Savage Blades

This Dark Sword figure is from an older boxed set, but he was still interesting to paint!  As with previous Dark Sword figures with large "broccoli bases", I used the tree bark and oxide paste to fill in the surrounding areas.

It also gave me a rare chance to use this type of ground foliage, which I got from Hangar 18.  The fall leaves are part of the grass tufts, which is very unique.  You do have to be careful when you pull the tufts off the sheet, however, as the leaves are easily crushed in that process.

I use an exacto knife to pull them away, preserving the look!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/221933963110?

Darkness of the Webway

So, the promised images of the Sci-fi Stingray riders.  They are every bit as fun as the fantasy versions!!

All the same action and dynamism.  Needless to say, these could make some outstanding Beastmasters in a Dark Eldar Army, or even Hellions.

While I would like to create a Dark Elf fantasy army for Kings of War, I already have a substantial Dark Eldar army that uses a lot of Raging Heroes figures.  These will be fantastic additions.

Just like their fantasy counterparts, there will be a unit of six sculpts created.

The close ups show that all the same detail is there as well.

I already have a color scheme established for my Dark Eldar, so I know exactly what I want to do on these versions.

All of the sculpts are unique, just like all unit sets of Raging Heroes figures.  This makes things pretty easy in terms of variations, since I don't have to scrounge around for different parts so that there aren't any repeats.

There were so many images, I had to put them in two posts!  Stay tuned for Part Two!!

Pint Sized Punch

Here we have the tiniest of the tiny tanks, the French Renault AMR-35 ZT series.

This 'tank' is more like a tracked armored car... not much bigger than a mini-van.

According to one Flames of War book, these were used as supply transport vehicles in the Levant, considered too weak to go up against medium Allied tanks.

The other ZT version that I am working on has a commander sticking up out of the hatch, which will really give you a sense of how small these were!  Again, it's another one of those curious early war designs.

The search for what actually worked commenced with war, and then the subsequent designs were created to counter the enemy innovations.

This is a size comparison... the Char B1 Bis and the Renault AMR-35.  More to come, so stay tuned!!

The Frost Paladin

This very unusual figure is another one from the out of sight, out of mind collection.  I had begun working on it many years ago, but a final theme eluded me, and it was pushed to the background.

I had the ice base painted as part of the video project already, and I thought the ice theme might work!

I was already considering a sort of blue and gold scheme, as other current projects are using these colors.  The blues of the robes and shield were a bit more saturated than the ice, which had more muted grays and indigo blues.  I even used a bit of Reaper clear purple in the shadow areas of the robes to give those a little extra punch, and some interest in those darker colors.

I did take a series of photos of the base, so that you can see how it looked before the figure took over!

She's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/221932553126?

The Lady Killers

Here's a gathering of the deadly Reaper fighters!  I like to take these sort of group shots of figures that are not part of a unit, army, etc.

In this case, it is even more pronounced, since there are three different styles of basing.

The common element between all of them is the muted greens and browns.  However, a very bright teal color was incorporated into all of them... Reaper Mint Green.

While that color by itself is very intense, once it was mixed in with complimentary colors, it was very easily toned down.  This provided color unity, and allowed me to use the Mint Green for metal accents.

It's also a fun catalogue of hair colors!

This gives you a better view of the bases.  Well, more ladies are on the way, so stay tuned!!!

Skull and Sorcery

This is another one of those figures that you run across which has been hidden behind something on a shelf for years.  A little while ago I finished off this half painted figure from Dark Sword Miniatures.

In addition to having fun with the marble and the object source lighting, I treated myself to a touch of freehand.

I thought that the curved lines of the freehand would help pull the veins of the marble up into the cloak, adding some interest.

These types of details are much easier to accomplish when you have finely sculpted and cast figures, which Dark Sword will always supply.  That's why they are a favorite of mine! :-)

Charging Ahead

Here are the rest of the images of the Stingray Riders!

I love the flow of this piece.  The continuation of the swirling Stingray body is amazing!  It frames the figure so perfectly!

I also enjoy the action of the riders, who truly appear to be in attack mode.  No serene riders looking as if they are out for a Sunday ride. :-)

Oh yeah... and the Stingrays look pretty dangerous too!

The skin textures of the Stingrays are interesting.  I am tempted to go with lots of purples and blues here, so that I can take advantage of all that texture.  Standard grays and blues might not show off all that extra texture.

And a preview of the next post, where we see the Sci-Fi versions.  As I have mentioned many times, Raging Heroes is very adept at creating multiple genres from the same figure set.

Stay tuned!!