Crazed Owlbear

 

This is a really wild model from Reaper Miniatures. It definitely doesn't look like a classical owlbear, instead it is a slim, wild-eyed and berserk mutant. while this isn't what I had in mind for my run-of-the-mill owlbear encounter, I think it works perfectly for the crazed owlbear found in Cragmaw Castle of LMoP, so it found a home in my collection. The end effect with the tiny pupils isn't perfect but it is definitely unsettling. It was nice working with the different shades of brown on this model, but it wasn't an overworked piece so the work is otherwise unremarkable. I tried to play up the crazed angle in the paint by adding details such as a frothy mouth and bloodshot eyes for a "that owlbear isn't right" effect.

Because this model is so specific, I still want to complete a regular one for the random encounter table of LMoP. I'll do another with a very different aesthetic now that I am nearing a complete LMOP set.

 

Ancients of Atalan Hunter-Killer Mech

 

Sometimes one picture tells the whole story of the paintwork. In this case, it is all about the gold metallics. I spent most of my time on this ....giant robotic stingray washing, blending and highlighting to get a nice warm gold luster. 

The model itself is for my ever-growing Deepwars collection (made by Antimatter Games / Dark Sword Miniatures) and gives the Ancients of Atalan some really heavy firepower.

 Unusual subjects are often the best to work on because of their extreme nature, and I really appreciated going to the gills with the flashy metallic gold.

Animated Broom / Broom of Animated Attack

 

Happy New Year! Time to clean house. While the broom of animated attack is a notorious PC killer in Death House, I can definitely see why an evil house would keep one around. Its a good way to end the year, I think. Sweep away the dirt, and start anew.  

This is a very clean (free) STL by Cult Miniatures - It printed well and I completed the paint work in only a few very brief sessions. This was the final miniature I will complete this year and, happily, I hit my annual paint goal of 52 completed models just in time. 

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.