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Author Topic: The Road to Volganof (update 7Sep2023 - Swordsmen & priest)  (Read 140772 times)

Offline mottdon

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 23Mar2015 - halberdiers)
« Reply #75 on: March 24, 2015, 02:17:31 PM »
They're looking great!  I love your halberdiers!  The addition of your Ogre mercs gives them such nice diversity!  I'll be checking back to see your progress!  Keep it up!   :eusa_clap:

Offline Hoodling

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 23Mar2015 - halberdiers)
« Reply #76 on: March 25, 2015, 03:06:24 AM »
You're showing impressive perseverance, and every unit is look great. If you keep that up for all 920 models, I'll be very impressed.

Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 23Mar2015 - halberdiers)
« Reply #77 on: April 28, 2015, 04:25:48 AM »
They're looking great!  I love your halberdiers!  The addition of your Ogre mercs gives them such nice diversity!  I'll be checking back to see your progress!  Keep it up!   :eusa_clap:
Thanks. Please do come back and comment. It helps me to keep going.

You're showing impressive perseverance, and every unit is look great. If you keep that up for all 920 models, I'll be very impressed.
Thanks. I am quite happy with the quality of my output. Decent enough for the tabletop. Quantity is the issue. It's best not to project out how long it would take me to finish off the army at my current pace.  :x

Instead, I just keep going...

Try as I might, these end up being ~monthly updates. It is what it is. Today we are doing flagellants! The mighty "Mad Men of the Drakwald" come to Volganof's defence.




This is a wild mix of flagellants of every shape and form. A good opportunity to look at GW flagellants through the ages, don’t you think?

From left to right: 4th edition, Mordheim, 6th edition and current plastics.



In my humble opinion it takes seriously rose-tinted glasses to explain away giant hands and feet and heads and eyebrows (!) of the two on the left as ‘characterful’. The 6th edition metals are my favorites. Really nice poses too, but hard to convert. The current plastics are a close second...as long as one cuts down the comically over-sized weapons. (and they allow easy kit-bashing, important to avoid the clone trooper-effect in a unit of 50).

I did come up with a little unit filler. Presumably the goblin figured out that yelling ‘Sigmar protect me’ keeps him alive.



Also in the unit: a dog. although one probably isn't enough for all the blind crazy man...


A sneak peak of what is currently on my paint table. I scored a nice big haul of classic spears+halberds and have started working on those.


Here is the new and improved official Volganof counter, now with glass-half-full attitude:
27Apr2015 NEW Volganof Counter: 392/920
(920 models in the army, 392 done)

Upward and onward!
The Empire Road to Volganof Last update 18Mar2023 - Pistoliers & Baggage train)

Offline Zygmund

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 27Apr2015 - flagellants)
« Reply #78 on: April 29, 2015, 02:03:59 PM »
Great work on those Flagellants! Nice comparisons too, the 6th ed guys are my favorities also.

Eager to see what you do with those classic 4th ed Halberdiers and Spearmen.

-Z
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Offline Zak

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 27Apr2015 - flagellants)
« Reply #79 on: April 29, 2015, 02:05:38 PM »
cooool  :::cheers:::
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Offline Shadespyre

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 27Apr2015 - flagellants)
« Reply #80 on: April 29, 2015, 08:28:46 PM »
Nice Flagellants. I have a whole bunch of the 6th ed ones to paint - lack of variety of poses but intermixed with the plastics I think that'll be okay.

Never think about how long a project will take! You will always underestimate, and it will always be depressing! My Middenheim army is around 600 models and... just don't ask how long!  ::heretic::

Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 27Apr2015 - flagellants)
« Reply #81 on: June 06, 2015, 01:35:01 AM »
Thanks for the comments, guys! It great to see somebody is looking this army. And now, update time!

5Jun2015
I am STILL slogging slowly through the Spearmen I last showed you. Twenty done so far and the others have basecoats. So…nothing to show there. But, I have let myself get distracted by other things so here we go:

For starters, here is a plethora of priests. I may have mentioned that the second generation of Sigmar priests isn’t my favorite. But, these two will whip up the hatred in their units just fine. That shield on the left with a two-tailed comet was sent to me across the ocean by the generous daniel36, Big THANK YOU. …and then I fail to take a proper picture, how embarrassing is that? The Ulric priest in the middle I really like. However until I painted him, I didn’t realize his technical flaws (e.g. fingers trailing of into eternity under the book; undefined ‘detail’ on the underside of the right arm, etc.). I suppose this is due to the state of technology in single piece metals back when he came out. For me it was a reminder of how far GW has come.


Here are some classic outriders. Now these guys I like much better than their modern counterparts (the riders that is, don’t get me started on the horses). Great ornate armor and helmets. They are a bit same-y but I didn’t want to chop up this batch and possibly ruin the classic look. I have another unit that I won’t be as respectful with when the time comes



…and some Altdorf artillery. Painted quite a while ago actually. But, they will certainly end up on the walls of Volganof


Finally, here are some Knights of the White Wolf, also from my stash and painted a few years ago. I’ve decided there must be a chapter house in Volganof for they will be part of the main army, not the relief force.


Really great models, in particular the faces (not that my painting does them justice, I might be able to bring out the details some more now that I have a better handle on washes and highlights).


That’s it for today…and this month at the very least. I am heading to the old country for a few weeks so updates will be even slower than you may have come to expect.

Upwards and onwards.
The Empire Road to Volganof Last update 18Mar2023 - Pistoliers & Baggage train)

Offline Cam

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 5Jun2015 - outriders and more)
« Reply #82 on: June 06, 2015, 09:01:31 PM »
Good job on the White Wolves. Mixing old and new models seems to work out!

Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 5Jun2015 - outriders and more)
« Reply #83 on: June 07, 2015, 05:12:38 AM »
Thanks. Mixing works...as long as you use the new models sparingly :icon_mrgreen:

Actually, I don't think the plastic white wolves are all that bad. It's mostly the terribly stiff'n'straight fur coat that bothers me....and I don't have the skills to come up with something better. Suggestions anyone?
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Offline Cam

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 5Jun2015 - outriders and more)
« Reply #84 on: June 07, 2015, 11:47:39 AM »
What I dislike most about the plastic White Wolves is the arms. Those sleeves just don't look like plate armor to me. The stiff coats are also bad.

What I did for my plastic White Wolves is to add a bit of green stuff to their body's (tightly wrapping it around) and then a second layer of green stuff where I'd sculpt fur into it. That makes them look fairly close to the original metal ones.
Unfortunately I don't have a picture of mine as they are mostly WIP right now but other people have done that, too.

Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 5Jun2015 - outriders and more)
« Reply #85 on: August 05, 2015, 07:53:18 AM »
4Aug2015
Well. It’s been a while. Between work and travel and travel for work I haven’t been painting as much lately. Also looks like GW in the meantime created a Sigmarworld full of Sigmarines clad in Sigmarite. As you may be able to guess from this project log, I am not into skirmish games and that’s the end of that. Luckily, a critical mass of people is staying the square-based course in my little corner of the world so my gaming hasn’t been affected. In fact, some of the more tournament-focused guys around here have loosened up a little and are now more open to house rules and scenarios. So, all is well so far. I will keep going with this log for now, it’ll look a little out of place between Sigmarines and Aelfs but maybe there is still some interested in the world-that-was.

Right, so the main focus today is this block of Spearmen. It's the last unit of the Altlangen contingent (the poor sods that start the game outside the walls). Part of that unit I painted a long time ago and now I touched these up plus added models to bring it up to a decent 8ed unit size. Was kind of interesting to dig up the old models and look at the questionable painting choices I made back then (e.g. white drybrushing the whole model. Shudder. No, I didn’t take pictures, the past is in the past).

It’s a mix of 3rd + 6th edition Spearmen. They go quite well together, unfortunately I ran out of eagle shield transfers so had to make do with the plastic version. Here are two close-ups.


I also finished five more Reiksguard…no picture, they look as before. Really, who is keeping track. Actually, I am! Fifty of the ninety done now.

And, then there is the city of Volganof. You may remember, this is what we are aiming for:


Here is where we are at:

Stop chuckling! Basically, we are getting our feet wet with these Hirst Art Blocks (well, mostly hands. It is a bit messy). I have seen quite a few logs use these and was expecting this mold making outfit to be some kind of multi-national corporation. Turns out it is one guy, living the dream from his kitchen. But, it’s a great product. The molds work as advertised, I can highly recommend it. At this point I aim for building a little hovel to gain some experience before we launch into titanic towers and walls. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will Volganof.

The official Volganof painting counter as of 4Aug15 now stands at:
590 done/957 total (I found some more painted guys, so it's quite a jump)
The Empire Road to Volganof Last update 18Mar2023 - Pistoliers & Baggage train)

Offline Hoodling

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #86 on: August 05, 2015, 10:55:27 AM »
You're planning to make the entire castle out of Hirst Arts blocks? Man, that sounds like a serious labour of love all on its own.

Good progress again, even if the updates are not always hot on each other's heels. At least you're still making progress. 590 painted models is a lot of troops.

It was only after I did all my White Wolf Knights that I discovered Instant Mold and got over my fear of green stuff. Which is a pity, because they would look much better with some mass produced cloaks like I later did for my Knights Panther.

Offline adso113

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #87 on: August 06, 2015, 02:44:53 AM »
This, sir, is the single most hobby inspiring thing I've seen. Ever. Well, that autumn themed Averland army was really nice, too. And Chumley Warner's plog. But, I have a goal to paint 1,000 state troops. This makes me feel less crazy.

Offline Alexis

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #88 on: August 06, 2015, 10:18:55 AM »
Magnificent! The castle is fantastic!!  :eusa_clap:
"Dressing a bear in fine silks does not make it civilised, though in the city of Kislev it could pass at court."

Offline Darknight

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #89 on: August 06, 2015, 10:38:48 AM »
Good luck with the Hirst stuff! You are right - they are great things indeed.

But HEAVY! Plan carefully - you can probably make a lot of the internal walls from foamcore which will make it easier and lighter.
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Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #90 on: August 06, 2015, 03:37:02 PM »
You're planning to make the entire castle out of Hirst Arts blocks? Man, that sounds like a serious labour of love all on its own.
Magnificent! The castle is fantastic!!  :eusa_clap:

Love is what we are all about. We do have two GW castle sets and a couple of plastic watchtowers and who knows what goodies we can bag in the future. But yes, considering that the battle is about control of the gates and the courtyard we do want to put serious effort into it. Let's see how far we can push that towards the indeed fantastic GW version.

Good luck with the Hirst stuff! You are right - they are great things indeed.

But HEAVY! Plan carefully - you can probably make a lot of the internal walls from foamcore which will make it easier and lighter.

That's an interesting point I didn't consider so far. We want to build this to be modular to some extent so it's usable for other games (and also doesn't need its own room for storage). So each piece should be a manageable weight. I suppose we need to make sure the bottom parts are sturdy enough. And planning it so it looks more or less seamless will be key.

This, sir, is the single most hobby inspiring thing I've seen. Ever. Well, that autumn themed Averland army was really nice, too. And Chumley Warner's plog. But, I have a goal to paint 1,000 state troops. This makes me feel less crazy.
I don't think I am halfway to the 1,000 state troops. But, I approve of your manly goals!


Thanks everyone for the comments. Makes it a lot more fun for me.
cheers.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2015, 08:02:38 PM by Naitsabes »
The Empire Road to Volganof Last update 18Mar2023 - Pistoliers & Baggage train)

Offline Zak

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #91 on: August 06, 2015, 07:09:45 PM »
 :icon_eek: :icon_eek: god luck wow
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Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 4Aug2015 - spearmen)
« Reply #92 on: September 13, 2015, 06:26:00 PM »
12Sep15
Well, in this update we are back to heretical things for the most part. I present to you angry Fleshounds of Khorne (from a few generations back).



I didn’t want to do the classic neon-green for the frills, and waffled around for a bit trying to find the right color. Happy with the end result. Age-appropriately, these models do have some terrible gaps and badly sculpted areas but, overall I like their pose and how they slink along. Menacing in a way. Also, who could say no to spiked club tails!



Here is the big dog himself, Karanak. Obviously a different generation but the paint job helps to tie them together. I basically rescued him from the pound (i.e. flea market). One of his loose legs didn’t fit and required extensive reconstructive surgery, one head was missing so I had to make do with a regular dog head. I recon he looks the part now though.




To end on a Sigmar-approved note, here is another cannon for the walls of Volganof. Only three more to go. And, is there maybe an expert on renaissance artillery in the audience who could tell me what the guy on the left has in his hand? Because it sure looks like a beer mug to me (I was tempted to sculpt some foam)?




The official Volganof counter:
594/957

Upward and onward (albeit slowly)!

p.s. after 1.5 years, a more detailed status report seemed appropriate

last update 29Aug2015
BOLD = required
GREEN = ready to go
RED  = anything from still on the store shelf to primed and halfway painted

Volganov City Guard (3000pts)
Oleg von Raukov
Sergov Pfeiffer (Lv1 Fire)

Klaus Solmann (Lv4 Heaven)
Baron von Blutten

Captain Schwarzhelb
60 Stalwart Bulls (Greatswords)
30 Gryphon Guard A
30 Gryphon Guard B
40 Reinforcement Spearmen

40 Reinforcement Halberdiers
40 Reinforcement Swordsmen
2 Steam Tanks
17 Knights of the Golden Griffon
Captain of the Golden Griffon

3x 10 Crossbowman
3x 10 Handgunner

2 Priests
2 Captains
2 Battle Wizards (Lv2)
40 City Halberdiers

40 City Spearmen
Hurricanum
Helblaster Volley Gun
Engineer


Artillery of Volganov (1500pts)
Kannonmeister Gunther Trundlekopf (Engineer)
Ol' Puddings (Cannon)

Spinning Bertha (Helblaster)
6 cannons
2 Mortars

3 cannons
1 Mortars


Ostland
30 Kludburgh Militia
20 Volgar's Shadomen (Huntsmen)
Volgar (Captain)

50 Flagellants of the Forest of Shadow
50 Scarlet Curs (Halberdiers)
Vasili von Raukov


Other Provinces
Volkman (Captain)
50 "Bechafen" Halberdiers
30 "Blackhats of Talabheim" (Swordsmen)


Altlangen Contingent (Captain + 1000pts core + 500pts special)
Baron Beckdorf[/color]
2x 10 Handgunner
31 Spearmen
30 Swordsmen
6 Knights (FC)
6 Knights (musician)
24 Altlanger Greatswords+FC+Standard of Disciplin
12 Swordsmen (Detachment)
5 Pistoliers (music+champ+repeater)


Relief Column (1500pts mounted)
Kurt Helborg
Ludvig Schwartzhelm
45 1st Reiksguard

45 2nd Reiksguard
Valmir von Raukov
Raukov Battle Standard

10 Raukov Household Knights
6 Knights
3 Demigryph Knights

3 Demigryph Knights
2 Pegasus Captain
Pegasus Captain
6 Outriders
5 Pistoliers
Luminark
« Last Edit: September 13, 2015, 06:32:51 PM by Naitsabes »
The Empire Road to Volganof Last update 18Mar2023 - Pistoliers & Baggage train)

Offline steveb

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #93 on: September 13, 2015, 09:09:08 PM »
yes it does look like a mug in his hand, and it could well be.  I would like to think that it is more involved in the firing of the gun,  It could be to pour liquid down the touch hole in order to put out any embers that could set off the next powder charge to rammed in, or it could be to wet the powder bag when firing rapidly to keep the silk (most likely, or fine cotton) from igniting when touching an ember or spark.  the bag arond his neck robably contains priming powder, and the other tool is a ram for packing in the wad and/or packing in the ball. as opposed to the big one you usually see which is for wet swabbing out the barrel to cool, and cool it while putting out embers or sparks that might occur from hot metal, air, and oxygen combining together.  the other tool you usually see looks like a scoop on the end of the pole, this is used for delivering the powder bag/charge into the cannon, the bag sits in the scoop and when it is delivered to the end of the barrel the scoop is turned over and withdrawn leaving the powder bag in the barrel and avoiding tears in the bag or friction igniting any of the powder.  in some of the older figures you will see a rod or pin chest or belt of the artilleryman and this is for cleaning out the touch hole on the barrel as it sometimes gets clogged up with powder residue, there are two other instruments that are very seldom seen, a giant worm screw that is used to remove cannon balls and powder bags when the gun does not go off, and the leather thumb pad that the crew leader usually wears as he used it the seal that touch hole when they are loading the gun so the that suction of moving tools through the barrel does not draw oxygen in and create any flares in the residue.   Then again if you have been around black powder it does not take much of it in the air for you to want to take a long drink of cool water so it may well be a mug in his hand.     :icon_wink:  steveb

Offline Gneisenau

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #94 on: September 13, 2015, 09:39:21 PM »
Good work on the cannon! I'm painting that one right now, too.

Offline scrubber

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #95 on: September 13, 2015, 09:47:42 PM »
This is such fun to follow. Good look with the Hirst Arts, we've made some building before, and spent more time cleaning up afterwards than casting the moulds. Made habour wall and landing landing stage, only 5 bricks high, then foam board under the paved area, that was still some weight. Also think of storage before making some of the taller towers.
Consider your colours for the fleshhounds as pinched [please]. They are so nice.
I like the very old flagellants, something homely about them.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2015, 09:49:48 PM by scrubber »

Offline Hoodling

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #96 on: September 14, 2015, 03:24:59 AM »
Nice work. Whatever repairs and replacements you had to make on Karanak are not apparent. And I think the yellow works really well.

I enjoy reading your updates. Keep it up!


Offline VonOttenheim

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #97 on: September 14, 2015, 10:11:37 AM »
Really....really...REALLY enjoying your blog.

Inspirational to say the least   :::cheers::: :::cheers:::
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Offline Naitsabes

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #98 on: September 15, 2015, 03:36:17 AM »
yes it does look like a mug in his hand, and it could well be.  I would like to think that it is more involved in the firing of the gun,  It could be to pour liquid down the touch hole in order to put out any embers that could set off the next powder charge to rammed in, or it could be to wet the powder bag when firing rapidly to keep the silk (most likely, or fine cotton) from igniting when touching an ember or spark. [...and more fascinating stuff...]
on warseer someone suggested this 'mug' is a sort of measuring cup to get the right amount of black powder from the barrel (and then he goes on talking about the same long scoop like you to put the powder down the barrel). knowledgeable people all around, thanks! although I liked my beer mug idea.

Good work on the cannon! I'm painting that one right now, too.
thanks. it is a classic.

This is such fun to follow. Good look with the Hirst Arts, we've made some building before, and spent more time cleaning up afterwards than casting the moulds. Made habour wall and landing landing stage, only 5 bricks high, then foam board under the paved area, that was still some weight. Also think of storage before making some of the taller towers.
Consider your colours for the fleshhounds as pinched [please]. They are so nice.
I like the very old flagellants, something homely about them.
thanks! pinch all the colors you want. no progress on the hirst block front. but yes, boy is that messy. My partner-in-crime has recently moved up in the world and setup his own game room. I am a lot more motivated to put effort into the table now that the storage issue is solved.

Nice work. Whatever repairs and replacements you had to make on Karanak are not apparent. And I think the yellow works really well.
I enjoy reading your updates. Keep it up!
I am keeping at it for sure. Handgunners are next. By the way, I really enjoy your proper blog. It's not possible to comment there without yet another account and that hurdle was too high for me so far. But, I do read it and like both text and photos. So, keep it up yourself please!

Really....really...REALLY enjoying your blog.
Inspirational to say the least   :::cheers::: :::cheers:::
thanks! all your comments are very inspirational to me. it's fun to know somebody somewhere at the other end of the world looks at these little guys.

..and on a final note, here are some bonus khorne pictures I took of older stuff as I was photographing the dogs.



This is my little Khorne Demon gang, all frothing at the mouth and up to no good.


cheers. Sebastian
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Offline steveb

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Re: The Road to Volganof (update 12Sep2015 - hounds&cannon)
« Reply #99 on: September 15, 2015, 05:01:00 PM »
nice stuff!  remember that comments are like the tip of the iceburg, for every comment there are many many more who view without commenting.  steveb