Axe me no Questions, I'll Tell You no Lies

In my last post, I claimed that the Otherworld halfling's NMM plate mail was pretty far along. That was pretty far from the truth as it turned out.

The armor was my most extensive attempt at NMM to date. What can I say? It took longer than expected. I did enjoy the process though and hopefully learned a few things along the way.

The NMM tutorial from James Wappel's Painting Pyramid Kickstarter proved invaluable. Chock full of great info. I would've been lost without it.

Colors used on the armor.

I've been lagging behind in the Helping Hand Challenge and so it may seem rash to have added the halfling and badger to the roster. I have no regrets. They were already prepped and based. It seemed like their time.

When he was first prepared, the badger was intended for an outdoor setting with ample ground cover and what-not. As part of the HHC he wound up instead as a grey miniature on a stark grey base. I tried to warm up the greys used on the fur as a contrast to the cool grey base.

The Dwarf Mercenary was very straightforward. The stripes on the pants were a late addition.

Close, but no Cigar

I've had quite the week. The eminently achievable goal of finishing three minis for this month's installment of the Helping Hand Challenge remains unrealized.

The Otherworld Dwarf Mercenary is nearly done. The Halfling Fighter, sporting some NMM plate mail, is pretty far along too.

More to follow.

Be sure to check out the other fine HHC minis at Duke of the Blood Keep and Deviant Designs Deeds.

Plodding Right Along

The travel brochure made no mention of this.

Limited progress is progress nonetheless. In that spirit I post many pictures and a few words on what currently occupies my paint-table. (The short version: lots of basing, experimenting with new materials, very little paint.)

New toys: mica flake gel & red oxide paste

Minis attached to bits of cork

Red oxide paste used to conceal tabs and texture cork

2nd mini from the right is not attached & will be painted separately

Grit, gesso, green stuff, & first use of mica flakes (fungal growths?)

And then there were five: guy on the right is a double from my KS rewards

A mouth full of metal

Mouth gouged out & a newly sculpted tongue

The view from the flip side

Testing to see if 25mm base will result in a top-heavy miniature

Extra ballast in the form of fishing sinkers

Mica flakes as leaf-litter and the return of the cockatrice

Left leg is shorter than the right, hence the Captain Morgan stance

More nearly forgotten minis resurface

For more info in using mica flake gel see James Wappel Miniature Painting and 28mm Victorian Warfare. I'm very pleased with the material so far but will reserve final judgement until I actually see what it looks like painted.

Speaking of which, it's time to get some paint on these guys. Peace.

Paint Table Thursday: Grist to the Mill

On the Table: OW Dwarf, FD Dretches, & Reaper Peryton.

Yet another snowstorm has me stuck home today... Spring seems very far away indeed. I'm inside, out of the weather, prepping some minis.

Six minis to be precise. The OW Dwarf Mercenary is next up in the Helping Hand Challenge. The FD Dretches are the first of my IMotOP Kickstarter rewards to go under the brush, while the Reaper Peryton is a recent acquisition that is just too cool to languish on the lead pile.

The Peryton originally showed up as a Bones-only sculpt, which was a disappointment: I absolutely loath the material. Its release in metal is a welcome development and seemingly part of a trend which has seen some of Reaper's Bones-only minis get the pewter treatment. Hopefully this practice will continue.

A lot of unwanted metal in the mouth and a mold-seam over the fight eye needed extra attention.

 
The Dretches are Paul Muller sculpted gems; a huge amount of character in very small packages. Right now I'm toying with the idea of basing two of them on one 25mm base. The prospect of the smallest of the lot peering around his dumpy comrade's shoulder seems too good to pass up.

The Conventional Approach: Everybody Gets Their Own Base

What I'm Leaning Towards

Dumb & Dumber