18 September 2021

Marsh Troll


This dour chap was an impulse buy off Amazon. Sculpted by Bob Olley, I really like his air of melancholy as he trudges home through a cold and bleak marsh.

After priming him black his skin got a coat of Heavy Black Green and a shading with homemade black wash. After that it was a case of highlighting him with drybrushes of Olive Green and Army Painter Scaly Hide, one of the few AP pots I didn't chuck out when I discovered Vallejo, and a final wash with thinned Scorpy Green to brighten up the colours a bit.

His skirt(?) is Orange Brown with Burnt Umber shading and highlights of more Orange Brown mixed with Light Brown, and the rope holding it up is Khaki and Ivory. 

The whopping fish he's caught for dinner caused me a few issues in terms of how to do it, but in the end I just went with Blue Grey, Ash Grey and Ghost Grey with Blue Tone for the shading.

The fin running down his spine was originally edged with Bright Orange for reasons that escape me right now. It really didn't work and looked like he had a punk mohican, so I redid it with more Black Green and Scorpy Green. His teeth and claws were picked out with Ivory, and I used Off-White for his eyes.

He was finished last week but then came the base. He has an integral one moulded to look like leaves and a couple of rocks, which got painted Park Flat Green and Stonegrey respectively. As I'm a lifelong hater of integral bases I wanted to stick him on a plastic one, but he was too wide to fit on a round 45mm base and looked lost on a 60mm one. After using an oval base for the first time on Theris Vinsom I thought one of those would work, and then had to wait several days for a bag of them to arrive in the mail.

After covering the base with modelling paste I painted it Flat Earth and washed it with Burnt Umber. I mixed some Black Green with Secret Weapon Realistic Water and daubed it on to represent some manky puddles. Then I added a bunch of Army Painter Swamp and Woodland tufts and some dried moss I picked up from Walmart. It's not quite what I was going for, but it looks good.

Again I have to apologise to my fan(s) for the dearth of posts this month. Partly it's been a bit of a painting funk thanks to the ending of an eight-month streak of challenges, and going back to doing random minis has been a bit of a "what do I do now?" feeling. The other reason is that I've got a job again, this time as an activities assistant at a long-term care facility which is fun but also involves walking around 15,000 steps per day. My thighs have filed for divorce and my shins have declared war.

More minis to come soon, including another Oldhammer Terminator! 

14 comments:

  1. Great work on the swamp troll Matt, the base really sets him off, and he has a really wet stinky look about him.
    Congratulations on the new job, sorry parts of you want to leave, but they'll come around once there used to it ! LOL

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    1. Cheers, Dave! I did think about daubing random bits of him with Ardcoat to give him a shiny wet look but then completely forgot to do it LOL! The job is great and I'm getting used to the walking.

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  2. That is one helluva paint job and a bit scary too. I can almost smell the swamp he came from. Excellent job all roound and well done getting a suitable base.

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    1. Thanks, Joe! The right base really helped pull the whole thing together.

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  3. Love the sculpt love the paint job love the basing! Smashing work mate.

    15000 steps a day is damned good for you. You’ll be thankful for the exercise in the long run.

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    1. Thanks very much, Dai! 15,000 steps a day is definitely good for me, I just wish it didn't hurt too much!

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  4. Bob Olley goodness! smashing paintwork on him he has a really Grim Fairy-tale look to him that I love!!

    The basing is top notch too, I do about 15,000 steps a day in my job too, so don't worry it won't make you fit (it hasn't me!!) 🤢

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Ha! I thought you'd appreciate the Olleyness of the sculpt LOL! Thanks very much, Roger, I'm happy with him. He really turned out well.

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  5. Great job Matt, love the colours. I like the way that the figure changes as you rotate him round, and the fish becomes visible - he does look melancholy from the front, but as you see the size of his lunch you realise he's actually smiling!

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    1. You make a good point there, from head-on he does look like he's happy at the thought of getting stuck into a bit of fish!

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  6. He is quite a melancholy troll! Its almost like he was something else before he became a troll and isn't happy with his current situation :) I really like the basing work you did for the troll. It really looks like a swamp to me which is perfect for this bloke!

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    1. He's definitely got a "I hate my life" look about him :-) Thanks for the praise of the basing, it's not my strong point and I appreciate the feedback.

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  7. Love this guy, Matt. Looks like he's bummed it's fish again for dinner...

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    1. Thanks, Keith! I imagine fish plays a major part in the troll's dinner. He probably longs for a grapefruit every now and then LOL!

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