Sunday 18 October 2015

Champions of Law - The seventh son and the roman blade




You guys know it's important to have the right soundtrack...


So here we are, it's Sunday and as usual I have a little more champions of Law done ! This one had to be special though as it was the 7th member of the warband I'd present (along with the 8th). Now I really think I'm not superstitious because I do not believe in any of the non sense associated with numbers and all but I DO follow the same rules as supertistious people because I'm a pathetic Maniac.
If none of this makes sense to you, it's perfectly normal, just accept that the 7th model HAD to be special and what better way to make a special model than to use a limited edition ?
As you may know, the 7th model (on the left of the previous picture) is the Warlock :


The Warlock was the Fighting Fantasy magazine published in the mid 1980's and while I won't tell the history of it again, I can at least state that the title and one of its covers lead to a miniature along the famous Amazone Gothique :


Picture form the Solegend
I've had this model for a little while now and have always wanted to do something special with it. Problem is that most of my plans were far too ambitious and required a lot of time and energy...
And then came this opportunity... I knew I wanted either a demon or a wizard as the 7th model and while I do have a demon in the tubes I found it was not ready yet, I tried to find a suitable chaos wizard to follow the same method I used for the warriors but unfortunately all had chaos symbols or signs I 'd have had to remove (which I did not want to do for this warband).
Then I saw him in the leadpile and it felt like an evidence. I know I could have kept him for a better purpose but  at least now he's painted and this warband is precisely meant to paint models I'd have painted in a far too distant future.
Once the model was chosen it was easy to just apply the colour scheme to it. Funny thing is that it makes the resemblance with the original quite stunning (apart from the fabric being brown instead of blue). I'm really happy this colour work works as I was a little worried for some time that he might look like a hobbo with butterfly wings (I don't think he does but your opinion may differ...).


I tried to blend the robe to some sort or energy whirlwind like he's appearing from the ground and I tried to make the wings dark with magical light at the tips.
I'm a huge Jes Goodwin fan but to be honest, this figure is not one of his best, the sculpt is very "flat" and the body really looks like he just twisted a sausage of grenstuff to make it (you can actually see where the putty broke due to the stress).
That said like all Goodwin sculpts, it really paints itself and remains fully enjoyable so what more to ask ?
I do think Goodwin would have been best used in the Amazone Gothique and the Perrys on the Warlock but that's just me I guess.

The next model is a complete classic from citadel and Jes Goodwin (yes again) :

Note the comb to keep his crest neat and nice in all occasions !
This is of course Gladius from the Heroic Fighters of the Known World set and as you can see my painting is not very far from the original here :

Picture taken from Solegend
The guy was already painted like I wanted it ! I have to add I had the help of Nico for this model as he very kindly sent me some pressmould copies of arrows of Law he had made :


I used one to make a better boss on my shield so thanks Buddy !
The shield is just a little different from the others but stays in the same vein and looks cool I think (one again this warband is not about high level painting but more easy going and relaxed techniques hence the simple patterns).



I think the group shot is pretty convincing now ! I would still like to add a couple of ideas like a demon (or is the warlock a demon... I don't know) I want to add a hound, a beastman and a couple of other things but no pressure here, this one is just my relaxing projects so I just add to it when I feel like doing it. 


Oh and have I stated already how those hex bases are growing on me ! Just look at that, you can rank them and they still look good when used individually !


I still have my Orctober entry in the pipes (this one will have to be done with pain if it's meant to be released this month) along my Rogue Quest for next week... (which should be OK). Plenty to grind still...

27 comments:

  1. Well done! :D A LAW warband. Interesting. What rules you will use to play them? If I remember well in the oldhammer forum there was a topic about realm of law warbands home rules. Paint a Law Warband could be intriguing for me too.

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    1. Cheers, I'm actually one of those really interested in making a full set of new rules for the gods of La but this will have to be some real heavy work !
      I can still play them as a normal group or a RoC warband with "count as" powers, we'll see !

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    2. You could use the Sensei warband rules in LatD and just use the fantasy equipment table and for followers you can convert the Adventurer's Band table by using the fantasy equivalent of each one (dwarves for squats, elves for Eldar, and so on.)

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    3. The sensei charts have been mentionned many times for that purpose and I do agree they make perfect sense here, it would require to create some new demons and a few other things (gifts for each god) but that's the way to go.

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  2. Great! You're making a wonderfully new interpretation to this group of models. Each new figure rounds out the concept further, and adds a new flavour of law.

    My favourite element is the selection process - each new recruit is carefully assessed for style / fit...and it shows!

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    1. Thanks, I'm glad this shows. As I've decided to limit conversion to the bare minimum on those, I need the model selection to be impeccable. I will probably make a shot of all the models which "didn't make it" into the group, it's actually quite funny, some were rejected for very little ! The good thing is, Jes Goodwin has sculpted quite many good models to tie with what I have ;)

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  3. These are great JB. They look like they were designed to go together as a set.

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    1. Well, Mr Goodwin's consistency in sculpting and my consistency on painting do seem to make those blend with each other I guess. Thanks a lot, getting you to comment on a hex based warband for fantasy is an accomplishment for me somehow ;)

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  4. These are turning out better and better. They are oozing old skool goodness all over Oldhammer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

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    1. Cheers buddy ! They're really nice to work on really and I just paint them when I feel like it so couldn't dream of any better project !

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  5. Woah! That was a nice surprise. Old Warlock is a bitch of a fig to paint and I wasn't expecting so see him here. You've pulled all the stops out here, JB. I'm really impressed; well done. ;)

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    1. He's a werid one I reckon , maybe not that much of a bitch but I get the feeling. I'm still having some regrets about some ideas I had for him to make the best version ever but I guess it will have to wait fo ranother copy or more simply for another better model ;)
      Cheers Ed !

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  6. Totally Old School =) And big props for using the hex bases - a sadly missed gaming component!

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    1. Thanks, Oldschool was what I was going for without painting the models differently to all the others (I still have this uniformity OCD).

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  7. Lovely work, especially on the blending for the mage. And the group shot - wow - they look cracking all together.

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    1. Cheers, blending on such a shape is actually far easier than doing it on a flat surface because it allows more errors. I didn't spend much time on it but working with very thinnedlayers quickly made it work. I have to say I'm really fond of the group shot. After the last group shot (with the first 6), I felt something lacked but the warlock really deos bring something nice without sporting any other new colour.

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  8. The warlock turned out amazing JB. The blending on his "Uber lappel" is really smooth, as well as his "twisty sausage robe". Excellent!

    I never realized that Gladius came with a comb :D great stuff!

    Those hex bases really do look cool. Not enough to make me want to rebase all my minis on them, but enough to make me regret that I never did in the first place :)

    Cheers buddy.

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    1. Thanks mate ! I'm exactly on the same position as you regarding hex bases. I'm not rebasing anything but I wish I 'd had the guts to make the move earlier on even though for ranks of warriors and all in my chaos army, square bases remain the more effecient way to go (imho).
      Hex's for fantasy warbands are cool and round for anything sci-fi. I'm not going to paint ranked units much now anyway.
      "Uber lappel" and "twisty sausage robe" they are, couldn't describe those better...

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  9. Great painting, and a beautiful warband. Really inspiring!

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    1. Cheers, it's nice to see people appreciate it, I'm having a lot of pleasure working on it and there's still plenty of fun to be had.

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  10. Cette rune ... Elle finie "à la bien" ce guerrier :)
    A+ Nico

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    1. Toi même tu sais ;)
      Prochaine étape : la bagarre !

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    2. Un Week end durant les vacances de Février, faut que je regarde les dates. A+ NIco

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  11. I reaaaaaaally like the Warlock figure. Don't even knoiw it existed. The painting is very neat, as the shield of the warrior. The group shot of th band is really amazing ! You really nailed the iconic pictures of a band of rag-tag brothers in arms. :)

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    1. The concept is great but the sculpt itself is a little below Goodwin's usual standard, it could have used a more dynamic pose really, especially the wings which really look like the warlock is just wearing a pair of those costume wings little girls wear to dress as fairies... Beyond that, it's still a pleasant model to paint and play with.
      Using a very limited palette can be a burden but it's also very liberating as you don't have to struggle too much once you've found a comba that works, you can just replicate it on all sorts of models.

      Cheers Mec !

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  12. These look absolutely fantastic as a group. Inspirational stuff as ever, both in terms of model selection and restricted but well chosen pallet. *Tips Hat*

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    1. You're reminding me I should really get back on those! I have plenty of stuff for a third season !

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