BEASTMEN - Completed Lords, Beast Lord & Doombull

BEASTMEN - Completed Bestigor

Pretty straight forward metals with subtle weathering for these guys, with so much brown in the palette I wanted more of a solid armoured appearance. The twenty I have are done but this unit will be bolstered one day including a themed unit filler with some banner despoiling action.

Second angle of first pic.

Double horns rock says our musician, and OTT axe makes for a happy champion.

BEASTMEN - Completed Chariots

Everything I currently have for Beastmen is now painted and finished, I won't spam all the pics here but they will be posted over the next few days. 

First up, chariots! They are still in need of reins and harnesses for the boars, but I do plan to add these with actual twine and thin textile strips at some point. The crew have been magnetized obviously allowing easier storage and also the chance swap out the Bestigor for any magnetized characters. I painted the boars grey to differentiate them clearly from all the troops giving them their own distinction in the herd.

BEASTMEN - Gor Unit Filler, Razorgor, & Alternative Doombull

Some more snippets from my Beastmen army. Painting continues and more will be completed over the weekend.

For now, some of the work in progress.

I've had this Rackham model 'Archon of the Faathi' for years now. I reposed the arms and lost the two handed axe to open up the model. The front hoof is also elevated on the base as the model is very hunched over by default.

Early stages of a makeshift Razorgor, simply a new boar bulked out plus some hefty horns.
The horns were from the old GW Black Dragon.

Ironically an old boar was used to fill out the centre of the new boar halves.

On the menu tonight, fresh man flesh!

The human shall be dragged by his stretched out clothing and perhaps roped up. He also needs to be a little more savaged by battle.

BEASTMEN - Arrgh, I got paint all over my dudes!

Here is some evidence of the busy week. So the paint scheme is pretty generic earth tones, but it works and I let the character of the models speak for itself rather than flash colours in this case. The ethos behind this army is rather no-nonsense, zero faff. Faff free you might say.

There has been quite a few conversion adjustments to all these models. These are perhaps too subtle to see at a glance, but hopefully the overall appearance of the units works out. Firstly I removed many of the usual extraneous skulls and heads. One body piece has a large skull hanging in the middle of their chest, another has one propped on their kneecap. I found both of these overbearing, if not offensive, and they were quickly removed. Rudimentary muscle tone was filed into the exposed chests and a lot of the removed pendant pieces were replaced with rune stones.

Hair Stylists?
The next to be removed was all hair/mane braiding. This was, in part, while I was adjusting most of the horns. But mainly I just couldn't picture these guys sitting around camp fires in the evening braiding each others hair and grunting about the weather and how their day went. Not so much a macho statement, more a sense of simple survival traits and behaviour. Either way the braids got my goat and had to go.

Talking of the horns, I felt the angle on these was lacking. The models with more upright horns looking a little more imposing. So I tilted many of them up adding in plenty of extra fur/manes. These manes are a little shabby sculpt wise but no doubt such practice will improve my execution. Tufts of fur were also added around the shoulder line and some sculpting so virtually no gaps or lines are visible. Then at last the models were actually ready.

Tattered cloths only painted flat black for the moment, a nice contrast but may receive some extra tone.

No designs for the standards yet, still deliberating on that.

Extra Gor, used as an ambush element or to reinforce the main unit.

Ungor raiders always fun.

BEASTMEN - Project Intro and Work in Progress (Chariots)

This is a project I took up a year or so ago that got sidelined, I come back to it now - at the turn of the tide. Fantasy battle has always and always will hold the greatest appeal to me and 8th edition makes it more fun than ever. With relatively swift and decent releases for each army in the new edition, a fully blown triple A game from Creative Assembly (Total War) in development, and even the imminent return of Heelanhammer a great time for Warhammering is shaping up. So I knuckled down to push the progress of my own personnel Beastmen army, no commission or Ebay fodder this time!

I sidelined this project, in part, due to the lack of available models in the Games Workshop range. While I think the core infantry (Gor/Ungor/Bestigor) are awesome kits, there is nothing outside of that I would even care to field. Back then I certainly didn't have the funds or time for costly kitbashing, conversions, or outsourced alternative models, but now time and motivation seems to have struck me like a solid lead Rhinoceros from the sky.

It has been a very busy week so far painting and converting. So there will be plenty to share on this front over the coming week and month. For today, some pics of probably the most necessary conversion and requirement for a fun Beastmen army...chariots.

The sides of this Orc chariot have been separated and angled to provide plenty more room. The Beastmen shields have been used to bridge the gaps and as a distinctive feature on the front. 

The yokes for the chariots have to be removed otherwise the chariot sits at a ridiculous angle on the new Orc boars. They are held here with chain, hopefully I can complete some form of harness, bridle, and reins that would be needed.

 Yes the new Orc boars look like Alf, but Alf was awesome too!

Talking of Alf  http://light-schizophrenia.deviantart.com/art/Alf-Redesign-187533066 some rather nice chaotic beastial inspirations have just been found.

Gor charioteers are straight forward enough, just cut away one weapon. I wasn't keen on this head for my Gor units but the screaming (braying) is characterful for driving two Tuskgor and the covered eyes became a theme for the crew.

The Bestigor crew are more fun, plenty of hefty axes on the Beastmen sprue. Again I didn't like this head for my units  but it has a menacing look, a quick horn conversion and these guys have a distinctive and unique appearance.

Obviously Gor bodies have been used. The Bestigor are awkwardly posed for this purpose, and I'm sure the extra armour wouldn't help with weight or mobility in the chariot anyway.

Flames of War Finished.

Flames of War, Open Fire, Infantry and Guns (boxed set plastics).

This is the contents of the Open Fire boxed set all painting up, except for the tanks. Given the scale, these models are insanely detailed and accurate. They have elements shown on every model that are often missed on larger scales, such as the correct ammo pouches and equipment. 

In truth they have been fully painted for a couple of weeks. Finally finished the basing, making them Ebay ready for later today. I was seeking a more subtle and realistic terrain effect than these models being waist high in clumped static grass. In this case they are based with Vallejo 'Flat Earth; paste, followed by patchy flock and a little inked water effect. You could go a whole lot darker, wetter and muddier with this combination but for now this is a sensible start.

...and yes the Paratroopers aren't painted Olive Drab but I cant resist the faded and dusky Khaki look Hollywood has fed us.

Anyhow here we have the US Paratrooper Platoon, and the German Panzer-grenadier company with supporting Pak40 anti tank guns from  Battlefront Miniatures 'Open Fire' boxed set.

Panzer-grenadier company HQ

Panzer-grenadier Platoon 1

Panzer-grenadier Platoon 2

7.5 cm  Panzerabwehrkanones (Pak 40's) 

US Paratrooper HQ

US Paratrooper Platoon