“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!”

So I’ve started a new project ‘13th Armoured Division Sable Knights’, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten or given up on this project… I just wanted a bit of change so I can recharge motivation by switching from project to project with renewed energy each time and to stop the project feeling like a chore.

So work in progress on the Beastmaster continues with him mounted onto the scenic base after base colours and washes had been applied. Additional small slate rubble has been added with PVA glue.

After toying for a long time with trying to mount the scorpion dragons on the Scibor pillars, I’ve scrapped them in favour of more slate stuck to a 60mm round base. This has given me more room to base the three little dragons and their master. I’m going to keep the dragon paint job rather simple with Carroburg Crimson wash and Orange highlights dry brushed with finer details picked out with Bleached Bone. The Beastmaster has a very expressive face, so I will give him contrasting lighter colours and try to draw your eye to his features.

The weekly golden button awards can certainly act as an inspiration. I was so impressed with the ArcWorlde halflings by @chilledenuff that I spent all day completing a Pegasus Knight (general) in the famous Wycombe Wanderers quartered blue colours. I had to use a bit green stuff to extend his cloak as the rider was not a perfect fit for the mount. The base is another Micro Arts 60mm round ancient ruins base that originally I planned to use for one of the beastmasters, but I hope you agree it suits the Pegasus.

So, half way through May and slow progress on the beastmasters. Not because of other non-modelling distractions but actually a desire to given Tristan a few bodyguards and thus create a little unit of questing ‘black’ knights.

For the beastmasters, the first one has been undercoated with chaos black along with the three Citadel C22 Scorpion dragons and the base for the second beastmaster. These I have bent the necks to make the dragons look in different directions and I will mount them on a series of pillars from Scibor miniatures to give some height to the mini scene.

Well we are now entering May and it’s hard to believe that it’s week five or is it six in lockdown? Weekdays merge into weekends and it I hadn’t been mothballed work-wise and didn’t have model making and painting to do, I’m sure I would have lost my marbles by now! This hobby is so therapeutic, everyone should give it a go…

Anyhow, another month and another mini project to focus on. This time I’m going back to find some more monsters. The Borogroves from the tale of the Jabberwock are described as beaked and bird-like and gather in numbers. Well I don’t have a load of chickens but I do have three Citadel C22 pre-slotta Scorpion Dragons that are suitably small enough to act in a crowd but large enough to be a little vicious. I see them as a group of raptors with their beaked heads, wings and stinging tails.

For the Beastmasters, I will use two 40K Inquisitor Acolytes and will change their iconography from the side of good to chaos. One Beastmaster can command the Borogroves, whilst the second will be guarded by another monster from the tale of the Jabberwock – to be revealed as I progress, but suffice to say I will mount this second one on a watery Foundations of War 100mm round base that I’ve found in my bottomless bag of holding.

It’s now coming to the end of April and I’m quite pleased with my efforts to produce a unit of Bretonnian knights good enough for the table-top. In addition, I’ve managed to repair the  really characterful Tristan the Troubadour and given him two companions. The first is his faithful Jules le Jongleur whilst the second is a mounted sorceress on a spare horse from the Repanse kit. I recall iconic this up in a job lot off eBay yonks ago. I needed to gently squeeze outwards using a pair of long-nosed pliers the legs of the maiden so that she could fit on the horse fairly snuggly.

I wanted Tristan to become the ‘Black Knight’ but needed him to retain a sense of honour and decorum as he is not an evil or chaos warrior, hence the mount is light brown and the skull transfers also incorporate a fleur de lys. This image is replicated on the sorceress’s rear of her mount as well to connect the two as companions.

Jules is painted with a mix of colours to link the mainly black and gold Tristan to the white, red and blue of the maiden. The skull and fleur de lys is replicated on Jules’ balloon.

A similar palette has been used as with the errant knights to provide continuity. The white micro arts graveyard bases were washed with nuln oil a few times and once dry the feet and bottom of the horses were dry brushed using Forgeworld light rust weathering as with the other knights. Again static grass was added to provide a continuity with the basing across the units.

Whilst I’m on a bit of a roll and in the mood, I’ve set about repairing Tristan the Troubadour. I’ve also taken the opportunity to remove the old horse base and mount him on one side of a Micro Arts 50mm square resin graveyard base. It’s got a useful mound of debris on the other half that I can use to mount Jules le Jongleur on so that he can ‘keep up’ with Tristan.

In essence, I’ve had to straighten the Lance, reglue the shield and the left arm back on using superglue. However, as it is not a nice fit anymore because the arm socket twisted, I’ve had to use a little liquid green stuff just to smooth out the damage to the armpit. He’s now ready for painting in somber colours which will contrast with Jules in a bright and colourful costume. I’ve also found a sorceress companion for Tristan who I will mount on another graveyard base to ride beside him. There’s a few days left of April, so he may get to join the questing hunt within the planned month.

So, here’s the work completed on the tale of the Jabberwock. January – Jabberslythe, February – Cockatrice, March – Merwyrm, April – Bretonnian   Errant Knights… May?

I’ve got in mind a diorama base to link the questing knights to the water-based beasties, but that will come towards the end of this project which is indeed turning into an Armies on Parade rather than just a Warcry warband. I do enjoy the organic nature of a Spring Clean and bringing miniatures together to tell a story.