2020 Painting Challenge: Vikings

And finally ... something painted 😀

Recently, I jointed a FB group called the "2020 Painting Challenge". The Challenge is to finish one mini a week each week for 2020. Can be snotling or a giant. To be called finished the figure must be based and varnished ready for gaming.
Yes, what on earth was I thinking about...! Can't hardly paint a miniature a month .... But I think, it was the: "There is a free mini for everyone who completes 52 minis in the year. I need to talk to John Pickford about it being sculpted" - posted by Jamie Loft on March 23rd. Should be motivation enough and it convinced me to give it a try😊 Yes, I am that easy 😁

So, as I'm 14 weeks behind, I need to think "bulk painting" rather than "paint individuals" - so I've decided adding "elites" to my small Viking-force.

And here they are - 6 miniatures all from Mark Sims' Crusader Miniatures range. Shield transfers are those awesome ones from "little Big Men Studios" (Gripping Beast-range).

Crusader Miniatures: Vikings Hirdmen and Command

Crusader Vikings from: DAV006, DAV011, DAV006, DAV008

Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant!

More diversions from painting Pickford's, I'm afraid!

Have spend much time laying down lately and have killed the time watching "Spartacus - blood and sand" on DVD.
And as I have lots and lots of Gladiators in my boxes - mainly those by Mark Sims and Mark Copplestone's (Foundry and Crusader Miniatures), I was tempted to paint a few of those.

Also an good excuse to try out my new Vallejo skintones.

They where fun doing, but I think they will be the last ones using the Vallejo's - not really pleased with the skin colours. So will look elsewhere for a good Mediterranean skin recipe. Suggestions are very welcome.

So here they are:

Crusader Miniatures: Gladiators

Hoplomachus, Murmillo, Dimachaerus and Thracian 

And who know, I might even have to dig up some good Gladiator rules to try them out :)

MySAGA - part 1

And now to something completely different ..... :)

Not sure if its due to my age, being Danish (old Norse), fascination of the Viking Age i general or "simple" just because it's a darn fine game, but I've - like Blue in VT put it - "been bitten by the saga bug...".

The last few months I've picked up all the SAGA books (sold from Gripping Beast) and pulled out some old books about the Norse Sagas and Danish History and started studying. Also gone through the lead pile and found some Viking miniatures picked up long ago from Foundry - but also added some new ones from Crusader Miniatures - all miniatures are sculpted by Mark Sims.

So over the next months you might be seeing something a bit different now and then :)

Don't really think SAGA needs any introduction, but SAGA is a skirmish game for miniature warriors set in the Viking Age (Dark Age) when strength and bravery were worth a thousand men. But if you want to learn more about the game - check out the various blogs and forums out there ... :)

Enough about the awesome game. This is a painting blog so what have I been doing.

First, I've prepared the men I'll be using for my first practise games - so aiming to have a 4pt army done within the next few months.

The starter army will be

Warlord (incl. a musician filler)
2 x 4 Heartguard (Hirdmen) - Armour, hand weapons, shields
2 x 8 Warriors (Bondi) - un-armoured, some will have helmet, spear and shield

So started with the bulk of the Warband the "Warriors" - all build from some old Foundry's, sculpted by Mark Sims.

Wargames Foundry: Vikings

And here raiding the British Isles :)

But that's not all. Also preparing for some terrain. Started small so have started building a Pit House. Those that "like me" on Facebook, would already have seen this, but here is some WIP and the finished piece.


Pit House (Homemade - WIP)

Finished Pit House

Was a lot of fun building - and pretty sure you'll see more like this during the winter :)