Entry #4 to the AHPC: 'Zarg the Terrible' for the 'Nostalgia' Theme Round

Zarg the Terrible

I ran into an old girlfriend this past summer. Her name is Lois-Anna. Actually Lois-Anna is not just an 'old girlfriend', she was my first girlfriend, my first girlfriend at the very tender age of 16. 

We made plans to meet for coffee, and a few weeks later we met at a cafe and had a great time, reminiscing about old friends, old haunts and good times gone by. Just as we were about to part she gave me an envelope that contained a few Polaroids from back when we were together.  Among those photos was one of me wearing a cheesy pair of Foster Grants, posing behind a mushroom-topped stump with a trio of little lead miniatures atop it. They were in fact the very first miniatures I had ever painted. I was speechless. I had completely forgotten that this photo had ever been taken and it made me laugh aloud.

'Zarg' in the red circle. I'll pass on the sunglasses but gosh, I wish I still had that hair... ;)

I'll give you a little context to this photo. I was raised in a very, very small town in northern Saskatchewan, where the nearest hobby store was around 120 miles away. My best friend Gary and I mail ordered our 1st edition Players Handbooks, DM's Guide, Monster Manual and several lead miniatures direct from TSR in Lake Geneva.  When they arrived it was like Christmas in summer. I was so excited to paint the figures that I used enamel car paint from my dad's shop and my mom's toothpicks and push-pins to apply it to the figures. Yup. Pretty primitive I know, but sometimes you just can't beat raw enthusiasm.  

Anyway, after I got the photo from Lois-Anna I spent an afternoon searching through my lead shed and managed to find my character figure - the very same as in the photo. Yes, 'Zarg the Terrible' emerged in all his glory. (It's funny, even back then I was a complete cynic as I came up with his name as a tongue-in-cheek reference to my ability as a player.)  Anyway, poor Zarg had not weathered the intervening 33 years very well, so I didn't even bother to photograph him as I found him.  Rather, I just brushed away the paint (yes, the 'benefits' of high lead content and absolutely no primer) and began afresh. So, here he is, 'Zarg the Terrible' in all his splendor, painted by a middle-aged version of that boy from 1982. 

Zarg and Curt 33 years later.

Entry #3 to the AHPC: 28mm Landsknecht 'Handbuchse' Light Gun

I've been promising a Renaissance-themed submission for a while and so here it is. 

This an example of an early heavy rifled musket, sometimes called a 'Handbuchse'. These tripod mounted guns were often too cumbersome and slow for field engagements but would be utilized during sieges, assumably to pick off defenders and make a general nuisance of themselves. I had an opportunity to see one of these weapons close-up on display in Les Invalides in Paris and marveled at what must have been the bravery of its crew. From examining the contraption, its gunners must have been in as much danger from it flying apart as to those they were supposedly shooting at. The risks of being on the cusp of cutting edge technology, I suppose.

These figures are a mix from both Warlord Games and the now defunct Pro Gloria Miniatures (Warlord bought the range a few years ago). 

I recruited a Master Gunner from Warlord's Pike & Shotte range and re-purposed him for this vignette as I liked his pose.

He has a technician/alchemist air about him.

I imagine him as a Spaniard mercenary gunner in Imperial pay who has dropped by to help his German friends sight their 'silly Teutonic popgun'. 

The two Landsknecht and the light gun are pretty much stock from the kit, except for a  bit of careful bending and re-positioning for the vignette.

I thought I'd indulge myself with an autumnal setting for these boys as I thought it worked with their colourful garb. Hmm. I sort of like it and am thinking I might maintain it as the theme for my developing Renaissance collection - we'll see. 

 

'Rodrigo, get that blasted thing out of my face... Niles! Wait! No, not yet you fool!!'

Entry #2 to the AHPC: 28mm Napoleonic British Foot Artillery Officers

Just finished this stand of figures yesterday. Two 28mm British artillery officers from Perry Miniatures. If you want, you can read my engrossing post about them (and see a few more slightly out-of-focus pics) over at the Challenge blog.

If you don't, it will hurt my feelings terribly and make you feel, I'm sure, very, very guilty.

Unless of course you've already seen the original post then naturally you can leave here with a clear conscience knowing my toy soldier ego has been properly stroked. 

I'm sure that made you feel better, right? Well, I certainly do. ;0)


Next: Hopefully something from the Renaissance

'The Die is Cast - Alea Iacta Est' - My Opening Entry to the 6th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge

I decided to open the Painting Challenge this year by following this edition's theme of 'Gambler/Risk-Taker' and creating a command stand depicting Julius Caesar as he is about to cross the Rubicon River, the act which sparked the Roman civil war. You can see the rest of the post here on the Challenge blog.

These 28mm models are from 1st Corps. 

 

I found some replica Roman dice on Ebay. They just arrived in time for the assembly. I gave this one an Devlan Mud wash to antique it up a bit.

Again, please drop by the Challenge Blog to keep tabs on the goings on there. We have 88 participants from all over the globe this year so there's always something interesting to see and read.

Next Up: Something Milanese...

Curt Out.

Switching Over to the Painting Challenge Blog

Please, let me connect you...

Hey Folks! Now that the ball is rolling, let's officially switch over to the official Painting Challenge blog and we can carry on over there. There is also a link on the top navigation bar, leftmost button (see below).

See you after the jump! 

Curt