Two Minis and a Hurricane

Sorry about the lack of updates this past week.  I had several posts planned but mother nature had different plans for me.  Isaac, though uninvited, decided to come pay my island home a visit.  Since the highest point on the island is only eight feet above sea level, any tropical system deserves my full attention. I've spent the last week pulling my personal boat out of the water, prepping and tying lines on the two work boats, and getting the house ready for a good blow.  Now that all the hard work is done, I'm sitting in my shutter-darkened office, having a nice cold adult beverage, and enjoying the calm before the storm.  And while I still have power, I though I'd just combine a few of the posts I had in mind to form a quick update.

This Isaac

  Not this Isaac

Now for the update. The sweet little lass below is a great mini from Hasslefree Miniatures (Barwench HFV001).  She is part of the villagers line, of which I have several others.  As is usually the case from Hasslefree, the sculpt is wonderful, the details are sharp, and the mini came in with very little prep work to perform.

She is destined to mainly serve in my Legends of the High Seas campaign but like some of the other miniatures I'm using as inhabitants of Port Largo, she is pretty much genera-neutral.  She would be equally at home in the Golden Age of Piracy, medieval Europe, or any fantasy setting. 

 

I've painted her up to be a fairly young serving lass.  I tried to invoke a bit of innocence in the color scheme instead of the bawdiness I emphasized on most of my other "ladies" of Port Largo.  I also moved away from my normal female skin tone and used slightly darker colors.  I was attempting to portray an islander of mixed descent but I'm not sure how well I succeeded.

I was also able to complete another pirate/privateer (I'm still undecided) from Black Scorpion Miniatures.  There's not much to say about him except I'm rather pleased with the gaunt look I was able to achieve on his facial features.  I wanted him to look hungry and a bit desperate.  I may have done that with his face but I failed to factor in his clothing.  He's a bit well-dressed for a man with nothing to lose.  Oh well...

I've also finished off three fantasy miniatures, with an additional four almost completed, but they will have to wait.  My frosty adult beverage is now empty and I just felt another early outer rain band hit.  Time to go and watch the wind blow.  See you all on the other side.

"Squalls out on the Gulf Stream, big storm's coming soon..." -- Jimmy Buffett

The People of Port Largo - 'Ello Governor

Although I have not posted much about the Port Largo pirate project lately, the miniatures, buildings, and ships are coming along quite nicely.  Four other minis are just about finished while the inn and a blacksmith's shop are not far behind.

Quite a few pirates are walking the streets of Port Largo and the ladies are doing their thing as well, but there has been a lack of other inhabitants (aside from a lonely barkeep) for the booming seaport.  Over the next few weeks that issue should be rectified.  In fact, the change starts today with the introduction of Governor Thomas Haldane.

Governor Haldane arrived in Port Largo in 1714 seething with indignity at having been posted to such a minor possession of the King.  Though he is from a fairly prosperous and influential family, his enemies back home sought to remove the Jacobite sympathizer from court and send him to the remote British outpost.  Once on the island however, Governor Haldane made the best of his predicament.  Thomas is heavily involved in the illegal trade on the island and has amassed quite a fortune through his interactions with the pirates and privateers of Port Largo.  Though the pirates and privateers know they have a high ranking ally in the Governor, they also are aware of his precarious nature.  At any moment, the tide may turn and a crew once under the employ of Haldane as privateers may become hunted pirates by the very man that initially empowered them.  A common question of ship captains as they dock in port, "Which way blows the Governor?" illustrates the uncertain loyalties of Thomas Haldane.

The miniature representing Governor Thomas Haldane is from Black Scorpion.  That should come as no surprise for regular readers of this blog.  I'm quite smitten with Black Scorpion and own most of their pirate range.  When I first saw this mini, I knew he was destined to be the Governor of Port Largo.  The sculpt has a close resemblance to a certain Governor from a certain Disney movie and fit the image of what I wanted in my game.  I was fortunate enough to purchase the miniature a few years ago when he was still available in metal (I'm not a fan at all of their resin products but that's a story for another time) but those seeking the mini now may not be so lucky.  

Painting was fairly simple.  I wanted a rich color that suggested wealth without looking too outrageous.  I basecoated the mini with GW Beastial Brown then worked up through several different layers of GW Snakebite Leather and GW Bubonic Brown.  The vest was painted using various cream colors and brown washes.  To add a bit of contrast and color, the scarf was painted using the ultramarine triad from Reaper.  The rest was fairly standard fare. 

My only complaint about the painting is the parchment roll.  From a tabletop standpoint, the writing looks just fine.  Now that I see a closeup photo however, my attempt at freehand looks pretty darn terrible....especially the red wax seal I tried to replicate on the bottom right hand side.  It looks like a big brown blob.  Oh well....

Despite his shortcomings as a miniature, I'm sure that Governor Thomas Haldane will make quite a impression on the island of Port Largo.  I can only hope that my crew remains in his good graces during the games of Legends of the High Seas.