Editor in Chief Bill sent me four barbarians from Bronze Age Miniatures.
The figures are very Frazetta-esque. One figure is basically the Deathdealer on foot, while I think I've seen the others, but can't say where.
The sculpts are relatively clean, with minimal flash, tags, or mold lines.
- #8 is a champion with raised sword and separate oval shield. Height - 38mm to top of head.
- #9 is a foot version of the famous Deathdealer, though unarmored except for the helmet and a pair of greaves. Height - ~36mm to top of head.
- #10 is a gladiator in Thracian-style equipment, though he wields a long, straight gladius rather than the typical "bent" or curved "Thracian" sword. Height - 37mm to top of head.
- #11 is a "Horned God" wielding a Celtic-stye sword and wearing a helmet with antlers (don't they get in the way? Maybe he doesn't do any swordwork above his shoulders...). Height - ~35mm to top of head.
Once the figures were prepped, I primered white.
I rarely use black primer. (I don't currently have any black spraypaint, anyway…) I prefer the brightness that white primer gives colors.
I washed all the metal bits with black (for iron) or brown (for bronze/gold). I normally also wash all exposed flesh with brown, but decided not to in this instance. (I'm not sure why...)
Once all that was done, I blocked in all major colors, flesh and metal.
I use a variety of paints - mostly craft paints, though I still have some old Ral Partha paints and various others. I'm not going to bother to name the colors, as I'm not even sure exactly what I used. Craft paints have an impressive number of colors, and I just pull them off the rack as inspiration strikes. I also have hand-made black and brown washes, and a bottle of "flesh" that I mixed up long ago.
Once the major colors were blocked in, I washed with darker colors - brown for flesh, darker reds and greens, etc. I don't use any particular technique. I wash and drybrush as the fit takes me, until the figure "looks right."
I decided not to try to do tartans or tattoos, even though these are "barbarians" - I've done it, but it's difficult to get the washing and drybrushing right.
In some cases, I decided to change colors mid-project - the gladiator's loincloth went from yellowish tan to a grey-brown, because the contrast with his flesh was better.
To do shields, I paint the back in a brown shade, then attach the shield to the figure with superglue. Then I paint the face of the shield - I find that it's usually easier to paint the face if I've got the figure to use as a holder.
I washed the base brown, then applied scenic flock with watered-down white glue. I prefer to undercoat brown for bases, because if the flock is uneven in application, or wears off, the undercoat looks like dirt.