[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

As the Nordmen are nearing their completion, I started to prepare the next batch of models. The Oldworlder Ally Contingent allows for 0-30 Border Horse, with a unit minimum of 10. They come equipped with Light armour and hand weapon, with the option for spears, shields and/or bows.

Tobias' Wargaming Legacy contains 15 rider models, which I choose to use for this unit. They consist of 11 Steve Barber Mongols (apparently not available any longer), and Harlequin Miniatures' (today called Black Tree Design babarian cavalry.

I will mount the miniatures on metal bases from Products for Wargamers.

I cleaned the riders of flash, and started on the horses (and the one camel). The cleaned animals were then glued to the base. One of the Harlequin models is missing its tail, which I will try to recast from one of the other horses.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

I used Instant Mould, to make a form of a horse tail, to replace the missing one. The actual cast was done with miliput pressed into both halves, with one half filled over the brim. In the other I put a piece of wire, to be used as a pin when gluing the tail to the horse.

Next I applied some plaster to the bases to smooth out the integral bases of the horses and not have them sitting on a small hill. I added some larger stones to the plaster. Afterwards, the bases where covered in PVA glue and sanded.

There are two riders with open hands, from brass rod I cut one banner pile and one spear.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

The horses (and the camel) were given a quick basecoat out of a spray can, as I didn't find the time to get out the airbrush. After the bases were done, I started by painting the camel.

 

 

I started by painting the main fur 72.061 Khaki, the dark fur and the hooves 72.744 Dark Fleshtone and the light fur with a mix of 72.061 Khaki & 72.046 Ghost Grey. Fur the muzzle I mixed black into the mix.

 

 

 

The Khaki was given a wash of 72.092 Brown, the dark fleshtone a wash of 73.201 Black. Both areas where then highlighted in the base colours.

 

 

 

The khaki was then highlighted further with a mix of 72.061 Khaki & 72.097 Pale Yellow; the dark fur was lightly drybrushed with 72.744 Dark Fleshtone & 72.061 Khaki.

 

 

 

To tone the yellow done a bit, I applied a light glaze of 73.203 Umber Wash.

 

 

 

The light grey parts where highlighted with 72.046 Ghost Grey.

 

 

 

Finally, the grey parts were washed with 73.203 Pale Grey Wash.

 

 

 

The red cloth was painted as follows:

  • 72.772 Red Terracotta
  • 73.203 Umber Wash

    &

    73.201 Black Wash

  • 72.772 Red Terracotta
  • 72.712 Scarlett Red

 


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

Today I finished the camel. On to the ponies.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

I started to paint the ponies. They will all be piebald or skewbald, so I started by painting all of them white - or rather in grey, as a shade colour. I painted the base colour in three different greys, and will paint the black/brown blobs in three colours as well, combining each grey with each black/brown to get the most variety into the unit.

I also came up with the background story of this unit:

Nadir - Pony Shoe Tribe

The Nadir are a nomadic people living on the steppes to the east of the Hegemony - also called the Dark Lands. They live in tribes, each tribe's wealth being measured in the number of cattle they posess and can keep alive; which means to find them water holes and grazing grounds.

As the good spots often are already occupied by other tribes, clashes between tribes are common. Also increasing one's own number of cattle orse women often happens by taking them from other tribes - which of course resist.

For a long time, the tribes suffered a lot from the other tribes as well as from those, that the Dark Lands got their name from - Goblins, Beastmen, Hobgoblins and all other kind of creatures.

Some years ago, the prophesized uniter seems to have emerged - ilKhan Ulric Gemmell. He managed to mitigate hostilities between tribes (by for example assigning time slots to the usage of the most sought after water holes) and managed to have the tribes act together to a certain degree; for example with combined raids of several tribes against dangerously large groups of Goblins. There is still a long way to one united people of Nadir, but the first steps on this difficult path have been taken.

Gemmell also got into contact with the neighbouring humans. Trade agreements have been concluded, as well as military alliances been forged against common enemies. One of the units of Nadir sent support against evil raiding creatures is Nogsta's company of light horse. Their tribe, the Pony Shoe Tribe, had good contacts outside the Nadir people anyway, as their grazing grounds were always near to their non-Nadir neighbours and trade relations were always good.

Anyone knowing where I "borrowed" most of this background from?

This unit represents the Border Horse allowance of the Oldworlder Ally Contingent. They can be armed with spears, shields and/or bows, all of which can be found amongst these models.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

Today I added the black and brown areas of the piebald/skewbald scheme. I have the ponies set up in three columns according to the base grey they were painted in. For the blobs I choose three colours as well (black, dark and medium brown), and painted the models in rows in the same colour. This way each base grey has each blob colour once, for maximum diversity.

For the distribution of the colour, I painted these sitting in front of Google image search.

The manes and tails were painted as looked good according to the pattern on each horse, with either using the blob colour, black or white mixed with some tiny dots of different browns.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

After painting all the leather parts, all equipment on the animals was repainted black; it will be painted together with the riders.

After that, all areas were given a wash.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

The ponies are done, next are the riders.


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

I started to batch paint the riders, but their clothing and equippment is too un-uniform, so I gave up on that approach and continued to paint single models. The first two are done:


[Warfork Fantasy Battles]¶
Nadir Steppe Riders¶

Î painted two more miniatures, one of them the standard bearer.