A Quiet Night In

The missus was out a few nights back and with all the manic running about over the last few weeks (and the weeks to come) I did what any self respecting bloke does in such circumstances. I called a buddy over for a few drinks and some toy soldiers. The friend in question had expressed an interest in LOTR in the past, so I dug out some scenery and few models for a Battle Companies game and we popped a few bottles and had a laugh..

He took the Dwarfs of Raven Cliff and I took the Orcs of Angmar.

We kept the objective simple, the Dwarfs would defend the Inn atop the hill from the marauding band of Orcs. Things started on an unlucky footing for the Dwarfs as a couple of lucky shots from the Orc Archers felled the Dwarf on the balcony and one of the Dwarfs guarding the gate.

Not wasting any time, the rest of the Orcs charged the hill in force.

The Orc Leader tried to mob the Dwarfs one-by-one, using the superior numbers, but Dwarf armour proved too tough for such crude tactics. Gradually the Dwarfs began to regain some ground against their foes.

But the Orcs were cunning. A flanking force had finally arrived and began to surround the Surviving Dwarf warriors.

In the end it was too much and the last Dwarfs were cut down, preferring to die facing their enemies than running from them. The Orcs then laid waste to the Inn

Not the most epic of conflicts, but we both had a good time and I always enjoy a light hearted pick up game once in a while. That's the end of this little post, short and sweet for once.

News From The 'Diff

After the chaos of Six Nations and the French invasion of Cardiff, things look like they may be returning to normal around here. That should allow me some time to do some hobby, but also get on with some commission work (more on that another time).

That said, I've managed to get some stuff out of the way. First up some Oldhammer Nobz for my ever growing 40k Ork Habit. I have a real soft spot for the old school Orks and the Gorkamorka era sculpts are the early works that became the speed loving, gun nuts that we recognize today.

I also got some time to build a few more INQ28 models. This was a combination of boredom and right-place-right-time. I had a bunch of parts sprawled out on the desk and whilst the missus was out I ended up going a bit nuts. She only went to the shop and this happened!

I'm still scouring the INQ28 boards for inspiration on stuff like this, and if this continues I could end up using my entire bitz box up just on random minis. At the moment, I've got enough for a decent Inquisitor's Retinue for Shadow War which means they'll get some use, but it could end up growing into an army if I don't watch it. That's how the Orks started and the now the Night Lords are only a dozen models off being a usable 40K army.

Final bit of news. The Dwarf Royal Guard sculpts and the Tunnel Teams have been picked up by Mark over at CP Models. He currently has all the other Dwarf (Gnome) sculpts I've done and I'm glad to have sent them to him so the range of minis stays complete. He's also picked up a new range off 6mm sci-fi, so pop over and take a look. He's super excited about these.

And that's it for now. I had an evening off last night I've got some time off in the next few weeks so things are looking... what? Weddings? Boxing Match? COMIC CONS?! Well so much for returning to normal, unless "constantly doing stuff" is the new normal. Oh my!

The Final Cut

It has been an absolute slog to get these guys done, but I can finally say that the Dwarf Royal Guard and Tunnel Fighter Teams are well and truly finished.

I'm not sure what to say really. I'm happy enough with the final sculpts and they'll round off the rest of the range I've already sculpted. I think after sculpting Dwarfs on-and-off for the last year or so has left longing for my old school goblin roots. But who can be sure? The Royal Guard come fully kitted in their heaviest Dwarven plate and axes ready carve up the forces of evil.

The masks for the Royal Guard were always in the original sketches. but I was worried as time went on whether they'r look the part on the actual miniatures. It was an attempt to add another layer of armour to something that was already quite chunky, but I'm struggling to make my mind up.

Next are the Tunnel Fighter Teams. These were more interesting to work as the poses were something new. Up to now, everything was some variation of "dude with an axe" Now I had long spears and heavy shields to work with.

I guess I just found these to be more interesting to sculpt. It could be while before these guys see the table top, but alongside everything else I'm looking forward to painting them up for a few Lord of the Rings games in the future. Right now I've still got a lot of other painting and modeling to crack on with.

Speaking of things a long ways from the tables....

Yup, the Troll is still sitting in a box on the shelf, looking for a good home and a caster. If you know of anyone interested in such things or fancy grabbing him for your own nefarious purposes, drop me a line.

Looking Back

After spending  a lot of time working on sculpts, miniatures and the odd scenery project for table top games, I think it's high time to look back at some comic book work and give it a spruce up. Some of you may know that I created and self published my own series of comics about 6 years ago, namely New Wasteland Fairy Tales.

Since that first release, it's had 2 follow up issues, bunch of attached merchandise and even a 28mm scale mini made.

A big thanks to Phil Hynes for that last one. Since then he's gone on to sculpt a lot more 28mm stuff and is running kickstarters for some amazing bits and pieces. I also have to give a MASSIVE "Thank you" to everyone who bought that first print run of comics. It was my first foray at the time and to have a sell out product at my first big comic con was a huge boost to my confidence.

But what is this rambling gratitude all about I hear you ask. Well, in light of Age of Savagery nearing its completion and subsequent release in the next few months, I've been looking over my past works. The 28mm Miniatures have all gone, the dice have had several runs and altered designs, but the comics have remained largely unchanged. With the exception of a few corrected spellings and a change of printers, the comics are starting to show their age.

There was always the intention to carry on the series, but they were made during a time when I had a LOT more free time to dedicate to the project and a more forgiving work schedule. That isn't to say NWFT is finished or cancelled, but more like a long term hiatus. For now though, it's getting some attention from me and after the initial print run being made in black & white due to cost I finally have the means to send it out in colour. The pages I did for Age of Savagery last year were some of the best work I had done for a while in my opinion and I want to carry that effort and excitement to my first published creation. It will take a while as there are over 70 pages of original art to colour and re-edit, but not only that, it will also give me the chance to improve certain areas (namely the spelling mistakes).

So if you want to grab a copy of the original comic as it is, pop on over to DEADSTAR PUBLISHING and have a look at some of their other stuff too. In the mean time I'll carry on the work and post updates via this blog and the TWITTER as always.

pic