Dnd miniatures. Fail.

Random boxes sets!  Crappy rubber!  Twenty dollars each!  Need ten mites for your scenario?  Well you sure as hell ain't gonna buy enough random boxes to get those.  Therefore you eBay them.  Therefore box sales from game stores diminish.


  They didn't learn a thing.


Hmm.  Think I might have to kickstart some styrene multipart plastic kits next year.

Sphincter beast revealed

Finally, a picture of the fabled sphincter beast miniature!  Thanks Steve!  http://eldritchepistles.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/have-you-ever-seen-sphincter-beast.html

As promised, I shall henceforth sculpt a modern one so players may finally have ass-ass-ins of their own.  It will be a great warm up to ease me back into Darkling miniatures.

 

Rare, old school, ugly as ass

D&D

I picked up the d&d starter.  Pretty close to what I would have done.  Glad to see the ampersand logo is back.
The cover is a big disappointment.   It totally misses the brilliance of the Elmore orgininal.  Elmores dragon was coming at YOU... right out of the frame.   Between you and the dragon,  a dynamic fighter... clearly your character... the spoils of gold behind.  It summed up the game, reached out to grab you.
This editions dragon droops into frame in washed out pastels... the fighter framed out... the logo apologetic in it's sizing.

Bad art director.

I picked up the prepaints too.  They are sprayed and awaiting fresh paint.  The details shallow and poses mostly weak.  Why not unpainted, snap together styrene in six colors?  Why Drizzt again?  Why not  Warduke?  Or the classic mix of base characters?  Why the oriental armor designs?

Meh.  Close but not perfect.

Felix Jaegerbombs and Antonio

The drought is broken.  I painted these up last night.  Nothing fancy, but good to get rolling again.

Felix Jaeger, C01 Fighter (Antonio, Terror of the Lichemaster)

Not dead yet.

Yes, yes, I got sick again with my weird ass condition.

But fear not- after years of confusion about said weird ass condition, I finally have an official diagnosis from a specialist, and thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and a butt load of pills (not literally, I might add- those are suppositories anyway, not pills.)  I am better than I have ever been. Seriously... I have energy now.  It's freaking cool.  I feel like I have superpowers compared to where I was.  Tis magic!


Anyway, it is going to take a little time for me to settle back into a blogging and game development routine, as I need to cram freelance jobs to make up for lost time.  Kate and I are looking for a new house, and things are probably going to pack down for that too.

I wanted to give a big thanks to everyone for the emails asking if I was well, oh and for the Four Liebster awards.  I have to look up what they are, because I am just ignorant about the interwebbything and stuff.  I am pretty sure they don't win me money, which is a shame because I do so like the stuff.  It buys lead.  And paint.  And more lead.  Can we have leadster awards?

I would like to thank Sterling Archer for keeping me out of the dangerzone.  Because that is how you get ants Lana.

Since getting my mojo handed back to me by a very nice specialist, I have done hobby stuff, but nothing exciting.  I have based up / rebased and primed a couple of hundred minis (all on 30mm bases you may like to know) and tonight I will be picking up a paintbrush for the first time in a long while.

Wish me luck!

-D

A little progress

A little progress on my current batch- two of which are shown and a quick color test for my minifig high elves.  I went with the Rodney Matthews classic purple/green combo.  I think the tunnel elves will be autumnal or green/slate grey.

I also forced myself to assemble and base up a tray load of multipart Reaper minis I have had in storage forever and fix a couple of broken minis that will go well with the current batch.  Mainly for the discipline, and a feeling of progression- plus they can all be photographed for Skulldred.  I found some nice treasure models in there so I whacked those on some bases too for the items section.

I then primed them all (and my tunnel elves) with my airbrush... which sadly broke today whilst cleaning.  The nozzle thread came off.  I swear I barely cranked the living hell out of it.  Lesson learnt.

So do you like the rough color scheme for the elves?

Barbarian warband

Oh just found this on my phoney thingie.  My barbarian warband work in progress.  I think there is butter on my lens.  Very romantic.

I popped by the Garema place game store in Canberra today and picked up a pack of warmahorde skorne girlie figures in dresses with drum hats that took my fancy.  I plan to beat the fancy out of them with some converty type skillage.  Does it annoy people I don't give a crapette about minis official names?  All part of my evil plan.

So as you can see the barbarians are at various stages of paintyness.  I am planning to push them along with my dwarfs in a wantom baccinnalia of flesh painting- then once varnished on to my high and tunnel elves.

Windex is hassle free

Only had a little time so whacked on some base colors on the dwarf warband- plus a few loose figures in need of similar colors.
  The basecoating process is far less painful to me now I have forsaken water in favor of windex.

Windex you say?

Yes.  Windex.  As in My Big Fat Greek Wedding Windex.

Windex dilutes paint without destroying surface adhesion and evaporates quickly- so it sticks to your model in a thin layer, then dries.   Therefore you can apply several thin coats in quick succession.  The first bit of paint is literally dry by the time you finish coloring in the last bit.  Windex allows the paint to flow off the brush easily, and is really cheap.  Windex can also reinvigorate drying acrylics.  Give your wet palette a windex spritz under your baking paper and marvel how it doesn't go moldy.  Yep.  You heard it here first kiddies.

The blue tint evaporates leaving your colors exactly as you mixed them.  Bless it.  However- if you want to spend money, however, buy vallejo airbrush medium.  It is basically windex without the blue in it. Don't believe me?  Give it a sniff.

Windex has been used as a thinner in airbrush art for donkey's years.  Though I would definitely wear a gas mask.  Are you my mommy?

I layed out a quick pass of black, leather brown, vermin brown and flesh.  But now I must sleep.  Good night, whatever you are.

Windex.

New warbands: Hassledwarfs

New warband #2.  A lovely batch of dwarfs from Hasslefree minis.  As with the elves I went with washers.  They certainly look a lot better on the smaller base, and feel sturdy.

I think I may field them as snow white and the seven dwarfs.  I have a hasslefree Kaylee who would make a good Snow White and the sleeping Beauty from Reaper.

I am going to give each dwarf a strong, cartoony theme color.  Great figs!

New warbands 1: Aurelo Rococco Elves

New Warband!

First of my minifigs Aureola Rococco collection (best.  name.  ever.) is some elves.
Based on (to put it politely) Rodney Matthews art, this range is pure Skulldred.  Old school, quirky, kookie and fun.  I have the riders and tunnel elves too.  They where at the bottom of my stripping jar, and I was terrified of breaking them!

The Aureola Rococco collection is the best minifigs produced in my umberhulk opinion.  Yep.  Glad I told you, ain't ya?  Made your night reading this didn't it?  Sigh.  Blogging is a weird, narcissistic thing.

Anyway, Rodney used one color trick throughout his career- pick a color- pick its complementary color, desaturate them so they don't clash... and then go apeshit.  Purple and green being my fave Rodders combo.  Lo... these minis shall be so.

Rodney allegedy denounced rpgs as satanic,  so there where never any official Rodney Matthews figures- though Jes Goodwin constantly references his work.  They both rocketh mine munda dawg.

Aaaaaanyway- new warband!

I based them on washers.  Yes I did.

Some dick at google

Wondering why your big photos look bad after uploading them lately?

  Some dickwad a google decided that applying a filter to everyones photo uploads automatically wasn't just the most inconvenient, idiotic and brand damaging idea ever.  Fortunately you can turn it off in your google plus settings.  You still have to reupload your damaged images.

Think it's the same moron forcing google. Plus down youtubers throats?  Lets get out the pitchforks and torches!

Because rebasing is relaxing

Had trouble sleeping so popped off the old bases on my chaos warriors and slipped on some 30mm multibases.  Here is a snap of one of the two tubs!
No progress tonight... catching up on sleep.  Zzzzz.

Boar me

Hi folks- can anyone ID the boar that Aly Morrison used in this conversion.   And do you have one?

Some (nearly) finished stuff

Lots of minis this blog- not one completely done,  but very close.  My camera phone does not do a good job in low light- I must dig out the digital cam that I used at the start of the blog.

Enjoy!

Coming along nicely

A quick scale test before painting and surfacing begins.

My skulldred themed dice pillars!

The chaos warrior from my ' John Blanche's undead assault diorama' inspired project surveys the land.  He agrees.  More shrooms needed!

Emerald dwarfs survey the building of the skull doored castle.  She-he-man likes skull faced castles... they give her a +3 to her combat dice!

Bridge by Eureka- Dnd repaint model crossing.

Strip show part deux

Hyped up on sugar, and unable to continue my water terrain table I decided to work on Skulldred.  Only it was too frikkin hot in my studio.  The only solution was to strip everything left in mah bukkit.

I know you love seeing piles of stripped figures... you dirty leadwhores... and this pile does not disappoint.

First up, sodding great chronopia hydra. Part metal, part resin... part garden ornament.  This beasty is going to be a blast to paint!  He was one of the first ever resin models out if memory serves.  Blinking huge, but sadly not very dynamic.

A couple of early dragons I picked up from CANCON- Tom Meier's gnarly black dragon on the right- a very early fiend factory dragon on the left.  The other half of my Grenadier Dracolich is bottom right.  A ral partha land dragon- based on the Roger Dean artwork (next to the Dnd skirmish giant).
Great, dragon month can get off to a flying start.

Also from Cancon, a metal diver war machine.  Yes.  My fingers are set to bleed this year with endless frikkin pinning.

The bloodthirster is the second from last daemon I need- jist tzeench to go.

The most exciting stars of the show are center... some more of the critically needed undead for the John Blanche Undead Assault Skirmish Project (jbuap?).  Stay tuned.

Wargame table time!

Well I am excited.  Are you excited?
Today I picked up a three by four foot lightweight mdf board and 18mm battens to make me the first panel of my full size wargame board!

I managed to assemble the frame pretty quickly.  In hindsight 18mm may be too thin to prevent warping entirely, but it will do for now.  Any larger and I wouldn't be able to stack it against the wall neatly behind the bookshelf. I may have to add a few more cross braces.

I am thinking I will paint the underside white to make it seem airy and light.  Or bkack and white to look like a japanese screen.

I intend to paint it deep sickly green then gloss the crapola out of it.  Gloss modpodge and ink will then be used to texture ripples in the top.

This new board is the basis for my  Skulldred photography board- and will also be used for demos at events like Cancon/PAX/MOAB.

Once this is done I will fashion some islands in various sizes which can each have different looks- muddy trench, city, flocked field, necromunda hive, leafy forrest... whatever I feel like.  The gaps between the islands form rivers.  Infinitely configurable water/toxic sludge features!

Undead assault here I come!

Base and spray

So only an hour or so of hobby time tonight but hey, results. I got a big batch of those I stripped the other day primed and based tonight, plus painted their bases.  Nice.

The pic shows whats on my table right now.  Some gothic horror and doctor who minis in there.  Lots of fun coming...
  Mmmm... miniatures.

Yes.  That is Krell.  No.  You can't have him.

Hobby goals

This post is more for me, whilst I pass time in a car trip to get my head together.  Still, it may interest you.  Who knows what sick twisted things you get pleasure in.  People like Kanye, for example.  That worries me.

Okay so my goals in general in rough order.  I will throw in limited editions and one offs now and then.

Darkling demo figures
   Toads, dwerg ordinance, burrowguard

15mm Warbands for skulldred
   Splintered light elves and undead.

28mm minis for skulldred
  Hasslefree amazons
   Mirliton barbarians,
Megamini dwarfs (good and evil)
Viking forge lizards
Reaper monsters, half orcs, amazons
Dwerg

Warband project: 
This project is to get a functioning, finished painted warband of each factions I have collected.  The idea is to expand these out later to complete my collection.  Each must have a leader, standard or musician, three troops and a wizard.

♥warbands
Undead.
Broo
C01 Fighters (blue)
C01 Fighters (Red)
Orcs.
Amazons.
Savage Orcs.
Goblins.
Norse Dwarfs
Militia.
Chaos thugs.
Paladins/ battle lords
Skaven.
Barbarians.
Dark elves.
Wood elves.
Hobgoblins.
Lizardmen.
Night horrors.
Rangers/theives.
Halfling & Gnomes.
High elves.

Chaos in rough order:
   Slaanesh (rebase), Nurgle, Khorne, Tzeench, Undivided (rebase) and eventually Malal.  Dwarfs of chaos mixed in as I go.

At least five models finished of the above before moving on...

♥Undead assault
Last three dwarfs.
Undead painted ready to base (I want to base them exactly in the order they appear in the diorama about five to a base).  Then hunt remaining minis.
Mushrooms.
Doors.
Ballista.

♥Giant month:  original citadel giants, ogres, trolls- lund giant and ral parthas.  Oh my!

♥ Malifaux month:  all my collection.  A hodgepodge of neverborn, resurrectionists and outcasts.  Yay finicky multipart metal.  Meh.  But so purdy.

♥ Dragon month.  Much wings!  Such Dragons!  So scales!  Get at least five of my dragons assembled- including Kegox.

♥Demon month.  Possible now.  Pencil it in.  Lots of succubi.

Terrain upgrade time!

♥ 36" square soft dirt board with batts to stop warping.  Good for all genres.  My old board is too small, too warped, too heavy.

♥Undead assault board: 36" square water effects base board, islands, hills, and more mushroom stands.  (Castle and bridge modules next year.)  Back board?

♥Warband phase 2:  Y'arrr!

At this stage I should have a water board, so it is time to hit the high seas with...Skeletal pirates, Pirates, Ninjas, Samurai, Cryx pirates.

2.5d card boat for playing above, or tortuga like docks?  Then maybe a real boat model.

♥Rogue trader warbands 2012?

Playable squads of (in order) space orks, crimson fist, eldar, dreadnoughts, tyranid/zoats, space pirates, guard, adventurers, chaos cult, genestealers, tallaran dog soldiers, death world fauna, judge dredd and perps.
Modern chaos, modern sisters, remaining sci fi figures. Necromunda escher.

♥SCIFI TERRAIN
spikey plants, Domes, yoghurt tub towers, necromunda bridgeworks, Shanty town buildings, refinery pipes and landing pads.  Starting with pieces of cover and working up to buildings.

Strippity do dah

Well gosh darn it, if I didn't manage to strip one of my two stripping buckets in the measly few hours I had tonight.  Yay me.
Now I know I usually take a picture of the shiney gems, but space was limited and I offed them into jiffy bags for the moment ready for the next few weeks.
There is an ungodly amount of doubles in there.  Bad collector.  No more ebay for you til you sell them.
I got a message from ebay saying turbolister should work now... but the breezy nature of the message suggested gen Y and did not inspire me with confidence in the tester.  Still, if it proves true that's great news.  I have sooo much to sell you all.  :)

Some highlights to surface from the jar included The Nottingham Dwarf (aka Robin Hood dwarf) and a few undead for my Undead Assault project.  The Robin hood dwarf is very special, and I am hoping to set aside time to do a full 'Eavy metal style pdf on his history, previous owner and the models restoration, basing and painting.  I am jazzed to be able to push on with the project and complete the dwarf contingent.  Mimbrin the guard needs to be repinned before I can go on, and he needs superfine drilling.  Must get some new bits.

One thing I have been loving this month is my airbrush.  I grabbed some Vallejo model air primer and have fallen in love with it.  I plan to grab a black and grey air primer next week to do preshading with.  It makes such a huge difference to the quality and speed of priming and laying down base coats that it's a no brainer.  It's no where near as tough as enamel spray, but at least I can use it on rainy days.

So back to the stripping session- I want to reduce doubles, but the idea of setting up a database makes me uncomfortable.   This is a hobby, and meant to be enjoyed in a casual, cavalier manner.  Which is good because I am a casual cavalier at best.  I probably should do a got list on my website using catalog pictures ans crossing out the ones I have.  Hmmm.

The thought of the database did get me wondering just how many minis I now have- and that made me think about how one would officially count them.  Do broken ones count?  Do multipart components count?  Kits?  What about props- or models fused together in twisted mutations?

Do you know how many you have?  If so, how do you keep track?   Post comments below!