Operation Winter Is Coming 2022

Long-time readers may recall previous years O:WiC where I try to prep as much as possible (ie. clean up, assemble, sand dip and prime) before the winter really hits here.  I've been beavering away and while I don't have any pictures (out of the habit a bit!) I wanted to note here, for myself if nothing else, where I'm at right now.

Malifaux
I've got my Sonnia crew box and the Witching Hour box all prepped and primed now - not sure I'm going to add anything to the Witch Hunter keyword, so that's that one done I think.  I've also prepped 2/7s of the Crossroads Seven - namely Gluttony for the Bayou and Sloth for the Ressers.  Not entirely sure why I decided to do those two, it was pretty much on a whim one day!

I've asked for this year's Rotten Harvest boxes for my forthcoming birthday, so that'll net me another Guild posse in the form of a Day of the Dead themed Lady Justice. Watch this space for that one - and yes, it'll mean I have a second Santa Muerte in the collection!

The Men Who Would Be Kings
I got the Pendraken Zulu War pack which includes British and Zulu forces and have got those prepped too.  I need to get a few more bases to finish the Zulu side (I opted for oval bases and ran out after four units!).

I note that Pendraken have previewed their Russo-Japanese war range refresh, which is likely to lead to another TMWWBK project at some point - although not necessarily this side of Winter!

When Bad Meets Evil
I noticed that with the British side above, if I picked up some Boers from Pendraken I could also play some Anglo-Boer war games.  I plan to get these, with a blockhouse, come pay day later this week.

Dracula's America
I already have all the posses I'd want for this, but there were a few summons and unwanted guests that I didn't have.  I got the Crucible Crush Fearsome Flying Head for one of these, the rest I found suitable minis for in the Rocket Pig Games range which I had printed by Fully Cycled.

The Silver Bayonet
I've added a small number of extra members of l'Ordre - an Imam, a Vivandiere and a Nun.  I've also got a Rabbi on order (come on Xyston, pull your finger out!) and he'll have a Golem (Rocket Pig again).  I've also added a mascot for my band in the form of a Pyrenean Mountain Dog.  I've acquired a couple more monsters too - bigger, more gnarly things than the rulebook contains...

The Burning Sands
Only a Sand Worm (Rocket Pig) and a boulder-lobbing Giant (Alternative Armies) for this - although I intend to add a few more bits and bobs before Winter arrives!

Proxima Centauri
I've added a few more character miniatures, as well as a group of mercenaries - all from Alternative Armies various 15mm sci-fi ranges.

Scenery
I've got a few random scenery bits and pieces - 15mm sheep pen and chicken coop (primarily for The Silver Bayonet, but good for En Garde and even Kobolds and Cobblestones perhaps), some 15mm wattle fences and, a rather hefty Causeway for 10mm (total impulse purchase cause it was really cheap!).

Of Gods and Mortals
I've got a Norse force prepped and primed now - Freyja from Bad Squiddo (via a competition I won from MiniMentions on Twitter), other stuff from Copplestone, Magister Militum and Bandua.  I keep toying with ideas around a few other mythologies - Celtic and Japanese but Slavic never totally disappears from my mind!

Bolt Action

I'm aiming to add some Korean War to the 10mm Bolt Action collection - going for American and North Korean.  I'm aiming for the 65th Infantry - The Borinqueneers - but I might add a unit of Fighting Fillipinos.  

Not too bad... now to plot and plan for payday!

Operation: Winter is Coming 2021

It’s been a while since I’ve posted properly (Mordheim Hireling Agency posts aside) and there’s a couple of reasons for that – in the shorter term we acquired a new member of the household in a Boxer puppy called Peggy (after Agent Peggy Carter) and she’s a bit of a handful!

Now that the shamelessly proud sharing of cute dog pic is done, it doesn’t much explain the easing of posts before that time.  Quite simply I made the mistake of prepping too many things without getting the sand dipping done – this created a big backlog that just became what felt like an insurmountable obstacle and mired me deep in inactivity hobby-wise.  I’m hoping to learn from this situation and avoid it in the future – not hobbying was indeed quite miserable!

But, the last few days I have pushed on and sand dipped – and now primed thanks to semi-decent weather! – this backlog (hurrah!).  So now I’m a bit more energised and working on prepping some other projects –these will form this year’s Operation: Winter is Coming – although, being frank, I’ve not painted things from several years ago that I prepared for winter… but at least the O:WiC approach gets me motivated to do some hobby!  So, these are O:WiC 2021 projects – either acquired or planned – that will be making appearances here over the coming weeks.

Bolt Action

I’ve got a few forces to share here of my prepped 10mm project.  I need to get some scenery for the desert, Western Europe and the Far East too at some point (first two easy enough, third trickier!).  I’m also toying with a small Korean War project along the same 10mm Bolt Action lines.

Burning Sands

I’ve got a few bits and bobs to prep for this – most notably the latest release from Crom’s Anvil.  I’ve got my eye on a few more miniatures for this – but then it’s all about the scenery!

Gorkamorka

I’ve got a few scenery bits I need to sort to finish the acquisition phase of this project – thankfully there’s some nice resin options out there that should work very well and I plan to get this side of Christmas.

Horizon Wars

I’ve acquired quite a collection of stuff from Vanguard Miniatures to do 3mm Horizon Wars – Orks vs Imperium.  Coupled with a pretty decent selection of CP Models scenic items this should be a fun – if a little daunting – project to scratch that 40k flavoured itch that never fully disappears!

Malifaux

I’ve got the Marcus keywords stuff I’ve shared here before – and a couple of other bits and pieces – to prep.  Due to the teeny tiny nature of some Malifaux components I’ll need to time doing them for when Peggy is having a good kip to avoid any problems!  I’ve also asked for some Malifaux stuff for my birthday so fingers crossed there’ll be even more to add as the Malifaux world has really sparked my interest.  Of course, there’s the imminent release of the Malifaux Burns expansion and new title masters too which has definitely got me a little hyped!

Of Gods and Mortals

Frequent readers of ADHS may remember I got an Ares model for Of Gods and Mortals, originally intended to use with my Footsore stuff.  Now, the Footstore stuff is gone, but I did replace it with 15mm Museum Miniatures stuff… so why not have mega-Ares and 15mm buddies?  I’ve also got some opponents in mind – India certainly, Norse probably, Egyptian and Celtic possibly, others… well that would depend on suitable miniatures to use as gods; any suggestions?

Proxima Centauri

I’m waiting on a few bits and pieces from Ral Partha Europe – and a little down the line I’m planning on an order with Alternative Armies for more scenery and battlesuits – that will pretty much finish the acquisition phase of this rather freeform project.  Contemplating a few different rulesets for this project – Five Parsecs looks promising if/when I can get a copy and I’ve already got Rogue Stars. I’ve also got the sci-fi USEME for some squad based games which would work well for some of the miniatures in the collection.

Rampanthammer

I’ve had a unit of 10mm Kislevite Bear Cavalry on the go for weeks now – but the process of converting them is laborious, requiring a lot of filing so I’m still on 4 of 6… I’m hoping to get the last two done soon though as they are the finishing touch to the Rampanthammer project before it moves onto the painting phase.

Rebels and Patriots

I’m seriously thinking about replacing the 28mm ACW project with 15mm – partially for space purposes, partially to allow for slightly larger battles.  I might paint my Fenian Raids project before making a final call – as I used Pendraken ACW for the Brotherhood if I enjoy painting them then that might help me pull the trigger so to speak.

So that’s it – I won’t rule out other things sneaking in there, but for now I think it’s enough to be cracking on with!

Operation Winter is Coming 2020

Another Autumn, another Operation Winter is Coming! It's a basic idea - winter here is usually wet, fairly cold and not conducive to getting minis and the like ready for painting.  So Autumn is a time for model prep, base dipping and priming!

So, this is what I've got on my radar this time round for prepping as part of Operation (in no order as they will likely move about as inspiration strikes!):

I've got my Mercenary Lochos built but not based - I've still got my Athenians and Spartans to build, then I'll base them all up prior to priming.  I love the minis, but the wrist joins on the metal stuff is killer at times from Footsore.  I've got some scatter scenery from Fenris Games also that I'll share soon - that'll primarily work for Mortal Gods (but also Broken Legions and similar).

I've got an order in with Pendraken to 'finish' (haha) the Irish side of this project - as well as a force of Tudor English to pit them against.  I've also placed an order for suitable scenery from Battlescale that I'm looking forward to doing too.

I've got three armies for this made up of Mierce Miniatures stuff and my mind it turning to the special scenery pieces for each too.  I've got one pretty much planned out and I'm just waiting for suitable MDF bases.

I've asked for Antenocitis Workshop bases for my birthday to finally get my Infinity collection moving! With the release of N4 it's about time I got stuck in properly! The bases will also work for other projects of a Cyberpunk vibe too...

And finally there is a mystery project I've got on order as a little taster...more on that when it arrives!

O:WiC - Mercenaries!

As part of Operation Winter is Coming I've prepped and based some mercenaries for a few of the games in the collection.  First up is Onkólithos, a Cyclops for Broken Legions:

It turns out (with a bit more detailed digging) that this sculpt was done by Bob Olley for Ral Partha (as part of the Crucible line).  It's a big mini and a nice chunk of lead.

Next up is William de Chartres, a nasty mercenary foot knight without morals for Outremer:

Like some of the other metals in my Outremer collection this one is from Crusader Miniatures.  It's a nice simple mini with a classic attacking pose.

Finally we have Zit Turnip, a goblin highwayman for Mordheim:

This little chap came as a freebie when I ordered a warband from the ShortWars range.  It's a mad sculpt with a shock of spiky hair - but he'll fit in well with my eclectic collection of mercenaries for Mordheim.

MacSweeney's Regiment of Foote

As part of Operation: Winter is Coming I have been prepping my force for The Pikeman's Lament.  Here's the first minis prepped ready for priming for MacSweeney's Company.  Of course, what better place to start than Myles MacSweeney himself:

This is the Officer miniature from the Warlord Games Irish Brigade and he'll represent my Officer in games of The Pikeman's Lament.

Naturally MacSweeney's Regiment of Foote follows! First, the Pike element:

These all come from the Irish Brigade box - the sergeant with the halberd is going to be called William Cullin.  The Pikeman's Lament allows you to use up the odd spare point you may have on Heroes/Priests/Rabble-rousers etc who give a small boost in game so I've made each unit with a suitable mini to use if I choose to add one to that unit.

Next up is the Shot element of the Regiment of Foote:

The musket armed chaps come from the Irish Brigade box, the standard bearer is a duplicate of the Brigade box one I picked up so I could have a standard in each of these units.  The Drummer and the partisan armed sergeant are from the Firelock Storming Party box.  The sergeant I have named Bran O'Reilly.

More to come for MacSweeney's Company!

O:WiC Update 3

Well, I know we are well and truly in Winter now - and I am very happy to report that I have managed to come out of the hobby slump!

I've got everything assembled that I had planned/hoped to (and a few extra bonus bits and pieces besides) - just finishing off the base dipping of the last few.  Look out for posts on all the lovely lead (yes, besides the resin BA/K47 vehicles every single mini I've prepped is metal!) over the coming weeks.  Of course, the painting will take quite a bit longer!

And, on a supremely positive note my wife and I popped into our local hardware shop on the off-chance they had finally restocked the primer... and I was in luck!  I grabbed a few to ensure I'd have enough!

O:WiC Update 2

So I guess this second update is a bit overdue at this point - but by way of a confession; I had hit a hobby slump like I hadn't had for quite a long time.

I've been chipping away at assembling various bits and pieces - stuff like Gangs of Rome (Warbanner), Dark Ages Irish (Footsore), Irish Confederation for TPL (Perry, Bicorne, Warlord), Goblin Conquistadors (ShortWars) and currently got Jacobite Highlanders (Flags of War) on the table.  But as gorgeous as all these minis are, I'm fighting to get through them due to real life/unco-operative brain.

I did assemble a Kubelwagen and King Tiger X for Konflikt 47 - you can see what Lieselotte the Tiger got up to over on Trials of a Casual War Gamer's excellent batrep.

There has been no priming as I've ran out of paint and my usual supplier is out... need to find someplace to get some from I suppose.

So, sorry for no pictures or posts of interest, but I'm feeling like I'm coming through the other side of this pretty bad slump and hope to have new stuff to share soon! Hopefully the Mordheim/Necromunda stuff of minis I painted a while ago is helping to keep this blog ticking along until I get my head back in the hobby game!

Frostgrave Progress

I'm knee-deep in Operation Winter is Coming, so here's a quick update on my now-assembled warband for Frostgrave - the Men (and Women) of Mierce.

First up, the obligatory wizard - Cynemon:

Now, while I really like the model and it's got lots of characterful detail he is on the tiny side - hence his slate booster-cushion.  I suppose I'll just have to say that his use of magic over the decades has caused his growth to stunt compared to his fellow humans as he's way off the other Mierce miniatures.

Anyway, from the tiny to the huge - here's Penda (a barbarian for the purposes of Frostgrave):

Here's a big lad, but as he's a barbarian that's fine by me! Just in case you are puzzled, his non-sword hand is werewolf like because in Darklands the Angelcynn are shapechangers.

Next up is Penda's Mrs, Meloda who will be a Treasure Hunter:

Here's Aldhelm the Sceop (or Bard for Frostgrave):

Here's Timoth, who will be a Templar.  That hammer was a ***** to fit, so I'll have to just live with the bent handle:

Next up are the warriors, Eadric (L) and Wulfhere (R):

Finally we have the archers (L-R) Gutch, Olric and Mardith:

All of the miniatures are gorgeous sculpts with lots of characterful details without being too busy (not like GW modern plastic stuff) - but, and it is a shame, the scale is all over the place.  Of course, I don't expect every mini to be the same height, but there's no real consistency across these Angelcynn minis.  I'm sure with a cohesive colour scheme and basing style they will look like a warband, but poor Cynemon will forever look stunted I'm afraid.

O:WiC Update 1

So, a quick text-heavy no-pic update on my 2018 Operation Winter is Coming (O:WiC).

My birthday has come and gone and I've now got a range of miniatures to create MacSweeney's Company.  These have come from Warlord, Bicorne and Perry - they seem to go pretty well together so far; pictures and more detail soon!

I've also got my Footsore Miniatures Dark Ages Irish on the go for Forannán's War Host - however I'm awaiting some suitable javelins for two of the units so work is stalling on these guys a little.  I took the opportunity to pick up a cyclops mini from the same seller (that they say is by Bob Olley, but I can't be sure from what I can research) that I'll use in Broken Legions as a mercenary - I'll call him Onkólithos.

I picked up a selection of ShortWars goblins for Gobzalo Pizarro's Conquistagobs for En Garde!  These sculpts (mostly by Kev Adams I believe) are really fun and I'm chipping away at them. I also got a freebie Goblin Bandit/Outlaw with the order so I'll be adding him to the Mordheim Hireling Agency - think he'll be called Zit Turnip.

The Flags of War Jacobite Highlanders are being cast right now and when they arrive I'm looking forward to assembling the Atholl Brigade. 

I also got a Crusader Miniatures Knight as a mercenary for Outremer.  I've decided to call him Sir William de Chartres.

Think that's it for now.  I'm gonna need some more primer...

Operation Winter is Coming

Last year (before I started the blog) I ran what I called Operation Winter is Coming on my Instagram.  The idea came from talking to my wife about what to do hobby-wise one day - with winter fast approaching (and therefore the cruddiest of cruddy weather here in the UK) we came to the conclusion that it made sense to concentrate on the prep, assembly, basing and priming of miniatures to get them done and ready for the rainy, wet and colder nights and weekends.  Well, this year I'm taking the same approach to ensure I've got plenty of stuff to paint! (even though the backlog is real)

So, I've sourced and sorted bases to make my hobby supplies look a bit more healthy:

Most of the plastic bases are Warlord Games, the MDF are from the superb JB MDF Wargames Products. I've used them on a few occasions now and I'm always very happy with both the service and the product. I'm hoping to also get some of their scenery; their Adobe stuff looks spot on for Outremer!

So, current plans for Operation Winter is Coming is to compile, prep, assemble, base and prime the following projects:

MacSweeney's Company - Irish Confederation/ECW force for The Pikeman's Lament
Forannán's War Host - Irish Dark Ages force for Saga
Gobzalo Pizarro's Conquistagobs - Goblin Conquistador warband for En Garde!
The Atholl Brigade - Highlander Jacobites for En Garde!

Hopefully I'll get all this in place ready to prime when the weather permits!