Introduction



Thanks for visiting my page. To help with navigation, here is a list of popular pages all about Marching in Colour

* The History of Marching In Colour - who is the man behind the words and service, how did it all come about

* Commissioning Models for Painting - how the process works, start to finish, and what you can expect

* Gallery of Artists Work - with over 20 years experience, here is a small sample of finished commissions

* ITEMS FOR SALE - as well as painting models, I also sell pre-painted models and assorted loose models and scenery on Etsy and Ebay. Links here!

* Trade in your old models for Painting Credit * click here for details

* To see details of all current commissions booked-in and estimated completion dates - click here

SCENERY and TERRAIN - for pre-made, handcrafted items of scenery and terrain, please click here

For TUTORIALS please follow this link - click here


Saturday 25 January 2014

Review and Painting - Gripping Beast 28mm Scots Warband

Howdy folks, thanks for visiting
 
In this article I will be looking at the Scots Warband box set from Gripping Beast. These models are 28mm and make a complete 4pt Warband for the SAGA rule set. The set has an rrp of £33.00 and can be purchased direct from the Gripping Beast website.
 
PLEASE NOTE: This force is currently FOR SALE - £120 / $200 / E150. Price includes postage and packing. The models do come with painted weapons and shields. Shield fronts are painted bare white in case you wish to add transfers.
 
 
 
Unboxing and First Impressions
 
The box is one of the thin plastic styles, with wrap around full colour cover. The rear of the box lists the contents with a nice, if somewhat small, photo of the painted models.
 

 
Thankfully unlike some of the Mantic range miniatures, the contents of this box do not suffer from 'Jack-in-the-box' syndrome in as much as you can actually close the box once you have opened it!
 
The models come separate - regular warriors in one bag, Hearthguard in another, and the Warlord in with all the shields and weapons. The pack also contains all the plastic bases you need.
 

 
The models themselves are good solid quality miniatures with no bendable or breakable parts. Fact of note, the design is so solid that the cloaks are perhaps a little too thick especially on the models that have 'flowing cloaks'. As with most Gripping Beast models, the hands seem to be a little on the large side. The end result though is that these models feel solid, and good value.
 
 
Painting - First Coat
 
The main work on these models lies with the tunics and, for the Hearthguard, their chain armour.
 
For the tunics, there are a variety of source websites which cover Dark Age clothing and dyeing techniques. As a general rule the painting should be block colours, simple and effective. With these models being Scots the variety comes from adding a splash of tartan, which I will cover in the 'Advanced Painting' section of this article.
 
 
 
A note on armour - 'Dry Brushing' technique.
 
You can achieve great results when it comes to armour by using the technique known as 'dry brushing'. To start, paint all the armour sections black. Then, using an old brush (make sure its an old brush, as this technique will kill your brushes faster than any other!), dip the tip in the silver paint and wipe it onto your mixing pallet, as if you are mixing paint.
 
The idea is to rough coat the entire brush head. Then, run the brush over the black armour.
Its that easy!
 
 
Painting - Advanced
 
Advanced work comes in two main forms for these models, both of which focus on the models tunics.
 
The first is the standard, shading and highlighting. The models are very well sculpted and cast, and the tunics have clear flow lines which need to be highlighted.
 
The second part, which I will focus on, is the tartan. This is tricky and needs a steady hand. It also helps to remember the flow of the tunics, the tartan should line with the flow as it would naturally.
 
To paint tartan I find its best to stick with 4 associated colours rather than 2.
 
First paint the cross pattern in a dark base colour, as the picture on the left.
 
Finally use a lighter colour across the top, and as close to the middle of the line as you can, but without wiping over the top of the entire line - leave a little showing.




 The 'shine' on the models comes from my poor photography skills and the light reflecting off the varnish. I use Matt varnish so there isn't a shine on the finished models.




The Scot Warlord


 



Thanks for reading.

Any thoughts and comments please post below, or email me direct at Project_Vehemence@yahoo.co.uk

Chris

Thursday 23 January 2014

Review and Painting - FG Miniz 14th Brooklyn Foot Officer 28mm

A few weeks ago the French manufacturer 'Forgotten and Glorious' were generous enough to send out a few freebie models as part of their winter promotion. Thankfully I was included in this give-away and in yesterdays post I found this little chap - a Foot Officer for the 14th Brooklyn.
 
This model is part of the set 'ACWINF02 14th Brooklyn Command Group Advancing' a collection of  6 assorted models with an rrp of 10.80Euro.
 
You can find the models to purchase by following this link -
 
From foot to eye this is one of the closest 28mm I have seen in a while. The sculpt is good, with little cleaning required. The model scales well, and the detail is crisp and clear. A very nice model to paint.




 
Thanks for viewing.
Currently taking painting commissions. A model to this standard is only £2.50
 
Chris

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Random Shots - Warlord Games, Pike & Shotte range 28mm Royalist Cavalry

From the plastic box set, one of 12 multi-part models. A nice mini from a good set.
 






Friday 17 January 2014

Review and Painting - Wargames Foundry 28mm 'Armed Civilians and Slaves'

Greetings!

In this article - part 3 of 3 looking at Wargames Foundry's Ancient Civilian range. This pack is entitled 'Armed Civilians and Slaves', code CIV014, and is available from the Foundry website.
RRP £12.00

 
 
The models are strong 28's, the usual for Foundry and are generally nice sculpts. The muscle tone on the models is very nice. Mould lines are also very minimal, meaning there isn't much clean up work to do. The weapons are all cast on the miniatures so appear fairly robust.


Painting - Base Coat

This pack seems like a tale of two halves - we have the rough combat ready models, and the two more domestic/household type slaves. I decided to go with something a little more fancy for the household slaves, giving them white tunics, and one with a pattern.

The addition of hand/leg cuffs on a couple of the models goes well with the 'escaped'' look.

Overall, as long as you are comfortable painting flesh, there isn't much work needed on these models.

 
 
Painting - Advanced
 

As with the models in part 1 and 2 of my Foundry articles, a good wash with a brown/tan really works wonders on models as simple as these. Then pick out and highlight with the original base colour, leading to lighter tones where necessary.


 
Thanks as always for reading.

Any questions, or for painting commissions, please email me at Project_Vehemence@yahoo.co.uk

Chris

Thursday 2 January 2014

Review and Painting - Perry Miniatures ACW 'Confederate Infantry Command'

Hi folks,
 
This article will be looking at a set of ACW models from 'Perry Miniatures'. This pack is ACW-30 Confederate Infantry command in Frock coats and kepis advancing, and has an rrp of £7.00.
 
Coming in at a fair to strong 28mm in height, these models seem a little thin, especially the faces/heads. Perry are know for their outstanding sculpting ability yet these models feel a little lack lustre. The officers sword is also prone to bending due to the thin cast.
 

Painting - Base Coat

I decided as these models where not going to be part of any particular unit to keep things simple. The base coat is a standard mid-grey (Vallejo 72050 Cold Grey), and equipment is generic dark brown, or black leather.

I decided to change the trousers of two models to a mid-tan, and to add a little colour by painting the drums red.

Red is a tough colour to work with. On a white undercoat it can appear too thin, and on a black undercoat it can lose its colour. Rather than apply several layers, consider using a solid burgundy colour as a base, then paint the red on top of that.

 
 
 
Painting - Advanced
 
Unless you want a 'parade ground' look, you can use a light brown wash on the uniforms to weather them up a little, before using the original grey and a very small amount of lighter grey (not white), to highlight the uniform.
 
The reason I use a lighter shade of grey mixed in to the base rather than white is I find it easier to control the shade. White is too aggressive on the original colour, and needs a thorough mix to achieve a good consistency.  



Thanks for reading!
Any feedback is appreciated. Still working on taking good pictures.

Models to this quality - a good solid wargaming level, finished and varnished, are only £2.50 each.
Taking commissions now.

Chris