Conquistador-crewed Falconets & Lombards for my Brigantines in Feudal Patrol Games

Now that’s not a short title – and this was a big project. But as I shared in my last post on Building Cortes’ Conquistador Fleet, I needed to kit out my Spanish brigantines with artillery and appropriate crews for my scenarios for my games of Feudal Patrol^TM using my supplement for Civilizations Collide.

This post will cover that effort, as well as a brief review of the Army Painter “Speed Paints” that I used on the five crews. I also will share some additional photos of the firing/smoke markers and the storage/transport solution I arrived at for the fleet. The five are again El Dólar (The Buck), El Gregorio (The Greg), El Perro de Guerra (The War Dog), El Conquistador, and El Marcos (The Mark).

After looking at each ship, I decided that each crew would be a warband unto itself and be generally composed of three elements plus their Warband Leader:

1 Warband Leader
Rowing/tiller Element – 6 Conquistadors rowing (3 per side), plus one at the tiller acting as their leader (7 total in that Element)
Artillery Element – One falconet or lombard crew of three figures plus the gun with one of the crew acting as a leader
Arquebus/crossbow Element – One to four figures deployed in the opposite castle (fore or stern) from the ship’s Artillery Element

I needed a few criteria to be satisfied here. First, I wanted the 28mm crews and guns to be different both in terms of paint scheme and in terms of figures/poses. Given that, sourcing the crew proved to be a bit of a challenge. I found the one two-man crew set from Outpost Wargames (via Badger Games) that I previously painted for land warfare (detailed here) to be lacking for my needs here on ships due to size and composition. (I do like that set but not on a ship.)

Secondly, I wanted their bases to reflect a ship’s deck. And yes – my other Conquistadors would still have ground-flocked bases – but the artillery needed to belong to a specific ship in my view and look just like that. Thirdly, deck space on the ships was tight. So, getting a three-man crew to fit with any gun would require that I use smaller bases than my usual 1″ bases – and I ended up using Wargames Accessories square .75″ for the crew members and 1.25″ x 1″ steel bases for the guns.

Wargames Foundry has a nice set (#SB018) available from Badger, and I used two of them – less the halberdier that I added to my land-based forces (and also used some as leaders/helmsmen). For the other three, I did a cobbling together of figures and guns from Gringo 40’s, Iron Wind Metals, and Eureka Miniatures.

This project was going to have to be squeezed in between HAVOC 2022, my Florida trip, and get finished before HUZZAH 2022 where they would debut on the tabletop. I also received my Army Painter “Speed Paint” set and decided that this was a good time to try them out as completion speed was indeed of the essence.

The crews and guns ended up as follows for each brigantine:

El Dólar: a falconet and three crewmen from Wargames Foundry #SB018 to be deployed in the stern castle facing to the starboard side
El Gregorio: a falconet and three crewmen from Wargames Foundry #SB018 to be deployed in the forecastle facing forward
El Conquistador: a Gringo 40’s lombard (#CONQA3), crewed by three Iron Winds Metals figures #DH412 (wick/match), #DH413 (swab), and #DH414 (ram) to be deployed stern castle facing to the port side
El Perro de Guerra: a Gringo 40’s falconet (#CONQA2) , crewed by three Iron Winds Metals figures #DH412 (wick/match), #DH413 (swab), and #DH414 (ram) to be deployed stern castle facing to the port side
El Marcos: a Eureka Miniature’s lombard (#100CON12), crewed by one figure from Wargames Foundry #SB018 (wick/match), and two Iron Winds Metals figures #DH413 (swab), and #DH414 (ram) to be deployed in the forecastle facing forward

Mocking up the guns to see what size bases would work.

I broke up popsicle sticks and made each base look like the decks.

I lightly primed each figure and gun base lightly. I decided to paint the guns and then affix them to the bases.

I broke into the Speed Paint set and made a comparison chart.

First, I painted the guns.

I used mostly AP “Sand Golem” on the wooden parts of the carriages, with Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal” as the base colors for these. All of the paints used are listed at the end of this post for those interested.

I needed a painting plan (starting point anyway) for the 15 figures. I tried to use as many of the Speed Paints as possible.

I returned from Florida on April 28th – and HUZZAH was 13 days away! I hit the Speed paints again.

I did not take a lot of pics during the painting – but these are good I think.

By April 29th, I had basically had the figures painted and saw that washes on the metals and highlights on the flesh were definitely needed.

These are DH414’s on April 29. The flesh needed highlights.

A Wargames Foundry figure on April 29th.

Next up was varnishing on April 30th. I waited as I had read on Azazel’s blog that the Speed Paints can reactivate – so I wanted to leave 24 hours+ to dry.

I did see some of the Speed Paint (“Sand Golem”) on the guns reactivate and migrate – but that was it. It was easily fixed.

Close up showing the Speed Paint “migration” on this gun. Apparently the Speed paint reactivated and splashed onto the gun and wheels during airbrush varnishing. Again, easily fixed – but not desirable. I’ll use the Speed Paints again, but with caution.

I then needed to add smoke to the figures lighting the fuses – and make smoke markers for the falconets and lombards.

Added wisps of smoke to the matches. I think these came out fine for tabletop play.

Then I was on to making some big smoke markers.

Finished eye candy time! Here are the completed cannon crews on each ship – plus I loaded up the ships with their entire crews for good measure.

El Dólar

El Gregorio

El Conquistador

El Perro de Guerra

El Marcos

The Fleet Fully Crewed

Ready for HUZZAH! – oh wait, what about transport and storage?

Oh yeah, to get these ships safely to conventions I built a transport box for the hulls with posterboard and hot glue (and minor burns) and used a Really Useful Box for the sails (the crews go with my other figures). I also used the box to fit in my war canoe box.

All of this got done just under the wire – next up I’ll show you how they did at HUZZAH 2022!

(hint – they were a big hit)…stay tuned…

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

For all of my previous posts on games, units, and other projects for my 16th Century Spanish Conquest supplement for Feudal Patrol™ – “Civilizations Collide” – please see this page.

PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS, FLOCKING, GLUES AND MORE THAT I USED ON THESE CONQUISTADOR ARTILLERY CREWS AND GUNS:

War Games Accessories .75″ square bases
War Games Accessories 1.25″ x 1″ rectangular bases
Gorilla Glue
Elmer’s PVA Glue
Popsicle sticks
Army Painter Speed Paint “Sand Golem”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Poster tack
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Vallejo Model Air “Black”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Crusader Skin”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Malignant Green”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Magic Blue”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Cloudburst Blue”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Holy White”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Speed Paint Medium”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Blood Red”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Grim Black”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Plasmatic Bolt”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Hive Dweller Purple”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Orc Skin”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Gravelord Grey”
Citadel “Skrag Brown”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Fire Giant Orange”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Slaughter Red”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Camo Cloak”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Hardened Leather”
Vallejo Model Air “Chain Mail”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Pallid Bone”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Runic Grey”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Highlord Blue”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Zealot Yellow”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Absolution Green”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Purple Alchemy”
Army Painter Speed Paint “Dark Wood”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Citadel “Balor Brown”
Vallejo Model Color “Black Grey”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade GLOSS” (wash)
Vallejo Model Air “Armour Brown”
Vallejo Mecha Varnish “Matt Varnish”
Vallejo Game Air “Black”
Vallejo Model Air “Base Grey”
Vallejo Game Air “Wolf Grey”
Pillow batting
Hot Glue

Conquistador Halberdiers and Pikemen – plus Pedro de Alvarado – for the Battle of Otumba

On July 20, 1520, Hernan Cortes and his Conquistadores found themselves at a significant historical juncture. They had been fighting the Aztecs in retrograde for weeks as they attempted to reach the safety of the lands of their Tlaxcalan allies. Every single one of the Spanish was wounded in some way or another – and they were exhausted from being pursued incessantly by the enraged Aztecs. Cortes and his men had been lucky to narrowly escape from the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan during La Noche Triste. The safety of the lands of their Tlaxcalan allies lay past a nearby mountain pass, just beyond reach.

The Aztecs, with vastly superior numbers, had managed to nearly surround the Spanish and deny them their route to safety. The Conquistadores now were desperately defending a rocky outcropping with pikemen, halberdiers, crossbowmen, and sword and buckler men. The Aztecs wanted nothing less than finishing off the hated Spanish – either by killing them outright or by taking them as captives for ritual sacrifice to their god of war, Huitzilopochtli.

Here, both sides would fight the Battle of Otumba, and the fates of both the Spanish Crown and the Aztec Empire were in the balance.

You can click on the links I shared above and learn more about the Battle of Otumba. It was a near-run battle – and Cortes and his men were truly in danger of being sent off to oblivion at the hands of the Aztecs. The short version is that Cortes recognized that the Aztec attacks on his position were being coordinated by banners and signalers – all led by the High Priest of Tenochtitlan, Matlatzincatl. Cortes left the infantry on the outcropping to gather together what little cavalry he still had left. Cortes then personally led a cavalry charge to take out Matlatzincatl – and succeeded. Supposedly, it was Cortes himself who was able to dispatch Matlatzincatl with his lance.

At this point, the Aztecs had never before seen nor fought against a cavalry charge. It was indeed one of epic shock and awe. After the death of Matlatzincatl and his signalers, the Aztec attack broke up for wont of command and control, and Cortes and his men were able to make it to safety. This would allow them to regroup, get reinforced, and eventually destroy the Aztec Empire. Therefore, this was probably one of the Aztec’s last and best chance to annihilate the Spanish. By failing to do so – though many more battles would be fought – the seeds of the ultimate demise of the Aztec Empire were irrevocably sown.

As one of my scenarios for my games of Feudal Patrol^TM using my supplement for Civilizations Collide, I have designed a gaming scenario for the Battle of Otumba. It is a skirmish-type scenario but one that will hopefully evoke the spirit of the battle. For the Conquistadores, I already have adequate cavalry figures for Cortes’ charge. As discussed, from my research it appears that the Spanish took up their defensive position on the rocky hillock using pikemen and halberdiers almost in an infantry square. As I only had one pikemen figure that had come from Eureka Miniatures as a war dog handler, that would be insufficient to say the least.

My digging around websites yielded me three sources that I drew upon to remedy this shortfall: Eureka Miniatures USA (4 halberdiers from #100CON03); Wargames Foundry via Badger Games in the US (2 halberdiers from two #SBO16 that were part of a couple of artillery gun crews); Gringo 40’s (UK) (8 pikemen from #CONQ4 and a Pedro de Alvarado figure.) All of these figures were 28mm scale and metal. This group would get me to where I wanted to be.

A side note about Pedro de Alvarado. He was a key lieutenant of Cortes and a prominent player in the Spanish Conquest. He was a redhead, which was a novelty to the Aztecs. He is remembered both for his skills as a soldier and especially for his cruelty and acts of mass murder on native peoples – both Aztec and Maya. However, he played a big role at many battles, including the Battle of Otumba, and as Gringo 40’s had his figure, I got him as well. As I always say, in the Spanish Conquest, there were few “good guys” on either side. History must be understood in the context of the period – and it was a brutal one.

These figures arrived in December, and were definitely in my sights as submissions for Dave Stone’s “Paint What You Got” painting challenge in addition to my war canoes and Aztec Serpent Statues.

I filed and washed the 15 figures in preparation for mounting for painting and priming. However, let me share a few notes. I liked all of the figures as far as the sculpts go. However, the Gringo 40’s pikemen were only available in one pose – which I ordered nonetheless as I figured that I could deal with via a painting plan (so they would look different enough from each other). These also had a pike included – but it was a soft metal pike that would not have survived a gaming session.

I replaced them with ones from North Star Military Figures cut to the same size as the originals. I have used these spears on other projects – notably my beloved Rooman Pikemen – and they are nice but VERY sharp (I recommend filing down the tips a bit or you and your players will have a hypodermic battlefield with real blood).

The Gringo 40’s also came with nice swords that I liked. Both the pikemen and the halberdiers needed a good deal of pin vise drilling to accommodate their weaponry. Alvarado came in two pieces but is a great sculpt. The Wargames Foundry figs were also two of the same – so more challenge for me to make their appearance dissimilar. The Eureka halberdiers were nice too.

After a nice scrubbing, all 15 ready to go forward to mounting for painting.

One of the challenges I found was airbrush priming of the pikes, halberds, swords, and Alvarado’s sword (and hands). This was difficult due to their being easily moved by the air pressure. I broke out my holder rack to use – and it helped – though I did need to deal with subsequently painting the parts under the clips.

After priming in white, I washed them all with a 50% thinned application of Citadel “Nuln Oil” as shown below.

I worked on the base coats by using an Excel sheet paint plan as I needed a lot of paints to make this work – especially for the pikemen. I did make use of several contrast paints here as well – but I used them in combination with other products to shade and highlight. When you are trying to give 8 different pikemen different beards/hair, tunics, leggings, etc., you do end up with a good number of permutations! As usual, I list of all the paints, inks, washes, etc. that I used at the end of this post if that sort of thing interests you.

Early base coating – it was tough to remember all the paints without writing them down. Some of these got striped leggings, others not. I did vary colors there as well.

Finally all of the figures here are painted, shaded, and highlighted – they still needed flocking and varnishing as you see.

I flocked the bases first with PVA glue and Army Painter “Brown Battlefields”.

Then I added pigments to the bases and fixed with thinner, and let them dry.

Once dry, I dry brushed them with three brown/tan tones, then applied matte varnish via airbrushing. This is the recipe I used for most of my figures for the Spanish Conquest.

After the varnish dried, I added Army Painter “Grass Green” and 12mm jungle tufts from Shadow’s Edge Miniatures. I did add the tufts as they will help the bases blend with my rocky outcropping/hill I have for the battle – and I have found them to be the best tufts on the market.

I numbered my halberdiers CHB 1-6 and my pikemen are CPM 2-9. Alvarado is Alvarado! So, here they are as completed – first Pedro de Alvarado from Gringo 40’s:

Pedro de Alvarado

Next, the halberdiers. CHB1-4 are from Eureka, and CHB5 and 6 are the same figure from Wargames Foundry.

CHB1

CHB2

CHB3

CHB4

CHB5

CHB6

Group Halberdier Shot

Halberdiers completed and ready for action.

Lastly, here are the pikemen, CPM2-9. All are from Gringo 40’s and are the same sculpt – but hopefully I have varied them enough in color and appearance.

CPM2

CPM3

CPM4

CPM5

CPM6

CPM7

CPM8

CPM9

Pikemen Group Shot

All 15 of these Conquistadores

You can almost here them yell their rallying cry, “¡Santiago!”

I am looking forward to their upcoming game at TotalCon36 in Marlborough, Massachusetts on February 27th. I am also running two other Spanish Conquest games there on Thursday, February 24 (Surprise Raid on the Aztec Outpost) and Saturday February 26 (Cortes’ Causeway Escape Attempt), as well as a What a Tanker game (France 1940) on Friday. Slots for all are still available – come on down!

I now have painted 92 Conquistador, 32 Tlaxcalan, and 109 Aztec figures since I started this project. I still have more to go – specifically brigantines and cannons with crews, and a good-sized group of Maya. I hope that you found this rather lengthy post interesting. Yes or no, let me know and thanks for checking in.

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

For all of my previous posts on games, units, and other projects for my 16th Century Spanish Conquest supplement for Feudal Patrol™ – “Civilizations Collide” – please see this page.

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
Gorilla Glue Gel
Poster tack
North Star Military Figures 100mm wire spears
Vallejo Mecha Primer “White”
Vallejo “Flow Improver”
Vallejo “Airbrush Thinner”
Citadel “Nuln Oil” (wash)
Vallejo Mecha Color “Off-white”
Battlefront “Black”
Vallejo “Thinner Medium”
Army Painter “Tanned Flesh”
Vallejo Model Color “English Uniform”
Vallejo Model Color “Black Grey”
Citadel “Troll Slayer Orange”
Citadel “The Fang”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Volupus Pink”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Basilicanum Grey”
Vallejo Model Color “Brown Rose”
Citadel “Runefang Steel”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Wyldwood”
Citadel “Skrag Brown”
Vallejo Model Color “Vermilion”
Citadel “Caliban Green”
Vallejo Game Air “Sun Yellow”
Citadel “Steel Legion Drab”
Vallejo Model Air “Brown”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Gore-Grunta Fur”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Talassar Blue”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Sky Blue”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Grey Green”
Vallejo Game Ink “Black Green”
Secret Weapon Washes “Blue” (ink)
Vallejo Game Air “Wolf Grey”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Apothecary White”
Vallejo Model Air “Dark Blue”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Aethermatic Blue”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Shyish Purple”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Contrast Medium”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Magos Purple”
Vallejo Game Ink “Violet”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Blood Angels Red”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Turquoise”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Space Wolves Grey”
Hataka “Gris Blue Clair”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Ultramarines Blue”
Vallejo “Glaze Medium”
Citadel “Castellan Green”
Battlefront “German Camo Orange Ochre”
Citadel “Contrast Paint – Snakebite Leather”
Vallejo Mecha Color “Light Steel”
Vallejo Model Air “Gun Metal”
Vallejo Model Air “Bright Brass”
Vallejo Model Air “Black – Metallic”
Citadel “Waystone Green” (Technical)
Citadel “Nuln Oil GLOSS” (wash)
Vallejo Game Color “Bronze Fleshtone”
Vallejo Model Color “Sunny Skin Tone”
Army Painter “Flesh Wash” (wash)
Army Painter “Red Tone” (shade)
Citadel “XV-88”
Army Painter “Green Tone” (shade)
Citadel “Agrax Earthshade GLOSS” (shade)
Citadel “Drakenhof Nightshade” (wash)
Citadel “Seraphim Sepia” (wash)
Vallejo Game Ink “Green”
P3 “Red” (ink)
Vallejo Game Ink “Yellow”
Citadel “Lamenters Yellow” (glaze)
Battlefront “Flat Earth”
Vallejo “Satin Varnish”
Elmer’s PVA Glue
Army Painter “Brown Battlefields” (flocking)
Vallejo “Dark Yellow Ochre” (pigment)
Vallejo “Burnt Umber” (pigment)
Citadel “Tallarn Sand”
Citadel “Karak Stone”
Vallejo Mecha Varnish “Matt Varnish”
Army Painter “Grass Green” (flocking)
Shadow’s Edge Miniatures 12mm “Jungle Tufts”

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)

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 – for my loyal blog followers!

Welcome to Mark’s Conquistador Contest – a FREE chance for you to join me on my next part of my journey to field troops for my 16th Century Spanish Conquest game supplement for Feudal Patrol™ – “Civilizations Collide” – AND to have a chance to win – yes WIN – some free miniatures! Read on!

I have participated in a few painting challenges from others over the years – and those are great fun. But I am currently so desirous of seeing my Conquistadores painted up and ready for gaming that I will not stop until they are done and game-ready to my standards (such as those are). So I won’t be joining any challenges (unless they dovetail with me finishing my Conquistadores). However, I thought of another way to get you involved on this project other than just reading this blog. What about having my readers compete and guess the date that I’ll actually finish the Conquistadores? And what about offering actual prizes just to make it interesting? That’s exactly the genesis of Mark’s Conquistador Contest.

I have filed, washed, and partially based the force. I have not yet primed anything, and expect to start that on December 15th. I decided that I wanted to get all my filing of mold lines and washing (yes I wash all my figures before painting no matter what they are made of) done, do a massive priming session, and paint away. How long will this take – YOU get to guess.

My goal is to have some fun, and reward my followers and share some stuff that I enjoy. Secondly, it’s to get more followers and to grow the community. Thirdly, it’s to have fun (yes that’s fun twice). I do not currently monetize my blog, and I’m not looking to anytime soon by the way. Here are the rules:

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.

So as for prizes, they will be metal miniatures – mostly old and vintage lead – and in original packaging. Great stuff I love but may not be able to paint soon – and which deserve a home. And I will pay to ship them to the winners (including the US, UK, Australia – as long as I don’t need to hit the lottery for shipping)! So here are the current three prizes (and I may add more):

Three vintage Ral Partha Aztec Blisters (25mm)

Three Minifig blisters for the English Civil War (15mm)

Two Vintage Ral Partha blisters from their colonials collection (25mm)

Again, depending on participation and interest – I may add more. Hell, even if you win and don’t have a plan for them, these could be used as trade, or you could just tell me to reward the next player as victory is enough for you?

Your next questions should be – “what exactly is Mark trying to paint?” and “how fast is he?”. For the second question, just check out my pages that show my previous projects. For example, 2020 is here, and 2019 is here, but I list all my projects from 2016 onward under the “Miniatures and Projects” dropdown. This menu lets me track all I have done – and how, and can give you an idea. There is a bit more I have to do here than just painting – there is some assembly too. Here are the Conquistador subjects of my quest and this contest below:

Wargames Foundry SB012 “Audacious Arquebusiers” – 6 figures

Wargames Foundry SB014 “Merciless Adventurers” – 6 figures – all with arquebuses.

Eureka Miniatures 100CON04 “Crossbowmen” – 5 figures. Crossbows are separate and shown below.

*Eureka Miniatures 100CON06 “Officer” and an unknown bonus officer that they gave me – 2 figures*

*Outpost Wargames Services CONC1 “Conquistador Foot Command” – 4 figures*. There is a bannerman with no banner that I will make a standard for, and a few shields you’ll see below.

*Outpost Wargames Services CONS06 “Wardogs” – 8 figures. This is the first group of war hounds I have.*

Eureka Miniatures 100CON13 “Dog Handler and Dogs” – 8 figures. This is the second group of war hounds I have. I’m going to make the handler a pikeman as in my game the dogs can be added to any figure for points – I have no need for a handler alone.

Wargames Foundry SB015 “Swaggering Swordsmen” – 6 figures – all with shields shown separately.

Wargames Foundry SB016 “Brutal Sword and Buckler Men” – 6 figures – all with shields shown separately.

Wargames Foundry SB017 “Bold Bladesmen” – 6 figures – all with shields shown separately.

Outpost Wargames Services CON001 “Sword and Buckler Men” – 8 figures. There are at least 6 shields I’ll do here – maybe 8 – not sure yet as two of the figures have two-handed broadswords.

Outpost Wargames Services CON5 “Conquistador Cavalry in light armour 1” – 8 figures (4 riders and 4 horses). There are also shields. I made two armed with lancers and two with swords. Note my rigging for painting riders – and yes those are screws with washers on old paint bottles.

Outpost Wargames Services CON6 “Conquistador Cavalry in full armour” – 8 figures (4 riders and 4 horses). There are also shields. I made two armed with lancers and two with swords. Note my rigging for painting riders – and yes those are screws on bottles again.

Eureka Miniatures 100ANMo5 “Moving Horses” – 8 figures. Obviously not moving, but de-based and mounted to be used as hacked up and downed horses that could be used as cover or block movement.

All the previously alluded-to shields for the cavalry and infantry, as well as crossbows, a banner pole, and a pike.

Outpost Wargames Services CONA1 “Falconet and Crew” – 3 figures (2 crew and 1 falconet (small cannon)). I’ll paint parts here before assembling the falconet.

If you’re counting (and that helps) that’s 89 figures – if you count each cavalry as two figures (horse and rider). I used a lot of poster tack and bottles as you see all of them collected here with some of my painting guide resources.

I hope that you enter and wish you the best of luck! Referrers always welcome – just need to follow the rules and importantly be one of my blog followers. Hell, I need the luck too – this is a lot of lead!

Stay tuned for updates as I finish pieces of this project – and I really hope that you find this fun. I’ll leave a synopsis as usual like below. 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”

Mark’s Conquistador Contest – for my loyal blog followers! (this post)
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: 141 figures: 109 Aztecs, 32 Tlaxcalans, 0 Spanish Conquistadores

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