Monday, November 10, 2014

Not a wash out


You have seen me do lots of glazing here, but I happened to snap some images from the other day.

Usually, I have a vast collection of figures on which I am doing the Shaded Basecoat part of my technique.  This will run through a number of projects all at once.

As with all other phases, I like to have many items that are ready for glazing, because I use the same ones anyway!  I do lots of mixing of the glaze colors.

Here we have some Secret Weapon washes...


With these big rhino characters, the most important thing while glazing was to get a wide variety of subtle color changes in the darks which I was adding.

In this case, you see me not just working darker, but adding blue so that the browns are also more cool in tone.


On this side, you are seeing more tan and amber, so these glazes are 'warmer' in temperature.


In classic watercolor fashion, I am painting the 'negative space' around things such as the armor.  I am working on darkening and tinting the fur at this point.


I also like to let the glazes blend on the figure as well.  I am letting the flesh colored wash bleed into the greenish browns.


You can see what a difference the glazes can make!


Another example of a piece that is just been through the Shaded Basecoat phase.


This figure will be the opposite of the previous rhino, as I use the cooler colors on the face and other surfaces.


However, where I want the metal to stand out more, that is an area where the browns will have more yellow or red mixed in to provide that 'temperature contrast'.


Wide varieties to the glaze colors...


Leads to more interesting darks!


You can see how the armor plate stands out much more now with the surrounding glazes in place.


Working my way down towards the feet, as I want gravity to work with me here! :-)


I even use a bit of Amethyst glaze on the face and hands for a tad more interest.


I also did glazes on the armor and weapons, as well as some weathering.


More to come! Stay tuned.


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Alien invasion!


This is one of my favorite base sets from Secret Weapon... the Alien Temple.


Let's begin with the 50mm version.


A full set of 40mm bases.


The first batch of 30mm...


And then the second.


All ten 30mm bases.  It's not easy to come up with 10 different designs in one set, much less make sure that they have enough space for the footprint of a miniature.

Another great job by Mr. Justin!


New base... bigger base


Here is a revised version of Mimreg Zain, a major character for the Holy Orders faction from Wild West Exodus.

This time, he is on the larger, and hence correct, base.  It makes a huge difference, as the close combat halo is affected a great deal by that larger size.

Even though the halo is smaller than some other close combat zones, the larger base increases that sphere of influence.  We are only just now starting to see how that adds a lot of depth to that part of the game.


We have yet to get into multiple combats, but various skill sets such as close work and other things provide a greater variety, and also more choice.


There are many occasions in WWX where you have a choice between more dice at poorer odds, or fewer dice, but a higher percentage.  Interestingly enough, this is similar to the Memoir '44 mechanic that we have found to be so enjoyable.

Lots of choices also means that there is less of the dreaded 'inevitability'.  Yay!


Saturday, November 8, 2014

Breaking down barriers


Let's get Mr. Justin's (Secret Weapon Miniatures) excellent barricades and construction cones together with some Reaper BONES minis!


You can see that the scale of the cones is just right.


I can't wait to see these with some zombies in the mix!


This urban warrior is packing some serious firepower.


She runs through the construction site in search of more brain chomping monsters...


There are a few different types of concrete barriers in the Secret Weapon arsenal.  These are the damaged versions, but there are also more 'pristine' versions.


Check out what one set of each can do for a gaming table!!!


This should make any game of Zombicide more fun!!


Chop chop!


A few more 'glory shots' of the BONES minis and the cones.


From above.


Disco Stu is knockin' them down, guarding his Benjamins...


Something to hide behind.  Go get them!



Caution: construction zone


Here's something fun from Secret Weapon Miniatures!  Need some construction cones for those urban settings?  Well then, you're in luck!


As usual, Secret Weapon resin is ready to prime right out of the package... no need for painful scrubbing away of mould release!


A touch of fluorescent orange was added to the mix to give it that safety orange look...


Not too much, however, as they were supposed to appear a bit more weathered.


Some shading added here and there...


And even a little blood spatter to some, because you never know when your construction site is going to be invaded by zombies!


All set to mark out my territory.


Next up, some shots of these with miniatures, and even the Secret Weapon concrete barricades!