A simple if somewhat uninspiring miniature, the ninth archer in my warband is complete.
As mentioned previously, this second batch of archers are less well sculpted overall but one of the most annoying aspects are the strangely misshapen bows.
Viking Archer (Foundry)
Archer number 8 is a poor paint job for a poor sculpt.
The black jerkin in particular is a fail, resembling a bin-liner or PVC material (thanks to overly sharp highlights) rather than fabric.
Time to refer to Pinterest and Angus McBride art for guidance.
Viking Archer (Foundry)
A couple of blasts from the past recently posted on Instagram by Wargames Foundry — two squads of Pacific theatre/ Burma WWII British, sculpted by Shane Hoyle and painted by myself back in around 2000, if memory serves.
Clean sculpts and very much in the Copplestone mould.
Chindits (Foundry)
Royal Marines (Foundry)
My second unit of archers will be mostly unarmoured, save for helms, and are simpler sculpts than those of the first unit.
Although this particular miniature has a pleasing look and feel to it (the nice balance of simplicity and pose, perhaps) it’s the best of an uninspiring bunch.
I’m guessing they were earlier sculpts produced when the designer was still feeling his way through the subject matter or else still learning the (at the time new) Copplestone-inspired Foundry look.
Viking Archer (Foundry)
Today, a friend and old-metal fondler stumbled upon and kindly shared an old Citadel Journal page featuring my previous Viking endeavours.
If memory serves this was probably mid- to late-1994.
At the time White Dwarf policy was not to feature ‘Eavy Metal team painters within its hallowed pages so as a fresh-faced and eager new addition to the Design Studio team I remember being desperate to get in print; the recently rebooted Citadel Journal (and probably a favour from Gav Thorpe) was the perfect opportunity.
I was enjoying easy access to Citadel’s back catalogue and in hindsight probably reverting to my black-undercoated army-level painting comfort zone as a retreat from the pressure to surmount a steep learning curve to earn a place at the table with my ‘Eavy Metal colleagues.
With the exception of the one Marauder miniature in the ranks these were all classic Perry Twins’ sculpts, all of which are still available from Foundry. The banner design was kindly drawn by fellow studio painter, Stuart Thomas.
Of course, the planned ‘army’ never materialized. This small unit of huscarls was all I managed.
A quarter century later and I’m back to painting Vikings. Hopefully I can surpass my previous record of twelve completed miniatures.
Citadel Journal, circa 1994