Category Archives: Undead Army

Brigade Models – Celtos: Fir Bolg Skeletons with WarScythes – for Kings of War

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Celtos Fir Bolg Skeletons with Warscythes

A couple of months ago I ordered a bunch of “Fir Bolg” Skeletons from Brigade Models, originally produced and still sold for the “Celtos” skirmish miniatures wargame. Roughly two weeks later, which translates to two months ago now, they arrived and I reviewed them. As I’ve said in the past, I’ve got a real soft spot for one-piece metal skeletons. There are some other lovely models out there, but many of them are very fragile – and I prefer more sturdy models for wargaming.

Now, I’ve finished painting the first unit of them – or the first 12 out of the 59 models I purchased, at least.

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeletons with Warscythes

The colour scheme is pretty simple and in keeping with the rest of the army – Red and Black, Iron and Brass, Rust and Verdigris, Cadmium-Red wood – and Bone. The tabards and cloth have simply been quartered with the cloth colours to keep it simple. One each of the three sculpts for your perusal. I purchased four of each in order to set up 12 on a 100mm x 80mm base which will represent a Regiment in Kings of War.

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeletons with Warscythes

A Horde of War Scythe-Wielding Skeletons – Ready for some Reaping!

The group shot showing all of the 12 I bought. Since we’re just talking about duplicate models, I thought it more interesting to skip showcasing each individual duplicated sculpt. With a recent game of KoW against Marouda’s Undead showing how effective Horde-sized units are, I’m tempted to buy another set of these guys for her – and some of the other Regiment-sized groups as well!

Brigade Games’ Skeletons based as a Regiment of Skeletons with 2-handed weapons for Kings of War.

Based like this, the models work very nicely as a KoW regiment – Tournament-approved as well as I’ve checked with a key member of the Rules Committee. Beyond that they’re very easily popped off the regiment base for use in Role-playing or any other tabletop or board game. Maybe even Celtos!

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeletons with Warscythes

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeletons with Warscythes

More poses would be ideal, but these will still work nicely enough on the table. Overall, I think these are great models – very much fit for purpose, and I’m very happy with them.

Ral Partha Europe – Undead Ogres Review and WIP

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I’ve tended to move away from WIP and the From the Painting Desk series of posts recently, as I’ve had a fair bit of painted stuff to show. A little while ago, I placed some first/test orders with Brigade Models and Ral Partha Europe. The long and the short of it is that both companies came through nicely, but I only got around to writing up a review of my Brigade Models experience, and got distracted before finishing my RPE review. That RPE review is still in the works, but in the meantime, I wanted to put together a smaller review of some figures I picked up pretty much as impulse purchases while buying the other stuff.

Das Schwarze Auge - Undead Ogres, Ral Partha Europe

Three Das Schwarze Auge Undead Ogres, in their RPE mail order packaging.

Das Schwarze Auge – Undead Ogre – Axe, and Undead Ogre – Club. I assume these are sold by RPE under licence, as they have a fair bit of licenced product. DSA (The Dark Eye) is a German RPG of some description, and I don’t care to know any more about it. What I do care about is cool models and models that have potential for my own use, so I bought a trio of them. I’d have preferred if there were three distinct sculpts in order to make up a KoW unit, but beggars and choosers, so despite preferring the Axe sculpt, the club seemed to have more potential for simple conversion, so I got two of the club and one of the axe.

Das Schwarze Auge - Undead Ogres, Ral Partha Europe

The three castings “in hand”.

Castings were reasonably clean, needing a bit of work with a scalpel to clean them up, but not bad at all. I decided to make the two clubbers distinct from one another by doing some work on both of them, to move them both ever-so-slightly away from the original sculpt in different directions. One I simply de-horned, while the other I changed the club to an Axe with the help of the head off a Mantic Ogre’s 2-handed axe, which I pinned onto the end of the cut-down club handle. To make him a little distinct from behind, I added an old Marauder Miniatures-era Undead shield to his back as well.

Das Schwarze Auge - Undead Ogres, Ral Partha Europe

After conversion and basing.

Mounted on a 40mm base, and with a bit of putty to bring the base level with their integral metal bases, and some bits of slate to add interest and break up the flat area, and we’ve got a decent little unit of Undead Ogres (We’ll just proxy the Undead Troll rules) for Marouda’s Kings of War army in metal for only £15/AU$30. Not too bad for such a unit. Not as cheap/model perhaps as the UK prices for Mantic’s restic or GW’s HIPS Ogres, but still cheaper than a single Metal/Finecast Ogre from GW or even a good chunk of Reaper’s metal Ogres. And not even Reaper (who seem to make every odd thing) make Undead Ogres. Aside from this one. Who doesn’t really count for most wargaming.

Das Schwarze Auge - Undead Ogres, Ral Partha Europe

Rear view, showing the shield added to make the two identical Ogres less so.

Now I just need to stay focused long enough to actually finish painting them. I’d planned to take them to work where it’s guaranteed I’d get the bone and metal done – which is how I can justify “queue-jumper” models to myself, but with the large bases added, they’re difficult to transport to work in the little cases that I favour.

Update – FINALLY PAINTED!!