Attempt at Free-Painting Shields

Hampenden

Hampenden

Member
After a very long hiatus, I’ve been drawn back to painting: trying to get my hand in again on some of the plastic orcs from em4 Miniatures- they are pennies each, so good for practice! My eyes are not what they were etc, but very relaxing all the same. Trying some shields at the moment…
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Eric

Eric

Administrator
The shield faces look pretty decent, certainly a skill I've never managed to master (used to look at the old shield painting guides in awe and wonderment!)

Always feels good to pick up the brushes again, having a bit of a stop/start myself with my current crop. So keep up the good work!
 
Hampenden

Hampenden

Member
MichaelStockin said:
Where are the shields from?
Drawing pins?
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They are from em4 Miniatures again: I think £1.99 for 25? They come in random selection of three types: one is smooth, convex and yes exactly same size as a drawing pin! That is a good idea! The other two designs have bosses: I’m just painting the smooth ones currently: they are a nice little project to do during my lunch breaks.

I wish the shields came on sprues for ease of painting, but then again, at this price, hard to argue.

I found the em4 Orcs bit soft on detail: hard to tell where some parts ended: the features seemed to blur into each other. But they will be nice unit fillers. My first dozen or so orcs are definitely ropey, but the shields hopefully lift them a bit!

I will be a better painter 100 models from now or so the saying goes
 
Hampenden

Hampenden

Member
MichaelStockin said:
ooooh I think imma gonna get them shields, cheers for that.
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They need a bit of cleaning up but are great value. If in the UK, I think free postage over £30: I think I got 100 total of their orcs and dwarves (they do deals) three packs of shields, some bases and few lead models they had on sale (some were as low as 50p!) it was a bargain £30.
 
ManicMan

ManicMan

Member
I like the prices of the Em4 plastics and the quasi hero quest bases, but the sculpts don't appeal to me I'm afraid.. not bad sculpts but don't quite get the style and just aren't quite there for me.. that said, you are really doing great work with them shields.. I've tried to free hand some Skaven shields and... yeah.. not really great ^_^
 
Hampenden

Hampenden

Member
ManicMan said:
I like the prices of the Em4 plastics and the quasi hero quest bases, but the sculpts don't appeal to me I'm afraid.. not bad sculpts but don't quite get the style and just aren't quite there for me.. that said, you are really doing great work with them shields.. I've tried to free hand some Skaven shields and... yeah.. not really great ^_^
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I know what you mean with the figures. I just wanted to get a couple of armies up together quick and cheap: eventually replace them I suppose. But they will do a turn.

I’ve bought some command groups, and hopefully with them, with shields and some similar banners, tidied up a bit to boot, they might look passable.

With em4 I do not like their plastic sci figures at all: the metal sci fi I have not seen.
 
MichaelStockin

MichaelStockin

Member
I am only 6 weeks into my 25mm WFB journey and am buying things that will do for now. I think were I doing Orcs then these sculpts would indeed do. They are ok. But your shields do elevate them. I think if you replaced the swords they would feel 100% oldhammer? They remind me a lot of the plastic orcs from olde times.
 
Hampenden

Hampenden

Member
MichaelStockin said:
I am only 6 weeks into my 25mm WFB journey and am buying things that will do for now. I think were I doing Orcs then these sculpts would indeed do. They are ok. But your shields do elevate them. I think if you replaced the swords they would feel 100% oldhammer? They remind me a lot of the plastic orcs from olde times.
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Yeah I think you’ve got it right there: the swords are terrible
You could seriously go crazy with conversions: the plastic is particularly soft. The dwarf and orc spearmen naturally suggest themselves as standard bearers.
Manic man has it right also in that the em4 dwarfs are enormous
They are okay. I am just at that point in life where I am starting to feel if I don’t get a move on, I will never do it! And these are a quick route to getting two decent forces quick.
But if I do have enough time and world enough, I would replace them with lead!
 
KingOfTheLeadPile

KingOfTheLeadPile

Member
Yes, the EM-4 plastics do look too simple, not well enough defined (as was mentioned, no crisp edges between areas) etc. So individually... meh.

But they are cheap. Like really cheap. And in my opinion they do look good en masse.

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As for the Dwarf size, I use them in conjunction with the Battle for Skull Pass box set Dwarves, and there they fit rather well, in my opinion.

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The Battle for Skull pass are quasi-mono- posed (3 or so poses, but all rather similar), size wise they also match. The are only a bit leaner, the GW ones more stocky; but you need to put them side by side to notice that. Unit besides unit looks good to me.


Oh, and did I already mention... they are CHEAP ;)
 
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