When you fall off a horse...
- War Leader ~ Jack Darlington
- Nov 4
- 3 min read
Get back on!
I 'fell off the horse' with painting a few months back. It's not the first time I've had to take an involuntary break from hobbying. Sometimes you just run out of juice!
But, I am pleased to say that after a two month hiatus, I'm back on again!
All loyal men are welcome here...
What gave me a much needed kick up the back side was an invite from Harry Parkhill (Of 'Entmoot Podcast' and 'The Chase' fame) to join him on an adventure... A Tale of Four Wargamers!
But we were ofcourse just two. So joining us, were Alex Temple (Of the amazing 'Battle Camper') and John (Of the hilarious 'JMacc's Armies of Middle Earth'), prestigious company indeed!
The plan is for us to have regular video calls, where we chat about and showcase what progress we have each made on our brand new army projects.
And the whole things is broadcast live via YouTube!
The first two chapters have already aired, but more are on the way, with the goal being that we will all keep hobbying away to the end of the year.
And have four freshly painted forces with which to do battle on the table top!**
Ride forth Eorlingas!
With the gauntlet laid down, it was up to me to choose a new army. And I'll admit, it was actually a really easy decision to make. Rohan.
I have never painted a Rohan force before. I remember painting the odd warrior of Rohan many years ago, but I didn't really get on with them very well. And the old plastic horses were so badly proportioned, with spindly breakable legs. Yuck.
But with a new* film out, heaps of lovely new plastic hero kits, and new plastic warriors (still no new cav, where are they GW?), and not to forget a massive Helms Deep project in need of defenders, it really was a no brainer for me.
It had to be the horse lords on my hobby desk next.
Originally, I had planned an all hero force, revolving around the gorgeous new Helm Hammerhand plastic sculpt, and his various relations that make up his mighty retinue.
I wanted to add some troops, but with no plastic cavalry to match the stunning new hero kits, I was disheartened. Until...
Riders on the horizon!
Like my very own King Theoden, cresting the hill of the pelenor field in the nick of time, Michael Henry brought forth more riders than I had ever hoped for!
Michael is an absolutely lovely chap. While we've only met once in person (Michael lives far to the north, over the Scottish border!), we chat most days by via Facebook. And when he saw that I was planning an elite force of Rohirrim, he was quick to contact me with a very generous offer!
Michael had a whole unit of Royal Guard 3D prints (sculpts by Davale Games) that he no longer had need for. And was kind enough to post them down to me, only asking that I give him a shout out!
What a stellar chap!
A brush in hand once more!
So, with my shiny new toys on my desk, and newfound motivation, I am proud to present the first finished model of my Rohan force!
This is my colour test model for my whole army. I've intentionally kept things pretty simple here, utilising contrast paints and big bold highlights to create a punchy scheme that reads well from afar on the table. Eventually, I hope to grow my Rohan force beyond the Vlog project, into the new year.
The end goal being to have both an on foot and mounted force, that can be played with heroes from both The Lord of the Rings AND The War of the Rohirrim!
Next up will be more royal guards. I want to have at least four painted before moving onto any of the heros!
It feels so good to be painting once again with a new found passion for this hobby I love so dearly.
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Thanks again for reading,
Jack
*Ok, new may be a stretch. But last year's not that long ago, is it?
**Also, link to the new live stream here...
