Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Orlygg's Oldhammer Picture Post: A Retro Painting and Modelling Round Up!

This blog has lain dormant for some time now and after some discussion among members of the Oldhammer Community, we have decided to resurrect this small spice of the internet to serve the scene once again. As this blog is the second port of call after a search for 'Oldhammer' online, we felt it appropriate to use that to our advantage, so expect lots of changes to this site in the coming days. 

Now that I have that little bit of news across, I can explain to you what my part in this resurrection is. I am going to be doing a (roughly) weekly round-up of the best paint jobs and modelling projects from across the Oldhammer Community. So if you are new to us, it will be fairly easy for you to get straight into the action and if you are a old hand, then hopefully I have presented you with something that you missed first time around. 

Onwards then!  


I have picked this chap to begin with. This is a lovely model from Otto Von Bismark and there are plenty more to see on his blog. He has used Perry Miniatures plastics and a little greenstuff sculpting of his own to create some lobotomised slaves worthy of the Old Ones themselves. His flesh tones impressed me, largely due to the fact that painting convincing skin is one of the areas I am keen to improve in my own work. Here we can see a nice bronzed base tone, perfect for suggesting that this unfortunate has spent a little too much time under the Lustrian sun, and that tone is supported by good shading here and there with Army Painter ink washes. I feel that the bronze weapons also help support the 'Lustrian theme' and they bring more warmth to the figures. Contrast is provided with the red of the slave leash and, of course, the brilliant blue tattoos that suggest this slave's past wasn't as inglorious as its present. 


Next, some Rogue Trader goodness from the paintbrush of Whiskey Priest over at the The Lead Pile. When I first saw these I was really impressed. I loved the clean finish he'd managed to get out of his models and was impressed with the variety of touches in the unit. The hero's blonde hair, the green of the combat armour, the squat's face and the brilliant head scarf around one of his character's necks. These models are supposed to represent a Sensei warband and I feel that Whiskey Priest has done a great job in doing so. His work just goes to show that 40k doesn't need to be all GrImDaRk to succeed. 


This choice pic comes from Tiberius122 on CoolMiniOrNot. Here we have some old school orcs painted the way they should be. A strong 'goblin green' base helps brighten up these goblinoids and bring out the character in their faces. The reds and browns combine with the green to give these boyz a barbaric feel and the bases look like they have stepped out of Warhammer Armies. Skillful drybrushing of the iron of the weapons, chainmail and other pieces of armour also helps give the models a coherent look. 


Benedict Hallmark has shared with us his remarkable painted monstrosities from Amorcast. These nasty nibblies suggest all that is icky, sticky and rather silly about the Rogue Trader universe. The models he has chosen are great fun, and there are plenty more to see on his blog, but its the way Benedict has presented the models that strikes me the most. The attention to detail on the bases is exquisite, with smoothly blended earth tones and clever use of static grass and flowers. I looks to me that there are some plastic aquatic plants in there too. Coupled up with some splendidly painted Rogue Trader miniatures, a shed load of monsters from the RT rulebook and a splendid catachan devil, this is a blog that would be a crime to ignore. 


Thantsants has long been an inspiration to me. His blog has a great mix of classic Warhammer, and equally classic Doctor Who miniature goodness. This week I have been goggling over the massed racks of his Armoured Orcs. What I love about his work is the way that it is presented. Not only are the models very tastefully done (and I mean that they are in keeping with the WFB3 era when I say this) but they are very well photographed too. I mean, his scenery is to die for is it not? Now many of you will know that I am a big fan of hand painted shields and banners, and looking across the ranks of Ruglud's finest I am pretty certain I can see one or two of these on show. And when dealing with this number of orcs, that is no mean feat! If you are not a regular reader of The Tea's getting Cold, pop on over and check out the rest of his old school orc army. 


No round up would be complete without a visit to Nico. Here I present his incredible conversion of the classic '80s minotaur sculpt. Painted in his usual style; he favours non-metallic effects to suggest the iron armour and chases the detail with subtle yellow. Why use words to describe his work when the pictures can do so much more?


I am a huge fan of Don Hans work. He is the painter that I wish I could be. His tones are beautifully blended, rich in depth and vibrant. Want more, well pop on over to the http://realmofcitadel.blogspot.co.uk/ and be prepared to be blown away. Here I present some of his more recent work, a werewolf from a very early Citadel release in 1979. As always, this figure illustrates Don's grasp of colour. I love the way he harmonizes colour throughout the whole model without the finished look being cluttered and untidy. And the bases? The bright, almost bone white bases really help his vibrant work stand out further. This is the stuff that inspiration is made from. 


It seems that Rob S over at 6 Iron Spikes doesn't just churn out interesting podcasts concerning his gaming group's progress in the Enemy Within Campaign, but he can also produce a tasty model or two in between roleplaying sessions. Here I present some of his Talisman figures. It seems that this boardgame, and the associated miniatures released for it, are rather in vogue at the moment, especially considering the amount the models are going for on eBay. This collection exhibits some excellent choices for colour schemes, with each model being different. I am not sure if he has based these on illustrations related from the game or if he has plucked them out of his imagination? Anyone know? Ron seems to use a very skillful layering technique to build up nice flat colours but leave just enough to create depth on his figures. Stand out model needs to be the druid, seen back left, as the subtle blues contrast perfectly with the bright woodland green of the laurels. 

Orlygg

What to do with an Oldhammer Blog.

It has been a good long time since I posted anything on this blog. Partly due to lack of time and partly due to redundancy. Originally this blog started before the forum as a way for the nascent Oldhammer community to work together and discuss things. It worked too, insofar as we ended up with a forum.

Then The plan was to update regularly with interesting new blogs and community news. Again the forum is sort of doing this fine though if I weren't so lazy I'd probably be able to keep momentum going.

 Problem is for a blog that doesn't get updated this is a very popular blog, somewhere between 50 to 100 views a day for something that isn't being maintained. Search for Oldhammer and it is only recently that the forum has pushed this blog into second place on Google.

This blog with its name is well poised to talk to the masses, it just needs some attention. I don't really want to move Ernie's place over, my blogging isn't all Oldhammer, equally I wouldn't want to move all my Oldhammer stuff here.

So what use this blog?

If you have some ideas let me know. Could be as simple as some ideas of what to put on or here or perhaps you've loads you want to say and no blog and could do with a site already getting hits? Whatever it just seams a shame for this to go to waste.

Monday, 2 September 2013

Oldhammer weekend: Old minitures back in production.

Still wading through pictures and spending time with the family so this is my first brief Oldhammer community post about  the Oldhammer weekend, for a more personal take watch the personal blog

As Steve has mentioned on his blog a number of classic citadel sculpts have been brought back into production.


There isn't much to add to Steve's descriptions of the minis he has done the comprehensive job we have come to expect from him so do go check out the post, it has loads of nice pictures of which I've nicked one. I should be able to offer a comparison shot to some of the originals when I get time.

However I think it worth considering what has happened. Would foundry have released these without the enthusiasm being shown within our community? Well maybe, they are going through their old ranges but I don't think Foundry themselves ever released these guys. It would perhaps be fair to say that even if they were lined up for some future release our show of support allowed them to be bumped up the queue. I was too busy buying them to think to ask.

Steve also pondered what other treasures wait to be found in the Foundry's stock of old moulds, perhaps a show of support and a few good purchases of the current re-releases would encourage the Foundry to go looking for these hidden gems. Sales talk people!

As it is anyone collecting empire or norse has some much needed relief from eBay prices and even the Brettonian collectors have something to smile about. Well other than the stacks of feudals already available. We can only wish that some of the goblinoids had migrated to Foundry.

Friday, 16 August 2013

Regional Groups and Allied contingents.

Another nice bit of community forming is happening over on the Blood Forum. In a discussion about what to do after our first big meet (you do know we are all meeting up right) popular support for the formation of regional groups quickly developed. This is a step more organised and should hopefully lead to more games than leaving it to the individuals involved when others are relying on us we do more..

Harry has proposed we call these groups Allied Contingents, anyone whose spent more tha n a little time with Warhammer Armies will know why. This doesn't mean the Allied contingents cannot have some rivalry though!


This blog and others have long banged on about the need to do something, not just write about things to do. With the possibility of local Oldhammer clubs forming this looks to be a year of more games coming up. So what are you waiting for get on Skarsniks opponent finder and see whose in your area.


Thursday, 15 August 2013

Oldhammer Wiki anyone?

It has been pointed out on the BLOOD forum that Zhu has initiated an Oldhammer Wiki.

Oldhammer Wiki

The Oldhammer Wiki will become the primary resource for information on the British Old-School Gaming.
Initially focused on Warhammer Fantasy Battle, editions 1, 2 and 3, and aims to become a comprehensive guide to OOP printed material published by Games Workshop between 1979-1991, although other related materials will also be covered, with a bias towards earlier rather than later history.

Yet another way to involve yourself with the Oldhammer revival!


Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Nice dice!

Norse on the BLOOD forum has very kindly decided to produce dice to celebrate the first ever Oldhammer weekend. He is doing this from his own initiative and expense so not only are the dice a really great addition to the day but also a very great gift to the attending community, what better way to remember the day!
Norse we salute you! Why not get over to the BLOOD forum and join the discussion.


Oldhammer the Meme?

A few bloggers are mentioning Oldhammer appearing in ebay descriptions, I've also seen mention by people not necessarily in the movement on other forum such as TMP and Lead Adventure. Now it seams we have been recorded as a meme or at least part of a trope on the ever useful TV trope site.

Not entirely flattering as the trope in question is:

They Changed It Now It Sucks

Which it describes as, "over-reaction about minor changes." But it does prove our message or at least our presence is permeating through the interweb, the geeky bit anyway.