Dead Man’s Hand: Outlaws – Part 7

With Frank McMiller, the trio of McMiller's sons is complete. All in all, I used the same color scheme as on Eugene or Seamus to establish a visual connection.

However, I must confess that bridging the colors to Eugene has succeeded better than on Seamus, as the color of the shirt was closer this time and the design of hat and jacket were somewhat similar. Painting the rifle though, was a lot more difficult.

The figure had broken off at the ankles and the rifle stock and I had to connect the parts quite arduous again with pins.

On the gun barrel or between the legs you can also recognize that the figure wasn't moulded that well, which I tried to hide as good as possible, by painting the places accordingly dark. Still, it was a fun model to paint and I'm happy with the result.

But that might also be because I have completed with the last gang member of McMillers outlaws with Frank, and the overall picture with his sons on the left and his staff to the right, looks pretty good. Wow, I have to say, it really felt like a cool little project. The manageable size of a gang for Dead Man's Hand gives a lot of scope in the paint scheme, which is good for a long-lasting motivation. Painting models as uniformly as possible can quickly lead to a certain tristesse. To give each model its own look not only creates variety and gives the models character, but also creates a connection to the story played.

"Story" seems to be my keyword. The cornerstones of the story of McMiller's Outlaw has been laid out so far. It's time to bring the different character tales together for a grand final ...

He knew it

      He knew of Eugene's plan to sell weapons to the wealthy rancher Tanner. He knew that his Mexican staff were pursuing more idealistic goals than Tanner. He also knew that Weasel had convinced Eugene to sell the weapons to those Mexicans, for he himself had told Weasel about their idealism. He knew that Snake in the gras had got the rifles but had hidden them in a cave just outside of Dead Man's Hand and that they were stored there safely - it was he who told Snake in the grass that he could get two hundred dollars for a few boxes of rifles, and he knew about Seamus' lust for murder, who wanted nothing more than to kill their old man and take over the mine. But what Seamus did not know was that Frank was behind everything. One night he had been alone in the mine, discovering something none of them believed would ever happen. Yes, from time to time they found some silver in the old shaft, which is why they had barely mined in the western tunnel. But just over a month ago, when Frank wanted to hide some smuggled alcohol for the Indians, he accidentally discovered a gold vein. At first he had not noticed it. Only when he had lit a lamp the slight glittering on the wall drew his attention.

   He had made a decision then. He would take possession of the mine for himself. But to do so, a few people had to die first, including his father. Tanner had previously been Dad's competitor and involved in all kinds of crooked business. He too had to be deprived of his power should he not become a problem sooner or later. He didn't worry about his brothers. Eugene was an obedient follower who had only his pride in mind and Seamus was a trigger-happy idiot who would soon kill himself in a shootout. But why not kill several birds with one stone?

   And so Frank had arranged everything necessary, so that no one could get of the mess by himself. Eugene was currently sitting in Rogan's bar, drinking one drink at a time, bragging about his business wit, unsuspecting that Frank had told Tanner's men he had cheated them on their rifles and that they were already on their way. Frank had also notified El Toro, of course, pretending to have seen Tanner's henchmen on their way into town. Like a good dog El Toro had immediately informed Seamusthem and now rode into the city with Weasel in tow, while Frank should go to fetch his father. Tanner's men and Dad's assistants would kill each other while he had set Snake in the grass on his old man. Afterwards he would eventually kill Snake in the grass himself.

   It would be a wild Wednesday ...

Greetings from the Chaosbunker

Dino