Bloody Miniatures: The Witchfinder General, Pikemen En Melee, Continental Mercenaries and The Ragged Trained Band.

 This entry is a little photo rich; I managed to get 4 full packs done over the final weeks of  The Analogue Hobbies Challenge which ended March 19th and last pack the week and a half since. In order of go they are:

Th Witchfinder General:

Apparently this was a much requested pack and Bloody Miniatures delivered with some great characters

Not the sort of figures that may play a part in a large battle but perfect for all sort of skirmish games.

One of the things that I really appreciate about these sculpts (aside from the faces) is the clothing; the way the folds hang and the material bunches- very natural and unforced.

My gut feeling is this isn't going to end well for this young lady.

The Pikemen En Melee:

These fellows I chose to paint with a degree of uniformity.

Their harness and jackets were all painted n the same colours.

Only their trousers and socks were painted in individual tones.

I chose to give this guy his pike but a coronet would be more appropriate; however, he would then be committed to a specific regiment.

The Continental Mercenaries:

The fluting on this fellow's helmet is distinctively continental I think:

It was a little tedious getting around the helmets to get the faces 

I just loved painting these guys even though I found them time consuming.

Another incredible face from sculptor Nick Collier:

And the final pack of  wave 6, The Ragged Trained Band.

I found negotiating the ripped bits of cloth a little hard; when I was prepping the figures I wasn't sure what was a bit of flash or a bit of a miscast and what was a rip or tear in the clothing.

Once a gain, a bit of a tug-o-war as to whether I should paint them in subdued browns and greys or a brighter selection of colours.

In the end it was a bit of a compromise.

I think I would like another few musketeers with rests to flesh these four figures out into a unit of 12 for Pikeman's Lament or the (apparently imminent) In The Buff.

I have to admit, I think I need to take a break from these figures. Maybe it is time to turn my hand at some more terrain.

Bloody Miniatires: The Unhorsed Cuirassier and The Village People

 Although I am a little behind in my Blogging, I have been productive. These two sets of figures from Bloody Miniatures were finished in the last half of February for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. BM 022, The Unhorsed Cuirassier:

And BM 023, The Village People:

These cuirassier were quick to paint up...

.... or rather, should have been, but I found a way of painting the armour that took longer than it should have without a compensatory improvement in finish.🙄

These are great figures for Pikeman's Lament; I used them in one game as Aggressive Forlorn Hope:

Although tempting to paint them all in blackened armour, I decided just this one fellow would get such a finish; I Imagine him to be their officer:

I did not anticipate enjoying painting the Village People as much as I did. 

Once again, the faces of these figures are great.

The lack of bandoliers, satchels and various necessities of war meant that there wasn't a lot of time spent painting fiddly bits.

These are great additions to a band of clubmen.

Hopefully I will be posting pictures of the next Bloody Miniatures packs before the end of the month.

Bloody Miniatures: The Gallant Ladies and Flying Picquets

 The first packs from Bloody Miniatures' wave 4 are The Gallant Ladies (BM 020):

And The Flying Picquets (BM 021):

I had a crack at painting yellow on this young woman...

Not entirely thrilled with how it turned out; getting the brightness and the shadows correct without it looking 'dirty' was a challenge.

The description of these ladies in the Bloody Miniatures catalogue lists several women, on both sides of the conflict that took charge of their castles and domains while their husbands were engaged elsewhere.

The sculpting of the dresses on these figures is superb.

Sadly, this young woman took a header off the painting table mid-paint job.

Even the scullery maid has been pulled into the defense of the Lord's home.

This batch, as a whole, may be my favourite of the range so far.

Their poses are perfect for skulking around, hiding in hedges....

....and scouting the enemy.

If they are lucky, they may find some unfortunate enemy person of consequence hiding in an outbuilding that they could ransom off.

These figures, like so many in the range, have just the right amount of detail.