Painting a 28mm Archer

In this post, I paint a Warhammer bowman.  I’m using these guys to play SAGA, though they may be, historically, a little later.  They look good, though, so I’m not really concerned.

I painted 12 of them.  I primed them “Leather Brown” with spray primer from The Army Painter.  This way I could skip the fiddly leather strap, etc.

I consider myself an average painter.  I’m not going to win any awards.  However, I think my troops look good on the table, and that’s the point, isn’t it?

These first 3 pics are after a base coat only.  The face, however, has a base coat and a highlight coat.  He’s blue tacked to a craft stick (with 2 of his brothers) because I do basing after they are painted.

basecoat_front basecoat_back basecoat_face

 

These next 3 are after I painted the highlights:highlight_front highlight_back highlight_face

 

And these final 3 pics are after a wash with The Army Painter Srong Tone:wash_front wash_back wash_face

SAGA: Anglo-Danes vs Jomsvikings

Had two fun games of SAGA today against my buddy Yu over at At Ease Games.  He played the Jomsvikings and I played the Anglo-Danes.  We played 4 points each, as that’s all we each had painted.  The Jomsviking force was all hearthguard (two points with Dane axes), while the Anglo-Danes were two points of hearthguard (1 point with Dane axes) and two points of warriors.

First we played the Clash Of Warlords scenario:

face_offAnglo-Danes with their backs to the camera.  The Anglo-Dane warlord advanced with a unit of hearthguard at his side.  The Jomsvikings attacked, killed all the hearthguard, then attacked again, and killed the warlord.

Next we played the Battle at the Ford scenario:

crossing_the_bridgeThe Jomsvikings came pouring over the bridge, to be met by Anglo-Dane hearthguard and warriors.  The Jomsvikings put up a good fight, be eventually their warlord was caught exposed and died.

SAGA is a fun game and I can’t wait to get my levy painted so I can try out missile attacks.

 

Games Workshop vs Wargames Factory

Earlier today I made a post about my SAGA warband. I stated that I thought the Wargames Factory saxons were disappointing as archers (also that the basic pose was the same as my hearthguard and warriors, and I wanted some variety)

EDIT: I did try to get the Gripping Beast saxon bowmen, but they seem to be sold out in the USA.

I bought some Warhammer Bretonnia Peasant Bowmen to use instead. The Wargames Factory plastics are $15.99 for 32 soldiers. That’s 50 cents each. However, they take about an hour to assemble 4 minis. Body, both arms, head and weapon are all separate. The Warhammer kit was $35 (cheaper on Amazon) for 16 minis, plus a bunch of extras – wood stake and chain defensive emplacement, bases, dog, a really nice flag, a beer keg, various decals, etc.

That still comes out to $2+ per mini. However, most of them are body + head, so WAY less assembly. Also, the quality is just so much better.

Here’s a comparison pic. The glue is still wet on the Warhammer minis. Wargames Factory in the middle.

GamesWorkshop_vs_Wargames_Factory

SAGA: 4 Points & Warlord Painted & Based

My SAGA starter warband is completed at last.  The warlord and 4 points – 2 points of hearthguard and 2 points of warriors.

SAGA_4pts_warlaord_painted_based

In the back is some terrain I made – I’ll have a post about that later.

Next up is 1 point of levy: 12 bowmen.  I test assembled a bowman from the Wargames Factory unarmored saxons, and I just don’t like the way it looks.  So, I actually bought some GW minis.  My first ever.  I got a box of Warhammer Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen.  They look pretty good, and they come with a bunch of extras, like a wooden stake and chain defensive fortification, a dog, a nice flag banner, etc.  They are a touch shorter than the Wargames Factory minis, but no so much that it’s noticeable.

Also on deck is 1 point of hearthguard, metal minis from Gripping Beast, and 1 point of warriors, also metal from Gripping Beast.

Assembling and Painting Wargames Factory Saxons

Over the last several weeks I’ve been assembling and painting Wargames Factory’s plastic Saxons.

what_i_deal_withThey come on several sprues, body, head, each arm, shield, and weapons all separate.  It took me about an hour to do 4 soldiers.  Clip off the sprue, choose and fit the parts, clean up the mold lines, and glue.

ready_for_decalsshieldsI used Little Big Men Studios’ shield transfers.  I read that it was easier to apply the transfer if the shield was not attached to the soldier, so I did the shields separately.  If I were to do it again, I’d go ahead and attach the shields from the beginning. Applying the transfers was pretty easy.

all_assembled A bunch of them assembled and ready for primer.

dane_axes_primed_and_chainmailOne point of Hearthguard.  I primed them black, then dry brushed The Army Painter’s Gun Metal over the metal parts – helmet, chainmail and axe heads.  When I do this step next time (for my levy) I’ll use a leather brown primer instead of black.  Then I can paint everything but the belts, straps, etc.

dane_axes_washedGetting close to done.

basedTwo points of Hearthguard painted and based.

Wargames Factory’s plastic minis get a bad rap in some circles, but I think they are great value for the money.  I got them for $15.99 at The War Store, and there’s 32 soldiers in a box, so that’s 50 cents each.  Each box also has more weapons, heads, and arms than you need, so you have a lot of flexibility in your poses and armament.