Mud Elementals / Mudmen (2)

 

These are a pair of classic Ral Partha mud elementals. They are simple to paint, and really fun on the game table. Mud elementals are among my favorite adversaries because of the interesting tactical challenges they present by merging with terrain. These were painted roughly 15 years ago (at the time of writing), when I was first experimenting with gloss effects, but I have never shared them before. 

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.

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.

Jabberwock, Ral Partha

 

OK, Ill be the first to admit that this is a less than satisfying re-post. I was feeling the itch to put something up, but it is very rainy and I am limited to outdoor photography for the time being. So, time to recycle; it is a piece I love! This was originally posted in 2010 on CMON - those were heady days. This Jabberwock was an effort at painting for contests. It did decently, managing a silver medal at one of the Denver gaming conventions. I remember the critique from the judges acutely -  The paint was great but the subject is too two-dimensional; it lacked visual interest from all directions. 

This advice has become the cornerstone of my more ambitious projects, especially my own sculpting - it has to be interesting from every direction. That said, models like this photograph beautifully, whereas sculpts best viewed in person are often difficult to get a good angle on them for photography.

 I especially enjoy the eyes on this piece, and it was the start of a limited case study in painting crazy-looking large creature eyes - I still emphasize that to this day. The photographic style on the other hand has changed quite a lot. It is indicative of my presentation at that time: complex collages of images, sometimes inset, and a bold signature ("Funnymouth" being and old handle). This was maybe the best of them, but it still makes me smirk.

I should also note that, like the recently shared Ral Partha wyvern, this model is a repaint from my original childhood collection.

 Reading back, it seems to be a fairly seminal piece in many ways - worthy of a re-post after all? I'll let you decide.

Wyvern, Ral Partha

This wyvern is a special piece - it is possibly the longest serving miniature in my entire collection! This miniature came from the resale cabinet at my local FLGS when I was a kid, sometime in the late 80s. I remember the display of metal figures with great nostalgia; ogling all the little metal sculptures made my imagination come alive. I even managed to give it a paintjob with the Testors model paints I had at the time. Little did I know this early experience would plant a seed that would take hold many years later. I  dug this little gem out of a box of old junk after two decades in storage as my interest in the hobby rekindled. Eventually, I got around to stripping the original damaged paintjob and giving her a fresh coat. Even now, it is now one of the older paint-jobs on display in my cabinet. Who knows, maybe Ill paint it again some day.

Props to the legendary Julie Guthrie - this classic sculpt still holds up well!

Sand Paraelemental / sandman (2)

 Following up on my elementals theme I seem to have going recently, here are a pair of "sand elementals" from Ral Partha's crucible line. These are great little sculpts that really capture the feel of beings made from sand very effectively - simple grainy details with exaggerated humanoid proportions. The styling works *perfectly* as D&Ds "sandman" monsters, which havn't seen much action, but are definitely very cool. These were painted ages ago - just simple drybrush and wash and the sculpt did the rest.

Water Elemental Daemon

 

The third in the cycle of Ral Partha elemental Daemons. These were the first elementals I ever worked on (many years ago), and they remain a passion of mine. Its nice to see a proper evil elemental. This was an early attempt at sculpting a base with greenstuff to integrate it, and I think the sense of motion is decent enough, even now. 

This may be my favorite of the four.

Earth Elemental Daemon

The second in the series of Ral Partha Elemental Daemons I have in my collection. This is my least favorite of the bunch, but I still think he is nice after all these years. each of these elemental daemons certainly bring something different from your standard elemental stuff. The fire elemental had a skeleton, this fellow has some plant elements, and they all have a definite sense of malice.

 

Smoke Paraelemental, Medium

 This is a great little model from Ral Parth's crucible line that really hits the spot for me. I like the coals effect and cinders on the base, and it strikes me a "moody" for an elemental creature. He its in perfectly with my other paraelementals.  

Edit: I just realized this is another MM2 monster! added the label.

Fire Elemental Daemon

 This toasty fellow is one of the oldest pieces in my collection, both in terms of the paint job is a very early one and because the model itself is a classic Ral Partha piece. I think it holds up pretty well after all these years.