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).

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.

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 

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!

 

 

Mandragora (2)

 

 

 

Some cute little guys from Schlossbauer I finished as a speed paint. Despite their vegetable cuteness they are definitely a perfect post for spooky season. The little screeching fellows are also a little known entry in AD&D Monster Manual II, probably because they lacked art, so they check a box on my journey to complete miniatures for every entry in that tome.

Brown Jenkin

 This is a fun one! Brown Jenkin is one of my favorite HPL antagonists. Sure, lesser known than the big squid head guy, but so disturbing, sadistic, and no less enigmatic. He is something of a household boogeyman, so naturally I had to paint him up! This piece was sculpted by Schlossbauer, and I printed it at a very small size. For reference, the base is 15mm, making it one of the smaller works in my collection; roughly in-scale with a rat. 

As the years go by, I find myself increasingly interested in smaller and smaller miniatures. I even have a few projects that are at 10mm or less, and I thoroughly enjoy printing itty-bitty models. They are fast, I guess, and as a parent , I really need that to keep a glimmer of my hobby alive.

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.

Bodak (2)

 Bodaks! I wasn't really intending to do these bodaks but I enjoyed painting the Printed Obsession Darkweavers enough that I was inspired to knock these out as a "palate cleanser" (Or at least that is how I justified the distraction). These are very simple, understated paint-jobs; nothing flashy here. I guess that is the idea though - understated evil. They seem to be just another run-of-the-mill undead-in-a-robe but are actually wicked dangerous. 

The models are slightly smaller than the default file size (I didn't want them to be so imposing), and they are based on a larger 30mm base to help protect the more delicate parts of the model. PO stuff prints very well, and paints very smoothly, so I think I'll continue to paint some of the Shadowfell/Fey creatures I have from them.

I should note that these fellows are from the AD&D Monster Manual II. Without realizing it I seem to be steadily working my way through that venerable tome, one monster at a time. I think I was inspired by Finch's efforts on the Fiend Folio, so perhaps this is my tip-of-the-hat to his notable miniature collection. I'll tag MM2 monsters in the future and go back to retroactively add notes to things I have already completed (bat, I'm looking at you).