October Express Orders 1 and 2: The Start of the Shang Chinese Project

I recently expanded our Express Service with the schedule changes due to Allison's picking up a gig at a local high school. This expansion is somewhat doubling the amount of the Express limit, and adding a second one as well. Here is the start of that, October 1 and October 2. I had a customer contact me if he could have both slots from October to get started on his Shang Chinese army. So we combined both slots for a due date at the end of October. Here are the results:

First four units and an execution scene

We included movement trays with this set of orders to match the army units.

Lone straggler from another project of theirs

This was a fun project and a nice change of pace from the usual suspects but it is back to the regular scheduled projects.

Old Grenadier Goblin Giant

This is an old kit one of my customers had us do. It is from Grenadier Miniatures from way back in the day. An all metal kit, it weighs in at about 4 pounds of lead just for the giant.

I had to assemble the giant and the platform separately, painting them, then finish the assembly. The goblins were also left off until the end then painted and attached.

Fit was okay, probably helped with my use of JB weld for an adhesive/ filler. The platform didn't line up quite right, so I added some spacers to make it a bit more level.

There were several bits and goblins missing from the kit so I added some more modern bits from GW's goblins. This helps tie the model in with the customer's newer stuff.

The base is a piece of MDF, Grit and texture were added, along with some cast stones. Everything was sealed, then painted. Finally I added flock, static grasses, and clumps. 

28mm Fanticide Fae Army

Here are images of a recently completed Fae army for the game Fanticide. The game was put out a number of years ago by Architects of War/ Alien Dungeon, which is now gone. Many of the figures they used, however, were made by other manufacturers so you can still find them. Sadly, the pieces they made are pretty much long gone. The outfit that bought out their bankruptcy didn't save all of the molds so some are now lost.

Fungal Crawler 

Sprites. These are technically 10mm figures.

Brownies. Again the brownies themselves are 10mm.

Dryads

I did this order as an experiment in expanding the popular express service. Allison has picked up some full-time work until the end of this school year so I will be switching over to watching Rose during the day, reducing my schedule to evenings and weekends. With the express service I can hire a sitter a couple of days during the week to do the work for those, and continue working on our regular schedule during the evenings and weekends.

This will expand the service to two a month, each one a two week period with a limit of about $250 of regular painting. This will give me some flexibility with the sitter and make sure I can turn them around. For example, there will be an October 1 slot and an October 2 slot, then November 1 and November 2 slots. Slot one of the month will run from the 1st until the 15'th, with slot two running 16'th until the 30th. The figures will have to arrive here prior to the first day of that slot to that the project is assigned to. I'll amend the website's page on this when I get the chance.

Express- More Trojans and Bronze Age

Another order of bronze age era figures we did for a customer under our express service. This little bit bulks up their Trojan Wars collection with some livestock, Trojans, Nubians, and I knocked out some movement trays and spacers for them.

Sheep!

Spacers to take up vacant spots in movement trays

Chariot horses and crew. The customer did the chariot and will finish the assembly.

A Mycenaen captain

Nubian command

Trojan archers

28mm Trojan Wars Project: Large Addition of Hittites, Amazons, and Others

We've been busy lately finishing up this large batch of figures for a customer's Trojan War/ Mythology project. This batch adds about 260 figures to the collection. Figures are a mix of manufacturers: Foundry, Mew Line Designs, Warlord Games, Crocodile Games, Reaper, and more.

The Hittites: 6 units of spear, a unit of bow, and a unit of chariot runners

Close up of the Hittite Spear

The Amazons: 4 units of spear, one unit of bow, and two units of slings

Close-up of the Amazon spear

Nice view of the Amazon shields

The Amazon bow and slings

Medusa Gorgons from Casting Room Miniatures

Cyclops

The Graes

Some figures to go with the Amazon camp

And more for the Amazon camp

King Aeetes and his Guard

Mycenaen Elites

More Mycenaen Elites

More Mycenaen Warriors from Eureka Miniatures

Close-up showing the cloak borders

Hittite and Canaanite Civilians. Fantastic patterns by Allison

King Priam and some Helen of Troys, plus a servant and witch

A random Beach Babe and succubus

Some Bronze-Age Warrior Women

More Bronze-Age Warrior Women

A Sorceress from Reaper

A warrior from Reaper with a tattoo

Quite a few figures in this batch, and they will really bulk up the collection. Allison and I both worked on this one on various figures or tasks, playing to each others' strengths to try and get the order done as quickly as possible while still maintaining quality. Still this one took a chunk of time with this many figures in the batch.

Next up for this project will be some planning and initial work on the Mycenaen gate and palace, and also coming up are two or three more bulk orders for this project to take it to the next level. But first, I need to get some work done on some other customers' projects.