Here we are, by the amazing grace of the internet, back again for another update to Hammer the Backlog, the weekly Warhammer mini painting, accountability and productivity blog. Another week of great, nostalgic fun for me, painting up models that had sat in boxes neglected and unloved for 25 years. Let’s hope that some of that joy and satisfaction rubs off on you, the dear reader, as we start the week with a look at the scorecard.
SCORECARD
Just like everything in my life this week, another week of green!
The five models painted were a little bit more elaborate than last week’s five, including a leader model with a very fancy red cape, but I did just about manage to get them all done. It was much tighter this week, with work continuing up to the death of Thursday evening, but once again I am overall happy with the result.
I completely forgot to do any website research this week, leaving the to do undone. If it isn’t gone from the to do list by this time next week it will join the issues list.
I continue to fall further behind on the video side of the rock, with no 5th edition games played or recorded. Therefore the last skink command group is going to jump the queue for next week and get painted up before I even finish the last two Lost Legionnaires.
THIS WEEK’S MODELS
This week’s models were the front rank of Pizarro’s Lost Legion, including musician, standard bearer and Fernando Pizarro himself. Unlike last week’s models, who were mostly box fresh and untouched, these guys needed a bit of help to get them to this stage. Now that I think of it, that is why they took so long! It wasn’t because I was lollygagging after all!
Fernando himself was missing his rapier, sadly. Although I would like to keep to original 5th edition metals for this project, I am not considering it an “archive” type project, where I try to preserve original models in original paint schemes to the best of my ability. Instead, this is my army, the one I wished I could have built in 1998. If that means some non standard paint schemes and the occasional replacement part here and there, so be it!
Luckily the missing sword arm is a very simple piece, a straight arm in plate armour with a plain rapier. I managed to find a very similar piece in the empire free company sprue and swapped it in. Although the proportions of the metal and plastic models are slightly different, as well as having a slightly different style of full plate armour, I don’t think you would notice on the finished model unless you were specifically looking for differences.
The banner bearer also needed a bit of work, having long since snapped off. If you worked with these white metal models in the past, you know repairing things like banner poles, spears and lances is basically a complete waste of time. I fully intended to drill out the hands and replace the whole thing with a brass rod. Halfway through, though, I noticed that I got a really nice join and decided to keep the original parts. It hasn’t come apart yet, despite being rather top heavy and having hit the ground twice. Fingers crossed.
The ten of them look fab in their little block of two ranks of five normal men. Aesthetically, this is my favourite configuration for Warhammer infantry models. When I finish the Skinks next week, I will then finish off the last two Lost Legionnaires and rearrange them into a block of 12.
YOU CAN’T STRIP ART
As a regular reader, you will know that over the last few weeks I’ve been building up my Lizardmen with musicians, champions, heroes and standard bearers so that they can take part in the upcoming Wrath of Tlaxtlan battle report.
This little guy was one of the models that managed to enter my collection as part of that push. I knew he was already painted when he was on his way, and I also knew that the scheme was quite cool, but I fully intended on stripping him down and repainting him in either my orange or green skink scheme.
But then he arrived and he was gorgeous. Look at the irregular black mottling on that cool banana skink skin. The different primary colours and “Aztec” designs on the bags and jewellery! This guy was way too cool to strip.
So instead I gave him a blast of matt varnish to take down the shine from the heavy gloss varnish that was protecting him and rebased him in my army’s scheme. My Lovely Lady friend renamed him Troppi Poppi, and now he is the proud leader of my green skinks. If I ever add another unit of skinks to this army, they will be painted to match his colour scheme, I love it so much.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Since Instagram growth has slowed down to basically a crawl, I have decided to rejig what I’m doing a little. I had been posting Throwback Thursday models every Thursday for a few months, to a decent number of likes and comments. But, I’ve run out of old, painted models in my backlog to post. Since I don’t want to post unpainted models or works in progress to my instagram feed, I have come up with a new Instagram posting schedule.
Tuesday Lunchtime: Post: Last week’s completed models, along with a shot of them in their unit.
Wednesday Lunchtime: Story: This week’s Work in Progress
Thursday Lunchtime: Post: The Progress of this Months Rocks, all the models together in an ever growing army shot.
Friday Lunchtime: Story: Something behind the scenes. Painting setup, lighting, repairs, stuff I bought (supplies, hopefully not models!)
Well, thanks as ever for sticking around and reading the whole thing. Catch you next week for the finished Lizardman force, ready for the Wrath of Txlatlan!
Hammer the Backlog 
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