Friday 30 March 2018

A Wobble of Ostriches


These three fine, long, legged birds formed my entry to the opening bonus round of the recent 'VIII Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge'.  The round, simple titled Flight, and subsequently retitled Flightless by yours truly,was an unashamed points grab, but in my defence what started out as a quick win developed into something much more involved as I wrestled with achieving the desired effect on the neck and legs.
One of my personal hobby highlights of last year was hosting a game of ‘Congo’ using the rules of the same name by Studio Tomahawk.  That encounter was set in the steaming jungles, but there are several scenarios set on the Savannah and what better way to start the preparations that with a…
...a flock of ostriches?  A pride of ostriches?  Apparently both are acceptable, but another favourite was a wobble of ostriches although I can’t help think that given the original bonus round theme a flight of ostriches would be best!
These splendid specimens are from North Star Miniature’s Africa range and are good solid one piece sculpts and I hope will look resplendent on the Savannah in due course.

44 comments:

  1. Excellent to see an unusual mini, and you've nailed it with the legs - they look good enough to eat! Happy Easter! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kev, now there's a thought - might need a larger oven though. Happy Easter.

      Delete
  2. Lovely figures Michael, I like the one with his head buried in the sand best.

    Cheers Roger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He is my favourite too Roger, rather echoes my own approach to difficult situations.

      Delete
  3. These look great Michael, lovely

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderfully painted and sculpted big birds, Michael! The bare flesh colors are simply amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Dean, they certainly took a lot longer than I thought.

      Delete
  5. A Wobble of Ostriches - what a wonderful description and very nicely painted they are too.
    I'm very pleased you have re-joined the Blogging World again, I've come across your Blog on more than one occasion, (well many, many occasions) when I've been searching for different things, notably Witchfinder General but then when I started my blog so I could follow the doin's of a few Bloggers yourself amongst them, you stopped. Bugger I thought, but now you are back so Huzzah I thought.
    Look forward to keeping up with you in the future.
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much and welcome aboard - I just love your avatar! It is good to be back, but still slightly wary of demands on my time from elsewhere, but I just love the interaction and sharing of ideas, so will doubtless be picking your brains about those amazing fields that I have just seen on your blog!

      Delete
    2. Hi Michael the full story of the fields is in a February post - Vagabonds Viking Village.

      Delete
    3. Vagabond - can you provide a link?

      (are the inhabitants of the Viking village Vagabondi?)

      Delete
    4. The inhabitants are certainly Vagabondi ;) they are Vikings after all.
      I don't feel right about putting a link to my blog on Michaels as this is my first comment here. I know you follow Frank at nickel and dime, I will put it there, I'm sure he won't mind.
      Cheers

      Delete
    5. You would have been more the welcome to put a link here, but I see that you have found each other. ;)

      Delete
  6. Wow, unusual and very very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Stunning work on your wobble Michael, I wonder what other creatures you have lined up for the Savannah ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Dave and I have to confess there a few more beasties on their way soon.

      Delete
  8. Lovely work, mind you I couldn't help smiling and thinking about Rod Hull and Emu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Phil, the Parkinson interview still makes me laugh to this day.

      Delete
  9. The one with it´s head in the sand is very funny but you´ve done a really good Job on the other two´s heads.

    and the pun?
    They look very Rhea-listic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhea_(bird)

      Delete
    2. Now there is dedication to the cause, when you start adding reference material for the punning! :D Thank you Paul.

      Delete
    3. I´ve been reading up on Ostriches. They are the most bizarre birds!!! I knew they can kill People by kicking them but apparently they can kill lions!!! Only thing that can catch them (without having to sneak up as they can outrun most things) is a cheetah. Not only that..their mating and looking after the eggs, thier anatomy, metabolism..odd birds all round.

      Delete
  10. Nicely done, Michael! My Better Half encountered the beasties when she lived in west Texas. They're rather vicious but quite stupid from her account.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you A.J. and they certainly look as if they could put up a fight!

      Delete
  11. Excellent work. But no female ones?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Damn, now there is a very good point! I may have to invest in another pack.

      Delete
  12. Great renditions of these excellent sculpts, though I really don't like the perpetuaton of the ostrich with its head in the sand and would rather have another upright one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Joe and a good point, he is certainly going to be left behind the others if he is not paying attention to what is going on!

      Delete
  13. What excellently painted birds. They look fabulous and will surely add some excellent and perhaps comical moments to your games in the Congo.

    ReplyDelete
  14. still like them a lot, would like to see them in a game setting!

    ReplyDelete
  15. These were excellent Michael! A true ‚flight of fancy‘ in the best possible way too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Smashing birds!

    Always wanted to tackle eating an ostrich egg...

    ReplyDelete
  17. They look great! At first I thought recommending that you put a sculpted ostrich egg on one of the bases would be a good idea but I guess it would have been too distracting seeing their size in real life. So they look fine as they are :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Very nice additions. It seems I focus too much on playable figures since I always tend to miss such nice additions that vitalise the table.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...