Hi everybody - time for another update on one of my
collaboration projects, this time with
Mordian7th. For those of you who missed the
last post on planning, the idea is for us both to build a squad for each other and post them off to join the other's army - a nice way to get a permanent link between the two forces. Mordian7th has just done a post on Thargadd's Thumpers, a squad of Ogryns shortly to join the Second Battalion. As he's pointed out, loud, muscley Ogryns are perfect for a squad from across the pond in good ol' US of A, so for my part some prim, smartly dressed Palladian veterans will be my contribution for this swap!
Well - not quite smartly-dressed. I had to think about the unit I wanted to build, and I didn't want to do just an ordinary infantry squad. Mordian7th wanted some veterans, which was perfect: I could use smart uniforms but also put a bit of individuality into my models.
Mordian7th's Palladian Veterans: Part II
Construction
So, my order from Victoria Miniatures arrived ... unpacked the models, tin of Guinness on the side, Alan Partridge on in the background, perfect. I got straight on with building. Victoria's work is really beautiful, and if for some reason you haven't seen it I strongly suggest you
take a look (free delivery until 1 Jan next year!). It's impossible to not build a great-looking model with the bitz she does. I used a lot of the Tannenberg Fusiliers range, which are basically Mordians. I got some of the pump-action shotguns to go with it as well as the dress epaulettes, and then mixed in a few heads and plastic bitz from my collection. Take a look at the results below!
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| Sergeant - that's a 28mm Waffen-SS head from Warlord Games |
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| A regular veteran. Liquid GS is useful here but requires a lot of cleaning up. |
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| Don't you just love those epaulettes? |
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| Not sure where this bald head came from. |
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| Not sure about the 'balance' of this chap but that grenade launcher is lovely. |
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| Bring it on! |
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| Again, not sure about the balance of the model here, I was going to do a scenic base with the men running up to a wall but then I realised we were leaving them blank. |
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| More cruel close-ups, but I just wanted you to see the detail on some of the sculpts. |
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| These shotguns are sheer beauty! |
Blimey, close-up photos are harsh aren't they? I clearly have a bit more cleaning up to do on them, but you get the idea. Most of the Green Stuff is going to be filed off, but I might leave the neck stuff in and turn them into scarfs/handkerchiefs, I quite like the look of it actually. The big win for me are the epaulettes. They're only a few pounds (or dollars, roubles, euros, shillings etc) and they sit beautifully on the models, very naturally. Also the detail on these sculpts is very impressive.
That's all for now, I've just got to finish off cleaning them up then they'll be ready for an undercoating and I can get painting! Update to follow ...
PS: Blogger admin - I just checked my 'spam' inbox and found a load of comments from you guys, I've approved them all and tried to reply, so if you left a comment on here and it didn't appear/get replied to, then it should have been now! Also, I like the new layout with the picture background but a few of you mentioned it was hard to read the white text. I've put a background in and changed the picture to a darker one now, so let me know what you think!
Thanks again all,
The Colonel
Wow, I'm quite interested in how this squad turns out. I've peeked at the Victoria Minis stuff a few times. The epaulettes specifically have tempted me, but I was stubborn in that I was going to sculpt my own.
ReplyDeleteI might just have to put in a order to cover my bets. :-) I'm making the commissar with the riding crop into (one of) my commander, so I don't want to mess the epaulettes up!
As for the site, everything looks great to me! :-)
Jason
Groovy stuff! I have a basket full of stuff from Vic miniatures, do I hit checkout... do I... tough decision. Those shotguns look so good as well.
ReplyDeleteNice work on the building of these by the way. Did you pin them?
And as the for the blog it's easy to read. Could you off set the pic of Colonel Scipio so he is to the side of the text - that way we can see him all the time.
Site works fine now. Worked fine before too though.
ReplyDeleteThat squad is lovely mate. Lots of character and great details. I think the idea for scarves is a cool one.
Am contemplating taking advantage of that free shipping right now..... Those Highlanders are the sex.
Looking good Col. I do love Vic's gear - they do offer that little nostalic nod to the older GW lines.
ReplyDeleteOn the background - I hope it wasn't instigated by my last comment (eep) however readability is much improved.
Utterly beautiful, and I like the missile launcher chaps, has a very WW2 feel.
ReplyDeleteBefore I start anything new (like my mysterious Vullisian Guard), I think I'm going to have to get some of the Victoria Lamb stuff for my long neglected Naval Landing/Boarding party - it's spot on (particularly the epauletted tunics and shotguns... love the open breech one. Despite the fact I've been emptying the stocks of BitzBox (and my wallet) for the Mawdryn Space Marines, I think the free delivery has to be made the most of.
Awesome stuff, mate! I love how the build is going, they look better than I could have imagined. They're going to look great!
ReplyDeleteI've managed to get some paint on Thargadd and the boys over the last few days, I'm hoping to snap a few pics-in-progress over lunch today while I have some good light. I'm hoping to polish them off over the upcoming weekend and get a nice fluff post for 'em up!
The new site layout definitely makes for easier reading. I like it! Keep up the great work, man!
Shiney! Looking forward to seeing these guys painted
ReplyDeleteSite and minis look grand mate!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the rational behind the tanks on the back of the rocket launcher?
Wow, thankyou to everybody who stopped by for a read!
ReplyDelete@Jason: Thanks a lot - after seeing some of your sculpting I don't think you need to worry, they're still some of the nicest I've seen. But these are perfect for bulk conversions like these Palladians. That riding crop commissar is one of my favourite GW models to date! Good choice.
@Col Ackland: Of course you click buy! That's why they put it there! Go on... I didn't pin them no, I use a mix of a dot of Green Stuff and superglue for large flat joints, it sets into an utterly impregnable mix, just needs lots of tidying up in the gaps (hence the prodigious use of Liquid GS afterwards). Oh, and unfortunately I can't move the picture around :( but I was thinking the same thing. May get the camera out again and try another shot.
@Dai: Haha that's the perfect description. It's an excellent business idea because everyone I know has gone mental and just bought tonnes of stuff (myself included!) Thanks for the feedback on the site - a big problem is that a lot of people see it differently on different browsers. Hence the black background now, just to standardise.
@Rogue Pom: That's it, while GW (sort of understandably) left behind the old IG lines, these have given them a massive new lease of life! It was partially, but I had a few people mention it and also I struggled on my own computer, which is always a bad sign...
@Headologist: Thanks, yep the WW2 panzerschreck was my aim as well, and I hope to bring it through in the painting. To others, having heard about the plans for Headologist's boarding party in more detail, it's going to be brilliant - that's all I'll say :)
@Mordian7th: Glad you like 'em! I hope you can find room for the configuration of shotguns + missile launcher! Just seen the post you did and they are looking amazing! The great work will be kept up, thanks, you too! :)
@Malkavschilde: Ooooh, very shiny baubles ... I'm putting that to rights with a bit of painting right now!
@Admiral Drax: Cheers, my dear Admiral. Ah well, without giving too much away for the upcoming fluff post, let's just say there might be some nasty, gaseous surprises in one warhead per game coming out that launcher ...
The minis look great. All those pump shotguns look really wicked, is it safe to assume that Palladian CQB is a mix of HTH and the ancient art of CHUK-CHUK-BOOM? The background swap is neat, I love getting the occasional glance at Mini Colonel Scipio as I read the blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! Yep, that's a direct quote from the Tactica Kickass! Sorry about that. Yeah, I can't align the photo so it's on the edge unfortunately, but I'll keep trying to work on it.
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