Talarand, Blackguard Reaper 02789

 Another "old" project reaches completion. Maybe it's not that old, I dunno. He was on the shelf of aging for quite some time, or at least is seemed that way.

 

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Wraith (Reaper 07005)

 So the Wraith is done!

Reaper Wraith 07005

 Click below to continue...

Talarand Blackguard

From Reaper Miniatures, maybe it's already a classic, I dunno.

Talrand Blackguard

 

Happy COVID Isolation, Week # Unknown

Who knew not working could be so fun?! Answer: every retired person, ever.

So, here's the Gold Guy.

All Gold NMM Armor

We are sort of shut down due to COVID-19, but instead of getting 2 weeks off, we had to work from home, or WFH, as it's now commonly referred to [here I thought NASA had already invented every TLA (three letter abbreviation)].

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

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

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

Ork Flesh

I thought I had a good handle on green, but it's turning out to he tougher than I expected. Not as hard as yellow, but tricky none the less (more on yellow later). Below is the line of paints, minus the highlight which is a mix of Ushabti Bone and the lightest green (very conventional).

Waagh Flesh, Loren Forest Green, Warboss Green, Skarsnik Green

 Ork 1 used Loren Forest over the base of Waaagh Flesh while Ork 2 went straight to Warboss Green. Both were then washed with Camoshade and then layered up the other greens (I lost track of the order and blending, so a "guide", this is not). Then the red accents were put in with Carroburg Crimson. Results are not too bad.

Boyz with Shootas

Boyz with Shootas

Ork 3 (seen below by ork 1 and 2) is a hybrid, where I tried to retain more green in the facial features. I think I need to push it brighter, for more contrast, then come back in with a green glaze to tint it more green.

3 Boyz with Shootas

It's all still work in progress, but they're staring to come together. So far I really like them. Once these three are fully finished I'm going to try something a little different on the next one. Mostly with the pale flesh around the ears and mouth, I might try putting it in earlier, then adding green. I'm also going to try the green glaze... hopefully they don't come out looking like grots or snotlings.

DMGWLFP

Boyz Need Bigga Shootas

I started cleaning up the Gorkamorka Boyz, and I decided that the shootas were a bit small. ;)  Lucky for me I also bought a pack of Grot Weapons, and while these are too small for the Boyz, some cutting and pinning and suddenly the shootas are getting bigga!

Grot Weapons

Below is the before and after. Note the 1st and last in the top row .

Boyz with Shootas

Boyz with BIG Shootas

Go kit-bash, now!

Gorkamorka!

I have no idea what Gorkamorka is,  nor do I know anyone who plays it, but these Orcs are awesome. Super great facial features + silly weapons = SOLD! 

Gorkamorka, Boyz W/ Shootas

For more great stuff check out the Sentry Box the next time you're in Calgary Alberta. According to their web page it's 13000 sq. ft., which sounds about right. The sheer amount of metal on the shelves make multi- hour trips the norm...  :D

Wood Elf + Turf

Well, there's grass on the pitch, so it's time to play ball! These silly little fairies are going to get curb stomped by their Undead opposition. I need to paint the ball, seal the grass, paint their hair "scrunchies", and then spray the lot. I've got a week so it should be possible.

DMGWLFP

Wood Elf Blood Bowl Team

Minus a football, everything is painted, so these are by definition "table" ready. From here on out I'll have to work on them as singles.

Almost mission completed.

HMP