Call the Marshall!

Hey there, partner, where do ya think yer goin' with that big sack 'o cash?  Time to get the Marshall to look into this!

This is one of our original Deadlands figures, which I believe is from Artizan Miniatures.

I couldn't resist putting the little tree in the base!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321999138508?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Sacred Inscriptions

After the recent articles on the process of reworking the movement trays for the Empire of Dust, there were a number of questions on how the inscriptions were done.

These were created years ago when I first made the army.  I had to back track a bit, but could not find any step by step posts on the blog.  Since I had to repaint those new and adjusted trays, I thought I would take some images along the way!

Here's what I ended up with after chopping up the old trays.

Since I didn't have the original piece of paper that had the inscriptions (scaled to fit, of course), I would have to use my other trays as a reference.  You can see the cartouche of Pseusennes there on the left.

First, I needed to get the sculpey pieces along the edges painted.  Just three colors... a tan, a purple, and an off white.

The purple and tan were mixed together, creating a few different shades on the palette so that I could reach for them quickly.

I set down the lighter and darker shades first, so that I could blend them together.

I started doing that by carrying some of the 'middle' shades into both the dark and light areas.  Since I was working so quickly with a larger brush, the paint did not dry before this was accomplished.

All the tans are in place.  You can see the variations in light and dark.  I also touched up any of the black lining at this point.

As I mentioned before, I didn't have the original piece of paper.  Still, I had my original trays, which carried the warning "All those who enter the Tomb Cities of Pseusennes shall suffer a fate worse than death".

Having the two side by side made it a lot easier to transfer the design down to the new tray.  The paint is Reaper Brown Liner, which is a very nice, thinner paint that has incredible pigmentation.  This is ideal for such freehand.

The dark colors are in place, but you can see there is a difference between the original sections and the newer lines.  I need to pick out a few highlights along the edges, which will give it the appearance of being carved.

Fortunately I thought of this before I carved each and every movement tray when I first made the army!  That would have been many hours of torture.  This was mere minutes of painting.

I made sure to follow a single direction with these highlights.  The finished bits on the left definitely have more shape than the area without those highlights.

The completed tray!!!  Now I would need to do this to the other trays, and then work on the various unit fillers that I had created.  Those are future posts, so stay tuned!

Inquisitor Reva Garanov

Here's a converted Inquisitor for my old Demonhunters army that was made a few years ago.

I have lost track of how many different parts went into this.  I think there is even a Warmaster giant eagle in there!  I remember adding the second head to it :-)

This is how I always envisioned Inquisitor Reva Garanov, the primary character in my Deamonhunters army.  Here's some more conversions that I made back in the day:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2012/10/converting-non-gw-figures-for.html

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/222015106214?

A Hot time at the Cantina!

It's been a while since you've seen some buildings from Burn In Designs, so I thought you might like to see the Cantina!

It's a unique multi piece structure that has all kinds of character, and lots of places for your figures to hang out!!

This front view shows the entrance and the main sign.  The swinging doors are always a nice touch!

The bottom section of the building is the same size as the jail, with lots of room on the inside.  I will do a separate post on the interior later.

Coming around the side, you can see that the back of the building has even more going on...

The flat roof design makes it a lot easier to get your figures up there for some sniper shots at hapless cowboys down on the street.

Not one, but two entrances to the back!  This area is really fun for games like Wild West Exodus, where cover and terrain and not just important, but you can perform so many actions on stairs, and in narrow passages such as the archway.

Now you can see all of the back entrance and the stairs...

The stairs are also designed to hold figures, because nobody likes to make climbing rolls!!!

One more look from the other side.

Removing the top structure shows that you don't have to use both sections.  The roof comes off the top half as well as the lower section.

Now for some minis to show the scale of the buildings.  Seems like the Wayward Eight and Chef are looking to spend a relaxing Siesta this afternoon...

I really liked the shadows cast by the awning.

Here's a link to Lathan's Burn In Designs:

http://www.burnindesigns.net/

Almost Here!!

Here's another look at the Shattered Earth Coyote troopers.  It's always fun to see these guys in a group setting.  The bases were some nice Urban Rubble from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  They are 25mm, so that gives you an idea of the scale on the figures.

The hands are true scale, not heroic.  They were so realistic, it was a bit scary!!

There is also a nice variety of poses.  Add to that the various options for the heads (helmets, hats, etc.), you can make a very unique squad.

I have one more set of group shots in some terrain, which I will post when the Shattered Earth Kickstarter campaign begins in a matter of days!

Stay tuned for that!  I will post links here.

Invasion Force

Coming to your town soon... the Alien invasion of The Watchers!

This is one of the four new factions brought to life through the Unfinished Business kickstarter campaign by Wild West Exodus.

This is the first time I have seen these guys in a group setting, and I was struck by how much the colors maintain a visual interest, even though the palette was very limited.  In fact, I only used 5 colors if you include the bases.

The key is in the placement, and making sure that there were no 'dead' grays.  That is, completely neutral grey that had no tone or hue whatsoever.  For the most part, I tried to create interest by positioning teal or blueish tones near some which were tinted towards purple.

The glowing green weapons were also a nice foil to the more subdued tones.  Seeing all the weapons together is also very satisfying, since I was not sure how such an intense coloration might work with a backdrop that is very white.

This view shows how the bases and that warm tan worked to make the grays stand out even more.  That hint of warmer tones also lessened the 'shock' of the fluorescent greens slightly.

I still attempted to get a little variety in the bases, however, as you can see by comparing the slightly greenish tones for the base on the left.  The one on the right is more yellow and bright flesh tone shades.

As I continue to complete this group of ten Hired Hands for the Watchers, the first Dark Nation figures are also under way.  So stay tuned out there, partner!! :-)