“Taking Stock of Brokker’s” (Mo’vember)

OK well I have to start this post with an apology, I’m afraid I’m been a bit quiet around the blogs of late, this is because those fateful words “REAL LFE” have been getting in the way of the fun things in life over the last couple of weeks and painting and computer access has been rather limited. I have just about managed to get some more figures done for this month’s challenge, so enough whinging and let’s get on with them.

Now when it comes to a challenge like Mo’vember you would think you you’d be on pretty safe ground as far as facial hair was concerned with Dwarves, be they of the Fantasy or Space faring variety wouldn’t you? So it was with a fair amount of confidence that I dug out these four “Forge Father, Brokker” figures from the box of “Dead Zone” figures. Now there were only four of these little chaps and my eldest had stuck together and started painting the one, but out of the four only one of them was actually sporting a beard!  Now from what I can gather (and this may be wrong) Brokkers are a sort of cross between a “militia” and “Pirate Raider” faction of the “Forge Fathers”, though the description is really rather vague, just describing them as “Wild Engineers” 🤨.

Now the figures themselves are a little disappointing, they appear to be made of a resin type plastic (a bit like “GW’s Finecast” BOO!!), and come with separate arms and one separate head, there is however no scope for variations in the figures as the bits only fit one figure one way. So after taking the one figure that had been assembled and started, along with the other three I’d stuck together myself I applied a few layers of PVA and sand to their bases (one less on the started one that already had a little filler on the base) along with a few “kitty litter” rocks and it was out for a coat of matt black before beginning the painting proper.

Starting as usual with a dry-brushing with the chainmail, I followed this by picking out all the leather items about their persons, and there were a few in chocolate brown and the highlighted these with some leather brown. Now I wanted these to tie-in (at least a little bit) with the rest of my “Forge Fathers, so even though they are not wearing and armour I decided to paint there vests and the bit of their trousers that can be seen at the top of their “chaps” in German field grey, highlighted with deep turquoise, like the armour on the other figures. However next I decided to go with orange with the straps on their shoulders and their knee pads to show that they are essentially miner’s not regular soldiers, so I first undercoated these areas with cream so as to hopefully reduce the number of coats I need of the orange itself. With the flesh it was the old tried and true European flesh and European/pale flesh mix combo’, then I went in with the copper with bronze highlights here and there about their weapons and tools. Then it was just adding the details, so a little dark red with bright red highlights were applied to the odd flask and wire, the boots I’d left black had a little dark grey added for highlights, and while the dark grey was out I added some touches of it over the chocolate brown I’d used in the bearded chaps (the point of the challenge after all!) hair and whiskers. The lights on their weapons I did with a dot of light green, followed by another dot of luminous light green.

A coat of Strong tone Quickshade followed all this, and this did give them a rather dark and dirty appearance, I think I might have to thin my Quickshade a bit before the next lot of figures get their coat. Luckily with these being “miners” I think I can get away with this. Then their bases were painted chocolate brown and after this was followed with a dry-brushing with some khaki and coffee they were ready for a coat of matt varnish and I was calling them done.

I hope to get in one more “Mo’vember post before the end of the month, so till then.

Cheers Roger.

Advertisement