Basing Saga Arabs for Cross & Crescent

I've posted a video showing how I used wood stain and builders sand to create a pretty decent looking basing system for my Saga figures - its online now and can be seen on Youtube or also on the blogger part of my site.

The video also has some photos of the new Saga Gripping Beast plastic Arabs, along with some North Star Berbers mixed in, which you can see here too.

King of the Scots!

With the 15mm Scots army still some way off completion, I decided to give them a 28mm Great Commander anyway, and see if this would inspire me to wade into the massed painting of kilts and sporrans needed to turn the 15mm lead pile into an army.

This chap was the result, from Front Rank Miniatures Jacobite ranges. His left eye has gone a bit skew-wiff, which I only noticed on these closeups and will need to fix, but apart from that I'm quite pleased with the wee fellah. The tartan is painted using my not-so-secret Tartan painting tips.

Half a dozen manufacturers added to the 28mm Renaissance Manufacturers directory

Parkfield, Mirliton, Crusader, Crann Tara, Warrior, Scheltrum and Curteys all now listed as having some Renaissance ranges somewhere between 25-30mm ...

Want to make your views on them known?

As they say, vote early vote often !

Random Saga photos

A game of saga at the club on Monday night which may well have convinced me that having Harald Hardrada and the Varangians is the way to go with the Vikings!

Here are some of the lads storming across the ford (or should that be fjord?)

Wading into the Anglo-Saxons, watched by Harald (and his dog)

Thinking about taking on the enemy Warlord...

The rather battered Huscarls at least have captured a wench to take back to their ship...

Some proper battle reports to follow after the actual event itself..

Impressive service from Front Rank Figurines

I ordered a handful of 28mm figures to paint up as trophies for the Central London round of the FoGR Southern League from Front Rank Figurines only a couple of days ago (actually about 10 o'clock at night on Thursday the 8th May) and here they are, through my letterbox first thing on Monday 12th!

Not only is that amazing service, the figures are also absolutely stunning too. I'll have to go and vote for them on the 28mm Renaissance Manufacturers Listings page on this website !

Here are a Scottish infantry commander and a Louix XIV Era foot officer, both ready to be based and painted as 15mm FoGR Great Commanders.

Let's see if my painting skills can come anywhere near close to those of the sculptor ...

Get That Zimmer Frame Off of My Longship!

It's a first for Madaxeman.com as the game of SAGA takes full advantage of it's free bus pass to arrive bang on time for a 4-game, one day first outing to the seaside in 4 consecutive Viking-laden Battle Reports!

Marvel as the tactical inadequacies seen previously in eras as diverse as Ancient Egypt to the Pacific theatre of WW2 are replicated in painful detail in the Viking Age, and then relax by smearing yourself in Viking Hannibals Goose-fat of Criticism !

Go on - you know you want it.... 

Online Reviews of these Match Reports

• "Does go to show how seldom you see the phrase 'engorged testicles' in a battle report critique." (TMP)
• "..these are genius" (Gripping Beast's Mike Hobbs on Twitter)
• "Great stuff. I got my laughs for the day!" (WWPD)
• "I wanted it, and I got it....." (Saga Forum)
• "Nice figures....f**king awful table.....green felt....this isnt the 1970's......spend some time on your table rather than your game report (Frothers)

25/8mm ECW/TYW at Farnborough 2013

There are three battle reports on their way (eventually) but in the meantime here are a handful of photos I took from some of the other games at the recent 1-day competition in Farnborough. Click on any image bfor a bigger version...

Saga Vikings

Well, I've finally cracked and got myself a SAGA army, of course of Vikings. They ended up being painted quite quickly, and for those of you who have not been following my Facebook Page, here's the progress

The Saga Viking warband...early stage preparation as I finally get back to painting and playing...black undercoat sprayed on, using 2p coins and some Renedra bases I got in an army pack from Gripping Beast. This was taken August 20th. And why do Renedra bases cost more than 2p each ... ?

24th August - All the metal bits, and a first "colour" - in this case Coat d'arms Linen. This might be quicker than I expect... The figures are a mix of Gripping Beast and Wargames Foundry

25th August - Always interesting how much figures can change from this block painting stage to when they get inked later on.

25th August - Gloss poly varnish on the shields, in preparation for some Little Big Men transfers tomorrow - bit of bronze and gold on the jewellery, brown for the backs of shields and wooden spears and they'll be ready for Army Painter..

25th August - Ready for the shield transfers in the morning... Then the Army Painter magic by lunchtime...!

26th August - All glossed up with Army Painter (not the shields with stickers on them - they get clear poly varnish as a topcoat), and then outside to dry .. it's a nice warm day so maybe spraying matt varnish later ? The shield designs are from the LBMS "GB (Large)" and "Foundry, Artizan & BTD" ranges and really make a huge difference to the quality of the figures

26th August, almost all done.... A good weekends work.. all based with builders sand, awaiting some grass and the like on the bases.

I may add some more photos once they are totally done and on the table

Its a right Saga!

I've been painting up some 28mm Foundry Vikings to be used as in-game prizes for the Saga Tournament at Britcon 2013, the idea being these couple of units will be fed into the scenarios across the event, and someone (not necessarily the actual tourney winner) will have the chance to go home with them.

See what you think:

They are all undercoated in black, drybrushed in white (to help being out some highlights in the proper painting) then painted normally - finally a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone has been added, finished with Testors Dullcote

I just love the slightly cartoonish aspect of many of these Foundry figures !

I've semi-deliberately not finished the bases, so whoever ends up with them can make them match their existing figures.

The Beserkers are very obviously totally beserk..