Atheling's Early Byzantine Unarmoured Skutatoi Second Batch 20/01/21

[Atheling_2006]

The group of eight miniatures featured in this post were finished about a month ago and only over the last week did I find the stamina to get the varnishing process on the way! My usual method of brush on Humbrol Gloss, a week to let the gloss go off and then a couple of layers of Windsor and Newton Professional Matt Vanish spray over the top to get a nice flat finish. Talking of which, the W&N vanish can have the effect of dulling down any metallic paint and it was interesting to note a post by James Morris on the Lead Adventure Forum featuring some of his Wars of the Roses for Never mind the Billhooks that the full plate armours looked the business without any varnish at all. This is not really an option with metal miniatures, especially with a lot of cloth and flesh involved (from memory James's were Perry plastics) so I've been trying out the AK Interactive Ultra Matt Brush on Varnish on some old miniatures, leaving out the metallic areas. The AK Interactive Ultra is ideally ideally meant to be applied with an airbrush, which might explain the speckling that I am getting on the miniatures which is I have to say, a big "no-no" IMHO as it can ruin the overall appeal of a miniature. It might take some time to get the results I am looking for. When I do, I will of course post up some comparison pics.

An airbrush is something I have never used and really want to avoid the expense of buying a decent rig.

I should add, yesterday I have managed to get to work on the last eight miniatures for the unit which has raised my sense of Elan, which is of course a very good thing. So, a positive :>)











The unit as it stands thus far. Sixteen out of the twenty four miniatures that will make up the finished unit. I usually manage to find a way in which to make the miniatures "talk" to one another. This has been an unusually difficult job with this particular unit. Maybe down to planning (or rather lack of) or perhaps just an audit of my current mental state(???). I think I managed to get a couple of the command miniatures to express a feeling of urgency. What do you guys think?

[valleyboy]

Those are very classy but why are they about to spear a blue turd?

[ochoin]

Splendid figures.

[Shahbahraz]

Bloody nice, as always. I do envy that lovely clean finish.

I think the challenge with these is while there is variety in pose and miniature, they are all essentially doing the same thing, so it's hard to get the dynamism that you get with more mixed units.

[levied troop]

Gorgeous looking figures. I think you've achieved the 'talking' element with the commander/standard bearer - as Shahbahraz says, it's hard to do when the troopers are all engaged in the same basic action.

[Atheling_2006]

Those are very classy but why are they about to spear a blue turd?

Training innit?

Thanks for the goodly words guys. It's great to have feed back and I will be looking to do the second unarmoured Unit in a different manner, when I have figured out how that might be done

[Willz the Wargamer]

Beautiful.


Willz.

[Atheling_2006]

Thanks Willz

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Those are very classy but why are they about to spear a blue turd?

That's not blue, it's green. Surprised you missed that on St David's Day.

Tell you what, let's get The Count in to adjudicate.....