God Bless the Trenchers
Seriously, I'm not sure I would recommend Trenchers as the best models to start with if you are trying to learn the ropes of production-line painting an enitre unit. They are incredibly detailed models, which makes them beautiful and full of character. It also makes them a bitch to paint. Just some fun facts about the standard-issue uniform worn by every loyal Cygnaran Trencher:
- Their backpacks all have 5 tiny little brass buckles.
- They each wear a bandolier with a brass buckle and five pouches (each with a brass snap).
- They each carry 3 smoke grenades (called "hazers" in trencher gloss).
- They have 4 tabs to secure their rolled up sleeves, each with a brass snap.
- They are all issued a bedroll and a shovel, which they secure with the straps and afformentioned tiny little buckles of their packs.
- They bleed blue, and will bring gritty death by bullet and bayonet to any who aims to sully glory of the shining jewel that is Cygnar. OOH-RAH!
The point is, there is a lot of detail work on these little guys, and I spent more time than I expected with a fine detail brush in my hand. In the end, I think they turned out beautifully, and they look pretty impressive all bunched up on the table, if I do say so myself:
As a side note, I'm having trouble getting a good picture of the full unit. With so many models, I can't get the focus to balance with my little point-and-shoot digital camera in Macro mode. As if reading my thoughts, Hyun over at WeeToySoldiers.com posted some good advice on getting the most out of your camera. There is a lot of good information in the article. I'm not particularly camera literate so I'm still digesting it, but if you are into that kind of thing it is worth checking out. Until I get a chance to sort it all out, you will just have to put up with my poorly focused pictures.
I was going to jump to a unit of Sword Knights next, but as I was assembling them I realized my box was short one torso. I usually check for missing arms, legs, shields, etc. but I never thought about counting the torsos... So, while I wait for the replacement to come from Privateer Press, I decided to start painting a unit of Bile Thralls. They were and easy choice because I already had them laying around and they didn't require any assmebly - just prime-and-go. Last night I painted up a couple of prototypes to make sure I was happy with the color scheme before I started on the whole unit. Here's what I came up with:
I'm pretty happy with how they are turning out, so I think I'll start working on the entire unit tonight. I'm also finding that I'm really enjoying working on skin tones and blending. Working with subtle colors rather than the sharp contrasts I tend to have with other units has been fun. I still have a lot to learn about the technical side of getting good blends, but it's still enjoyable. In fact, I've decided if I ever get into Hordes I'll probably go with Trolls, just to get more practice with skin tones and blend. Plus, I like tough rolls.
My out-of-town gaming buddy and I decided to meet at PAX this year. We try to get together at least once a year to game and hang out, and this year we decided that we might as well do it with 35,000 like-minded people. My goal is to have good, fully-painted Cryx and Cygnar armies ready for the event. I'm shooting for 500 points, but I would like to have some extra options, which means I'll probably end up painting about 750 points worth per side. I also want to have the Khador and Protectorate Battle Boxes painted up, so we can at least give every faction a try. So, if you are going to be at PAX and want to give a couple of Warmachine noobs a schooling, drop me a line.
Labels: miniatures, wargaming, Warmachine
