Blog The Jade Host: Mayan Lizardmen

The tower is just over 14 inches (36 cm). Each individual level is about 4 inches in height. It adds some much needed height for potential Mordheim games, and is the tallest terrain piece I have built so far. The serpent-mouth temple is only 8 inches high.

 

Project Gatormen is moving full speed ahead.



Both sets of round (warmachine/hordes) and square (8th ed) bases built and drilled, ready for mud and water effects. I will also be attempting some washes on the gatormen scales, something I haven't tried before for any scaley minis.

One other thing I noticed is that it is going to be difficult to get these gators to rank up next to each other when in 8th edition kroxigor formation. I haven't tried it with skinks yet, that will be even more of a nightmare

 

Project Gatormen: complete.


Pretty simple to do compared to painting heraldry all the time; first attempt at colored washes over scales.

Spoiler: the gators

The Big Chief (Gatormen Bokor)/ Kroxigor Ancient. Minor addition of some cast Mayan glyph pieces to his base, his staff, and to his bone necklace.

Their square bases are also done. I was originally going to put them on 50mm bases, but after comparing them to the skink bases I put them on 40mm instead.

Spoiler: Skrox unit

They look decent in a skink/kroxigor formation, but it was painful getting them to line up. I don't see myself running this unit much, plus all those tails would make it hard to make a movement tray. The gator tails make it nearly impossible to get the skinks to line up flush with the backs of the bases.

And here are all the individual magnetized components. There are numbers on the feet of the gators and the bases so I know which gator lines up to which base. The only thing I will have to fix in the future is the tiny plastic bit right underneath each of the gator's feet, they could use some added mud terrain.

 

My next batch of gatormen will have to wait for a bit before they are assembled; the first group was a gift from my uncle, and I plan to cast at least two more units of five to whip up a Hordes warband for myself. In the mean time I am working on my Bretonnians, some samurai, and a new terrain piece:


The finished terrain piece will be made up of three smaller pieces, with a few ladders to help models get up around back to fire through the windows. It should be a good board border piece I think.

Spoiler: WIP Photos

Based on the House of the Pigeons (also Temple of the Doves) at Uxmal.

 

Awesome! It is hard to describe how cool it is that you are basing your terrain off of real historical buildings!

 

The gatormen came out really well!

 

That is the plan , still gotta build the Temple of the Jaguar from Tikal in a future project.

 

Most Mayan pyramids were actually built directly on top of even older stone pyramids, giving them a very solid foundation. This had the effect of over time making the temples larger and more mountainlike, growing them a little taller with each rebuild.

This temple in particular (Tikal Temple I) was however actually built all at once, as the mortuary-temple of King Jasaw Chan K'awiil #1. Apparently an older temple was at the original location, but was demolished to make way for the new one. When the king died his burial-tomb was constructed, a small building with just his body and burial vessels. Then the entire temple was constructed around him in nine levels, each level corresponding with one of the nine levels of the underworld (Xibalba). I can't figure out how big the base is, but overall its 154 ft tall (47m).

More info on this temple and the rest of the temples of Tikal here.

Spoiler: Temple of the Jaguar (Temple I)

 

Still working terrain but thanks to inspiration from @Crowsfoot 's well laid out tutorial I started a new Battle-Standard Bearer project. Still a pretty rough WIP:


Much of the mini is cast pieces, including the temple guard body of the future standard bearer.

The back of the standard is strong enough to hold up the round base, but it has made the banner very heavy.



I also made a mold of a small drink coaster we purchased during one of our Yucatan-destined cruises (at Tulum I think), and now I can cast small resin Mayan Glyphs. Time to start putting more "Mayan" in my Mayan Lizardmen.

Here is a close up of the front of the standard:



Biggest issue so far is definitely how heavy the standard itself has become. I also think the glue I have been using is getting old because the standard arm was having a hard time sticking to the body itself. The mini base will be weighted with clay to help keep the model standing, and the arm will (hopefully) be positioned to balance the mini upright as well.

 

I should have started gluing the banner together after the arm was solidly attached, but it seems to be on pretty solid now. The very bottom of the banner is basically resting on the saurus' head/back.



Plenty of clay rocks were also added to the base to help with balance, but he does stand on his own now; though during the glueing process for the banner and later the weapon arm he needed to lean up next to some paint jars.

 

Did you pin the arm/shoulder joint?

 

Actually yes, he has a short piece of metal wire that I was able to insert between his arm and his shoulder with my hobby drill. It should keep him more stable.