Demons to some, angels to others.

 

Hey again, 

I didn't expect to paint as much this month (yeah, yeah... 4 models is pretty much paintjob for some) but apparently miracles happen sometimes. Not mentioning I had not much appraisal work in November.

Anyway I didn't plan to paint anything particular after the griffon so I simply chose oldie metal EE ghoul. I was supposed to be painted a'la feral ghoul from Fallout 3 - reddish, radiation burnt and pain in the ass. I liked the effect so another one got some paint slapped on so I could add them to the Scavvy gang. So there were 2 slaves but no master. Luckly there was metal haemonculus model from dark eldars which was just perfect candidate for such a role (strongly inspired by Hellraiser movie series if just not a rip off - which would be quite funny in case of GW).

I must admit that sculpt was so underrated it took several years for me to even try to paint it. Whoever was the sculptor (any ideas please?) he did marvellous job: the piece is just packed with spicy details and with the alien head it's just perfect for badass character. I am considering repainting other ghouls I have to fit those below so I can have alternative boss for the gang and some close combat scavvies (who need a gunner with BS2 while I can get 2 melee cockers instead, right?).

I remember there was a plan few years back to build Slaanesh cultist band using some Warhammer models I liked (among them ghouls and haemonculus) but all in all they ended up in the string bag. There are still ork based mutants and a daemonette or two (ugly ones with overgrown claws) which might be converted and painted when I find any use for them in Underhive / Ash wastes conflict.

So hope you like this small addition to the still growing gang of the worst you can meet in the Underhive. I have no idea what will be the next one but I think something from oldie Warzone or Necromunda range is the most certain candidate - we're having the game tomorrow. 

Speaking of which - we got another gamer!

Hell yeah!!! 

So there are 3 of us for gaming now! 

All those years have finally paid off! Not sure is that a reason to laugh or cry though...

And now something completely different: hipo-griffon

Hey again, long time no see!

Past time was pain in the ass for me - work issuses and flat renovation (4 bloody weeks...) managed to keep me away from the hobby but I hope to be back at least for a while.

Or for painting some zombie models... 

Nevertheless there's been something going on:

first of all I sold most of my Brotherhood models from oldie Warzone - bit over 60 pieces. I got probably whole army few years back but all I did until now was opening the boxes. I am glad they found new home. That lead pile would never see any paint in my place.

Buuut since there always must be balance in cosmos and in the miniatures hobby I also got myself dozen or so minis. To compensate suffering caused by the renovation... And because there's always some room for more zombies.

First bunch was some old Warzone models from Dark Legion - nothing fancy but they were just the missing bits. I also got nice discount for Heresy models: blights and zombies. Always like them but never got any solid reason to get them. 'Till now =]

And finally - pictures!

I mentioned some time back I got second hand griffon* model from Empire range. Never played Empire but those old sculpts are just fucking sweet. The model was sold with no rider though so I decided to put Dogs of War character on it. Suleiman al something.

Fitting the rider onto the beast was bit tricky but with little help of greenstuff, Dremel and frothers the operation was successful.

Long story short - I decided to made it leaned forward so it looks more aggressive, like just about to attack. Also because of new pose rider has a chance to hit the enemy (the last pic) and doesn't look like trying to chop griffon's head off. The pose was also the reason I had to add all those bloody rocks on the back of the base - without additional weight model was falling on the beak non stop.

As for the color choice I had some ideas (also very stupid ones like starting small Border Princes army, led by corrupted character) but all in all I just wanted to see this cool sculpt painted and marked off the list. 

So I chose natural palette for the beast and purples for it's master - just for the contrast. That model is not something I like to paint most (haven't seen zombie griffon yet btw) but I am very glad to see another piece from old Warhammer Fantasy range behind glass of my display case.
Hope you like it as well!

*all in all it turned out it's not Empire griffon but Bretonnian hipogriff...

Something painful straight from Innsmouth

This time it something like blast from the past.
The reason I decided to drag this corpse out the closet* is nostalgy for the unfinished project.
Once again.

I thought since I managed to finish oldie zombie dragon at the beginning of the year and chaos dragon recently maybe I could mark another project off the shameful list.

And as always there's a story standing behind the thing.
Few years back (hard to believe it was so long time ago) I spotted something uber-cool on Lead Adventures forum: it was Grimm's Innsmouth based baming board made for Tactica event. When I saw it I was just fu*king pressed into the chair, it was just awesome!
And I deeply hope it still is.

In fact seeing that piece is one of 2 reasons for me to visit Germany.
The second is seeing Nosferatu: symphony of horror black and white (!!!) gaming board built by Vikotnik for later Tactica. Another chair-pressing thing. Come and see:

 

I am not going to spoil everything so you can see whole thread dedicated to the Grimm's project here. Definitely worthy clicking!
So after recovering from coma after looking into Great Ancient One's eyes I knew I want such thing at my place. I also knew there's no space for full scale project and there's no one here to play such game. But I still wanted it so the only acceptable option was to build small piece of Innsmouth, big enough to tell a story yet small enough to fit the display case.

There were several options but all in all I chose fragment of Innsmouth docks.
There's always something going on in the docks, especially in Innsmouth!
I did some planning job, gathered required materials and shortly after the main construction was done. The story behind was something like: deep one priest and his minions are reclaiming Cthulhu idol statue (more than sure magical) when suddenly priest's one true foe - the detective supported by a policeman or two are stepping in!
Deadly fight to thE death is just about to start aaaaand... CUT!
This is what you should see.

I had some good time building that terrain piece, 3-4 years back it was really cool challenge. There was a plan to add some spicy bits like a skeleton wearing "concrete shoes" with arms tied in the back (now barely visible) and some others later.
That time I was experimenting a bit with artifical water. What I learnt already was this: decent water ain't cheap. Which was a problem because I needed quite a lot of the stuff to sink the dock properly.
Guided by still unknowk hellish force I went to trusty store with... chemicals for home etc.

You can open a beer and bring some popcorn because the funny part is coming.

That stupid bitch... the lady behind the counter was always quite helpful and was always selling me proper stuff when I wanted to paint some furniture, some wall or clean the pipes.
I was quite surprised she said there's transparent resin available, and it was damn cheap compared to Andrea's stuff. I thought it's probably because it's polish product, the price factor has just turned off any reasonable thinking.

I opened the jar and still remember I wanted to test it on something less valuable but according to the note the resin was getting hard after ~48 (iirc) and I didn't want to wait so long. What could actually go wrong?

I built boards around the docks using really solid plastic - it was 5mm thick, just perfect to prefect resin from leaking out. All gaps were sealed, resin was mixed and poured.

After a while I decided to move it into some safer place (I had 4 cats at home that time) but it turned out that thick plastic is just fu*king hot! Really - it was SO hot I barely dropped the piece! That moment I knew things went just wrong direction - there was styrofoam and other fragile materials used...

About days later I dismantled placcy boards and you can see below what I got: it some bits were melted, resin was cracked, didn't turn out transparent and all because it was resing for fixing car body!!! That day I put the project away, it's been just gathering dust for past years but now I think I am mentally ready to give it another chance.

I want to:
1. clean it so you can see original colors
2. cut off the base with the damn resin shit
3. re-base it: it will be 2"-3" lower but it will be easier to store and I won't need so much proper resin
4. finally paint dedicated models - since the accident I just lost any desire for painting Cthulhu themed minis

So here's the current stage, hope to share pics of the renovated piece yet this year.

Ia, ia Cthulhu fhtagn!!! 

*Bottom shelf of the display case, let's be frank about it

Egrimm van Horstmann - finished! (let's say...)

"When Egrimm van Horstmann was ordained as Grand Magister of the Order of Light he was acclaimed as the youngest and most gifted wizard to rule over a magical order. As he knelt down and swore allegiance to the Emperor, no-one guessed that his loyalty had already been given over to another, far more sinister master.

As an Apprentice Chanter of the ritual bound Order of Light Wizards he served under Master Chanter Alric, the Saviour of Apesto, who taught him many of the order's ancient secrets. But all the time he served the Order of Light, Horstmann prayed to the gods of Chaos for the power to defeat his peers. His progress was rapid. By day he studied Light Magic, and by night he pored over ancient manuscripts devoted to the lore of the Chaos gods. Daemons of Tzeentch whispered their timeless secrets into his sleeping mind and Egrimm's evil powers waxed strong..."

So it looks like I can finally cross another painting goals off my short list:  

one of my favorite models ever is now considered painted therefore it's sealed and placed in the comfy glass sarcophagus.

All in all I am very happy to know I won't have to fu*k with it anymore but just like in case of my beloved zombie dragon I know I should've spent some more time on finishing the beast. It's the thing I hate the most in such models: they have tons of character, they were sculpted the way I like the most (~5th ed Warhammer) but they are also nightmare to finish properly:

- assembling is pain in the ass

- manipulating is pain in the ass

- there's lots of surface to paint so waiting for the result is (for a change) - pain in the ass.

Apparently I am just way too lazy git to give such models paintjobs they truly deserve nevertheless I felt stings of remorse painting the dragon the fast, just to take it away from the desk. There was much more fun painting marauders, the sorcerer and minis fighing in the tunnel below. And this is another reason to bitch about:
once again I was trying to make model tell the story. The idea was to show ye corrupted Olde Worlde where mighty servants of Chaos march proudly through Empire of men, and even very guts of Earth are being consumed by chaotic ratmen.

Now watching at the piece I think I should've probably dropped the tunnel idea, even tho I had some fun making it the dragon is just too tall now. Oh well, at least I tested sculpting mushrooms and spinning spiderwebs - these should be more than useful on the next big (dark and necro...) thing I am planning.

So with no more babbling:
here's the official, minblowing paintjob...

Here's the sarcophagus...
 

And here's the piece itself.
Oh yeah, taking the pics was also pain in the ass! ;)
Hope you like it!

 

First try on 15mm scale stuff

This time it's something quick. And delayed on purpose.

First - I finally decided to give a try to 15mm scale minis. Some time ago I got some scavengers and mutants from Khurasan Miniatures but sadl they have just been stored in the sarcofago. Until now.
The reason for digging them out were latest posts on Tales from far point bloggy:
the guy started sculpting stuff based on classic Warzone game! And since I am suffering from serious Warzone fever I simply could not resist!

So there was no other choice for me but trying to paint at least some of 15mm tinies from the junk pile. I had no special bases for the minis so human sized ones were put on small washers (?) while super mutants on standard 25mm round bases. Looking at the pic below I am seriously considering getting some 20mm round bases though...

I took the pic with Warzone nepharite of Algeroth for the scale purposes.
When I placed models next to each other I realised what the charm of small scale gaming really is:
1.you can carry whole battlegroup in the pocket,
2.standard size battlefields provide way more space for manoeuvres,
3.large creatures from other games grow now into huge monstrocities!

And now the reason of the delay: zombie!

But this one is bit special (well every zombie is special for me in some way): the model was sent to Vikotnik in exchange for some goodies I got a while back. I waited with publishing until the model reached the destination.

It was a nice change to paint a classic piece from Necromunda range. 2 models like this are already members of my Scavvy gang so didn't need much another the very same sculpt.
The zombie has been very slightly modified: right arm was repositioned so I could add a banner, I also added bit cloth on it to hide the cut.

Paintjob has been sealed with solid layer of matt Revell varnish, so it should arrive safe and sound. That is of course some frenzy driven postman decides to stomp on the parcel or something... I mentioned it before - Revell makes really brill sealer but it just ruins any metallics. I gotta find some other stuff for metal parts - satin varnish should do the trick.

Till the next time!