Mo’venber “Coughing up…”

OK well it’s the last week of Mo’vember and I thought I’d go out with something a little bit different, so turning to Lancelot’s list I pulled out some figures that have been languishing in there draw for nigh on thirty years now (though as you can see in the photograph at some point I have undercoated them in grey car primer, but seems that’s as far as it went)…

Box 4 – (9x 28mm Hairballs)

Now I bought these funny little fellows from “Games of Liverpool” way back when I first started wargaming, who they were produced by I’m afraid I have not the foggiest idea but I thought they might be a fun way to end this years “face fungus challenge” as even though they don’t have moustaches the hair/fur does run from their chins so they should count. They are only quite small even though they are twenty eight (probably 25 given their age) millimetre scale the tallest of them is only eighteen millimetres tall, so rather than have them swamped on a tuppence I instead mounted them on pennies before they were based up with some “Tetrion” filler and given a coat of matt black.

Painting was pretty simple really, (then why did they take so long!). I began as usual; by dry-brushing the weapons with chainmail, and then the hairy bodies were undercoated with either chocolate brown, dark sand, dark grey or chestnut, these were then highlighted with (in the same order), chestnut, light sand, light grey or orange. Their faces came next, these were undercoated with continental flesh and after their eyes and mouths were added in black and white, were highlighted with more continental flesh mixed with a little pale flesh. The shafts of the spear, hammer and axe, were painted chocolate brown again and butternut was used to highlight these, and the hilts of the swords were painted in copper. Then turning to the kilt wearing chap, I undercoated said item of attire with royal blue, and highlighted in bright blue, then added the “plaid” in coffee and orange (it’s OK but I now think I should have started with a base of deep bronze green, oh well). His bonnet feather is coffee and cream, and this also formed the colour on half of the shields, with dark red and pink burgundy forming the other halves. Any leather belts were added in chocolate brown yet again and highlighted with leather. The priests collar was painted black and dark grey highlights finnished it off. They were then all treated to a coat of “Quickshade” and “Bob’s your uncle” as they say, they were done.

They then had their bases painted in my usual fashion before they were taken out and sprayed with matt varnish, and after so many years in the wilderness a little colour was brought into their grey little lives. Those of you who have been around for a while now will probably know that this will be my last official posting of the year, as I usually take December off to prepare for the Christmas holidays, though there will be a couple of “special” posts before the end of the year, but till then, if beards are good enough for Santa…keep hiding the razor and, cheers Roger.