Samurai and Mice and Mystics

I'm still working heavily on my Mouse watercolors, so I don't get to the minis table as often as I want, but today, I made some small gains.

The new Mice and Mystics spin-off game, Tailfeathers, went into preorder today, so I ordered a box. That's when I realized I still hadn't finished painting all of my previous Mice and Mystics figures. So I dug them out and got my firebellies finished up. Tailfeathers is a skirmish game and has unit cards available so that owners of the original Mice and Mystics boxes/expansions can use those figures and units.

I kept my firebellies simple and actually speed-painted them. The skin was all drybrushed, and the rest of the paint slap-dabbered everywhere. I usually do this with most of my figures that come in units. Individuals still get a little extra devoted time.

I also got another peasant finished for my 40mm samurai collection. This is a figure converted from the baggage carrier. Hopefully, I'll get some drive enough to finish up the remainder of my samurai. I'd like to at least get the samurai done before my copy of Space Cadets arrives; there will be a couple hundred (I bought extras) miniatures with that game, though, I'll be painting them monochromatically, so they shouldn't take too long. But I'd like to have the table clear before those arrive.

Still working on samurai; Also Soccer City

I'm still working on my samurai. I'm trying to finish up the previous order of samurai which will form the core of my new clan (so that I can have two clans to fight one another.)
Once they're finished, I just have some baggage carriers to paint up before finishing up with my kago/norimono/palanquin.

On the side, I've also been doing more of my Mouse and Friends art as well as working on a book for them.

Check out the Soccer City kickstarter, which has just a couple days left to run (and has made its goal.) Definitely not for everyone -- it's soccer, a sports boardgame, and the look is all retro (1920s-30s,) but it's something different than the usual.

It also has minis!! (at an added cost.) At first, I was a little put off by the high price for the minis (which is reduced if you get the package deal,) but then I saw that the figures will be 40mm; that will make for a great-looking game. Each team you purchase will have 11 figures, though, you'll only have eight + the goalie on the field at any one time.

The other thing about the figures is that it looks like they're being sculpted to match the art -- cartoonish -- so, again, not for everyone. I know I will at least enjoy painting them (and playing the game.)
Even if you don't plan on pledging, check it out here.

42mm samurai: Bodyguard

Here's a bodyguard (or just a samurai walking in the park.) I commissioned him as part of the retinue, to escort the kago as a bodyguard. But he'll work fine alone walking the Tokaido, going to a duel, or looking for a little entertainment in the Yoshiwara.

The head comes separately to allow for customization by using any of the numerous other heads in the collection (there should be about a dozen now.) The ladies from the previous post, however, do not come with separate heads (though there is enough neck line to take a hack saw to them if you want to do a headswap.) Otherwise, this samurai comes as one piece and is very easy to prepare and paint. I would recommend him (and the ladies) to beginning painters.

42mm Samurai: Ladies

Here's another of the brand new figures in Steve Barber's samurai range.
The figure comes with the parasol. The lady in green, I've used a piece of brass rod to create a walking stick.

The more ornate orange kimono was very easy to paint. I started by painting the entire kimono orange, then painting a couple areas of grey which was blended into the orange. Then I highlighted as usual (layering with Foundry triads.)
Next came the tree trunks and branches in black. After that dried, I stippled some blue blossoms over the tree, followed with another stippling of light blue to highlight the blossoms.
And finally, a simple three-dot pattern was repeated to fill in empty areas. I finished with the obi and repeated the kimono pattern on the parasol.

She will accompany my little kago retinue.

Close up, it looks OK, but the effect is great from afar (I paint my figures to be viewed from afar, such as when you're playing them on a gaming table.) Ornate floral patterns really only need to be inferred rather than painted in detail (unless you're trying to win a painting competition.)

I kept the lady in green much simpler. She was my test figure to get a feel for the new sculpt. This sculpt is amazingly easy to paint. If you're looking something fun and easy to paint, I recommend this one.

42mm Samurai: Gone fishing

Busy week at work kept me form the painting table until today. This fisherman was converted from a brand new figure in Steve Barber's 42mm samurai range. The original figure is a baggage carrier for a kago/norimono retinue, but it is easily convertible into a few different figures.

Here, instead of baggage, I've given him a rod (made from brass rod and twine.) The bucket is a thick disk of sculpey with a random bit to make it look like it has a center-hinged lid. I drilled a hole through the lower hand and passed twine through it and the bucket to create a carrying handle. The satchel on his belt in back is made from green stuff.
This was a fun figure to make. It's also the first civilian I have in the collection, now. With more to follow!

I also finished up a couple figures from the last bunch I bought from Steve. I'll probably try a different color scheme -- the gray is ok, but I think I'll go with a slightly olive green instead. Yep, it means I'll probably paint over these -- the clothing anyway. It wont be too difficult. They are in the same scheme because I'm going to make this batch into a new clan (I already have one clan; they need rivals.)

The master to the right is unconverted. The yamabushi to the left has a couple changes from the original figure: I used the bald head of a monk archer instead of the one with the little yamabushi cap. And instead of the bo staff held in the back hand, I made him a katana to hold in his front hand.