Game Aids and Tools for Feudal Patrol games using the Civilizations Collide Supplement

It’s my blogaversary! I started this blog 6 years ago today on March 19th, 2015!! It all started with this post – The Story of the Nightmare Legion. It’s been a fun journey.

I started this blog to share my minis and to share stuff that I learned after an extended absence from the hobby. I wanted to help with lessons learned and the like. Since then it’s been a blast, and I really appreciate all of you who read and follow this little blog of mine! I certainly have been inspired by yours.

This current post was one with which I struggled as far as deciding on whether or not to do write it as it involves making stuff to make my games easier for the players and for me as a GM. In the end, I was encouraged to give it a go (thanks IRO and TIM!). So, this post will be more of a how to (and a throwback to some of my earlier projects) in terms of stuff I have conceived of, designed, and built for my Feudal Patrol™ games using my supplement Civilizations Collide. After reading this, you might have some new ideas, you might know about some new materials, or you might just think that I am nuts. After all, the stuff I will show took 3+weeks to make.

Now, before I go any further, I want to emphasize that I did not need to do any of these projects to play Feudal Patrol™. Period. I did because they suited my personal needs and – well – I get thoughts of stuff in my head that need realization.

Buck’s Feudal Patrol rules have more than adequate tools and game aids. They are fantastic. My goals here were for myself so that I can make my games easier for me mainly. Also, with 216 available figures for a game of Civilizations Collide, I needed some tools if I am going to provide CHOICE and AGENCY to my players.

To accomplish this, I have broken down my efforts into “challenges” with some supporting pics and links for the materials and tools. I hope that you find them interesting as they are really how I built “stuff” for my games.

The Under-Base Label Challenge

Challenge: The Conquistadores arrived in Mesoamerica in the early 16^th Century and there had been many different Mesoamerican civilizations for centuries prior to that. “Uniforms” in this era were anything but uniform. In the game, Warbands and Elements within Warbands are composed of figures that are attired, armored, and armed differently. In terms of both figure identification and using the points system to build Elements and Warbands, this poses a challenge, especially with my 216 available figures. Having thought of this from the beginning of this project, I had kept an identification Excel spreadsheet for all 216 figures throughout the project – which helped immeasurably with having identification data for each figure. I did take many pictures and also wrote (somewhat illegibly as is my curse) on the bottoms of the figures’ bases with a Sharpie. However, I needed a clear and legible solution for the tabletop.

Goal: Make all figures easily and individually identifiable. Ideally, have a system that identifies each figure and the points cost for each under the 1” and 1.25″ steel washer bases.

Solution: Create custom labels for use under the 1” and 1.25″ steel washer bases.

Process: Using PowerPoint, I designed a ¾” round label that has both the figure identification number and the figure point value on it. I cut and pasted additional circles and aligned them on the sheet for future removal. Alignment of the circles and editing them was easy with PowerPoint – and was very helpful in later steps with the paper trimmer. I filled one sheet or slide in PowerPoint full of the circles. At that point all I needed to do was to copy that entire sheet and make a second sheet, and so on. This enabled me to edit each circle on the subsequent sheets for all 216 figures. I inputted the figure numbers and the point values from my master spreadsheet onto the circles. I used a color code for the round labels by type – grey for the Conquistadores, gold for the Aztecs, and red for the Tlaxcalans. I also used a thick point circle on the border of the circles – I used 1.5 but I could have gone thicker. The thicker borders help with aligning them for punching out later. I then printed off the sheets of labels on Avery™ #8165 8.5” x 11” Trueblock® shipping labels that I bought at Staples. I took each sheet and used my Fiskars® SureCut™ Deluxe Paper Trimmer (from Michaels) to cut thin strips holding multiple labels. This made punching out the labels easier. I used my 5/8” punch from Michaels (Lever Punch, Circle by Recollections™), punch out the labels. Even though the punch was 5/8” versus the 3/4” circle – they aligned better – as the thick point border helped me to position the strip. The punch has a clear underside so you can see if you are aligned or not. I affixed the labels to the underside of each base of each of the 216 figures. I store and transport my figures in 11-liter Really Useful Boxes (which I bought from Staples but this UK company has their own website too in the US) lined with Aleene’s® Magnetic Tacky Sheets™ (which Michaels sometimes carries too). The labels did not impede the magnetic attraction that I needed because they were smaller in diameter than the 1” bases – and were centered on the washers – leaving enough steel available to get a “bite”.

End result: Every figure now has a printed label with its ID number and point value printed on it underneath as you see below.

Printed off labels shown here in front of my PowerPoint design. Note the hole punch – trimming these with the Fiskars trimmer made punching them a breeze. (As if punching 216 labels could ever be considered a breeze!)

Example of the under-label of a Conquistador Sword & Buckler Man figure.

The Really Useful Box Organization Challenge

Challenge: I can store and transport each of the figures in my Really Useful Boxes, but setting up a game and gathering figures from 216 figures for a warband can be too time-consuming if one has to look at each figure’s undersides! I needed to make my Really Useful Boxes even more useful.

Goal: Make my Really Useful Boxes more organized and more functional such that each figure has an easily identifiable slot for selection and also to speed pick up after a game.

Solution: Design and build a system within each Really Useful Box that facilitates easy figure identification for both gathering figures for a game and picking them up after a game while preserving any benefits for storage and transport.

Process: Each 11-liter Really Useful Box is about 12” x 14.5”. I could have gone through endless iterations of how to organize the figures so that they would fit, and never be 100% sure my set up would work in reality. I came up with an idea that I think worked. Here again I went to PowerPoint. Most of my figures are on 1” bases, but a few are on 1.25” bases. I decided that I would make 3/8” labeling strips in layers upon which I could affix the figure identification numbers. I wanted each figure to have 1/8” clearance on both sides, so each row would be 1.5”. To verify how this would work, I made shapes in PowerPoint at 50% scale such that they fit on the screen. The shapes included how much space I would need for each type of figure. This really worked – and is a process that I will use again. You can see below my rough plan. Once I had my rough design, employing my Fiskars® SureCut™ Deluxe Paper Trimmer I cut strips of card stock and affixed them to the magnetically-lines Really Useful Boxes with small balls of poster tack. Then I made a second set of card stock strips to go on top of the first sets, affixing them with poster tack. Lastly, I just printed off my Excel spreadsheet pages onto card stock with the figure identification numbers on them, trimmed them up, and affixing them to the now-raised card stock “line” with poster tack. For the Conquistador cavalry, I made little corrals as they were in need of a bit more support. I then put all of the figures into the boxes as you see below – I ended up needing 4 boxes.

End result: Every figure has a labeled slot as you see below.

Really Useful Boxes ***before*** modifying them.

Using PowerPoint as a CAD program, I designed the reorganization. Before any cutting!

Conquistador Box 1 finished – note the cavalry corral.

The Movement Tray Challenge

Challenge: I needed a safer way to transport figures to and from the tabletop.

Goal: Design and make a couple of magnetically-lined movement trays.

Process: This was pretty simple. I just used some old 1/8” thick balsa wood under two Aleene’s® Magnetic Tacky Sheets™ and reinforced the glue with wood glue. After being weighted down, the sheets were firmly attached.

End result: Success – I have two movement boards!

Magnetic Movement tray with some Conquistador Sword & Buckler Men

Magnetic Movement Tray with some Aztec Cuachicqueh

The “Menu” Challenge

Challenge: Many of my games will be virtual, and some will be at convention games. I needed a simple way to convey two key concepts. First, I needed to present to the players the options that they had available with regards to figures’ stats and cost. Secondly, I needed to help them organize their troops – especially as Aztecs and Tlaxcalans have special organizations. In my games they are bigger and can have novice warriors attached. Normally, an Element in Feudal Patrol™ is 4-5 figures plus a leader figure. A Warband consists of 2-4 Elements plus a Warband Leader. To reflect how the Aztecs waged war, their Elements are bigger – adding up to 5 novice warriors to each Element (if they pay the point costs of course). This is useful as the novices can be assigned to drag away any incapacitated enemy for either sacrifice or slavery – which is historically in line with what they actually did do. Killing an enemy was regarded as “clumsy”. Additionally, each Mesoamerican Warband can have a Warrior Priest, who can both fight and help with Aztec or Tlaxcalan Morale results during a battle. At this point, my players could look at the figures in the boxes, but not have any information save the figure number, what he’s carrying and wearing, and the point value (if you pick one up to see the label). Certainly, this would not be efficient.

Goal: Design and make a simple way (a “menu” system) for players to make informed choices for both virtual and in-person games.

Process: What I did here was to go back to my Excel spreadsheet and size up the data to fit on a dashboard (more on that in a bit). Then I adapted Buck Surdu’s excellent data cards to fit on a single strip in Excel that would fit approximately 8” wide and 3/8” high. These I would make for each of my 216 figures – plus 4 additional to represent having the Army leader (Cortes or Pizarro) as a mounted versus dismounted choice for the Conquistadores. Each section of the Word document (basically a “menu” of figure choices) was organized as you see below. I then cut and pasted the strips from Excel into Word as pictures (paste special). I then added some brief information about the figures, as well as a picture of each of the 216 to help further identify the players’ options. Lastly, I created worksheets at the end of each “menu” to help the players build their forces. To do this, I went back to PowerPoint, and created the shapes that I wanted for the worksheets. I saved each individual slide as a JPEG (make sure you choose “Just This One” when it asks, and then edited the JPEG size. If it did not work, I just went back to the PowerPoint, resized, resaved as a JPEG, and repasted in Word. You can see the results below.

End result: I have three good menus that I can email or hand out to players at the beginning of a game and they will speed up the time for players to make their troop choices. As a side note, I prefer that players get to make choices in games!

Screen shot from Aztec Menu showing worksheets

The Dashboard and Stat Strip Challenge

Challenge: The players need a quick and easy reference system that designates their troops’ stats, and one that does not take up a lot of space.

Goal: Design and build a system of sufficient dashboards and supporting elements of appropriate ease and flexibility such that the players can play easier and faster and have more fun.

Process: I do like gaming systems and setups that are flexible – that is giving players adequate AGENCY. As you have read, the menus allow the players to make their choices, but to have them write down all data at the game’s beginning could be a bit of a pain. Plus, there can be a variety of differnt types of figures in some Elements. My solution was to build on what I already had been developing. I designed a dashboard in Excel that would accommodate being printed off on card stock and placed in a 5.5” x 8.5” sheet protector such as this one from Staples. And remember the stat lines from the menus? I used them to fit on the dashboards. How you say? Well first, I special-ordered steel base material in sizes of 5.5” x 8.5” from Wargames Accessories. The steel sheets do have some rough edges – which I covered with scrap pieces from the Avery shipping labels with no problems. These steel sheets fit inside the sheet protectors and under the dashboards – and I made 31 of these. Then I cut and pasted each individual stat lines into Word as pictures. Then I printed off each of these 216 + 4 stat lines (220 in total) onto strips of card stock and trimmed them with the paper trimmer to fit on the dashboards. To affix them to the dashboards, I needed magnetic strips – 220 of them. I found a really nice source on Amazon of 8.5” x 11” sheets made by Craftopia called Adhesive Magnetic Sheets that are the best that I have found. Again, my paper trimmer helped here to trim the magnetic strips to ¼” size width (fitting nicely under the 3/8” wide stat strips). I did need to replace my Fiskars blade once and augment that effort with scissors. Each of the 220 strips could be now be added to the dashboards, but how to organize and store these! My answer would come from Wal-Mart. Cookie sheets! I found inexpensive cookie sheets (see photo below) for $1.50 each that stack together. I organized the strips as you see below and added troop categories – basically mirroring the menus.

End result: I have a pretty decent system now for organizing a game. I have every figure’s stat line on a removable magnetically-backed card on 10 stackable cookie sheets. These stat lines fit perfectly on sheet protector-encased steel dashboards.

A dashboard with a stat strip flipped over to show the magnet underneath

Example of an Elite Cuahchic Dashboard – as Elites they would not have novices attached but if this was a Veteran Dashboard there would be sufficient room for the novices’ stat strips

My solution for organizing my stat strips!

My 10 cookie sheets with stat strips, as well as the dashboards and other aids discussed here.

Closer shot of the cookie sheets with the labels on them mirroring the menus

The cookie sheets stack nicely for transport

The Tabletop ID Challenge

Challenge: Using the dashboards is useful, but telling which figure is which on the tabletop can be a challenge, especially virtually. As with the previous challenges, the figure’s lack of uniformity poses a gaming identification challenge.

Goal: Design and create a system that would allow for easy identification of the figures but would not overly detract from the aesthetic of the game.

Process: I thought that as I used steel washers under my figures, my best option was to try something else in the realm of magnets. But what? I used some refrigerator magnets as prototypes of “under-magnets”, developed the concept, and then used PowerPoint to refine it. However, the concept of cutting out a few hundred magnets by hand was not appealing to me – plus I saw that they would look rough on the edges. I contacted Fridgedoor in Quincy, MA and worked with them to make me the magnets. There did not need to be any fancy printing on the bottom (non-magnetic) side as I knew that would be too tough and expensive. I had them make 20 mil thick sheets with each sheet having 11 of the under-magnets that could be easily popped out. One side (facing the figure) would be magnetic and the other printed black. The square jutting out on the magnetic side would be where I would affix labels for the figures. I used PowerPoint to make sets of differently colored and designed labels for the figures’ little jutting square. For the Elements, I made L, 1-10, and X (L for the Leader, 1-10 for the figure in the Element, and X for the baggie I would store them in). Then I printed them off, trimmed them, and affixed them. I ended up with 34 sets bags of under-magnets in individual little zip lock with ID numbers. This was made up of 33 sets of 11 and 1 set of 24 (different for Warband Leaders, Army Leaders, and Warrior Priests) for a grand total of 387 total under-magnets. I stored these in a small Really Useful Box, which in turn goes into another Really Useful Box for the game (see below).

End result: I have now a soup-to-nuts system for setting up and running my game more efficiently for both virtual and in-person games that is useful and easily transported.

My under-magnet design. Not rocket science!

How the under-magnets will be used. Here, a Tlaxcalan figure has a Leader under-magnet. The rest of the set is above him, including the “X” marked baggie. Multiple color schemes were used.

Here you can see a group of Conquistadores and some Aztec Cuachicqueh engaging in battle – the under-magnets show who is who easily.

I hope that you enjoyed this blog (and all the other ones for the last 6 years!). Just for kicks, please take a look at my very first post, The Story of the Nightmare Legion. Here’s hoping I keep doing more and reading and more of yours as well – and let me know if any of my somewhat insane stuff inspires you or if I need to be medicated – just asking!

And here’s a pic for IRO who asked for a T-shirt shot in March. Not ready for selfies I guess.

I’ll be announcing my next free giveaway contest soon – this time I’ve got some terrain to do and if you guess closest you can win stuff FREE from me. Just like in the last contest!

Don’t forget to let share your thoughts in the comments 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”

Game Aids and Tools for Feudal Patrol games using the Civilizations Collide Supplement (this post)
And the Winners of “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” are…
Conquistador Cavalry. 24 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CON5 “Conquistador Cavalry in light armour 1” (4 horses & 4 riders); Outpost Wargame Services #CON6 “Conquistador Cavalry in full armour” (4 horses & 4 riders); Eureka Miniatures “Moving Horses” #100ANM05 (8 horses used as casualty markers).
Conquistador Falconet and Crew (Artillery). 3 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CONA1 “Falconet and Crew”.
More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men. 8 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men”.
Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 230 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 89 Spanish Conquistadores

Next up – buildings!

And the winners of “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” are…

Don’t you love suspense? Well, I have just a tiny bit here for you all!

I started “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” – for my loyal blog followers back on December 15, 2020. It’s purpose was threefold: one, to give myself a challenge to finish off my last 89 figures (all Conquistadores) for my for Civilizations Collide scenarios for games of Feudal Patrol^TM ; two, to offer a prize of miniatures to worthy homes that could use them; and three, to have a fun journey along the way with my followers.

The entire project began nearly a year ago in April of 2020. I had spent the month of March 2020 and part of April 2020 doing my research, for the supplement and looking at sources for appropriate miniatures for the Aztecs, the Tlaxcalans, and the Conquistadores. I finished off 230 miniatures in total for the project.

I managed, with YOUR inspiration, to finish everything on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2021. This meant that I got the 89 done in 61 days – including all those holidays! That’s an average of 1.459 per day (according to my spreadsheet that all of you are completely unsurprised that I used).

Now finished – all of the Conquistadores together.

As for the contest – the three prizes were as follows (in no particular order):

The rules were as follows:

Rules of Mark’s Conquistador Contest:

TO ENTER AND TO WIN:

You must be an email or WordPress follower of my blog.
You must pick a date (day, month, and year) that I will finish the Conquistador miniatures shown here in this post. Finishing means, to me, that I am ready for the figures to be shown on my blog and used in a game. That is my call!
You must let me know that you want in on the contest by midnight EST (US East Coast time) on January 2^nd, 2021. You do this by posting a comment that “you are in” here on this blog post in the comments section with the date information requested above in (2).
Only one entry allowed per follower except as described in (5) below.
If you get another person to follow my blog, you can earn another entry! For each new follower that credits you as a referrer, you can get another entry. All that person needs to do is comment on this post as in (3) above stating that he or she is “in” and who the referrer is. The referrer can then reply to that comment with an additional entry date.
Winners will be whoever is closest to the date I announce as the “completion date”. That can be earlier or later – for example picking a date that is one day before is as good as if it’s one day after. As there are multiple prizes, 1^st place gets first choice, then 2^nd, then third. If two people pick the same date, ties will be broken by who submitted the date first. I reserve the right to add more prizes!
I also reserve the right to be the final judge on the contest – somebody’s gotta do that. When I finish, I will announce the winners.

It’s been fun along the way – as people (Buck and Roger mostly) were telling me to SLOW DOWN. But, I kept on, hoping to get them done as well and as quickly as I could (sorry Buck and Roger!).

So here are the results – please join me in congratulating:

1st Place: Pete from SP’s Project Blog – nailed the date on the nose!

2nd Place: Mike from despartaferres/redcaer1690 – got second by the tiebreaker rule as he picked 6 days early but picked earlier than the third place winner who is.

3rd place: Leif (an email follower and fellow member of the my club The Mass Pikemen) who also picked 6 days away from 2/14 (but picked 9 days later than Mike did.

Congrats to the winners! Pete gets first choice, then Mike, and Leif gets what’s left. Just confirm in the comments section which one you want, and then email me your shipping information to MarkAMorin@aol.com (I’m sure that will work fine).

I will, as I intimated earlier, be doing this again (if there is interest) for all the terrain I have to do for the project. I’m hoping to have more prizes to give away (and maybe even better ones) but I need to get some game-specific stuff done in terms of game aids and the like first. I will NOT begin painting terrain before the next contest – which will begin, as this one did, with a blog post.

Thanks to ALL of you (even Roger😆) for playing and to ALL of you, more importantly, thank you for your encouragement and support!!! It really helped me and inspired me.

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”

And the Winners of “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” are…(this post).
Conquistador Cavalry. 24 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CON5 “Conquistador Cavalry in light armour 1” (4 horses & 4 riders); Outpost Wargame Services #CON6 “Conquistador Cavalry in full armour” (4 horses & 4 riders); Eureka Miniatures “Moving Horses” #100ANM05 (8 horses used as casualty markers).
Conquistador Falconet and Crew (Artillery). 3 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CONA1 “Falconet and Crew”.
More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men. 8 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men”.
Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 230 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 89 Spanish Conquistadores (ZERO more to go in Mark’s Conquistador Contest!)

Woo hoo!

Conquistador Cavalry

I started painting figures for my for Civilizations Collide scenarios for games of Feudal Patrol^TM nearly a year ago in April of 2020. I had spent the month of March 2020 and part of April 2020 doing my research, for the supplement and looking at sources for appropriate miniatures. I decided to initially build forces Aztecs, Tlaxcalans, and Conquistadores. The last group I worked on were the Conquistadores – and I am ending with cavalry. As I shared on my last post, Hernan Cortes made exceptionally effective use of his cavalry during the conquest of New Spain. The best example is at the Battle of Otumba, where Cortes used his cavalry to save his entire force against overwhelming odds.

After having been initially driven from Tenochtitlan, Cortes and his Tlaxcalan allies had lost half of their number. They were being pursued by a massive Aztec army, trying to escape to the safety of Tlaxcalan territory. These outraged Aztecs were hell-bent on capturing every one of them for ritual sacrifice. At Otumba, Cortes was surrounded on two sides and was vastly outnumbered, and his men were exhausted. Opportunity presented itself. Cortes saw that the Aztecs’ formations were being controlled by highly costumed priests and leaders with drums, horns, and large banners. He personally led a mounted attack with five cavalry.

Yes just five, including himself.

This attack went directly at the Aztec leaders. They killed them, and the Aztec attack fell completely apart. Cortes lived to escape, regroup, and eventually return to defeat the Aztecs. Were it not for the “shock and awe” effect of a relatively small cavalry attack, history would have been greatly different.

Therefore, to be representative historically, I needed to find some cavalry for my forces. I did find two groups of 28mm metal ones – 4 cavalry (eight riders and eight horses) from Outpost Wargame Services (via Badger Games). These were #CON5 “Conquistador Cavalry in Light Armor 1” and #CON6 “Conquistador Cavalry in Full Armor”. In reality, even the first group were pretty well-armored. I also decided that I wanted to have some dead horses as markers – and to this end I procured eight horses from Eureka Miniatures #100ANM05 and removed them from their bases, and painted them as wounded/incapacitated horses, replete with battle damage. All together, this made for 24 figures for this post (yes, I count horses as figures though they marry up with riders!).

I decided a couple of things with regards to the painting of the group. First, my horses would all be different shades and colors (greys and browns). Secondly, I decided that that the wounded horses should match the colors of the unwounded ones. I had not painted any horses for decades. I did use my regular Iwata Eclipse and Neo airbrushes to prime and base coat them, and I used my Iwata Micron airbrush to do the faces and eyes. After that it was all brushwork (except for final varnishing). I experimented with different color combinations – and it actually helped to try out these combinations on the dead horses first as trials!

I also painted the shields first and gave each of the riders different shields. The riders themselves could be assembled with different arms. They could get a sword or an empty arm for a lance – but the lances were not included. Luckily, I had some 100mm from North Star Miniatures to cut down for lances. Each of the four would get two swordsmen and two lancers. For bases, I had some 25 x 70mm Secret Weapon Desert Mesa and Desert Wasteland that were designed for motorcycles. I found that by flocking over the bases (and hiding some tire tracks) that these were perfectly-sized for my cavalry. I added some 3/4″ steel washers underneath the bases to help with their storage in my magnetically-lined Really Useful Boxes.

These cavalrymen will be very expensive relative to other figures – and for good reason.

I had a few WIP shots that I can share below – then the final cavalry pics will follow afterwards.

I had these pics as guides over my painting desk.

My rig for painting the riders. Doubtless, it was painful for the riders…

My progressive work on the “dead horse” markers.

All the horses ready for riders and final flocking.

The first group is the ones in “light armor”. I numbered them CVLA1 to CVLA4.

CVLA1

I added some extra dust to the horse’s legs. I like the lance!

CVLA2

This cavalryman has a sword – and his horse is a different shade (well, they all are).

CVLA3

CVLA4

Group Shot

Charge! Here you can see they all have adarga shields (kidney shaped).

The second group includes the ones in “heavy armor”. I numbered them CVFA1 to CVFA4.

CVFA1

Lots more armor here. Also I like the horse color!

CVFA2

CVFA3

CVFA4

The most expensive Conquistador figure – a fully armored lancer.

Group Shot

Here is a good angle to see the different shades of brown I used.

These are the LAST figures in “Mark’s Conquistador Conquest”. This makes 230 figures – of which 89 were Conquistadores (painted since 12/14/2020) – which was the contest I ran. I will make a final contest post– and announce the winners in the next couple of days. All I will say is that these were completed before February 21, 2021. BUT, when I share the results I will also be announcing a similar second contest for you – my followers! Potentially free stuff for YOU!

And finally, all planned figures are DONE!

This group of cavalry count as my last entry into Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”. In honor of the project, I will share the most famous song about Conquistadores – from Procul Harem in 1967 (and yes I remember it – though I was indeed quite young – though I heard it often in the 1970’s too). Here are the lyrics from the song (authors are Gary Brooker and Keith Reid) and a YouTube link:

Conquistador your stallion stands in need of company
And like some angel’s haloed brow
You reek of purity

I see your armor plated breast
Has long since lost its sheen
And in your death masked face
There are no signs which can be seen

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador a vulture sits, upon your silver sheath
And in your rusty scabbard now, the sand has taken seed
And though your jewel-encrusted blade
Has not been plundered still
The sea has washed across your face
And taken of its fill

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador there is no time, I must pay my respect
And though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
And as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
And though you came with sword held high
You did not conquer, only die

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Gary Brooker / Keith Reid

Conquistador lyrics © T.R.O. Inc.

Total figures completed to date for this project: 230 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 89 Spanish Conquistadores (ZERO more to go in Mark’s Conquistador Contest!)

Stay tuned…I will have more on the game in terms of terrain and game aids. Please let me know your thoughts about this post!

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 Cavalry (this post). 24 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CON5 “Conquistador Cavalry in light armour 1” (4 horses & 4 riders); Outpost Wargame Services #CON6 “Conquistador Cavalry in full armour” (4 horses & 4 riders); Eureka Miniatures “Moving Horses” #100ANM05 (8 horses used as casualty markers).
Conquistador Falconet and Crew (Artillery). 3 figures total: Outpost Wargame Services #CONA1 “Falconet and Crew”.
More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men. 8 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men”.
Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 230 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 89 Spanish Conquistadores (ZERO 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
1.25″ Everbilt Fender Washers
3/4″ steel washers
Secret Weapon 25mm x 70mm “Desert Mesa” beveled bases
Secret Weapon 25mm x 70mm “Desert Wasteland” beveled bases
Poster tack
Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Reaper MSP “Black Liner”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
Vallejo “Satin Varnish”
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
Vallejo Model Air “Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “First Light”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Vallejo Game Air “Wolf Grey”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Sand Yellow”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Brown”
Citadel “Balor Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Citadel Air “Evil Sunz Scarlet”
Army Painter “Red Tone” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Vallejo Game Air “Dead White”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Vallejo “Thinner Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Aggaros Dunes”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Akhelian Green”
Battlefront “GI Green”
Battlefront “Sicily Yellow”
Battlefront “Dark Leather”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Vallejo Model Color “Brown Rose”
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Army Painter “Light Tone” (shade)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade)
Reaper MSP “Brown Liner”
Reaper MSP “Grey Liner”
Battlefront “Sicily Yellow”
Vallejo Model Color “English Uniform”
Vallejo Model Color “Neutral Grey”
Vallejo Model Color “Light Brown”
Citadel “XV-88”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
E6000 Epoxy
Army Painter “Strong Tone” (shade)
Hataka “Terre d’ombre”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Volupus Pink”
Citadel “Blood for the Blood God”
Citadel “Bloodletter” (glaze)
Army Painter “Blue Tone” (shade)
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (shade)
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Space Wolves Grey”
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gryph-Charger Grey”
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)

Conquistador Falconet and Crew (Artillery)

Hernan Cortes had a number of relative technological advantages during the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs in the 16th Century. One of these was the availability and use of weapons such as arquebuses and early artillery against a foe that had never seen steel let alone gunpowder. Cortes initially was to be given a charter by the Governor of Cuba (Velazquez) in 1518 to explore and gain territory in Mexico for colonization by the Spanish.

However, Velazquez distrusted Cortes and was in the process of revoking his charter – but before he could – Cortes absconded from Cuba with 500-600 troops, as well as 15 cavalry and 15 cannons in February of 1519. He initially went to the Yucatan and encountered the Maya. He fought them, won a battle, claimed the Yucatan for Spain, gained strategic intelligence, as well as was given several native women by the Maya. These included a key translator La Malinche, who would make a major impact on the history of Mexico (and later also bear him a son Martin). Cortes had heard from the Maya of the reputed wealth (especially in terms of gold) of the Aztecs. He reembarked and sailed north to land and found the first Spanish town in Mexico in May of 1519 – Veracruz.

At this point, Cortes then found himself facing a small insurrection among his Spanish troops who had loyalties to Governor Velazquez – and not to Cortes. He discovered the plot, and in response, he executed a couple of the ringleaders, and had a few of the others whipped or mutilated. Then, to make sure his men would have no further option of rebellion, he either scuttled or burned his ships (sources disagree on which happened). They unloaded everything at Veracruz, to include several types of cannon. One of the types commonly used at the time was a small cannon called a falconet. It was useful for clearing boarders from the decks of a ship. Think of it as a big shotgun or a swivel gun. As ammunition, it could use solid shot or langridge. Langridge is described by Wikipedia as “bags of any junk such as scrap metal, bolts, rocks, gravel, old musket balls, etc. fired to injure enemy crews”. Spanish sailors would have been the crews in the use of these pieces.

Moving these pieces inland would have been a challenge. As Cortes made his march towards the Aztec cities, his horses were saved for use as cavalry (a good decision given how effective his few cavalry would prove to be). Anything else was man-packed by native allies. The falconets had been ship-mounted, so therefore were the smallest and easiest to move on hastily-built carriages. Other cannon, such as culverins, were too big to easily move like this. Based on this, and the Osprey images I have seen, I decided to field one small falconet for my Conquistador forces.

The one metal 28mm kit I found was, like the Sword and Buckler Men from my last post, from Outpost Wargame Services via Badger Games. The SKU is #CONA1 “Falconet and Crew”, and consisted of two crewmen and the gun on a carriage. I did a few WIP shots which I’ll share – and then some close ups of the finished crew. Then I’ll list (as usual) my reference section.

The kit unassembled. I needed to use a slightly bigger (1.25″) steel washer for the gun. I also used some old Armory and Polly S glass paint bottles as painting mounts.

I also changed my painting order a bit in that I mostly finished off the base before I mounted the falconet to it (shown here painted but not weathered yet).

WIP shot of the figure with the long match to light the fuse. I tried to model and paint the crew as a sailors. This is before varnish and flocking the base – and adding a special wisp…

WIP if the second figure with the ramrod.

The falconet mounted and painted but before weathering and base completion.

At this point, I thought I needed to add a marker to designate that the gun had fired on the tabletop.

I decided to use the protective cap off of a CVS tooth flosser – ones I use to help clean my airbrush. Sizing and shaping it became a bit of a challenge.

I then added pillow batting strips – to my fingers and to the plastic! There will be more shots to follow later showing it painted. It also motivated me to do the same for my arquebus armed troops (smaller versions of course).

I designated the crew as CFA1 and CFA2, and the gun as FA. I will be formalizing the rules for its use in my Civilizations Collide scenarios for games of Feudal Patrol^TM – I will be slightly modifying the rules written by Duncan Adams for the Combat Patrol^TM supplement he wrote called Horse and Musket. It will be slow to reload but could be a very useful weapon against a massed Aztec charge.

Here are some shots I hope that you enjoy – click on any for a larger view.

CFA1

I also decided that his match needed some smoke – with some painted pillow batting.

CFA2

FA

Crew Shots

BOOM! The marker looked much better painted!

I then made some markers for my arquebusiers.

This crew and gun also count as yet another entry into Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”. Next up will be the cavalry and dead horse markers – and that’s it for my Conquistadores. As previously posted, if and when I’m able to (or if I did already ) finish my personal challenge contest, I’m going to announce the winners. I will possibly run a similar guessing challenge to “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” for the terrain that I have – and yes, if I do, I’ll be giving away prizes. But this is DEFINITELY GETTING CLOSE TO THE END!

Interested? Stay tuned…let me know your thoughts about this post!

Total figures completed to date for this project: 206 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 65 Spanish Conquistadores (just 24 more to go in Mark’s Conquistador Contest!)

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 Falconet and Crew (Artillery) (this post). 3 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CONA1 “Falconet and Crew”.
More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men. 8 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men”.
Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 206 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 65 Spanish Conquistadores (24 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″ and 1/8″ x 1.25″ Everbilt Fender Washers
Poster tack
Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Cygor Brown”
Battlefront “Sicily Yellow”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Secret Weapon Washes “Armor Wash” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Wood”
Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (shade)
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Vallejo “Thinner Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Space Wolves Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Creed Camo”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Iyanden Yellow”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Vallejo Model Air “Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “Armor Brown”
Vallejo Game Air “Wolf Grey”
Battlefront “Worn Canvas”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Vallejo Model Color “Brown Rose”
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Army Painter “Red Tone” (shade)
Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gryph-Charger Grey”
Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
Vallejo Model Color “Neutral Grey”
Battlefront “Dark Leather”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
E6000 Epoxy
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)

More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Outpost Wargame Services)

Wait you say – Mark, did you not just finish a group of Sword and Buckler Men (SABM) on your last post? Yes, but those eighteen were from Wargames Foundry, and the eight that this post will describe are from Outpost Wargame Services (via Badger Games). These would round out my SABM for Civilizations Collide scenarios for games of Feudal Patrol^TM . AND these are part of “Mark’s Conquistador Conquest” – so I know some of you are entered and wondering how that is going. All I’ll say is that it’s going well.

Back to the figures, they are metal, 28mm, and came in eight different poses. Six of the one-handed sword-armed figures needed assembly with sword arms and shields, and two had two-handed broadswords (they will of course get no shields but will have a more deadly blade). These figures came with eight shields as well – but these included shields were far too large to be considered “bucklers“. Therefore I replaced them with six better-sized Wargames Foundry shields. The figures are certainly “chunkier” and not at the quality of the previously-completed SABM that were Mark Copplestone sculpts. Still, this group of eight will bring my available SABM figures to 26. Additionally, this brings my project total to over 200 figures.

As I am stretching to finish the project and the blog posts about it, I did not do many WIP shots – and I did basically follow the same processes that I have done previously. Some of the figures here (and some future ones) were amenable to some amount of batch-painting, which has been helpful. I also do want to keep folks a bit in the dark on the contest’s progress until I can declare the winners officially. I MUST give another nod to Steven Thomas’ blog post on Conquistador painting – it and Osprey books were of great value – thanks to all the authors.

As a reminder, I started off with these like this:

The OWS SKU CON001 assembled (less shields which I mounted later) and mounted on poster tack on specimen jars for painting.

And my only WIP shot was this one:

Here you see this figure (CSW23 seen below as well) before I applied varnish, mounted the shield, and finished the figure.

So let’s get to it! Continuing on my previous numbering system, these figures are numbered CSW19 to CSW26. Click on any of the images for a bigger view.

CSW19

This Sword & Buckler man has a round bucker (rodela) from my excess Wargames Foundry shields. He has adopted the ichcahuipilli braided cotton armor favored by the Aztecs and Tlaxcalans.

CSW20

This was one of the two figures in the SKU armed with a broadsword. He can do more damage, and has decent plate armor protection.

CSW21

Another SABM with a WF rodela shield and decent mail armor. He has adopted Aztec sandals over his socks – not a great fashion look IMO – and these are wearing out like his clothes are overall. He has a scurvy dog look!

CSW22

This SABM has good plate armor and a WF rodela.

CSW23

This SABM has also adopted the braided cotton armor of the Aztecs, and carries a WF adarga (kidney shaped shield).

CSW24

Here is another SABM with braided cotton armor and socks and sandals. He has a steel WF rodela.

CSW25

The second figure armed with a broadsword wears sandals and (thankfully) no socks. His mail armor should provide him good protection even without a shield.

CSW26

The last of the group, with sandals, braided-cotton armor and an adarga.

Group Shot

I thought a quick comparison with the Wargames Foundry figures would be helpful – see below:

Comparison of similar Outpost Wargame Services and the Wargames Foundry SABM figures.

A couple more points – this group of eight also counts as yet another entry into Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”. Next up will be a falconet and crew, and then I’ll share the cavalry and dead horse markers. If and when I’m able to (or if I did already 😉) finish my personal challenge contest , I’m going to announce the winners. Then, if I do finish before the end of February I will try to take a one-figure break to complete a female figure for Alex’s Fembruary painting challenge. Then possibly I might run a similar guessing challenge to “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” for the terrain that I have – and yes, if I do, I’ll be giving away prizes. Interested? Stay tuned…let me know your thoughts about this post!

Total figures completed to date for this project: 203 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 62 Spanish Conquistadores (27 more to go in Mark’s Conquistador Contest!)

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”

More Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (this post). 8 figures total Outpost Wargame Services #CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men.
Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 203 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 62 Spanish Conquistadores (27 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 “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Reaper MSP “Black Primer”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
Vallejo “Satin Varnish”
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
Citadel Air “Evil Sunz Scarlet”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Army Painter “Red Tone” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Akhelian Green”
Battlefront “GI Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Magos Purple”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Space Wolves Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Blood Angels Red”
Vallejo Game Ink “Red”
Vallejo Model Air “Brown”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gryph-Charger Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Iyanden Yellow”
Vallejo Game Ink “Blue”
Vallejo Game Ink “Yellow”
P3 “Blazing Ink”
Citadel “Waywatcher Green” (glaze)
Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
Vallejo Model Color “Neutral Grey”
Vallejo Model Air “Silver”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Vallejo Model Color “Brown Rose”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Vallejo “Thinner Medium”
Battlefront “Dark Leather”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Light”
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Secret Weapon Washes “Armor Wash” (wash)
E6000 Epoxy
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)

Conquistador Sword and Buckler Men (Wargames Foundry)

The English term “Sword and Buckler Men” refers to what the Spanish called rodeloros (shield bearers) and espadachines (swordsmen). For those unfamiliar with the term, a buckler is a small shield held by the fist and used mainly to deflect an opponent’s blows (as opposed to mainly protecting against missile weapons). The Conquistadores were professional soldiers and veterans of many wars – and Sword and Buckler Men made up the bulk of their number. It is well-known that the Conquistadores had a major impact during the Age of Discovery/Exploration. They had fought extensively in the Italian Wars (1494-1559) and had the spirit of the men who had driven the Moors from the Iberian peninsula back in 1492 during the Reconquista. The Conquistadores brought their experience and their warfighting characteristics to the New World.

I have incorporated these into my games of Feudal Patrol^TM ) using my supplement for Civilizations Collide. I definitely need the bulk of my Conquistador forces to be made up of Sword and Buckler Men (let’s call them SABM for short). To reflect their elite status and general all-around technological and tactical excellence, they are pretty expensive point-wise versus most Aztecs. This is as it should be – as SABM had better weapons, armor, and experience. The Aztecs had numbers – which the Conquistadores made up with allies like the Tlaxcalans.

For my SABM, I got three blisters of Wargames Foundry 28mm metal SABM from Badger Games. Each had 6 figures, all Mark Copplestone sculpts (who also sculpted the arquebusiers I posted about previously here and here). These are really beautiful sculpts – and I am glad I got them. The three SKU’s were SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”. After I finished my War Dogs, I decided that it would be best to do all of these figures together. They are by the same sculptor, and I wanted to have some differentiation among them. I jumped into painting these 18 SABM on January 12th and finished them on January 28th (and I have 8 more SABM to do from OWS but that’s a future post). I was pretty happy with that pace of production given that I had a few distractions on the way (like snow removal, Board of Health work, auto repair, etc.). I also need to catch up on blog posts I follow – and I will indeed do that too.

For the contest that I am running (“Mark’s Conquistador Conquest”) – in which people could try to pick the date on which I would finish 89 Conquistador figures, this group made up a big chunk. As I am trying to finish sooner than later, I did NOT take many WIP shots. And as I have 18 figures here to share, I am going to just focus on the final products. I’ll also share my regular reference section at the end here (which I do use myself by the way!). This brings my total for the project to 195 figures – 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, and now 54 Spanish Conquistadores (with just 35 more to go). I don’t know when I’ll finish, or who will win the contest, but it’s getting interesting to be sure. This group of 18 also counts as my third entry into Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”.

I’ll cover each of the three blisters below – click on any image for a better view. I did not do an overall group shot as – well – 18’s too many to get in one shot! I numbered these CSW1 to CSW18. I tried to do more freehand on some of the trousers and leggings, varying the colors but staying (hopefully) true to the historical aspects of the period. Maybe you have a favorite – let me know!

SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”

CSW1

CSW2

CSW3

CSW4

CSW5

CSW6

SB015 Group Shot

SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”

CSW7

CSW8

CSW9

CSW10

CSW11

CSW12

SB016 GROUP SHOT

SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”

CSW13

CSW14

CSW15

CSW16

CSW17

CSW18

SB017 GROUP SHOT

Thanks for looking and I hope that you enjoyed this post – always am happy to read your feedback in the comments section.

And now, to end, as is my habit, here is my reference section (so I might remember what the hell I have done on nearly 200 figures!):

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 Sword and Buckler Men (this post). 18 figures total in three blister packs: Wargames Foundry #SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen”, #SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men”, and #SB017 “Bold Bladesmen”.
Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 195 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 54 Spanish Conquistadores (35 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 “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Testors “Universal Acrylic Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Reaper MSP “Black Primer”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Dark Steel”
Vallejo “Satin Varnish”
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel Air “Evil Sunz Scarlet”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Army Painter “Red Tone” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gryph-Charger Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Akhelian Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Magos Purple”
Citadel “XV-88”
Vallejo “Thinner Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Dark Angels Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Blood Angels Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Battlefront “Sicily Yellow”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Vallejo Game Ink “Yellow”
Battlefront “Dark Leather”
Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
Tamiya “Orange X-6”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Talassar Blue”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Militarum Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Nazdreg Yellow”
Vallejo Model Air “Silver”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
P3 “Blazing Ink”
Vallejo Game Ink “Black Green”
Battlefront “GI Green”
Secret Weapon Washes “Yellow Snow” (wash)
Battlefront “Chocolate Brown”
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Light”
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Citadel “Coelia Greenshade” (wash)
Army Painter “Light Tone” (shade)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (wash)
Citadel “Druchi Violet” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “First Light”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Secret Weapon Washes “Armor Wash” (wash)
E6000 Epoxy
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)

Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs)

Dogs have been used in warfare for centuries. The Conquistadores used perro de guerra (war dogs) extensively in the Americas. They proved to be dreadfully effective weapons against Aztec and Inca troops. The Aztecs had only ever seen little Chihuahuas that they used primarily used for food.

By contrast, the Spanish had huge mastiffs, molossus dogs, deer hounds, and greyhounds. Many of these dogs were absolute behemoths – up to 250 pounds and three foot high at the shoulder. They were bred for war, and often wore armor with spikes and even spiked collars, and were more than capable of disemboweling an enemy with fangs alone. Here is an excellent post on these war dogs that does a nice job of summarizing the history of their employment in battle by the Spanish – I think it’s worth a look.

In addition to the horrific physical damage that they could do to opposing human beings, these war dogs caused opposing forces great psychological damage – to include inducing panic. The war dogs were new to Mesoamerica and quite deadly. In my supplement for Civilizations Collide (for games of Feudal Patrol^TM ), the war dogs can both augment the attack of their owners and cause panic among their foes. Also, they can defend a fallen master against being dragged away for ritual Aztec sacrifice. To sum it up, they were viciously effective historically and can add quite an interesting element to a game.

A few years ago I remember playing one of the previous versions of the Sid Meier’s computer game Civilization – and the Spanish had Conquistadores as special units. It always struck me as interesting that the Conquistadores had war dogs with them as part of the animated unit icon in the game. When I began this project, I knew I’d have to find some 28mm war dog figures. I did find two sources for them: Outpost Wargames Services CONS6 “Wardogs” (available in the US from Badger Games) and Eureka Miniatures #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (available in the US from Eureka US). The OWS SKU has 8 armored war dogs in two poses. The Eureka SKU has a dog handler armed with a pike and 4 different (and mostly smaller war dogs. Unlike what I wrote in my previous post, here I found the Eureka figures to be the better sculpts. But both are fine – we are talking about dogs. But BIG dogs. As far as basing, I needed to use a 1.25″ washer with some plastic card to cover the hole for four of the OWS and one of the Eureka models.

The eight OWS figures mounted for painting.

The dog handler and the four Eureka war dog figures. I don’t have a role for a dog handler in the game, but he’ll do fine being armed with a pike – and a stick (for the dogs I guess).

So then the issue was how to paint them. I looked at Osprey books, and on-line research on the different kind of dogs that were used. The picture below shows how I chose to proceed – more or less.

Clockwise from top left, a light-colored molossus dog, a darker molossus, a greyhound or deer hound, and a mean looking mastiff.

I decided to airbrush the different base coats and then go from there. The OWS ones were all armored with what appeared to be a braided cotton blanket. Half of these were made leaping forward (the leaping ones reminded me of Krypto) so there was a pillar underneath four of those models that needed obscuring. The second four OWS looked as if they were running. The Eureka ones had only spiked collars, but looked much meaner. My painting of these models took a few turns as I experimented with contrast paints, different dry brushing, and shading, as well as pigments.

The OWS war dog sculpts looked like Krypto to me.

I airbrushed different colors for the base coats of the war dogs. In the back you see the horses that I will use as casualty markers for the upcoming cavalry, but they are not part of the post here (but are part of Mark’s Conquistador Contest).

I then dry brushed the dogs’ coats. Then I ran into a new issue – how to paint eyes on a dog? I decided to use an off-white background with a ruby-red ink for the pupil – and leaving some of the off-white paint visible. I then made sure that the dogs’ faces were distinctive as the sculpts allowed me to be. I think my success was mixed, again these are dogs – but you can be the judge.

For the armor blankets (or whatever they were supposed to be called), I tried using contrast paints, then washes, and I was not happy as the dogs needed to be dirtier. What dog doesn’t roll around in the dirt and get dirty?

Therefore, I then went with a heavy use of pigments over the contrast paints and fixed the pigments with water. When I went to remove some of the excess pigments with Vallejo thinner and a cosmetic brush, some of the contrast paint started to roll up and come off – NOOOOO! After this, I just used water and a much lighter touch (though the first model I had to dirty up more to cover the damage as you’ll see below) and it worked ok. The next issue was that now after I had applied the pigments that the different colors that I had given the bands holding the armor on became pretty much brown. This meant that I needed some other way to distinguish them in games from a tabletop player distance – so I used some differently-colored flowered tufts. We older gamers need some help seeing ya know!

An OWS war dog after I finished removing some of the pigments. You can see the pillar supporting the model front here. I also added more washes after this. The dog’s face and paws have a glossy look, not because he had been drinking, but because I usually try to protect any inks or contrast paints that I used. Final varnishing is gloss then matte so any shininess is removed.

The models finished – you will see close ups below.

I numbered the war dogs as CWD1-8 for the OWS models and CWD9-12 for the Eureka models. The pikeman is CPM1. All of the dogs are slightly different in paint scheme – I hope. Click on any image for a bigger view:

Outpost Wargames Services CONS6 “Wardogs”

CWD1

I obscured the support posts on these with the bushy light green tufts. The flowered tufts are from Army Painter of Shadow’s Edge Miniatures. The back of this model is where I added more pigments to offset the paint loss I described.

CWD2

CWD3

CWD4

CWD5

CWD6

CWD7

CWD8

Eureka Miniatures #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs”

CWD9

CWD10

CWD11

CWD12

CPM1

GROUP SHOTS

What’s for lunch? Or who? An unlucky Jaguar Warrior I guess…

This group counts as my second entry into Dave Stone’s Painting Challenge “PAINT WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGE”. For those of you interested in the progress of the “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” – and as always I do hope that you enjoyed reading this post – and please let me know your feedback in the comments section. After adding these 13, I have completed 36 figure and I now have 53 more figures to go. I am trying my best to get them done quickly and well.

Lastly, our buddy TIM always ends his posts with a joke. I don’t always, but as a lot of you are from the UK, Australia, or other Commonwealth countries, AND as I am from NEW England, I thought I’d share the following picture from good old Worcester, MA – as it is too true.

Keep watching and hope you’ll stay with me!

And now my reference section (so I might remember what the hell I have done!):

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”

Perro de Guerra (Conquistador War Dogs) (this post). 13 figures total: Outpost Wargames Services #CONS6 “War Dogs” (8 war dogs); Eureka #100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” (1 dog handler/pikeman and 4 war dogs)
Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers. 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: 177 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 36 Spanish Conquistadores (53 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
1/8″ x 1.25″ Everbilt Fender Washers
Poster tack
Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Testors “Universal Acrylic Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Vallejo Game Air “Wolf Grey”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Cygor Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Citadel Air “Balor Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “First Light”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off White”
Vallejo Model Air “First Light”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Brown”
Vallejo Model Air “Panzer Dark Grey”
Vallejo Model Color “Neutral Grey”
Americana “Buttermilk”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Volupus Pink”
Secret Weapon Washes “Ruby” (ink)
Army Painter “Strong Tone” (shade)
Reaper MSP “Grey Liner”
Army Painter “Light Tone” (shade)
Army Painter “Mid Brown” (shade)
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Battlefront “Sicily Yellow”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Blood Angels Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Aggaros Dunes”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Flesh Tearers Red”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Dark Angels Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Ultramarines Blue”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Talassar Blue”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Militarum Green”
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Vallejo Game Air “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Vallejo Model Color “Brown Rose”
Secret Weapon Washes “Armor Wash” (wash)
Battlefront “Flat Earth”
Elmer’s PVA Glue
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Wyldwood”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
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)
Army Painter “Meadow Flowers” (flocking)
Shadow’s Edge Miniatures grass and flowered tufts (various)

Conquistador Foot Command, Crossbowmen, and a Couple of Officers

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 Patrol^TM.

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)

Mark’s Conquistador Contest – It’s On!

In any auto race, the signal to start is the waving of a flag. The one you see here is my making of Hernan Cortes’ banner of the Virgin Mary that the Conquistadores carried in Mesoamerica. It indeed will be carried by one of the soon-to-be-finished figures in the contest, so I thought it would be appropriate. Well, midnight passed last night and the Mark’s Conquistador Contest has officially started, and the flag is waved.

I have tabulated the list of entrants that you will see in the Excel chart below – sorted from earliest pick to the latest one.

You guys knew I’d have to have a spreadsheet!

I have listed the blog handles and the blogs of those who entered if you’d like to check them out. And you should if you do not know them. Click on their comments avatar to see them as they can be found in the comments section on the original contest post here. You can find most everyone on WordPress. However, a couple of entrants haven’t a blog to my knowledge (Leif Magnuson and Dave Wood), while Dave Stone is on blogger, and Buck has his own website. Buck is also on the HAWKS site with his fellow HAWKS Greg and Chris (cjpalmer), though Greg also has a WordPress site.

We have 18 entrants. The average of the dates chosen was March 24th, 2021. The dates have a 101 day range, with Mike at despartaferres picking the earliest (February 8th) and Roger at Rantings From the Wargame Table playing the long game at May 2oth. The good news is that there will be no ties – as all dates are different and none are equidistant from the average.

I am making good progress and will be posting about that shortly. I know that many of the miniatures will take me longer to paint, and some much less. And I do have an airbrush…at this point, it’s anyone’s game. So stay tuned! Thanks to all who entered and good luck!

As a reminder for what the prize choices are for the three top winners:

Merciless Adventurers

I have finished my second group of Conquistadores for Feudal Patrol^TM. These are a group of six 28mm arquebusiers from Wargames Foundry called “Merciless Adventurers” and they indeed represent the title well.

They are, like my last group, beautiful sculpts by Mark Copplestone, and I got them from Badger Games. I will use them in Feudal Patrol^TM games using the supplement I wrote for the Spanish Conquest called Civilizations Collide.

For those of you who are in – or interested in jumping in and trying to win some free miniatures – you can still by joining “Mark’s Conquistador Contest” . Click on the contest link for the rules and to see the prizes described on that blog post – but you must enter by midnight EST (US East Coast time) on January 2^nd, 2021. You do this by posting a comment that “you are in” on the contest blog post in the comments section on that blog post (not this one – but I always appreciate feedback on this post as well). There are other simple rules to make it fair for all – but there’s no risk on your part – except that you must become a follower (email or WordPress) of my blog to be eligible to win. And that is free too!

This project brings me up to 12 figures completed out of the 89 – and maybe I night get one more unit done before New Years! Stay tuned…

Here are a few WIP – trying to do more painting and less photos but here are what I have:

CAB9 here all done by 12/25 (except adding static grass), which you’ll see below.

I designated these arquebus-armed Conquistadores as CAB7 to CAB12. I did change my color choices as I went along, and used a number of glazes, washes, and even contrast paints as base paints and/or glazes. Check them out below, and click on any of the images for a larger view!

CAB7

I tried to paint some darker stripes on the hose and trousers here. I love the facial expressions on this group.

CAB8

I went with lighter blue and red (vermilion) color scheme on the stripes here – and I do like it. This guy has a great glare under that hat.

CAB9

I went with black and red (vermilion) color scheme on the stripes here – and I think it complemented his intense face.

CAB10

I went a bit simpler on the lower body here so as to let the shoulder pads stick out more. This guy also has a great glare under that hat.

CAB11

I wanted this figure’s leather armor to be a but lighter – and I achieved this a bit unusually. I base coated the armor with Vallejo Model Air “Light”, and then glazed with the Citadel contrast paint “Plague Bearer Flesh”, followed by a highlight with “Light”. I think it came out the way I wanted – and not too greenish – it should be all right for the tabletop. He has a shield, but that will only help if he is in melee, which as an arquebusier, I’m sure he’d rather avoid.

CAB12

I also experimented a bit with this one. I saw some images of conquistadores with some yellowish and red colors on their lower bodies. I made the choices you see below. I like the color contrast with the blue blouse – but feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments section on how I painted him or any of the others.

GROUP SHOT

Thanks for looking – only 77 more figures to go – remember to enter the contest if you have not yet done so – and let me know what you think of these good bad or otherwise. Stay safe!

Miscellaneous details and references for those interested in that sort of thing:

Posts on games, units, and other projects for my 16th Century Spanish Conquest supplement for Feudal Patrol™ – “Civilizations Collide”

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: 153 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 12 Spanish Conquistadores

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 “Surface Primer – White Primer”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Testors “Universal Acrylic Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Cygor Brown”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Citadel “Ironbreaker”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Aggaros Dunes”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Black Templar”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Skeleton Horde”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gulliman Flesh”
Vallejo Model Air “Weiss” (off-white)
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Space Wolves Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Militarum Green”
Deka Lack “Dunkel Blau”
Citadel “Mechanicus Grey”
P3 “Cygnar Blue Highlight”
Battlefront “Chocolate Brown”
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Light”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Akhelian Green”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Creed Camo”
Vallejo Game Air “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Electric Blue”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Volupus Pink”
Secret Weapon Washes “Yellow Snow” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Plaguebearer Flesh”
Army Painter “Red Tone”
Citadel “Lamenters Yellow” (glaze)
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade” (shade)
Citadel “Coelia Greenshade” (wash)
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (wash)
Battlefront “Flat Earth”
Vallejo “Gloss Varnish”
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)

	TinyPaintedHeroes on Finally Getting Around to Buil…
	Kuribo on Finally Getting Around to Buil…
	Mark A. Morin on Finally Getting Around to Buil…
	Mark A. Morin on Finally Getting Around to Buil…
	John@justneedsvarnis… on Finally Getting Around to Buil…