Duelling Gamers and the High Speed Zombies

Well the heading is a little misnomer in that there is no such thing in most of the games I play as a high speed zombie so why then have I called it thus?

I have way too many miniatures to paint and even though the Mantic Zombies are worthy of a better paint job I just can’t warrant the time. So below is a little tutorial for speed painted Zombies my way.

First a good thin coat or two of Army Painter Skeleton bone, good for um yep skeletons and zombies and ancient Greeks and anything else that needs a  nice pale beige colour.

Then I use the old games workshop washes, a green, a red, a blue and the ogren flesh wash.

Next is base coat the cloth, greys, tans, off yellow etc. Keep it neat but don’t take forever with this lot.

 

A thin brown ink style wash, army painter Vallejo etc. only on the cloth. This adds a small amount of depth but not over the gruesome flesh. Enough depth there already I hope.

 

 

Red eyes, the odd bit of protruding bone an off white colour and they are done.

 

Basing I enjoy as it sets the miniatures in a scene, yet this is still a high speed example.

PVA glue (white glue or Elmer’s if anyone overseas reads this) covered in local beach sand and don’t worry about the extra height, none of this basing gunk to bring the feet down to earth for me so sir.

Once dry I use a proper brown artist ink and wash it over the sand. This soaks in and adds a depth of its own. Then mix a nice dry brush colour out of off white or beige colours and heavy headedly apply trying to keep it off the feet and legs. Flock is in keeping with other units and so PVA with a blob of green flock. Tap it all off.

1 Unit of 20 split into 2 X 10 so that I can add them to other units of 20 Zombies already painted beforehand. So I can field a unit of 60 for KOW or WFB or any combination thereof.

If anyone wants further details of specific paint colours just ask.

 

Thanks for looking and oh May Quota now complete yay.

Magic The Gathering Takes a back seat while RPGs capture the clubs attention

A small gathering of the hordes last Friday down at the club with Pathfinder and Saga Star Wars holding the majority of members attention.

A three way 40K game using rules from 2 editions ago, proving that you don't have to keep up to date with the latest incarnation and still have a fun evening. Cheaper too.

Space Wolf Scouts with Bows and Arrows??? Nice painting though.

Nids vs Marines vs Space Wolves, not sure who won but I did notice that the Wolves let the other two go for it first and thus was able to mop up at the end.

 

Another shot just because I like minis and the RPGs don't use as many.

Blood Bowl, Chaos Dwarf vs Gobblin/Skaven team.

Orcs Vs Dark Elves

Pathfinder with finger of doom pointing at the next victim of the whirlpool.

Smiles all round as something becomes untuck in the Star Wars RPG.

 

11 likely lads and lasses playing RPGs and 7 on miniature games. Like I said quiet night but fun never the less.

The Zombies begin the stagger towards the paint pot

Early in the morning assembled ready for priming

Primed this afternoon (army painter skeleton bone, love this colour)

Also on the bench are four more Morat Infinity miniatures

The bench as it were, yep Warlord games Vickers, some Old Glory? Norman spear and tucked up the back is an odd old Cthullhu miniature from RAFM???? None of which have anything to do with the Duelling Gamers painting competition that I am trying to play around with. Still clearing the desk as it were.

 

Duelling Gamers May "The werewolves" ooowwwwwww

I was in a little rush to get some stuff done at the end of April but was gently reminded to keep the pace steady. So I slipped into doing some other miniatures and clearing the desktop so as to paint the upcoming Zombies. Well it is now time to show off the May Werewolves.

You have seen these before, black undercoat over the hard resin like Mantic Plastic.

The complete unit of Mantic Werewolves, in this case used as Crypt Horrors for a Vampire Counts army.

Werewolf Number One, there is a small issue with the plastic that these nasty beasties are made from in that it is actually a little bit brittle. I broke the hand off with a drop from about 1.5m. doh.

Number 2 love the animation of these miniatures.

Number three. It is a little hard to tell but there is 5 + coats of various greys and blue greys with a little highlighting. Got to sort out my photography skill and get a cheapppppppp light box.

The Mantic Zombies. For those of you in the know there are a couple of Mantic Ghouls in here to as I want to do some very minor kit bashing. I actually really love the zombies as they are probably the best of the older mantic undead with, I know it is hard to believe but, a lot of animation. Or should that be re-animation.

Some of the May desk clearing again. 1/100 scale Zvezda  Panzer 38Ts I really like these little models and they make great editions to my new Battlegroup Barbarossa rules. I just need to find some red number decals....any thoughts out there please, as I need a few? 

This was the piece that inspired my above purchase. Second hand fully painted from CanCon around $5.00 from memory. I think it is a GaModels resin piece but I am not sure. I also picked up a 35T as well but it is not much chop really but I will use this one.

 

 

 

Well club update is a non-event this early as I completely forgot to take photos which is a pity as there where 2 large roleplaying games happening, Pathfinder and Saga StarWars. Plenty of Magic The Gathering gamers, 2 games of Bloodbowl and a 40K marine vs marine slugfest. Sorry lads that your pictures are not immortalised this month. I'll try later.

 

15mm Russian WWII Ancient Germans and Clearing work of the paint desk

Clearing the Paint desk

 

 

 

 

 

DBA army 15mm Ancient Germans (Essex? minis) Completed April but I need 3 cavalry minis can anyone help??????

28mm Handgunners for .................?

15mm WWII Russians completed in early May for Battlegroup rules and Chain of Command

Close up of how I differentiate between the units

Close up II

Saga Knight WIP

 

 

28mm Ancient Germans I am trying to finish but started by a friend.

 

What about duelling paintbrushes you ask, well as I was almost going to jump the gun and paint up some werewolves, instead I decided to finish some stuff on the desk and in boxes that was waiting to be done. So coming up this May is 3 mantic werewolves used as crypt horrors in WFB and a unit of 20 zombies, again mantic minis as I have them in bags ready to go. Wish me luck. Costs in GW terms $79.00 + $55.00 so with my left over funds from April I think I am still $6.00 in front and have not gone over the budget. Sorry I just can't do the whole spread sheet thing like Owen but I can blog occasionally.

Mantic Catapult and an Old Necromancer

The Catapult is complete and my small Mantic miniatures army is slowly growing. I have painted and based around 600 points in Kings Of War terms and am happy with this outcome. As mentioned earlier I can't use this in WFB so is not counted in the Duelling Gamers paint progress. Still this is a nice miniature and looks impressive on the table just don't look to closely at the paint job.

 

 

No onto on of my spell casters. This is a really old GW skeleton, at least that is what was on the tag but he makes a really nice necromancer for either WFB or KOW. I wanted the grass tuft to look a little less vibrant than what is on the bases of the other unit, it is just that so many undead armies have the burnt dead grass look. I reason that the army marches through and as it does so it sucks the life out so if it is early enough the grass will still be greener. Well that is my take.

GW Skeleton......

 

 

I am keen to see a little more cleared from my paint table so next up BloodBowl Styled wicked elves and maybe some 15mm Sherman tanks. Werewolves will have to wait until next month. 

Duelling Gamers, what is next on the plastic pile to paint

Sadly as I have just about all the miniatures I need for the painting/gaming competition I can leap ahead and pull out of the box the next toys to apply a lick of paint to. Well I say sadly because my next foray puts me around $39.00 into next months Au $100.00 GW equivalent spend. I have some of the mantic werewolves that I bought along with their excellent Kings Of War Kickstarter campaign. These will work as ................werewolves (nice guess) in Kings of War but will have to be either Crypt Horrors or Vargeists in Warhammer Fantasy at the cool price of $79.00. With my $40.00 spare from this months spend I am now over budget, ouch. I'll leave you, the audience, to decide should they be Crypt Horrors or Vargeists?

Werewolves WIP

 

 

I also have a catapult nearing completion but this must be excluded from the competition as I had built and part painted the silly thing prior to the start of the competition and well nothing like it exists in the vampire counts army list so sort of irrelevant except it is a nice model.

Catapult Wip



Duelling gamers what have we completed.

The joy of holidays is in the ability to finish jobs previously started. Like fixing stairs painting the walls and so on but no not me, paint yes but on tiny small lumps of tin and lead or plastic, (delete as required). Though my competitors have better painted miniatures (by a long shot) I have, as of today, completed my first unit.

Without further ado a regiment of Mantic Skeleton Revenants. Or in Warhammer Fantasy terms a unit of 20 Grave Guard with swords and shields. I would have liked the two handed sword version of the grave guard just can't afford them when so much is waiting in the lead and plastic mountain.

Plus I have added a little more paint to the necromancer and he will be on the table shortly too.

Some times it is the older characterful models that really grab my attention. This one is pretty old by my recollection but will still make a fine spell caster for any game system. It might even make it as an adversary in a role playing game that happens from time to time.

Up and running at last

As the title suggests my attempt at Duelling Gamers is underway. Though I will continue to finish 500 points of 40K with my son I really want to build a WFB army, in my case a Vampire Counts army. I have $200.00 to spend this month and to be honest I am not going to spend it on GW Vampire Counts, not because of any issue with GW minis but because I plan on using the miniatures from Mantic. I already have the minis just have to paint them.

GW necromancer and Mantic Revenants (grave guard)

First up is an old necromancer from GW picked up second hand for around $3.00 and a unit of 20 Revenants from Mantic that will be VC Grave Guard? I think. So in terms of GW Australia costs that's..... $22.00 and $138.00 a grand total of $160.00 hmmm Mantic's Revenants set me back around $25.00 so in my books that is $28.00 yes I am happy. (More importantly so is my wife). So I have $50.00 to spend. I might see how fast I can get these done and add the cash to next months total.

Reaper Bones and Wolf Guard

Well my son has painted and based his wolf Guard in terminator Armour. In the time he has taken to paint this one mini, I have painted 2 units of 40k miniatures and some 15mm. Yet is it Quantity has a Quality of its Own to quote a famous megalomaniac or is it really Quality vs Quantity. I have to admit that I prefer my sons miniature and there is no way I am ever going to win a painting competition.

On with the show.

Photo does not do justice to it.

No decals all hand painted.

I wonder if I can get him to do mine.......

The one at the back left is the new model.

Only 2 more to go for him, for the unit.

 

 

An item or two I have been working on.

Reaper Bones Civilians,

 mould lines are hard to remove without damage to the minis.