Valgar Swiftaxe (A) and Dagar Bronzebeard (A) Bones 5 Figures (Complete!)

       I returned this past month back to working on the Dwarves from the The Dwarf King's Crypt Encounter Sets that I got through the Bones 5 Kickstarter.  Between the two sets, I have 12 of the Dwarf warriors (2 each of the 6 that came in each set. I randomly picked one of the "Valgar Swiftaxe" figures, and one of the "Dagar Bronzebeard" figures to work on.

     I had decided to work on these two at a time to help save a little time.  My plan was to paint them basically the same; with the hopes that when mixed into a unit, combined with the difference in the poses, they wouldn't look too identical. 

     I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  I then trimmed the figures' integral bases a little, and glued each of them to a 1" grey-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a large craft stick with a couple drops of Elmer's glue. 

      I began painting by giving all the chainmail armor a coat of Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Grey".  I then went over it lightly with a drybrush of Reaper MSP "Polished Silver".  Next I painted their faces, arms, and hands with Reaper MSP "Tanned Skin", and their tunics with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue".

     Next, I painted fur lining on the righthand one's hood, and both their shoes with Folk Art "Real Brown", and I did their belts and pouches with Americana "Raw Umber".  After that, I painted their boot tops with Americana "Sable Brown", and the soles with "Black".   I noticed there was a bit of trouser peaking above the boot tops on the righthand one, and I painted it with Folk Art "Dapple Grey".  

     I then painted their beards with Americana "Light Cinnamon", and their axe handles with Reaper MSP "Shield Brown".  After that, I did the axe heads, handle base, belt buckle, and bracelets, with Americana "Zinc". I also painted the border around their tunics with Americana "Snow White".

      I decided at that point that the white trim on both made them look too similar, so I repainted the righthand one with Americana "Festive Green".  I then painted the beard holders with Ceramcoat "Metallic Copper"; and then did the axe heads and the handle base with Reaper MSP "Honed Steel".  After that, I painted the bracelets, with the "Gunmetal Grey" that I had used earlier on the chainmail. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave his face, arms, and hands a coat of Citadel Shade "Reikland Fleshshade".   I let that dry, and then gave the rest of the figure a coat of Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil". 

      I let all the washes dry for a while, and then began on the highlighting.  First I painted their eyes, and then highlighted his skin with the base "Tanned Skin", mixed with "Reaper MSP "Tanned Highlight".  I then highlighted his beard with first Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown", and then Folk Art "Barn Wood".

     Next, I highlighted the tunics with the base "Denim Blue", and some Crafter's Apple Barrel "Apple Scotch Blue".  I then highlighted their boot tops with the base "Sable Brown" and some Americana "Fawn".  After that, I highlighted the boots, and the fur lining on the right one's hood with Folk Art "Dark Brown", and did the highlights on the belts and pouches with Americana  "Mississippi Mud" . 

 I then did the highlights on the axe handles with some Americana "Khaki Tan".  After that, I highlighted their beard rings with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Copper", mixed with some of the "Polished Silver". I also highlighted the axes with the Silver"Metallic Silver", and the bracelets with the "Polished Silver".  I wrapped up the painting  by highlighting the left one's tunic trim with the base "Snow White", and the right one's tunic trim with the base "Festive Green" mixed with some Crafter's Acrylic "Wild Green".

     I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Then when the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to glue some sand onto the bases.  When this was dry I  painted it with Citadel Contrast "Wyldwood".  When that was dry,  I drybrushed the sand with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then a bit of Folk Art "Barn Wood".  Due to the weather, I was not able to give the figures a final spray varnish.

     I'm happy with them, and while I think they look very similar here, my hope is that when they're mixed with the other 10 of their best Dwarf buddies it won't be so noticeable.

Boran Bronzebeard (B): Bones 5 Figure

      This week I finished up the second of the two "Boran Bronzebeard" figures I have. He is one of the Dwarf warrior models from the two The Dwarf King's Crypt Encounter Sets that I got through the Bones 5 Kickstarter.  Between the two sets, I have 12 of the Dwarf warriors (2 each of the 6 that came in each set.  

        I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  

      I decided I would do them up as a unit for use in various wargames, so I wanted to do one of the figures up as a distinct leader, and one up as a distinct assistant leader.  So, I needed to make some conversions to the figures to make them more distinct.  

      For the one that would be the leader, I decided I would swap out his axe for a war-hammer, since all the other warriors are axe-armed, it would make him more unique.  For the second figure, I decided to take the spare axe I now had, and put it in his left hand so he would be dual-wielding. 

        The first version, the leader is posted here: Boran Bronzebeard (A).   This is the second, assistant leader, figure.   I stuck him  on a pill bottle with a bit of blue-tac to start.

       I began painting by giving all the chainmail armor a coat of Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Grey".  I then went over it lightly with a drybrush of Reaper MSP "Polished Silver".  Next I painted his face, arms, and hands with Americana "Shading flesh", and his tunic with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Blue".

     Next, I painted his cape with Americana "Zinc" and the fur on his cape with Americana "Asphaltum".  After that, I did his shoes, belt and pouch with Reaper MSP "Noir Wanut Brown".

     Then I painted his boot tops with Americana "Terra Cotta, and then I did the parts I planned to eventually paint metallic gold, with Accent "Mustard Seed".  I followed this with painting his beard with Americana  "Grey Sky", his axe handles with Reaper MSP "Turkey Brown", the axe heads and handle bases with the "Zinc", and the soles of his boots with the "Black". 

       I then painted the beard holders with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze"; and then did the axe heads and the handle bases with Reaper MSP "Honed Steel".  After that, I painted the bracelets, with the "Gunmetal Grey" that I had used earlier on the chainmail. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave his face, arms, and hands a coat of Citadel Shade "Reikland Fleshshade".   I let that dry, and then gave the rest of the figure a coat of Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil". 

      I let all the washes dry for a while, and then began on the highlighting.  First I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with the base "Shading Flesh", mixed with "Reaper MSP "Rosy Highlight". I then highlighted his beard with first the base "Grey Sky" and then Americana "Snow White".

     Next, I highlighted his tunic with the base "Bright Blue", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".  I then highlighted his cape with the base "Zinc", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  After that, I highlighted his boot tops with the base "Terra Cotta", and highlighted the boots, belt and pouch with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown" . 

     I then highlighted the fur on the cap with the base "Asphaltum", and some Americana "Mississippi Mud", and then did the highlights on the axe handles with some Reaper MSP "Shield Brown".  After that, I highlighted his beard rings with some Folk Art Metallic "Pure Gold", and some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold". I wrapped up the painting by highlighting the axes with the "Polished Silver", and the bracelets with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Then when the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to glue some sand onto the bases.  When this was dry I  painted it with Citadel Contrast "Wyldwood".  When that was dry,  I drybrushed the sand with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then a bit of Folk Art "Barn Wood".  Due to the weather, I was not able to give the figure a final spray varnish.

Boran Bronzebeard (A): Bones 5 Figure

     This week I finished up the first of the two "Boran Bronzebeard" figures I have. He is one of the Dwarf warrior models from the two The Dwarf King's Crypt Encounter Sets that I got through the Bones 5 Kickstarter.  Between the two sets, I have 12 of the Dwarf warriors (2 each of the 6 that came in each set.  

       I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  

     I decided I would do them up as a unit for use in various wargames, so I wanted to do one of the figures up as a distinct leader, and one up as a distinct assistant leader.  So, I needed to make some conversions to the figures to make them more distinct.  

      For the one that would be the leader, I decided I would swap out his axe for a war-hammer, since all the other warriors are axe-armed, it would make him more unique.  For the second figure, I decided to take the spare axe I now had, and put it in his left hand so he would be dual-wielding. 

They were easy conversions to do. I first sliced the axe off the first figure's hand, then drilled through the raised hand on that figure. Next,I drill a hole in the lowered left hand on the second figure. I then cut the war-hammer handle into two sections, and glued each into one end of the hand.  After that, I glued the spare axe into the left hand of the second figure.  (For the completed second figure, see: Boran Bronzebeard (B).

     I then trimmed down the bases of the figures, and glued them to 1" primed metal washers, using Aleene's Tacky Glue.   I then stuck the first one  on  pill bottle with a bit of blue-tac.

      I began painting by giving all the chainmail armor a coat of Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Grey".  I then went over it lightly with a drybrush of Reaper MSP "Polished Silver".  Next I painted his face, arms, and hands with a mix of Reaper MSP "Rosy Shadow", and Reaper MSP "Bronzed Shadow".

     Next, I painted his tunic sleeves with Reaper MSP "Dreidel Blue", and his cape with Reaper MSP "Void Blue".  After that, I painted the fur on his cape with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey", and his shoes, belt and pouch with Reaper MSP "Noir Black".

     Then I painted his boot tops, and all the parts I planned to eventually paint metallic gold, with Accent "Mustard Seed".  I followed this with painting his beard with Reaper MSP "Auburn Shadow", his hammer handle with Reaper MSP "Chocolate Bar", and the hammer head and handle base with Americana "Zinc". 

          I noticed at that point that I had't painted the soles of his boots, so I quickly did those with Reaper MSP "Blackened Brown".  I then painted the beard holders and bracelets  with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze", and the hammer head and handle base with the "Gunmetal Grey" that I had used earlier on the chainmail. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave his face, arms, and hands a coat of Reaper MSP "Flesh Wash". I let that dry, and then gave his beard and the bracelets a wash with Citadel Shade "Agrax Earthshade".  Another drying period, and I gave a coat of Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil" to his clothing, cape, fur, hammer, and boots. 

     Once more I let all the washes dry for a while, and then began on the highlighting.  First I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with the base "Rosy Shadow", mixed with varying amounts of "Reaper MSP "Rosy Skin". I then highlighted his beard with first Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice", and then Accent "Golden Oxide". 

   Next, I highlighted his tunic with the base "Dreidel Blue", and some Reaper MSP Bones "Tropical Blue".  I then highlighted his cape with the base "Void Blue", and some Reaper MSP "Ultramarine Blue", with some final highlight touches with a little of the "Dreidel Blue".  After that, I highlighted his boot tops with the base "mustard Seed", and highlighted the boots, belt and pouch with the base "Noir Black" with  little of the "Tropical Blue" mixed in. 

       I then highlighted the fur on the cap with the base "Storm Cloud Grey", and some Americana "Grey Sky", and then did the highlights on the war-hammer handle with some Reaper MSP "Shield Brown".  After that, I highlighted his bracelets and beard rings with some Folk Art Metallic "Pure Gold", and some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold". I wrapped up the painting by highlighting the war-hammer with the base "Gunmetal Grey", and a little of the "Polished Silver".

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Then when the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to glue some sand onto the bases.  When this was dry I  painted it with Citadel Contrast "Wyldwood".  When that was dry,  I drybrushed the sand with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then a bit of Folk Art "Barn Wood".  Due to the weather, I was not able to give the figure a final spray varnish.

      In other news, way back in August of last year, I got in my head the idea to keep a couple of the figures from the Bones V Townsfolk Add-On at hand while painting, and made such and announcement when I posted about the Anchor of Damnation when I painted it: Here

   My thought was that as I had extra color dispensed from various dropper bottle paints I could use some of it to gradually apply colors to the Townsfolk.  This was a good idea, as I got base colors applied to both the figures; but the problem was I never had a time set aside to do the final finishing washes and highlights.

    Well this past week I set some time aside and finally finished those first two Townsfolk that had been languishing on my paint table in a half-completed state for a few months now.

Maggotcrown Axeman: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

   This past week I painted a set of 4 of the "Maggotcrown Axemen" figures as my final step in building a 12 man unit of the Maggotcrown soldiers from the Dreadmere Expansion.   This completes the unit, and I have included a photo of the whole group together at the end of this post. 

    Here is the painting article for the Swordsmen, and here is the one for the Spearmen.
     I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  I then glued all 4 figures to 1" brown-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers onto a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's white glue.

     I was very pleased with the results of using Citadel Contrast "Black Templar" paint on the previous 8 Maggotcrown soldiers as the base for drybrushing their armor, instead of my usual solid black basecoat, so I began by giving the Axemen all complete coats of Ceramcoat "White" to act as a base primer coat for the Contrast paint, like I did on the Swordsmen.   I then painted the armor, axe heads, and shield backs and skulls with Citadel Contrast "Black Templar".

  When the "Black Templar was dry, I drybrushed the armor and swords with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", followed with a drybrushing of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and lastly a light drybrush with some Citadel "Mithril Silver".   After that, I painted the tunics with Reaper MSP Pathfinder "Urgathoa Red", and I repainted their chins with the "White".

Next, I painted the tabards, and the eyes on the shield skulls with Ceramcoat "Black"; and then painted the belts, gloves, and shield straps with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  After that, I painted the exposed parts of their faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh", and then did the faces of their shields with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood".  At this point  I went back over the chainmail with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash  to help it pop.    And, while I had the "Nuln Oil" out, I decided I also wanted to define the edges of the tabard, belts, and tunic, a little better, so I traced along the edges where the tabard and belts met the tunic using the wash.

     After that, I painted the inside of the shields with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then painted the skulls on the shields with Americana "Snow White", and then the axe handles with Americana "Charcoal Grey".

     Next, I highlighted the tunics with a mix of the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red". I then highlighted the tabards with Ceramcoat "Charcoal" followed with Americana "Zinc"; and followed that with highlighting the belts and gloves with Citadel "The Fang".  After highlighting those parts, I highlighted the shields using Reaper MSP Holly Berry" and some Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  Lastly,  I did some highlights on the axe handles with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the shoulder skulls and helmets with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow".  I then painted the bases with the "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the Axemen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote". 

    And here's a look at the whole unit.  I'm really happy with how these guys turned out.  They have a nice sinister menace about them; perfect for keeping the peace in some backwater village on orders from the .corrupt ruler. 

Maggotcrown Spearman: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

     This past week I painted a set of 4 of the "Maggotcrown Spearman" figures as my next step in building a 12 man unit of the Maggotcrown soldiers from the Dreadmere Expansion.   I had my original Maggotcrown soldier figures from the Kickstarter, and expanded my unit through trades and direct purchases from Reaper. Last week I painted the four Swordsman figures.
       I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.   I wanted one of the Spearmen to be the Sergeant of the unit;  so I cut the top half of his spear off, drilled out his hand, and then cut down a halberd from one of the Bones 3 weapon sprues and glued it in place into the hole in his hand.  I then glued all 4 figures to 1" brown-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers onto a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's white glue.

    I was very pleased with the results of using Citadel Contrast "Black Templar" paint on the previous four Maggotcrown soldiers as the base for drybrushing their armor, instead of my usual solid black basecoat, so I began by giving the Spearmen all complete coats of Ceramcoat "White" to act as a base primer coat for the Contrast paint, like I did on the Swordsmen.   I then painted the armor and shields with Citadel Contrast "Black Templar".

      When the "Black Templar was dry, I drybrushed the armor and swords with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", followed with a drybrushing of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and lastly a light drybrush with some Citadel "Mithril Silver".   After that, I painted the tunics with Reaper MSP Pathfinder "Urgathoa Red", and I repainted their chins with the "White".

 Next, I painted the tabards, and the eyes on the shield skulls with Ceramcoat "Black"; and then painted the belts, gloves, and shield straps with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  After that, I painted the exposed parts of their faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh", and then did the faces of their shields with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood".  I decided at that point that the chainmail was drybrushed too heavily and had lost its detail, so I went back over it with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  

     While I had the "Nuln Oil" out, I decided I also wanted to define the edges of the tabard, belts, and tunic, a little better, so I traced along the edges where the tabard and belts met the tunic using the wash.  After that, I painted the inside of the shields with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then painted the skulls on the shields with Americana "Snow White", and the spear shafts with Americana "Charcoal Grey".

      Next, I highlighted the tunics with a mix of the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red". I then highlighted the tabards with Ceramcoat "Charcoal" followed with Americana "Zinc"; and followed that with highlighting the belts and gloves with Citadel "The Fang".  After highlighting those parts, I highlighted the shields using Reaper MSP Holly Berry" and some Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  Lastly,  I did some highlights on the spear shafts with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the shoulder skulls and helmets with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow".  I then painted the bases with the "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the Spearmen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote". 

     Like the Swordsmen, I'm happy with these guys; and now am really looking forward to seeing the completed unit.  Hopefully I will be able to wrap these guys up in the next week or two now that the Holidays are almost upon us, and free painting time will become scarcer. 

Dreadmere Mercenary with Beer Mug: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

     This past week I took a break from painting my Maggotcrown unit, and painted the "Dreadmere Mercenary with Beer Mug" from the Bones 4 Dreadmere Expansion.    In driving around the past weeks, I was inspired by the beautiful autumnal colors I was seeing; so I thought I'd take that mix of oranges, reds, yellows, and greens as inspirations for my color palette for this figure.

      I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then glued the figure to a brown-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

     I began by painting his face and hands with Reaper MSP "Bronzed Skin",  I then painted his pants with Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna", and his tunic with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice".   After that, I painted his waist piece with Accent "Mustard Seed". 

     Next, I painted his boots with Accent "Real Umber", and his boot tops with Reaper MSP "Olive Skin". After that, I painted his belts with Americana "Light Cinnamon", and his coat with Crafter's Acrylic "Forest Green". 

     I then painted his hair with Americana "Charcoal Grey", and his mug and sword fittings with Americana "Zinc".  I then went back and repainted his mug with Accent "Princely Pewter", and the sword fittings and belt buckles with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".   I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave his face and hands a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash. When that was dry, I gave the mug a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash, and then gave his body and hair a coat with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash. 

    When the wash was dry, I highlighted his face and hands with the base "Bronzed Skin", and Reaper MSP Bronzed Highlight". After that, I highlighted his hair with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and a little Reaper MSP "Graveyard Bone".  I then highlighted his tunic with Reaper MSP "Hallowed Orange". 

     Next, I highlighted the wrap around his waist with Apple Barrel "Apple Maple Sugar", and then highlighted his pants with a mix of the base "Burnt Sienna" and some Americana "Shading Flesh".  I then highlighted his boot tops with Reaper MSP "Olive Skin Highlight", and the rest of the boot was highlighted with Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown". After that, I highlighted his belts with Reaper MSP "Tanned Shadow", and then did the highlighting on his coat using a mix of the base "Forest Green" mixed with some Americana "Jade Green".

     It was then time for the metallics, and I highlighted his sword fittings, belt buckles, and coat clasp with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver". I followed those with highlighting the beer mug with Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter and Nicole's "Metallic Silver".  Lastly, I painted the figure's base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the base.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Charcoal Grey". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with the "Mississippi Mud", and then with some Apple Barrel "Rock Grey"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little Americana "Dove Grey".

      Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm really happy with this guy.  A simple figure, but like I mentioned before, I sometimes find the simple ones the most fun to work on.