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.

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.

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.

Foo Dog

 This happy Foo Dog by Reaper is a fun piece, with a characterful face. It deserved a place in my Rokugan collection and the golden fur was pleasant to work on.

Oni no Jimen, greater and lesser (lava elementals)

I really enjoy the setting of Rokugan, and here are the first minis from that fantastic setting that I am sharing - the massive Oni no Jimen, the "Elemental Terror of Earth." these guys are portrayed as massive lava elementals  rather than the traditional earth elemental, which suits me just fine as I have a place in my collection for both ( I really enjoy painting elementals).
 The smaller "magma" elementals (some of which were reposed) are from the crucible line and were painted in 2014, while the large Elemental Terror is from AEGs clan war line and was the last mini I completed in 2015.

The painting and modeling itself is very simple, with bases created from polymer clay and GS, then painted quickly with a limited palate. while the work is noticeably rough in places it is the cohesive  feel that really sells these guys.