Giant Space Hamster

I just finished this cute big guy this morning for Roleplaying & Miniatures first paint contest. I thought I was out of time so I rushed it at the end, but it turns out the contest was slightly delayed. Ah, well, it got my but in gear!

Since this is a bit of a silly topic I got a little "cheeky" with the model. The original design was missing the rear part of the harness, and my family and I decided that it was because the booty would look like it was sporting a Giant Space Thong. I obviously had to add it in. I also opted for the low road and put poops on the base. My recollection of hamsters is that they are adorable, but that they drop pellet poops everywhere very casually, so, big ol' space poops had to be on the base.

On a more serious note, because I had limited time to finish this mini (only a few days to print and paint were available in my queue), I had to focus on something other than an ultra clean paintjob with smooth transitions. Instead I opted to try and really nail the color balance. Because the model was very ruddy brown I thought I would contrast that with a bright blue base and slight tints of blue in the metals. 

I never really imagined having a GSH in my collection, but now that it is done I think it will make a fine addition to the collection. I suspect it will make a memorable NPC.
 

Exoform Salvage Mech Construct / Crab mech

 This was my first addition to my Ancients of Atalan warband. I went a little wild shading with colored metals and I had a lot of fun free-styling with them as I went.  One of the reasons I like my DeepWars pieces so much is because they are so fun to work on. The different genres in the system let me to feel free to try crazy ideas and usual bold color palates I shy away from in other parts of my collection. It s a testing ground in many ways, and I learned a lot! Only down side to this model is that it was tough to photograph - I had a sea-devil of a time getting a good angle.

Banshee

 

Harumph.

I said it. This may be my least favorite piece in my collection at the moment. I finished it as a speedpaint in 2020 with the idea that I would make it as monochromatic as possible. It made the queue for a few reasons: it was a good subject for a (nearly) monochromatic study, it was convenient to just grab a Bones model, and I desperately needed a banshee for LMoP. That it wasn't a great cast was an upside - no pressure. In particular, the hands weren't my favorite  and it suffered from the missing nose syndrome that many of the earlier Bones models had. I went with it and gave her a rotted-off skull-face nose, which actually ups the creepiness a bit. 

Anyhow, she does the job and even though I am now flush with ghost lady STLs I doubt I'll replace her any time soon. 

Rust Monster / Oxidation Beast

 

A classic foe, but I wanted to do something more original with its paint. To get some extra color in I played on the oxidation concept with  bronze/ golden metal and a blue-green rust effect along the antennae and back. The colors work well together and I think the result is recognizable but much brighter than the standard rust-all-over color.

Painted in 2017.

Bone Constructs / patchwork skeletons

 These wonderful "skeletons" are from the underappreciated Crucible line, sold as "Bone Constructs." I think they are really clever! Skeletal amalgamations have become more common in the age of digital STL files, but they are nearly always "large" - very few "medium" scale undead are available, which is a shame. These guys are particularly creative with their inclusion of various animal bones and otherwise odd anatomical structure.I always found it curious that necromancers always had perfectly formed skeletal minions, rather than skeletons such as these. I think they will work perfectly as the phase one skeletons in The Skull Dunes of a The Ghosts of Saltmarsh (or the original Isle of the Abby) campaign. Plus, it gives me an excuse to make more with swarms and a juggernaut! some of the previously mentioned bone golems should fit the bill, but I don't expect the collection to come together quickly. That is fine with me, though, I'll savor their simplicity when they hit the table. Even the bases are super simple - virtually nothing there, but I think it works perfectly. sometimes less-is-more.

These were originally completed in 2017, but I'd paint them just the same today.

Nothic (3) / Nothics

 Painted in 2021, these nothics were the first time I had used Army Painter "tone" washes as a shade, believe it or not. Game changer! While the various "dip" paints get a bad wrap from many painters they really do speed things up, and these days speed is the name of the game for me. I tend to use them as a middle step in combination with classic layering, lining and washes, so my process is still a bit more involved than the standard Strong Tone paint-job. 

I intentionally went very muted palate for the bodies so that the focus would be on their most remarkable attribute and weapon, the eye. Don't think bad thoughts around these fellas!

 These models are 3D prints from Epic miniatures. Note to self: print more of their stuff! they have a huge catalog of things I need on the table. 

My most immediate need was for LMoP, where a single nothic appears early on. I feel like I'm getting close to having all of the combat encounters in the module done! I'm sure I will finish next year sometime. I have started adding a label for monsters in that module so I can track my collection. 

Demilich

 

I had prepped this guy some months ago and and it earned a spot on the shelf of shame. Having recently completed a brutal short-term project on the biggest piece I have done to date (the adult black dragon that was posted recently), and I was in dire need of a palate cleanser, and this tiny fellow fit the bill - ready to go, simple, and a planned PJ. On Ssturday I knocked it out in a single-sitting two hour session, and touched it up the following morning. For me, that's great! As I've mentioned before, I really struggle with completing projects quickly - compulsive analysis paralysis and endless touch-ups are my curse as a painter.  By that standard, this represents real progress because the paint needs more work. I called it done, and I like where it is at!

Flameskull swarm!

 I needed a single flameskull mini for the Lost Mine of Phandelver, and after some hunting I settled on these nice designs from Mini Monster Mayhem. It had a few different poses and some grouped models so, naturally, I went a bit nuts printing a whole swarm of them. I found the models to be too large, so I shrank them down to half-size to be a little closer to "tiny" (still a little big, but...urm...they are magic, so...yeah, big heads). I used several base sizes for singles, pairs, and the 5 head swarm (gulp!).

 It wasn't until after making them that it occurred to me just how terrifying an encounter with a swarm of flameskulls would be - sooooooo many fireballs. 

I went with red fire because I tend to overuse green for my undead and there was a demilich on deck with a similar effect in blue-green. I didn't push the skulls to cream/bone because I thought a darker tone would make the fire pop a bit better; it worked out pretty well and I think they read as scorched.

Gray Ooze

 I said I would post more Oozes, and I delivered! I painted this nice little ooze earlier this year in a single session. It was a free 3D file from "Amalya" on MMF, and it was just too well done to pass over. the paint work is simple: monochromatic and lots of gloss, but I think it is really effective as a gray ooze. it is simple enough that I should be able to make similar models myself (a good exercise) so that I can field enough to run most modules (1-3 should do it). 

Gray-on-gray probably wasn't the best photography choice, but I suppose it plays to the monsters skill set.

Adult Black Dragon

 Fresh from the painting table! Well, the kitchen table, in the spot where I paint, much to the annoyance of my patient wife. It has been a whirlwind couple of project days getting this beast of a mini ready for a "chromatic dragon" paint contest MZ4250 is holding. Normally I struggle with short timelines on projects, but the top prize is an FDM printer which I could definitely put to good use but have no budget for. So, I decided to throw my hat into the ring by painting the biggest piece I have ever completed (perhaps comparable to the adult white dragon I completed previously). 

It was probably a poor choice - I had a good amount of indecision with reposing the model and some trouble with early print attempts (file scaling problems I didn't anticipate), which cut into my working time considerably. Assembly on these huge dragons is a bear - I had to cut and key it in Meshmixer to fit it on my Photon build plate. That means a lot of prep time was required. I also printed a base element (from Cast 'N Play, I believe), so that I could mount the model somewhat elevated in the air. It was a tricky pin job to secure it well, but the end result is very sturdy. The model is hollow, so very light, and I weighted the base with nickels to keep it stable, which worked out well. 

The paintjob itself was a bit of a random walk. I had some vague ideas, but only about 12 hours of paint time available to me when all was said and done. For me, with a model of this size, that is firmly in "speed paint" territory. A lot of people have been playing with the variety of colored metallic paints that have recently become available so I wanted to joint in. I knew I wanted to break out Reapers new "black Pearl" color and a collection of of Turbodork paints I had accumulated but had yet to try. The fam was pretty convincing that it should be a purple-black dragon, rather than the traditional green-black that is the norm for D&D art, and I am really pleased with that decision. I think it reads well as a black dragon, and I have plenty of room on the palate for other purple dragons down the road (looking at you amethyst dragon). 

When I completed my Adult White Dragon I mentioned that I might try to complete a whole cycle of MZ4250's chromatic dragons, and with this second entry, it seems like I am committed. Given that it is such a big piece in my collection, and sure to grab some attention on my display shelf, I think it is worthy of being a named dragon. I'm liking " Susyalgra the Odious,"  what do you think? Ill have to come up with a name for the other dragon as well.

 In terms of utility on the game table I had the black dragon Aulicus from I2: Tomb of the Lizard king in mind. The encounter in that module looks positively vicious - TPK material. This should fit the bill; looking forward to it.

Giant Beetle

 At some point I will get around to re-posting the older and dustier parts of my collection. Most of these pictures will be pulled directly from my now defunct CMoN account. It was such a thrill in my younger days! I have definitely moved on; time to move those pieces to my own space.

I completed this mini  in 2011 - this thing was practically ancient then, stamped 1986, but the sculpt is still awesome! In terms of my progression as a painter, this was a seminal piece for a number of reasons: 1) This may be the first piece I did where I painted monster eyes as gems, a method I have continued to develop. 2) My first real experimentation with overlaying layers of colors over sharp highlights to create extreme tonal differences in color palates while preserving the hue. This was a speed-paint at the time, and it is a technique I still use to paint things quickly (I used it today, actually). 3) Extensive use of bases I sculpted out of green stuff - I use GS and clay for most of my base-work these days (and a healthy amount of wood filler).

 

Still love this old mini, and it still sees play! Definitely one of my earlier pieces that has stood the test of time, and shaped what was to come. 

Gargoyle

I completed this impressively large gargoyle made by reaper miniatures in 2015. This guy is solid metal and weighs a ton! I really like how it turned out and I want to to a whole bunch of similar but more conventionally sized gargoyles for my collection. I haven't posted this mini widely because I found it very difficult to photograph - any angle that shows its face tends to make its tail look......inappropriate.
 

Ogres and Goblins Warband

 

I could've sworn I had posted this warband here on the blog before, but it looks like I omitted one of my favorite big projects in my collection! These minis are some of the best that reaper has done in its bones line, and I love that they are themed together. They have continued to add more ogres and goblins with a similar style, and I have since added a handful of additional models, but this collection is the original group first completed in 2018.

I already have multiple goblin warbands in my collection, so I elected to go with the seldom used blue as the base skin color. I really like the look as it contrasts well with the orange skin of the ogres and the rusted iron used throughout. I doubled down on the palate by using bright aqua accents as well. 

 This collection is a critical part of my goal to complete all the models necessary to run LMoP and DoIP, so I am happy to have them done! Other models from those modules are at the top of my queue, and I will need to expand the number of goblins quite a bit.

Below are some pictures of subgroups so everything can be seen a little more clearly

Ogre Leaders:

Ogre Brutes:

Goblins:

Bugbear and wolf

The bugbear was completed in 2021 and his pet wolf was completed earlier this year. These guys are intended to be used as Klarg and Ripper from Cragmaw Hideout in LMoP. They are test pieces for the virtual army of bugbears that I will need to run...virtually every module. These guys appear as often as their lesser cousins, or perhaps more. When I fist started working on minis for various modules this suprised me because outside of D&D they are virtually unheard of. I have snatched up the older bugbear models that reaper makes (which I prefer to the newer much larger style), as well as a few STLs that fit very closely stylistically, so I can create a complete warband. I already have a good number prepped to paint, and now that I have a palate and style worked out I will batch paint them. These older models have a ton of quirky details which will slow down the painting, but also gives each one unique character. Other than the bobbles everything in the paint-job is pretty straightforward with the exception of the bugbears shaggy fur - that style of highlighting can be tedious but my earlier attempt to do a plain fur didn't work for me.
 

Taki-bi no Oni, Greater and Lesser Elemental Terror of Fire

 While I am thinking about Rokugan, I figured I would follow with this pair of miniatures completed in 2013 - nearly a decade old! My Rokugan project is one of my first paint projects, and may be my longest running. I am not a fan of the Clan War model for the Terror of Fire, but I found a suitable pair of miniatures to represent both the Greater and Lesser forms in my collection of Reaper Bones. They are described as female forms of bright green fire, hence the unusual color for these elementals, but I have come to really appreciate them. This color palate is broadly used in my collection to symbolize spirits, so its use here has good continuity with the rest of my collection.  They definitely stand out!

Asahina Tamako, Crane Damio and Shugenja

 This model is part of my extensive Clan War collection and was originally completed in 2017. Progress on this project has been slow, but it is one of my most enjoyable; I hope to complete the entire line at some point.

Crane clan is my least favorite of the major clans (too prim), but they have some excellent and expressive character models. I plan on using this fellow more generically as a Shugenja magistrate, but it is nice to identify him as the named character. The Clan War line is long defunct and all traces of it are nearly scrubbed from the internet, so, actually identifying the miniatures requires a good amount of sleuthing. I guess that is half the fun of a collection of this type.

I don't paint humans too often, but I thought Tomako came out well. Its a subject I know is weakness of mine, so these clan war pieces are a good opportunity to develop my skills in a critical area.

Ochre Jelly & split

 

An exclusive post! LOL. Since my blog/gallery has so little traffic they will effectively remain unseen ( ultra-exclusive!). I completed this ochre jelly in 2020, but I was unsatisfied with these pictures so it was never posted. I have come to the realization that it wasn't the pictures I didn't want to post, but rather that the models themselves were pretty uninteresting as simple blobs of orange ooze- ha! In any case, they deserve some sort of love - they are widely used in adventure modules so surely someone will find them interesting/useful. I couldn't find any suitable ochre jelly models on the market that captured the complete progression of the monster with its "split" ability with enough variety, so I sculpted these with polymer clay. I think the sculpts themselves are decent and the mass of the medium (25mm base) and small (20mm base) jellies works well - success! I could've taken the paint to another level, but the simple two tone paint with a wash and gloss-coat definitely does the job. 

After making these I realized that the I need a second ooze for DoIP (and probably more for OoTA), so I will have to replicate this design for at least another pair of each size, but that shouldn't bee too difficult. A variety of other oozes is high on my to-do list due to how easy they are to work on, so expect to see more of the classics and some unusual varieties between humanoids.

Boggle

 

 

 Another recently completed model, I'm on a roll! This is a classic 1e monster that reminds me of my first introduction to D&D, RPGs, and the fantasy genre itself. When I was around 10 my older cousin gave me a number of RPG books that he was no longer interested in. Most of these books were, at the time, unpopular, but they became the baseline for what I expected fantasy to be to this day. Among them was the 1e MMII, and a tattered copy of A2, Secret of the Slavers Stockade. The Boggle was featured in both, and even made the cover of A2:

 

I am happy to add a version to my collection, so that I might be able to run that module someday or otherwise use it to relive my childhood adventures. This model was sculpted by Schlossbauer, who is definitely one of my favorites these days. I particularly appreciate that  it holds true to the original design, which I prefer over the newly re-imagined creature (though, I am happy to see it having renewed popularity, whatever the form!).

Champion of Slaanesh #2

Another Chaos Champion! I finished this fellow a few years back but I don't think I have shared it elsewhere. With this mini, I am firmly in the camp of the Chaos god Slaanesh. I have a nearly complete collection of the old school champions, nearly enough to make a few functional units of these mutants. I hope to complete at least one a year, which means I am...past due. Fortunately I have a few ready to roll! These paint jobs are not meant to be competition worthy, but rather an excuse for fun with crazy metallic techniques done as quickly as possible to keep the queue moving. While the base colors are very similar across the two I have completed so far, it just wouldn't be Chaos if they were all cookie cutter. The focus here was obviously on the metallics of the fly parts. I used a variety of blue and green metallic paints over a silver base, with some interference paint for good measure and I really like the final effect. The dynamic nature of the paints means it looks even better on the game table than on photo. I tried to improve the sword blade on it Vs the first champion, and I thought it did well enough that I actually went back and repainted the previous blade to match.

Haniwa Clay Golem

 

A new paint job! Golems are one of my favorite subjects to paint, but it occurred to me that I don't have one of the most common varieties represented in my collection. I found a few options but a free STL by Clay Rade was the obvious first choice for me.. It is based on real world dancing clay sculptures from ancient Japan that were left in funeral mounds. I thought it might work well in both my generic fantasy and my L5R setting collections. 

The paint work itself was very simple - it is nearly a mono-color palate for the golem itself. I decided to paint it as a speed-paint to squeeze it in between the larger projects I am working on this year and it was an excellent "palate cleanser."  I'm not really happy with how the base turned out (I over did it on the sand/gravel) but I don't really want to commit time to changing it. I was hoping it would fit the description of the cave that the clay golem in The Lost Caverns Of Tsojcanth, and it was a near miss.

Fortune Hunters ( Marie du Chatelet, Breaching Mech Construct)

 I was hoping to post some pieces I completed this year today but I lost the light by the time I had finished the days tasks. Ah well, I have plenty of old stuff to share (in this case, a decade old! photo dated 2012). While this picture is practically ancient by modern standards, I do think it needed to be included in my gallery here if it is supposed to be representative of my collection. 

These were the first members of my now rather large Fortune Hunters warband, which surprisingly hasn't been featured here at all so far. I was initially pretty indifferent about that faction in the game, as I am  not a huge steampunk fan (ghasp!), but they are just so darn easy on the brush for me. Shaded metallics are my jam! 

I'll have to take some pictures of the rest of the crew so that all the core factions have some representation. That'll give me an opportunity to revisit the photographic style of these models. The Black background with harsh lighting seems to be very popular these days for dramatic effect, but I really don't favor the trend.

Warg

 The warg! I went with a naturalistic look for this classic wolf monster, but tried to make its face as malicious as possible with evil red eyes. I think it looks pretty darn mean. I think the pop of yellow flock is an interesting if mundane addition. I find it keeps my eye in the center of the photo and also acts as an interesting counterbalance to an otherwise wicked beast. I like this sculpt quite a bit. that snarl is perfect, and is a pose I'd like to see more frequently in wolf miniatures.

Cephalid Animist

 The ranks of my Dark Mariners continue to grow! I completed this piece in 2019 and it is one of my favorite Bob Olley DM sculpts I have completed to date. I continue to enjoy the unique character each of them has; they are an opportunity to try wild colors and combinations that would be out of place elsewhere. In particular, unusual metallic paints work well on their bizarre marine features, and rarely see use otherwise. Despite the unusual palate I have taken great care to ensure he fits seamlessly with older models in my collection. I have several others I painted recently I am eager to share, including the animist's fearsome creation! At some point I'll have to post an updated group image.

Stone Golem

 I took this picture in 2013 but I am pretty sure the paint-job predates it by several years, and I think it still holds up pretty well. I remember being very pleased with how the basing told the narrative of an ill-fated sculptor being killed by their creation upon its completion. This probably represents some of the earliest GS sculpting of bases that I did. Even now I particularly appreciate that I went with a non-standard stone color - I believe it was intended to be jade. One for (my) history books!

Undying Minotaur

 

 Ah, the skeletal minotaur, always a popular option for necromancers it seems. This was a nice excuse to paint rusted armor, something I always enjoy working on. I couldn't decide on which picture to post - each offered something different but was lacking in some way, so both it is. The base on this fellow is unusually understated for me, I think, but I managed to include some visual interest in the mud/muck by adding bits from the Reaper weapon sprues they made a few years back. 

The hammer was intended to be stone and bone, but I'm not sure if that translated - it was probably a poor design choice on my part.

Inferno Spider

 

 

 I was looking for something to serve as the BBEG of the excellent introductory module "A Most Potent Brew" by Winghorn press, and I was delighted when I came across this STL! I can no longer find it, but it is a simple remix of an undead spider from one of my favorite 3D modellers, Schlossbauer, and a simple flame sculpt. Very effective, I think. I am running this adventure with my kids, and this piece definitely created the moment I was hoping for. 

In terms of painting, it isn't a very clean piece, even for a speed paint, but the fire looks good and hot, and the spider looks ....spidery, so I am calling it a win. The OSL on the floor isn't quite right - I still haven't mastered that technique without being paralyzed by fear that I will ruin the model and spending waaaay to long on it. So, even there it is a step in the right direction - I was faster at least!

 

Animatronic Troll and Kobolds

 

These were among my first completed miniatures from Bones 5 because, well, they were easy. Not much too them, and a simple paint-job at that, but dang, they sure are fun! 

 My metallic paints seem to go bad more quickly than everything else, so I actually struggled to even get the paint on the model. I had to compromise a lot with the usable metallics I had available to me, But it was a "make it work" moment.  It ended up being a good opportunity to experiment with a tarnished and greasy brass look by blending layering and mixing non-metallics with metallics. The reaper bases were great here because the have an empty cavity on the backside and I was able to nest the figures built-in bases inside. this allowed me to match the texture with GS rather than go through the hassle of removing it. For quick paint sessions shortcuts like that are crucial or it bogs down the whole process. for some models it is critical if they already have a very large thick base that cant be safely removed without damaging the model. 

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith

Completed in 2015. My West End Games Star Wars project is a slow, slow burn. I recall rushing this mini at the time, and I am not entirely happy with the OSL, but it was a valuable learning experience at the time. I do think the lightsaber came out really well, though. The WEG range has a few Vaders, so I will have an opportunity to revisit him at some point.  This one is model number SW11.

The old school style of these WEG SW minis is instant nostalgia for me, and I am happy to dedicate time in the painting rotation to this expansive range of classic star wars characters.

Join me on the old-school side!

 

Shadow assassins (4)

 This set of models was completed in 2016, and was the start of my obsession with the AEG Clan War line of miniatures for the L5R universe. Since this time I have collected nearly every SKU ever released (and some that were not), and I have grand ambitions to paint them all. having 4 unique models for each blister of troops and many unique characters as well gives the line depth in the range that cant really be found anywhere else, even in the modern era of digital sculpting. I have a few more WIPs for the scorpion clan, so they should be a well rounded battle group before long.

Giant leech (2)- painted!

 

Not sure how I missed cross-posting these here - they are a special set for me. this is my copy of the leeches I sculpted for reapers bones line. While not complex, I think their simplicity makes them among my favorite sculpts of mine to have ever been produced. The sculpts themselves were not perfect, but I personally love the end result. Just as I modeled these inspired by actual leech anatomy, I also painted them based of of some of the more striking colors I found in my research. 

I have a third incomplete leech that I never submitted floating around in my WIP drawer that I may have to dust off this year.

Spectator

 

My fourth mini of 2022! I have been a painting machine lately, but I have been worse than ever at sharing my work. I completed 52 minis in 2021, making the first year since 2013 (gasp!) that I have actually achieved my annual painting goal of averaging one mini per week. I think part of my success came from giving myself a non-arbitrary goal.

 I have been steadily painting every miniature needed to run The Lost mines of Phandelver. At first it seemed pretty easy to do, but there are a surprising number of different pieces needed, especially when I consider descriptions that are unique (such as demihuman undead and villagers). The spectator is, of course, one of the apex encounters in that module, and easily the most monstrous creature to be found. 

This sculpt was a 3D print from MZ4250's collection, painted quickly with his monthly contest in mind. It is my second beholder kin from him, and each has been super fun. There will be more beholders in my future.

I wanted to try something unique with the basing here - I really wanted it to be flying but I have been overusing the conveniently close pillar for flying creatures quite a bit. Ultimately I opted for something I hadn't done before, smoke! I thought it would be action movie-esq to have him swooping through the smoke from a prior destructive eye ray blast. The smoke effect actually lends a ton of flexibility for attachment points, and though you cant really see it in these pictures, I think it pulled off the floating effect well. For those interested in the craft, the smoke was made bake clay and wire for strength.

 Death from above!