We are off to Outremer

With the base force completed I needed to add some reinforcements in the form of archers and other infantry.

For this I picked up the pack of Victrix Islamic Infantry. There are 48 infantry in the pack and if you follow the instructions would produce 12 archers and 36 other infantry. However you can use some of the other bodies with the archer arms which I did to make 24 archers. But beware you need to try out the archer arms for the none archer bodies first to ensure you do not get some unusual poses.

These have now been built and subsequently (after the photo) undercoated and are the next troops on the painting table alongside a Napoleonic French Infantry Battalion (don’t ask).

Now the last figure I tackled was the Gripping Beast figure of Salah ad-Din Yasif ibn Ayyub aka Saladin.

This was the figure that really did worry me as his family colour was yellow.

I used an illustration from the Osprey “Islamic Armies” as inspiration for this figure.

The figure started with the base coat of the Daemonic Yellow, then layers of Warped Yellow, Space Dust and highlights of Ice Yellow.  Armour was bronze, a wash and highlighted with a “tainted gold”.

The clock started with a purply blue, layered with blue and then highlighted.

For the caparison (horse trapper) I started the darkest yellow (Demigod Flames) and built up from there. The tassels had to be picked out in Grey Castle, a wash and then highlighted firstly with Worn Stone and then Brainmater Beige.

Up next was the General (complete with horse curtains) and a bodyguard armed with javelin and bow.

These were completed with blue as the main colour.

For the horses comparison I experimented with just adding dashes of the lighter colour in an attempt to add a bit of texture on the flat areas.

The original warband I bought for Saga contained 4 Ghulums or Mamluks.

Again these needed to “pop” a couple had yellow as its main colour while the others were red and blue.

The next figures onto the painting table were the “horse archers” for these I broke out the brighter colours. These were completed in a combination of blues, reds and green using the same layering techniques.

I also used this as an opportunity to break out the various yellows to experiment for a later figure.

The horses had been airbrushed in dark and light brown or grey. These were then given a overall wash of Army Painter Washes. Then it was on with a heavy dry brush and application of the highlights.

The first figures I tackled were two units of 8 infantry. I decided to use white as the main colour for both units.

The figures were undercoated by airbrush with Vallejo light grey primer.

Next the major areas of that would be white (or actually grey) were blocked in and then each had two or three layers added up to a final highlight. So for example I would apply a coat of Grey Castle, then a layer of Gargoyle Grey and the more exposed areas, followed by Great Hall Grey and then potentially a high light of Brainmater Beige or Matt white.

Sashes and the centre of the turbans picked out in red, blue or green using similar techniques.

Finally the shields were completed using my fall back of Little Big Man shield transfers.

While the photos do show the overall effect I think they appear better in real life and I was happy with the approach.

While working through my “pile of potential” looking for something for my Dark Age Madness project I stumbled across a number of figures that I originally bought when the first addition of Age of Crusades was published for Saga in 2018.

Finding these figures triggered two thoughts:

• I had already bought the Barons War version 2  rules (after having had version 1 since they were first published) but I could use these figures for the Outremer supplement as they have already published a conversion list for the forces;
• If you look sideways and squint the Norman forces I have been building recently could also be used for the First Crusade and stop me from buying further figures for the Barons War or the 3rd Crusade (yet).

It would also give me a chance to play with some of the Warpaints double Triads in particular two colours I have struggled with white and yellow.

For this project I intend to reduce my use of the overall wash I use over block painting and go back to the “triad” system I used to use. It would also let me break out more of the bright colours I have not been using recently.