AHPC XI; From Mike W, 28mm Undead Egyptian Sorceress [Lady Sarah]

 As a quick bonus for today I'm deploying a 'Lady Sarah' figure to teleport me to The Alter of the Snow Lord! I'm looking forward to this random challenge as handed down by Curt...

Completed Rooms

So getting this far has been fun, not all rooms completed but I believe I have followed the guidelines to get this far, minimum of four rooms per level and a 'Lady Sara' to get between levels! I want to allow enough time to deal with the Snow Lord's Challenge!

Reaper 28m Egyptian Sorceress

This figure is another Reaper 28mm metal item, this time a female Sorceress who will help  the Priestess and Mummy Lords keep control of all those pesky, dumb skeletons!

Side view

It is mounted on a UK 2p piece and was undercoated white.

I added standard flesh colours - over pretty much all of the figure, she's not wearing much! The scanty robes were done in a plain linen colour and details were in light blue to tie in to the Army's theme. The Snake staff was done in dark blue with a gold snake's head, with white, linen and light blue streamers.

The other side....

The head dress was painted dark blue with gold trim and light blue stripes as a highlight on the front, side panels.

I used a watered down light brown wash on all white and linen cloth areas and a darker flesh was on the skin areas to give a toned finish to the body.

And a final view...

Fine sand and a grass tuft was added to the base after allowing the matt varnish finish to dry.

AHPC XI: From Mike W, 16 x Orc Arrow Boyz

 Here we have 16 more Orcs to add to the ongoing collection, sourced from the 'loft box' recently re-discovered. These particular figures were undercoated brown - which from memory - I went through a short phase of trying out, after reading an article in White Dwarf that suggested that this would be a good idea for Bretonnian peasants!

Finished Unit of Orc Arrow Boyz

There is another batch of 16 Arrow Boyz waiting to be painted which were undercoated in black, so these will be a different unit.

A slightly different view!

What's fun about doing these guys is that you can adjust each model to have its own personality and it really doesn't matter how 'over the top' you go with some of the figures. I always tend to try and keep colours to the same palette for Orcs, grey, black brown and then the odd random colour thrown in to give a little interest or diversity.

Four of the Rank and File Arrow Boyz

Funnily enough the brown undercoat does give a different look and feel to the unit, not sure it's one I want to repeat though. Again from memory I also did a unit of Betonnians with a brown undercoat and lost interest in painting them half way through - these have long since been re-used in different projects.

The figure on the left has been given a very light shirt, to add variety to the unit
which is predominantly black, brown and grey.

I have given these archers a Champion, Standard Bearer and Musician along with the 13 archers, a number of skulls had been added to the figures so I have reflected these numbers below. 

The command group, I think most Orc banners should be simplistic
and roughly drawn, after all they aren't as bright as Goblins....

Bases were sprinkled with fine sand and then electrostatic grass to give a nice finish.

Another three figures, quite a few skulls added to these guys...

Final shot of the Orcs

AHPC XI: From Mike W, 20 x 28mm Late 17th Century Ottoman Irregular Azabs

 In have previously produced Ottoman Azab units by converting the Gripping Beast Arab Infantry plastic figures by mashing them with Warlord Games WSS Infantry. Whilst I was pretty pleased with the end results, I was looking for something a little more irregular looking.

The Finished unit, 5 bases each of four figures.

I recently go hold of a box of Wargames Atlantic's Afghan Warriors, which allow the modelling of these hardy fighters over a period of several hundred years.

What I wanted to try was combining the Gripping Beast Arabs with the Wargames Atlantic Afghans, with a splash of parts from various other plastic kits to give a full range of arms and hands that  needed!

The Command Stand, Officer in cloak, Standard Bearer and Musician

The main benefit of the Wargames Atlantic boxed set is the number of muskets, shields and jezails that come with the frames and allow a musket armed unit to be easily formed.

Most of these figures are based on Afghan torsos,  with eight based on Arab torsos. I used the Afghan heads but also included a half dozen Arab heads in turbans plus four bear heads from the Wargames Atlantic Irish set!

Anyway the figures were built, all in different poses, the command stand featured an officer in a cloak, again taken from the Wargames Atlantic Irish set, a trumpeter using a Gripping Beast Arab piece and a guy with a spear for a standard, taken from a Gripping Beast Saxon Warrior set! 

Two stands of the Azab Irregulars

Figures were undercoated white, various muted linen, pale colours were used to block in clothing and appropriate details added for equipment and hair etc.

Another two stands

Flesh ink was used on skin areas to give toning, a watered down wash of light brown was used on clothes and dark wash on equipment before applying matt varnish.

Overall the figures are OK, they will blend in on a large table-top battlefield, last night I say a set of 28mm Ottoman heads on eBay, all in typical, although simplifies Janissary headdress. I have purchased a set of these and may repeat this build using these heads to give a much more Ottoman feel to the figures...

Bases were covered with fine sand and then electrostatic grass.

The falsehoods of Jonny Bull

McTruth and Thistles inauguration is commemorated by their first official leaflet entitled “The falsehoods of Jonny Bullshit” as shown below.

The falsehoods of Jonny Bullshit

Hey Diddle Diddle John Bull was talking drivel

The King pricked up his ears

But the people Scotland did laugh so much

That they had to wipe away their tears

One day Jonny went to the printing press

And King George was sure to follow

And the lies that Jonny printed off

Even George found them hard to swallow

In the latest edition of “H H” again we find Johnny Bullshit is woefully inaccurate with his pitiful attempt at paraphrasing the exceptional works of McTruth the Sayer. It is implausible that such a Bard would write such drool that falls so easily from the mouth of the kings fool like a fountain of puss from a recurring boil. Whilst the villanelles of McTruth falls off the tongue like a babbling brook making its way towards the stream of enlightenment, the ineloquent and turgid lines of Jonny can only be described as a river of effluent sluggishly working its way downstream toward the cesspit of inadequacy where it ultimately belongs.

We look forward to more amateur incoherence from the Kings brain dead court Jester in further editions of “H H”.

His ramblings on the subject of Aberdeen are laughable. If the truth be known the only fashion that comes out of Aberdeen are the fine woven clothes produced in the Hanoverian sweat houses which are manufactured using the forced labour of the downtrodden populace of Scotland.

Whilst the people of this land starve on a diet of oats and water, ships leave the port of Aberdeen laden with the fruits of Scotland that have been plundered by the foul soldiery of the crown only to find its way to the tables of the obese absentee landlords in England.

The Bonnie Prince has liberated Aberdeen, as he will do with all of Scotland, so that its people can share in its riches and that they will not starve or be forced to shiver in the rags that their English overlords require them to wear.

Long live the Stuarts
The only true bloodline of Scottish Kings

The Hanover Hangover #3

Weekly Agony Uncle Column

Hello blossoms

Its me, Your local Agony Uncle: Jolly John Bull, here to share your troubles and offer some words of

advice once again.

Book Review

I thought that I would start this issue with a book recommendation. One of my favourite friends has introduced me to a wonderful recent publication called “Ten Nerdy Rhymes for scaredy wee wee soaked Bairns” – an educational primer for Jacobites and other antisocial ne’er do wells. What a jolly fine read it is, full of tongue in cheek humour poking fun at one and all. It has been written by that recent Italian arrival on these shores the Boring Ponce Charlotte. One of his favourite rhymes is : “I’m a lairy Jacobite”, however the author has muddled his translations. As is typical for Italians trying to understand the highland brogue the author has misunderstood several words and Charlotte’s version does lack authenticity. As all true Scotsmen know the correct version reads:

I’m a lairy Jacobite

Big and large

Here’s my claymore

Here’s my targe

If you make me angry

I’ll charge you a crown

Drop my bottle in the heather and then fall down!

Despite the poor translations, revealing an embarrassing lack of local understanding and some good old fashioned Italian misinterpretation of our fine land, this book is still worth a read and can be fun to scare the kids at bed time, or to prop under the leg of a wobbly table.

Its been another bumper post bag this week, so here we go:

Foreign Friends arrive off Orkney

Dear Jolly John

I must write to record the excitement in the Port of Kirkwall this morn. We awoke to see three fine armed schooners flying colours of the tradesmen of the New World. How exciting to meet these wealthy free colonists who are so outraged at the risk to World trade created by the backward Jacobites they have raised a militia to sail to the aid of the mother country. How can we praise our overseas friends enough when they sail so far to help rid us of this lawless backward scourge?

Yours

Alan Parray

Well Alan that is good news indeed. The trans-Atlantic trade has been so important in the growth of wealth for all in the last few generations. The wise leadership of Good king George has created a powerful force for good in the World which has fed and clothed Scots to a level unheard of 50 years ago. It is shocking that the Italian joker feels they have a right to drag the country back to his medieval ways, but good people will not stand for it! No sir, we must applaud our colonial cousins for sending a powerful flotilla and trusty men to guard their valuable trade from the joker.

Hurray for King George and all under his flag!

Rioting in Aberdeen closes our Port

Dear Jolly John

As owner of one of Aberdeen’s finest high fashion houses I write in complete anguish at what has come of us? As you know Aberdeen has been the centre of Scottish fashion for decades. The wise and low tax rule of Good King George and his stylish and rakish Princes has boosted our trade with Denmark and Northern Europe. We have never felt happier or been richer.

Looking forwards to the start of the new fashion season (you should see the adventurous plaid combinations we are creating) we were horrified to awake to a drunken uncontrolled mob of Jacobites filling the main square.

Jacobite law and order

Only a few hundred strong this leaderless mob, often accompanied by a wildly gesturing irrelevant Italian gent none of us recognise, the rioting created has closed our once thriving port and cut us off from our markets.

When will order be restored by our hero Cumberland?

Alexander McQueen the First

Aberdeen

Well Alexander, what a shocker!, It is difficult to know what to say when hearing such a sorry tale of drunken yobbery. Our fine fashion industry, the envy of the World, should not face such backwards calumny. The Italian Joker really has gone too far in his yah boo drunken tour of the Highlands now. It should not be acceptable that good honest folk, going about their business of weaving high fashion garments, like the sporran, which are in high demand on the continent, should have to tolerate this disruption to their trade. The Boring Ponce really cant get his spaghetti addled brain round the fact that we Brits just don’t want him here!

Fear not Alexander. A reckoning is coming.

QUIZ

One of my eagle eyed reader sent in this word search. See how many common phrases, on the lips

of the people currently today, you can find:

AHPC XI: From Mike W, Late 17th Century Poles guarding the Pay Chest [The Snow Lords' Treasury]

 For this second post of the day, we have a small Vignette of two 28mm Assault Group Poles, each armed with a halberd, guarding the unit's pay chest. 

Pay Chest and Guardsmen

I imagine that they are awaiting their officers to show-up and distribute the money during a pay day parade or the like, maybe at the end of a successful campaign! 

The two figures are painted in my usual manner, with white undercoat and then colour blocked into eth main areas. Having just done a unit of Ottoman Janissaries, I liked the colour scheme used on these so pretty much copied it for these two little fellows.

A side view of eth chest and two little guys

Only difference was the blue hats and chest braid that I used for the Poles. I added shading with Army Painter coloured inks an then varnished with Windsor & Newton Matt Varnish.

And a final rear view!

The base is 60mm MDF with a scatter of fine sand and electrostatic grass.