Finally all primed and ready to paint! (With one finished test figure.)

Thirty-six square inches of long-dreamed of AElf Guard pike phalanx goodness . . .

Forty-seven classic Tom Meier Ral Partha sculpts mounted on their metal painting bases. After all of these years I couldn't resist setting them up on two 3" X 6" movement bases to finally get a glimpse of what they're going to look like.

Now to get 'em painted!

Proof of Life

I am alive and have been painting. But it doesn't look like I'll have my first entry in before the New Year. (That was one of my goals . . .) At least we had a break in the weather and I was finally able to a start on priming my AElf Guard Pike!

Onward we go! 

Brushes Away!!! Good painting to all of the Companions journeying together during this ‘Fellowship’ of The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge IX !!! !!! !!!  I’m still prepping. And, yeah, I do have a bunch of figures still waiting for rattle can priming. ~ once the weather allows. It’s all good.

I have A Plan. I do. Really. I do . . .  (?)

This will be Fun. Hopefully it will also help keep me sane through the depths of Winter’s darkest nights AND reduce my Lead Mountain. I’m really looking forward to seeing what my finished unit bases will look like on the field!

And we’re are off!!! (And I’m not even slinging paint ~ yet.)

In The Beginning . . .

A long time ago I fell in love with the incredible Elf sculptures that Tom Meier's created for Ral Partha.

I purchased my first pack of six of the Sea Elves, shown above, in 1977 the year I graduated from High School! The next pack was in 1979, when they were re-molded. Pat gave me another pack for Christmas in '84, after we moved in together. She knew I really wanted to create a pike phalanx. Inspired by a friend I was gaming with in the early 80's I white glued them onto 20 mm square tiles and stored them in a clear plastic shoe box from the 70's.

They've lived, still loved and admired and unpainted, on the book shelf beside my computer desk where I can see them every day ever since then . . .

Then I saw I stumbled upon https://youtu.be/XcQfxtN65RI

At https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-italian-wars-project-is-go.html

This Inspiration helped me finally figure out how I really wanted this long dreamed of unit to look!

I've been Collecting Ral Partha figures, literally, for decades. And Ral Partha is back in business again! Hmmm . . . Pat gave me a generous order for my Birthday this year. I cleaned and primed them and did an initial dark wash to show their details, while I stared at their older 'lead' relatives.

Since I've been accepted into the ranks of the AHPC IX I think it's only fair and right to strip these and start fresh. So,  yesterday I popped them off their bases,

 and started their Simple Green soak.

Their older cousins are finally cleaned up!

Yes, I wear nitrile gloves whenever I handle them before they're pimed. Heck, I even have a separate set of files and scalpel handle for  working on my antique lead figures.