Midgard : Britannia (Chariots 1)

After my major faux pas of gluing the chariots to their bases prior to painting (at least I undercoated them first!) I decided to paint them in two lots as there are two different styles of chariot. Here are my first attempts at painting the more "basic" chariots...

Two chariots on their bases

These look great on their own. The Warbases, erm, bases, fit the chariots perfectly.

The same two chariots on their Warbases movement tray

But, once they get onto their movement trays, they look superb. I am so happy with the way that these have turned out. This is how I imagine that their enemies would see them thundering towards their lines...

From the front

This is a view from above. As you can see, they glued up a little on the wonky side, but that, to me, adds to their authenticity.

From above to show how the bases fit the movement trays

I took one further image of the chariots swapped around...

And swapped over

Briton figures progress (130 of 135 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Druids (4 metal figures)
• Chieftains and Champions (6 metal figures)
• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• 2/3 Chariots and crew (10/15 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)

As mentioned previously, due to the gluing mishap, there were some very awkward places to paint and varnish, but I think I managed to do well despite the set-backs. The one small saving grace at this point was that I only glued the chariots to their bases and not the crews to their chariots. I was able to paint the crew separately and that gave me time to think on what to do with them. I tried to stick them to small pieces of clear plastic so that they could be removable and therefore the chariots could be used for something else, but the glues I used just would not create a permanent adhesion and the figures kept popping off of their bases. I therefore decided to glue the figures on permanently and will look into buying more chariots if required for other projects.

Whilst painting these chariots I also got to thinking more about alternative uses for them. I rather liked the idea of converting them to have wolves or boars to pull them, with maybe goblin or dwarf crews. I also saw them with Lord of the Rings Easterling and Elven crews - I'd need to work out a suitable paintjob for them, but I think they could be made to look like they fit in with those armies. Certainly a couple of ideas to toy with going forward.

Once I complete the last of the chariots, I will do one final army summary, which will probably also incorporate my thoughts on the Roman figures still left in my pile of shame.

Midgard : Britannia (Mounted Warriors 3)

And this post brings me to the last of the "odds and sods"; a couple of Mounted Warriors. These can be used as part of the skirmish style cavalry bases for Midgard if I swap out the heavily armoured riders, or just to add into a unit of ten cavalry for any other game systems.

I only tried out one newish trick with these figures - I had a go at a skewbald horse colouration scheme. I think it turned out OK, but the horse image I copied meant that most of the darker hide ended up hidden by the saddle and rider. I will look at variants on this theme when I get around to painting more cavalry - unfortunately due to the gluing incident, I won't be trying anything more than a single colour scheme on the chariot horses.

Two New Mounted Warriors

All of the Mounted Warriors Together

I think it is nice that I have more figures than are required for the unit bases I made (see the slingers from the last post for another example). It means I can randomise the Midgard bases each time I play with them or use the whole ten riders to choose from to create a lovely Dragon Rampant unit.

Celtic figures progress (120 of 135 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Druids (4 metal figures)
• Chieftains and Champions (6 metal figures)
• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (15 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)

Next up is the unit I have been waiting for - the chariots. I have three of them ready to go, but they will only make up one full Midgard unit base unfortunately. I guess the other could be used as a unit chieftain/champion? I will need to purchase one or two more to allow me to expand to two units. I am toying with the idea, as well as buying one or two for use as goblin chariots or whatever, but they are very expensive. We shall see what pans out when I get around to painting my fantasy figures.

Midgard : Britannia (Slingers 3)

I decided on a very quick win this time round. These slingers only took me a couple of sessions to complete. These very basic paint jobs brings the total number of slingers up to ten - enough for two skirmish bases or a full ten man base if required.

The Two New Slingers

Here they all are together...

All the Slingers Together

These figures are literally just three or four colours and a wash, but the sculpts make them what they are. I actually do really like these despite their basic look. As mentioned in a previous post, I am tempted to do a Five Leagues from the Borderlands warband/party with figures from my Celtic collection, and some missile troops are always handy to have in a tight spot.

And now onto the Celtic figures progress (118 of 135 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Druids (4 metal figures)
• Chieftains and Champions (6 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (15 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)

Next up will be the last two cavalrymen and then the chariots thereafter. I don't think I have ever fully completed an army that I set out to paint. I am very close with this one. Let's hope I can keep up the discipline and see it all through.

Midgard : Britannia (Chieftains & Champions)

I was able to paint these fellas relatively quickly. I put in some extra time this weekend and had no interruptions, so the standard block painting went on by the numbers. Again, nothing spectacular. I am staying resolute to just block painting and washes for this army. I will push my skills a little more with the next project.

Chieftains and Champions by Warlord Games

Chieftains and Champions by Foundry

All the Chieftains and Champions together

With the completion of these, all of the leader-types are done, so I can field a Celtic/Briton army with a great choice of champions. If I have need of more I can always grab a figure or two from the Elite or Mounted Warrior units already completed, plus there are the chariots in the wings waiting for a dab of paint.

I am still painting most days for 30-40 minutes per session, so I am hoping to see the completion of the remainder of the figures in a couple of weeks' time. If I am able to keep the discipline and avoid any new bouts of painter's block, this should be achievable.

Celtic figures progress (116 of 135 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Druids (4 metal figures)
• Chieftains and Champions (6 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (15 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)

Either the mounted warriors or the slingers will be up next before trying to tackle the too-hastily constructed chariots. The chariots will take a bit of time, due to a few of the very awkward places to get the paintbrush into, but they should be do-able.

Whilst doing all this painting, I have noticed that a few of my very old paint pots are beginning to dry up; some of the pots are 30 years old or more! I have been adding a few drops of water each time I use them to keep them flowing, but some are gradually moving beyond repair and are totally drying out in the pots. I am just hoping that the main colours I am using can hold out until the last of the miniatures above are completed. Several pots have been discarded over the last few weeks where they have just dried solid, so I will take a look to see if I can replace them from the original vendors. If I cannot I will need to source alternatives.

Midgard : Britannia (Druids)

First up for the individually listed miniatures are a small coven(?) of druids. Like with all of the previous figures I only gave them a basic paint job and wash despite wanting to push my skills a little. Two of them (the naked one and the one on the right brandishing a staff) took only a few sessions to complete, but I got a bit of painter's block on the other two and they took me a little while longer.

Anyway, here they all are in their glory...

A Small Coterie of Druids

I am wondering whether to base them on a movement tray for Midgard as normally they would appear as leaders. I may do so anyway and then work out how to have a bunch of magic wielding characters appear together as a unit. I am sure there is something in the rules I can amend to allow this; something to look up at a future date.

And here are the druids with some warriors for protection...

Druids with Elite Warriors and Warriors

With the completion of these, the numbers continue to look better and better. I am still keeping discipline and painting most days for 30-40 minutes per day. I had a bit of a hiccup this week with a bit of painter's block as mentioned above, but I am stoked to get the next batch done.

Celtic figures progress (110 of 135 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (15 metal figures)
• Slingers (2 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)

The mounted warriors and slingers look like quick-ish wins and add extra variety if I wish to make up the Midgard bases differently. As a result, I have moved the slingers into the in-progress list. Alternatively, I could get the leaders and champions finished. The remainder of the plastics and the javelinmen will need to wait. Decisions, decisions.

Midgard : Britannia (Building Interlude 2)

The bases and movement trays for the Celtic chariots arrived a couple of weeks back as mentioned in a previous post. I wanted to complete the last two bases of warriors prior to starting work on them though. Over the last couple of days I have glued up the two remaining chariots, undercoated all three of them plus their crews, and adhered them to their movement trays. It was only after doing this that I realised that I should have painted them first as there are some very awkward looking places to reach now, ha ha - oh well!

The Three Chariots prior to Basing and Painting

Warbases did a fine job in creating some lovely custom movement trays for my chariots - I used their standard 95x40mm pill bases as the starting point and asked them to incorporate two of them onto their standard 120x120mm Midgard trays. They work very well indeed - the chariots proved to be a fine fit.

Chariot Bases and Movement Trays

As the chariots are larger, more complex miniatures I am going to count them as a little bit more than the 3/6 (9 in total) count that I have been giving them so far. As each model consists of a chariot, 2 horses and 2 crew members I will count each model as 5 figures in total - 15 figures in all. Maybe if I paint vehicles or multi-piece items in future I will reconsider the total worth, but for now this makes sense to me (and makes the completed numbers more appealing). I know, I know, you can justifiably point out that I didn't count my mounted figures as two figures, when maybe I should have done, but to paraphrase Gimli, "They still only count as one!" 

Celtic figures progress (106 of 133 completed)...

• 106 figures based and ready for use with the Midgard rules set
• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (15 metal figures - 3 chariots, 6 horses, 6 crew)

And the remainder...

• 40 Standard and elite warriors (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

Whilst evaluating my progress and contemplating what else needs doing, I took a look at some potential new units that could be built from the remaining unpainted/prepped Romans and Britons and the Warbases movement trays that are left. Here are the raw numbers (I may have missed a few figures, but I will add them in as and when I find them) - I will try to create as many new units as I can from these and hope that I do not need to purchase any more movement trays for the forces going forward. That being said, the numbers I already have should be enough for most 300 point army eventualities, and I wish to complete another couple of projects before circling back to this one.

Romans...

• 54 Plastic figures:
• 1 complete box of 30
• 24 on sprues (4 leaders, 20 legionaries)
• 2 Optios
• 1 Western Spearman
• 1 Eastern Archer
• 9 Balearic Slingers
• 12 Numidian Cavalry
• Artillery:
• 2 Scorpions + 4 crew
• 1 Ballista + 3 crew
• 1 Onager + 3 crew - for some reason I got a Caesarian rather than Early Imperial onager, so the crew are historically incorrect for this army - ho hum!

Britons...

• 40 Plastic figures - 37 upper bodies, 47 lower bodies (due to using ten uppers for cavalry) on their sprues -  plus 3 already constructed
• 32 Standard Warriors
• 8 Armoured Warriors
• 8 Javelinmen
• 2 Slingers

Unused Movement Trays...

• 4 Warrior ranked bases
• 5 Warrior non-ranked bases
• 5 Skirmisher bases
• 8 Mounted Warrior bases
• 1 Chariot base
• I need to create/order bases for the artillery - these need to be worked out in detail

Whilst thinking about other uses for these bases, I was reminded of my goblin raiding party figures. I may use some for those figures so I can begin creating a Midgard army for my old skool figures. I have a load of figures based up for Hordes of the Things that I never got around to playing with. If I can remove them from those movement bases and clean them up, I could use them for Midgard too. And that would also give me a few dwarf units to get me going.

Timeline - I began this project back on the 6th of June. I have managed to complete 13 movement trays/units in about 10 weeks so far, so I have hit my target of an average of a base per week. Some were more achievable than others so I got more than one base in per week, but there were a few moments when I wavered a little, although I just about managed it. Now to complete the remaining figures in the list.

Midgard : Britannia (Warriors)

And with this base, the last of the units based for Midgard have been completed. Ten more standard plastic warriors ready for more forays in Britannia. Actually, a little aside here, there were only nine figures to paint as one had already been completed back when I originally worked on the Celts when I first bought the box sets many moons ago.

The Fourth Base of Warriors

Celtic figures based for Midgard (106 of 106 completed)...

• 4 bases of standard warriors (40 plastic figures)

• 2 bases of elite warriors (20 - a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

Other Celtic figures that have been prepped (0 of 21 completed)...

• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 34 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

As I have been looking at these figures more and more recently, I want to play many more games with them. I have already mentioned a potential Five Leagues warband set in my fantasy world of ancient Doggerland, along with another Romans versus Britons mash-up, but I am also seeing these warriors as potential Dunlendings from Lord of the Rings. Don't know why but that could make for an interesting foray into Middle Earth as a Battle Company or SoBH warband.

Midgard : Britannia (Elite Warriors 2)

These metal elite warriors took me quite a while to complete this week. I had a busy weekend just gone as it was my eldest son's birthday. As a result I was unable to do any painting over the weekend, so I had to up the hours spent on them each day this week. To add to the two days that I was absent, my concentration was lacking and my eyes played up big time - I could hardly focus, and went over the lines on several occasions. I have most likely missed quite a few of the line crossing fixes but will not be going back to correct them.

Second Base of Elite Warriors

That said, all's still going well with my progress and the numbers are rapidly changing from unpainted to completed. Just one more of the units that were based for Midgard to complete now.

Celtic figures based for Midgard (96 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 2 bases of elite warriors (20 - a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

Other Celtic figures that have been prepped (0 of 21 completed)...

• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 34 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

If I can get the last base of 10 Warriors completed over the next week or so and then get started on the prepped figures, I should be ready to get to work on the chariot bases/movement trays now that they have arrived (a super quick turnaround by Warbases - I thoroughly recommend them for your basing and movement tray needs). I am really looking forward to getting them ready for the paint station.

Midgard : Britannia (Slingers 2)

Hot on the heels of the last batch of slingers we have a second batch of slingers. Hot being the operative word here as it was another scorching week this week in dear old blighty. Luckily these four figures only required a quick paint job and wash to get them completed. Other than the heat, there were no major interruptions to my painting schedule this week, so I managed my usual 20-30 minutes per day.

The Second unit of Ancient British Slingers

So, that makes for two more skirmisher missile units completed which brings the total to four ranged skirmisher bases including the archers. There are also the skyclad and hound master bases that could be counted amongst the skirmisher units too bringing the total of these kinds of bases (four warriors on foot per base) to seven...

Both units of Slingers

And here they are with the female warriors...

Slingers and Female Warriors

After my summary post comment last time, I decided to take a picture of the whole army so far...

The Ancient Briton Army so far

I am not sure if I will take a photo of the whole army again until I have completed the entire project. In the meantime, I will continue with progress reports for the last few units and individuals that need to be painted.

Celtic figures based for Midgard (86 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

Other Celtic figures that have been prepped (0 of 21 completed)...

• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 34 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

Of the Midgard based figures, that is all of the quick wins (i.e. units of four) out of the way. I have just two more units of ten to complete now before moving onto the leaders and champions etc. When this particular Briton army project has finished I may look at the movement trays for the Midgard : Britannia armies left in my unmade box and divvy them up between the Romans and Britons. I have a number of bases I can construct for each army from their remaining unpainted piles (two units of javelin-armed skirmishers and maybe another base of plastic Warriors from the Celts, and I know I have artillery, Numidian cavalry and some Balearic slingers still to paint for the Romans). I will eventually get around to completing those unpainted figures and basing them for use on the left-over movement trays, but I will work on another project first before going back to them. I wish to use all of my current Warbases purchases so I do not feel guilty about buying more for other armies, even though any new ones will be configured to take 25mm and 40mm round plastic GW bases rather than the 1p and 38mm washer bases I used for the two Britannia armies. Money is tight, so I need a return on my gaming investments in terms of hobbying and playing with them.

In other news, I have put in that order for the chariot bases, and also for some standard movement trays for the Lord of the Rings orcs (the 25mm round GW bases mentioned above). When they arrive and I have worked on them a little, I will hopefully get another "in progress" post written with my work so far. I also need to see how to base the Roman artillery and crews as well; this too can be the subject of another post later on.

Midgard : Britannia (Slingers 1)

Back on track with figure painting this post. This time I went with one of the units of slingers for a quick win. There were only four miniatures that required painting for this skirmishing unit and my usual basic paint job plus wash did the trick - the usual 20-30 minutes per day rate of painting again.

The first unit of Ancient British Slingers

I managed to complete these ones quite quickly as this week's normal life didn't distract me from getting the paints out. When I had finished them and put them to one side to start on the next batch, I was quietly pleased with the progress so far. The bases that I had prepped for Midgard are now almost all completed. I have a few more "raw" bases/movement trays that could be used to mount more figures, but I will see where things stand when I complete the whole army, as I may need to also use some for a few more Roman units. I will probably try to do a summary post at the end of this project so I know exactly where I stand in Britannia.

All of the Celtic figures that were based for Midgard (82 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 1/2 bases of slingers (4/8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

Others that I will complete now that they have been prepped and/or undercoated...

• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

And the remainder...

• 34 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

Next time should be the second unit of slingers.

Midgard : Britannia (Building Interlude)

This post takes a slight detour from the rest of the series. Here I will report on the building and undercoating of some of the non-Midgard based miniatures. Like with the Romans, I have decided not to paint all of the Celtic collection at the moment - I'll save some of them for a later challenge/project. Here is a list of those that I have worked on over the last few days so that they can be painted...

The Chieftains and Champions (see also comments further below) - three each from Warlord (on the left) and Foundry (on the right). There is a marked difference in scale, with the Foundry figures showing their age by being that much smaller, but they should still work well together. I had started a little bit of painting on a couple of them whilst playing the campaign but never really built up any enthusiasm at the time...

Six Chieftains and Champions

The Druids are all from Warlord Games. I have re-used an older photograph of them cut to size...

Four Druids

Here are two more Mounted Warriors to go with the eight already painted - these used 2 of the 36 bodies that were still on the plastic warrior sprues. I decided to do one as a banner bearer just in case one is needed for other games in the future, and because they look good...

Two Mounted Warriors

And finally, the chariots and crew. I completed constructing one of them by the time I posted this missive, but it turned out a little wonky - oh well, never mind. I will hopefully do another update when the other two chariots are constructed and all three are subsequently undercoated. I am toying with grabbing the Boadicea chariot from Warlord to complete two Midgard units worth (two chariots per 120x100mm base), and to give the army a super-special leader. I will also need to get a couple of movement trays organised for the chariots from Warbases to complete this part of the army.

One Chariot and three Crews

I spent a good few hours over the last couple of days assembling all of these miniatures and spray undercoating those that were not already done so, with the exception of the chariots as mentioned previously. I actually enjoyed taking the time out from painting to do some modelling instead. The updated painting list now looks like this...

All of the Celtic figures that were based for Midgard (78 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

Others that I will complete now that they have been prepped and/or undercoated...

• Leaders and Champions (6 metal figures)
• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)
• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

And here is a list of the rest...

• 34 Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (plastic figures)
• 8 Javelinmen (metal figures)
• 2 Slingers (metal figures)

Whilst re-jigging everything to see what was left to paint, I noticed that the leaders and champions consisted of seven metal figures but there was a single plastic figure on the second Elite Warriors Midgard base (the other nine were metal) that I still need to paint. So, I swapped them over and put the plastic elite warrior to the side. I now actually do have a base of ten metal elite warriors but only six metal leaders and/or champions as showcased above.

Once the Midgard based and leader types have been completed I will have plenty of options for a game, so I may run out the Romans as their opponents again for a one-off battle from the Chronicles of Midgard supplement. I will then look at getting some Lord of the Rings figures painted so I can get in a bit of fantasy gaming - maybe another mini-campaign?

So, when I put in the order for those chariot bases, at the same time I will order some standard Midgard movement trays for the Lord of the Rings stuff. First up I think I want to get an orc army organised, then decide whether I want to use Gondor or Rohan as their first enemy.

Midgard : Britannia (Female Warriors)

Well, I lost my painting mojo a bit over the last week - lots of real life stuff came up (youngest daughter's graduation was one major good thing though) and I just generally lost interest for a bit. So, as a result, this unit of ten female warriors took me a while longer than my usual efforts to complete. I was also looking for brighter colours for them compared to the male warriors, so I had to search back into my paint pot archives as opposed to those just lying around on my paint station to find the colours I thought would be best for them. I am still only painting block colours and shading but I was sorely tempted to give plaid/tartan a go. I will save that paint scheme for another time as I just want to get this Midgard Briton army completed in my set time frame of one unit per week.

Female Warriors

Army numbers...

All of the Midgard based Celtic figures (78 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

And the rest...

• Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (36 plastic figures)

• Leaders and Champions (7 metal figures)

• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)

• Spearmen (8 metal figures)

• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)

• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

Again, there are one or two figures in this set that I would love to see in a Five Leagues party. I have a feeling that, along with a druid and some fighting types, my first warband might have a bit of a Celtic feel to it. This would fit right in with my ancient Doggerland gaming sessions - those prior to the DnD campaign.

I am not sure what to go for next time - maybe the rest of the skirmisher bases - namely the slingers? There are only eight of them spread over two bases, so they should make for a couple of quick wins to get my mojo back, before tackling the larger units again (a base each of standard and elite warriors still need to be completed), and then the list of the rest.

Midgard : Britannia (Archers 2)

The second unit painted up quite quickly as I knew the paint scheme I was going for and there are only four figures to go on the base. I stuck with shades of green and brown to make them kinda look like rangers/scouts, but they are within the bounds of colours used from the time.

The paint jobs were just block colours followed by a wash to give them some depth. As mentioned previously, all units in this army will have basic paint jobs even though I am itching to stretch my skills a bit more with some proper highlighting, shading and decoration.

The second unit of Celtic Archers

And here they are together with last week's unit...

The two units of Celtic Archers

Army numbers...

All of the Midgard based Celtic figures (68 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

And the rest...

• Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (36 plastic figures)

• Leaders and Champions (7 metal figures)

• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)

• Spearmen (8 metal figures)

• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)

• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

A quick picture of the last few units...

Archers and Elite infantry

I am very happy with my painting rate and that I am still enthused enough to keep on painting. There are still quite a few figures to go and some need constructing. I will look at trying to glue together and undercoat a number of the figures from the second list above over the next couple of weeks. I think I have mentioned before that I will most likely not paint all of the miniatures from the lists above, but I would at least like to complete all of the ones previously based for Midgard and a goodly amount of the leaders and druids.

Next time should hopefully see the completion of the Female Warriors base. There are ten to be painted, so they may take a little more time than the archers recently took.

Midgard : Britannia (Archers 1)

These figures were delayed for a bit as I had to go to a funeral earlier this week. When I got around to doing some painting, I decided to go for a unit of the archers to get a quick win - they only took me four days in total at around 20-30 minutes per day. I am not sure if the paint schemes are historically accurate in any way, but I don't really care too much to be honest. I was using these as a bit of a test run for my Lord of the Rings Gondor and dwarf rangers to see what shades of green and brown go well together.

Again, I didn't go to town on the very basic paint jobs for these troops; just a few basic colours, shaded and based in the standard way for my Celtic troops.

The first unit of Celtic Archers

Army numbers...

All of the Midgard based Celtic figures (64 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 1/2 bases of archers (4/8 metal figures)
• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

And the rest...

• Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (36 plastic figures)

• Leaders and Champions (7 metal figures)

• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)

• Spearmen (8 metal figures)

• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)

• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

I like the way they turned out overall, so I will try to continue on with a similar paint scheme on the next batch of archers. I have already seen one or two of them that I would like to use in an upcoming Five Leagues warband that I am putting together. These figures have a lot of character.

Next time should be the second batch of Britannia Archers.

Midgard : Britannia (Elite Warriors 1)

This unit of ten elite Celtic warriors was a struggle for different reasons to the last couple of cavalry bases. They took much longer than the skirmisher bases as there were ten warriors on the base as opposed to four. These took me eight days to paint averaging 30-40 minutes per day, whereas the skirmisher (four figures) bases tended to only take about four days at 20-30 minutes per session. Despite the extra effort involved, I am still on pace for approximately a base per week.

Elite/Noble Warriors

I didn't do a grandiose paint job on these despite them being elite troops as I just want to get the army finished. Again, they were a basic few colours, shaded and based, but I managed not to mist the shields this time when I sprayed on the matt varnish. They should fit in well now as Roman adversaries, especially on their Midgard bases.

Here's the ongoing army tally...

All of the Celtic figures that were based for Midgard (60 of 106 completed)...

• 3/4 bases of standard warriors (30/40 plastic figures)

• 1/2 bases of elite warriors (10/20 a base each of plastic and metal figures)

• 1 base of female warriors (10 metal figures)
• 2 bases of archers (8 metal figures)
• 2 bases of slingers (8 metal figures)

• 2 bases of mounted warriors (8 metal/plastic figures)

• 2 bases of skyclad warriors (8 metal figures)

• 1 base of hounds (4 metal figures)

And here is a list of the rest...

• Standard and elite warriors still on their sprues (36 plastic figures)

• Leaders and Champions (7 metal figures)

• 1 base of druids (4 metal figures)

• Spearmen (8 metal figures)

• Mounted warriors (2 metal/plastic figures)

• Slingers (2 metal figures)
• Chariots and crew (3/6 metal figures)

As this elite warriors base was made up of purely plastic miniatures, I thought I would mix things up a bit and do a few more metal miniatures next - I have several skirmisher bases to paint, so maybe some archers or slingers? I have another base of elite warriors to complete (I think they are all metal), but I will leave them a while as they will take a long time if this last lot was anything to go by and I need a few more quick wins to get my mind back in the groove before tackling them and the last unit of standard warriors (both ten per base). I also have the female warriors to contend with; another base of ten figures.

Once the figures that were used for the Midgard campaign are completed, I will carry on and do some of the rest of them - primarily I will aim at painting the leaders/champions, the druids and the last two mounted warriors. The chariots need to be fully assembled so will provide another challenge that I am looking forward to. I may not bother with the plastic figures still on their sprues, the metal spearmen and remaining two slingers just yet - I reckon I will be all "Celted" out by then and relishing a fresh challenge.