Monday, May 29, 2017

Skeleton Hordes boxed set


If you had told me when I first sat down to assemble my Skeleton Hordes boxed set back in 1987 that it would be thirty years until I finished a squad, I would look at you like... "who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my house?".


Oh, and you are an asshole for time travelling back that far and not actually doing anything productive with it.  

But, sadly, you would not be wrong.  I did paint a few back then, following Phil Lewis's chestnut ink advice at the time.  Bad Little me never finished the box off.

So yeah, I picked up a box of broken skeletons about five years ago of ebay and finally dragged them out today.  I haven't been able to hobby in a while and my doctor suggested I do something  to try and cheer myself up.  Naturally, I did what all sane people would do and the set about sticking together walking cadavers from my childhood.  Doctor's orders.

*sigh*

The kit was half assembled, well battered and a few poor lost souls where dunked in enamel paint. Apparently noone told the previous owner that black gloss isn't a great undercoat.  The eight shown where straightforward, three more needed repairs and are currently undergoing some greenstuff loving.

The last batch of around 8 are, annnoyingly, missing skulls- no doubt adorning some bases and banners out there somewhere.  I didn't want to waste all the remaining bodies, so I hacked off their neck stubs and drilled a socket in each ready to accept a wire.  I am sure I can find enough interesting helmets in my kitbox over the coming months and maybe even sculpt some faceless wraith hoods for them.

To wrap up this warband, I made up the Warhammer Necromancer from my xmas haul box.  I actually liked the model as-is, so the only change I made was to shave off the edges of the square base and mount him on a Rendra base.  I was also thinking I may swap his head for something a little more feminine.

His little igor sidekick is a Gnoblar from the Ogres kit, with a head from a Flagellant.  I just shaved off the neck stubs and used a ball of Greenstuff sandwhiched between some superglue to pose the head- then when dry filled in the remaining gaps with putty.

I will top off the skellys with some Marauder Minis shields I set aside for them.

I am going to prime these white for a change.  My friend Steven has donated me a big box of cote d'arms paints so I can return to painting.  All mine are in storage either in Melbourne or Sydney.  Which is fucking annoying.  I keep getting stranded away from my stuff.  I am gonna be leaving limbs behind at this rate.

8 comments:

  1. Ace. Assembling the skeleton horde box as a child is one of my fondest memories. I'd almost literally kill to have a mint condition box to start again with.

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    1. You know, I vividly remember it myself- the smells even. It was a great afternoon.

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  2. Great villain (and minions) for a band of fresh adventurers. Not too lethal, but will probably eat a few.

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  3. You say you want to replace the necromancers head with a female one, but maybe this is not necessary. There is a conversion from Iron Sleet who used exactly this head as a female one, for an old hag. Which would be suitable for an necromancer. https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjbiMvOtZjUAhXPZlAKHdazBqQQFggoMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fironsleet.com%2F2016%2F03%2F27%2Fthe-imettaja-painted%2F&usg=AFQjCNHYleldhJQSYUGgNNHdZkNwz_8EqA&sig2=y4OOg5oI_R79cd7S7yunVA

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    1. Oh, the link doesn't work. Then look after "iron sleet imettäjä".

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    2. Cool, thanks :). I think I may have to grab a few more of these minis and use them for conversions- so many fun things are possible.

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  4. Pricewise the box costs marginally more than the big undead monster on it's own, essentially giving you the skeletons and horsemen free. (OF course, if you don't want the monster it's no good.)

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    Gclub จีคลับ

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