The No-Cost Norse Challenge

When I started this team, I set myself a challenge.  I wanted to see if I could assemble a Blood Bowl team and then make my money back by selling bitz that I didn't want.  You can read a little more here at the No-Cost Norse Challenge page.  I was pretty shocked to see I'd spent about £40 so far but actually I think that's alright.  It might be hard to get it all back but it's not impossible.  We'll see, anyway...

Unfortunately, there's not much else to share this week.  I've been trying to sculpt abdominal muscles and it's not been going well. In fact, it's been going badly enough that I'm thinking about buying a box of gors so that I could use their torsos instead.  On the one hand that means adding another box-worth to the Challenge... On the other, it'll make my sculpting life easier and I could use the legs to create GW-legal werewolves.  Temptation strikes again!

Lessons Learned #2: Scale Creep is the devil.

Actually, let's get this straight.  I love scale creep.  I like my plastic heroes to be big and chunky, with disproportionately large hands, weapons and heads.
What I actually hate is what I call scale-slide.  Essentially, Warhammer models are getting smaller- or less heroic at least.  Case in point, flagellants.

I wanted to create a Kislev team for blood bowl. So, while waiting for Norsemen to dry, I thought I'd kitbash a mock-up of a Kislevite.  But it was more difficult than I thought because my choice of Cossack-esque torso turned out to be tiny.

Granted, he looks okay so far.  But to get what I want out of him is gonna take a fair amount of green stuff and I had hoped for a simple conversion.  It's pretty darn annoying that a Warhammer body looks small on Lord of the Rings legs.  Bizarre!

But anyway, just so I don't spend the whole post grumbling, here's my WiP thrower, who will eventually be pointing with his left hand:

Lessons Learned #1: Keep it Simple

I've been working on my positional Norsemen for Blood Bowl recently.  The two pictured below will one day be my berserkers but they are both works in progress at the moment.  I'm really happy with how the models are coming along so far, but it is taking a while.

Which brings me to today's lesson; keep it simple. Chances are that when my Norse are on the pitch, no one will notice how much effort went into creating the legs and rugby shorts. Does that mean I shouldn't bother? Not necessarily- I do want to be happy with my team's look- but you can achieve a lot with far simpler conversions.  I mean, take a look at this orc team from Laughing Ferret.  It's characterful, fun and unique but also pretty simple- only a few green stuff accessories have been added.

Of course, I'll be seeing this project through.  It'll be good green-stuff practise and should result in a pretty unique team.  But my next team is definitely going to be a simple legs and torso swap- I'ma need a break after this!