MEDIC!!

I used this medic figure as part of my command squad for my Imperial Guard army at Adepticon in 2014.  I had a lot of fun adapting this old Battle of Maccrage figure for this purpose.

Yes, I also could not resist lots of blood spatter!

I had a lot of fun painting his white blood stained lab coat :-)

The view from above!

He's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/221976432494?

Golden Girl

What's old can still be new!!!  Yes, another ancient Ral Partha figure.  The date on the sprue said 1996, so she's almost twenty years old.

I had a lot of fun with the metals and the cloak, since despite the advanced age, the details were actually quite crisp.

I have been intrigued as I compare these very old minis with the very latest creations of all the new companies.

I can remember a time when most figures had been sculpted by a far smaller range of sculptors, so they all had this kind of appearance.  There are now many new and different styles and approaches, which makes everything a brand new painting experience every time :-)

She's also here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/321956913973?

"Base"ic Change

I thought it might be fun to take a few pictures comparing the re-based Skeleton cavalry on the right to the more original appearance on the left.

I used a razor saw to slice the feet of the horse from the pewter "broccoli base" which was hidden beneath oxide paste and gravel.

I had made a few bark and branch bases during a previous session, and as it turned out, both of the new bases were absolutely perfect for the skeleton cavalry!

This image shows the second cavalry figure on its new base on the right.

The difference is even more stunning in these side by side images!  It's amazing what a newfound technique can allow, and give new life to a "regular" skeleton horse and rider.

War Clouds Gather

Reaver jetbikes strike again!

This is one of the few jetbikes that I didn't make any dramatic changes to... no additional wings or anything :-)

Nevertheless, I still had lots of fun doing the freehand design and the blood splatter!

These views from above let you see the pattern a little better, and the touch of mosaic design on the base too.

At some point I will try to get all the bikes in a group shot.  With 18 of them total, that won't be so easy!

Bad Doggie!!

This rather large critter from HellDorado miniatures is yet another example of matching from several different companies as part of one wider range project.

The color scheme on this was done to match the previously painted Circle Oboros hounds.  There was a lot more gold surface on this figure, so I had to go more in depth with the transitions.  I had to reflect a lot of the snow and rock surface onto the plates.

This is not so easy, as the natural tendency would be for those to become quite greenish.  So, I had to be sure to incorporate enough of the reddish hues as well.  That would make a nice contrast with those cooler shades in the golds.

These views show that I tried to focus more of these warmer tones from above, leaving the cooler shades reflecting the ground.

A few final views.  Many of these principles are discussed in the "How to Paint Gold NMM", which is one of five NMM videos that I created.  All of them are now available at Kings Hobbies and Games.

http://www.kingshobbiesandgames.com/James-Wappel-s-The-Painting-Pyramid-s/130.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=130&show=30&page=1

Leaping Lizards!!

More new stuff for you... this time, something for all us Blood Bowl fans!!!

I've played this game since at least the early 90's, and it's amazing to see all the fantastic new figures that are being created for our beloved game.

Thanks to RN Estudio, the Baton Rouge Lethal Lizards shall rise again, with their impressive array of Saurus, Skink, Krox and star players!!

I will be featuring a number of the different teams available from RN Estudio here, from Orcs to Humans, Chaos Pact and more...

Here is a link to their site, and the Lizardman team.

http://www.rnestudio.com/apps/webstore/products/show/6230755

These images show the actual figures, which are wonderfully cast in white resin.  The mould lines are absolutely minimal, and they are almost all one piece casts.

That's very important in this kind of game, where the figures take a beating in more ways than one.  The resin is resilient, and a very nice silky texture for painting.

Primed and ready for paint!  I am going to go back to the very beginning for me, and paint this like my original team.  This means that each player will be painted with different colors and markings.

I will see if I can find some of those original images, so that I can match them with these newest versions.  I am also looking forward to using lots of jungle vegetation, and some splashing swampy water.

 I will have to come up with an especially cool scheme for this big guy!  Definitely splashing water on the base as well...

The big guys are well designed, in that they are not so enormous that there is no room to place them in all the middle of the pitch scrums that will inevitably follow!

So, stay tuned from much more on these lizazrds, and from RN Estudio!!!  Go check them out.

Alien Invasion!

Another little Grey Man for you tonight!  He is from the Boxed Set of Hired Hands of the Watchers.

Each Hired Hand box, no matter what faction it might be, contains ten figures, each one with a unique pose.  They are all on marked plastic sprues, and come with instructions to help you locate those pieces more quickly.

Just as I did with the last example, I tried to make the base be the primary color contrast.  In addition, I tried to have the green glow of the weapon tie both of those disparate elements together.

Lots of fun was had placing various shades of grey... some more teal/blue, others more purple or even brown in others.  I did an entire painting video called Shades of Grey, and I have been drawing on my experience in creating that video a lot as I paint these little guys!!