Fighting like cats and dogs...

Another update for the Wood Elf project - Animal handlers (always thought Beastmasters sounded like a kid's TV show!

 I'm obviously a dog person - raised by labradors and have one snoring at my feet as I type - as I found painting the hounds and their handler a breeze. Simple wolf hound style drybrushing and echoing their colours with a little green in the elf's attire.

The wildcats gave me some grief as cats are wont to do - I had the daft idea of painting them up as scottish wildcats to fit in with the celtic feel and found the markings quite tricky -

Not quite over the moon with the finished results but it'll do for now!

I also have the bear and his handler in the painting queue so watch this space...

Treemandous fun!!

Another exciting addition to the Elven host - this time an old Treeman from Citadel - Treebeard the Mighty Ent nonetheless! Not the most agressive or dangerous looking treeman on the market I'll warrant but he brings back a few fond memories and according to WFB 3rd ed. has some pretty mean looking stats too!

Where the Zoat challenged me on large areas of green this chap did the same with browns - think I've got him gnarly enough without looking to untidy. I was tempted to stick on some extra branches and clump foliage to make him a little more dynamic but just didn't look right so here he is au naturel -
the shots may seem a bit samey but I found it tricky to get the light right and I think I have all the detail covered through these various piccies - didn't bother with the back as there isn't much to see!

Look at the shiny shiny...

Just a little addendum to my last Sontaran post - the gloss varnish arrived a few days back and I've given them a coat or two - should pass muster at the next inspection parade!

Also felt the Rutan might like a wet look so he/she/it got a coat too.

That really gets my Zoat...

Finally got my Zoat done! Its been a slightly frustraing paint job - deceptively difficult. As this fellow is to be a fairly distinguished character in the army he needed a good paint job. However, being faced with large surface areas of green and grey its been a struggle to get the highlights and blending I wanted so this has taken a lot longer than I thought it might. Still not 100% happy but it'll do for now - might go back when I have more patience!

Its a kind of magic...

These two came in the post not so long ago and pushed in front of the Zoat in the paint queue - couldn't resist having a go at the diminutive and quite strange Were-fox. Also thought she/it would make a nice familiar for my new Wood Elf Sorceress, who is actually an old Citadel Dark Elf, as some kind soul on the Lead Adventure forums informed me (must put a link up to this fine site!) Quite like the wilder, more ambiguous nature this mini has over some goody-two-shoes actual Wood Elf!

Anyway here's the pics - a fairly basic paint job on the sorceress at the mo - will add more detail to the staff and robes, and perhaps one or two tatts in honour of her chequered history! I felt I had to give the Were-fox lots of tattoos to cover its blushes and make it all the more pagan and mysterious!

Have you seen me dancing... like really dancing?

Just finished another Wardancer - probably my fave sculpt out of the bunch, although I have another chap in the same pose with a spear who is also pretty cool. 

Think I'll wait until I've got a whole lot done before I post Wardancers again - I was just quite proud of the jewel clasp holding this mini's tunic together and I finally got ginger hair right too - he shall henceforth be known as the Ginger Ninja! I think I'll try to give the whole army a Pictish/Celtic/traditional Wood Elf look and those with the fairest locks will have to have the auburn treatment!

Jes Goodwin Goodness

A while ago I treated myself to a copy of the 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle rule book as a bit of a nostalgia trip, and to replace the one I used to own many moons ago. Owning as I do a load of old orcs, ranging from the original Ruglud's Armoured Orcs to some of the early 90s Night Goblins, an idea was slowly beginning to form as I seemed to keep opening the book and gaze wistfully at the old Jes Goodwin Wood Elf minis pictured staving off Goblinoid  and chaotic hordes.

So I got on ebay and a few?! quid later I had assembled a respectable force of Wood Elves, including the original "old duffer" treeman, a Zoat, most of Skarlocs archers (still need Skarloc and his mad, two sword wielding champion) and some wild cat animal handlers. I really wanted the old Elf Kin spearmen but had to settle with some reasonably priced 90s Glade Guard with spears as they were proving rarer than hen's teeth. So all I have to do now is paint them all up, retouch and reassemble the old orcs and convince someone to join me in a nostalgic and probably very slow game of 3rd edition WFB, with all its mad rules!

Here's the first of many - an old Jes Goodwin sculpt of a Wardancer.