Monday 29 January 2024

APHC XIV: MikeW - 15mm ECW Covenanters, 28mm Santa Anna, Goblin Frog Riders and Tau, Squirrel

 Another week and another set of figures to get posted, this week it is pretty much as trailed last week, plus a few odds and ends!

Earl of Lothian's Regiment of Foote, there is some suggestion that the original regiment may have been  issued red jackets on their creation but these were quickly replaced by grey as the red ones wore out. I have chosen to do these in all grey.

First up is Earl of Lothian's Regiment of Foote, a Covenanter unit that I have now recreated using Warlord Games Epic miniatures. For these guys I paint these on the frame, giving them a grey undercoat and then dry brushing these light grey.

A view from the left...

I then painted faces, socks and hands white before using GW contrast paint to colour hands and faces in with GW 'Darkoak Flesh'. In fact I used contrast / speed paints quite extensively on these guys, using 'Gorgrunter Fur' to paint in the woodwork on muskets, 'Snakebite Leather' for all boots, belts and straps etc.

... and one from the right.

To this base I highlighted the skin with regular Army Painter flesh paint, Vallejo 'Golden Brown' for pike shafts and ultramarine blue for the bonnets. GW 'Air Leadbelcher' was used to do metal work on pikes , muskets and armour etc.


They were all washed with a watered down dark wash to add depth / shading. Flags were added and the figures based on 60x40mm bases (Musketeers) or 60x60mm bases for the pike block - to fit in with the rest of my Epic Collection. (Larger than recommended by Warlord Games but hopefully easier to handle and protect figures with the larger bases).

This week's batch of Tau Warriors plus the obligitory Drone

Next up I have completed another set of Tau Warriors, these are another nine troopers plus another Drone. In this group there are two Rail Gunners plus another Squad Leader. The unusual figure is the guy in long flowing robes, this is a conversion figure.

Close-up of the Drone and the two Rail Gunners

I was thinking about what Tau might wear if they were not in their combat armour, long robes seemed like a good shout! To make this figure I took a Gripping Beast Arab Infantryman, added spare Tau head, arms and combi weapon. I carved the feet to look more like hooves and then relied on a good paint job and strategically placed bushes to hide my attempts at carving hooves....

A juvenile Tau, without full Combat Armour,
nonetheless in possession of a Combi-Weapon

I'm justifying this conversion by saying that this guy is a Tau juvenile who is not fully qualified to join the regular Tau Armed Forces but is nontheless tagging along, with a minimm amount of weapons and gear.

Tau with Combi-Weapons, centre is another Squad Leader with Sensor.

These were all painted in the same ongoing scheme that I have described elsewhere in this challenge, the juvenile does not get the obligatory orange left knee pad!

Final three Tau all armed with Long weapons

The last main submission this week is a set of Highlands Miniatures 3D printed Swamp Goblins riding Frogs!

Swamp Goblin Frog Riders in their full glory!

These are proxy Squig riders to be used in Warhammer Fantasy and I am really impressed by the quality of these figures. From a game point of view I'll develop some house rules for these little guys - pretty much based upon GW Squig Rider rules but expanded to include recognition for their ease in crossing water and swampy terrain as well as the toxicity of the Frog (or maybe its Toad's skin) probably simple risk of poisoning of riders and opponents that come into contact with them!

Three guys armed with lances / spears.Each has an helmet and visor

I have given the bases a slightly different finish to my usual sand and electrostatic grass solution, in an attempt to recognize these guys are from a swamp. Thus I have painted the bases a dull blue, then 'varnished' them with clear PVA glue.This hasn't come out as shiny as I'd wanted so may go back and apply a blue ink and gloss varnish mix when I have time. I have then added small patches of sand and grass to try and show that there is some terrain in the swampy water.

Two more goblins armed with spears/lances. 

The Frogs were undercoated in white before painting the lower half of these with a Ivory colour whilst the top half was painted with Wargames Foundry 'Phlegm Green'. I washed the lower half with a very watered down orange and then added all the detail as can be seen. I gave the Frogs a weak wash of Agrax Earthshade when completed, before highlighting up again.

Goblins with hand held weapons and improvised helmets made of pots & saucepans!

The goblins themselves were painted using GW 'Air Goblin Green' and then washed in green ink. I opted for their robes to be a dirty brown colour, as can be seen. As ever particular attention was taken to get their mouths and teeth right and to ensure each figure has some distracting 'bling' where possible.

A couple of the 'madder' poses in the set, on the left two goblins riding the same frog.
On the right a goblin struggling to stay on his frog. 

Final shot of two for the more dynamic poses,
both these goblins are holding on for dear life.

I'm definitely going to get some more of these guys in the near future....

Finally following on from my Alamo Volunteers and Mexican Irregular Lancers, this week I am posting a figure of General Santa Anna, again a Boot Hill Miniatures sculpt. Painted in much the same way as the other Alamo figures last week.

I believe his full name was Antonio de Padua María Severino López
de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón

With this Santa Anna figure I am claiming the Historical Personality Bonus of 20 Points to add to this week's total, assuming my minion allows this!

With a big name a big personality!

A close-up of the arid ground work, sand on brown
paint/PVA gloop with dried grass tufts added.

Points wise I think it is pretty straight forwards, I remember from previous challenges that the Warlord Epic figures were counted as 15mm, although in reality they are slightly smaller. As for next week, more Fantasy Orcs and Tau and possibly some Scots Covenanter Cavalry, unless some other shiny items distract me form my painting plans! 😀



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