MORDHEIM....a new arrival

If there's one thing in the world above all others that a hobbyist loves most it is surely the keen anticipation generated by the latest toy purchase arriving through the post!

There are few feelings that match the sheer excitement of the postman strolling down the drive and delivering one's most recent plastic/resin/lead indulgence. Inevitably the poor fellow shows signs of shock as you bound towards him; eagerly grab the package from his sweaty hands; hide it behind your back and tip toe back to your man cave before being interdicted by wives, relatives or even errant family pets!

This feeling for me is doubly delicious when the purchase in question is a classic piece of retro gaming goodness that for the mainstream community has long since been consigned to the sands of time.

So needless to say when the inconspicuous looking manila parcel shown above arrived at my door recently I was a barely contained ball of geeky excitement...For I knew within it lay....

More Normans.... Or maybe Frostgrave Henchmen types!

After a few weeks off I have finally managed to get some painting done and so have used the opportunity to complete a further two foot soldiers from my project on the Norman Period. These two chaps are unarmoured spearmen who whilst being mere cannon (or bow) fodder were still a sheer joy to paint.

I must apologise for the apparent darkness of the photos, it would appear that the light was not my friend today! These two fellas are from the Conquest Games Norman Infantry box set, which gives you over 40 soldiers for a mere £20... That is amazing value for money, especially considering how good the sculpts are.

Whilst they are ostensibly Norman soldiers it is highly likely that they will also find themselves battling in a variety of settings... Potentially including the frozen ruins of Frostgrave. I am very fond of these guys, particularly as they are sculpted to 'normal' proportions (i.e. non-heroic scale) which seems more appropriate for your basic 'grunt'.

Here is a family shot with all of my early-medieval soldiers painted thus far, and I have to say I'm generally very pleased with how they are turning out! 

For all of these models I have used my standard mix of Citadel and Foundry paints which I find give suitably pleasing results when combined as each range complements the other well.

Next I will be starting work on my commission pieces for Joe and the Frostgrave team!

Return from the wilderness...and interesting developments!

Greetings readers! I must start this post by apologising for my extended absence, I can assure you that this was through no fault of my own! Alas I was deployed on a military exercise for a three week block and so my access both to technology and any hobby related materials has been decidedly restricted!

However I have since returned to civilisation and a host of hobby related goodness! 

First up I am pleased to say that my latest Wargames article features in this month's Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Magazine (issue 85). 

The theme of this issue is 'Horror and Monster' related gaming and in keeping with this subject my piece focuses on bringing key sci-fi horror franchises of the 70s/80s (e.g. Alien, Terminator, Predator et al) to the tabletop.

As well as the general narrative I have also created two bespoke scenarios for making this gaming dream a reality, both of which I hope readers will enjoy or at least be able to use as the basis for their own adventures.

As ever the article is accompanied by pictures of my own (and other contributors) miniatures in action. 

In addition to this I am proud to say that I have been approached by the legendary Joseph McCullough, author of Frostgrave, to paint some miniatures for a project that he is working on. This is a source of great pride for me as I absolutely love this game and am happy to be involved with it on any level. Also after years of painting miniatures it is a real honour to have my skills acknowledged, perhaps all that time spent slaving at the paint station hasn't been entirely wasted!

Finally I can also say that I am currently in the process of writing my own set of wargames rules which have been picked up for development by a leading publishing house, again this is is a source of immense satisfaction for me though I can't say too much at this stage!

Needless to say you should definitely 'watch this space' for any updates as they arise!