I’ll be real: I don’t have a ton of inspiration for every single one of these blog post introductions, in part because there’s only so many ways you can write “well, I did some hobby stuff”, but mostly because I haven’t done the sort of daily writing that’s necessary for a project like this since my college days. This blog’s format should give a clue to how long ago that was, so pardon the rust and/or lack of emotional depth to any writings here.

So, now that I’ve gotten the pointless philosophical navel-gazing out of the way, let’s talk about a thing that I’ve painted.

Perro Rastreador, Implied Cazador

There aren’t a ton of models that are explicitly coded as part of the Cazadores in the Imperial Armada range. Rather than doing extensive conversions or bringing in models that don’t fit the visual theme, I opted to build around models that fit the visual language and figure things out as I did the hobby progress.

Behold, the haunted visage of Perro Rastreador, who doesn’t have any of the rules that one might associate with the Cazadores but who does match the visual aesthetic pretty well.

Color recipes are the same as I’ve used before in this blog, so feel free to look back and review them if you’ve somehow decided that my painting is something to emulate.

Actually doing the painting was quite fun, as Perro was the first model where I decided that working in sub-assemblies was better to get a good result. Admittedly, it wasn’t a complex sub-assembly by any stretch: his arms were positioned using some sticky tack, and once I found a pose that worked for the metal, I pinned his left arm and attached the right arm/shotgun to a wire so that I could work on it separate for the model.

Are sub-assemblies necessary? Sometimes, if you’re looking to have an easier time painting models. I’ll show the sub-assemblies that I’m using for some models later on, but given the number of pieces in most FF models, it’s rare that you need to do so, especially with some of the more modern sculpts. They also make it somewhat more complicated because you then need to think about light directions for a bunch of different parts, as well as how to assemble the model without gaps after you’ve finished painting the parts that need painting.

Visual language is important for this crew – they’re going to be standing in contrast to the Cult and their ragged appearance, after all – and so let’s talk about the design language of the Cazadores.

So what makes a Cazador?

To start, I identified four key elements to the Cazador design that distinguishes them from the rest of the Imperial Armada:

• Slash-and-puff sleeves/pants: While present in many models of the Imperial Armada, the use of broad, separated strips is one of the visual elements that stands out on these models.
• Breastplate: The body armor aspects provide a cohesive design that also places them as outsiders to the island of Leonara.
• Conquistador helmets: The Spanish-style morion helmets are a great bit of design to invoke elements of the Conquistadors without explicitly telling people that’s what you’re doing.
• Ornamented weaponry/armor: Take a close look at all of the weapons used by the various models chosen for the Cazadores – they all have gold accents somewhere that are a bit more decorative than just the usual crossguard items.

If a model has at least 3 out of the 4, it fits into the visual language that I’ve decided will govern this thematic crew. While you’ve seen many of the models that I’m using already, there’s several more models that will work with this theming:

• Sabott: He’s basically a Cazador sergeant, after all.
• Asaltore: They’ve got the helmets and can add a little ranged ability to the crew.
• Ahondaro: While he’s lacking some of the more fancy elements, he fits in with the armor.
• Tipo Duros & El Mastin: While he’s a bit visually different from the other models, the imagery of hunting dogs is a major part of the invasion and colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese of the Americas, so he gets a uniform pass for bringing some cool doggos.

These are models I’m still working on getting, but considering that this is a demo crew that’s functionally complete now, I think having plans to expand in the future is helpful but not necessary.

Hobby Progress

My first two demo crews are fully painted! This is a big milestone for me, as I’ve historically struggled to finish projects. I also am more excited to keep painting models.

Per a recommendation from others, the next two demo crews to be painted are going to be Goblin Pirates and Shadows, even if I would be a monster if I told someone to learn the game using Shadows. These crews are assembled and ready, so it’ll be priming time tonight if I have the energy to do so.