WIP: Amazon Warriors

It was with great anticipation that I received my box of Amazon Warriors by Wargames Factory yesterday. I have purchased lots of their Samurai boxes and have not been disappointed.

The art on the box looks quite attractive and there is even a short spiel on the Amazons on the right of the box. The Amazon Warriors are sculpted by Tim Barry.




First Amazon
Below is the very first Amazon I assembled post haste :) I am very impressed with the sculpt and detail on the model.

 

Other views of the assembled model. The armor and muscles are really well defined. There is also detail on the inner side of the shield. The shield itself is a really neat piece as well with a clear smooth front that just invites freehand work for the painter. The chest plate itself has really good detail. You can actually see the sculpted abs on the chest piece. The leg guards are also nicely patterned.

 

Above is a clearer pic the torso and legs that come as one piece. The arms, heads and weapons are all separate pieces with a many options for poses.

On the left is a pic of the heads as they arrive on the sprue. There are at least 10 different heads, all with really good detail and facial expressions.

 

Here are some of the Amazon Warriors assembled. I added a GW Wood Elf archer for scale and comparison. 

 

Photo of a happy Perseus in a photo opportunity with the Amazon Warriors :) The Amazons will be my counts as Lothern Sea Guard for my High Elves army.

I would definitely recommend getting a box or two (I got 4!) of the Amazon Warriors if you are into Greek themed armies for your games. I've been pretty impressed with the line of miniatures from Wargames Factory and look forward to their future offerings.

Men of Myr

The heroes of ancient Myr, very much inspired by the Greek mythological legends of Hercules, Perseus and Achilles.

In some ways they are like the Superman, Batman and Spiderman of today. Not so much because of their super powers, but the representation of hope that mankind is possessed of something greater in all of us.

They also demonstrate that choices made by the best of us can also sometimes be wrong. I feel this shows their humanity; and that hopefully by learning from these mistakes we gain both insight and humility.

The combination of that which is divine to that which is mortal is to me an interesting juxtaposition of strength and weakness. It makes me wonder which is the true measure of strength. The compassion displayed by a scrawny kid or the fireball from a twisted sorceror.

For me, it is human emotions and the choice to persevere despite the odds that moves us. And as seen in the myths, even the gods can be moved to compassion.

It is therefore with this as a background that i relish in the building of this army. 

I leave you with a parting pic of the heroes three. The future generals of my High Elf counts as army :)

 Have a Splendid weekend ahead everyone!

Cheers!

Perseus

Its always a great feeling to be able to have time to paint, especially after a long day at work. I moved on to finishing my third Greek hero- Perseus. He has many wonderful toys to fight monsters with. Most notably is Medusa's head.







The Founder of Perseid

This triumphant sculpt of Perseus is by Matthew Bickley and he is available from the Reaper Miniatures range. I like the initial focal point of the mini being the gorgon's head but later drawing one to his expressive face and his noble bearing.

He also looks to be holding Medusa's head aloft and shouting
"Look into her eyes, her eyes, not my eyes!";)

He was painted rather quickly as I was admittedly impatient at being so close to finishing my third Greek hero.

As usual, the super quick NMM was done using a basecoat of Calthan Brown, followed by a layer of Snakebite Leather. Then Bleached Bone was added to the Snakebite Leather in gradually and layered on. Water was added to the mix until its a milk like consistency.

The toga was done using Khemri Brown as a base and adding Bleached Bone gradually until I got the desired shade of pearly white. I added Skull White (watered down) as a final highlight.

The names of the paints are different now with the new range of Citadel Paints. I'll probably have to start buying some and testing them out.

He will be my counts as High Elf Noble Battle Standard Bearer. I'll be fashioning a standard mounted on a pole stuck to the base of the mini at a later stage. Still deliberating on the design of said banner.

I like how most of the weapons and armor gifted to him by the gods are represented on the model. It would be cool if there was an invisible rule in Warhammer Fantasy to represent his magical Helmet. I guess the closest rule would be Ethereal, but i'm not gonna use that.

A final view of the miniature, this time the back. Here is a godo view of the Shield he used in the myth to look at the reflection of Medusa. He was not turned to stone and was thus able to slay the cursed maiden.

 I truly enjoyed the 1981 movie of Clash of the Titans. I have a copy of it when they released it on DVD. The special effects were a tad stiff but magical all the same :)









"Nothing is invulnerable. There must be a way." Perseus from Clash of the Titans movie (1981)

Hercules

Friday night and I've finally got some time on my hands. Chilling to songs on YouTube and saw good old Herc just lookin' at me. Seems like he wants to get painted up as well :)








He's yet another excellent miniature from Reaper Miniatures. Hercules is really well sculpted by Tim Prow. Some of the elements reflecting his Labors like the lion pelt are well represented on the mini itself. I did not add the bow and arrows as I'll be using this mini to be my counts as Korhil from the High Elves Fantasy Army book.

A side profile of The Herc. He's got a resolute stance in the way he grips his club and stubbornly moves onward despite the obstacles in his path.

Another side profile showing the Pelt of the Nemean Lion more clearly.

A back view of our hero. I really like the way the pelt drapes over the entire back of the model like a savage cloak. I'm gonna do a few more highlights and he's good to go ;)














Hercules (counts as Korhil) will be leading the White Lions Unit. I also plan on doing some pelts or similar for the Greek Hoplite minis I'm going to be using for the counts as.

Have a great weekend all!

Let imagination take flight, and follow inspiration's light ;)

Heroes Incoming!

A month has passed by really quickly! And there's even more hobbying to be done :) Wish i had the time and  energy to do more. I recently purchased even more miniatures, this time some Greek heroes from Reaper Miniatures. I got me hands on Perseus, Hercules, Achilles, Socrates and some Spartan like troopers.

Am moving on to slowly setting up another Fantasy Counts-As Army ;) They will be count as for the High Elves Codex. For the army units, I'll be using some really nice miniatures from Wargames Factory from the Legacy of the Greeks range. The Greek Hoplites and Amazon Warriors box sets are perfect for this. While awaiting the arrival of the rank and file, i thought i'd paint up some of the army's Heroes!

Achilles, Mythical Hero
I decided to start with Achilles, one of the greatest warriors of his time. Sculpted by Matt Gubser, this model looks epic and is just as fun to paint.

He will be my counts as Caradryan. I gave him the quick NMM gold treatment for his armor. I painted his skin a darker shade to represent his years of training and battles under the sun.

A side profile of my new hero. He wields the the Dragon Blade, said to be made from the bones of a great dragon of great magical power. The sword will be the counts as Phoenix Blade ;)

Another side profile of Achilles. He wields the Dragon Blade high in a challenge to his foes.

Back view He is clad in a dashing crimson cloak and fur pelts. There is still some highlighting and basing to be done.
















Sample Army List (High Elves)

Below is a rough army roster for my counts as High Elves army.

Caradryan (Achilles)

Korhil (Hercules)

Mage (Socrates)

Noble (Perseus)
BSB, Dragonscale Shield (Magic Shield), Sacred Incense (Medusa's Head)

30 Lothern Sea Guard (Amazon Warriors)
Full Command

30 Spearmen (Greek Hoplites with Spears)
Full Command

30 White Lions (Greek Hoplites with Great Weapons)
Full Command

30 Phoenix Guard (Greek Hoplites with Halberds)
Full Command

2 Great Eagles (Daedelus and Icarus)

This comes to approximately 2393 points.

The Great Eagles counts as would be fun to model as i'll be basing them on Daedelus and Icarus :) Still doing some brainstorming on their conversion work.

More Samurai Riders

The Utaku Battle Maidens are coming along nicely but slowly. The rider and mount are assembled. Now just working on the arms and accompanying weapons.

Here are some of the normal Mounted Samurai. They are similarly assembled and awaiting their armaments.







Spirits Arising

Also managed to finish assembling some Malifaux Seishins and Kirai's Lost Love.









Here's wishing everyone a fantastic and Blessed month of June ahead!