Sneak Peek - 15mm Empire Horse Archers

I sneaked in a couple of hours of painting in earlier this week.I finished an Army command stand and a Horse Standard Bearer and go a start on my 3 units of Demonworld Empire Horse Archers. Here's a sneak peak:

I need to do highlights on manes and tails and tack, but they went pretty quick. I'll do the riders in simple peasant clothes. Like GW's Kislev Horse Archers these have a real Steppes feel to them, but I am gonna try to genericize them. I hope to get them knocked out by the end of this weekend. That will be my first 3 units of Cav for the empire. After these, 3 Units of Medium Cav and 1 unit of Heavy Knights.

I have a Witch Coven to do after that and I am finished with the empire for a while(I only have a blister of Archers and Swordsmen left, they can wait). I am waiting to get a full list before I order from Ral Partha Europe to fill in gaps in my collection. Maybe by the end of summer.

I am not sure what I am doing when I finish the Empire guys.

But, here's what me and some of the BG's are getting in the mail at the end of the year:

This will go so great with my Reaper Bones that are coming sometime soon. As well as being able to play with 15mm on them as well. Some dungeon bashing is surely in the cards.

Some Random things:

First some family bragging:

- My middle son is running in the Warrior Run this weekend. Its a 3 mile run and 20 obstacles. Think an Army obstacle course mixed with the TV show Wipeout! Should be fun to watch. If I train, maybe next year I'll run it with him. Very proud of him for trying this. He also tied for the highest ACT test in his grade level. and was in the top 5% of the kids who took it in his grade level. He took it 4 years early. He already has qualified for any state or regional university and he's in middle school. And he also was inducted into National Junior Honor Society last night. I couldn't be prouder of him.

- Flag Football season is in full swing. Its like fastbreak basketball. Fun and fast. My youngest is playing up two grade levels. He is a real leader on the field. He plays center and hasn't had one bad snap on the field. Its been a pleasure to coach him. Its hard to be the kid of a coach cause the expectations are always higher and he has exceeded those by a mile. He wants to play tackle this fall. and he wants me to coach. I may have to do it just so he can stay excited about this. I am very proud of him as well.

- The Wife has a new job and has shed her hated old one. So here's to new beginnings for her. 

Other stuff:

I am seriously considering selling significant portions of my painted and unpainted collections. When I go into the Workshop of Doom I am surrounded by much too much stuff. Boxes filled to the gills by stuff I will never paint and/or play. Being a Lead Addict has its problems. I fell like I need to trim away a bunch of stuff and concentrate on the stuff I want to play and not be burdened by all this other 'stuff'. We shall see if this is spring fever or purpose.

Update 4-18-13 - 15mm Demonworld Empire Army

YEAH!!!

With all the rainy weather here in the midwest, I actually had time to finish my Heavy Infantry Lords last night. They are the last infantry unit I will be doing for the Empire for a while. I still have a blister of Archers and Footsoldiers, and would like to get one more of Pikes, but for now, the Empire Infantry is complete. 23 total foot units. Which is larger than either my entire Orc or Wood Elf Army.

Next Up, these lovely units, all primed and ready on sticks for painting(all pics from Ral Partha Europe Webpage):

I have been coveting these couple of blisters too, so I think I will pick up a Pike blister, plus these:

The War Altar

And these fabulous Rangers. 

The Demonworld line continues to amaze me the more I paint it. these sculpts are better than most 28mm fantasy, and the fact that so much detail and character was given to each one of these is simply stunning. they really should have more advocates. These should become the flagship figs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!

Quick Update - Demonworld Empire Army 4-16-13

Well, I got all of the missing stands painted last night for my crossbow units and my 2 footsoldiers units. So on to the last infantry unit I will do for the Empire of Man for a while. These guys:

The identical page boy hair cuts and poses really make these guys candidates for unit leaders throughout the army. This picture is from Ral Partha Europe.

These brave heavily armored knights will be gathered into a heavy infantry unit of Lords. Like the French Foot Knights at Poiters or Crecy. Wish they had helms. This line can be a little confusing. They wanted to go renaissance with the Empire, like GW's, but they threw in several units of straight medieval types too. confuses the aesthetic and coherency of the line I think, but hey, at least I can paint them. I will ahave a unit of 24 figs done this evening, I hope. then Cav.

Quick Update 4-15-13 15mm Demonworld Empire Fantasy Progress

Some progress over the weekend at the Worlshop. Not as much as I would ave liked, but much to do as spring is fully sprung upon us in the midwest. After a weekend of football games, yard work, a bonfire, and fixer up things at the Mother-in-Law's hacienda, I finally got a few hours last night to work on my empire stuff as the sweet and melodius sounds of Kenny Powers played in the back ground.

After a dip session with some old figs, I got 3 units of crossbows based and ready for flocking. I also got 2 footsoldiers units ready. I am 8 figs short to complete them, but those are on sticks and ready to be finished. I also got 3 full units of archers based and a Foot Army Command Stand.

After I fill in the foot troops I can paint a unit of heavy 'Lords' foot knights. That will be 27 Units completed. And the only thing left is 6 units of cav. Again, pics coming when I have the foot troops finished and flocked.

Have a great week everybody.

Quick Update 4-11-13

Man, I got a pretty good deal at Recruits on the Demonworld Empire Army I bought. I have gotten a couple of hours to work in and here's the tally of units I have rebased for Hail Caesar Fantasy:

2-Wartower with Flame Cannon
1-Mortar
1-Cannon
1-Huge Mountain Giant
2-Hill Gants
2-Pikes
1-Swordsman
1-Druids Coven
3-Mob Warbands
3-Archers
1-Army Commander
3-Clerics & Wizards
3-Wing Commanders

So 17 Units plus 7 Command and Heroes. That's Great. And that's almost a whole army.

I have some Demonworld crossbowmen, foot soldiers, and heavy infantry that were base painted by a friend years ago I got in a trade. I am going to dip and highlight them and press them into service this weekend. That will get me 3 Crossbowmen units, 2 Foot Soldier units, and a Unit of Heavy Noble Swordsmen for a total of 23 units. All I'll really be missing is Cav, which I have 6 units on paint sticks ready to go.

You never know what will happen at a Con. Who would have thought I would have another Demonworld army ready to go so fast. Thanks again Recruits.

Recruits Convention #21 Spring 2013

Well, spring Recruits was last weekend. And of course the boys and I and a bunch of the Basement Generals went to show our support. Good times were had by all. Spring football for the boys and a funeral didn't allow me to participate as I would have liked, but I got to see old friends, great games, and shop the local vendors.

The Haul this year:

I picked up Gamma World Charcter Sheets, Referees Screen, and the Legion of Gold for various editions of Gamma World RPG all for a buck each. Ah nostalgia. I passed up a mint condition set of the Star Frontiers Knight Hawks space ship rules.

I picked up a couple of Hudson and Allen medieval houses. $7.00 each is less than half price, so why not. I love their buildings. They are my favorite and I have way too many. But you can never have enough.

And Finally, I picked up a very nicely painted Demonworld Empire Army. It was painted by a a local painter who really did an outstanding job on some of the pieces. Pics when I get a chance. It has:

•  A beautifully painted Rock Giant
• A beautifully painted unit of Hill Giants
• 2 War Towers with Flame Cannons
• A Unit of Swordsmen
• A Unit of Archers
• A Unit of Pikes
• A Unit of The Mob
• A Unit of Druids with Sprites
• Numerous Command, Mounted and Foot
• Wizards and Priests

This equates to about 12-15 units for Hail Caesar Fantasy! All told it was a really good deal on a really decent painted Empire Army. And the best part is, it is almost all units I didn't have. So combined with the Crossbows, Hvy and Lt Cav, Cannons, and various infantry, my Human Empire Army is in pretty good shape. I will finish 2 pieces of Orc Artillery, Then it's on to rebasing and filling in the gaps on the Empire. It was going to be the last army I was going to do. But hey, Its over half done, so it jumps to the top of the list. I am sad to push the Undead back. But they will rise soon enough!  Should be a good summer for 15mm Demonworld Fantasy. 

And OH Crap, Reaper Bones are Shipping! Combine that with the Dwarven Forge Kickstarter and you have a pretty great dungeon bash ready to go.

And for you Defender/Rifleman fans out there...there's this.

Here are the Robotech Defenders' arms mascarading as a Russian Self Propelled Gun. Those are apparently Autoguns kids. And they are stacked. Holy hell.

Original Defender

Giant Robots - Well, they can make weapons for them now

This pic is of  the Block 2 MK-44 Mod 4 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Guided Missile Round Pack (GMRP) All-Up-Rounds. Its a Navy Anti Ship Missle Pack. there was a story on Defense Tech about the Navy building a bunch for Germany. Read more: http://defensetech.org/#ixzz2PEMnifyd 

This is a real thing. A reloadable missle pack system with (21) Anti-Target missles. Ships, planes, helicopters, etc.

Turn that thing on its side and mount it on a big stompy robot, and I'm looking at a REAL Robotech Macross Phalanx arm.

Now all we have to do is develop full anthropomorphic mobile robots weighing 200 tons. Piece of cake.

That and make all of the missle heads flat for optimum performance and range.