Crossbows!

The first unit I've finished is a warrior unit of crossbowmen.  The figures are Crusader, which should come as no surprise.  

I'll admit that the painting isn't so hot, but I set a personal record for getting them finished.  As one of the world's slowest painters, I was thrilled to get them done in under two weeks.  I know, I know.

This photo is dedicated to all the people who like their photos blurry and poorly staged.

Still, I'm pleased with them overall.  They painted up quickly.  I've come to appreciate the delicate balance Crusader strikes with regard to detail.  There seems to be a trend these days toward over-sculpting figures.  Unless it's a warlord figure, I really don't want ornate armor and flowing clothing or ridiculous facial expressions.  As far as the last one, I just don't want that at all.

How did I not notice the guy on the far left's wonky eyes until now?

Each figure is based on a Warbases 2mm thick 2 pence-sized MDF base.  I've got enough GW plastic 25mm bases to top-off a landfill, so I nearly went with them.  I went with the thin MDF because I wanted something with a lower profile that stood out less from the scenery.  And the 2p sizing?  I guess I just thought 25.9mm just looked so much better than the 25mm ones used by commoners.

"Shoot like your fitrep depends on it!"

Finally, I know they come across as a bit shiny.  I finished them off with Vallejo matte brushed on because it was too cold to use a spray finish.  I'll fix that as soon as the weather here starts to pretend like it's Spring for more than a few hours.