on this project as it progresses.

Until then, God bless you and have a great week!

Sir Peter Jackson Needs Kiwi Wargamers

Here’s the chance for New Zealand wargamers to volunteer for a massive modelling project to commemorate Gallipoli, led by Sir Peter Jackson and using never-seen-before figures by the Perry twins!

Below is an open letter to New Zealand wargaming clubs from Rhys Jones, a fellow wargamer and also the former Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force:

Perry Twins preparing special parcels for Kiwis.

"One of my adventures in life is to be involved with Peter Jackson in creating the ‘New Zealand Great War Exhibition’, which will open on Anzac Day this year and run through to Armistice Day 2018. It will be housed in the former Dominion Museum building in Wellington, behind the Carillon and the new Memorial Park. With both Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor doing the exhibits, and the historian Christopher Pugsley doing the historical curating, we know that this is going to best a best-of-world-class exhibition. However, with Peter being tied up until recently, completing the last Hobbit movie, we have an ambitious time frame to complete the work.

54mm ANZAC miniatures.

One of the displays that he is building is a diorama of the battle of Chunuk Bair, on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Over Christmas he has commissioned the Perry twins to make 4000 x 54mm Turkish and New Zealand soldiers. We now have until late March to paint them. I am seeking your help to find about 100 good painters who are willing to paint about 40 figures each over the next two months..."

Official call to arms here:
https://arteis.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/sir-peter-jackson-needs-kiwi-wargamers/

PTS 63 + Warhammer 40k + Black Ork Conversion + Mordheim House

Warhammer 40k Black Ork Conversion.

Welcome to Painting Table Saturday #63. In an earlier post (you can find here) I mentioned a conversion of an Ork miniature from Warhammer 40k. I'd bought him 2nd hand (with missing arms) and didn't realise he was rather large! Well, I finally found the photos taken during the conversion and here they are!

The hands and weapons are from a 40k ork sprue, while the arms were off a D&D boardgame troll. They look suitably wiry for his bulk, unlike the steroid junkie arms he would've come with originally. The wagon wheel is metal, from an original Bugman's cart. The head came from the Battle of Skull Pass boxset.

He's featured in my D&D Blackhawk campaign as the mighty Orc Warlord, Grunash.

A Dungeons & Dragons Troll.

Don't worry, those will grow back.

A troll hand made it's way to this wizard's spell.

Grunash!

Bugman's wagon wheel makes an ideal shield.

...oh, and my effort for this week:

Mordheim House undercoated with enamel spray.

Remember to spray outside!

God bless you, happy painting and enjoy your week.

CrossFit + 30 Days of HIIT Advanced

Halfway through a 10km beach run.

Thanks to +matt jackson I've been inspired to take up the 30 days of HIIT Advanced challenge. 2015 is a big year for me as I will also be aiming to qualify for the masters CrossFit in Auckland this September. I've been doing crossfit at the local community centre for a few months now and the results are amazing. My fitness has improved dramatically and I feel half my age.

I know I can do this. It's going to be hard and I'm looking forward to testing myself at the games. I've also found the community spirit at inferno inspirational. Especially when the workouts have been tough! I'm also enjoying the personal growth that comes from pushing yourself physically and mentally.

So if you've come out of the Christmas season with a few extra k's (or pounds), then I challenge you to make 2015 a year of fitness and get into shape. Work to the best of your ability and I guarantee you'll thank yourself for the effort come the end of the first 30 days. What are you waiting for?

PTS 62 + Sheila the Thief + Mordheim Terrain + Dark Elves

Sheila the Thief.

Welcome to Painting Table Saturday #62. This week I finished painting Sheila the Thief, aka Lenore from Hasslefree Miniatures. A fitting tribute to the Dungeons & Dragons 80s animated cartoon series, sculpted by the master Kev White.

My collection of painted Dark Elves continues to grow. These took a while due to experiments with lighting: the green fungus on the dungeon floor illuminates from below. Lots of washes (brown, black, green, blue, purple), drybrushing and wet upstrokes with white and fluro green. I decided to go with a purple flesh tone and blue rinse hair to create a focal point, the results of which I'm not overly satisfied with. Perhaps I will add some subtle green highlights and enhance the hue of the fungus which looks pale in this photo.

Citadel Dark Elves.

A gift from Lewis down the road, this terrain was made by our good friend Mark Vuletich for games in Mordheim. It was passed on to me in the hope it would get painted. That was a few years ago. So...

Mordheim Terrain.

I find as I grow older my eyes are not so sharp when it comes to painting facial details. I find it's best not to compare my work with others on sites like Cool Mini or Not, because let's face it: there will always be those better or worse than you! I admire the painting of others and do the best I can.

Colours matched to the D&D cartoon character.

Subtle washes and wet-brushing techniques.

So much fine detail!

And that's all for another week. Happy painting and gaming everyone. God bless you and see you next Saturday.

Painting Table Saturday 61 + Dark Elves

Citadel Dark Elves.

Painting Table Saturday #61. Here are a trio of classic dark elves from Games Workshop. These miniatures have a real Fighting Fantasy or Fiend Folio look about them.

I have given two of them modified shields. I think the horns add a level of menace. At their feet some luminous fungi provide a light source.  I expect to finish them this week and I'm certain these fiendish fellows will turn up in a game later this year.

They are a tribute to my good friend Alex who collected an army of dark elves for playing Warhammer Fantasy Battle back when we where young.

God bless you and have a happy new year!

Star Wars + A New Hope + Happy New Year

Monday night, game night. One of the last games of 2014. Plenty of fun with Dave and Blair playing Star Wars X-wing. Another win for the Empire but to be honest, I'm not sure how I pulled it off. Having more ships on the table always helps! Win or lose, the real joy comes from a year full of gaming with good friends.

So I leave you with these photos and a promise there will be more games in 2015.

And for the lads...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!