Vikings, Átján!

Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, Raven Banner, Viking Banner
Well, I powered through and finished the last two of my Viking Berserker models. This pair are the banner or standard bearer models from that Wargames Foundry VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions set that I mentioned the other day. As I mentioned my disappointment with the lack of banner poles for either of these models the other day, so these two sat, pushed to the back of the painting table until they were selected for the first Tray, so again with the limited choice helping me with an active “just fucking get them done” mentality with models I’m really not enthused about painting.
Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, Raven Banner, Viking Banner
The banner poles are brass rod, the end caps are the business end of war picks, cut to shape from the GW Chaos Marauders boxed set. The Wolf Banner was taken from the Don’t Roll a One blog via GIS and the Raven Banner was created by combining a piece of “Viking” style raven art with a “Viking Flag”, both found via image searches and then edited together in Photoshop. I then overpainted much of the detail on both, to get rid of that printed shine, and painted both banners with PVA glue to make them a little more Matt Hardy and then varnished them to finish. Neither are my best work, but they’ll do well enough on the table, and when I have a really good looking Viking banner bearer model, I’ll put much more effort into their Raven (or whatever) Banner.
Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, Raven Banner, Viking Banner
Since I just finished the other two the other day, it makes sense to have a group shot of the four of them together. I’ve now only got one more Foundry Viking model to go (aside from a few more wacky ones), some models that are essentially Not-Vikings and then there will be a few mroe metal vikings from other manufacturers, and then they’ll all be done. Well, I say all. Then I can start on the boxes of plastics…

Vikings, Sjaután!

Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, VIK042 Viking Ulfheadnar Wolf Skin Berserkers
Wow. A year now since I last completed any of my Viking models. These two are both from Wargames Foundry, who appears to have redesigned their Viking pages to take advantage of SAGA since I last looked at them. The big lad is “Big Lud Headsplitter” from their VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions set, while his rotund offsider is “Hvitserk the Bold” from their VIK042 Viking Ulfheadnar Wolf Skin Berserkers set. Most of the rest of both packs are already painted and have been shown before in previous Viking entries here, excepting the two banner bearers from VIK043, neither of which actually came with banner poles or heads, so they ended up low on my priority list, but are both on the current tray as well, so hopefully to be completed soonish. Unlike the rest of my Berserkers, I’ve painted the “Big Lud” model as an older warrior who has accumulated some visible wealth in the many campaigns he’s been a part of, and so has more exensive red-dyed clothing as well as brass/bronze weapon accoutrements.
Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, VIK042 Viking Ulfheadnar Wolf Skin Berserkers
A minor disappointment that’s nonetheless worth pointing out from the Foundry Viking range – a lot of the models shown on their pages appear to come with rather cool looking shields with embossed designs. When I placed my rather decent order with them a few years ago for a number of packs across their Viking range, I got a few shields like the one that Hvitserk is holding in these pictures, with either two or three segments, but exactly none of the ones with the embossed designs. Just worth pointing out to help avoid the same disappointment that I had when my order arrived.
Wargames Foundry Vikings, Saga, VIK043 Viking Berserker Champions, VIK042 Viking Ulfheadnar Wolf Skin Berserkers
After the next two, that will only leave one more of my started Vikings to complete, not counting the single model I’m using for a …special purpose. Of course, there are a fair few more in a completely unstarted state not even counting the plastics, so I’ll have to make the decision in future trays on whether to forge on with finishing uncompleted/neglected models or whether I try to slip a few more unpainted metal Vikings into the production line…