Breaking the Curse
Since the inception of my blog of so many years ago, there has been a disturbing trend. It seems whenever I post a WIP for a miniature, that miniature tends to languish unfinished for quite some time. There have been a couple of exceptions, but I did actually finish a miniature today.
This isn’t my best work to date, but it was my attempt to blend a new flesh tone. I was trying for the dark West/Southern Asian skin tone predominate in India and Pakistan, but I will let my readers be the judge on the end result. Yes, I know the hair is the wrong colour. She is also wearing a Japanese headdress with an Egyptian staff and a Frank Frazetta-esque outfit.
Alahazra by Reaper Miniatures.
Alahazra by Reaper Miniatures.
The cloth photographs well, but there are some imperfections. The biggest issues stem from the primer. For the last couple figs I have primer I noticed the primer left clumpy residue. That alone is the reason for some unfinished figs. If you plan on painting Bones, this is something I have noticed more than on other figs. I am not sure if it a property of the material and the primer or the material holding onto moisture or dust.
On that note, I have started to hand prime my figures. As a result of the latest wash/base coat, I decided to try a few new flesh techniques. I am going to try layers with washes over a base coat for this guy. I am also trying to put the tattoo under the skin if you will: I applied blue around the eyes and arms prior to the heavy flesh base. It is faded quite a bit but the effect remains.
Thund Bloodwrack by Reaper Miniatures.
Hopefully something inspired you today. I know it was a short post, but I hope to get up into a semi-regular posting schedule again.
Again into the Breach
This update is a bit delayed as my work is starting to pick up. I am sure this will be the last update for the next couple of months, but then it gets into a much quieter time at work, and some time off.
This weekend saw an opportunity to play Dungeon Down again, the couple who did the play-testing last time were asking when we could play it again.
The party was slightly different this time, as Hayden was back in the running. The others stayed the same, as both of them were quite attached to the characters they led to their death last time. As there has been a bit of delay, and some of the details are a bit hazy, this update will be a bit less cinematic.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Games Workshop Goblins and Zombies.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Games Workshop Goblins and Zombies.
Descending the stairs, the party found the stairs branched in two directions before ending. To their right was a dead-end and some nasty goblins while the left revealed skeletons and a veritable horde of goblins.
Throwing caution to the wind, Alain dove down the stairs to the right to cut down the goblins. After a bit of jockeying, eventually Hayden cut-down a zombie, with Alain stepping in to fell the other two. As the goblin swarm advanced, Joliee pushed past the mighty heroes to slay nearly all the goblins with her Blast spell.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Gamesworkshop Skeletons.
After consolidating in the now blood-slicked corridor, Alain led the way into the storeroom ahead. With his first step he thought he heard some grinding, but it wasn’t until his second step that a volley of arrows struck him, one arrow hitting him hard in the seam between gauntlet and vambraces. As he grunted through the pain he heard the grinding of gears and a click as the mechanism reset.
Before he could shout a warning to the others, greed swept through the party and they ran into the room. Arrow after arrow strafed into the party, weakening them all. With reckless abandon, Joliee continued to plunder the room as was slain by another arrow as the mechanism failed with the squeal of metal shearing and gears grinding.
Some traps have a mechanism to reset. In fact, the most dangerous traps are more likely to reset. A total of 7 arrows were fired from the trap before the party managed to disarm it. We’ll call it disarm, at least that’s how the story in the tavern will go.
After the party finished looting the store-room, they proceeded down uneventful corridors until stumbling onto the Gauntlet defended by skeletons. After a long sprint down the corridor, Brother Roberto invoked divine favour and Turned all the undead with his prayers and chants.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Alain Cavalier.
After so many mystical puzzles in the corridor, the scribe demanded time not be wasted and all the puzzles should be left to her. Her haughty demands did raise eyebrows, but the fountain raised a smirk on Alain’s face when an arrow burst from the depth of the fountain basin and felled the scribe. With a sigh Brother Roberto again healed the scribe from her mortal wounds.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Faceless Horror, Chthon, Mocking Beast. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Thought Eater, Beetle Swarm. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
As the party explored past the Gauntlet, Alain demonstrated puissance and finesse as he first bested a Gibbering Horror and Grick with a single sweep of his blade and then sprinted the length of the room to plunge his blade into the abomination Mind Eater that emerged from the darkness.
At this point things get a bit, well recycled is a good word. First, the corridor cards got mixed up so the ones already drawn were being drawn again. As the deck only held enough for one of each terrain piece, it meant we were short of pieces. The easy fix of counting pieces didn’t work either: because the one corridor had been so long, it was disassembled as the party advanced.
After realizing the balcony would pose an obstacle with no rope, Alain was surprised to find a coil in a treasure pile right outside the entrance to the room. (Serious not Deus ex Machina, the randomly drawn treasure was a rope)
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Darkspawn Cultist, Spikeshell Warrior, Mummy Warrior. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
Before braving the balcony (everyone was hesitant to face a total party kill after the climb again), the side passage was explored revealing another storeroom. Such avarice struck the party that the looting began even before the monsters were slain.
The game makes use of actions that can be used to move, attack, open doors, or even loot treasure. So if a player elects to, they can spend actions looting treasure even in a fight. In this fight, after slaying the Darkspawn Cultist, Alain knew he couldn’t easily scratch the Spikeshell Warrior’s thick shell so elected to start looting chests.
The trepidation felt over the balcony was justified. As Alain climbed the rope he saw a set of stairs descending. As he set foot on the first stair he saw unholy eyes gleaming at him while the ground shuddered underfoot. Charging into the fray, he was able to make out more undead eyes in the distance.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Alain Cavalier, Barrow Warden Mystic, Anhkeg. Games Workshop Skeleton.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Anhkeg, Barrow Warden Mystic, Mummy Warriors. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Skeletons y Games Workshop.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Anhkeg, Barrow Warden Mystic, Mummy Warriors. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Skeletons by Games Workshop.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Anhkeg, Mummy Warriors, Darkspawn Cultist. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Skeletons by Games Workshop.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Anhkeg, Darkspwan Cultist, Darkspawn Minion. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Skeletons by Games Workshop.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Darkspawn Cultist, Darkspawn Minion. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
As sections are revealed when you step on them, it is possible that multiple sections are revealed at once. If monsters are in them too…well it can be an issue. The monsters revealed posed a difficult fight.
As the intense melee played out, Alain carved his way through the skeleton, only to have it arise and the charging mummies reach him. Hayden fought the Ant Lion and was critically injured while Joliee used her spells to kill the Skeleton Sorcerer who could potentially bring skeletons.
The tension mounted as Joliee was wounded and Alain slain. Hayden was technically dead too, but she kept passing her roll to stay on her feet. Brother Roberto brought back Alain with difficulty while Joliee was slain by an errant trap as she moved into range to try blasting the Darkspawn Cultist. Alain was a bit nervous at that point.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Spikeshell Warrior, Goblins. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Dragoth the Defiler. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Games Workshop Skeletons
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Alain Cavalier, Joliee Female Scribe, Dragoth the Defiler. Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures. Games Workshop Skeletons
Most traps target Defense, and Alain had it in spades. His player laughed off most traps and it took a good roll (and a 1 on his defense) to get hurt by arrows or blades. Spells he was weak to, and he saw that there were traps that targeted Resolve (one of his lowest attributes).
The game pushed on not much further until the Boss room was found.
A mechanic in the game is that Boss fights are randomly included. A Boss is a special card with both set-up rules and a stat line. For example, the Boss they faced was immobile but he could heal undead and turn corpses into skeletons. The fight took a lot of combined effort by the party but eventually they carved an opening in the almost perpetual horde of skeletons and the Undying King was slain.
Dragoth the Defiler was actually who I had in mind when I built the Throne Room. He is still a WIP, but even at this stage he really pops in his home.
I think the Boss mechanics worked pretty well and make for interesting fights. There were a couple of rules changes made after the game and I am still trying to get the best player card to get it all in one easy to use package. It shouldn’t be too long before I have something I can share with others.
Hopefully something was inspiring today, if nothing else to set up a recurring game.
DYCO WIP
For those not familiar with the above acronym, it is one I find I use very seldom, outside of a joke here or there. DYCO – Dashing Young Cavalry Officer. For those who know me personally, you will know I am neither young nor dashing.
This fellow on the other hand is all of the above.
I had originally intended to paint his armour the requisite steel colour, the look at me I’m a tin can look. In the back of my mind though, I remember one of the first full plate minis I ever painted (a long gone Ral Partha evil paladin of some sort). When I painted him I wasn’t sure how to paint metal to look different. His sword was going to be metallic but I figured he wouldn’t look evil if I painted him metallic (plus he would look like he did unpainted). So I painted him black with white edging on his armour.
Renaissance Armour
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and Dagger and Brush (great blog at this link if you want to be wowed by some amazing work: http://daggerandbrush.wordpress.com/) commented on the dark armour. In the back of my mind I figured I would have to send the note clarifying it was just lower on the WIP line, then I started visualizing what he saw: a dark armour model with the striking heraldry. Sold. So rather than fool around with trying Non-Metal-Metal (NMM) for the second time* I opted for basic shadow and highlight play and I will mark some areas where the paint has chipped to show the steel beneath. As an example of real world armour painted black I present this example, but there are many others most of which are less embellished.
Anyhow, enough of my rambling, the brushes and paint had a chance to fly last night so Alain, Iconic Cavalier has some progress. First, stage one – the armour.
Alain Cavalier by Reaper Miniatures
Alain Cavalier by Reaper Miniatures
Alain Cavalier by Reaper Miniatures
As the highlighting has gone a bit bright, I may go back and tone it down a bit. It is tough to tell as there is still a lot of black on the model that will be brighter colours – like the inside of the shield, the broad sword, the lance, and the various leather straps, pouches, and demi-sheath for his sword.
With a bit more colour:
Alain Cavalier by Reaper Miniatures
Alain Cavalier by Reaper Miniatures
The white really makes the shield pop and it toned down the armour a bit. Overall I think this is some good progress on this model.
Looking through my painted minis I did notice there was one mini who escaped getting photographed.
Darkspawn Cultist and Chthon by Reaper Miniatures.
Chthon by Reaper Miniatures
This Bones guy lived up to the rule I set for myself about the fiddly nature of trimming these guys: the gribblies/minions get superficial cleaning of the obvious stuff and that is it. So yes, there is an obvious mold-line down the body when zoomed in, but on the table it isn’t noticeable. I have found an easier way to trim the mold lines on Bones, so it is a bit easier than I thought, just a different technique. In the end I will be rushing through most of the monsters so I won’t give them as much attention. In contrast, I am a bit miffed by a mold like on Alain I can’t reach with a knife and files don’t work as well.
Anyhow, hopefully something was inspirational for you today, if nothing else to check out your local museum. The picture above is not mine nor from my local museum.
* My first attempt at NMM was a sword, a rather large sword so I thought it would be easier to do. It turned out so terrible after the first few layers I quickly painted over it before anyone else could see it. So I really don’t think I have done it yet. My first exposure to NMM was on the Rackham forum years ago where things like mirrored polished armour plates with distorted reflections were the norm…something far beyond my meager painting skills.
Spiders in the Attic
A bit of hustle and bustle at home has kept me from doing hobby time, but I did find a bit of time to finish off a module that has been a long time in coming, the Web Room.
I have to be honest that I learned a lot on this piece. That’s code word for I made a lot of mistakes. First, I used a new glue. It is a lot more fluid than the others versions I used. Good news is it actually bonds better. Bad news is it takes a lot longer to cure and pieces kept getting jostled out of place. Second, I wasn’t as careful in my sanding like I normally am. This left many pieces just slightly lower than the others so the walls weren’t a good fit. Finally, I wasn’t using my form very well so the walls aren’t actually straight.
But enough complaining, at a quick glance I think this looks great.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
The webs were made from cotton balls teased out into webs. I anchored them to the walls with white glue in a few points and stretching the cotton to reach the glue joins.
The webs on the outside wall hide some gaps where the blocks didn’t properly align. I think it helps to sell the over-run by spider look.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
At the base of the balcony I have my spider egg sac. I stretched out some cotton to start winding it about itself. I think it looks pretty natural, but I’m not sold on if it sells itself as a miniature.
I recommend checking out Game Changers https://gamechangersgames.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/hot-glue-egg-sacs/ for a different style of egg sac. I’m not sure which one I prefer. Mine I tried to replicate a spider egg sac but it doesn’t really read that way…well at least to 2/3 of my focus group (my wife knew what it was but the other two folks who saw it didn’t…one even suggested I stretch out the ball of cotton).
Anyhow, like most of my posts I have the action and inspiration (hopefully). Oh, and the orange cup.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Astrid the Bard, Darkspawn Cultist, Spider Swarms, Jolie Female Scribe and Marius Burrowell.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Astrid the Bard, Darkspawn Cultist, Spider Swarms, Jolie Female Scribe and Marius Burrowell.
2015 – Year of the Unfinished Projects
I am sure this title can be interpreted many ways:
- A typo in my summary of my success at completing projects last year.
- A prophetic vision of the outcome of this year.
- Or a simply defined goal.
Like many miniature hobbyists, I have countless unfinished projects. This year I have decided to focus on finishing (some of) them, and that means going back to some older ones.
Half-timbered row house terrain. Est. circa 2009.
Half-timbered row house terrain. Est. circa 2009.
First we have part of my ambitious town project. I intended to start small (with a square) for use in Confrontation (and other 28mm games). I did detailed work and actually built each building individually to reinforce stability and provide the slightly off-kilter appearance these buildings show in European towns and cities. At the far right the building with no timber shows where the project stalled. The edging was a bit tedious but mostly other projects (and life responsibilities) took over. I was reminded of my goal when I played a game of 40K recently and used this to fill some table space. Goal for this year: finish this building strip and complete at least one more row.
Dwarf ruins for use in Games Workshop Lord of the Rings.
Dwarf ruins for use in Games Workshop Lord of the Rings.
Next we have the start of some dwarven ruins for use in Lord of the Rings. I actually have a few pieces I intended to use as scatter terrain. What was completed was finished in one weekend. The intent was to build terrain for the battle of Balin’s Tomb from the main rules. I have a Fellowship and I figured this would give me a reason to finish painting them. After the initial flurry of activity, little else was done. This particular piece needs paper cladding and work to define the raw stone (Styrofoam) vs worked stone (foamcore). Also completed were a small plaza and raw stone building with stairs to a higher level. Goal for this year: finish the 3 pieces started and three more scatter terrain pieces.
Devil Dog half-finished project receiving a new powertrain.
The next unfinished project is much more recent, in fact it was one of my stated goals to finish in 2014. Instead of using the light tank, I will instead turn the two hulls (and add another) into a wheeled IFV to proxy as a Razorback for my 40K Space Marines. As they will be filling out an existing army, I see them as more likely to be finished. Goal for this year: build 3 Razorback scratch-builds.
Now I am sure some of the more regular readers will notice that I have a long gap in posts, and nothing here mentions the HOTT Orcs. Well, as I mentioned in my last post, the rust wash was a bit over-done on the orcs. It pretty much crushed my morale on these figs as the rust wash was the last part and now I am not sure if I can repair it or I need to go the route of stripping. Here are a few pics.
Games Workshop Lord of the Rings Uruk-Hai count as spears in my Orc HOTT Army.
Games Workshop Lord of the Rings Uruk-Hai count as spears in my Orc HOTT Army.
The second picture was done with a shadow to show just how rusted out they are. I have seen metal that rusted, but normally they were pieces of heavy machinery left in a field for decades. I have had a few opinions and universally they are not good. But, despite being discouraging, I will pick up the brush and finish this project. Goal for this year: finish my orc HOTT army.
Now this isn’t to say I expect all my time to go onto these projects, and this year I will expect some other random things to get thrown at me. I will be doing more Hirst Arts dungeon pieces. To tie into that, by summer (hopefully) I will have my Bones 2 Kickstarter miniatures…roughly 100 figs to populate my dungeon and provide more painting fodder for my voracious 5 year-old daughter who is taking up the brush. I have also been taking my time to finish a few choice models, a novelty for me. I also am thinking about how to do a better modern/sci-fi city scape and I might go to Blade Runner, the new Total Recall, and 3rd World Slums for ideas to do some terrain for skirmish.
Of course that also brings up the small collection of a small strike team I bought and haven’t assembled/painted…
But all of this is not to say that last year was a wasted year. In the span of this year I managed to build (and paint) a small dungeon.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Pathfinder Goblin. Hassle Free Miniatures Hayden.
I also completed a scratch-built dreadnought in a relatively short timespan…well short considering my work responsibilities and trips during that time.
And let’s not forget the completion of not 1…
General and his red tunic
Scorpion Artillery. Miniatures by Warlord Games
Why so tense, the Optio isn’t around…
Not two…
Early Achaemenid Persians by Wargames Factory.
Sparabara. Miniatures by Wargames Factory.
All miniatures Wargames Factory. 6 units of a Persian Army.
But three DBA armies.
A closer look at the hordes. All plastic models Wargames Factory, metal miniatures by Warlord Games.
Chariot from the obverse. The halters and yoke are detailed and cry-out for the attachment of reins.
Wargames Factory Celt Cavalry. In different armies these can count as either cavalry or light horse. There will be one more unit of cavalry that will be a general option.
Ok, maybe two and a half since the Brittons/Gauls/Galatians aren’t painted.
I also painted quite a few single miniatures.
Faceless Horror by Reaper Miniatures
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Reaper Miniatures Pathfinder Goblin
Reaper Miniatures Harvey Brimstone, Astrid Female Bard, Mummy Warriors and Mummy Captain
Marius Burrowell and Mocking Beast by Reaper Miniatures
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon Treasure Token. Anirion Wood Elf Mage by Reaper Miniatures. Games Workshop Dunedain from the Lord of the Rings.
Astrid Female Bard by Reaper Miniatures
Barrow Warden Mystic by Reaper Miniatures
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon Treasure Token
A longer post than usual for me, and quite heavy on pictures (even if most are recycled). I encourage all the folks out there to set goals but be flexible. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into this hobby, and the minute it starts feeling like work is the time it stops being fun. It is all that wandering from project to project that defines the enjoyment of the hobby. Having the freedom to walk away from a project that has lost its grip on your attention is part of what keeps it enjoyable. The ability to pick up a new one also keeps those embers smoldering. If nothing else, I hope this post inspires you to revisit what attracted you to this hobby in the first place. Hmmm, seems a bit like a Hallmark card there.
Powerslave
Reaper Miniatures Mummy Warriors and Mummy Captain
Ok, maybe a bit too obvious, but I have a few models recently finished that might have a nickname of Eddie.
These are all Bones figures. The first batch work of Bones I have done. The mold lines were a bit fiddly and I will be honest in saying I didn’t really bother in taking most of them off.
Reaper Miniatures Mummy Captain
I did clean most of the mold lines off of the Mummy Captain but I painted him to resemble a Pharaoh so I shall probably make him a boss type monster.
Reaper Miniatures Mummy Warriors
Reaper Miniatures Mummy Warrior
As the basic mummies show, I made some difficult choices on colour. I actually had these painted to the same colour I have seen on mummies on display in museums. But to be honest, it didn’t quite look right. So I went with the stereotype and out came the white wrappings. I also elected for colourful clothing, and didn’t really drab it down too much. All the bronze is suitably corroded though. I am very happy with that effect, my first time trying it and a very realistic looking result I think. A bit washed out in the photos though. I might try breaking out the old printed wall backdrop to get better colour display and less wash-out.
Reaper Miniatures Brother Roberto, Harvey Brimstone, Astrid Female Bard, Mummy Warriors and Mummy Captain
Reaper Miniatures Harvey Brimstone, Astrid Female Bard, Mummy Warriors and Mummy Captain
Of course the gratuitous action shot shows our intrepid heroes facing the wrath of the Mummy. I went pretty silly for their support in that I have a few scarab swarms ready for paint.
Hopefully something inspired you today, if nothing else showing what about 3 hours of work can get you.
The Gauntlet
I have had some spare time to work on miniatures these past week so have quite a few things to show off.
As the title implies…the Gauntlet is finished.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Although it is bigger than the other pieces thus far, it isn’t a departure at all. The colours and techniques remained the same. Well almost. First I had to add in the repair where the metal part of my brush scraped off paint stage. That is almost as fun as it sounds. Second I added in a bit of blood spatter and staining. The picture below shows the gore-stained pillars from an unknown number of previous ambushes.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
But wait…there’s more.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
The doorway module is finished. I am very happy with the rust effect and how the piece fits on and blends in well enough while still being removable. There is a bit of tragedy to report. As I put away this piece following the picture the door fell five feet to concrete. End result is the corner of the door is chipped. Yes, I was as surprised as you likely are. In the words of Marvin the Martian: where was the earth-shattering boom? I guess I did hit the nail right for a solid mixture. The door is not ruined but will require a repaint.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
The portcullis module is also finished. I see now my rust wash pooled on one brick and should be cleaned. I do ask you astute readers: does it seem believable as iron bars?
So that wraps up the post for today…wait, the ACTION SHOT:
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Assorted figures by Reaper Miniatures and Games Workshop.
With the Gauntlet complete I have a good central piece to showcase the modules thus far. Obviously this isn’t all of them as I only had limited space. Although the odd modules don’t line up exactly perfect, I am happy with the effect and look. Pictured here the adventures (Reaper miniatures including: Harley Brimstone, Anirion Wood Elf Mage, Astrid Female Bard, and Brother Roberto) face hordes of monsters (Games Workshop goblins and skeletons and Reaper Barrow Warden Mystic).
And I will not play it up too much, but I do have several other pieces in the process of being painted. The one I will show today is my second room: the store-room.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
A fairly dynamic room I think it will make a good location for combats. Having learned my lesson of fiddly painting with the Gauntlet, all the pieces are removable for painting and I will permanently anchor them once painted. There is also a secret in the room, I encourage you to find it.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Shaerileth, Spider Demoness by Reaper Miniatures.
And kind of an action shot showing off another work in progress, Shaerileth Spider Demoness. I have opted for a colour scheme reminiscent of the very large spiders we get around here and where I grew up. We called them humpbacks but I guess they are European orb spiders. Although, the size is much larger than my research turned up: I have seen some that are the size of a thumb (3cm/over and inch) sized body. The mottled brown pattern will not be as ominous as a black widow, but hopefully it will make most arachnophobes shudder.
Hopefully something inspired you today, and remember, if you see a giant creepy looking animal make sure to take pictures so you can replicate it in miniature.
Dungeon Down
So the past few days have been filled with playing with plaster and cement to get the perfect mixture. As a result, I also have my first few Hirst Arts pieces assembled for my modular dungeon.
Before I show the pictures, I will ramble about plaster for a bit as apparently using cement is a bit contentious. If you don’t care about plaster, please scroll down to the first picture.
I had read recommendations of 3 parts plaster to 2 parts cement. Away I went carefully measuring and…ok, my first mixture actually hardened as a brick in the mixing cup since I wanted to photo document as I went. You saw the results of the salvaged pictures.
When I actually poured my first plaster/2 cement mix it had a few surprises: first it starts setting sooner so scraping must be done sooner. Second, the curing time is longer so I had a few just crumble into a muddy mess.
With time I got the timings down and I realized that it was brittle in crevices and fine details but otherwise solid. It meant I could do some solid wall pieces but got none of the cool pieces. And the odd brick that was slightly more detailed or offset would break into the mold.
Through trial and error I have settled on 4 parts plaster to 1 part cement for most pieces and 5 parts plaster to 1 part cement for some of the detailed pieces. The only thing I am struggling with is the fragile nature of the pieces at the crucial stage where they are still flexible enough to remove. Strangely the pieces are all hard as a rock and assemble fairly well. Once painted, I will show off the nice effect the cracks and lines produce with wooden structures.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. My first completed piece.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. My first completed piece.
My first piece is here. The rubble was a little addition to use some pieces I broke taking out of the mold. I added a wooden buttress to show the failed attempt at reinforcing the walls by a dungeon denizen. The missing bricks and air bubbles add to the look of disrepair and I am very happy with the ramshackle look of this piece.
As the astute reader will notice, there is a whole spectrum of different greys in this brick works. I am happy with the grey colour and am not sure if I will opt to wash and highlight or if I will basecoat black and build up.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
A corner piece. As walls don’t interfere with lines of sight one picture shows all the details.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon
A stack of crates provide cover and potentially treasure. I intend to have some fixed pieces but most of the treasure pieces will be placed on a mobile base and placed into the dungeon. I am currently pondering how to base them right now. Using a floor piece seems obvious but I am open to other suggestions.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Sewer grates mark this section.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Sewer grates mark this section.
A bit of fiddly work was done on this to put in bamboo skewer bars. I glued them in place prior to cutting. I am skeptical on how they will look without a thick layer of paint: the wood texture and splintering will still be obvious I think.
So that is the dungeon thus far. I have some ideas percolating and I may copy some of the suggested rooms from the Hirst Arts site, but I am opting for a 2 square wide corridor vice the one square he uses. I did this for two reasons. First, the two square width gives more flexibility and freedom of movement. I realized this after my first game of Descent (2nd Edition). Second, the stereotypical D&D dungeon is 10′ wide by 10′ tall. The 1″ square is pretty close to 5′.
And of course the action shot I try to include in every post:
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Adventurers nervously traverse the dungeon.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Adventurers nervously traverse the dungeon.
Hirst Arts Modular Dungeon. Adventurers nervously traverse the dungeon.
As these pictures show, the crates provide good cover for the miniatures, and the squares are fairly obvious for movement. The dust on the wizard from handling both plaster and him is also evident.
I hope something here inspired you today.
More Adventurers
It has been a while since my last update, but I have been busy with a few things at work, home, and of course kids.
I have managed to squeeze out a few new minis to showcase. I am not 100% sure if I am finished them, but I think they are tabletop ready.
First up we have Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures.
Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures
Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures
Hayden by Hassle Free Miniatures
I am not sure if I want to do a wash on the flesh again. What I do need to figure out is how to delint her hair. It looks like I left some fuzz when I dried up the ink wash.
If you are not familiar with Hassle Free Miniatures, I recommend you check them out. A mom and pop operation (literally) it has some of the best models I have run across. The female form is a favorite topic for the artist Kevin White, and he sculpts real women: some have curves and none have Pamela Anderson with a breast pump models like many other lines out there.
Hayden does have a few alternate casts including a topless one (which I have) and a modern version…which I am kicking myself for not grabbing. Anyhow, she will be the main hero for my wife’s dwarf army:
Hassle Free Miniatures and Games Workshop Lord of the Rings Dwarves.
Although not as well armoured, the sarcastic expression and giant axe says she doesn’t need a chainmail hauberk. For the topless version I am tempted to try a weapon swap and give her a Roman Scutum. Topless but with a door sized shield – she is ready to go.
I also managed to hammer out a few other models that will make fine adventurers.
Games Workshop Dunedain from the Lord of the Rings.
Games Workshop Dunedain from the Lord of the Rings.
Games Workshop Dunedain from the Lord of the Rings.
One of the Dunedain models I have from an auction years ago, these models have slowly been used in other projects as they are so well done. This particular fellow I painted as the well worn traveler and I am very impressed with the sculpt.
Also finished is Tara the Silent, although with a twist from the stock version.
Tara the Silent by Reaper Miniatures
Tara the Silent by Reaper Miniatures
Yes, I painted her like Wonder Woman. It wasn’t until I started highlighting that I realized I had duplicated the Wonder Woman scheme. At that point I made damn sure to paint the gloves as extra long instead of adding bracers. Golden Lasso of Truth not pictured. Once the pictures were taken I noticed she too had fuzz on her face, but that fortunately just blew off.
And as always the obligatory group shot:
A second adventuring group ready to explore dreadful dungeons.
The next projects in the queue involve some personal life stuff so no updates for a while I am sure. Next for painting will be some Confrontation models who are half finished – yes the over-looked project for this year has seen some light. And on the same note, since I have managed a game of 40k, maybe those half-finished tanks will get done. Oh, and the painting competition due in September. But I do have two projects in mind so it is simply a matter of knuckling down onto them.
Hopefully something inspired you today, if nothing else to go buy from Hassle Free Miniatures.
I live…again
Ok, maybe a bit melodramatic. It has been a very busy couple of months with work so no updates online.
As a bit of irony, as I sat down I realized I have some work in progress models that would make a good post. So undead models to raise my blog from the death of absence.
Barrow Warden Mystic by Reaper Miniatures
Barrow Warden Mystic by Reaper Miniatures
This is a wonderful sculpt by Reaper I picked up. I very much like the character of the model. I went for a tarnished armour effect which worked very well and the crystal ball in the staff turned out pretty well I think. I am not happy with the bones. It came out too white and hopefully a wash can make it appear a bit more grim. A bit of free-hand on the crystal he is holding turned out very well from a table-top perspective I think.
Games Workshop Skeletons…and other bits.
Games Workshop Skeletons…and other bits.
I had a few unpainted Games Workshop skeletons kicking around and I thought what better use than as minions for the lich-like mystic. I did a heavy wash over the eyes with a bright blue to capture the whole glowing eyes look. Up close it shows a few errant strokes but from a distance it really looks like glowing eyes. The dried bones were set to capture faded and worn bones. And of course the rust wash turned out very well I think.
And what would be complete without the family photo.
The undead horde thus far.
Hopefully something inspired you today, if nothing else it shows I’m not quite dead yet. Damn, mixing movie metaphors again.
hosercanadian 