Showing posts with label WIP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WIP. Show all posts

Friday, 13 March 2020

Lord of Blights

Crazy times we live in and it's hard to keep high spirits when there are even more depressing news daily than usual and when shelves at your local store look like that...


I highly recommend watching this TED talk as it's the most comprehensive take on the whole situation I've seen so far:



 Painting is one of the ways to keep your mind focused on more pleasant things. I've recently finished my first WFB miniature in a long time - Lord of Blights. I painted it following Darren Latham's excellent youtube tutorials. Speaking o which, make sure to check it out as all the videos will be pulled down in May.


I've also started working on Euripides' set for my own Malifaux collection. So far only a start with some skin tone experimentation 


Friday, 31 May 2019

Late night WIP


Lots of work on my workspace in recent days. While I'd love to show you what I'm working on now, I will have to wait until these models are formally released by Wyrd. All I can say for now is this: you're in for a treat with M3E plastics. Wyrd has upped their production standard yet again and the new minis are even better than those from M2E.

Monday, 7 May 2018

Back to metal

Wyrd switched to plastic for their models back in 2012. Prior to that all their miniatures had been cast in metal (pewter, to be more precise). It was a major change for all the hobbyists. Wyrd metal minis had some issues with proportions and they usually required a lot of work prior to painting. Mold lines tended to be thick, some elements needed to be pinned. These problems no longer exist as plastic models have elements that fit together very well (although there may be an overwhelming number of them to a single model) and lines left after casting are very thin and easy to remove. However, it's hard to deny the fact that the details of metals were sharper and they did have more character to them.

These two minis have been lying around my workspace for several weeks and I finally decided to start working on them. My decision was partly motivated by the fact that they had their cost in game reduced and thus have become more useful. I do own the plastic versions but I want to paint the metal ones to see how they compare to them.



Hooded Rider was a lot of pain to assemble. Each of the snakes forming the mount's mane needed to be cleaned from the mold line and bent into shape separately. It was tricky as metal elements won't bend back and forth too many times and after a few twists they can easily snap.
As you can see in the picture, there were some major areas that needed to be filled with Green Stuff prior to painting. I started with regular GS and when it was dry, I used liquid GS to smooth the edges of the areas that had been filled in. After that I used Typhus Corrosion (a special technical paint) that added some extra grainy texture to otherwise flat areas.
And that's it for now, I will take side by side pictures of metal and plastic versions once they're ready (they should be before the end of the month).

Tuesday, 13 March 2018

Still here

It seems like every year there comes a time when I don't write anything on the blog for a prolonged period of time. Life happens, and there are things that take your attention away from hobby and force you to focus on more important aspects. Yet, despite all that I have not completely abandoned painting minis in recent weeks. So here's a quick update on what's happening.



First off, I painted a metal version of the infamous Pukeworm,  Primordial Magic. It's much better detailed than the new plastic one. Also, the stream of energy aka. "the puke" is a separate bit in this set so I didn't glue it in. I wanted to keep it in theme with my Titania so I used some wood bits on his base. I saw this idea on A Wyrd Place a while ago and decided to give it a go. I think it looks much better than the plastic one.


Other than that I assembled and basecoated some more Guild models. As you can clearly see, scale is still an issue Wyrd is struggling with. I realize the Jury is leaning forward but still her proportions are a bit off in comparison with the floating Queller. The female one is probably one of the most complex plastic miniatures Wyr's ever released. There are a lot of extra elements on her, more than on many henchmen or masters...


I also received the alternate Lazarus. It's a really cool mini, a huge improvement on the old version. The only ting I didn't like about him was the material he's made of. It's this sort of "rubbery" plastic and cleaning all the mold lines takes much more time as it's not possible to quickly file them. You need to take your time and gently cut it all away using a sharp hobby knife. I will be painting the grenade launcher separately, here it's just assembled for the photo.

And last but not least, Serena Bowman. Very nice model, though it feels a bit out of place in the Neverborn. Nevertheless, she brings some unique tricks to the faction and I plan to try her with Dreamer (and with Lilith in the future when I start using this master).


That's all for now. Polish Malifaux nationals are taking place this weekend. Two-day long even with 6 games to play. I hope I will make it - it all depends on the health of my kids (which has been rather poor lately).

Monday, 2 October 2017

Size doesn't matter...

...literally. This picture is a good example of how people responsible for production treat height of models in game. From left you can see: Chompy (Ht 4'), Mr Graves, Grootslang, Mysterious Emissary (all three Ht 3'). Don't get me wrong - these are all nice miniatures but I'd really like their actual size to reflect in-game description more accurately...



Wednesday, 6 September 2017

Midnight WIPs


I got this gem on ebay a couple of days ago, I think this model may end up replacing the plastic one


.. and I've also finally put some paint on reinforcements for Hoff.

Thursday, 6 July 2017

Late night WIP

It's actually a picture from yesterday. Tonight the cat has found another place to nap so I might be able to make some actual progress on the Rougarou (and maybe even assemble the Corrupted Hounds).

Saturday, 17 June 2017

A quick WIP

June is a very busy month for me and work is just crazy so I'll just leave this quick WIP here. The Changelings and Luther should be ready somewhere next week...


Thursday, 18 May 2017

More WIPs


I'm almost done with my latest project. Painting two identical crews simultaneously is a bit tedious so I am looking forward to finishing Hoffman's constructs and returning to my Neverborn.

KoÅ„czÄ™ już mój ostatni projekt. Równoczesne malowanie dwóch identycznych ekip jest dość nużące i czekam już z niecierpliwoÅ›ciÄ… do ukoÅ„czenia pracy i powrotu do moich Neverbornów. 

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

Some WIPs


I've started working on some Guild constructs. It's a nice and welcome change after focusing mainly on Neverborn for the past couple of weeks. So far I've just airbrushed basic red and done some airbrushing on the blade. In the final moment white paint got slightly blocked and left small dots all over the surface but I'll try to somehow use it to my advantage.

Zacząłem pracę nad konstruktami z Gildii. To miła i potrzebna zmiana po tygodniach spędzonych z Neverbornami. Póki co psiknąłem tylko podstawową warstwę czerwonego i podziałałem trochę aerografem na ostrzu miecza. W ostatnim momencie pracy trochę przytkała się dysza i wypluło mi małe białe kropeczki, ale spróbuję jakoś to odkręcić.



These three will make a new addition to my Neverborn force.
Ta trójeczka będzie nowym dodatkiem do moich Neverbornów.



I've also redone Titania's wings by adding a thin watered down layer of GW's Blood for the Blood God and made her hair slightly darker. I also gave my old metal Teddy a new base to tie him in thematically with the rest of my Neverborn.

Przemalowałem też skrzydła Titanii, dodając na nie rozcieńczoną warstwę Blood for the Blood God od GW, przyciemniłem też jej włosy. Poza tym zmieniłem podstawkę mojemu staremu metalowemu Miśkowi, żeby bardziej pasował do reszty Neverbornów.



And last but not least - last Saturday I took part in a 50ss GG 2017 tournament. I played three games with Neverborn Zoraida and managed to win all of them. In the end I placed second out of 18 participants, which is my best result ever.
I faced Ramos, Kirai, and Guild McCabe. Each game was interesting and I had great opponents (I've faced each of them before and have always enjoyed the atmosphere during the game). I won a small mystery box with a Bayou Gator. Zoraida approves!

I na koniec ostatnia, ale nie mniej ważna rzecz. W ubiegłą sobotÄ™ wziÄ…Å‚em udziaÅ‚ w turnieju na 50ss w Gaining Grounds 2017. ZagraÅ‚em trzy gry neverbornowÄ… ZoraidÄ… i udalo mi siÄ™ wszystkie wygrać. Osatecznie byÅ‚em 2 na 18 uczestników, co jest moim najlepszym wynikiem. 
Grałem przeciwko Ramosowi, Kirai i gildiowemu McCabe'owi. Każda gra była ciekawa i miałem świetnych przeciwników (z każdym z nich miałem już wcześniej przyjemność grać). Wygrałem mały mystery box z Bayou Gatorem. Zoraida aprobuje!


Tuesday, 21 February 2017

Some WIPs...

Here are some of the things I'm currently working on or about to start with. Can anyone guess what's inside the Mystery Box? ;)

February and March are going to be Guild months...

Kilka rzeczy nad którymi pracuję lub za chwilę zacznę pracować. Czy komuś uda się zgadnąć co jest w Mystery Boxie? ;)

Expect a new review soon




And one more thing - an interview with me has recently appeared at Bitewne Wrota (a Polish hobby blog network). Unfortunately it's only in Polish but you can have a look if your're interested :)

I ostatnia rzecz - ostatnio na Bitewnych Wrotach pojawił się wywiad ze mną. Zachęcam do lektury :)

Sunday, 23 October 2016

An Audience With The Queen #1

Weaving spiders, come not here; 
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence! 
Beetles black, approach not near; 
Worm nor snail, do no offence.
William Shakespeare, "A Midsummer's Night Dream"


I've finally started working on the crew I ordered during Gencon. In fact, I will bo working on two simultaneously. You can expect more pictures and some thoughts on the minis, fluff, and their use in game. So far I've only managed to assemble them but I'm already impressed with the quality of these miniatures. Gorar will be first.
The theme of this crew is heavily influenced by William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Names, presentation of nature, and Titania herself are some of the most obvious references I can think of off the top of my head.


W koÅ„cu zaczÄ…Å‚em pracÄ™ nad jedynÄ… zakupionÄ… prze mnie podczas Genconu ekipÄ…. A wÅ‚aÅ›ciwie pracÄ™ nad dwiema ekipami, bo bÄ™dÄ™ malowaÅ‚ dwie równoczeÅ›nie. Możecie siÄ™ spodziewać przemyÅ›leÅ„ o figurkach, ich historii, oraz o ich użytecznoÅ›ci w grze. Póki co tylko zÅ‚ożyÅ‚em ekipÄ™, ale już jestem pod wrażeniem jakoÅ›ci tych figurek. Na poczÄ…tek pójdzie Gorar.
Klimat tej ekipy mocno nawiązuje do "Snu Nocy Letniej" Szekspira. Imiona, prezentacja Natury, sama Titania to tylko najbardziej oczywiste nawiązania do sztuki, które od razu przychodzą mi do głowy.

Wednesday, 23 December 2015

Disturbing the Sound of Silence





It's way past midnight here and since I'm not going to work tomorrow I continue assembling my recent Wyrd purchases. Yesterday I put together the limited Barbaros - he's definitely a big one and nicely fills his 40 mm base. I also assembled the new Iggy miniature and was pleasantly surprised by very high level of detail, although his face seems a bit flat.

Jest już grubo po północy ale skoro jutro nie idę to roboty, to siedzę i dalej składam ostatnie wyrdowe zakupy. Wczoraj skleiłem limitkę Barbarosa - kawał chłopa, ładnie wypełnia swoją 40 mm podstawkę. Złożyłem też nowy model Iggy'iego i miło zaskoczyła mnie jakość detali, chociaż twarz wydaje się trochę zbyt płaska.


Today I've put together Black Blood Shamans - check out the wingspan, it just begs the question: why these guys don't have flight? You can also see new Tuco. I like the dynamic pose but the model somehow seems a bit too thin. Maybe that feeling will change once I start working on the mini. I also cleaned the mold lines on Aionus and that wasn't fun. The miniature is cast in PVC (the same pseudo-resin material Warmachine minis are cast in as far as I know) and comes already assembled (yes, there are noticeable gaps between the pieces). The material is much softer than the standard plastic Wyrd uses and cleaning it was a bit troublesome . The model is very nice nonetheless and I think I've come up with a good idea for his base.

Dzisiaj skleiłem Black Blood Shamans - zwróćcie uwagę na rozpiętość skrzydeł. Aż nasuwa się pytanie o brak cechy flight u tych postaci. Na zdjęciu widać też nowego Tuco. Podoba mi się dynamiczna poza ale mimo to wydaje się być nieco zbyt wątłej budowy. Może to wrażenie minie jak już zacznę go malować. Oczyściłem też Auionusa i to była średnia przyjemność. Figurka jest odlana w PVC (ten sam materiał co pseudo-żywiczne figurki z Warmachine o ile się nie mylę) i na starcie jest już sklejony (tak, widać wyraźne szczeliny pomiędzy częściami). Ten materiał jest dużo bardziej miękki niż standardowy plastic używany przez Wyrda i oczyszczanie go z nadlewów było dość kłopotliwe. Mimo to figurka wygląda bardzo ładnie i chyba udało mi się wykminić dla niego całkiem fajną podstawkę.



Saturday, 12 December 2015

Midnight WIP

I've done some work on my Hooded Rider. It's still an early work in progress shot but I'm finally beginning to get there...

Wreszcie pomalowaÅ‚em coÅ› konkretnego na moim Zakapturzonym Jeźdźcu. To póki co wczesny etap malowania, ale powoli zaczyna to jakoÅ› wyglÄ…dać... 

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Some WIPs

I've managed to put together and basecoat all my Gencon haul. The starter minis were very easy to put together, hardly any GS was used on them. The new Miss model is probably the best so far. Really great detail (well, maybe only the face seems a bit off...) and Abuela is 100% awesomasauce. It seems to me Wyrd is constantly improving their production process and the minis get better all the time.I'll probably paint some of these later this week.

Udało mi się złożyć i spodkładować cały Genconowy łup. Figurki ze startera były bardzo łatwe do złożenia, praktycznie nie musiałem używać przy nich GS. Nowa figurka Miss to chyba najładniejsza z dotychczasowych. Ma naprawdę świetne detale (no, może twarz mogłaby być lepsza...), a Abuela to 100% wypas. Wygląda na to, że Wyrd cały czas ulepsza proces produkcji i kolejne modele są coraz ładniejsze. Pewnie pomaluję część z tych figurek w przyszłym tygodniu.






As usual, I kept listening to audiobooks as I was painting and here are the three I listened to in August (well, the one about the Witcher was an actual book).


"To Kill a Mockingbird" has until recently been one of the most famous American classics that I haven't read (even though I had two semesters of American literature) as part of my university career. I was motivated to read it by the release of sequel and all the controversy that surrounded it. The novel is set in the years of the Great Depression of the 30's and takes place in a southern state of Alabama. The story is presented from young girl's innocent perspective as she recalls her early, careless years. The tone is mostly light and humorous, even though the novel deals with serious themes such as racial injustice. It offers very interesting insights into the American society of the south in early 30's. For me the narrative was the novel's greatest strength. Marked by innocence of Jean Louise, it is still witty and full of humor.


 This novel was published 55 years after "To Kill a Mockingbird" and has caused a lot of controversy. The main reason is that the action takes place several years after the original novel as Jean Louise returns from New York to her hometown for her summer vacation. There are still many entertaining stories from her youth as she fondly remembers her childhood. However, now that she's known different style of life, her perception is changed and she sees many things differently. She gradually discovers that her childhood impressions were often shallow and she never really tried to understand the world around her. This confrontation of differing ideals is particularly intensive when she begins to question her father's dominating influence on her life.



I didn't really expect much from this novel as it was written years after the whole Witcher saga had been completed. It's got all that Sapkowski is known for, the Witcher, his good pal Dandelion, complicated romances with female sorceresses, dwarves, monsters, and court intrigues. Also, the language is really nice and the typical ironic comments made by the narrator and the Witcher can make all the fans feel at home. However, the story felt to me more like a set of quests from a game than a well thought-out plot. Things happen quickly and I had a feeling that many events were there just to add another twist to the story and thus force it to be a little longer. Still, it felt pretty nice to read another novel set in this universe and filled with those familiar characters.


Tuesday, 17 February 2015

The Swamp Hag #1

Preparing these minis for painting took me a long time. Obviously, they're multipart and require a lot of modelling putty to fill in all the recesses but that still took up much more time than it usually does. I'm not saying I don't like the prepping stage, in fact I really enjoy it. Still, I devoted some extra time to make sure the crew is ready for painting.

It's all about the leap
I wanted them to have similar orphanage-themed bases to my other Neverborn but at the same time have a slightly swampy feel to them. I used standard Wyrd Orphanage base inserts along with some accessories. I also used fragments of plastic structure from the old "Escape from Goblintown" set. 

And since it's Zoraida time, here's one of my favorite clips of all time that goes well with her fluff.



I've been quite busy with hobby and also also prepared a few other minis for painting.

Insidious Madness along with Reaper model I want to use as a proxy
Waldgeists

My take on Ryle



Sunday, 28 September 2014

Mother of Monsters #1

Time to start another project - this time it's going to be Lilith's crew from the "Mother of Monsters" box along with some extra Nephilim. I chose to work on this whole batch as I'm going to work on a few simultaneously. This is one of these crews that features a few similar models, so that should speed painting up a little.


I chose skull bases from Micro Art studio as I thought they fit in thematically well with this crew. The Nephilim are ferocious beasts with deep hatred for... well, pretty much everything so I thought these would nicely highlight their savage nature. 
And that's it for now, more updates later next week!

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Children of December #1

I'm beginning another hobby project - this time it's going to be Rasputina and her crew. So far I've just put them together and basecoated the minis using light color for the gaming and Golem as they will be painted using bright shades of blue.


I had to put together Wendigo's victim separately as it would complicate painting him and it would be pretty much impossible to paint his face otherwise. I'll probably start by painting one Ice Gamin to try out a color scheme. 

I've also tried a cool method for basing I found on Wyrd Forums. It was posted by a used called AnythingBut here first. Basically you just paint the inside of the base using blue and follow that with a thick layer of GW's technical paint called Agrellan Earth. After that you should leave it to dry for a longer while, preferably overnight or for the whole day. The paint crack as it dries creating an effect that the creators intended to look like desert. However, if applied in thick layer and over blue surface, it looks like shattered ice on water if you paint the cracked paint using bright shades of blue and adding white. In the pic you can see my first attempt. It was a quick one but I'm quite pleased with the effect. I already have some ideas on how to improve the technique and plan to use it for this crew. More updates later this week!

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Warzone Ressurection Dark Legion - first impressions

I've had these for a while now but it wasn't until last week that I've finally put all of them together. I thought I'd take some pics and show my Kickstarter Dark Legion stuff here.
Before I begin, let me stress one thing. They may look messy with all that green stuff on them but that's the way I work. I always fill in all the recesses, even the tiniest ones, with GS and once it's dry I then follow by applying some LGS to make it look as smooth as possible. That's why it may seem like large areas are covered with GS.
Another important thing that I want to write about before moving on refers to working with resin in general. It's a soft material so while working on removing mold lines you need to be extra careful not to cut too deeply. The good thing is that it bends easily if you put it into hot water for a few seconds. After that you have a short while to get the limb/element of a miniature into the desired shape and then you can put it into cold water. Quick and easy but it offers great potential for conversions.
And last but not least - use Super Glue as it works best with resin.


I'll start with the Undead Legionnaires as they're my favorites from the whole bunch. I really like the feel of hopelessness about them. They look like human shells barely on their feet but still, by some impulse, stumbling towards the battlefield. Their clothes are torn, and their armor is battle-worn.
There are five different heads and sets of limbs so it's fairly easy to create 10 unique miniatures. The level of detail is very impressive. You can see in the picture above that each of them looks significantly different. 


Next up are the Necrobeast Riders. Don't remember them from the original Warzone but once I saw Necromutaants riding dinosaur-like creatures, I knew I had to get them. They're quite big but easy to put together since all the pieces fit nicely. The heads are different than the ones available for regular Necromutants, which is a nice thing. The only thing that bugs me a little is that the beasts look... friendly. But that should be gone once I start adding battle damage, gore and corrosion to their armor.


Golgotha is cast in a slightly different type of resin. It's softer but seems to be holding the detail even better than the bluish and grayish ones. I expected a challenge but putting the miniature together has proven very easy with just a few barely visible mold lines I filed down.
She is much taller than a regular Legionnaire (as seen in the picture above) but I guess that's to be expected from a unique character.



Praetorian Stalkers were deadly in the first edition. They worked very efficiently in pairs so I was a little surprised that now they came in a trio.
The details on their faces and armor are top-notch. Really well-defined armor plates with ferocious facial expressions. Unfortunately, their weapons are devoid of any detail. I just wonder, why go through all the trouble of designing and producing such intricate patterns on the armor and then ruin it by adding a weapon that looks way too plain. Another issue was they way their torsos were attached to the sprue. Cutting them away and later on, fitting them to legs, was quite tricky. I'll need to add more texture to the weapons (LGS and Typhus Corrosion). Not a big problem but I just think it could have been avoided.


The Razide (left in the pic) looks mean and totally bad ass. The way he holds his large weapon with confidence shows well what kind of strength is he capable of. His massive arms stand in a bit of contrast to his legs but overall I really like this miniature.

Alakhai's blade was a problem as it had snapped off while the parcel with minis was being sent to me. I had to pin it to the pommel. I also applied some LGS to get the texture on the blade. Alakhai's face is nicely designed with the mean smile and three horns. His torso and mask seem a bit too flat and I'm just not sure about the way his cloak is designed. My guess is that the creator intended it to look as if wind was blowing hard but I don't really care for the final effect. The minis is OK but I'd much rather prefer one based on Paul Bonner's original artwork.


Finally, the Necromutants. They were the first minis I put together. I speed pained them, using dry pigments and GW's Typus Corrosion and Ryza Rust for corrosion effects. 
They're much larger than the Legionnaires and their weapons are also bigger. That's OK, as far as I remember they are supposed to be oversized humans. Each head is different and the sets of arms make it possible to create five unique models. I had some trouble with attaching torsos to their legs but later on I just thought that they're supposed to look a bit bent.



Last but not least, Hatamoto. I guess he's the special Kickstarter-unique miniature. Very nice, dynamic pose and some nice elements (banners, great design or armor). He seems a bit smooth compared to crisp detail on Golgotha but it's a very nice miniature anyway. Judging by the artwork in rulebook, Mishima models will be a true treat for hobbyists.

To sum up, I'm very happy with the overall quality. There are some elements that I'd like to see improved and Paul Bonner's artworks still remain the ultimate awesomeness but Prodos Games has managed to bring out the original Warzone spirit in these miniatures.






Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...