Death from the Webway

Time for Part Two of the sci-fi versions of the Stingray Riders.

As was mentioned in the first post, I thought that these could be either Hellions or Beastmasters... but I lean heavily towards the latter!

I recall when I first pondered a Dark Eldar army, that a "Brookfield Zoo" theme could be very interesting... as many critters as I could squeeze into the army.

I think these would do just the trick... really heightening the angry critter effect!

As usual, the close ups reveal all kinds of fun details...

The masks make them look even more sinister.

But yet so elegant!

Coming up next... the Draahk riders, which are just as amazing as the Stingrays!!  Stay tuned.

Elven Blade

This classic figure was part of the old Spyglass miniatures line, sculpted by Steve Buddle.

Like other well known sculptors, he has a unique way of sculpting the faces.  This is one of the mice aspects of painting miniatures over the last 15 years... getting used to all the different ways that sculptors approach that particular element of each figure.

This is another one of the mulch bases that was created a few weeks ago.  The scale of this figure also allowed me to use one of the new Hangar 18 leaf foliage types.

The leaves are quite small, as you can see, so I have mostly been using this on 15mm scale or smaller figures and terrain.

She's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/321915095771?

Riding High!

Monster and rider together at last!!!

This massive beast is the Osprey that was used as the subject for one of the higher level Painting Pyramid instructional videos.

There are lots of examples of painted Eagles, so I thought this relative could be more interesting, with some very distinct markings.

It plays off the converted rider very well, with the sword arm in just the right position!

As I look at this, I start to realize just how much more in depth the Osprey markings were.

These views give a decent look at the rider, and how the flowing cloak and sword worked out!

A few close ups for you!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/221934507490?

Up and Away!!

I thought that it might be a good idea to take some images of this rider figure before he's attached to the massive creature that the's riding into battle!  

I know from many previous experiences that it can be very difficult to get any decent close ups on a rider once they are on the big creature.

It's even more important here, as this gal needed a lot of conversion.  The left arm with the sword is a leftover piece from a Raging Heroes kit.

I had to do some sculpting of armor on that arm to make it match (it was originally bare).

You can also see that I had a lot of fun with some freehand!!

These views show you a bit of the arm, and the sword.  This also let me carry the NMM effect all the way up to the shoulder.

The Osprey is already painted, just waiting for this rider.  Stay tuned!!!

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!!