Saxons starting to come along...

So, at long last, and with basically no fanfare whatsoever, here are some pictures of painted Saxons!

So far I've just base coated these and then added some ink to pick out the detail. I figured that the best thing to do would be to get as many of the models as possible to a standard where we could use them on a table before I go back and put some more highlights onto them, so for now I'll move onto the next batch and get them all to this level.

I want to reflect both the individual nature of each warrior, and if possible the fact that they have been caught off guard in the scenario we're planning for Triples. To do this I'm trying to get a lot of variety in how they're equipped, and not have them all carrying a lot of gear around with them.

I don't want any of the colours to look too bright on the finished models - personally when I see pictures of very brightly coloured and clean-looking miniatures marching around a table it seems unrealistic to me. My hope for the finished effect is that everything will look a little dirty and well used, so I'm staying away from colours that are too bright and applying a pretty heavy wash of brown ink.

I've also kept to a limited palette with the first batch. Even though, as I said before, I want all of the models to look individual, life will be much easier when running games if it's obvious that all of these guys are on the same side! Keeping the colours at least slightly similar should help with this, and I'm going to keep the bases similar as well. I'm not firmly decided on how I'll do that yet - I know I'm going to paint the edges of all the bases in the same bright colour, but I'm not sure what kind of ground to put them all on. One thing I would like to try is Al's suggestion of using coloured filler to model the bases, so that if anything gets chipped there isn't an obvious white gap.

One final word on the shields - I don't know how many models will end up having shields, but for those that do I will try to make each one a unique design. I'm basically keeping them to two colours, but then outlining the edge of each colour in a slightly lighter or darker shade - you can sort of see this on the picture above. This just helps to make the areas contrast a little more, but without being too glaring.

So, my next job now is to make another batch and get them to this level. I've decided to do that before I spend any more time on the ship - I think having 12 or so models ready will mean I have enough for some playtesting etc in the new year, and the ship won't really be needed for that. Watch this space for me to (eventually) give another update!