Nearing completion...

Well, it's been far too long again, but I have completed a further 14 models and tonight began work on a further 6. I actually finished the axe warriors about a week (or more) ago, but haven't got around to taking pictures until today. As can be seen, there are a dozen plastics, one metal warrior (who has no Chestnut Ink due to no scalemail) and a D&D warrior (with a greenstuff beard extension) which is going to be used as a theme-friendly Shieldbearer (yes, he has no shield, but I see it as a title and his may be ceremonial, thusly not used on a battlefield).

Then, my next 6 (the last Dwarf models for now) are another 6 Archers as Rangers. Not much work done so far. My next process would then be to get a dozen cloaks sculpted onto them (the first I did was easy and the other three were a real pain...), then painted in Fortress Grey. One of the models that I'm painting at the moment is a metal archer, without a helmet, which I thought could be used as Drar, since he's not entirely dissimilar looking.

I do, however, have another three models that I haven't yet counted as being a part of the army. They are beautifully sculpted and come from Red Box Games (found here: http://red-box-games.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16&zenid=3ee5cc333b08ccc70b4ec617d3c6c6fb). I have a female warrior-type, a male warrior-type and a female staff-user (who is likely to be used as a Floi stand-in). The customer service is outstandingly brilliant and rectify problems that are beyond their control (customs doing a random search of the package) swiftly and beyond reproach.

She-Dwarfs to join the ranks

That's right, a couple of female Dwarfs to join the ranks of my Dwarf Holds army, as well as an extra male Dwarf. Not 100% sure on how I'll use each though. I'm thinking that the leftmost one can simply be a Shieldbearer, but I may have as many of those as I can take already in the form of D&D models, so can easily play her part as a Captain. The fellow on the right seems a little too powerful to be so boring, so may have to be a character, but that makes him Murin, Drar, Durin or Marden (since I have the other named characters and I have thoughts for Floi already). I think I don't have room for more Shieldbearers and he looks a little too powerful to be so meer - same principle with a Captain. I'm considering a King's Champion, his own rules for friendly play and possibly representing an allied hero - thoughts/suggestions?

Laslty, the middle lady. I have the option of using her as Floi Stonehand (maybe his sister? Regardless, I mean using his rules), however I am also considering using her as an allied caster (not got a specific one in mind right now, but that can be worked out) - this is the more likely route (again, I may create my own rules for her for friendly games) so that I can convert my "spare" Balin to have a book and be used as Floi (as was the plan before the Floi model came out). Any other suggestions welcome.

All three of these models (in order: Brynda the Beautiful WulfsDaughter, Hjordisa Ymirsdottir and Jarl the GiantSlayer) came from RedBox Games (http://red-box-games.com/shop/) and they have outstandingly excellent customer service. Customs had decided to pick my parcel (at random, not through any fault of RedBox Games') to check and then charged me £4.23 for doing so, with an £8 handling fee. I enquired to RedBox Games about this, curious to see if it was a problem caused by them and they apologised, but said no and asked for visual proof to see what the exact problem was - I duly sent them a picture of the notice and they explained, apologised again and offered a free model of my choice to compensate (when they had done nothing wrong!) for the problems, promising to label it as a gift to avoid any possible customs problem from happening again.

Lastly, I didn;t get a chance to take pictures and didn't get to finish painting tonight because my girlfriend needs her sleep (sleep? Strange woman :D ), but work has begun on another dozen two-handed weapon Dwarf Warriors and another Shieldbearer from a D&D model with greenstuff beard extension. I will eventually get around to looking at the bases and telling you exactly which model is which, but for now, I'm trying to get them painted. Done two coats of Scab Red (due to the paint already on them being enamel or lacquer), two coats of Dwarf Flesh (to get a solid coverage) and completed the Scorched Brown (belts, bags and boots). Just leaves the Bolgtun Metal armour, Chestnut Ink on the scalemail, Burnished Gold helmets, Graveyeard Earth bases/trousers/sleeves and the, lastly, the beards to paint!

Belated by acting

A combination of expenses paid acting work and forgetfulness combined means that I have forgotten to reveal the next chunk of models completed. This time around, I got 15 Dwarf Warriors (with Shields) completed as well as another D&D model standing in as a Shieldbearer for them (although I had considered using him as half of a Vault Warden Team with bigger shield) - he has only been given a new paintjob, but seems to fit in well.

That's 2 more companies done!

Dain and friends

As the title suggests, I managed to paint up Dain Ironfoot, as well as a couple of others. 2 Khazad Guard to protect him and a Gold Dwarf Soldier from D&D, with a greenstuffed beard extension and new paint scheme to act as a Khazad Guard Shieldbearer (for WotR. A normal Shieldbearer or captain in LotR.). The colours are as before, but Dain has the most complex beard I've done - A base of Fortress Grey, followed by a wash of Badab Black and a drybrush of Skull White to finish it off.

Road was blocked, now it's guarded...

Well, that's my excuse for taking so long. As for it being guarded, it's because I managed to paint an entire company of Iron Guard (8 models, if you don't know about WotR) yesterday. The reality is that I have a large number of dwarfs painted for WotR and I didn't particularly fancy painting more of the exact same thing (which would also get dull for you to look at) and then we began our Tale of Four Gamers (now down to 2.5, lol. Have a look at http://to4g.blogspot.com/ for more info) and lost a lot of time to them. Anyhow, I have something along the lines of 8 archers (to be Rangers), 15ish great axes, 23ish shields, 2 Khazads, Dain and three D&D models with a new paint scheme (and two with sculpted beards) to be repainted and used as Shieldbearers, as well as a couple of D&D models to convert for other purposes (such as Vault Wardens).

Regardless, I will try to paint some things each time I'm not painting Undead Dwarfs and in that vein of thought and action, I have produced 8 Iron Guard. The paint scheme uses the same colours as the Rangers, having Scorched Brown tabards, with 'Ardcoat Gloss Varnish over the top, Graveyard Earth belts/pouches, Vermin Brown boots, Dwarf Flesh skin, Catachan Green sleeves or gloves, Boltgun Metal chainmail and weapons, Burnished Gold helmets/scalemail (as one of the sculpts/three of the models have a little scalemail hidden away) and a touch of Camo green on the underclothing peaking through.

Fuel for the fire

Well, I actually have managed to get some more models done, so have a few pictures. In addition, I managed to find my list of what I currently owned and how many I needed, but it needed updating, as I've said before - unfortunately, although I went through all of the models, I didn't find the time today to take pictures of them in massed ranks: still, I have to strip a lot fo the models anyway, so it would just look a little odd if I posted up pics of half of my stuff painted in my scheme and about three others - all in various stages and qualities: hopefully, I'll soon have them all done, but we'll see how it goes!

Without further ado, a list of what I have and how many more are needed:

Bows: Needed in total - 32, Have - 18 (~10 unpainted, ~4 painted but without cloaks), Needed - 14 more.

Two-handed Axes: Needed in total - 32 (30 with the command choices), Have - 25 (unknown unpainted), Needed - 5-7 more.
Shields: Needed in total - 40 (38 with the command choices), Have - 31 (unknown unpainted), Needed - 7-9 more.
Khazad Guard: Needed in total - 32 (30 with the command choices), Have - 18 (1 to be used as either a King's Champion or a Captain), Needed - 12-14 more.
Iron Guard: Needed in total - 32 (31 with the command choice), Have - 8 (all need to be stripped, debased, painted, re-based), Needed - 13-14 more.
Vault Wardens: Needed in total - 24, Have - 2, Needed - 22 more.
Characters: 2 Balins (1 undercoated), 1 Gimli (debating repainting), 1 Captain, 1 Banner Bearer, 1 Dain Ironfoot (needs stripping and repainting)- Unknown numbers of needed, but 1 Balin is surplus.

More excuses!

Well, back with a tiny thing for the Dwarfs - been too busy of late to actually do anything more than this, although I shall try to get an army shot/army list/models so far out of models total and thusly models needed, posted as soon as possible.

Business in trying to find a job, seeing my grandparents and their sister, doing Chaos Dwarf Radio (which I'm editing as I type) and a meeting to do a photoshoot/readthrough for a webseries that I'll be in the filming of over the next couple-few months.

Regardless, the progress so far was buying another 5 packs of Infantry Movement trays, opening them and putting them in the drawer with the rest of them. Not exciting, but necessary to get them - yet to spray/paint them though (shame on me, but I had to build the drawers that they've gone into! Better to have your stuff safely stored to be painted than to have things painted and damaged ;) ).

Apologies for the liberty-taking lack of pictures and coolness, but sometimes real life is a pain like that - the only painting that I got done, in fact, was a smattering of Easterlings (literally, less than a handful) and that was because they were right there to be painted.