Sunday 29 June 2014

Vikings, Apes and stuff

Introduction

Just a quick round up of my gaming-related activities for the last few days:

Great Apes

I mentioned in my last post (The Jungle Lord) that I had a bunch of plastic animals that came from a cheap toy set.  Here are some of the apes, exactly as they come.  I'm a little unsure which type of ape they represent, as the head is somewhat like a chimpanzee or bonobo but the posture and body is closer to a gorilla.  Mind you, neither is a particularly good match.  Anyway, let's see what happens when I paint up one of these as an experiment...

Here's the 4th ape, painted and based.  I haven't converted him (or her?) in any way, though when/if I paint the other 3 then I might make some changes.  Perhaps I'll make one's head face a different direction, open the mouth on the second and reposition the arm (and add a torn-off tree branch as a club?) for the 3rd?

Finally, here's the painted ape beside Tarzan.  The animal is probably a bit too big, but maybe that's OK in the pulp world?  After all, a great ape should presumably be larger than life...

Now that I see these 2 models side-by-side, I'm annoyed to discover that I used my "dark" scheme for the ape's base, forgetting that Tarzan has the "light" scheme on his base.  That's careless!  I don't really feel like repainting it, but if I don't then it'll stand out like a sore thumb.

Vikings

As promised in the title, here are some Vikings.  These exceptionally hairy warriors are from Foundry's "Svava's heroes" set.  They're the last 2 models from the pack that I bought at Salute 2014, so at least that's one thing I can cross off my "to do" list!

My "fine detail" brush was becoming a bit ragged recently, so the names on these models are a bit rough.  I gave up using that brush and got a new one just after this, when I saw how the lettering had turned out.

Bavarian Generals

Finally, I've completed 2 brigade commanders for my 6mm 1809 Bavarian army.  I realised recently that I only had a commander in chief and no subordinates, so I rummaged around for mounted figures in my spares box.  Fortunately, Heroics & Ros packs typically have an abundance of mounted officers and foot command groups.  I've added standard bearers rather than the more likely aides, simply because it's easier to remember who is who if the base has a national flag on it.  Also, H&R supply far more flag wavers than I've ever needed, so I have plenty available!


That's all for now, folks!  I'd like to post a new game report soon, but it looks like it'll be a while before I have time to do this.  If that's what you want to see then be patient; it will happen eventually!

14 comments:

  1. Personally I would not worry about th difference in the bases between Tarzan and the Ape. Maybe it could be deliberate that heroes have a light base and supporting cast a darker one.

    The 6mm figures look really good and extra commanders is better than too few. (I have the same problem with my SCW troops.

    As for the Vikings they do look very Viking like if you know what I mean.

    Three nice projects very well executed.

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    1. Thanks, Clint, but I am bothered by the basing difference :-( .

      You're right about the commanders; at least in this scale I can afford to have plenty!

      The Vikings are very old style sculpts, with extremely thick weapons (the shields that came with them were very chunky too, but I replaced these with some spare Gripping Beast ones that are much nicer). Still, they're full of character!

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  2. I like the ape paint-job, but the base would annoy me if it stood out too much.
    Finishing the vikings suggests that you're gearing up for another Saga game, they'll make great personalities !.
    The commanders are great and follow the same sort of ideas I used for my own 6mm armies, 2 figures for a Brigadier, three for a Divisional CO and 4 for a Corps commander !

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    1. Thanks, Joe. Actually I think I've got enough Vikings for most reasonable games. But it's a bit like my zombie and survivor collections - I just keep collecting more when I see a model that I like!

      As for 6mm generals, I'm doing pretty much the same as you: 20mm base with 2 figures for Brigadiers, 25mm base with 3 figures for a divisional general and I don't yet have enough figures in any of my armies to need a corps-level commander!

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  3. The Bavarian flags look superb. A very fiddly detailed pattern, still used on the FC Bayern Munchen team badge.

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    1. The flag is, of course, just printed out from my computer. I have neither the patience nor the skill to hand-paint something like that :-) !

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  4. The ape is probably oversized but I wouldn't worry about that too much. As you said, for a Pulp game he fits the bill perfectly. You should definitely make the effort to repaint his base. It would annoy the hell out of me too, knowing it was the wrong colour.

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    1. Yes, the more I look at it, the more I'm annoyed by the colour of the base. Dang it!

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  5. I think the ape is of great size for a great ape. I also support the conversions decision, especially the open mouth idea!
    I would like to say I wouldn't worry about the base, but even different thicknesses bothers me, not to mention different shapes (if they are all round, rectangular for prone hurts my brain :D) - but I am working on that. And in your case, grass really helps and it actually seems just fine to me.

    The Vikings are superb!

    I also like the little Bavarians. Funny how silly they look, photographed from up close. There's some stunning detail to admire there, as well!

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    1. Thanks, Mathyoo! In this case, the slimmer base makes the ape look a little less over-sized, I think. I'm not sure how easy the semi-soft plastic will be to convert, but these toys are cheap enough for an experiment. Then it's only my time that I'm wasting if it goes wrong!

      As for the Bavarians, my fine brush was on its last legs when I painted these. Also I was in a hurry, so the detail isn't as neat as I would like. Still, they'll be fine when viewed at arms length!

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  6. Great stuff C6. The base would annoy me too dude.

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    1. Thanks, Bob. I suspect that I'll have to change the base in due course.

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  7. I love finding alternate models to use in games. The apes are a ltitle large but they work, very cool

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    1. Thanks, ZA. I'll have to try converting the remaining 3 apes and see what happens, I think.

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