Spring Cleaning Military Orders

So I started to get a little burn out for this project. the models were coming along nicely, however I longed to paint something other than blue. If this was not under time constraints I would have picked up another project for a bit. However the next project is more daunting than this one, leaving me in the position of hobby paralysis. I didn’t paint for a few days which is not normal. I started my reward project for finishing this one which I will talk a little about in the end here. It got to the point where I was going to eat my desert before my greens. I needed a fourth project but it couldn’t be big.

I do think it’s important if you are not enjoying something in the hobby do not force yourself to do it, wait until your muse finds you in a book or TV show and pick it back up again. This is not a business, it’s for fun.

I have never played any role playing game with miniatures. However I did have a half Orc Barbarian that I was attached to. It lasted 3 or 4 sessions. I wanted a model to remember this by, but not use for it. I found a great model on my mini factory, pre supported and printed it out.

I based it using the base of the supports it was on and broke this up like slate.

If I remember right it was Bob the barbarian half orc of the highlands. Born of a human noble family 9 months after an orc raise on their keep. Loved by my mother and hated by my father I was ousted through a plot in my early adolescence. I was kept imprisoned until freed by party looking for loot in this deep dungeon far away from my ancestral home. By the point I was freed I was very warped with certain urges I made my way in the world in the shadows and the tattered upmarket cloth of my noble clothes.

This is where the point I signed up to the DnD 3e game. It discussed with the DM about my urges, They were very dark (though light hearted)and the party agreed but the DM tried to put me off and instead of being a side note that came up once per game after the conversation it ended up that I was rolling at the sight of every corpse to control my urges. This was done on a constitution save or be immediately overcome and if this was in public they also had to make saves around me or be violently sick. I was forced to have high constitution in the hope this wouldn’t happen often.

The rest of the party was chosen and we found out what the setting was going to be. The DM appeared to have a 50 level dungeon delve planned. My hopes of roleplay were shot and this was a hack and slash and my luck would be pushed to the limits.

I failed at every opportunity we started at level one with small easy to kill creatures before long we ere coming into hordes of smaller creatures within 3 sessions we were level 4. This dungeon became a perverse romp with every encounter, in each room with my failing my role and people becoming sick around me.

It was on the last session where this occurred at the start. My party had all chose supporting characters I was the only tank and damage dealer. I attacked a group of three orcs and 2 owlbears. killed one then rolled a natural one for my save. I was overcome I ignored the rest and got to another kind of work. The rest of the party rolled abysmally and became overwhelmed at the sight and were quickly overcome. They were slaughtered while my attention was elsewhere. Funnily enough I was the last man standing. As I looked at the carnage I had the only proper opportunity to roleplay in the whole game. I pulled up my loincloth and viewed the party strewn around the cavern dead and dying around me. I fell to my knees, the Orcs and Owlbears turning to face me now. As they approached I muttered “What have I become? I do not deserve life, only death can cure my urges” as the pack of creatures pulled me apart unopposed.

This was a fun side project. I built a backdrop as before in this project however used foam and a wire brush for the rocks. the full thing, model and backdrop took a day and was a great distraction. The model was painted with a green based skin tone but ended up being a dark skin tone and not as green as I wanted. I think I will use this in the future though.

It will stand as a lesson not only to me but other DM’s. I have only played DnD another two times since then. Not my favourite game, but everyone knows the basics.

If a player wants a character plot point, I would advise to label it as such, the DM could play the darker side of your conscience and advise they will put it into the story for you to roleplay at a certain point. It may never come up or it could have been skipped to a redemption arc and keep the misery and urges in your past.

I would never advise playing a hack and slash game of DND 3e. I have played loads of wargames all which are better suited to be converted to this.

I was naïve and the DM was naïve to think I wouldn’t get a natural one, getting about 2 – 10 chances per room we entered. This all sounds dark and serious but it was a load of fun and we were all laughing all the way to our deaths. I am however, glad this was short.

This was not only a great distraction but a great memory I should have made a model for long ago. Again nothing to do with Infinity or Military orders, but that’s the point.

As I have done a bit since then, more to come (more on topic) very shortly.

Got over the funk of the project.  I still don’t really know what was causing it. Probably my new rule of not avoiding freehand and painting white again. On a good note, I did buy some new paints and the white that came is so much better than my trusty Vallejo 951.

I this section I painted Infirmarers of Saint Lazarus this model, this was an ok model but I hate the pose. The sculpt doesn’t understand how wind works.  The cape and the flag are pointing in two different directions. I changed this a little. Also I didn’t like the face on this I painted it three times. making it lighter each time. Always ends up looking butch and now it think it’s got little shape.

I also painted the Black Friers with Heavy rocket launcher. This was a lot better though I did end up with gaps that needed to be filled.

Again going good but trying to get to the finish line. I was pleased with being able to walk away from these two but they seemed more like a rebound relationship than one I put my hear into.

Free handing shoulder pad logo’s will not be happening again and only done on this project.

It doesn’t take a lot of time it’s more enjoyable and easier then painting straight lines but still seems to put a barrier up for me.

More to come very shortly.

My faith restored you would think it was easy to continue… not really but I did however want to push forward.  I normally paint in “boxes” so I finish one box before moving onto another or blister.

Instead here I have at least had a little passion for Padre Inquisitor Mendoza. So I picked up this model and started to paint. I have this model for Aristeia! to do but the casting is very poor. I however love this version. I wanted a hint to his fiery alter ego on the Aristeia! arena. I painted this up with a molten sword. I think he is the only model I have seen for Militry orders with “outy” text on his sword. This made things easier. I liked the effect through could have taken a little more time on it. Started with white and painted out in darker colours from there using stippling and scratches with the brush.

I also went ahead and done the Knight of Santiago. this ended up being a quick model to paint. This was my first time painting a Pano logo on a shoulder pad. I think I could have done this better but was pleased for a first attempt.

This did get me back in the swing of things. I can smell the finish line. what could stop me now!

More to come.

So if there were 3 things that have kept me from just finishing these it’s been these two. They have multiple freehand sections all over them.  logos, lines and white.

But I was on a high, so decided to roll with the punches.

The unmounted Knight of Montesa was first. it has 5 freehand sections on it. I got this done but need to do so much more. The logo’s were difficult but at this scale they look good until you are within 12″ I was not up for bringing in any magnification and I used a size 3 brush for them as this felt most comfortable.

I think I got better at painting a circle down. added in the design elements and painted a better Pano logo than before. I realise now I mixed up the shoulder pads and put the logo on the wrong side. I am not re-doing this but may think about it later. I copied this mistake onto the second logo.

The mounted Knight of Montesa gave me the fear. I like painting bikes but I do find them tiresome this was like painting 3 models. Not only that but the bike had about 14 pieces of freehand on it. I cut this down as I honestly didn’t think it added much to the model.  Sergio was either bored, practicing, overpaid or showing off when he painted the studio models.

I settled with 9 freehand for this  one barley counted as it was a line to hint to a freehand.

I like the end result though, so this is an oddity. This is painted with the rule of cool firmly in mind and the MNN on the bike is completely made up and not based on reality.

This project has been an experience much more than I had imagined. It started with terrain I was comfortable with. Painting that pushed me and then things that scare me. I cant wait to get back into a comfort zone but as I put everything painted so far away today I felt good about it as a whole.

Freehand is becoming normal, I am accepting “not painting at my best” for comfort and making constructive choices better here, less effort there and learning to be happy with what I have done.

This is still a process but at least I am getting a great looking force out of it. Though I see another 8 models have planned releases and one other that I want. But I will need to play these before committing further.

Now I have the rest of this week to defeat the last Foe. I call him FINAL BOSS.

One past post to come. For now.

I was at the point I wanted this project to end about 3 weeks ago. I pushed on. I am not really the kind of person to leave a project unfinished. I think I need a break from painting infinity as I advised before and my respite enabled me to finish and not turn to computer games for entertainment.

This is where a saying comes from, finished not perfect. I still want to keep a look and quality level to what I am doing but I feel I have painted well bellow my best and even below my average.

In sating that I am still pleased with what I had accomplished. If I had an analogy of what this was like to beat the final boss. It was a 6 hour fight ending with the most basic of attacks with no flourish. Still accomplished a feat but left me feeling odd about it.

The good news is that I get to play with these next. May be a little while until “the event” allows safely.

In defeating the final boss I done 2 things. I compromised on some of the freehand. Just one on this model. Also the freehand I done was textured because I didn’t thin my paint enough and even when I did it more the paint was trying on the model as I was painting. I am not used to painting in any kind of heat. I cant really notice after it was done but it did feel a little like ash in my mouth.

The rest of this model as with all the others followed the same steps as the Joan tutorial. The only think I think I done differently was doing some greenish shadows on the white armour. It looked very stark without it and was done with dark sea blue glazes only about 3 – 4 reducing in sizes towards the shadow. I wanted to keep the cloth look different so missed this off here. I do like the look and think I can refine this so will do again in the future.

I did have plans for battle damage and more of a celebration of the ending of the project but I just needed it to be done. I am overjoyed that it is.

On reflection finishing everything is good. I have my backdrop which I will keep for a while. I am very pleased with this and will use it for the other 8 – 10 models I want for the force if I enjoy playing them. If not at least I have a usable force if someone else wants to borrow them.

I like the effect with the base being the contestant and the characters being present at different times of the life of the monastery. With ruined bases and each looking heroic in their own.

I think they have a strong look and all together are better than the sum of their parts.

I have learned a lot, Freehand is growing on me. I did surprise myself on painting the tiny logo’s. Will I do this more in the future? Possibly not, I can make transfers. Though I do want to do more freehand, during this project I have lost my fear of destroying my models. I do have a long way to go though and I am looking forward to the journey.

I also learned by doing the Joan tutorial and really thought about what I was doing. I didn’t do this to the same extent of any of the other models. I want this to become second nature so will do this more often, but it’s tiring thinking about everything so actively.

So this started out as 1 model to strip then paint and 2 models to tart up. I expanded to a backdrop. Then expanded to a full infinity force of 400 – 500 points (300 being the normal game). So lots of points and things to swap out. My older models will get much more use now though and I am pleased I have the force as I am sure they will enjoy fighting other religious zealots. Looking at Haqqislam mostly, for a good crusade feel.

This did however remind me how easy it is to get into infinity. The low model count lets you get done fast or push the boat out with your painting. It’s a relatively low buy in for a game in comparison to others with free rules and app available online. Along with loads of lore and community support.

Talking of community even though we are small on number here on the project systems, it’s great to see all the infinity lovers here supporting each other and I hope that continues. It does help, not only for support, feedback and competition, but also the inspiration to keep going even when projects get tough. So thanks and I hope others post their infinity journeys as I want to read more.

My first spring clean challenge done. I am off to paint something other than infinity for a short while (as I now have a pile of shame for the first time in years). And vote up other community projects!

No more to come, for a long while at least for this one.