Preparing the next figure, also from my friend Georgi, 75mm Varangian guard of the Eastern Roman empire (aka Byzantine) 
Cheers!
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AMAZING !!! 
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He looks like a knight of chaos! 
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Varangians were quite fearsome
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Such Vikings of the South 
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Venelin,
Another great painted figure. Love the shield.
Look forward to seeing the Varangian guard painted up. Georgi made a good looking figure. The chain mail looks great.
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Harald Hardrada, before becoming King of Norway spent part of his exile as commander of the Varangian Guard. Although defeated and killed at Stamford Bridge when he invaded England in 1066, the losses suffered by the army of Harold Godwinson were contributory to his defeat by William the Bastard at Hastings.
In the aftermath of the Norman Conquest many English warriors went into exile, filling the ranks of the Varangian Guard until they were wiped out at Dyrrhachium in 1081 (by another bunch of land-grabbing Normans).
Regards,
M
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Oddly enough they have a local connection here in north-west England, the Roman fort nearest my home (about 5km away) was garrisoned by Cohors Secundae Thracum equitata (civium Romanarum?).
Regards,
M
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Harold Hardrada with 500 varangians also was instrumental for the quelling of the uprising of Petar Delyan in 1041, the largest and best organized attempt to restore the Bulgarian empire from Byzantine rule. He received the nickname “Bulgar burner” (Bulgara brennir) for this
Thracians composed a very large part of the auxulia of the Roman army, probably the most numerous after the Gauls and Germans, especially cavalry, because of their fighting skills and ferocity.
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That is a beautiful figure!!
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Starting the metal painting oh the Varangian. Vallejo Metal color is great for base painting of metal, because it covers very well in one stroke and is thin out of the bottle. Steel for the base, drybrush with Silver for highlighting the chains. Drybrush Scale75 Trash metal for tonal variation and AK Silver for highlighting the rivets, because it is very light (lighter than Vallejo silver).
Kind a looks like heavily armored hockey goalkeeper now 
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Young Thracian is stunning to say the least. I love the meticulous pattern detail you’ve worked with your color palette.
And you’ve brought everything together tastefully with the touch of flowers at the end. Very nicely done!
PS: Your Varangian Is coming along nicely… he looks solid!
—mike
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Thanks, Michael!
I really liked painting that figure and yes, the Northmen are quite solid
Cheers!
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Painting the cloth and leather equipment, I will add satin varnish over the leather later, after finishing the effects
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Wonderful figure. Did you mix the red on the bottom of his tunic? It looks darker than the bottle looks.
I love experimenting with and trying out new paint brands. Haven’t tried the scales 75 yet although they look very interesting. Gel type of paint?
Yes I used the darker color as a base, and then mix the brighter red.
Scale75 is a gel based indeed, they are different from other paints. That means they are kind of semi-transparent, doesn’t cover well for a base coat (you need 2-3 coats), but blends very well, especially wet blending. I’m also using their Artist line, heavy body acrylics for mixing certain nuances.
But I highly recommend also AK 3rd gen, the coverage is fantastic and they are matte
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Beautiful figure. Love the nicks on the leather plates.
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Very nicely and expertly rendered figure Venelin, 
.
G, 
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