Sporting a new look and keeping the ball rolling

 For a while I've felt that the look of this blog has been a bit lackluster and in that time intended to update it with a better look, the above banner and the new watermark image being examples of what I've had sitting in my folders for a longtime. The new banner image isn't final and will (hopefully) be a temporary measure till I come up with something better.

 Additionally I've also been thinking more about putting my stuff onto other formats to better promote myself and my hobby efforts. So I may start an Instagram at some point in the near future. With those concerns out of the way it's onto the main theme of this blog, the models.

The Baltimorc Raiders currently at 70%

 Aside from blog aesthetics I wanted to take this post to provide an update for my recent gaming endeavours, Blood Bowl.  In an effort to keep my interest going, I've been working on my other team from the boxset as well as the remainder of the balls and tokens. I should have the whole box finished soon (which will be a first) and when I do I'm hoping to be able to play some standalone games with the whole boxset with my friends and family.

Orc Lineman for my other team, featuring some slight conversion work to reduce same model syndrome.

 As for my Human team, I played a few friendlies against some of the members of the Glasgow Bloodweiser League as part of my practice and am slowly figuring out the best way to move and block with my players. As it's been sunny here recently (you would think it was summer the way the weather has behaving) I took the time to photograph the whole team including a few extra models I bought specifically for them.

 Throwers - #1 Daniel Marinus, #12 Mykael Passimyr

 Catchers - #7 Jeralt Oryza, #13 Chadrick Viesner, #8 Markus Escher

 Blitzers - #14 Terrence Ryman, #15 Leister Augustus Spite

 Linemen - #2 Davos Cunning, #3 Stanus Dillane, #4 Heinrich Pierson, #5 Jacob Corso, #6 Alexande Lewis, #9 Ivan Groski

 So far out of all of my players, my favourite has been my lineman #9 Ivan, who has spent more time getting knock over and then subsequently standing back up. If this becomes a commonplace habit for him and survives enough times, I may give him a black eye for his troubles (in paint form of course).

From Left to Right: Head Coach Sergei Kossachok, A Bloodweiser Keg and Asst Coach Guiseppe Barolo

 Because I can't help but add more work onto my plate, I decided I wanted to represent not only the coach of my Human team, but I also want to eventually represent all the inducements that they could potentially field.

With the background for my Human team being that of a mercenary troop turned Blood Bowl superstars, I wanted to represent their captain turned coach with an appropriately themed model. I chose to use the Frost Pirate Captain model from Reaper and added a few GW touches, like the spare ball, a zombie hand to hold said ball and a fur trimmed hat cut from a 40k Ork head. I picture him as being the tough as nails, no nonsense coach who's as likely to slap you as he is to pat you on the back for doing a good job.

 As for the Assistant Coach model, I found an old Empire Hellblaster gun engineer model. I felt that he didn't require much conversion work other than to make him a chalkboard made from balsa wood and plasticard for him to try and explain formations and plays to the players. I mainly use him as a reroll marker, and I'm quite pleased with the painted effect for the chalk board as well as the chalk on his hands, sleeves and jacket.

 Hopefully the first of many inducements that I intend to make for the team (looking forward to making cheerleader models at some point later), the Bloodweiser Keg may be the most important one for my team as they'll often get knocked on their collective arses by more bashy teams when I start playing in the local leaque. This one was made by using one of the metal barrels from the old Warhammer Seige kit, a spare Blitzer helmet and some cups made from the plastic paintbrush covers with greenstuff bases. I really enjoyed putting this mini together and think it's one of the more characterful models I've painted so far.

The Tilean Freewings in all their painted glory

 I also realized that the lineup that I initially picked is a bit on the weak side in terms of knocking people down, so I've decided that I need another lineman and blizter model (based on another lineman mini with a head and arm swap).

Lineman and Blitzer #3

   I'll grab an Ogre model at some point down the line but for now lets see how I do with a human only team. That said recently when one of our league members went to Nottingham, he asked the rest of us if we wanted anything from Warhammer World and I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask him to get me a Griff Oberwald mini.

 My Griff Oberwald conversion complete with magnetised heads

 A little cleaning and conversion work later and I have my very own take on Griff Oberwald. I wasn't too keen on his bare head along with the pose that he came in so I changed up the position of the "stiff-arm" and cut the hand off so I could use it on my blitzer conversion. I then replaced it with a spare clenched fist from a spare Heroclix model. I'll try to post more images of him when I'm further along with him, but I'm keen to see how I do with him.