28mm Roman Fort WIP

Here's a few shots of the early stages. It's not exactly ground breaking construction and my methods have probably been covered many times before. I've tried to base the fort on the one featured in the movie The Eagle, although i've had to resize my buildings inside it to prevent it becoming too big.

A basic foam shape on top of a 3mm MDF baseboard, with watered down tile adhesive to give some hardness to the foam.

The wooden stakes are actually a nice little find from Poundland.

Its amazing what you can find in there, and I think, a good place to look for terrain. Removal of the wire banding gives loads of sticks to cut and shape. Perfect really...

More WIP shots to follow...

28mm Warlord Roman Sentries

Its been a long time since my last post, nearly 6 months i think. It's nice to be back and spending some non-work time, relaxing and getting back into my hobbies. Over the past few weeks i've been getting some of my barricade designs ready for contract casting, and also started work on a Roman Fort.

No camp would be right without a few sentries to keep an eye on the local tribes, and the sculpts from Warlord are perfect.

The shield transfers are superb and really give the figures something. I wish i could paint to that level, and envy those that can. The tents in the pictures are from some camp dioramas i've also been working on. I think they add a little atmosphere to the pictures, even if they aren't 100% historically correct.

I'll post a few WIP pictures of the Fort tomorrow, its good to be back!

Super J Charity Miniature

I know this post isn't about something i've been working on but its for a great cause so i think it deserves a mention.

I came across a fellow blogger who had this miniature sculpted in the image of his son, who has rare genetic disease called Friedreich's Ataxia. This is a degenerative disease that attacks many areas of the body, including the brain, spinal cord and heart. There is currently no treatment for Friedreich's Ataxia and it is a life-shortening illness, so he's trying to raise money for the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA).

He is selling Super J minis on eBay, where all proceeds will be donated to FARA. Please take a look at his blog and his ebay page for a better explanation of the cause, and how to buy these Super J minis. Mine recently came through and it really is a great cast and i'm hoping to start painting it up soon. I hope i can do it justice and get somewhere near the superb quality Simon Bradley at Stone Cold Lead has done.

28mm Colonial Building, Rorkes Drift Finished

I've stuck with the colour schemes and i'm pretty chuffed with how this has turned out. I've added some static grass, a few tufts, and some barrels and crates, I hope you like the finished pictures...

28mm Colonial Building, Rorkes Drift WIP

I've almost finished painting the building and just have a few small details to finish off. But i'm not sure on the colour of the roof, what do you think, does it look right? I'd appreciate any comments....

28mm Colonial Building, Rorkes Drift WIP

I've been wanting to make a building for the Zulu wars theme for quite a while now and after putting together a card mock up, i found some time to crack on with a finished piece.

The walls etc were made from blue 3mm foam board, engraved with random areas of dressed stone, then covered with a render effect. I  used a watered down mix of tile adhesive for the rendering, which i applied in 3 thin coats, sanding inbetween, to get a decent textured effect. I left areas of the stonework showing through to get an aged look and will help to break up the white render when it comes to painting time.

Things like the door frames and window shutters are scratch bult from balsa wood, as was the front planking, which i engraved with a boarding effect.

I wasnt planning on putting interior walls in but they do give it a bit extra strength, so i made them with big opening so they wouldnt take away any skirmish space.

The thatched roof was made using towelling, and there are many tutorials on the web explaining many methods, but i basically cut strips and used watered down PVA to glue it in place. 

I think the scale looks ok for 28mm figures, and i'm sure it could be used in many settings. I'm looking forward to getting the time to get this painted, and i'll be adding some crates and barrels around the exterior to add a bit more detail...

Artizan WW2 Commandos

After my varnish nightmare back in June, I stripped these guys back to the metal and started all over again. I finished the flesh areas last night and managed to get a good days painting in today to get these far. With the Olympics on in background i had a good bit of inspiration, and chuffed with how fast these boys have come along.

Hopefully I'll get them completed tommorrow and be able to post some finished shots up in evening