Warm Ale and Mud

Whilst my wife and daughter are away on holiday I am finding more free time. So I have painted 2 models already this year!! I was going to paint the Dwarf farm hand but upon closer inspection the model is not that suitable and also a bit of a crude sculpt so instead painted Johannes' Wife and his Doggo. HANSINE. No-one messes with a farmers wife, especially one with hands the size of hers!! Now, the colours are not what I would have done ordinarily. A white apron and hood sprang to mind as the obvious choice, but I wanted her clothes to match that of Johannes, so that is what I ended up doing. (Mostly, I meant to do grey tights but forgot...) HOLEN. Whilst I search for a suitable Dwarf I will make the terrain section that joins the Farmhouse to the Barn.

Over on the oldhammer forum there was a topic about what you did in 2025. Here is a piccy of what I did. 2 buildings, 1 field. 1 Troll 1 villager 10 skeleton archers 15 skeleton swordsmen ​15 skeleton halberdiers 20 zombies 3 ghouls 1 Krell 1 The Lichemaster 5 Fleglers 10 Armbrustschutzen 15 Helblitzen 1 Count 1 Elementalist 99 dudes and 3 terrain pieces. Resolutions/plans for me are to try and get as much of the village as possible done and then maybe start 1 of 2 special projects... I had hoped to have done all of that 12 months prior, but I had neglected to factor terrain and other stuff. But all in all I am happy. That is about 2 figures a week which I am happy with, of course some weeks saw nothing done at all, and some weeks saw much more than 2. But I guess 30 or so villagers for 2026 and 10 buildings should be do-able?

Both my garrison and undead force are deliberately small in size to allow skirmish games and not to take up too much painting time. I have now finally finished the final two models and my Undead force is done!! First I painted Krell . I actually found him quite dull and uninspiring compared to Jacsen and Ranlac, which surprised me as lore wise he greater and more powerful of the trio. O nce a champion of the dark gods of Chaos, left for dead and forgotten by those he once worshipped, he lied entombed, waiting in undeath for a chance to take his revenge. It was Heinrich Kemmler who found and freed Krell. Bound now to The Lichemasters indomitable will he serves a new master. Then I painted the main man himself. Heinrich Kemmler After his costly victory at Frugelhofen the Lichemaster and what few remained of his force moved slowly through the foothills and into Sylvania proper. Seeking a new source of power he discovered the legend of the Karnsteins and of one particular dread member of t...

  VERZERRTE HELLEBLITZEN ​ ​ In life these helblitzen served the Countess Mircalla Karnstein of Sylvania. The Countess was suspected of, tried, and found guilty of Vampirism. Having outlived her husband many years prior to her trial, her noble family line died with her. Now resurrected and ready to fight once again in her name, these restless dead march forward without fear. Led by Ranlac The Black they march into battle driven on by the indomitable beat of the manskin drum, holding aloft the banner which proclaims the hour of blood is nigh. The banner is steeped in the darkest of black magic, its unholy purpose known only to the Countess of Blood herself, and Heinrich Kemmler, the puppet general of her undead legions. It is said the banner was created by the Countess herself as part of a curse on the people of Stirland who tried and found her guilty of vampirism. Those that were there as she was burnt witnessed her proclamation that she would return and take revenge on the descend...

Over on the Oldhammer Forum there is a competition sort of thing. LINK There was a poll about the theme, my idea of Market Day won, and everyone who enters paints up a model that fits the theme, the only real rule is to have some yellow on the model as this will sort of bind all the paintjobs together. Once all the models are done, the names of those that submitted a model are placed in a bag (?) and one name is drawn out, that person wins all the models. I spent far too long on my entry and I kind of want to keep it, but still. What sort of oathbreaker would that make me... Verena Jaeger and her frothy full jugs. Could not get a decent image though. Better in Real Life. (image does not show the eye shadow, the wear on the bottom of the tankards from when they are placed down etc.)

My third ever bash at a scratchbuild for 25mm was the Pertwee Farmhouse:  LINKY The farm proper has a number of actual buildings, but I tackled the main house first, now is the turn of the barn. Not much to say about it, some WIP shots are HERE . As seems to always be the case, during construction I did wonder if it was too small, but upon placing the shell next to the actual farmhouse itself I was assured it was just fine. However one of the walls seemed very low, so I turned to Merijn of Another Wargaming Blog to ask for his thoughts as he has done the barn and many many more himself.  His measurements backed up my own, so ahead I steamed. The astute may notice that my take on it does not have the brick cornered walls. I thought it looked off given that the main farmhouse does not have them, so I opted to keep the barn the same sort of build as the house. Here it is: As a thanks to Merijn he has his own little poster on the side of the barn: Next up are the rest of the...

In life these swordsmen served the Countess Mircalla Karnstein of Sylvania. The Countess was suspected of, tried, and found guilty of Vampirism. Having outlived her husband many years prior to her trial, her noble family line died with her. Now resurrected and ready to fight once again in her name, these restless dead march forward without fear. They carry a banner rumoured to be imbued with the soul of Mircalla. It is said that she sees through it from beyond, into the world of the living, and when her gaze rests upon the descendants of those who set her upon the funeral pyre, a terrible black flame erupts upon them and they suffer as she did in her final moments alive. (it is a magical banner that casts fireballs) The banner is based upon the super sexy Ingrid Pitt as she appeared in a Hammer Horror film, though the lore around her as touched upon here is based upon her roles as seen in both Countess Blood and Vampire Lovers. In fact there is a hint here and on my website as t...