Small but mighty!

Events overtook me and I was not able to post as scheduled on Thursday. Which means Yes you guessed it I was looking after my nephew. But despite that and while he played on the computer or watched "Aliens" on DVD I did manage to get some 10mm Kallistra Dwarves painted and based. The first few people who followed this blog or just casually glanced at it will no doubt vaguely remember I started a 10mm fantasy army. Well I still had and have some Dwarfs to paint for this so I thought to do something small and easy to finish between 40k matches (most of which I lost!).

So here we have 4 stands of dwarves. Each stand has 10 figures on it for that nice crowded look which so suits smaller figures. As with the other units in the army I have gone for a bold blue and white colour scheme.  I find bold colours on smaller figures very effective in a fantasy setting as I want them to be clear on the table.


I make no excuses for having painted these figures  in a wargaming manner. They are designed to be see from a couple of feet away and don't need the detail the shading or the highlighting of 28mm figures. Therefore I put a heavy black wash over them and a simple highlight after there base colours were done. Simple and yet effective enough from a couple of feet away.

 I do have more of these little blighters to do so don't be too surprised if they start turning up between now and Christmas. I am even thinking of getting more at SELWG at the end of September. I won't go overboard on purchases, but I do like the look of this army and think it does deserve to be increased to a usable size.

Eventually I will need an opposing army for them and am at present open to suggestions. I am very fussy about fantasy armies though which means I would want something that would fit in and be a worthy adversary for these figures. One guy (Kevin) at the club has some Undead so I would not want to tread on his toes and get them as well. Anyway have a think and let me know.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading and I should post again on Monday. All the best Clint

TAR7AN Board update 5

 Ok not making any excuses, but it's "Summer Holiday" time so having to look after my nephew means I don't get as much hobby time as usual. Because of that I have not got any figures painted. So here's where I am on the board.

As you can see the stepping stones are now in place. Some tidying up to do but overall not too bad.

I have STARTED to paint the river. Only started mind so not the finished shades, but It should I hope, give a rough indication of where it is heading. at least 2 more shades of different blue and another green before I look towards the Varnish.

I have finished dry brushing the cliff. This takes it from a very plastic kids toy feel into a slightly more credible look. Once stains and some foliage is added it should start looking more realistic. At least that is the hope. I don't mind it looking a little cartoony but I don't want bit to look too ropey!

The temple entrance was treated as roughly as the cliff and yet still gives a passable result. I have yet to black in the doorway but even so you can see that it should work.


I would like to say I have more to share, but James (the nephew) has taken and will continue to take up time and effort to entertain. Which is not in any way a complaint, but is perhaps some part of an explanation.

I shall try to get some figures finished for Thursday. Basing and a lot of touching up to do on this next batch..... and due to my self imposed "Figure Fast" you will see they are not from current front runner projects but from something started a couple of years back!

That's it hurried out for today. Hope to see you Thursday. So until then take care have fun and enjoy the sun. All the best Clint.

Paint it BROWN!!!!!

Yes I am aware that I have over painted the whole board with a brown paint. It was a deliberate act as some cement was accidently sprinkled (not by me but what can you do) on it and was refusing to shift easily. I like to think of it as a positive step though and not a negative. Now that it is all painted with brown acrylic paint (the type you can get at "The Works" 2 for £5) the board is sealed and should any further mishaps take place should be easier to deal with.  Although it is patchy on the grass, this will get a coat or two of green so not to worry at this stage.

So having gotten past the fact that I am re-painting what has changed. Well in the second picture you can clearly see the stepping stones which cross the water edge and link the board to the river. Each one is large enough to carry a 28mm figure.These were simple pieces of slate that some people use in there gardens between flowers to discourage weeds. I managed to pick them up from the gutter following that big storm we had last week having been washed out of their respective front gardens. Waste not want not! I looked high and low but could not find any Araldite so have settled for Evostick Impact adhesive to fix them in place. Let's be blunt once the varnish is around them they should not move, not even a smidgen!.

It is a shame that the layers of paint have started to texture the bottom of the river bed, but I feel confident that pouring the varnish and not brushing it will hide those very nicely. As pouring the Varnish was always the plan this is of little real consequence. In other words I'll BODGE it!

The last two pictures show the subterranean temple entrance. I have kept it crude and unsophisticated simply to reflect the primitive nature that I wish this pulp set of villains to portray. It is not meant in any way to reflect the craftsmanship of other cultures around the world, but merely a piece of set dressing. Some of the plaster I was using has gotten onto the face of the temple, but I can live with that. and I don't think it detracts too much from the idea. Or maybe they need a few work slaves to chisel this off and get a better temple. the last slaves having died and been eaten. Who know!

So at this stage I feel that all the major construction has been completed. Which means that I should be able to start painting it up to a finished level hopefully by the end of the week. I will change the doorways to the huts, but not the roofs again that is something I will try to get done this week as well. So by Next Saturday I can show how the board has progressed.

I hope to do my next blog post on Tuesday. So until then take care and enjoy what's left of the weekend. Best wishes Clint.