Old Owl Well / Old Shitty Well

 

I don't often post terrain, but I am hoping to include more pieces in my collection, particularly if they fill a thematic role in one of the modules I am working to complete. With that in mind, you can't have an encounter at Old Owl Well without an old well! This free sculpt from EC3D fills that need perfectly - it doesn't get better than that.Yes, it is called "Old Shitty Well", but it's great. This is also a support free model which ended up ended up being a really pleasant hobby experience. It went from file to done in no time, which went a long way to reinvigorate my painting mojo this fall. I'll have to start using more support free models to make prep a more relaxing experience. 

I'll close with a rough shot of the whole encounter. I apologize for the  photo edit - I didn't have a backdrop big enough to capture the whole group. I'd like to do more encounter shots like this as my collection grows, so ill need to work out a better system for photography.

Actually, this photo makes me wish that I had also done the tent for this encounter - more terrain to come, it seems!

Evil Mage / Red Wizard of Thay

 

All those zombies need an evil necromancer to lead them! This is my stand-in for Hamun Kost from LMoP. Sure, Sure, he doesn't fit the description, and he doesn't even have that classic Red Wizard of Thay robe look, but in my mind the mini was a perfect fit. This piece is an old Reaper Miniatures Bones model - back from when they were all bendy. Despite the cast looking a bit soft upon selection, the painted model came out really crisp. The model itself was sculpted by Werner Klocke, who never disappoints, and has a nice compliment of embroidery details and belts with buckles. I was pleasantly surprised with my results - definitely exceeding my expectations for this project. In particular, I was really happy with the rich reds I achieved (always a challenge).

Zombies (4) #3

 The final installment of human zombies in my current series; whew! Not the best picture, but I'll stick with it for now. They are rotting, after all. These are metal models from Reaper Miniatures and are a nice collection of zombies in different poses. The color palate in this batch is a little too narrow - in retrospect I should've mixed the sets up more for presentation purposes. I still have more zombies to show (and make) - the low level adventures are undead heavy - but I look forward to some different varieties moving forward.

Zombies (4) #2

 

The second installment in my series of human zombies. This time, the models come from a Heresy Miniatures; they have some excellent lines and I particularly enjoy their undead. The sculpting and poses of these zombies have a little more sinister in feel to me relative to others I have done. The weapons are an interesting touch - sometimes zombies are shown as completely thoughtless, and others they retain some spark of their former knowledge - enough to wield tools. Weapons definitely make zombies a more threatening prospect to face!

Of the various batches of zombies I have painted, I think these are near the best - the shading and colors have more contrast and saturation, giving them more un-life.

Zombies (4) #1

 

 Every adventure needs undead, and zombies are endlessly useful.

 Zombies are pretty sloppy monsters, so it was more important that I linked their color palates while giving each some unique elements rather than making each one a masterpiece - The herd is where they make their impact. They were painted at different times over a relatively long interval, so they aren't perfectly consistent, but I think that actually benefits them.  It is much easier to photograph them a few at a time, so I've decided to post small groups over a few weeks. Despite the simple paint jobs, I really appreciate that each is totally unique stylistically.

This first pack of zombies were made by Reaper Miniatures (two of them are plastic bones material, and two are metal). 

As can always be expected with zombies, more to come!

Pumpkin Dragon, Adult

 

 

This is a much larger pumpkin dragon to go along with the smaller one I did recently. I really enjoy all of the pumpkin creatures I got during October - It seems like it would make for a very satisfying fantasy adventure to have the heroes go smashing evil pumpkins. November is still a pumpkiny season, so maybe I'll keep it going. Painting pumpkins is super relaxing, too - I could use a bit more of that vibe. 

This base is a custom oval size - somewhere in the ballpark of 75mm / "huge". 3D printing bases is amazing - I never seem to have enough of the right size and shape; the printer has paid for itself in just bases many times over. 

My color palate here was nearly identical to that of the smaller dragon, but the color of the picture is much closer to the eye than that post - I think the greens and browns in this piece really balance out the image so it doesn't get over corrected by the phone.

Wraith, Mage / Mormesk

 

 This was a nice on-theme simple speed paint to keep my momentum going. Not my best work (I prefer my earlier wraith to this one), but it was an effort to improve upon my quick ghostly green subjects (e.g. the banshee). Most notably, this is another model that fills a spot in the lost Mine of Phandelver roster - I'm (slowly) making progress!

This model is from Monolith Arts - they make some of my favorite sculpts for incorporeal undead and a "Ghost Mage" is perfect for Mormesk.

Pumpkin Dragon, Wyrmling / Harvest Dragon

 

 

 I have been struggling to do hobby stuff since the start of autumn, due to other responsibilities, which is really unfortunate because this is my favorite time of year. This also seems to be the season for the absolute best miniatures releases. So, to shake off my low productivity, what better way than to paint a seasonal release! This cute little dragon is from the under appreciated Dillon Olney, and took paint like a champ for a speed-paint. I had such a fun time, I will start work on a bigger pumpkin dragon mamma dragon. Not sure what the timeline will be there, but ill definitely post more thematic Halloween treats this month.

Color balance was tough on the photo here - I went with a more naturalistic orange, but the smartphone wanted to crank this think up to neon red.

Dragonfly-Folk, Male

 

This is a fun piece that I had a lot of fun with. The subject for the Printed Encounter was "Modular Insectoids, " and I wanted to make another unique entry in the spirit of the kobolds I did for the last round. I found a really cool giant dragonfly in their catalog, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make something really unique that fit perfectly thematically. This model was the first of six that I prepared, but with the whirlwind of activity that the end of summer brings to my household I was only able to finish prep on one of them before I was facing a tight deadline of only a few days of painting time (with limited time each day, that is pretty tough for me).

I decided to take a chance on the color scheme, and rather than the safe blue palate for a dragonfly (the classic blue-eyed darner) I went with something flashy that broke up my current color palate. Specifically, I modeled my paint after the real world "roseate skimmer" - those were some really striking (and risky!) colors

(credit to Jim Angelo for the great pic)

The males are super flashy purples, pinks, magents and reds, while the females are a whole different palate (for another post!). 

Definitely a bold palate that would pose a challenge, and very different from anything I had done before! I also elected for some other firsts - most notably, the transparent wings. This model, like most I print, was done with transparent resin.  I then used some liquid latex mask to cover the wings while I painted the model to keep them perfectly clear (good thing, too!). once I was done with the bulk of painting I carefully stripped of the mask - this was really challenging and took hours to achieve because I didn't want to damage the delicate wings.  Then came a clear coat, and some final details, including a transparent colorshift glaze (pink-gold). this looks amazing in person, but only the back photo captures it here. Ill have to get some alt photos to really focus on that effect at some point. I was really happy with the (super labor intensive) outcome, enough that my gears are turning and I want to dry all sorts of shimmery clear wings!

Bone Golem / Patchwork Skeleton, Large

 

I Just completed a new bone construct, which makes it another series I seem to be building. I tried to keep the paint as similar as possible to those original models, but I have definitely upped my game on subtle color shading with simple palates since I last worked on the patchwork skeletons. 

The picture came out pretty nice, so I posted it at a relatively large size. This fellow is pretty big, sitting on a 45 mm base.

MZ4250s paint contest this month covers constructs and I didn't have time to print something new, so I dug this gem out of the depths of the bag of unused prints. This model itself if one of the first things I printed and had a bunch of damage - my support game was weak. I think I managed  to salvage it, though, and I'm glad that I was able to put it to good use.

A Shiver of Sharks; Bullsharks (4)

 

Yay! I finally finished something new! I have had a bunch of projects bogging down my painting, but I was able to find some quiet time to finish these sharks this week. They might be my favorite project of the year so far. It has been ages since I finished an extant animal, and I feel a little invigorated returning to real world critters as a subject. I had thought they would be a fast project, being fairly monotone, but I sorely underestimated how much surface area I needed to cover for these large sized models.

The sharks themselves are really great Bullshark sculpts from  Wundervale Games - I was impressed with how anatomically accurate they are, and I was happy to get a set of four. In the same spirit, I based the paint-jobs on real pictures of bullsharks to keep them as realistic as I could. My son said the paint was "basic" - LOL. Sometimes you can't beat the real deal - I like 'em! 

I'm not really a fan of "flight stands" for models, and fortunately creatively basing undersea creatures is forgiving. I remixed these bases with elements from scatter terrain by "Fantastic Plants and Rocks" and some sand bases by "Cobra Mode" I reshaped. The kelp was perfect for creating an elevated look. The execution wasn't flawless, but definitely captures the idea. 

Same could be said of the whole project, I suppose. I'm pleased, so I included a lot of pics. 

 A note about bullsharks: they are a really fascinating species of large shark capable of living in fresh water (they may even rely on fresh water to breed). This often puts them in conflict with humans - we both occupy the near shore environment and estuaries. They are probably responsible for more shark attacks than the usual suspects, but their populations are in decline. Bullsharks are fierce predators, but they are also vulnerable to overfishing (they mature slowly). Take a moment to learn more about these amazing creatures!

Kobold Adept (2)

 

This pair of kobold casters make nice minions for the sorcerer I posted previously. Despite appearances, even an apprentice kobold can be a serious threat! It seems I have committed to posting my kobold warband; looking forward to the group shot.

Kobold Sorcerer

 

 My kobolds were the first really large warband I did where I completed a large variety of character types, from goons all the way to apex threats like this fellow here. They had seen a ton of use because of that, to the point of overuse, so I have taken an extended break from them. That is, until I received a fresh batch from Reaper! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new models meshed really well with the Ben Siens classics, so I'll give them some reinforcements over the next year. Between them, and my goblins, I am getting close to completing the models needed for one of my favorite 3.5 edition modules "The Sunless Citadel," so I'll need to make a push for that sooner than later.

Fortune Hunters Dr. Heinrich Cornelius / Steampunk Occultist Diver

 

I wasn't able to finish my paint goal for the week, but it was productive and fun none-the-less. Instead of something new, Ill share another piece from my collection that is on-theme. This is a model from my DeepWars Fortune Hunters warband, rounding it out with a specialist role. This model is on the small size, but loaded with details. I stuck to the paint scheme established with my earlier models, but took the opportunity to add some unique pops of color to help the Dr stand out a bit. In a vacuum I would've gone in a different direction. bit it meshes really well on the game table as it is. I only have a few more Fortune Hunters to post, which means it's time to paint more!

Shark Fin Surface Markers (4)

 

 

Sharks! Its that time of year and lately I have been in the habit of working on things that are on-theme for the season. That said, these are not my actual project but, rather appropriately, a preview of what is to come. I thought that some shark fin surface markers would be a fun and useful addition to my miniatures toolkit while I work on the sharks themselves. They'll be a good way of ratcheting up the pressure for encounters over water and I think it'll feel better in-game than having underwater models over the waters surface. 

I made these by grabbing the fins in Meshmixer and stitching them to simple 25x20mm bases before printing. The water texture was added later with green stuff, and the models were painted easily in a single short session. 

Now, on to the fins owners....

Hordling Demon #2 / Sebelex, Devourer of the Dead

This is another old but still great model from the depths of my collection / the pit. Like the previous hordling, it is from the Grenadier Fantasy Lords box set (1984). These sculpts hold up so well I can see myself hunting down the whole lot of 'em. 

The color scheme is the same otherworldly blues and purples with green eyes that I use for most of my other demon models, but he is definitely unique. I like the palate a lot - I'll have to revisit it.

Animated Skeleton Guards (4)

 

These skeletons from One Gold Piece are a great intermediate build for RPGs - no armor or shields, but armed. They are formally titled "Undead General Guards" because they are intended to be fantasy shifted Magna Guard droids for their awesome (and sadly no longer available) Sky Wars line. I couldn't figure out how to stick to the original SW color palate for them, so I went in a different direction stylistically. I love the design, but my support game was weak, and it took a few attempts to successfully print and no break 'em. A few bits here and there were repaired by myself. Not my best work, but they compliment nicely with my other skeletons and will be great on the game table.

I haven't posted many undead here, which is odd because they are heavily represented in my collection. A lot of my early batch painting were of mobs of skeletons; every novice necromancer knows the fastest way to pad your ranks is with the dead. And here I am again, years later, working the same strategy! I noticed my painting goal numbers for the year are low, so I've decided I need to focus on groups of models for a bit to bump my productivity. My major project right now is grinding through The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and this low level module is stacked with the undead. Since most of my skeleton models are older, it is a nice opportunity to have a fresh take.

Night's Cult Leader / Spyron “Moonface”

 

 

This is my evil cult middle-management leader, to go along with the previously posted Night's Cult models. This guy is simple, anonymous, and effective as a cult leader stand-in for most of my needs. Like my other Nights cult models, he was a speed-paint for the table a few years ago.

Ithorian / Hammerhead / Momaw Nadon

 

 I have been enjoying the latest Star Wars drop, so I thought I'd ride that nostalgia and post another of my WEG Star wars models. This is SW36 from the Grenadier Models / West End Games "A New Hope" box set. He is a minor character appearing in the iconic cantina scene in that movie, and was an unnamed character at the time ("scum and villainy"). Of course, all of those vagabonds have since earned well developed backstories. He is sometimes portrayed as having a golden or brass staff, but I chose to go with black at the time  (not sure if it is canon - he never appears with a staff on film) because...I liked it. The character is obscure enough that he would stand in well for any Ithorian; I did my best to make him an accurate depiction of the species.  The cantina is well represented the miniatures line, and I hope to one day have a complete set at some point.

On a 25mm base (inverted).

Night's Cult Swordsman (3)

 

 These cultists are the muscle for the captain I posted previously. These guys really shine as groups of mobs -  it makes them much more impressive and formidable on the table. Only some minor stylistic differences, and a slightly better picture, but this post is much more satisfying than the captain.

Scion of Ehecatl / Kobold Coatl-Born (2)

 

These Colorful heroes are my entry for this months Printed Encounter paint club. The modular packs are a fun concept, and I was keen on requesting a new part for the kobold kit, so I charged it. 

For a concept I really wanted something that would leverage the unique modularity of these kits, something very different from my normal subjects or from the kobolds already in my collection. I'm not exactly sure how the inspiration struck, but somehow my brain connected the dots that this style of kobold head had an uncanny resemblance to the Aztec god Ehecatl:

 

Notably, the toothy snout  was a good fit. plus an neckbeard, and a brow that looked a bit like a horn! Perfect. Ehecatl is a god of the winds and an aspect of Quetzalcoatl - It doesn't get much cooler than that! In D&D lore the Kobold is often associated with dragons, and they manefest their characteristics from time to time. Following that logic, why not a Coatl? It seemed like an amazing convergence of concept, inspiration, art, and opportunity. I dug around on the web and found some good coatl art, as well as as many images of Ehecatl as I could. A full body image is below:

A few themes were clear: A dark body, either blue or green, a red face (and often hands and feet), here he is shown with a warclub and a round shield. Great reference material.

PE has a very nice set of modular wings that were perfect for the concept, so those were an easy choice. I had the idea early on that I would use the D&D coatl color palate for the wings to join the modern gaming interpretation with the mythology. The gear was tougher, as the current offerings were far more western in theme. Fortunately, I have a Mesoamerican frogfolk pack from PE and I am pretty handy in Meshmixer and Blender. A pair of quick weapon swaps onto the hand bits and I was in business with a macuahuitl and chimalli. The bases were also kitbashed from various free bits and bobs I had in my collection. Easter-egg: the statue on the base of the model on the right is none other than Ehecatl himself! It is a scan of an actual statue (in his human form, it would seem). All of the parts were assembled virtually, and they were printed, bases and all, in a single piece. (note to self: next time use at least two points of contact to the base!).

For the colors I wanted to keep it very colorful, and dang, those wings came out bright! They really pop. For the full buy in, I decided to freehand the chimalli (round shields) using known shield patterns (from codex Mendoza): 

  

I took some liberties with the designs, but I really enjoyed it. I almost never do freehand these days because of the time consuming nature of it, but it was really satisfying.

The bold palate was such a fun change from my normal subjects that I'm tempted to paint a coatl next time I need a palate cleanser.

In summary, a great project! I was able to flex my modeling printing and painting skill, all under a deadline, and I really had fun with it. Heck, I learned a bunch! the research was really interesting, and I'm eager to do more. I hope Ehecatl approves.

 

Night's Cult Captain / Cultist Duelist

 

 A quick speed-paint that fills a critical role: an elite cultist. Legend Builds cultists are perfect models to fill the shoes of most of my cultist needs -  they come in tons of flavors and they are properly anonymous without any overly specific iconography. This guy acts as a champion type for a small squad of these guys I have already completed. My thinking was that they could be stand-ins for the dragon cultists in LMoP, as well as play part of the Cult of the Reptile God for module N1, among other things.

 I printed them slightly enlarged to scale with the rest of my collection. The paint palate was kept very simple so that I could easily reproduce it (or something similar) quickly as I add to the ranks - I expect I'll need quite a few! I used muted grey-purple and green-purple to play off the inherent contrast of that palate (as well as with a touch of green on the base,) to add some visual interest to an otherwise very dark and monotone approach. Simple can be good!

Hordling Demon / Mxomycetes, Duke of the Mire

 

From one Grenadier line to another. I'm feeling that old school charm, I guess. This is another model I dug out of my childhood toybox, stripped, and repainted. That was sometime prior to 2013 when I started keeping records. Once upon a time (ahem 1984), this model was fearsome and imposing enough to be a named demon - a duke no less! These days he is much less threatening and I use him as a lowly (but unique) hordling.  

Despite the age of the model (and the paintjob), I still like it. Being the creature of habit that I am, this piece laid the groundwork for most of the demons I have painted since (at least those who serve a certain lord).

RA-7 protocol droid

 

Continuing on the theme of yesterdays bonus Star Wars post, here is another miniature from the Imperial Forces box set by Grenadier Models and West End Games. It is now known as an RA-7 protocol droid, but the "Death Star Droid" is only referred to as an "Imperial Droid" in the box insert (model SW17). These guys make good weak antagonists in the SW universe, and are appropriately sinister looking with their insectoid like heads.

The paint work here is super simple, just shaded metallics. For an idea of the 25mm "scale" from that era, it is mounted on a 25mm base - a small model by modern standards.

Keepin' it old school. 

Stormtrooper (2)

 

 

In celebration of May 4th I have been binging some star wars and have decided to post some additional models from my star wars collection. These are some *old school* stormtroopers in the truest sense - from Grenadier Miniatures 25mm West End Games' line dating back to 1988! These  two are from the same set as the Vader model I posted previously (Imperial Forces box, numbers SW14, SW15, for those of you interested in the WEG line). Apparently I was working my way through the set when these were completed  in 2015. 

Like many other models I have painted from WEG, these were speed-painted, so not my best work. Notably, though, these were my first real attempt at painting large areas of white using off-whites and greys. I think it turned out well, considering, and I still use similar formulas for painting white today (though I still avoid it - white is a tough paint palate to work with!). In retrospect, these retro models have been important learning tools in my painting journey.

For the SW geeks out there, it looks like these guys are packing the classic E-11 blaster rifle and a DLT-20A blaster rifle (without scope). 

May the 4th be with you & "Long live the Empire!"

Goblin Reinforcements / Bloodbite Goblins (2)

 I've decided to do some Paint Club stuff, so while I work on a new project I thought I'd play some catch up on existing factions I have going. These two handsome fellows are additions to my Ogres and Goblins warband from years gone by. They are slightly bigger than the originals, but also sculpted by the great Bobby Jackson in the same style. They bring a bit of muscle and chaff to my goblins, giving me nearly enough to run some of the encounters in published RPG modules, but still not quite the numbers needed to make a goblins-only battle group. I have some additional "command" models and I recently acquired a large number of new goblin recruits from the same range, so I  expect I'll be adding more to their number in the near future. 

Stone Juggernaut

 

This subject is way off script for any of my paint project goals, but the rule of cool wins! This TPK machine comes from one of my long running 3D sculpting subscriptions: "Roleplaying & Miniatures." This sculptor takes his queue directly from subscriber suggestions which are then voted on monthly. Its a pretty cool system, and sometimes my pitch makes the cut! The stone juggernaut was one such suggestion of mine that gained the favor of the masses, and immediately earned a spot on the printer. 

Now, what possessed me to request one, if I have no real plans for it? It is friggin' cool! Stone juggernauts always struck me as one of those horrible and hopeless encounters for PCs - a giant fantasy steamroller made of solid rock set on squishing the heroes to goo? Seems totally unfair! Some are even magic users, which makes me want to evil-laugh. It makes sense that every piece of artwork I have seen of one portrays people running frantically away. Staring down the business end would definitely make me run.

Hobby-wise it was a straightforward project. The hollow print was easy, and the paint-scheme is simplistic; it's just a rock. I couldn't quite figure out how I wanted to handle the base on this boxy construct and I had a few false starts. Eventually I decided to gore-up a flagstone base I had sculpted to represent the remnants of prior victims. It seemed appropriate enough and I don't often do gore, so it was something different. I created the bone fragments and flesh-pulp with a mix of course spices, eggshells, and shredded toilet paper in Modpodge. I think it works pretty well despite being a crude basing technique.

Wight, Monk / Dreadmere Wight

 

My painting has been sluggish with a slew of spring projects to tackle, so while I work on something new here is a piece from the display cabinet that I have never previously shared. This rotten fellow is from the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter, and was the first piece I painted when the loot came in. I was feeling inspired and knocked him out as fast as I could as a speed-paint. 

It is a nice standalone piece, and I really appreciate that it is an undead with some character! The living dead are often stripped down to rags, or just bones, so an undead with some personality, or at least personal history, is much appreciated. It is also one of the few robed undead I own - the old manuals are stacked with robed corpses and the concept is nostalgic for me, but they are surprising hard to find as miniatures.

This wight remained unshared for so long mostly owing to how difficult it was to photograph - it has a forward lean which throws much of the model into shadow under natural light. I'm happy with these shots, after a few prior failed attempts, which I achieved by using a vertical light source.

I really enjoy painting the dead; they are one of the few times I allow myself really let loose with a gritty style and "ugly" models, with lots of haphazard washes. Of course, that is a self imposed concept. At one point I remember finding a miniature artist who did everything like that, in a limited unusual color palate to really great effect. I envied the stylistic commitment which I could never fully push myself to adopt.

Wolf Eel Familiar

 Another tiny sea creature from Reaper. I modeled this paint scheme after one of my favorite local species, the wolf eel. Not a true eel, but so cool! They get really big, so this would be a smaller specimen. 

I had a lot of fun with the stippling on this piece. Its a technique used commonly in canvas painting, but rarely gets used by miniatures artists. 

The toothy smile is really fun and not unlike the real thing.

 This may be my favorite of the set, so far.

 

 

Gelatinous Cube

 Wellllllll, some posts just don't seem that impressive. looking at you semi-transparent ooze cube! Given that, I really thought making one was going to be easy - HA! how wrong I was.

 This model is from epic miniatures, printed in clear resin. The model is hollow, presumably so it can sit over another model and engulf it. I'm not a huge fan of that type of gimmick, so I elected to fill the cavity with clear epoxy resin. I made some mistakes here - I was in a rush and I didn't do the optional steps to remove bubbles. As a consequence, the cube has loads of tiny bubbles that give it a foggy look. I ultimately hope to make some cubes with items floating in them, so Ill need to work on getting my resin clear moving forward.

 The second pitfall was the frosty nature of the layers of the print. I initially tried using a gloss coat, and it sorta' worked to clear it up but resulted in some paint checking around "drip" features that needed to be carved or sanded away. the layer was a bit on the thin side to prevent checking, which allowed the print layers to remain more visible. So, I ended up painting on print resin as a coating, then coating that with a thin layer of gloss.

The final obstacle was how to attach the cube to the base I had sculpted and painted (a 60mm base, which broke in half at one point - this project did not go smoothly). I settled on welding it to the base with more clear UV resin, but I left a few bubbles in places, and while it worked out it was far from easy, and definitely messy. still, not a bad strategy (especially since the other option was epoxy resin with very long cure times), but an error would've been costly.

The next one will be better! I plan on two more at some point with different details and "floaters." 

I cant promise better photos, though, they are just clear goo, after all.

Young Green Dragon / Venomfang

 

 

This fellow is an important encounter in LMoP - he may not be the BBEG, but has the potential to be super deadly. What's more, he is almost certain to survive and become a recurring threat. 

Paint wise this piece is pretty simple and was completed quickly. In retrospect I could've upped the contrast - under the bright lights it looks a little washed out. That said, I recall consciously going for a brighter look. <shrug> Just an excuse to revisit the green dragons again in the future; I definitely enjoy green color palates.

A bright spot here for me is the base. I typically sculpt my bases the old-school way with mixed media: polymer clay and green stuff. These days it isn't really necessary, but pushing clay is very calming and lets me really tell the story I want. In this case I was inspired by some unusual terrain I have seen from time to time - elevated grass mounds in flood plains and marshes. Nothing too fancy, but I do like the effect and I'll continue to toy with the execution of the concept. 

This model was completed in 2020, but I have yet to share it anywhere, so it feels like a new accomplishment. I feel like I'm finally making some meaningful progress towards completing LMoP, and That is some nice motivation to push through.

Redbrand Ruffian #2 / Human Bandit

 

The second in my series of ruffians is not nearly as unique, but that is the point! I like to make my groups of baddies to have some unique recognizable elements that can step in as NPCs, and some more generic models I can use in multiple encounters.

You might notice that I went with a model that isn't strictly identical to LMoP stats. I like a variety of weapons on my baddies that make them more interesting to paint and also to play with. A spear will force some tactical decisions that can make game-play more interesting. I think varied equipment is also more fitting of a ragtag group of criminals. More generally, these projects are my interpretation of my favorite modules, so I make changes as I see fit. 

This model was made by Vae Victis, and was really nice to paint. It has an excellent balance of clean detail and feature depth that made it take paint smoothly without being too busy. I resized it a bit, as I do with nearly everything; it is on a 25mm base.

 

 

 

 use repeatedly in encounters 

Bull Ray Familiar

 

 

Another model from Reapers aquatic themed familiar pack VII. I did some light re-sulpting of this model; It was a faithful rendition of living rays, but had a cartoonish mouth with sharp teeth unlike the actual critters. I prefer my animal models on the realistic side, so I filed off that area and did a little work with greenstuff to give it a mouth more fitting a real ray. They have funny little mouths and I think the model is more realistic and a lot cuter!

I based my paint-job on a real species, the common eagle ray/bullray.  Sadly, while the bull ray was once "common" it is now a critically endangered species.

Redbrand Ruffian #1 / Nadia the tax collector

This is the first in my series of bandits for LMoP. I initially prepped and batch painted a collection of 12 models that were existing parts of my collection, freebee models, or the occasional purchase. The only real unifying theme was a bandana type element (rather than a cloak) I could use to visually link them. At a point I switched over to completing each model one-by-one to give each one a unique element for individual interest. Batch painting for me tends to be a little sloppy to keep things moving quickly, so the models in this collection aren't perfect, but they'll more than do the job as generic low level antagonists. I think this one will make a nice leader type for ruffian encounters in town.

This nice piece was sculpted by Galaad Miniatures. I took some liberties with her outfit design, and altered her scale a bit (I tend to scale things to be in line with "30mm" so that they work well with "28-32mm" scale physical models I own), but I think she it pretty faithful to the concept. 

 1 done, 11 to go!

 

 

Bullywug Mutant #2 / Inshon With Extra Eyes

 

Another fresh face belonging to my small collection of bullywugs. I stuck really close to the original color palate, but each does have a unique element. I really like the little fish snacks this fellow carries on its belt; details like that make it seem more like a creature with motivations than strictly a monster.

Wind Dragon, Grenadier

 

I enjoy painting dragons, but this one had a rough journey. I completed this *10 year WIP* this weekend - whiew! I love this model, but it was a struggle from day one and I was never quite able to make it live up to my vision-in-paint. It is an old piece, originally made in 1985, and when I got it it was a rescue piece - caked in paint and missing parts. I do enjoy salvaging the classics, but maybe I should've let this one go because it got me off on the wrong foot. 

 In particular the eye area was a hot mess. I have seen some versions of this piece with beautiful expressive eyes that weren't possible for me. I basically free-handed them in, such was the damage. The other parts were easier - the tail, etc, were simple to re-sculpt. still, a bad foot. I had an idea for the dragon being a brass dragon of sorts, with scales corroded with age to create a pattern. I think I came close to what I wanted, but missed the mark. The claws aren’t right; I tried a few things but none quite stuck. The blue-green is a little too bold, and I think I should've gone with a color palate similar to the hair instead. For the base I wanted an arid theme so the verdigris could remain the focus, but it always felt incomplete despite fussing with the idea for years.

Ah well, not every piece scratches that itch, some I'm just glad to have off the shelf-o-shame. I'm sure in time I will regard it as a labor of love.

Bullywug Mutant / Inshon With Four Arms

 

A model from my collection I have never shared before. I have a handful of  toad-like humanoids I fancy as bullywugs. I actually think the mutant theme works really well with bullywugs, and the lore of different types of tribes with different features plays well in to this idea.

 It is a simple paint scheme with its roots in the early days of my collection. The copper verdigris and golden eyes are my favorite bits, but easy to execute. The result isn't splashy but works to my advantage as it is pretty easy to fill the ranks.  I ultimately hope to have enough to run Dwellers of the Forbidden City, and the lesser known but excellent 4th ed adventure Reavers of Harkenwold. 

Why two very similar views? I dunno <shrug>, it felt right.

Giant Spider, Forest (3)

 

 

These were fun! Every collection needs giant spiders, and I wanted to mix it up a little.  The  LMoP encounter in "Ruins of Thundertree" calls for a pair in a woodland setting and I thought that the classic black or brown spider wasn't the best fit. Instead, I elected to base them on the white-banded crab spider, known for its diverse and interesting coloration. Check them out; crab spiders are really cool. This splash of color was a refreshing change of pace from the color palates I usually work with -  beautiful and deadly! 

The awesome models used here are from Otherworld miniatures. I am a huge fan of their old school take on monsters. In this case, the sculpting style definitely contributed to the impression of a crab spider - they were a perfect fit. I have a few more things from Otherworld in the pipeline.

My giant crab spiders sit on 40mm bases.

If classic dark creepy crawlies are more your style, don't worry, I plan to do some underdark themed spiders for their next appearance.

Green Dragon and Maiden / "Cat and Mouse"

 

I'm taking the lazy way out this week with a straight re-post of a previous miniature. Is quite old, though, so risks being lost to the dusty corners of the internet otherwise. It is one of my personal favorite pieces in my collection, so it definitely deserves a blog post. This mini diorama / miniature set dates back to 2013 and is probably the last true "competition" miniatures that I ever attempted to paint. It was done for an annual paint competition on the reaper forums: "There Be Dragons." To my recollection it won the category it was in, but the old forums are long gone so I'm not positive what the details of the contest were. In any case, I was pleased with the outcome. I do remember being time constrained on this project, but I definitely had inspiration and I worked fanatically on it up until the deadline. I must admit I am a bit curious how well I could do on a piece like this now - I consider myself a much better ( and far more efficient) painter. The time commitment for this type of thing is brutal, though, and these days my hobby focus is far more on the completion of "sets" of miniatures in the context of my whole collection rather than single showstopper pieces. 

Other than gratuitous use of gem effects, I really love the mini diorama aspect of this miniature. It can either be a vignette, or the maiden can be removed to act as a playable piece; It makes for a nice game play encounter. The bases were hand sculpted in an era before the rise of 3D printing, the dragon model is from Reapers Pathfinder line and the maiden is modified from an old Privateer Press miniature.

 

Animated Armor

This is a single session speed-paint I just completed as a rainy weekend project. It is Printed Encounters monthly paint club model and was a perfect casual subject. Low pressure painting exercises keep the hobby fun and light, not work. This suit also fills a useful spot in my collection; I plan to use it for the module Death House.