Painting 15mm Human Fantasy Buildings by Andy Jefcoate

Welcome to the third article for Age of Might and Steel by Andy Jefcoate a great fan of 15mm fantasy wargaming.  Andy has more articles to come which will feature on our blog and in this article he talks and shows his painting and use of our HOB1 Human Starter Settlement set of 15mm fantasy buildings.  If you missed his article last month on Zombies you can read that HERE and if you passed over his excellent first article on building a Goblin Army for Age of Might and Steel (AoMaS) you can see that HERE.  We hope you enjoy and all comments or emails are most welcome. Follow the links in the text to visit our website for the rules and miniatures mentioned. GBS

Painting 15mm Human Fantasy Buildings

When I first saw the set of 15mm Human Fantasy Buildings designed by Sam Croes I knew that I had to have a set. Having good scenery for whatever genre or scale of wargaming you're doing makes your games much more rewarding. 

There are 5 buildings in the set which can be purchased individually or all together as the HOB1 Human Starter Settlement (with a discount on the total price). Two of the buildings are hovels with thatched roofs and a more rural look, while the other 3 are stone built with tiled roofs and look more like town buildings. They look great together as a single settlement and are based on historical buildings so would be useful for historical games too.

Preparation

All 5 buildings have excellent levels of detail and  on the set I have there was no need to trim any flash. With the resin being of such good quality they probably didn't need any further preparation before painting but I did give them a wash with mild detergent to be sure that there were no chemicals on their surface that would stop paint adhesion. I then undercoated all 5 buildings in black matt acrylic paint and left them overnight to dry.

Rural Buildings

As there are distinct styles between the buildings I decided to paint the 2 more rural buildings first. These are HOB1A Small Hovel and HOB1B Big Hovel.

The thatch was painted in a light brown and the wooden framework on the buildings (including doors and window frames) in a mid brown before all these areas were given a brown ink wash. 

Once the ink had dried the thatch was given a heavy dry brush of yellow and the exterior walls within the wooden frame areas were painted in the same yellow.

Finally the exterior wall areas within the wooden frame were dry brushed in a bone colour, any metal such as door/window furniture or frame fixing plates were given a light dry brush in a gun metal colour metallic paint, and stone doorsteps were painted a mid grey. 

Stone Buildings

I then decided to paint the 2 smaller stone built buildings as they are also very similar in style. These are HOB1C Small House and HOB1D Tall House.

I started with the wooden areas and painted them in a mid brown the same as the rural buildings. If you wanted to make them look more like town buildings these wooden areas, especially doors and window frames, could be given a splash of colour but I wanted to tie all 5 settlement buildings together.

Next I painted all stone areas in a heavy dry brush of mid grey with the roof tiles and chimney pots in a brick red. Any metal such as door/window furniture was given a light dry brush of  a gun metal colour metallic paint, before the whole buildings were given a black ink wash. To finish off a light dry brush of light grey was added to the stone areas and a light dry brush of blood red was added to the roof tiles. 

Large Building

Finally I painted the largest building in the set, HOB1E Large House. As this is a stone building with a tiled roof but also has wooden frame areas similar to the rural buildings I used all of the techniques above. To start, the wooden areas were painted in a mid brown and the stone areas in a heavy dry brush of mid grey.

While the chimney pots were painted in brick red, I decided to paint the roof tiles in a mid blue to give variety. Next, any metal areas such as door/window furniture were given a light dry brush of  a gun metal colour metallic paint, before the whole building was given a black ink wash.

Then a light dry brush of light grey was added to the stone areas and a light dry brush of very pale blue (I added a tiny splash of blue to white paint) was added to the roof tiles. 

As a finishing touch the front door was painted in blood red. This house looks like it belongs to a wealthier person and this made the building stand out.

Results

I am very happy with the final result and have already used the buildings as objectives in AoMaS scenario's. Yes sometimes it's fun to just line up your armies and charge across the table but having an objective makes you have to think about what you're doing. Most battles in history have been one force defending territory and/or possessions against a force that wishes to take them, so why should a fantasy game be any different. 

The buildings can be used together as a settlement, or the rural ones can be used as a small village/farm with the stone ones as a separate small town. I can see me buying another set in the future to expand the possibilities. I am currently working on a human force for AoMaS to use against my goblin force and these buildings will play a big part in the first game. I'll let you know how I get on in a future article.

Thanks for reading.

Andy

Ikwen Terrain Codes released by Loud Ninja Games!

Kwiell is the home world of the Ikwen. Having once been covered in a shallow sea, the Ikwen home world still shows signs of this ancient past. Towering mineral vents pierce the crust of the planet, venting strange, nutrient and mineral rich materials into the atmosphere. Much of the aquatic life of those ancient seas has adapted to life exposed to air and all manner of strange plant analogues cluster about the rocks and vents. These vents are the source of the strange bio-silicates that make Kwiell desirable for exploitation by off worlders but it is this same life-giving material that fosters life in an otherwise desolate landscape. The Ikwen utilize the terrestrial reefs that grow around these vents as sources of food and medicine. 

Loud Ninja Games through its agent 15mm.co.uk is proud to present to you the Terrain packs of the Ikwen! Sculpted by Eli Arndt these resin and white metal packs gives you scenics for the bases of your miniatures, scenics for dioramas and scenics for scatter terrain on your wargaming table. Weird and alien these 15mm models fit excellently with the white metal Ikwen also sold by Loud Ninja Games. Excellent! Read on for details or go HERE. 

RAP033 Ikwen Base Scenics 

This set of small size 15mm white metal scenic pieces for use on your Ikwen figure bases is supplied as a set of six randomly selected from four different designs. Typical size is about 5mm across. 3.00GBP 

RAP034 Ikwen Diorama Scenics 

This set of 15mm white metal scenic pieces are for use with your Ikwen diorama or larger bases is supplied as a set of four different designs. Typical size is 10mm tall. 3.00GBP 

RAP035 Ikwen Scatter Terrain Set 

This set of 15mm scale resin terrain is composed of eight very different pieces. Ideal as scatter terrain for your wargame table the set depicts the towering mineral vents and bio-silicates of the Ikwen World of Kwiell. Varies in size from 20mm across to 90mm across and 6mm tall to 70mm tall. 15.00GBP 

RAP035P The Ikwen World of Kwiell 

This value boxed set is for those who wish to create the world of Kwiell. Saving 10% off single pack purchases there is a total of thirty six pieces in this value set. Composed of RAP033 Ikwen Base Scenics (two sets), RAP034 Ikwen Diorama Scenics (two sets) and RAP035 Ikwen Scatter Terrain Set (two sets) it is a must for all Ikwen fans. Total value 42.00GBP price is 37.80GBP 

"The Ikwen are one side of an asymmetric war against a higher tech, invading enemy. They fight in a less organized, militia style, utilizing acquired weapons, not of their of own manufacture." 

Over a generation ago, the planet Kwiell was set upon by aliens bent on exploiting the natural resources of the planet. The planet’s native population, the Ikwen, found themselves suddenly enslaved and their society rocked as they were enslaved, put to work and in many cases hunted and killed. The Ikwen have spent decades in frustrated servitude to these invading overlords. We see them as very much freedom-fighting indigenous life forms, use them as alien invaders, allies, mercenaries or even lower tech indigenous forces for more organized warfare. 

We have four different Ikwen packs for you to choose from and you can see them HERE. 

RAP016 Ikwen Assault Rifles (6) 

RAP017 Ikwen Rocket Launchers (6) 

RAP018 Ikwen Light Machine Guns (6) 

RAP016P Ikwen Platoon Pack (Save 5%) (24) 

Some of you may be curious to see how the Ikwen match up with these new terrain pieces. Well wonder no more! Here is a scale photograph of an inked Ikwen miniature next to the new terrain. 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

HOF 15mm Grey Alien Flying Saucer now in resin!

One of the most popular parts of the wide scoped and large HOF 15mm science fiction range (which has over one hundred different packs) are the Grey Aliens.  Sculpted by Mark Ricketts they have been a favourite with Alien Squad Leader Players using the Alien Greys list and wargamers over all over the world using lots of different rule systems.  This week we have replaced the original white metal 15mm scale HOF50 Grey Alien Flying Saucer with an identical re-mastered resin vehicle.  It is the same saucer and includes a separate dome which can be put on or left off to expose the detailed cockpit with pilot. It also comes with a flying base. Priced at 4.00GBP it has not increased in price and it is also part of the Value pack which offers a saving for a whole character driven invasion force. Go HERE.

Grey Aliens are an enigmatic race of small, bulbous-headed, and highly intelligent aliens, the Greys are primarily scientists rather than soldiers, but sometimes come into conflict with other races when competing for resources, or when seeking to establish possession of a particular site for temporary and mysterious purposes. Their unauthorised experimental activities on live subjects who have usually been abducted can also provoke a hostile military response from races who have been subjected to such intrusions.

Indeed, the Greys appear to regard the rest of the universe like thier own enormous laboratory. Greys are not physically suited to combat situations, and their scientists in particular have an aversion to shedding the blood of living creatures, and so tend to prefer non-violent ways of defeating thier enemies, or to turning thier enemy’s weapons against themselves. Naturally, the more warlike races despise this reluctance to cause casualties as a sign of weakness, but the Greys have been reluctantly forced to train combat teams and actual soldiers as their ability to evade detection appears to have declined in recent decades. A Grey stands at approximately four feet in height and has light grey skin with black almond eyes and favours uniform suits of a silver and blue colour.

We have five codes including a value pack with saving at the present moment for the Grey Alien part of the HOF Range.  Seek them by the code below or click HERE.  We also have images of each code.

HOF47 Grey Alien Command (10 miniatures)

HOF48 Grey Alien Science Team (10 miniatures)

HOF49 Grey Alien Soldiers (10 miniatures)

HOF50 Grey Alien Flying Saucer (1 Resin Kit)

HOF51 Grey Alien Landing Party (12 miniatures, 1 Saucer Kit) Value Pack

Thanks for reading,

GBS

New SHM 15mm sci-fi miniatures released! SHM84-89

This week we release four new miniatures into the SHM 15mm Range.  New unique alien miniatures all sculpted by Eli Arndt.  Eli has a large presence in the SHM Range which is open to any designer to submit miniatures both sci-fi and fantasy (contact us for details on sales@15mm.co.uk) to and it means you get figures that would otherwise probably never make it into your hands.  Go HERE.  For full information on this release please read on.

There are now more than nearly ninety different miniatures in the SHM range and this set can be had a pack or as singles.

SHMP24 Denizens of the Galaxy IV

This value pack contains ten white metal 15mm scale miniatures and offers a saving over single miniature purchase.  A random but even and fair mix of the following miniatures: SHM84 Phase 2 Biomorph, SHM85 Stovan Servitor, SHM86 Sand Dipper and SHM87 Thorn Crawler.  Great for any setting from space adventure to space opera to near future and post-apocalyptic madness with a hint of horror thrown in.  You can purchase one pack or purchase three with an additional ten percent saving off list price selecting that option on the page (that 10% more than the ten percent the pack saves you already).  7.00GBP per pack.

SHM84 Phase 2 Biomorph 

One 15mm scale white metal miniature. Gene Splicers have a lot to answer for and top of the list is the late 23rd century creation of Biomorphs. Assembled from the DNA of several species and speed grown in vats the Biomorphs were seeded into conflict zones where they could exist for years easily. Often sprouting faces and ever changing teeth and eyes Biomorphs can sneak up or even drop from ceilings with deadly intent.  This is a large miniature about 30mm long follows up on SHM53 Biomorph. You can purchase multiples of one or select 'buy ten and save 10%' on the drop down product menu and save.   2.00GBP

SHM85 Stovan Servitor 

One 15mm scale white metal miniature. Stovan used to be a byword for peace and harmony but no longer.  The entire Stovan race was fungal captured by the Kilthreen in a planet wide invasion turning them into servitors.  These servitors were then sold to the highest bidder across the galactic plane.  Large, solid and long lived a Stovan Servitor can be a real if tragic asset.  This miniature is 25mm tall. You can purchase multiples of one or select 'buy ten and save 10%' on the drop down product menu and save.   1.00GBP

SHM86 Sand Dipper

One 15mm scale white metal miniature.  The Sand Dipper is a common sight on hot inner system planets across the core having been seeded by colonists centuries ago.  It is a hard carapace creature expert in digging and with excellent night sight. This miniature is 10mm long. You can purchase multiples of one or select 'buy ten and save 10%' on the drop down product menu and save.   0.60GBP

SHM87 Thorn Crawler

One 15mm scale white metal miniature.  Do not be made unwary by the small size of the Thorn Crawler for it is a lethal predator.  Virtually every cell in its body is poisonous to all known carbon based life.  This has cost countless lives and generally Thorn Crawlers are shot when seen and then burned for even handling them can result in a fatal exposure to poison. This small miniature is 7mm tall. You can purchase multiples of one or select 'buy ten and save 10%' on the drop down product menu and save.   0.50GBP

Go HERE.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS