PICTISH BEASTS

Where did that week go?There is no doubt about it, being (so called) middle aged and having kids, the time just goes ten times as fast.

I have been painting some skeletons for Conan to battle and they are almost finished, but now I am getting callings back to the ECW stuff, and wicthfinders in particular, so hopefully these will be ready to show soon.

Here are the latest additions to the Pictish warband from Hyborea, some jungle beasts for Zogar Sag to command

The tiger is Ral Partha and the snake from Magister Militum.

I have been very excited to see this game from Goblinoid Games

which in effect is Basic Dungeons and Dragons as it was in the late 70's when I started playing, complete with basic artwork for that old school feel. Available from Lulu it came very quickly and I have now ordered the advanced set of rules and the 2 modules available.

WARFARE AT READING

I will be off to Warfare on Saturday at the Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, for my annual topup of goodies. Hope to see you there!!

FROM BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER

Here are the first of my adversaries for Conan in the form of Hyborian Picts. I spent a while lip chewing about how they should look, many of the comic illustrations and also the late great Frank Frazetta depict them as almost bestial half humans


but Howard's descriptions make it clear that they are bronze/copper age men with unusual religious practices. I always imagine them more like Native American woodland types than actual Dark Age Picts .
Casting about it was a toss up between using Woodland Indians (many of the figures available have firearms) or ancient Libyans and I went for the latter from Caesar miniatures. I trimmed down the huge feathers in their hair and converted a lot of the swords into copper tomahawks, although the leader still has a steel sword looted from an Aquilonian patrol.

Here is my attempt at Zogar Sag, the maniacal shaman/witch doctor who has linked his soul to a forest devil.
How he is depicted in the comics

and in my attic

the figure is from the Hat Sea People box (hopeless for historical use, but a great source of orcs and other bent and twisted types) converted heavily with milliput. The wand is an old Atlantic piece from the Sioux camp set. The Meeting Stones are Grendel, conveniently carved with real Pictish designs.

 I am now painting some of Zogar Sag's bestial allies, but am searching for a Forest Devil figure. Any ideas?

It needs to be humanoid but with long birds legs

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Just thought I would put this post up today. My grandfather served in the Machine Gun Corps in the Great War and was badly gassed, although he still managed to live with one lung and smoking heavily into his early 70's. He won the MSM in 1917 although we can't find out what deed he performed. To all these brave men and women we give our thanks

CROM!

After a lot of faffing about I finally managed to photograph my first figure from my new 1/72 Conan the Barbarian project. The plan (haha) being that I paint a small force from most of the major nations in Hyboria. I might even get some 28mm figures as there are some great figures out there.

Here is the man himself, ready to crush the jewelled thrones of his enemies beneath his sandalled feet. I have followed the Frank Frazetta approach and clad him in naught but a fur loincloth.



He is made from the old Airfix Tarzan figure (now in the HAT Jungle Adventure set) with a head from an Esci barbarian, and a sword and hand from an adventurer in the Caesar Fantasy adventurers box.

I have almost finished some Hyborian Picts for him to battle against and hopefully will get them posted in the next few days.

BIRTHDAY SWAG

Reached the ripe old age of 43 today, and managed to glean some good gaming related stuff (ok 2 of these presents I bought myself but the book was from Mrs. Atticus)



The ship will be stowed away with other kits for a rainy day (in 2033), and the Games Workshop Arcane Ruins will fit in nicely with my Conan figures that are snailing off the workbench.

The handsome leather bound volume is an absolute gem of a collection of all Howard's Conan stories together. I have been spending too much time Internet browsing and I can see a new collection of the Savage Sword of Conan comic books starting. I've never really been a comic reader but there is some inspirational artwork in a lot of them as well as reading matter that is not terribly taxing.