Sticking with my usual excuse for infrequent posting, I'll just say life has been incredibly busy. But I really mean it this time! 2016 did everything in its power to keep me away from the painting table as much as possible, and although I did get to crank out a few figures, 2016 succeeded in its goal.
2017 looks like things will be settling down again, and my life will resume its much-missed predictable flow, allowing more time for painting tiny soldiers.
I tweaked with this blog a bit, adding things like a "subscribe" button, a search list, popular posts, etc. These little bells and whistles are usually on all the blogs I read, and I was just recently informed on how do add these to my own blog - I know, I'm kinda slow in that department.
So what did get painted in 2016? Well, I'm still in love with SAGA, so I painted a few more figs for that game. (My only two posts in 2016 were of a unit of Viking Berserkers and a Priest.) I'm also, slowly, getting into Bolt Action. I've always wanted to play a WWII miniatures game, but I'm still trying to develop the patience it takes to paint men in the same uniform over and over. I did get one unit of U.S. infantry and a Sherman tank done, though, with plans to finish up the army within the next few months. (Really, I swear this time!)
Alright, enough yammering. Here are a few shots of what I was able to get done this year:
First the WWII stuff.
I don't paint enough vehicles. I think it's because I do not have an airbrush at my disposal. It took several passes of Vallejo Olive Drab for the base coat. This was also my first time applying decals. I will say that I am definitely not a fan. I also took a stab at messing around with weathering powders and mixes of orange and brown paint to provide some weathering. I'm not 100% happy with how it came out (and I am aware that historically, these tanks probably did not get so beat up, as they were routinely cleaned, etc. However, weathered tanks look cool, so that's my excuse), but it was a fun experiment.
Painting my first U.S. infantryman was fun. It took me foreeeevvverrr to decide on the colors I wanted. I did a ton of research, and found that uniform colors could be different depending on the year and theater. I really liked the way they were painted in the Bolt Action rulebook, so I tried to imitate that. Gotta love this guy's cigar!
And here's the first unit in front of the Sherman.
Then there was that one day when I was feeling nostalgic and did a speed-painting session on a Warhammer 40,000 Ork. WAAAGH!
Here's the Dark Ages (SAGA) stuff:
I think I had the most fun painting these Viking archers. I use them for my levies in my army. The figures are from Foundry, and they have so much personality. I want to get more of their sculpts - I don't even care which period.
Some Dane-Axe wielding hearthguard. You can never have enough of these guys.
I know it's considered "cheesy" in the historical wargaming community to have blood effects. But, dude, look at that pose. Why WOULDN'T he be standing in front of a stone he uses to decapitate his enemies?!
I think I'm slowly getting better at highlighting. I like the way the cape and shield came out here.
Out of everything I painted this year, I like the way these guys came out the best. I took my time with them, but I think it was worth the effort.
Until next time.
