AHPC IX - From Mike W: 28mm Various Figures (55 Points)

So the second post this week - but covering week 4 items I have painted....

This week it is a hodge-podge of different items off the workbench, some just to clear space, others to meet the need of games that are coming up and some just as experiments on new ways to paint figures!

Warlord Games Spartan Hoplite Frame.

I'll start with 5 x 28mm Warlord Games, plastic Spartan Hoplites. I've had a box of these plastic fellow under the workbench for a couple years, I even tried to paint some a while back but lost interest so I took out a frame this week determined to give them a fair crack!

Undercoated figures minus Shield arm!

These are the figures I decided to experiment with, having build 5 hoplites I left off the shields to paint these separately and allow access to the figure's body during paining.I undercoated the figure dark brown where ever there would be a bronze/brass finish and white elsewhere.

Separate Shield Arms...

On the back of the shied I then dry-brushed with a light leather  before picking out the arm in white.

I don't know how common red was for Spartan tunics, but that is what these guys got, and I also did their helmet plumes in red as well. Flesh was added and then leather work was added in before paining in the spear shafts.

I used Brass to do all the helmets shields and grieves, one figure had a metal back & breastplate that was also done in brass.

Here's where the experimenting began in earnest. Instead of using dark Tone Army dip as usual I decided t try and use different washes to brig out the colours in the figures. i used Flesh Ink to add depth to all body and brass fittings as well as to the spear shafts. I used Dark tone ink to cover all other areas - tunics, crests and body armour.

I'm quite please with the results!

Calculations: 5 x 28mm Infantry @ 5 Points each = 25 Points

Gripping Beast Frames

Next up were 4 Medieval Archers from the Gripping Beast Plastics set,I have a bunch of these to do and they will likely appear in the coming weeks...

Again the plan was to see if I could achieve good results using Dark Tone wash instead of the dip product. As much as I love the dip it has two problems - it smells as it is oil based and I always end up throwing out half a tin of it as it dries out before I can use all of it. I've tried mixing in white spirit or paint thinners - and that does help some - its still messy and the quality of the finish drops once it has been thinned.

Finished Medieval Archers

So painting was very straight forward, a white undercoat and then various
brown, green and ochre tones for the peasant clothing. Once dry the dark tone wash was added, i watered it down slightly to stop it being too overpowering and the wash was dry within 10 minutes - Job done!


I based the figures as usual on UK 2 pence pieces and gritted & flocked the bases to match the rest of the collection

Calculations: 4 x 28mm Infantry @ 5 Points each = 20 Points

Final item was the painting of a Semi-Culven cannon for the 17th Century collection - I have several guns in the collection - each has separate crews and so this is another to round out the options.

This model is painted with a blue carriage with iron fittings and brass gun, all finished with a Dark Tone wash. The base is simple, with the addition of randomly cut wooden coffee stirrers to represent boarding and this is given a brown wash to add depth of colour. Base is the gritted and flocked.

Calculations: 1 x 28mm Artillery piece@ 10 Points each = 10 Points

Grand Total: 25 Points + 20 Points + 10 Points = 55 Points

Spoiler for next week - I spent time this week preparing a 28 man, 28mm 17th Century Infantry Regiment for painting, a Saxon Regiment to support their Austrian allies at the Siege of Vienna in 1683. Additionally I hope to get a couple of gun carriages and horses done to go with the above gun!

Spoiler Alert - 17th Century Saxon Infantry Regiment ready to go!