Building - A Creepy House

American Horror

Having been collecting a fair few figures for a Gothic Horror setting I finally took the plunge and started work on a building to go with them.  

Although my figure range is really best suited for Victorian London I couldn't resist getting my hands on the lovely Ravens Perch model by Petite Properties.

This kit is a mixture of laser cut card and mdf.  Extra detailing can be added if required.

The base kit looks like this when constructed.

And the Painted model on the store is done like this.

I decided for my version of this kit I would go with a slightly different colour scheme.

The panelling on the walls was done with double sided sticky tape and thin card.  The chimney was made from air drying clay.  I used DAS modelling clay.  I used the same clay to make the pillars for the gate leading up to the house.

The rear of the house is open and I left mine a dark colour.   I did consider adding a back to the model but decided against it.  My games using this will be skirmish level and I imagine that any back I make would spend most its time off to one side anyway.

All in all I am very happy with this kit.  The instructions are easy to follow and it forms a good structure to add detailing to without much effort.

I guess my investigators of the occult will have to travel to the New World at some point.

Congo - King of the Apes

Societe Le bulletin de la Geographique

no2

The Congo river and mysterious jungle that surrounds it still has as many secrets to reveal!

Mr Rossignol, well known to our regular readers, and who has just returned from the Dark Continent, reports the story of a lost tribe that worships what might be the largest ape ever seen.

This story would have remained a legend if the famous explorer had not sworn to have crossed the path of the beast during his journey.

being both well known, and a proper gentleman, his word was not doubted by the authorities of the Kembele trading post.  They sent a scientific expedition to capture and bring back the beast.  If it exists...  

The Worshipers

Pygmy King

Witchdoctor

5 x Pygmy warriors

2x3 Pygmy Archers

5 x Young Warriors

5 x Young Warriors

6 x Archers

Kong, the Giant Ape

The Hunters

Explorer

Reporter

Bearer

4 x Soldiers

4 x Trained Askaris

4 x Trained Askaris

3 x Adventurers

5 x Askaris

5 x Askaris

3 x Scouts

In this scenario the Hunters are trying to capture Kong.  To do this the Hunters must take his last life point in melee combat.  If Kong loses his last life point for any other reason, he dies.

The Hunters will win automatically if they capture Kong,  They will also gain 1 victory point for each life lost by Kong.

The worshipers will automatically win if Kong is killed.  (His spirit will reside in the forest forever)   They will also gain 3 victory point's for each enemy group eliminated.

The exhausted Hunters push further into the jungle, with each weary step they get closer to their pray.  Adventures spearhead the advance for one detachment.  Their knowledge of the Dark Continent proving most useful as they uncover a group of hostile Pygmies lead by none other than their king.

Loyal Sikh soldiers with our courageous explorer and tea bearer use machetes to create a path through dangerous terrain.  They stumble across a small collection of offerings, left here for some unknown deity.

Our notable reporter tries to calm the nerves of a group of Askaris, spooked by a large swarm of tsetse flies.

In their attempt to escape the angry swarm, our Askaris burst into a clearing and straight into the path on Kong.  The huge ape makes short work of the first few soft humans it gets its hands on.  The rest flee back into the jungle.

Young warrior women unleash a volley of Assagis.  Thankfully the dense vegetation protects our valiant men.

The Dark Continent is a mysterious place at the best of times.  A Witchdoctor and group of natives armed with bows makes the Trained Askaris suddenly decide they would rather be somewhere else.

Being attacked from the rear by unseen forces is more than enough to force these once loyal troops to disappear.  It is highly unlikely that they will ever escape the jungle alive.

Pygmy bowmen, skilled in the arts of stealth and poison pick off anyone standing in the open.

The Pygmy King directs his loyal bodyguard to assault the Adventurers.

Young warriors attempt to intimidate a group of Askaris.   Although not highly skilled with their muskets, the loud crack and bellowing smoke as they fire is enough to see the young natives disperse back into cover.

Bitter fighting between heavy foliage.  The skill and professionalism of the Sikhs proving to much for a group of Natives. 

More Trained Askaris push forward in the search for Kong.

Having battled so hard for so long our brave intrepid explorer finally reaches the lair of Kong.  

With light fading fast, and the risk of losing more people to unseen enemies our brave chaps have no choice but to retreat to safer ground. 

However, not all is a loss as now they know the path to take and tomorrow is a new day.

Our esteemed reporter takes notes of the trail to follow.

Victory to the forest tribes...just, but at great loss. 

Warhammer - Skaven Army

Ratmen

Whilst digging through boxes I stumbled across my old Skaven army for Warhammer Fantasy Battle.  This is probably the first full Warhammer Army that I finished Painting and the First Army I ever used in a tournament.  I have no idea why I decided to build a massive swarm as my first Warhammer Army, I must have been insane.   So much Brown.   Anyway I managed to keep focused long enough to paint the horde of rats you see below.

This is another collection that has not seen the light of day for a very long time and is probably deserving of more table time then I have given it.

I think all up its a little over 250 models.  It looks great on the table and can be a bit intimidating when looking at from the opposition side.

Warhammer - Beastmen Army

Beastkrieg
Revisited

Well I started to look through all the boxes I have in the games room and dug out these again.  I am in a desperate need for more room as my interests are constantly changing and these have not seen the light of day for sometime.  Maybe its time to let them go to someone who will use them.

I built this army for a Warhammer Tournament some time ago.  Now I've never claimed to be that good at Warhammer, I generally just bumbled my way through games whilst have a jolly good time.

This little 1500 point army was just built for fun, I wasn't expecting much from it if I'm honest but somehow I managed to Win the event with it.   

The idea was to have a fast army and try to put my opponents on the back foot by having really aggressive charges.  Plus Chariots are just cool.

Blood & Plunder - Galleon

The Treasure Ship

Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used by the Spanish as armed cargo carriers and later adopted by other European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal fleet units drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the mid-1600s.  Galleons generally carried three or more masts with a lateen fore-and-aft rig on the rear masts, were carvel built with a prominent squared off raised stern, and used square-rigged sail plans on their fore-mast and main-masts.

Such ships were the mainstay of maritime commerce into the early 19th century, and were often drafted into use as auxiliary naval war vessels—indeed, were the mainstay of contending fleets through most of the 150 years of the Age of Exploration—before the Anglo-Dutch wars brought purpose-built ship-rigged warships that thereafter dominated war at sea during the remainder of the age of sail.

The Firelock Games Galleon is a truly massive model and will certainly turn a few heads when put onto the table.  Ideal for larger games or multiplayer games where the objective is to capture the treasure ship.

I painted mine up with the idea of using it to represent a Spanish Treasure Ship.  I followed the same principles I used with my other ships and rigged it in the same way.  Of course being a much bigger ship there was a lot more rigging to do.

I will do the flags for this ship at the same time as I do the flags for all my existing ships.

Pictures here show my Galleon with French crew as I still have yet to purchase and paint any Spanish figures.

A few more shots with some other ships for scale.

and finally a few more crew and characters that I've finished.