Citadel Skeletons and Dodgy Light Boxes

I'd wanted to finish off more skellingtons today but was distracted from the task by watching The Last Samurai. Luckily, I have two fit (mostly) to show off:

ME 72 Dead Man of Dunharrow & C17 Armoured Swordsman

Both of these date to the mid 80's and are both therefore older than I. When I was at Uni, I went through a phase of buying old lead that took my fancy. I'd always been a little smitten with the Dead Man; one of my favourite sculpts from the original LOTR range. The C17 lad less so.

Usually when I go figure hunting on ebay, I will look at what other items the seller has to offer, to make the most out of the usually pricey P&P. I think in this case, I had my heart set on another skeleton, possible a scythe wielder if memory serves. Inevitably I lost that bid but won this fellow. Having painted him, he has grown on me.

ME 72 Dead Man of Dunharrow & C17 Armoured Swordsman

I painted both of these towards the end of 2020; sadly part of a miniscule effort on my part in what was a "perfect" year for painting, horrible though it was. I was rather chuffed with them at the time, being my biggest output in more than a decade of inactivity, but with hindsight, they're a tad messy. I applied a lot of GW technical paints: Ryza Rust, Nihilakh Oxide and Typhus Corrosion to give them an appropriate sense of decay.

C17 Armoured Swordsman

The bone is Skeleton Horde Contrast with a liberal helping of Agrax Earthshade (which is better than the overrated Nuln Oil if any one was to ask). The shields are painted Army Painter Scaly Hide. Choosing a green similar to the verdigris effect you're using was perhaps not the best move but I really like that particular shade. Back in the day it was Snot Green. Is this indicative of my maturity I wonder? 😜

The models could really do with some highlights, a technique that has filled me with dread for 20 years (well, for as long as I even knew there was more to painting than gleefully slapping it on anyway). The bases could do with more colour; I like the idea of contrasting the shambling dead with vibrant spring/summer flowers rather than the more common autumnal and winter themes. Luckily I have a bunch, which will soon decorate the bases of their compatriots when I next post.

On another note, I used a shoddy £7.99 Light Box off of eBay; I think the results speak for themselves. I like the backdrop dioramas some hobbyists use so I'll try and rustle something up, probably some nice ruins, as well as a better light.

Hello there!

Welcome to my small corner of the internet.

This is the second attempt I've made at starting up a personal blog and will, fingers crossed, last longer than the two or so posts I made on the first abortive run. I'll mainly be using this space to chronicle my tabletop wargamming hobbying, with a view to actually motivating me into tackling the proverbial lead mountain and perhaps getting a tad more satisfaction out of the whole shebang. I might also stray into other interests, for which I beg your patience and in some cases, forgiveness 😅

I first got into The Hobby™ in about 2001. Or at least I think so, going by the White Dwarfs I own. It also, very conveniently, means I've been dallying with all this malarkey for two decades now. Most of those years have been spent collecting Warhammer Fantasy and 40k, but in the last decade I've diverged into other manufacturers and rule sets. I'm sure this is an experience shared by many in the hobby; veering violently or gradually away from GW into gentler pastures where the grass isn't required to be Citadel branded. My main focuses have been picking and choosing any and all fantasy and sci-fi sculpts that tickle my fancy, with an aim to assembling small warbands. I've also made a point of buying up miniature agnostic rulesets, as well as some dedicated ones, to go alongside. 

Hopefully I'll actually get around to trying out the stack of rules I've complied.

Yeah...

Apart from one test game of Frostgrave, I've never actually played anything outside of GW's offerings. To make matters worse, since 8th edition 40k dropped, I've fooled myself into buying not one but four 40k armies.

Oh dear.

That's on top of all the other stuff that languishes in a scattered selection of various storage methods. I'm infamous with my friends for my pile of shame and buying things just to shove them in a box.

Well, there's no time like the present, is there?

"This is but a taste of what Procrastination has to offer!"

So, at the very least I'll have something to show for all the cash I've splashed; at most, I hope that you dear reader will have gleaned something interesting from my ramblings.

Bonne soiree,

Togidubnus