Age of Sigmar - Prosecutor Model

Just having a quick break from the War of the Ring project for a couple of days so I don't get burnt out on it - and decided to treat myself by painting up one of the Age of Sigmar (Games Workshop) models that have been sat waiting to be done for a while now.

This is the Prosecutor with Celestial Hammer model, from the Sigmar starter set. 

Took around 5 hours, and I am trying to learn highlighting here. Not sure I have quite nailed it yet however!

Painting War of the Rings - Aerosol Warning

Thought I would quickly share with anyone who is also painting their set, the warning about Aerosols.

I have mentioned this before - but when I came to paint my mounted troops and Dwarves today, I realised just how bad the problem was.

From what I can work out, the plastic used in the figures for this game, does not react well with something in aerosol primers.

It seems to have a reaction, and the primer remains very sticky, or tacky, and very shiny. I have left mine for two weeks now since the original spray, and they are still so sticky they don't fall from my fingers!

If you click on the image above you should be able to see a bigger version. Notice how reflective it is, and how thick the primer appears. This is after two weeks of drying, and only one quick thin coat.

At first I thought it was the Army Painter primer I used, but after trying a Games Workshop primer (one I know works well), and reading up on various forums, it appears anything from a can is having the same effect.

So, what is the solution?

I could strip the figure back, but I'm concerned how the plastic will react to the chemical bath.

Option 2 is to put a sealant over it - a varnish. Some have recommended Testors Dullcoat - but this is still a spray on lacquer so I imagine it will have the same reaction.

My solution was to re-prime using a Vallejo black brush on primer - which is very thin, and doesn't clog the figure. 

So, I have now re-coated all my mounted troops by hand (21 pieces) and all the Dwarves (14 pieces).

You can't really see from the image above, but the second coat has nicely revealed all the detail, and removed both the stickiness and the shiny.

So, if you are about to paint yours, I recommend priming by hand with a Vallejo Surface Primer (note that these are really designed for air brushing, but go on perfectly well with a brush. You can also airbrush it on of course, if you are lucky enough to own an airbrush!)

Painting War of the Rings - Part 4 - Gondor and Rohan

Painting the War of the Ring miniatures continues - next up, the Men of Gondor and the Men of Rohan (foot soldiers).

Mounted versions coming next

Men of Gondor

The Men of Rohan

War of the Ring - Making Mount Doom

One of the objectives of War of the Ring is to get the ring to Mordor, and drop it into the fires of Mount Doom. 

Therefore as this is quite a pivotal focus point for the game, I wanted to make something to reflect this.

I saw various models for sale on forums like BGG, but I couldn't afford the prices, so decided to try and build my own.

It needed to be small enough to fit onto the map, but big enough to hold the 5 steps the characters take.

I bought some Fimo clay (£4 a packet) from the Works store (I'm sure this product is available in other countries though - its like a block of modelling clay that hardens overnight), and tried to sculpt into the right shape.

Bear in mind this is my first time at trying to sculpt anything so it's a bit rough!!

I used a screwdriver to make rock like gashes down the side, and used the model of Frodo to put the step spaces into it.

I then cleaned up the spaces, before adding Elven Runes to them (as depicted on the board) using a matchstick

I then tested that Frodo could still fit onto the steps!

Once complete, I waited for it to dry - 2 days of continually looking at it, and trying desperately not to rush into painting it!!

Finally, it was dry enough so I primed it with black primer - 2 coats, then dry brushed and highlighted

I was really pleased with the result, and it looks great on the board - not bad for £4!

War of the Ring - 2nd Edition Board Game

I've recently been posting images of my latest painting project, the 200+ minis from War of the Ring. 

But this game is not as well known as it should be, so I wanted to give a quick overview of the game for those who may not have seen it before. 

It's a strategy board game published by Ares Games, with one expansion currently available, and a second due at the end of September 2016. 

The game is for two players, one taking the role of the Free People (which consists of the Elves, the Men of Gondor, the Men of Rohan, the Dwarves and the Northmen) whilst the second player takes control of the Shadow forces (made up of the forces of Isenguard, Mordor and the Easterlings). 

The board is the map of Middle Earth, spilt up into its various countries, and the two players try to mass their forces and defend and/or attack their opponent. 

Each time they take a stronghold or area from the other side, they gain a victory point, and when the target number is achieved, that side wins. 

However - this is not a straight "Risk" style game - because in addition to the above the Free Peoples player has the Fellowship of the Ring, who are trying to make their way to Mount Doom in Mordor to destroy the ring. Once this happens, the Free People win. But, the Shadow player is trying to corrupt the hearts of the Fellowship, and if he succeeds, then he wins. 

The Fellowship move in secret - with Sauron continually hunting for them, and so rather than trying to win by military means, the Free Peoples player is trying to defend and distract the Shadow player long enough for them to get Frodo to Mordor. 

Additionally, each player has a number of Heroes - Gandalf, Aragon, Legolas, Sauruman, the Witch King, the Nazgul etc - who will also be roaming the map and adding assistance to the forces. 

The game is very well balanced, and takes around 3 hours for experienced players, or 5 hours for new players. It also takes a while to set up due to the sheer number of pieces (over 200). 

Tom Vasel (from DiceTower) reviews the game in the short video below, and calls it the "Definitive Lord of the Rings experience" and has said it is one of the best board games produced. 

 It's certainly one of my favourites, and Ares has recently announced that they are reprinting the game, which should be available again around November 2016.

Tom Vasel - video review of War of the Ring (2nd Edition)

Painting War of the Rings - Part 3 - The First Armies

These are the first set of completed Armies. This has taken around a week so far.

The Elves

The Easterlings

Painting War of the Ring - Part 2 - Preparing to Paint the Armies

Here are the preparations for painting the 200 figures

The first step (after washing them) is to glue the plastic figures to strips of card, so they can be painted more easily. Normal PVA glue works fine for this, as it comes away easily when you are finished.

The figures are glued in strips

Once glued, they were carried downstairs in boxes.

The first stage is to prime them with a good spray primer. This needs to be well ventilated - outside seemed an ideal spot!

I used Army Painted Leather Brown for the undercoat.

The army was then left on a large board to dry

From here they were carried upstairs to complete the drying process

I use a combination of Games Workshop paints, Vallejo paints and primers, and Army Painter paints.

I was now ready to start painting.

However - I found out that the plastic used in the Ares made game is not compatible with most spray primers! It reacts with the plastic, and forms a sticky shiny surface.

To counter this, I had to re-undercoat with brush on primer, and then coat with a dullcote matt gloss varnish.

Painting the War of the Rings - Part 1 - Heroes and Villains

These are the main character figures from the War of the Ring game, and its first sequel - Lords of Middle Earth.

Painted using Game Workshop paints.

Gandalf, Legolas and Treebeard

Elrond and Galadriel

Witchking, Saruman and Voice of Sauron

Gollum

Gandalf the White and Aragorn

Mounted WitchKing, Voice of Sauron and Balrog

Strider, Gimli and Boromir

Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo