Having rekindled my interest for SAGA last year with my participation in the Grand Melee I feel it is time to add some more factions to my collections. One of those are the Anglo-Saxons. I always liked the way the looked on the paper and their large units in SAGa make them look appealing on the tabletop as well. At least I hope so, since this is only the first (SAGA) point and the Warlord I have painted.
Anglo-Saxon Fyrd
Up first are the Fyrd (Anglo-Saxon Levies). 12 men in all for one point. I usually do not like Levies in SAGA, but I find the Fyrd quite interesting. For one if they are armed with close combat weapons they have the same armour as the Warriors. Second, while most factions have problems activating their Levies, the Anglo-Saxons have some abilities that allow them to activate units based on size, making a large unit of Levies all the ore interesting.
Anglo-Saxon Fyrd
The minis are all plastic minis from Gripping Beasts Levy box, but I gave them all helmets from the Gripping Beast plastic Saxon set. This means they are not wearing any chain mail of other body armour, denoting their Levy status, but with their shields and helmets, they are better armoured than the average Levy in the game, underlining their better armour values. The shields are transfers from LBMS.
Anglo-Saxon Fyrd
Up next is the Warlord. The Warlord model himself is an Anglo-Danish Warlord from Stronghold Terrain, but I felt he would make a great Anglo-Saxon Warlord none the less. After all his clothing and armour are generic enough to let him pass as either.
Anglo-Saxon Warlord
Since SAGA allows / asks for a larger base for the Warlord, one can usually add some scenic elements. In this case I chose two more warriors. Both are from the Gripping Beast plastic Saxons set. Their shields received transfers from LBMS. Same goes for the large banner. The Dragon Banner came with the plastic set. I wanted it to look very colourful. Probably not right for the Anglo-Saxons, but I always liked them colourful.
Anglo-Saxon Warlord
The shield on the Warlords back was hand painted, since I felt that none of the transfers would fit it. The design is a bit simpler than what one would expect from a Warlord, but painting him up, he rather looked like a nitty-gritty kind of person, so not much decoration on his clothing and shield for me.
Anglo-Saxon Warlord
[Shield Detail]
To underline his nitty-gritty looks I made another addition. I can not be seen too well on these photos but his left foot is resting on the severed head of one of his enemies. And I wanted him to look like he had just chopped that one-off. So there is some blood and gore dripping from his axe. (I felt this did not show too well on the other photos so I put a piece of paper between the minis for this photo).
Anglo-Saxon Warlord
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redcaer1690
February 21, 2016 at 12:54
Great work! Amazing gore on the axe!
Mike B
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Burkhard
February 22, 2016 at 13:39
Thanks.
People have asked about this on the AHPC, so I think I will do a tutorial in due time.
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Michael Awdry
February 21, 2016 at 15:38
Another fabulous entry, the blood and gore really work well.
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Burkhard
February 22, 2016 at 13:40
Thanks Micheal. Although far from the art you produce on a constant basis.
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von Peter himself
February 21, 2016 at 20:59
Hello Burkhard
A great start for your latest Saga collection. The axe gore is all very nice – probably not the best word! – but my favourite ‘bit’ is the painting on the draco standard. I would never have the patience for such a paint scheme. Wonderful.
Salute
von Peter himself
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Burkhard
February 22, 2016 at 13:43
Thank you, vP. I know what you mean regarding the blood and gore and will not send you to have therapy! 😛
The standard was actually more fun to paint than one might think. It was a bit hard towards the tail, since the scales did no longer form continuous lines there anymore, but in the end I was able to mask that. So people will never notice.
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daggerandbrush
March 1, 2016 at 00:42
Very nice idea with the “gore” effect and I also like how neatly you painted the eyes. In general a very well painted warband.
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Burkhard
March 7, 2016 at 16:17
Thanks a lot… glad you like them and the gory bits!
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Azazel
March 6, 2016 at 01:34
These guys look very nice. The right balance between colourful and grungy. I particularly like the neat freehand on the shields. I like the gore effect as well. Fishing line and water effects?
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Burkhard
March 7, 2016 at 16:38
Thanks a lot on all accounts. Regarding the blood and gore, it is actually easy to do. First you need a “base” to apply the drops to. Our dog has some very fine, light colored hair that I glued to the (painted) axe with superglue where I want the blood to be dripping down. Fishing line would be too thick IMHO.
The blood / gore it self is a mix of regular paper glue (UHU works quite fine here), some “Clear Red” (either Tamiya or Vallejo) and black ink. Use more glue in the mix than paint and try to get a mix of red and black that looks suitably bloody and gory to you.
Apply this to the axe head and work it down onto the hair(s). This first coat will only give you a semi-transparent coat. Once the mix starts to dry apply more to the axe head and hairs. You will see some smears and drops will form. Let these dry for another minute or so and dab a little more onto these until you like the looks. And that is it.
Two words of advise: Use and old brush for this or a toothpick or wire. This will ruin any good brush. Second… this is best done after varnishing the mini. Since the glue is water soluteable, getting your mini wet will remove this or at least ruin your effect. BTW… if you are unhappy with the results, this is also an easy way to start anew. Hope this helps! But I should be doing a proper tutorial soon anyway!
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