However, as per all my quick wins these took a lot longer than I thought they would. Again, I cut the minis off the sprues and did my usual filling the horse halves with Plasticene (didn't bother photographing that stage as I have presented it so many times before). I then added the riders in readiness for undercoating. I decided to go for a very uniform look and tried to get them as identical as possible to make them look like a faceless, remorseless killing machine...
Unfortunately, even though these models are really nice, they are going to be an absolute bitch to try to store - the lances stick out at all angles and are extremely long. They will look fantasic on the battlefield but storing them in my existing boxes will be a nightmare - I do have a couple of pick and pluck foam trays from Kaiser Rushforth (most of my storage boxes are made by KR along with several really Useful boxes for my paints, scenery and tools etc.) that I haven't previously used, so hopefully they will do the trick.
Next up is a suitable leader for the Swan Knights - Prince Imrahil. I think GW used to do a captain, horn blower and banner bearer too, but I was never too keen on their massively tall helmets - just not practical for the battlefield. Prince Imrahil though has his helmet removed so it does not look so goofy. I like the way that you get a foot and mounted version in the blister too...
Again, the mounted mini has a lance that sticks out at a weird angle, so he too will be difficult to house in my storage boxes.
Once painted, I think that these fellas will look awesome and stand out amongst their more sombrely hued Gondor knights brethren. I am so looking forward to getting a unit or two of these out on the tabletop and trying them in a variety of games (Dragon Rampant, Saga and SBG). It will be interesting what stats, traits and skills others have given them.
I have noticed that these photos are becoming a little samey - grey figures on a plain green background. It is just that the area I have put aside for my hobby time is quite limited and I am using what is readily to hand at the moment. Once I have completed this making and basing phase, I am hoping to be able to show off complete factions and units in a better way, and I can hopefully mix things up a bit so that the photos are a little more exciting. I may try to go back to my DSLR camera and try to set up a light box for better shots too.
I'm painting these myself at the moment. I was wondering if you could elaborate further on your storage solutions - notably what worked?
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have tried many different solutions, including:
ReplyDeleteBook shelves - room used up too quickly and the figures get dusty
Metal document storage sets of drawers from Rymans - needs Blu-Tak to stop the figures from sliding around an dthey are very heavy to transport
Mini chests of drawers from Ikea - made of wood so the figures don't slip around so much as the metal drawers and they are lighter for transportation
Really Useful 4l boxes - great for figures up to 60mm tall but the same issue requiring Blu-Tak to stop figures from skidding around. They are light for transportation and stackable for great space saving
Kaiser Rushforth foam inserts and card boxes. Very expensive (but not nearly as much as Games Workshop's solutions) but very good at protecting figures and light weight for ease of carriage. You can't throw the boxes around, but the occasional slip onto a hard floor from height has meant only very minor breakages (a couple of spears, lances and shields knocked from hands if that was the only point of anchorage)
Luckily, over the years I have been picking up one or two of these at a time at trade shows, but now I have enough to house all of my Lord of the Rings minis with a bit of jiggery pokery. I am not likely to buy too many in the coming months due to lack of funds, but I receommend them if you can afford them.
Addendum: With regards housing my Dol Amroth knights (plus other mounted banner bearers), I used their full height pick and pluck solution. Great for minis "taller" than 60mm (up to around 100/110mm).
ReplyDelete