Huscarls prefer Hákarl 2 to 1

Every I think of Vikings, I think of Hákarl (not to be confused with Hot Carl)...which is basically Icelandic Pee Shark.

Tonight's post is all about the two Huscarls that I have completed over the last week and a half. Actually, I think I've spent maybe about 12 hours combined on both of them (I only get a couple of hours a night if I'm lucky during the week...and sometimes that's how it is on the weekends as well...busy, busy, busy). As my time is short at the moment, I have opted to use a layered painting style as the bulk of Foundry's models really don't warrant the usual blending and glazing I usually use.

Let me say right off the bat, Foundry have some of the best historical models on the market. Howver, a lot of their models suffer from the fact they are from the mid to late 90s. I think I saw these guys in a copy of Wargames Illustrated I bought back in 98 (the one with the Barbarian Army Rules for Warhammer). I bought most of these guys back in 2000 and 2001 while I was in my "I'm Going to Build a Viking Army for Warhammer Ancients" phase. Looking back now, I can say that was a stupid idea especially as now I want to collect a Roman army for Warhammer Ancients (or a nice British Army for Napoleonics). 

Both were underocated black with Wal Mart Flat Black paint. For the money, you really can't beat it for priming metal models. Both were painted with a combination of Citadel and Ceramcoat paints. As I mentioned I used a layered painting style, although I use washes rather than basecoating dark and building up. I do this mainly so I get some smooth transitions. Both models are based on 1 inch metal fender washers as I want my models to look as cool as Kevin Dallimore or Steve Dean's models (both a major inspiration for historical painting).

Still haven't decided on what I'm doing with these guys once they are done. Strongly thinking about putting them on Ebay... but then I change my mind as I regret selling a lot of my painted stuff over the years. Sold some really nice Confrontation models off for some good money back in the day, but I'd much rather have the Wolfen Grave Guardian or Griffon Hunter of Darkness that a few extra bucks to spend on Warhammer.

More Vikings than you can shake an Amon Amarth at...

Or in this case two. Granted, I have about 30 in my unpainted pile and the bulk of them are from Wargames Factory, but that's still quite a bit.

Right now the one I'm focused on is the handsome fellow in the middle. All he really needs is his fleshtone, woodgrain, and final metal bits painted and he's done. The part you don't see that I have to finish is his shield (which I still need to primer). He is pretty close to being done...I'd call it 80%. Might need to do some minor bits of black lining around the armor areas...maybe add some final highlights to his trousers. Still should be able to wrap him up by Tuesday evening if all goes well.

Other two are guys that happened to be on the table when I had some extra blue on my palette. The Huscarl on the left is #3 of the six I'm currently working on. The last three still need to be prepped as they are still just bare metal superglued to a fender washer. But those four remaining Huscarls are my goal for November. 

The six were originally bought to be used as Norse Raiders for Mordheim. I had also picked up a couple of other models that were similar style and scale for use as Berserkers and even a werebear. I've toyed with doing a Warhammer Ancients or Saga army with them, but now they are pretty much just part of the collection. Luckily, since I based them the same as my D&D models...I could absorb them into that collection as some sort of Norse themed band of brigands.

"We are the guardians of Asgard..."

Started on the three of these on Sunday with the intent of painting all three simultaneously in an effort to speed up my painting. Didn't go so well as my workflow doesn't really lend itself to that sort of paiting. So once I finish up these fellas, I'm going to find some models that have similar color schemes and try to paint multiples again. 

I did manage to basecoat all their bases and drybrush the chainmail at the same time... so I got that going for me. Once that was done and I figured out that green/tan have nothing in common with blue/red or blue/brown, I decided to focuse on the green/tan viking. I really should be tired of green and khaki/tan after the Zombicide Fatty, but apparently not.

Colors used for viking dude thus far:

• Tunic - GW Loren Green (or Gnarloc Green if you still have Foundation Paints like I do).
• Chainmail - Vallejo Natural Steel with glazes of P3 Armor Wash and AP Strong Shade ink.
• Pants - Vallejo Khaki and shaded with AP Strong Shade ink.
• Leather, Axe, and Base Edge - Ceramcoat Autumn Brown. For the edge of the base, I mixed in a little Future Floor Polish to give it a smooth finish as that stuff is self leveling.
• Flesh - My own mix of Ceramcoat Medium Flesh, Ceramcoat Charcoal, Ceramcoat Autumn Brown, and a touch of Testor's Model Master Skin Ton Warm Tint.
• Beard and Hair - Ceramcoat Antique Gold mixed with a little Ceramcoat Charcoal. It was built up by adding Ceramcoat Sandstone.

As always, the style I'm using for these models is a hybrid of Classic GW and Foundry styles It's a very simple "graphic" style of painting, but looks really good when models are in large groups.

Still don't know if I'm going to finish out all three before moving onto a new project. I had thought of attempting painting two space orks at the same time (as all of those pretty much have the same color scheme). I've been really wanting to paint up my Ork Mob in the style of Boss Grimskull's Waagh! from the Space Marine video game. Also thinking of working in some WWII color motif's like Cyril Abati does (that dude is amazing).

Photo Experiment....

In olden times, I'd have taken the shot against a white background and inserted the blue gradient and futzed with the levels to get the colors on screen to match the actual colors.However, if you do that now the d-bags on certain sites accuse you of "shopping" (and god forbid you use metallics...which is apparently "easy mode" now).

So, this is my Fatty on my good old standby background...a gray pillow case. Yes, probably should iron it next time.

If this format looks familiar, this is how I used to shoot everything back in 2008 and 2009. Then I got obsessed with the whole "catalog" presentation thing again. All I did on this piece is lighten it so the colors match up the actual model and put together the collage.

Someone break my hands before I pick up a camera again...

Yay...another photo with terrible lighting. I guess I should be happy it's in focus at least. Just a snapshot of the two most recent completions and the In Progress Huscarl. Looking at the photo, I can see he needs some work on his tunic as the shading isn't really coming through (not even going to talk about how dark his chainmail is...I hate painting chainmail).

Before the filth and gore...

Apparently I am still on a streak of awful photography. Wish my phone had a tripod mount on it. Maybe I should just break down and replace the batteries in the real camera. Yeah, probably.

This is the first Fatty out of my Zombicide box set. As you can see, I am completely ignoring the suggested color schemes and going for more realistic color pairings. As there are four Fatties, I will be going with Khaki (as seen here), Blue, Red, and Medium Gray. As they are all insulated coveralls, I'm still pondering what the inner liner colors will be.

The fleshtone is the same zombie color scheme I've been using for a few years now. It's based on the Reaper Bloodless Flesh Triad...although I used Vallejo Undead Flesh this time out as a change up. It's shaded by a wash of Agragax Earthshade and Lich Purple...that way you get filthy and bruise coloration in the recesses. I figured this works more for a Biohazard styled zombie outbreak than a supernatural one.

This is the stage before I start adding all the funky effects...eye glow...gore...extra dirt. For that stuff I start out neat and then get sloppier as I go on. I will be trying out Blood for the Blood God on this one...so wish me luck.

"There was no sickle...but there definitely was a hammer..."

First Soviet Rifleman finished...although not entirely historically accurate. I had to take some liberties with the colors as their uniforms were sooooo drab. And sweet jesus this photo is horrible... I have got to set a side a weekend for photography (and use my new backdrop).

As you can see, I used my "historical" style on him... which is just a fancy way to say layering. It's very evident on his tunic although I did a little blending on his pants (and even on his helmet). While I don't think he looks particularly awesome on his own, when he is joined by the other 19 guys in his squad they will look great.

And sorry again about that photo.