Don't be such a Boar!

Next up from Mierce Miniatures is one more of the big piggies!  He's part of the grand army of the winter bases, so yet again the bases had to match previous figures.

This version is more of a "champion" type figure, which is something that Mierce does with their monstrous infantry.

That is my favorite aspect of their approach to the figures... whole units of really big guys!  In effect, you have entire units of "standard" size infantry,  medium ogre sized versions of a similar sculpt, followed by truly monstrous beasts.  Ultimately there is one massive critter that completes the army.

I think you will be seeing one of those huge beasties on this blog early next year, so stay tuned for that.

More piggies yet to come, including some group shots.

Teamwork

Since it's so darn cold outside, it's time to warm your hearts with a taste of summer, and some lead!

The LMG team, complete with loader is ready to sweep the forest of any enemy.

These limited palette figures are anything but limiting, as I continue to discover all sorts of fun color mixtures, glazes and so on to render all of these closely related shades of tan, brown, greens etc.

The slight temperature change in the greens of the helmets, making them a little cooler, is the same set that I use for the uniforms of the German Heer.  Minus the hints of oxidation, of course!

Initially I thought of basing both of them together on the same stand, as I have done with many of the German LMG teams.  However, this seemed to warrant individual basing (done well in advance of the V2 rule set!).

Here's a set of individual images.  Stay tuned, because there are many more French yet to come!

The Rad RAV 6 x 6

A trip back in time for you to check out one of the vehicles I had used in the Adepticon 2014 40k tournament army.  This was one of four vehicles, which I used as Immolators, Chimeras, and even a converted version as an Exorcist!

This is the RAV 6 x 6 from Secret Weapon miniatures.  I have done many different builds from this kit, since it comes with a dozen different weapon options!  Here's a link:

http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=350

It is a very easy kit to assemble, and very little extra effort to wash the parts is needed.  I have a number of conversion articles on the blog:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-tank-of-thousand-disguises.html

There are many more articles on this vehicle, and even a few battle reports!  Be sure to check out the Exorcist conversion:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2015/11/deadly-music.html

It's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322378190567?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Snowball fight

Last week I posted a few step by step articles on a unit of Germans in winter uniforms... this week I start posting a few of the final results!

The idea was to experiment with the use of Secret Weapon crushed glass and realistic water to create a snow effect not only for the base, but on the figure itself.

Here's a link for the snow effect article:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-crushing-success.html

The rest of the squad will follow, and I will provide a few more thoughts on each individual figure, and the challenge that posed.  Stay tuned!

Big Boggy Bobby

The Bog Monster from Mierce Miniatures is always a fun project!  He's quite large, on an 80mm base.

He has a number of different textures going on, with lots of viney areas, protruding rocks, even skulls.  This branch arm was very nice, and I tried to accentuate it with those lighter, cooler greenish tones.  You can see the transitions from the reddish browns to yellow greens into those cool grayish greens.

This helps to make him appear bigger and more formidable, much more so than if he were all one shade or tone of brown.

This angle shows off the larger rocks, which made this large, broad area far more interesting to paint.  I knew that I wanted to have moss, grass and branch foliage applied in this spot, so the warmer reddish browns not only provide contrast to the rock colors, but to that foliage as well.

The opposite arm is one heck of a club!  I enjoyed painting that striated texture. I included all the different colors and tones on that section.  Just above that, you can see all the embedded skulls.

These views focus more on the foliage elements, both on the ground and on the figure.  I used a few different types of grass tufts from Kings Hobbies and Games, plus some Woodland Scenics branches with the fine flock added.

Another peek at the rocks, this time from above.  By placing the grass tufts around the base of those rocks, I thought it might make them look a little like standing stones.  Given the association of ancient Celts and bogs, the guy could be the collective spirit of all the kings, warriors, etc., who were ritually placed in bogs... rising once again!

The ground level views really make him appear massive!  All the branches and foliage really change the setting...the entire time I was painting it, I had to keep in mind that I would be adding all that stuff later.  Each color that I painted in a given area had to be done with this foliage in mind.

There you have it, Big Boggy Bobby in all his mossy, leafy glory.

Steam and Axe

This guy was the test subject for a very interesting experiment using the Mig AMMO oil products.  I have a step by step post showing the final stages of the oil applications as well as the subsequent layers of 'regular' miniature paint.

Believe it or not, I was working from some of the knowledge gleaned as I have been using those same materials to paint my vehicles.  A miniature is just a miniature, no matter what shape it might be.  I also wanted this to have a dirtier more weathered look, so the weathering glazes and other oil materials suited that purpose quite well.

As a long time pastel, oil watercolor and charcoal painter, the idea of applying paint and then selectively removing it in places is quite normal, and lots of fun!  Of course, the process all starts with the shaded basecoat, setting up all of the lights and darks in advance prior to applying those products.

Stay tuned for that step by step post, with many similar posts to come!!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/222360472816?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

From Sketch to Sculpt... and beyond

Several years ago, at our last Games Day, I sketched out this design for a scratch sculpted Heirotitan.   GW hadn't made one at the time (and they never will at this point), so I thought it would be very fun to sculpt my own!

I used a variety of materials to create the sculpt, including the tin foil armature!  Most of the sculpt is made from Apoxy Sculpt, which I really love.  It has all the good properties of green stuf, but none of the bad!  The same for a Miliput comparison.

Here's the original post with more images:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2012/07/clash-of-titans-scratch-sculpting.html

Here's part two of the sculpting process:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2012/07/tipping-scales-sculpting-nearly.html

I really enjoyed painting this as well... here's a post:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2012/07/painting-hierotitan-early-stages.html

He also had a buddy... a scratch sculpted Colossus!

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2012/07/colossal-paint-job-another-monster.html

The fluorescent paints were added to many of the surfaces in order to make the colors shimmer.  Since they entire army was tainted by Tzeentch, that was very important.

This might give you an idea of how massive he was.  I wish that I could have put him on a bigger base, but that's the legal size!

One final look at the Heirotitan.  He was definitely a favorite of the army, and a centerpiece of the story and the display board.

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322374117232?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649