Green Shaggy Pelts

Last time I showed you my attempt to replicate a missing shield for my Viking berserker, using a green stuff press mould. In this blog post I will show you what I did to make my Gripping Beast Plastic Viking Hirdmen just a little bit more unique.

First of all, I would like to say that I am very happy with my box of plastic Viking Hirdmen. Not only does it give me 44 figures, but it also provides the possibility to mix and match my warriors to create a unique army. However, this was not enough for me; I wanted to create a truly unique feel to my army. The warlord and his berserker Hearthguard I have would most certainly have an effect on the behaviour of the warriors they are leading. That’s why I thought it would be fun to add some features to the Hirdmen that would show the influence of their berserker commander and his elite warriors.

The first modelling project I started for my Hirdmen would have to be cool, yet simple. So once again I scoured the internet for some modelling tips and found that adding fur cloaks is about the simplest possible customisation. 

I started by making a small sketch (a green blueprint?) of how I wanted the green stuff to be placed and what basic shape my green stuff should have. The rest of the sculpt went really quick, in about 15 minutes I had a Viking wearing a big shaggy pelt. For the finishing touch I added two broaches to make it seem that the cloak was actually attached to something.

Something else I was really pleased with, were my waterslide shield decals by Wargame Transfers. In the past I only had bad experiences with decals; adding one to a model airplane was a messy business and they always cracked. However, by following the instructions and checking out Wargame Transfers’ picture tutorial I had a flawless result. In the end I was bummed out that is was so easy to apply the decal. If I had known, I would have chosen one of the more spectacular prints!

So for the next blog you can expect more Viking Hirdmen with green stuff modifications. I’m planning to add some more fur cloaks (with bear or wolf head attached, if I feel up to the challenge), aventails, braids, and bags and sacks (to carry off extra loot). If you have other creative ideas for sculpting please let me know!