Ragnaros Evil Warrior

  Here it is at last, Ragnaros the Evil Warrior, in all his glory. This piece took a bit longer that I would have liked, but in the end I'm super happy with how it came out. The sword looks great, (according to me). With a red reflection on the inside and a blue tint on the outer side, it really adds to the model. With it being such a big part, I really wanted to invest the time to make it look decent. Because the flash really hits the metallic paint it's hard to photograph, but in the off angles it is obvious in the pictures.

Ragnaros Evil Warrior

  I didn't manage to totally crush the OSL glare off the eyes, but I think the balance that I achieved isn't terrible.

Freehand Skull!

 Note the red tint in the darker portions of the blade in the above view. This really added to the feel of the sword.

A little surprise when you turn it around

 I really didn't want to distract from the front of the model, especially since I went for the glowing eyes, but I thought it might be fun to add some extra effort tot the back. In the end I think it turned out pretty good. From the front angles you can tell that there's something back there, but it's not distracting.

Metallic paint + flash = fail

Get the angle right (That's what she said...)

The shield, spinal cord, helm, femur, all reaper parts

 All right, we're done here. Remember, don't miss good while looking for perfect (DMGWLFP).

HMP

Improved Ork Flesh?

I've been working on the Gorkamorka Boyz, and with the ones with more skin I've changed up the mix a bit. Now it goes Dryad Bark, Waaagh Flesh, Warboss Green, Sarsnik Green, and then Averland Sunset mixed with the Sarsnik for the face highlights.

Dryad Bark

Waaagh Flesh

Warboss Green

Sarsnik Green+ (I tried to put in muscle striations)

Old VS New 

I might push the face highlights a little more...

Ragnaros Evil Warrior

Mission complete! Be advised, good photos to follow (project "lightbox" will have to be completed first). The grass tufts are Gale Force Nine 2 mm static grass that I applied by hand. To find out how, you can click here.

Ragnaros Evil Warrior

Ragnaros

I was going to put more stuff on the base, but I didnt want to distract from him on the front, so it's quite plain, with a hint that there could be something going on behind. On the back I added some skeletal remains, to add more interest to this side of the miniature.


Dont miss good while looking for perfect.

HMP

Six Eyes or Four Eyes

I figured I didnt look like a big enough dork in my natural state, so I bought a head magnifier! Right!

I picked it up on Amazon, the reviews weren't stellar, but it was cheap, has glass optics (not plastic), and came with 4 levels of magnification. The multi level magnification is what sold me on it, because I didn't know what I wanted, so the cheap option seemed to be the way to go. (The nice magnifies are about 4 times the price, and they dont come with multiple lenses.) Anyhow, I'm not going to go into great detail on the build quality, it's made in China...

Note build quality

Magnification and focal length 1.5x @ 20", 2x @ 10", 2.5x @ 8", 3.5x @ 4"

Build quality

Stickers to make anything cooler 

What the minis see

I tried all the lenses and it turns out the 2.5x is pretty nice. The focal length is then 8 inches which is a comfortable working distance and is the same view that I get when I take my glasses off, (I'm nearsighted as f#$%), but since I have my glasses on I can see my pallet without moving. Basically they're like upside down bifocals. What's even more cool, is if I let my glasses slide down my nose, my nearsightedness drops the focal length of the 2.5x to 4 inches (it's like zooming in)!

Bifocals! LOL

HMP

Grots With Gunz

Apologies for the title, but given that "Boyz With Shootas", was the actual marketing name for the Boyz, I couldn't resist making up my own. Anyhow, a while back I bought some Grots, kinda toyed around with them, and then put them in the box of bits. Then, while modifying one of the Boyz to have another grenade, inspiration struck!

Gorkamorka Boy with added grenade

So I proudly present, Grots With Gunz.

Grots with Gunz

The really important question is how many I should try and pack onto each base? Two on a small round looks cramped and horde-ish.

2 Grots with gunz

While 4 on a large round is really beginning to look like a proper mob. I wonder how many more I can fit?

4 Grots with gunz

Leave a comment below and whatever gets the most votes is what we'll do. The options will be, 2 on a small base, or 4 or more on a larger base.

HMP

Gorkamorka Boyz, Salmon Pink

How long does it take to go from primer to color blocked? Well, that depends how many fiddly bits are on the mini. For a simple Ork, like the one shown below, I managed to block every color in about 1 hour. This was 3 coats for the lighter tones (shirt/pants) and I also managed 2 of 3 layers of green over the flesh base (Dryad Bark).

Also, it turns out that if you base with Jokaero Orange, and then mix White Scar with that to form a highlight, and then use the above colors to paint an Ork T-shirt, it looks stupid. Note for future use, (when painting minis that are retired people who live in Florida), this is an awesome paint recipe for Salmon Pink, especially if you very lightly wash with Reikland Fleshshade!

If I were going to battle, as an Ork, and Mr. Salmon Pink were in front of me, I'd put two bullets in the back of his head and consider the gene pool improved....

I haven't ruled out trying to paint pineapples on it, for the new "Hawaiian Boyz". LOL.

HMP

Gorkamorka Boy With Horns

Painting and playing games is all about having fun. Sometimes the "lore" is cool, but for some, "lore" becomes "law". Free yourself of the shackles of lore, and let chaos rule.  When looking at the photo below do not ask yourself "Where did an Ork get deer horns from?", instead ask "Why didn't he COME with deer horns?".

Ork Boy with horned helm (improved).

Ork Boy with helm (stock).

Have fun,
HMP

Ragnaros, Evil Warrior, Pt. 2

Ragnaros, dude, that's a big flat shield...

Free handing is hard, or at least I thought it was. The other day I figured that I was getting pretty good at coloring inside the lines, and although I can't draw, I reckoned that if I could, I'd be able to "color" whatever it was that I drew. So with drawing being the problem, I set about looking at pictures of skulls, studying their proportions, and then translating each part into a simple geometric shape. With the help of the internet and the phone equivalent of MS Paint, I wad able to work up some sketches for Ragnaros' shield (dont laugh, I told you I can't draw, and all photo credit goes to the bloke who posted his picture for me to rip).

An Orc could do better

Below is a more, ahem, refined version.

I think this starts to hint at what I envisioned

This somewhat cold analytical approach seemed like the easiest method for a nerd like me, and indeed it was. If it came from rigorous practice, or was a moment of pure idiot savant, we'll never know, but I arrived at this.

Ragnaros Skull Shield!

 All right, my work here is done. Just got to finish the sword, head, base, horns...

Cheers,
HMP

Ragnaros, Evil Warrior - 03374

This is Ragnaros, Evil Warrior (Reaper) sculpted by Bobby Jackson. I'm trying to crank this project out ASAP, (the boyz are on ice at the moment), as a gift for my coach at the gym. Unfortunately, the gym is closing, and I'm not going to get to see Sean after the 14th, (not without paying for private training). Anyhow, I wanted to give him a little thank you, for his general awesomeness, and this was the first thing that came to mind. Ragnaros is of course a perfect fit as his hulking physique is so similar to Sean's.

Ragnaros, Evil Warrior

That's where the similarities end. Unlike Ragnaros, Sean is pretty much the opposite of evil, also, Sean is not red. 

Ragnaros, Evil Warrior

The base is the now the "usual", cork, sand, plaster chips, coffee grounds (some family members don't approve), and liquid green stuff.

DMGWLFP