Cadwallon Gladiator

Another design by Yannick Fusier, based on a concept signed by Gary Chalk, and sold by Temple of the West. Mixed feelings about the final result, as often. I still don't see how I could have made the face more "readable".

 The next posts should be on Keltois miniatures.

The ducal guards

Two miniatures from Temple of the West, both designed by Denis Gonella, based on Gary Chalk's concepts.

The models are quite easy to paint, except the halberds maybe. 

I should paint their colleague as soon as I receive the model.

Chastel the Devious and Kelaz the Brutal

After 10 years dedicated to the painting of Warhammer armies with old Citadel modes, I have decided to have a break, and paint some miniatures released by Temple of the West, based on the Confrontation universe. The two models painted here have been sculpted by Yannick Fusier, designer of some iconic miniatures for Rackham (his dwarves 😍). 

Chastel the Devious is not his best work, but I wanted to paint the couple, as illustrated by Gary Chalk.

I have slightly modified the model of Chastel, by removing the club glued in the back of his coat, and replacing it by a piece of brass wire.

 

Kelaz the Brutal is more rewarding to paint, but I have to admit that the final result is below my expectations. Blame the years spent painting small Citadel dwarves 😋

Post-OWAC paintum. The Swivel Gun

I couldn't conclude the OWAC V with only 98 dwarfs painted (plus the gnome, the hobbits, the giant, the bear and the mule). So, here is a MM14 swivel gun and his two servants. 

 

There. Now that I have reached 100 miniatures, I feel better 😁 

I should be back end August with new models. No dwarves, no squats. Surprise!

OWAC V - Conclusion

Well, now that I'm close to the 100 painted Marauder Dwarfs, maybe it's time for a few pictures of the mercenary forces collected so far. 

With 40 dwarfs warriors (pikemen and halberdiers) and 20 quarellers, the mandatory troops are done. Regarding the thunderers, I have reached the maximum allowed by the 3rd edition Warhammer Armies book. Two wizards seem more than enough for a dwarf army, and all the hammerers I had are now painted. And of course, any decent mercenary army cannot go out without his paymaster 😎

So, what's left? 

• Warmachines for sure, and their design easily fits with the Swiss flavour of the army
• the army general on his fracking poney. One day I will paint him, I swear 😖
• More wild dwarfs would be nice if I could convert some slayers
• 10 Iron breakers should be OK too if I find the courage (NMM plus shields, double pain)
• More than enough models to align a third regiment of pikemen or a regiment of sworsdmen
  
• Last but not least... Longbeards! The only (but major) problem is that they do not fit at all with their budies. I have a couple of ideas, but it will require time and conversions. We'll see...
  

In the meantime:

OWAC V - The Priest of Grungni

Last model painted for the OWAC V: the Priest of Grungni, a MM10 Marauder wizard, with the mitre and the crozier from an old Bishop in the Citadel C46 Villagers range. 

Pictures are a little bit blurry, but you have the idea.

There is still a plan to give him a wagon, but I have to admit that my momentum for this army is a little bit lost.

OWAC V - The Wild Dwarves

Using all the dwarfs released by Marauder Miniatures in a single army can be difficult, as the style of the Longbeards, the Slayers and some Clasnmen does not fit at all with the Renaissance flavor of the other models. But I realized last year that I could at least use the woodwose figure, often depicted in Middle-Age and Renaissance paintings bearing coats of arms, to transform my slayers into a band of Wild Dwarves, coming from the most remote valleys of the Grey Mountains.

Two wild men as shield holders (The Chaff Bridge, Lucerne)

Some basic conversions on MM10 or MM16 models (plus a later giant slayer), with weapon swaps, fancy details filing, and a few shields glued in place. In terms of painting, I did my best to suggest a limited hygiene 😬

Beware the wild bunch!

 

OWAC V - The Canus Gigas

As promised last time, my dwarf mercenaries welcome the Canus Gigas ("Grey Giant" in Classical), distant cousin of the Helvetus Gigas discovered in the canton of Lucerne (depicted below on one of the paintings of Lucerne's wooden bridges). 

The model is a Citadel C28 giant, holding a slightly converted trunk from the Gargant plastic kit. End of June, I was not satisfied with the result submitted to the OWAC. The fact that I've used an old pot of Reikland Fleshshade didn't help (for some reasons, it became very glossy), and but the main reason is my painting job, definitely lacking contrasts. When you look at the giant using a greyscale conversion, the flesh, the trunk and the clothes have very close values. Not good.

I have therefore decided to touch up the giant after June's entry. Essentially, I have tried to emphasize the flesh parts with washes of  black and dark red in the shadows, and more highlights on the shoulders and the forehead of the giant. I've also darkened the trunk a little bit with washes of dark brown, dark green and black, and reworked the tunique by removing the redish and greyish parts, that were distracting the eye of the observer (at least from my point of view).

All in all, I see some improvement, even if I'm well aware that I should spend more time on models like this one.

Now back to the dwarfs. The Gigas often needs some help to find the battlefield, as giants are not famous for their skills in manoeuvring. 

For the giant herders, I have picked 3 spare models of the Marauder Miniatures range and replaced their original weapons with the imperial wagon man-catcher, the fork of a squig herder, and what I was able to sculpt in greenstuff for the whip.

Now go! Right in front of you, stupid giant!