Salutations and Salute

Hello again!

Things have been pretty hectic for me recently, as you can probably tell due to the lack of posts here. After many years, my wife and I have decided to move house and you will all be familiar with how stressful, and time consuming, such an enterprise can be. A great deal of my Games Workshop collection has been sorted through and boxed up, though there is still much to organise. I have lost a few items but discovered a few gems I didn't realise I had!

My paint station is still set up but has been largely disused. We have been too busy working on the house move and I haven't have the quality time to work on any miniatures. Hopefully, we will be moving in June and I can get some painting in between now and then so I can play another McDeath scenario at the Oldhammer Weekend. But as it goes with these house moves, something could still go wrong and the whole transaction could go come crashing down. If this is the case, we shall still sell up (if we can) and will move into temporary accommodation. 

I went to Salute yesterday. Every year the event becomes an increasingly social one, and I had the pleasure of meeting several bloggers and Oldhammer illumni, most notably Dear Tony Blair's' David Wood and Mr. Grumpy Old Tin, who handed out a wonderful laser cut badge I have since misplaced. As always, it was fantastic to see so many different miniature games and figure manufacturers either displaying their wares or encouraging others to roll dice with their products, though to my eyes at least there seemed to be far fewer actual games being played this time around.

Of course there were plenty of friends to be found there too: Steve Casey was manning the Warmonger stand, Diane Ansell, Marcus, Dean the Streaker and Tony Yates (and Alex) were working on an enormous Foundry stand. I spent most of my limited budget there on ex-Citadel Vikings and as always, it was lovely to speak with them all.

I was also very impressed with Midlam Miniatures. Stuart (who travelled up with me) had a long chat with the two brothers who run the company about the old Metal Magic miniature lines - which Midlam still sell and I found some really, really useful pieces amongst their varied offerings. 

These pairs of wheels are really useful. How many of us buy siege weapons that often lack one or two of these, eh? Or try and put together a scratch built cart only to fail at the wheels? At two or three pound a pair these are great value, and the anvil you can see alongside was a mere £1.50!

This wishing well caught my eye there too, and is part of a wider range of scenic pieces that Midlam do. I would have bought more if not for the house move, and they are certainly on my wants list for future projects.

Otherworld Miniatures impressed me enormously with their huge range of D&D inspired sculpts. They really are beautifully designed models and their painted examples were gorgeous to behold. Sadly, their pricing put me off making any purchases this time as it was £4 for the smallest (halfling sized) models and compared with Midlam' s £2-3 price range for a single model and Foundry' s nearly unbeatable £10 for a pack of 8 or 9 figures. Maybe next year.

There was little true Oldhammer, at least from what I saw. I was expecting someone to do something retro with Space Marines considering their anniversary but I didn't spot a thing beyond an impressive cosplay chap complete with stuck on mohican hairdo and an enormous 40k game. Oldhammerers there were more of and I had the pleasure of meeting the famous Goblin Lee and having a good chat about his vast collection of painted slann, pygmies and of course, goblins! I bet visiting his house would be an incredible experience in old lead!!! Andy 'The Atom' Taylor was also though there (and I recognised him immediately after meeting him at the Foundry in March) and we had a pleasant conversation or ten about the quality of the facial sculpts on some of the Foundry viking range. Matthew Dunn continued his knack of finding unusual miniatures at very reasonable prices but I shall leave him to explain the contents of his swollen, swinging bag in his own time! Ha ha!

Warseer's harry was on the prowl too, and we had a good laugh talking about the show and Oldhammer in general. He had attended the show with Golfag Paul (another very well known Oldhammer hero) and the last we saw of his, he had lost Harry! Considering he was the driver yesterday, I hope he found Harry and managed to get him safely home again!

Having seen all there was to see, Stuart and I decided to head home. Apart from being caught up in an accident on the M11 on the way home it was an excellent day, spent alongside some excellent people and I look forwards very much to next year's event!

Orlygg

Warmonger @ Salute 2015

 

Last post I gave you a brief overview of this year's Salute. As promised, I am going to take a closer look at some of the things that interested me on the day for the benefit for those of you who couldn't make it. Today's topic is of course - Warmonger!

If you have been living in a hole for the last year or so and don't know anything about Warmonger Miniatures - let me explain things in layman's terms. Warmonger is a project between Bryan Ansell and Kevin Adams at the Foundry, Stoke Hall. 

Any collaboration between these two legends is going to be high on all Oldhammerer's interest lists, so let's delve a little deeper into the project. Be warned though....

Its utterly bonkers! 

Much of the early range saw the incorporation of Kev's old Orc and Ogre models he produced for the Foundry some years back. Many of these models had not been available for some time and are quite frankly, gorgeous. The small vignette, shown above, was built from several pieces of the 'Snorkling' range put out about the same time. These tiny miniatures are FANTASTIC and display more ingenuity and imagination than entire ranges! After painting these up last weekend I am now a committed collector of these tiny buggers and hope to score some more in the future. 

The jewel in the range, at least for me anyway, is the range of Orcling Outriders. Like the painted models above, they are small, comical and full of the Kev Adams zany imagination. So far, I have collected eleven of them and I hope to make up a full regiment of them when my next project is complete. 

Here is a close up of one of the Orcling models. In my mind, they will make perfect 'wolfriders' for my Orc and Goblin Oldhammer stuff. Now that I am happier about the colour choice I use to represent goblin skin, all I have to do is work out how I am going to paint up the mini-dinosaurs these cheeky gitz ride. 

A bright red, perhaps? To contrast with the green. 

The red sponged clam packs contain the newly sculpted stuff. Loads of the early castings was available at Salute and I spent a while picking through the assorted bodies and heads choosing the pieces I liked the most. I tended to go with the models that had huge knockers on them - easily distracted like I am. What is worth noting here are the size comparisons. Models in the range vary in height quite dramatically, and this is a deliberate choice by Bryan and Kev. You can use the larger models (if you collect classic stuff like me for instance) as giant orcs, or ogres and even trolls. 

Trailing along the top of this clam pack are a little selection of Kev's incredible 'face-shields' hand picked for me by the man himself. These are brilliant and are an essential purchase for any fantasy wargamer. 

The goblin drummer seen in the centre was the first model Kev completed after returning to work after his operation.

Chatting with Kev was as fun as ever and he had quite a bit to say about his plans for Warmonger. Obviously, there will orcs, a lot more orcs, to come, some of which look very similar to the old school Citadel ones he concentrated on in the 1980s. But the ethos behind the new greenskins is variation - with all kinds of sizes and design choices being made, spurred on by Bryan's fevered imagination. Beastmen will follow, and greens of this future addition to the range were featured in the display cabinet, as will skeletons, ratmen and all the other fantasy types if Kev gets his way. 

I will leave you with the snaps I took with the trusty iPhone. What can you spot?

I spotted this orc amongst the horde - he looks like something out of the plastic regiments box doesn't he? Its deliberate. I so want a unit of these! 

Orcs and ogres in all shapes and sizes - including some wild, wild orcesses. 

The zany imagination of the Goblinmaster was evident!

This green represents the chap on the Warmonger logo. He has a bizarre name that I cannot remember. 

Some WIP beastman sculpts

Orlygg (and Stuart Klatcheff) @ Salute 2015

I didn't see much of the historical stuff this year, but the archer free mini was nice in our welcome packs.

Like many in the toy soldier world, I was at Salute today. I am sure the blogosphere will be alight soon with tales galore of the day and plenty of pictures of all the latest offerings from everyone from Bicorne to Spectre. But instead of just posting a few random snaps and writing about the loot I brought home, I thought I might write instead about some of the wonderful people I met.

After all, that is really what these big events are about - meeting people. I can buy practically any model online from the comfort of my own home, but online chats cannot ever compare to meeting face to face with fellow enthusiasts. 

I was lucky enough to have my friend Stuart Klatcheff accompany me today, despite his best efforts to try and persuade himself not to go with an injured leg. And the drive up was a very pleasant way of talking about the main topic of the day, miniatures and of course, Oldhammer itself. We were a little unsure how effective the new 'e-ticket' system for entry would be and, despite a shaky moment with Stuart's iPad not allowing the scanner to read the barcode, appeared to run quite smoothly. 

We were both inside the main hall by about 10:20 and promptly made our way towards the Warmonger stand. This was very obvious due to the enormous banner Marcus Ansell had made. Steve Casey, the Citadel Collector, was there with his fetching money bag and equally fetching Welsh twang, and was more than eager to relieve us of our cash. The Warmonger team were extremely welcoming and friendly (so big thanks to Steve and Marcus for their generosity) as was the LEGEND that is the Goblinmaster. 

Mr Adams was clearly really enjoying the show and had plenty to say about his new projects.

Kev was in fine form. He whipped off his gobbo-specs to show me his eye and explained that he was now fully functioning once again and needed no further chopping up by surgeons. So his attention is now fully focused on Warmonger and the amazing range of models he has produced so far. We had a long old chat and I took loads of pictures of his new greens (as well as picking up some of the first castings from the most recent batch that haven't quite gone on sale just yet) so I intend to do a Warmonger Special post shortly to fill you in with all the juicy news and share some of the lovely models that are now available. 

There was a rather battered brown box of extra goodies on the stand for those of us that purchased models. Another one of those 'lucky-dips' that were put on during last years's Oldhammer Weekend. I picked up some absolutely amazing little 'orklings' and I have already made a small diorama out of them (very small actually). They are stunning. And there is more imagination on show in those tiny little goblinoids than in many of the other ranges at the show put together!

If you couldn't get to Salute and are interested in the Warmonger range, why not pop along to their Facebook page and have a gander. Lovely stuff. There is also a rather bizarre youtube video of some of the models here.

Would you buy used artwork from this man?

After weighing ourselves down with stock, Stuart and I moved on to the Foundry stand, keen to meet up with any other Oldhammer types who might be lurking there at 11am. We arrived to find this man, Tony Hough, flashing his folders of original Citadel, Games Workshop and Fighting Fantasy art. As always, it was a pleasure to see Tony and he was happy to let fans of his work browse through his intricate drawings in awe. 

Even though he sold several pieces at the show, he assured us all that he still has lots of pieces available for anyone interested, including the famous 'Patriarch' illustration from White Dwarf. Be prepared to dig deep into the hobby fund if you are after that, as it seems that many people have tried by none have managed to persuade Tony to relinquish his personal favourite piece. Perhaps you could be the one?

If you are interested in getting hold of some of Tony's work, why not wander over to his Facebook page and have a browse through his galleries?

"That one was from Space Fleet, I think?"

A gaggle of Oldhammerers formed after a while and it was great to chat about Tony's work with them. We met quite a few eager fans of Old School Citadel, including two Spanish enthusiasts wanting to know more about where to stay in August - so if that was you, hopefully you have had some success! Diane Ansell was running the Foundry stand, which looked far too small for the range of models they brought, but we managed to squash ourselves through the crowds to make essential purchases of ex-Citadel sheep, vikings and medievals. 

Having a chance to talk to Diane about the event in August was very welcome, and I discovered that there are couple of things in the works that we will need to talk about closer to the time - most importantly the food option for Saturday! Diane was, as ever, the perfect hostess. 

So thank yous need to speed her way. 

Tim insisted on posing next to the Foundry banner like a celebrity at an premiere. It was one, after all!

While we were admiring the historical ranges the Foundry had to offer, a familiar face (sadly, without a Megadeth T-Shirt on) emerged from the backpack weighted crowd with, a rather weighty backpack actually. It was none other than Tim Prow, former 'Eavy Metal painter and all round sculptor extraordinaire, with details about a formerly TOP SECRET miniatures project that is now only SLIGHTLY SECRET. 

More is to come in the coming days, but I can tell you that the project is to be called DIEHARD MINIATURES and will contain some of the models from the aborted Antiquis Malleum project, as well as a whole lot more, in the coming weeks. Tim was armed with his rather flashy tablet (sadly no embarrassing photos were forthcoming) and showed Stuart and myself a great deal of exciting concept and WIP miniature work, including probably the best sculpted skeleton I have ever seen. 

I have a little more to share about this shortly, but will save it for a post of its own.

After saying our goodbyes to Tim, we bumped into a fellow Oldhammer T-shirt wearing gentleman who was very pleased to have picked up a old Kev Adams hill troll model in decent condition. He looked a bit grimy (the hill troll, not the gentleman) but nothing that the Dettol wouldn't fix one at home. So well done to that man on your most excellent find. 

With the shopping and socialising done - we struck out into the show proper and wandered the retailers and exhibition games. It was really exciting to find an Oldhammer game in full swing within minutes, complete with a lovely display of the old rulebooks. Stuart and I spent quite a bit of time chatting with the team behind this ('Ardhammer') and taking lots of photographs of the set up. 

There was a real mix of models on the table. With more recent plastic sculpts sharing space with classics from as far back as the 1970s. 

I will leave you with a the best of the photographs I took of this game and head to bed. There is more McDeath to paint come the morning, as well as some brilliant Warmonger pieces. All that there is left for me to say is a simple thank you to the Salute team who put on another great show, and I look forwards to attending again next year!

Warmonger Miniatures and Salute 2015

I like to keep a keen eye out on social media for things that readers of this blog would appreciate. And this is most definitely an image that Oldhammer fans are going to want to see - Bryan Ansell and Kev Adams working together on the Warmonger project!

The other chap is Steve Turton - an expert mould maker - if memory serves me correct. Now, if you haven't got Facebook you wouldn't yet know that Kev will be manning his own stand this year, ably supported by Steve 'The Citadel Collector' Casey. 

The Stand number is TB13.

There is an 'unofficial' Oldhammer meet up at the Foundry stand at 11am on Saturday. I have a feeling that Warmonger will be the first port of call. 

Orlygg at Salute 2014

A pleasant spring sun welcomed me this morning as I prized myself from my bed to prepare for the annual trip to Salute in London. This year, I was making a new contact (and a rather local one at that) in the guise of Stuart Klatcheff who joined the Oldhammer Forum and the Facebook Community recently. He dwells in distant Great Leighs and I picked him up at 8:30. We arrived at about 10am and were confronted by the queues. They were easily the biggest I had ever seen and the Salute team had prepared a vast empty space for us to gather in. 

The top picture gives you some idea of that space and of the number of people preparing to enter the show. 

As always, we were entertained during the short walk around by the antics of the costumed Star Wars chaps. I quipped the ever-sharp jibe about the stormtrooper above being 'a little short' and was promptly told to 'move along' for my efforts. 

The costumes these enthusiasts dress up in are excellent, as this sand blaster trooper from Tatoonie goes to show and there were a great many others to see, including a rather scary Judge Dredd. Alas, I didn't witness him busting any perps!

My first port of call was the Foundry stand. As you can imagine it was packed out with punters stocking up on their excellent metal castings. However, this year they had brought along Kevin 'The Goblin-Master' Adams with his incredible model range, now called Warmonger. Kev was more than willing to chat (at great length) about his work and his recovery and I am pleased to announce that he has agreed to do a RoC80s interview about the old days in the very near future. So look out for that in the coming months! He was very pleased to be at the show, especially considering that the Ansells had put him up in a swanky hotel all expenses paid! He told me he still had one operation to go but he is back at work and very grateful for all the support he received from the community. 

Kev was also keen to show off his latest work and had a pocket full of castings. This were a new range of goblins for Midlam Miniatures which were brilliant and could have easily been a Citadel original from 1985. Sadly, not all the castings were for sale, including this topless 'gobliness' as the owner of Midlam didn't like the sculpt. 

Tony Hough dropped by with his daughter and I managed to capture the moment with a cheeky not quite selfie thanks to Paul Golgfag from the Oldhammer Forum. 

Meeting up with some Oldhammer stalwarts, we stopped for a quick lunch before exploring the trade stands. Here Leadpest listens to Golgfag's idea for his big game at the Oldhammer Weekend in August.

Leadpest, Stuart and Leadpest's brother enjoy a rather expensive Salute sandwich. Thanks to Leadpest, I am now the proud owner of Sgt. Kratz from the Death on the Reik range. A fine trade indeed, an old school piece of Citadel for a coffee! 

As you would expect, the quality of miniature painting on display was deeply impressive. This D&D beholder-type creature was my show favourite.

And yes, Dreadfleet is still on sale. £60 a copy for interested parties. Sadly, relegated to the bargin bins of the wargaming world. I felt that the miniatures and mechanics were fairly decent. 

As I said previously, many of the pieces that Kevin Adams did for Foundry all those years back are now becoming part of Warmonger miniatures. These were for sale as a special Salute only range and I bought up the Orcling Outriders to make a special unit of goblin cavalry. As you would expect, these are beautifully sculpted models full of charm and expertly cast. 

Much of the range that Bryan Ansell was promoting on eBay last year have been repackaged here. Including the famous 'Mercenary Orc' models. 

Kev's trademark faces are apparent on all of the models. They are a real pleasure to paint. As I said, I intend to create a little comical goblin cavalry unit complete with rules from WFB3 for a future scenario with these models. 

Kev had a pocket full of castings he had just finished work on. These were for Midlam Miniatures, a company I had not heard anything from before and he recommended that I checked out the range. They were brilliant and were very in-keeping with the old school ethos of Oldhammer. They had a very Citadel-vibe to them so I picked up a couple of models to try out. Two goblins, an archer and a captain, to paint up and compare. 

A quick close up shot of one of the Goblin Captain Kev did for Midlam. They are part of the Goblinvylle range that they have put out but there models don't stop with greenskins. There were plenty of other models on offer, inlcuding many townsfolk that reminded me of the old Citadel ones. 

I was also able to pick up the remaining ex-Citadel barbarians that I failed to get hold of the last time I was at the Foundry. Lots of nice models in here that will be part of my future Old School Norse army at some point. 

 All in all, another great show. Right, were is that paintbrush!

Orlygg

Realm of Chaos 80s @ Salute 2013

Dan and I made the annual pilgrimage to Salute in the ExCel Centre primarily to invest in armies for a new game system. In the end we choose Saga and two Gripping Beast Warbands; Anglo Danish for me and the Jomsvikings for Dan - who loved the war dogs that came with the box set, and memories of the crushing injuries he inflicted with Mange during our Realm of Chaos campaign sprang to mind.

But such discussions are for another blog.

I also love the SELWG Bring and Buy Sale. Searching through this mass of humanity and war gaming paraphernalia is an absolute joy for a committed leadhead like myself, so into the scrum I ventured to emerge with this.

Starting on the right, two packs of ex-Citadel feudal knights (thanks Marcus!), two carrion, twelve mummies, four witch elves, twelve beastmen, four barbarians and an orc drummer. Nice!

Here's a couple of close ups!

It was a great show, certainly the best yet! And thanks to those of you who stopped Dan and I to talk about this blog, its uncanny how an Oldhammer T Shirt attracts fellow leadheads to the cause.

So then dear readers. Any of you attend the show? Anyone else manage to capture some vintage lead at next to nothing?

Orlygg.