home

Author Topic: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog  (Read 35742 times)

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« on: October 13, 2009, 02:06:47 AM »
I first started an empire army years ago, but never quite bonded with the men in pyjamas, and it remained half finished. 

So the new paint and play project at my club in Hong Kong gave me the impetutus to get back into Sigmar's favourite army.

After some last minute wavering towards the bretonnians - I plumbed for empire: Theme is important to me, and have been long lamenting the departure of the Dogs of War, and wanted to capture some of their spirit in this new army.

So this is a rag-taglle collection of forces raised from Empire sympathisers within Marienburg, ready to fight in the Storm of Chaos. The troops will be a mix of Marienburg and Nordland warriors ([very similar colour schemes btw] lured into their neighbour's army by the higher rate of pay they offer) - named the Marienburg Freeswords.

This is a monthly paint and play, going up in 500 point chunks. The initial 500 points included a warrior priest, a lvl 2 mage, 11 greatswords, 6 flagellants, and 10 handgunners.








« Last Edit: October 13, 2009, 02:16:03 AM by Justin Hill »

Offline Zak

  • Members
  • Posts: 7450
  • Mad Viking
    • Mad Viking
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2009, 02:26:01 AM »
Shazzam!!! very nice paint job man how did you do the leader's horse?  :eusa_clap: :eusa_clap: :eusa_clap:
Yes I'm dyslexic so what

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2009, 02:27:07 AM »

Thanks zak: the horse was pretty simple.  it's a bretonnian head with the sheild shaved off and a terminator honour badge stuck on instead.  I was in a rush with him, so he's farily undone at the moment - so the horse was a plain black (varnished to appear like laquer) with the emblems picked out in gold. 














Coming up: empire knights
« Last Edit: October 13, 2009, 02:34:52 AM by Justin Hill »

Offline Nicholas Bies

  • Members
  • Posts: 5329
  • puzzling
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2009, 02:43:13 AM »
yea where are those knights of yours cause they're absolutly awesome!

It's a good thing you can't win best unit this month or I'd be screwed even with my Cold One Knights (we're in the same league at our LGS).
The greatest form of control which can go on forever until it is exposed is a tyranny you can't see, touch and taste (unlike totalitarian Govts). When you sit in a prison cell but can't see the bars, because people don't rebel against not being free when they think they're are.

Offline Warlord

  • Global Moderator
  • Members
  • Posts: 10563
  • Sydney, Australia
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2009, 03:39:00 AM »
Welcome back Justin. Its been a while!
Quote from: Gneisenau
I hate people who don't paint their armies, hate them with all my guts. Beats me how they value other things over painting, like eating or brushing teeth.

Offline GamesPoet

  • Administrator
  • Members
  • Posts: 23713
  • Happy Spring! : )
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2009, 03:48:42 AM »
The model of the guy on that horse is fabulous.  The rest of what's been shown looks so gritty and fierce.

A great start for your new army! :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool: :eusa_clap: :::cheers:::
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline WallyTWest

  • Members
  • Posts: 1031
  • 'Lux Mundi'
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2009, 03:58:20 AM »
I love your general, you do inspire me to do something sir! :eusa_clap:
It’s all about Renaissance Punk.

Offline Nicholas Bies

  • Members
  • Posts: 5329
  • puzzling
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2009, 04:04:31 AM »
Justin got the best Regiment award in lat months painting comp with his Greatswords. If you ask nicely he may show you his dwarfs which are incredible - esp. his gyrocopter
The greatest form of control which can go on forever until it is exposed is a tyranny you can't see, touch and taste (unlike totalitarian Govts). When you sit in a prison cell but can't see the bars, because people don't rebel against not being free when they think they're are.

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2009, 04:18:07 AM »
thanks Ben/Bies - you know it's you're fault I got back into empire...!

Warlord - yes it's been a very long time.  I started this army just before my son was born, and he's nearly six now and painting greenskins blue!  Actually - it's largely his fault it's taken so long  :wink:

Yeah - i liked the wp so much I started on these guys.  Grim and gritty is certainly what 'm going for.  Want an army that looks like it can beat Chaos on something other than dress sense.....

Now for the knights!

For the second month of the paint and play, I've added two units of 5 knights, and a couple of canons.

I DONT like the empire knights, or their horses - and decided to use chaos marauder and pistolier horses - as well as go deep into the bitz box to find some interesting ways of converting the knights.  There are original empire knights in there, and chaos marauder and greatsword heads.

There's been plenty of greenstuff use, which i've taught myself a little as I go along, and gone for a mix of lances and great weapons, just because gt weaposn look so much better.  I'm a big fluff bunny!













Offline ZeroTwentythree

  • Members
  • Posts: 7770
  • i'm a mercenary doom bringer
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2009, 04:18:58 AM »
Very nice. I agree, the greatswords are nice, but I love the stripes on those handgunners. Hell, I normally hate those figures (the sculpts), but you even made the faces look human! Nice job!


Offline ZeroTwentythree

  • Members
  • Posts: 7770
  • i'm a mercenary doom bringer
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2009, 04:19:34 AM »
Also, I like the background, especially the part about stealing Nordland troops.  :wink:

Offline Nicholas Bies

  • Members
  • Posts: 5329
  • puzzling
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #11 on: October 13, 2009, 04:21:50 AM »
imho you should show them the other horses  :engel:

The greatest form of control which can go on forever until it is exposed is a tyranny you can't see, touch and taste (unlike totalitarian Govts). When you sit in a prison cell but can't see the bars, because people don't rebel against not being free when they think they're are.

Offline GamesPoet

  • Administrator
  • Members
  • Posts: 23713
  • Happy Spring! : )
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2009, 05:02:30 AM »
Could you show us a picture of the converted greatsword sergeant with the pistol :icon_question:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #13 on: October 13, 2009, 05:16:14 AM »
horses and pistol warrior conversion will be coming in the next couple of days.


Offline ChumpChange

  • Members
  • Posts: 255
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #14 on: October 13, 2009, 06:13:14 AM »
Also, I like the background, especially the part about stealing Nordland troops.  :wink:

They're not stolen, they're just protecting a wayward chunk of Nordland that will one day be returned to them. Think of it as an investment.  :icon_wink:

Back on topic:
These troops are simply epic. And the knights are inspiring to say the least. Excellent use of green stuff!
« Last Edit: October 13, 2009, 06:15:26 AM by ChumpChange »
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. --Voltaire

Offline Herostratos

  • Members
  • Posts: 135
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #15 on: October 13, 2009, 07:36:00 AM »
That captain is great! Loads of character in that conversion.

Loving the gunners too, good paint scheme with the stripes and leather coats.

Offline Khalek

  • Members
  • Posts: 44
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #16 on: October 13, 2009, 07:50:22 AM »
I love the captain, awesome model. And I also love how your flagellants are so pale, almost undead-looking! How did you do the skin on them?

Offline rufus sparkfire

  • The Old Ones
  • Members
  • Posts: 33360
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #17 on: October 13, 2009, 10:26:24 AM »
Great stuff there: I very much like the stripes, and the fact that the priest has a sword instead of a hammer.

Are those plastic greatswords though? You bought them?
Hey, I could still beat up a woman!
If I wanted to.

Offline Uryens de Crux

  • Members
  • Posts: 3751
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #18 on: October 13, 2009, 10:50:53 AM »
Lovely work there, making ugly figures look great. Me, I dont have the patience so just get different figures lol
We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name.
The Free Company of Solland

The Barony of Wusterburg

Offline rufus sparkfire

  • The Old Ones
  • Members
  • Posts: 33360
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #19 on: October 13, 2009, 11:10:42 AM »
Nice use of the '80s knights with horned hats, by the way!
Hey, I could still beat up a woman!
If I wanted to.

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #20 on: October 13, 2009, 11:44:09 AM »
the bases haven't come out so well, but they're wintrythemed, with leaf mulch and dead grass and wind blown snow.... so the flagellants I wanted to look like they're cold.  I used blue in their base skin colours and mixed blues into their highlights as well, to give htem a frozen look. 

I also experimented with MIG weathering powders, putting rust washes on the flails and a mix of plastic putty and europe dust weathering powder, put onto the hems of their robes and thier feet to give them the look that they have trampled through freezing mud. 

Yeah - all warrior priests weilding hammers seemed a little dull, and as mine is ending up with a sword of might i thought i'd give him a sword.  I see him as a poor rabble rouser rather than a rich clergy man.  Hense borrowed horse, somoene else's swoord, and plain equipment.   
« Last Edit: October 15, 2009, 11:47:04 PM by Justin Hill »

Offline General Tomerix Rotenkopf

  • Members
  • Posts: 309
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #21 on: October 15, 2009, 07:30:27 PM »
Frikkin´awesome!!!  :Ohmy:
Hobbits are stupid, Talabecs are thieves and Averlanders reek of horse shit.

Offline Justin Hill

  • Members
  • Posts: 138
  • Marienburg Freeswords
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #22 on: October 26, 2009, 08:13:24 AM »
So the knights are primed and ready to go, and the first step is getting the bases done. I like to do these seperately so I don't mess up the figures or the base while painting the other.

These bases are done with a base of filler/white glue/grit/gravel/and cork or bark stones - then airbrushed a number of colours, from graveyard earth, komando khaki, and then with gw washes of devlan mud and green - that i mix up together when wet, so there are natural blends.

Finally a drybrush, and a few little details like bones, arrows, or rusting weapons, painted individually.

For the snow I sprinkle on baking powder, and then blow most of it off and seal it in with varnish to keep the remaining snow in place. I also use vallejo snow in patches, which gives a more visually appeaing look. also there is a mix of winter and autumn grasses, and sponge 'bush' flock


 





Starting the bases for the five archers and two canon crews. A week and a half to get all these guys painted.

Offline Delthos

  • Members
  • Posts: 4646
  • Evil Polish Guy
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #23 on: October 26, 2009, 11:33:40 AM »
Those are some very nice bases, I really like the skeleton one, well except for the horns.
Ostermark Photo Gallery
Ostermark Painting Log
"Kill 'em all and let Morr sort 'em out!" (General Ghent, Battle of Dumsky's Fallow)

Offline Pistol Pete

  • Members
  • Posts: 2090
  • Pistolicious!
Re: Marienburg Freeswords: Paint and Play Blog
« Reply #24 on: October 26, 2009, 05:11:09 PM »
This is how it's done!

Those bases are amazing!  You army is going to look fantastic when it's finished if you keep it up to this high standard.
Desperately seeking Chaos Warrior heads & Skull banner tops from new empire missle troops sprue.  Will trade for bitz, barter, or $$$.  PM or email me to discuss details.