A Summer of Citadel: Gunner 2, F2 Paladin and Armoured Skeleton

Three figures today. Part of the models I have been working on this week. It is harder to post updates as we are stripping wallpaper and the computer has been sidelined in favour of scrappers and steamers. 

I took all the photographs for this post in my Workshop without using any natural light (or MFM's decent camera) so apologies if things look a little processed. In a way, I'm quietly enamored with these shots as they look like some of the images for mid-80s publications (also probably taken inside a dingy room). Later on, I'll do a retrospective of all the figures I painted during the summer and use the fancy iPhone camera for more detail. 

My first figure is from the same range as the Labourer model from July. This chap is called Gunner 2 and was amongst the fighters I got back from my collection recently. This fig really had seen better days. It was kicked about, dented and his face had been smashed well in. I can see now why connoisseurs like Stuart spend hours checking the castings and checking the detail around the face. He was a bit tricky to produce a decent mug on but I feel I did okay, not that you can tell of my struggles in this first photograph. 

His plate armour and bascinet are an improvement on my earlier work and I have started using a Chaos Black and Mithril Silver 50:50 base tone to all armour when working up from the undercoat. Edge highlights in Mithril predominate and I think things are improving with more depth and clunk to my armour now. I mimicked a similar colour scheme from the hose as the Labourer figure in true KCD style. If you recall, I bought the Foundry versions of some of these figures a few months back (and a couple of cannons) so will be continuing with the colour scheme in future. 

One final note, and one that is hard to reference here. But I've started to use Terracotta as a base shade for leather. I mix in Brown Ink to shade and add Hobgoblin Orange to highlight, finishing up with a little Bleached Bone super highlight. It certainly gives a more vibrant result than the drudgey browns I was mixing before.

This second figure is a dynamic looking chap and comes from the mid '80s Paladin range. He has an amusing name too; Sir Presson De La Masse no other. I wonder if people actually used these names when gaming back in the day? I alas come from a few years in the future where figures were given names like 'Sword 2' and certainly never thought of doing so. I gave many of my own figures names once games began.

I still do. 

This little range is unfamiliar to me largely because these figures seldom turn up painted. I'm sure many of them are stored in leadpiles around the globe but I'm note even sure what all of them actually look like. Unfamiliar figures make excellent painting material though and I had lots of fun with this one. The face turned out very well, though it is hard to judge on this photograph, and I am pleased with the highlighting and colour mix I've been working on. Hawk Turquoise was used to painted up his surcoat and I loved using the colour some much I used it again on later figures. 

Here though, it is the armour I am most pleased with. Black basecoat, 50/50 Chaos Black and Mithril basecoat, adding further amounts of Silver to highlight. Pure Mithril Silver on the very edges. I have already prepped a few other heavy armour types to keep working on this skill, so expect to see some more clanking characters soon. 

This figure was a donation (SleepySod I think?) and I had trouble finding it in the catalogues so any illuminations about what range this figure is part of would be very welcome. A very straight forward paint up... I used my well honed bone recipe as normal. However, the armour was given a rather nifty (if I do say so myself) method to create a proper graveyard level of rust. I started with a black base. Drybrushed over with Mithril Silver. Then, once that was all dry I used a black, then a brown ink wash, waiting for each shade to dry properly before adding the next. Finally, I dabbed orange ink on rather liberally around the figure too for the most oxidised areas of rust. 

In truth, these layers given a deep hue but can leave the figure looking rather shiny. I washed over with a Chaos Black glaze to matte things down a little. Again, once this was dry, I used straight Mithril Silver to highlight the armour and do edge work. Hawk Turquoise helped give the haft of the sword some definition and as I love the colour so much at the moment, I used it as part of the shield. 

I fancied doing something away from my usual 'Citadelesque' style and went for something more modern. I doubt this style shield will fit all that well with my other undead models, but who cares right? I do like the half-skull motif though and plan to use it again. 

More tomorrow.

Orlygg