a Load of Old Toby

Empire - 12th Post Averland Halberdiers & Ostermark Swordsmen I’m beginning to think my hobby desk has its own gravitational pull. Here we are at post number twelve, and the "Grand Imperial Army" is finally looking like a force capable of defending the Old World. With two units to show off this week, the display cabinet is starting to get crowded! If you’re just joining this madness, you can find some full army pictures below. This week was a marathon session. To stay on track with my goal of representing every province, I decided to tackle two of the most visually striking liveries in the Empire simultaneously: the bold yellow and black of Averland and the pink-purple and pale yellow of Ostermark. The "Yellow" Challenge: For the Averland Halberdiers, yellow can be a nightmare. However, by drybrushing Vallejo Lemon Yellow over a black primer before applying any base colors, I created a bright foundation. I then used a very thin glaze of Vallejo Sun Yellow. The b...

Warhammer Empire - 11th Post The Bowmen of the Drakwald This week’s update: the Middenland Archers. As I continue my quest to include a representative unit from every province, the rugged woodsmen of the North were next on the list. While Middenland is famous for its stoic infantry and the White Wolves, I felt a unit of skirmishing archers perfectly captured the grit of the Ulric-worshipping wilds. Frontal picture  Preparation and Priming These are classic metal sculpts, and as with the Hochlanders, they required a bit of prep work. I spent an evening carefully removing mold lines with a fresh hobby blade before the standard warm, soapy bath. My painting process remained consistent to ensure the army looks cohesive on the tabletop. I start by applying a solid coat of black primer.  After this I contiune to underpainting a light drybrush of Vallejo Lemon Yellow. This "zenithal-style" shortcut is a lifesaver for identifying the fine details on these older sculpts and provides b...

Warhammer Empire - 10th Post Hochland Handgunners If I’m honest with you all, I just can’t believe this is my 10th post on this Warhammer army. What started as wanting to paint a unit or two of some of the most characterful miniatures has spiraled into eleven units, so many, in fact, that I’m losing count! You can find the entirety of this army on this blog by using the "Empire" tag. Full unit - Front Right Without further ado, let's move onto this week’s update featuring the much-needed  Hochland Handgunners . I’m aiming to paint a Grand Imperial Army featuring a unit from every province, and I am fast closing in on that goal. When Hochland’s turn came, Handgunners were the obvious choice. Command Super Close Up I had pre-ordered these "Oldhammer" miniatures from Games Workshop some time ago, and they finally arrived in the post last week. Once they were on the desk, I began by cleaning the flash and mold lines with a sharp hobby blade, followed by a quick bath...

Cannons & Engineer This week’s blog update features a heavy-hitting addition: two new cannons. I’ve had plenty of bits lying around for a while, but I was waiting on a few "Oldhammer" miniatures to finally arrive in the post. Deep within the soot-choked streets of  Nuln , the rhythmic thunder of the  Imperial Gunnery School  never truly ceases. Known as the "Iron City," Nuln serves as the industrial heart of the Empire, where master smiths and eccentric engineers toil over massive casting pits to forge the finest black powder weapons in the Old World.  Group shot of both Cannons & Engineer Since they turned up a few weeks ago, I’ve been busy working out a cohesive paint scheme and deciding where they fit into the collection. Having already gathered units from various provinces across the Empire, it was time to bolster my missile support and heavy artillery. I’ve started with a Nuln Engineer and a classic artillery crew. All seven models are original 90s scul...

Empire Characters  Rieksguard Mounted Knights  Rebased Complete  This week I have the pleasure in presenting most of the characters for my empire army and the completed version of the mounted kneights that have already been previewed on this blog. The latter because they contain as standard two main characters - Ludwig Schwarzhelm and Kurt Helborg. Full unit with both Ludwig and Hurt front and centre Kurt Helborg is the Reiksmarshal of the Empire and Grand Master of the elite Reiksguard Knights, so it is apt that he appears here again within the unit. Born into a wealthy family in the Reikwald, he joined the Reiksguard in his youth and grew up alongside the future Emperor, Karl Franz. As Reiksmarshal, he is the supreme commander of the Empire's military forces, second only to the Emperor in matters of war. He is famously known for his signature large, magnificent mustache and, in lore, is often depicted in polished, mirror-sheen armor and is regarded as perhaps the greate...

Wissenland Halberdiers Rebased Complete  The unit has kinda featured a little before however that was a work in progress sneak peak. Here I have the completed unit, fully rebased, and in its own movement tray. I started with the command back during lockdown, but have only just added the back rank. 5 years to complete one unit is quite an accomplishment! Unit Command This unit is my pride of the army, I think not only is it the best I have painted in this army but also includes my favourite model as the champion of the unit, along with the addition of an imperial dwarf again has lots of character and charm, keeping in theme with the rest of the army. Unit front left Wissenland , formally the  Grand County of Wissenland , is a founding Electoral Province of the Empire that lies in the southern reaches of that realm. The province of Wissenland is considered the armoury of the Empire, for it holds within its borders the city-state of Nuln, the largest industrial city within the Ol...

Stirland River Patrol & Tilean Crossbows Two for the price of one! This week not only have I managed to rebase a few units I have also managed to get two blogs up, even better this blog features two units. So it double up across the broad, which mean of course there will be a little gap now unless I can find something else to fill it … Starting off we have my Stirland River Patrol a group of veterans who patrol up and down the boarder of the province. The unit is made up mainly of Games workshop spearman. However, I have added another Wargames Atlantic Orge, as well as a limited edition Mordheim bear. Last of all I did convert the standard from lots of spare parts I had, again the banner is a freehand painted banner. The skeleton has come out really well. Next up and fresh from rebasing is my Tilean Crossbows, yet another mercenary unit in service of the empire. This really starting to give the feel of the whole army that of a real mix from across the world country. Here you can se...

Akendorf Greatswords Empire of Sigmar This week is perhaps my favourite unit of the whole army, my Akendorf Greatswords.  Unit front - JH backdrop The unit is an ecliptic mix of manufactures this time, and I absolutely love the character it has created. I have both new and old the Games Workshop empire Greatswords plus a limited edition Mordeim Mercenary Captain, very apt to lead the unit and a posh looking lady noble from Hersey I think. However, I also liked the metal champion too so they both stay in a four man command. There are a ton of Foundry  Landsknecht  making up the unit. Finally an 80s Citadel Orge just nails the menacing feel. Mordheim Mercenary Captain & Command  Akendorf  is situated near the southern entrance of   Black Fire Pass , a critical narrow passage through the Black Mountains.   It is often depicted as a "Free Imperial Town" that pays taxes directly to the Emperor of the Empire.   The town is known for its   Coppe...

Altdorf Halberdiers Empire of Sigmar This week I am presenting the backbone of the Empire, the city guard of Altdorf! Full Unit - JH backdrop The majority of this unit is original Games Workshop empire plastic Halberds first released in about 1995. I managed to find 12, basically painted online. I purchased them and applied a thin layer of Agrax Earthshade all over them, I then proceeded to build up a few layers using Vallejo paints so a good highlight was applied all over. Left front - HeroQuest and Captain  To form the command I built a modern empire captain model my daughter gave me for Christmas, and reused a spare Reiksguard Standard. In addition to this I used a 1980s metal halberdier, and a Citadel drummer, also from the 80s, to finish the units command.  Close up of right front - 80s Drummer, Champion and Reiksguard Standard This left the unit a little under strength for the Capital's finest, so I purchased the metal Advanced HeroQuest mercenaries fitted with Halberds....