At the end of 2020 I had 11 Conquistador figures nearly – but not completely – done. I had written a few blog posts earlier this week, and I wanted to wait a bit to share a blog post on these eleven that I finished earlier this week. I know that there is interest from several of you in the “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” – so here is an update on my progress and some pics of the completed figures so you can see how you’re doing.
This post concerns three groups of 28mm metal figures: one from Outpost Wargames Services (#CONC1 “Conquistador Foot Command”; and two from Eureka Miniatures (#100CON04 “Crossbowmen” and two single officer figures – 100CON06 and an unnumbered one). I got the OWS ones from Badger Games and the Eureka ones from Eureka in Australia – but since I have learned that there is a Eureka US distributor.
Conquistador Foot Command
The first group of figures that I finished included a four-figure group called “Conquistador Foot Command”. I am unaware of the sculptor. I am including these as the first of (hopefully) several more entries in Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”. The group included a leader, a bannerman, a drummer, and a bugler. The bannerman (CFC2 below) will count as my first official figure of 2021 for Ann’s “First of the Year Painting Challenge”. I did like the sculpts though they are a bit “bulky” compared to my previous Wargames Foundry Copplestone figures, and were fun to paint. From top to bottom, are some WIP shots.
These are numbered for me as CFC1 to CFC4. Here are the completed figures below (click on any image for a bigger view):
CFC1
CFC2
Again, this is my first figure of 2021. The banner here is a representation of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary that Hernan Cortes used during the Spanish Conquest. I printed it off on my computer printer ad affixed it to an old RAFM halberd that I modified. Here are some WIP shots of that process:
CFC3
CFC4
Group Shot

I will probably use this group as an ensemble, or possibly some of them. I will enjoy seeing them on the tabletop.
Crossbowmen
These five came from Eureka and took the long trip from Australia. I wanted a number of crossbowmen to complement the arquebusiers I had already done. The figures are much slimmer than I would have preferred, and no where as detailed anatomically on the faces and on the legs, which made painting them a bit less fun (and effective). You can see some of my issues below but I think that I did the best I could with what I had to work with here. But they are less expensive, and Eureka was nice enough to throw an extra figure in the mix that you’ll see under the officers. Here is a WIP series of shots from top to bottom:
These will be fine for the tabletop, but I’m less than fully happy with them. I numbered them CXB1 to CXB5.
CXB1
CXB2
CXB3
CXB4
CXB5
Conquistador Officers
I ordered one officer figure from Eureka, and as I wrote before they did throw in another figure for free – and that one was my favorite of the Eureka stuff. I gave each some facial hair. I numbered these COF1 and COF2, and will use them as leaders in Feudal PatrolTM.
Here are a series of some WIP shots from earlier to later:
And now the finished figures:
COF1
COF2
And lastly, a group shot of all of these figures:

I hope that you enjoyed reading this post – and please let me know your feedback in the comments section. I now have 66 more figures to go – and I have already a good start on the remaining ones. Keep watching!
And now my reference section:
Miscellaneous details and references for those interested in that sort of thing:
Previous posts on games, units, and other projects for my 16th Century Spanish Conquest supplement for Feudal Patrol™ – “Civilizations Collide”
- Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers (this post). 11 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONC1 “Conquistador Foot Command” (a leader, a banner bearer, a drummer, and a bugler); Eureka #100CON04 “Crossbowmen” (5 crossbowmen); and Eureka CONC1 “Conquistador Officer” and an unknown SKU officer (2 officers)
- Merciless Adventurers (this post) – Wargames Foundry #SB014 (6 Conquistadores with arquebuses)
- Audacious Arquebusiers! – Wargames Foundry #SB012 (6 Conquistadores with arquebuses)
- Mark’s Conquistador Contest – for my loyal blog followers!
- Montezuma and Chieftains – Wargames Foundry #AZ011 for Feudal Patrol – 6 Aztec figures (Montezuma, 4 Chieftains, 1 Warrior Priest)
- Aztec Shock Troops – Cuachic Warriors aka The Shorn Ones – 8 Aztec cuachicqueh warriors
- Tloxtoxl and the Priests of the Great Temple, Wargames Foundry AZ021 – 2 warrior priests, 1 priestess, 1 priest, 1 leader, and 1 signaler
- Civilizations Collide – The Wars of the Aztecs, the Inca, the Maya, and the Conquistadores is now available as a FREE Download for Feudal Patrol™ – plus a Feudal Patrol™ review!
- 18 Aztec Novice Warriors for Feudal Patrol Walk into a Bar – 18 Novice Warriors
- Aztec Warrior Priests (painted as Tlaxcalans), Ral Partha 42-302, circa 1988 (this post) – 6 figures – 6 Tlaxcalan Warrior Priests
- Tlaxcalan Novices, Elite Warriors, and Command Group – 18 figures – 8 Novice Tlaxcalan Warriors, 8 Elite Tlaxcalan Warriors, 1 Tlaxcalan Captain, 1 Tlaxcalan Conch Blower
- Tlaxcalan Archers – 8 Veteran Tlaxcalan Archers
- Aztec Game for Feudal Patrol across thousands of miles – via Zoom!
- Aztec Snake Woman and Drummer – 1 Aztec General, 1 Aztec Drummer
- A June and July Jaguar Warrior Frenzy (plus some Aztec Veterans and a Warrior Priest to Boot) – 3 Aztec Veteran Warriors, 17 Jaguar Warriors, 1 Aztec Warrior Priest
- Doubling Down – Aztec Veteran Warriors – 24 Aztec Veteran Warriors
- Aztec Arrow Knights, Ral Partha circa 1988 – 6 Aztec Arrow Knights
- Aztec Eagle Warriors from Tin Soldier UK – 6 Aztec Eagle Knights
- Aztec Novice Warriors and a few Frinx – 12 Novice Warriors
Total figures completed to date for this project: 164 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 23 Spanish Conquistadores (66 more to go in Mark’s Conquistador Contest!)
PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS, FLOCKING, GLUES AND MORE THAT I USED ON THESE CONQUISTADOR FIGURES:
- Gorilla Glue
- 1/8″ x 1″ Everbilt Fender Washers
- Poster tack
- Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
- Vallejo “Surface Primer – White Primer”
- Vallejo “Flow Improver”
- Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
- Testors “Universal Acrylic Thinner”
- Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
- Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
- Vallejo Mecha Color “Off White”
- Vallejo Game Air “Black”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Cygor Brown”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
- Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
- Citadel “Runefang Steel”
- Battlefront “Dark Leather”
- Battlefront “Gunship Green”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Magos Purple”
- Citadel “Evil Sunz Scarlet”
- Citadel “Ironbreaker”
- Battlefront “Worn Canvas”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Militarum Green”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Iyanden Yellow”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Wyldwood”
- Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
- Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
- Secret Weapon Washes “Yellow Snow” (wash)
- Vallejo Game Ink “Yellow” (ink)
- Vallejo Game Ink “Blue” (ink)
- Vallejo Mecha Color “Electric Blue”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gryph-Charger Grey”
- Vallejo Game Ink “Red” (ink)
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Nazdreg Yellow”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Creed Camo”
- Army Painter “Purple Tone” (wash)
- Army Painter “Red Tone” (wash)
- Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Blood Angels Red”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
- Reaper MSP “Black Primer”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Aggaros Dunes”
- Vallejo Model Air “Light”
- Secret Weapon Washes “Armor Wash” (wash)
- Citadel “Coelia Greenshade” (wash)
- Vallejo Model Air “Duck Egg Green”
- Vallejo “Satin Varnish”
- Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Volupus Pink”
- Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (wash)
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Dark Angels Green”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Talassar Blue”
- Vallejo Game Air “Bronze Fleshtone”
- Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
- Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
- Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
- Citadel “Contrast Paint – Akhelian Green”
- Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
- Citadel “Lamenters Yellow” (glaze)
- Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
- Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
- Battlefront “Chocolate Brown”
- Battlefront “Flat Earth”
- Elmer’s PVA Glue
- Army Painter “Brown Battlefields” (flocking)
- Vallejo “Dark Yellow Ochre” (pigment)
- Vallejo “Burnt Umber” (pigment)
- Citadel “Steel Legion Drab”
- Citadel “Tallarn Sand”
- Citadel “Karak Stone”
- Americana “Desert Sand”
- Vallejo Mecha Varnish “Matt Varnish”
- Army Painter “Grass Green” (flocking)
Great job. Admire painting of eyes. I do it only for some models and effects are not so great,
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Thanks. The Eureka ones were more challenging. I use a Windsor and Newton 0000 brush for eyes which helps.
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Looking good Mark! I’m glad you didn’t say you Freehanded that flag, otherwise old TIM might have a heart attack when he read that! ;D
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If I’d have been able to freehand that, I would have been the one with the myocardial infarction! Thanks Faust!
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Hahaha!
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More excellent work Mark and the stripes and eyes are quality indeed. The flag came out well and as Faust said, if that was freehand I probably would have had a heart attack. The incredible thing is though is there are people out there who could do that! 🙂
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Appreciate that greatly Dave. As far as the painting of the figures went I was not 100% happy but these will do in a game. Big difference in sculpts to be sure. The flag was needed as the figure came without any flag or banner. But freehanding that? Beyond me, and I live by the words of Harry Callahan https://youtu.be/CG2cux_6Rcw
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Great line.
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Excellent work on all Mark, and a mighty fine first entry point. I think you did an excellent job matching the painting on the models that had less sculpt detail, which is no small feet
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Cheers Dave, and thanks for having me in your challenge.
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So jealous of this collection!
Have you seen those murals by Diego Rivera of the Conquest of Mexico????
You may have to stage your own exhibition!!!
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I have seen a few and used them as research. Glad you’re liking these!
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Beautiful work as usual, Mark. I can see I’m not going to win this competition at this rate!! 😁 What I have done in the past is print out the flags and then paint a bit over them to make them look (to my eye anyway) more in keeping with the painting style of the figures, did that with my VBCW figure a while back.
Cheers Roger.
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Thanks Roger. Hell, I still have a lot to do so who knows? As for the banner I did paint the edges and add a bit of varnish there – but as it was printed I feared having the inks run when wet. I can always try being more aggressive on that next time. Luckily I need reading glasses a lot now so it works! Take care.
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Nice figures there, Mark! 🙂 I quite like the crossbowmen, so that’s maybe more of a reflection on how you’ve painted them! And I must admit I tend to lean the same way as Roger with flags, using printed ones as a template and painting over most of the detail and adding in some shading but, then again, the flag you’ve used is very intricate so I might not have bothered!
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Yeah I was worried about the ink bleeding from anything. Glad you like them John!
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I love how you really throw yourself into a project AND stick to it. It’s very admirable mate. I’m loving what you’re doing.
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Thanks buddy. Yeah, I pretty much need to see this through before I move on. I have hobby butterflies, but not a lot, and those I suppress. And I have the contest! Btw I think the drummer here is named Luke…
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Luke’s a good name for a drummer. Actually Luke is a great name full stop hehe.
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😁 I guess he’d actually be Lucas as that is the Spanish version. My beloved great grandfather (I knew him well) was Luke and born in 1890.
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Well done – painting and colour choices have gone together really well. As others have said I like those crossbowmen… partly because I’d find them useful in most of my D&D games!
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Thanks Tarmor, maybe I was too critical on my work the crossbowmen as they do seem to be liked. Maybe the Copplestone sculpts spoiled me a bit. Anyways, thanks for the kind feedback and hope this and future posts keep you guessing about the contest!
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Those are superb Mark- the banner really sets off the detail you’ve put into them.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Thanks Pete. The only other banner that I did was on my first blog post back in March of 2015 for the Nightmare Legion. https://markamorin.com/2015/03/19/the-story-of-the-nightmare-legion/
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Great stuff mate – lovely stripes, and that flag is a trip!!
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Cheers Alex!
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Some excellent hobby progress here and I really like the personality of the first set of sculpts. The faces in particular are really expressive. The banner came out looking really nice as well. These will be a visually striking force when you get them all out on the table!
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Thanks Kuribo, I hope that when I’m all done that I have a convention game worthy of them.
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Looks great. The banner came out very nice.
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Thanks Luke
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