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 Saturday I

The esteemed Mr. Audrey of 28mm Victorian Warfare describes Paint Table Saturday, the creation of Sofie's Paint Blog, as a "delightfully simple idea". I agree, and as someone who is not infrequently described as delightfully simple himself, I reckon it's time to jump on this particular bandwagon.

Therefore, and without further ado, my paint-table:

It might be better described as my prep-table at the moment. The three based minis at center are from Otherworld, Studio 2, and Ral Partha. The hodgepodge of minis to the right are awaiting basing.

Satyrs on the Rocks

It's time to kick off the new year with a couple painted minis. One's a bit of a cheat in that I actually finished him a couple years ago. The other was just completed after an extended stay in miniature limbo.

Otherworld (L) and Ral Partha (R) Satyrs

I posted pics of the Otherworld mini on the company's forums back when he was first painted but this is his Minis by Finch debut. I posted some WIPs of the Ral Partha mini on the Reaper boards some time ago as well. They were an experiment in dark and pale skintones as well as the use of rocks as basing material.

Nothing simulates rock as well as actual rock it seems. In this case I obtained a small supply that could be broken into smaller bits with a pair of electrician's pliers and looked very convincing at this scale.

The Otherworld base consists of a pile of these fragments, attached with superglue, a Woodland Scenics tree branch, and some putty.

The Ral Partha base was approached differently. Here I reduced the Minis original integral base down to small platforms under each foot. Using a motor-tool fitted with an abrasive bit, I then cut two depressions into a slab of rock, test-fitting frequently to ensure that the mini would wind up flush with the top. The two components were superglued together and some putty was used to blend everything together.

The mini was originally part of RP's Shadowrun line and is unusual in that it has clawed feet rather than hooves.

A Snail's Pace

Damn, I'm slow. This WIP picture is proof that progress has been made on the troll. Unfortunately, spare time to work on him has been in short supply lately. One big push is needed to complete him.

Saving Face

As promised, I have returned with details about what I was working on before my Summer hiatus. The last minis I completed prior to going AWOL were the two Otherworld trolls; excellent sculpts that include a wealth of conversion and customization potential. One neat feature is that each model provides a choice of two heads. Consequently, I was left with a surplus of troll noggins in my spare parts drawer.

At this point, a box lot of minis won on eBay some time ago entered into the equation. Among its various items was a Ral Partha troll from 1982 of the proper size to comfortably accept an OW head. The old mini had a separate head and body configuration that would facilitate a straightforward head-swap.

Normally I'd tend to shy away from major conversion work on a classic mini. In this case, I was prepared to make an exception. I remember this guy from when he first appeared in RP's catalog. My initial impression remains to this day: I like everything but the head.

Beyond producing a figure more to my tastes by merging old and new, there was another benefit to this conversion. I already had two completed OW trolls in my collection. The RP troll, with its extremely long arms and oversized claws, is quite distinct from OW's interpretation. By mounting an OW head in place of the original, a strong family resemblance would be created.


A soak in Simple Green made short work of a scruffy coat of primer. In order to turn the head I cut away the original neck and replaced it with a bent piece of wire. Despite my preference for round bases, a square one is needed to accommodate the left arm. The RP mini includes what seems to be aquatic vegetation draped over its body, as though it has just emerged from the water. What we have here is a freshwater scrag or river troll; the creature from folklore that dwells beneath bridges and waylays unwary travelers.

I intended to cut away the original base and mount the mini on a stone floor similar to the OW trolls; a major undertaking. I see now that doing so would carry the family resemblance concept to excess. A base is the chance to depict a mini in its environment; to place it in context. This fellow belongs on a river bank, not in a dungeon.

Summer's over. Time to get cracking.

Go Green

Happy Earth Day y'all. To commemorate this most holy of holidays I generally hug a tree or sing carols in front of Al Gore's house. This year I'm breaking with tradition and striping the paint off an old miniature instead. I've read tutorials on the subject but, prior to my current experiments, have never attempted it.

"Am I missing something?", you wonder. "How is this in any way related to Earth Day?", you ask. Well, if you'd quit butting in with so many questions, I'll tell you. The Earth Day tie-in lies in the fact that I'll be using Simple Green, an eco-friendly cleaning product, rather than one of its harsher alternatives.

Today's test subject is this Ral Partha miniature acquired via eBay as part of a lot auction, fittingly encased in a thick coat of kelly-green enamel. A trial-run on a couple of the less desirable minis from the lot yielded satisfactory results. I'll repeat the method and hope for a similar outcome.

The procedure used was as follows:

1. Pour enough Simple Green into a metal can to cover mini
2. Place mini into can
   
3. Cover can and and allow to soak for 2 days
4. Use a stiff brush, toothpick, and running water to remove paint
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until desired results are achieved

This is how our subject looks after 3 baths. Not too bad. I initially used an old toothbrush to remove the paint but later supplemented this with a vegetable brush. Its longer, stiffer bristles seemed well suited to the task at hand. A toothpick proved useful in picking paint out of otherwise inaccessible recesses. A strainer in the sink is recommended so that any slip-ups won't result in a mini disappearing down the drain.

Well, I'm off to spend the rest of this Earth Day painting trolls and contemplating my carbon footprint. Hopefully I'll have more to report on the trolls in time for my next post.

The Shadow of the Past

I come before you today bearing eye-candy. As promised, the current post includes pictures of miniatures that I painted back in the day… the 1980’s… when the A-team still walked the earth and enamel paints ruled. For starters, here’s a link to a thread on the Otherworld Miniatures forum where I posted a few examples a while back.

But wait, there’s more! I’ve honed my puny photographic abilities somewhat since then through trial-and-error and the receipt of a tripod for Christmas. At this point, pride of authorship tempts me to shout something cheesy like, “Feast your eyes on these!”, but journalistic integrity compels me to keep my composure. At any rate, here is a new batch to look at: link. Enjoy.