tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29905681036636634292024-03-08T03:33:33.143-08:00SpiralingCadaverCustom Painting and Miniatures for Every HobbyistNickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.comBlogger585125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-64385644646227732262021-06-23T11:06:00.006-07:002021-06-23T11:06:58.550-07:00The End of the Golden Age - Berserk tribute models<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck5lKyeRMvWjf7gNW5Fq5MU1p-5BcQxxRFWT1g_hR8u0P1JcW9vycwebjZIDzs7zTNreSp4bjkUOI12eflYIgX0XkGv-gEft4oW4l85ik7A2UX4cLOnacVUkbQ2CyYR_7fUyK_ZvTb9c/s900/guts+messenger+of+humanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="900" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck5lKyeRMvWjf7gNW5Fq5MU1p-5BcQxxRFWT1g_hR8u0P1JcW9vycwebjZIDzs7zTNreSp4bjkUOI12eflYIgX0XkGv-gEft4oW4l85ik7A2UX4cLOnacVUkbQ2CyYR_7fUyK_ZvTb9c/w640-h624/guts+messenger+of+humanity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Kentaro Miura's series has directly and indirectly been the source of quite a bit of entertainment over the years, and so I wanted to acknowledge his work. These models are slightly rougher than I'd intended, but I didn't want to wait until this project was complete, whenever that came around.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I feel like despite being a bit on the light side, I generally like Guts' model, though I was <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2016/01/exploring-darkness-adam-anna-response.html">unimpressed with those old proto-vignette rules</a>. It's a little weird that one of the Gambler's Chest has another not-Guts model, but I feel like this was a nice homage piece without being an entirely direct imitation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViBqS550WHtiSswbUW4g83tADo4gBbaEr0Xrsrfw_cUR9R0fl6AaRKu7RWTeJDpZL_xIw_LRQzHGlPxiqgbGGOeAUBF64Lgxoy7Sk6U5X7zdA3iGGWzJi9fdyMPc3Mj0ClTM8_uNXLTM/s841/casca+leather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViBqS550WHtiSswbUW4g83tADo4gBbaEr0Xrsrfw_cUR9R0fl6AaRKu7RWTeJDpZL_xIw_LRQzHGlPxiqgbGGOeAUBF64Lgxoy7Sk6U5X7zdA3iGGWzJi9fdyMPc3Mj0ClTM8_uNXLTM/w285-h400/casca+leather.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>Casca is a mix of armor kits, and one of my earliest conversions for Kingdom Death, which I've repainted a bit here. I'm thinking I might do another model from the ground up and turn this into a generic survivor since the old kit is a bit clunky compared to some other designs, but for now this is Casca's representation of the trio in KD.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QGS0AeyCdpjNskSuDgsZvVbXgENIJLyHSo-pZQ0Yy7X9btLQH-F1bgzH2UddE214zi00rVfKvy82WOfcjYYJLSFsl1_egOsCLIQF66JfLvD9BoOTxD06wGCG0ThtWTQzyPbrvZ1-QJ8/s916/griffith+visionary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QGS0AeyCdpjNskSuDgsZvVbXgENIJLyHSo-pZQ0Yy7X9btLQH-F1bgzH2UddE214zi00rVfKvy82WOfcjYYJLSFsl1_egOsCLIQF66JfLvD9BoOTxD06wGCG0ThtWTQzyPbrvZ1-QJ8/w558-h640/griffith+visionary.jpg" width="558" /></a></div>I can only guess that the Visionary is an explicit reference to Berserk (and I'm curious if Apotheosis, also in the Inverted Mountain, is going to have a paired mechanic). Either way, I decided to make the Griffith reference more overt by giving him a new head.<div><div><br /></div><div>I've sketched a one-shot with the classic crew (and yes of course recognize that they don't all exist like this at the same time, but it's also a loose reference), so they might come around again, but for now, my little homage to Miura just through some modeling.</div></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-49091969831900932162021-03-26T10:42:00.003-07:002021-03-26T10:42:43.151-07:00The Tools for the Job - Kingdom Death Lion Knight, Butcher, and Survivors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwIQBuaL5Aw-VSPiVw2rZeMTlcwYisuSVURvpu2LzTEdGZG30Fjy49vLiCgbJTXaaybZskU8IZh9qjg-p-2C6aG0z2Az3Zg2aqHlqB8AkG_7hoxKQ9CZiuNhyH6QRhkCB-3RJyyMq2To/s1200/lion+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1200" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwIQBuaL5Aw-VSPiVw2rZeMTlcwYisuSVURvpu2LzTEdGZG30Fjy49vLiCgbJTXaaybZskU8IZh9qjg-p-2C6aG0z2Az3Zg2aqHlqB8AkG_7hoxKQ9CZiuNhyH6QRhkCB-3RJyyMq2To/w640-h514/lion+knight.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> While I feel particularly with Kingdom Death I've more often been doing models on the gloomier side, more recently I've been interested in more vibrant paint jobs, even when the midtones or general sentiment has been darker. With this set where my client asked that I do something that I felt fit each piece, the unifying characteristic is a general reference point in more classic fantasy book covers and movie posters, or just an older sensibility of miniatures painting.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEBbAO8PM1zVbOQpvf8HoqsGINO5qoI5dpb_ZREnCLlKFgKHxP9eLGbTip4C_ErChdslfStyMece4Mzc6pvdpy0GxncSpPXQohGpvj43YSpoP7mHk2TE7kMwDy9FS3oObkpQ7PDVVrcI/s1000/twilight+stars+sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1000" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEBbAO8PM1zVbOQpvf8HoqsGINO5qoI5dpb_ZREnCLlKFgKHxP9eLGbTip4C_ErChdslfStyMece4Mzc6pvdpy0GxncSpPXQohGpvj43YSpoP7mHk2TE7kMwDy9FS3oObkpQ7PDVVrcI/w640-h594/twilight+stars+sig.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>The above take on the Twilight Knight pinup was a lot of fun, and I was considering just posting that one for the preview shot, because I felt the sword came out just right, fitting the sensibility of KD while working with a more high fantasy sort of palette.</p><p>The People of the Stars guy was vaguely influenced by a more Greco-Roman imaginary.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-arOEWZOKJVC2zKDucvo0iRRoB2xwkJd1lePc7KjA2_AkZTG9u3fb2AL_DZZGyXgtYfJMliQ_leTnZOu6HVt7vP6SpU26HiOCKpyrQ5q8fpDijO0_ak04_xaAmbCj7pEVBJiomcuCm5M/s1000/lion+phoenix+sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1000" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-arOEWZOKJVC2zKDucvo0iRRoB2xwkJd1lePc7KjA2_AkZTG9u3fb2AL_DZZGyXgtYfJMliQ_leTnZOu6HVt7vP6SpU26HiOCKpyrQ5q8fpDijO0_ak04_xaAmbCj7pEVBJiomcuCm5M/w400-h335/lion+phoenix+sig.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>These two were a bit more natural, mostly just nice paint jobs, and with the Phoenix armor I was shooting for something more vibrant.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4pCuqAPUWx_WDRMV5w9VoAk4APrsejPeUZZuNwHdiJXaPhklgSMn8fq6ypApahpkFwoaD1eDHpj26xliR-flzfzXl6-atmesg9p2tC_3E0bQZAw55cNNzMydC_Ad3UkZqDoW48-s8W0/s1000/lion+knight+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1000" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4pCuqAPUWx_WDRMV5w9VoAk4APrsejPeUZZuNwHdiJXaPhklgSMn8fq6ypApahpkFwoaD1eDHpj26xliR-flzfzXl6-atmesg9p2tC_3E0bQZAw55cNNzMydC_Ad3UkZqDoW48-s8W0/w400-h216/lion+knight+WIP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The above Lion Knight took a vaguely Japanese sensibility, I think as far as I could have gone without more heavily modifying the model. As sometimes happens, I'm kind of wishing I'd have thought of this before doing <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2018/07/gather-round-for-story-life-update-also.html">my own version</a> of the Lion Knight, as I feel like the headband was a lot of fun. I might add some more detailing to mine's cape, as I felt the freehand came out well, though I'd probably do a more conventional heraldic sense as mine is more European in sensibility.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87XWrdMcL97nLi8yQWKWhggQd3VcSKAtHLxIuq7OvNbWwrxaCDZYru27mGUovGJQLY5C_nn4-hDnh3ZqJnIl-G2oL_3hAynnT-h1Jq_IVgYaVy1RRjprxCdexkxc5dweEcOnd78QI8i8/s1192/butcher+sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87XWrdMcL97nLi8yQWKWhggQd3VcSKAtHLxIuq7OvNbWwrxaCDZYru27mGUovGJQLY5C_nn4-hDnh3ZqJnIl-G2oL_3hAynnT-h1Jq_IVgYaVy1RRjprxCdexkxc5dweEcOnd78QI8i8/w485-h640/butcher+sig.jpg" width="485" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Butcher is the most conventional of these within my sensibility; with this one I'm mostly just working on the more vibrant color that I mentioned in introducing this set.</div><div><br /></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-90969809238734048382021-03-17T10:24:00.002-07:002021-03-17T10:25:29.173-07:00The Ninth Circle - Blackstone Fortress Rein & Raus and Traitor Guard<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwLzQ5XDMhXo5RCuGzpu_gQBAH51ZhjBgk_7eC7a1Zu3HuCF0CSp6KzFP5A_IWv9FqVKlXJk3hycHNKDmAYNdtBqxFooJRa7tmJRCU7aJJYURe5kEWCHeHkWqXOdPRh4jN0ppnL2JSo/s1416/traitor+guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwLzQ5XDMhXo5RCuGzpu_gQBAH51ZhjBgk_7eC7a1Zu3HuCF0CSp6KzFP5A_IWv9FqVKlXJk3hycHNKDmAYNdtBqxFooJRa7tmJRCU7aJJYURe5kEWCHeHkWqXOdPRh4jN0ppnL2JSo/w542-h640/traitor+guard.jpg" width="542" /></a></div>I wish regular old Cadians looked even half as good as these scum.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>I think the Traitor Guard are some of the nicer basic human infantry GW has put out, and agree with various hopes that some day a full Lost and the Damned-style list might exist again. I hacked these guys up a bit, mostly head swaps, to give them a little variety, but otherwise can't remember the last time I found painting a regular unit of goons this satisfying.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12QdFJXQtkbrzSP69l7BTIhblz9CoKhrpbYybxfPCzoXIjDvi44f-cKWR3U1eBjlBgsxPbboWO4XmmVtaUfuuIPvp4z0fFJHx4_hHlOqRngwjFLWih9ayZKdbZn1thrsvseasH-rhMnQ/s800/rein+rauss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12QdFJXQtkbrzSP69l7BTIhblz9CoKhrpbYybxfPCzoXIjDvi44f-cKWR3U1eBjlBgsxPbboWO4XmmVtaUfuuIPvp4z0fFJHx4_hHlOqRngwjFLWih9ayZKdbZn1thrsvseasH-rhMnQ/s320/rein+rauss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Opposite them are Rein and Rauss, the ratling twins. I don't have such love for these two (in part because Blackstone already has some strong ranged options), but it is nice to see that ratlings haven't gone the way of the squat quite yet. I tried to give them a little bit of a special ops look, as all of my specialist Imperial Guard are themed a bit more around Storm Troopers and my own take on the Inquisition. (A blatant teaser for anyone who pays attention to what I occasionally write and post here...)Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-1206427895902645482021-01-18T08:41:00.000-08:002021-01-18T08:41:04.918-08:00Kingdom Death Ringtail Vixen ~ Kitsune<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-z21C7mhe2c5Ka2HEF_KILcJDsKD75Wi9UXQJysEEued8jK2bDE5W77BZjAyIQ0H8qMNFBB7xHUe8nUnRf8ToZnO76gzhBKS3fVMsvRaxhFo0zGdY59ILyNW5sRdf2U68oVXz_ucN_o/s1000/vixen+kitsune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1000" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-z21C7mhe2c5Ka2HEF_KILcJDsKD75Wi9UXQJysEEued8jK2bDE5W77BZjAyIQ0H8qMNFBB7xHUe8nUnRf8ToZnO76gzhBKS3fVMsvRaxhFo0zGdY59ILyNW5sRdf2U68oVXz_ucN_o/w640-h614/vixen+kitsune.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Painting this gal felt like walking into a minefield: it was so easy for it to look kinda trashy like a sexy Halloween costume, or like a furry. I don't have a problem with the latter; I think my value judgement is pretty obvious in my description of the former, and I wasn't going for either look, regardless.<p></p><p>This is a mix of more traditional (the grave markers are based on my time in Japan, and the mask is actually fairly strictly based on a specific papier-mâché festival mask I have) and more pop culture (referencing a few versions of more stylized anime etc. horror sources). I tried to get something simultaneously more naturally shaded (with a lot of blues and browns mixed in to avoid pure colors) while working with an almost chalky white that shows up in both early modern prints and in some anime.</p>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-77912711389107945222020-09-24T08:13:00.002-07:002020-10-02T11:46:44.780-07:00Hunter's Instinct - Blackstone Fortress Dahyak Greekh (Kroot) and Beastmen<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz87h2njSJmJOfFWc_AtcJrt-atbdh8NtgMv3Yt9O5YVqDyHJPRxKoGbIqhng9Y7iK3XNRAIpLQ4ED-axEzs7QO7Z2HYIi-ePMztNByoyHNwZTstPIyEVhrge3M1PhDZjdfbfk9Ezi3Q4/s697/kravv+cha+to+kroot+tracker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="697" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz87h2njSJmJOfFWc_AtcJrt-atbdh8NtgMv3Yt9O5YVqDyHJPRxKoGbIqhng9Y7iK3XNRAIpLQ4ED-axEzs7QO7Z2HYIi-ePMztNByoyHNwZTstPIyEVhrge3M1PhDZjdfbfk9Ezi3Q4/w529-h499/kravv+cha+to+kroot+tracker.jpg" width="529" /></a></div><p>I have a soft spot for Kroot with capes. There are probably around a dozen kits and collections I regret parting with, and one of them is my little Kroot collection led by Anghkor Prok from one of the few Gamesdays I went to. I played Tau right when they very first came out, and I always liked the Kroot line (more than the main Tau one, especially in the early days) which has unfortunately gone nearly unsupported: one ancient plastic kit, three equally ancient metal kits (one of which didn't need a model), two variants on an Inquisitor-scale model, and a little Forge World stuff. More than that, I've also had a soft spot for underdog mercenaries, rabble, bandits, or otherwise independent forces for as long as I can remember, from <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Mercenaries">Warmachine mercs</a> to <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Outcasts">Malifaux Outcasts</a> to <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Astral%20Claws">Astral Claws</a>/<a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Red%20Corsairs">Red Corsairs</a>, to any number of post-apocalyptic settings including Mordheim (another regret). I'm going to be personally honest here: I think this sensibility might be the most typically American part of my lifestyle, very much influenced by the ideology if not always the aesthetic of Westerns, etc.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So, along comes Dahyak Greekh, and I think he's pretty much the perfect Kroot, and one of my favorite mercenaries. I think he captures pretty much every cool aspect of the Kroot, and if that subfaction ever got rebooted in this style (yeah, almost certainly not), I'd be sorely tempted to start them up again. But, for now, I just had a lot of fun painting this one dude, getting a rare nostalgic experience and painting a model that would have certainly been a centerpiece in my old high school collection.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="1200" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXic3wXut3WR4v8ulZUYZ2p4nhGVoZ-iZUnZ1RM_iwvHWM-Bz85fN-egBas_k9Vtw2c4g4RvtG5rieY8Q8dpNies5OYpONPj7_DSaRqP3W77n5IhPoPNMxPWiN0tGhhqeEhZauR4NoUE/w551-h226/beastmen.jpg" width="551" /></p><p>Also, there's some beastmen. I can't go on about them nearly as much, but I still did enjoy these dudes because they, too, came from a period in 40k when GW was actively encouraging conversions that seemed more about weird options than about selling the most recent load-out GW had sculpted. (Yeah, I know it's all business, but the current era of official designs for everything is rather tiresome.)</p>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-83469055811387416812020-09-15T13:38:00.000-07:002020-09-15T13:38:05.347-07:00Noblesse Oblige - Kingdom Death Lion God modification<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuKnmSFzhumpSNqQB72wxLw5hqQBgCoOch_p6kgQMdGwI2akeqCOnT8Jvjb8lKXqpQvty4_5iA8a_ROfnAom6WavRngjz-qJvIfr0iJ_rJ3DUm6GTRmqC4QGFQq34Y4LSSv6NgF_AGNI/s1672/lion+god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="1200" height="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuKnmSFzhumpSNqQB72wxLw5hqQBgCoOch_p6kgQMdGwI2akeqCOnT8Jvjb8lKXqpQvty4_5iA8a_ROfnAom6WavRngjz-qJvIfr0iJ_rJ3DUm6GTRmqC4QGFQq34Y4LSSv6NgF_AGNI/w552-h768/lion+god.jpg" width="552" /></a></div>This was a salvage operation, and I don't think I would have done it if the Lion God weren't scheduled to be variously upgraded by new content, such as the Silver City which I'm anticipating even if the kickstarter has dragged so long "excited" is far too strong a word.<span><a name='more'></a></span><div>But, the point isn't to gripe about the KS being late (though I could certainly do so). I like the lion god theme well enough (very light spoilers ahead), and have always enjoyed the fallen hero and faded glory sensibilities.*</div><div><br /></div><div>But I also think that the Lion God is one of the worst offenders in Kingdom Death's gratuitous genitals offender list. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0265/0051/products/4_5bef45b9-5d3e-4bf6-8874-23dcd5423336_1944x.jpg?v=1542837861" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0265/0051/products/4_5bef45b9-5d3e-4bf6-8874-23dcd5423336_1944x.jpg?v=1542837861" width="400" /></a></div>In addition to the regular old lion genitals, it has an extra penis coming out of its butt note the tail stub) and the giant whippy one coming out of what used to be its face which... IDK... got pulled back to reveal one more orifice? I think it's infantile and expresses a boring obsession with proving one's masculine comfort and sexual liberation by seeking attention and disproving that self-confidence.<div><br /></div><div><div>(I suspect someone will gripe about my decisions here because I usually get a couple, so I'm going to head point any who object to my <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2016/10/art-and-censorship-and-censorship-in.html">previous article</a> on modifying miniatures.)</div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DxP2QjcAC0QHBtup_SovYscKx7HQFNqVu_WQVTESpZIy1lLAvomH0aJdo6ZmONHcijz4ea1QC4BP314CtGB6yqSsQ1rmm3n2BbMYLe6qhURKN3kzu_WcufYHkYUj_EaWOJJL1ouQQYI/s1000/lion+god+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1000" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DxP2QjcAC0QHBtup_SovYscKx7HQFNqVu_WQVTESpZIy1lLAvomH0aJdo6ZmONHcijz4ea1QC4BP314CtGB6yqSsQ1rmm3n2BbMYLe6qhURKN3kzu_WcufYHkYUj_EaWOJJL1ouQQYI/w540-h318/lion+god+WIP.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div>So, I started by making the tail its actual tail, and by giving it back its fur and ears. This is the version I painted, and it was okay, but I still wasn't really feeling it. I hadn't dealt with the secondary issue, of its weird Will Ferrell face growth staring off at nothing and its decidedly uninspired crown. Unlike the previous issues I had, these were technical rather than conceptual, so I had left them.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, I kept not feeling satisfied with the Lion God when passing it in my case, so I eventually realized that it was time to further chop it up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Having already made the ears, I decided to take it further and do a whole face, which turned into one of my favorite fast sculpts ever, I think taking a movie to get it right. The half-skull was honestly unnecessary but I thought it really sold the meat puppet/pseudo-undead sensibility.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMvOmnN3TR6ODhKX7sXrah-ArgtmKMF5KsXk_xToVli0uxAK5iokdaLLwDbxnyJA0dpCUVSKd0UPhw4mspPLHfoOAyKpI-hh4LWJHz5QPb1OveIaSro7BF2w7hwPO9_X8Pv08-zEdjNA/s800/lion+god+v2+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="800" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMvOmnN3TR6ODhKX7sXrah-ArgtmKMF5KsXk_xToVli0uxAK5iokdaLLwDbxnyJA0dpCUVSKd0UPhw4mspPLHfoOAyKpI-hh4LWJHz5QPb1OveIaSro7BF2w7hwPO9_X8Pv08-zEdjNA/w481-h303/lion+god+v2+WIP.jpg" width="481" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>At that point, the lion had no crown, which just wouldn't do. I decided that the hand parasites were a good excuse to hold a crown, which is chopped up from a fantasy banner head. With the much less conventional crown look, something like 5 years after I got the model, I finally feel like the Lion God has a supernatural regal sensibility, enough that he's been fun to fight and good enough that I'm looking forward to a setting built around the monster.</div><div><br /><i>*That aesthetic is pretty much the main reason I've like GW's setting even when I've objected to most other stuff, is why <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search?q=astral+claws&max-results=20&by-date=true">Astral Claws</a> are my main collection in the game, and why I find their post-primaris stuff just interminably boring.</i></div></div></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-64181375611995948662020-07-05T08:47:00.002-07:002020-07-05T08:47:48.618-07:00Bovine Brawlers - Blood Bowl Beastmen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPJ7R1AdJ-A1RSMyUwKblmMxzvmWSHgM0UWWUuLQqGvt8vioqgYRtFroraltmJknUJihfgBSQ5HhG9iqWQOMfTT4VrYPDgRdtI_7qiIO_15WxRsYvrt084TqU5WI80vRj-Ts72mVYNDE/s1600/beastmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1000" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPJ7R1AdJ-A1RSMyUwKblmMxzvmWSHgM0UWWUuLQqGvt8vioqgYRtFroraltmJknUJihfgBSQ5HhG9iqWQOMfTT4VrYPDgRdtI_7qiIO_15WxRsYvrt084TqU5WI80vRj-Ts72mVYNDE/s640/beastmen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
A quick post on some conversion work. My client wanted an all-Beastmen team, so rather than clone poses I tweaked the human models, with their new heads (the simpler and more dynamic part: I feel like a good head swap and positioning is always the most efficient way of altering a model), and by pretty much recreating their legs, only using some core sticks of the originals to keep them a bit sturdier.<br />
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The minotaur below was a much more minor conversion, just an attempt to make the mane more consistent with the Beastmen aesthetic.<br />
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<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-2797655433081939132020-05-12T15:32:00.003-07:002020-05-12T15:32:55.559-07:00Three tons of him. - Kingdom Death Sunstalker review<div style="text-align: center;">
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As I sometimes do, this is a hybrid hobby article and review. </div>
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In short, I have a love/...meh relationship with this expansion.<a name='more'></a></div>
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Despite playing the Sunstalker quite a bit, the design never quite sat right with me, and it took me ages to figure out how exactly I wanted to modify it. At one point, I'd even dramatically modified shape to make it much more squidlike, but eventually decided against it when I found out the infant Sunstalker would be included, and I'd need to modify it in the same way for consistency. Instead, I went part-way towards a more squidlike aesthetic (most notable in the eyes, I think), and made its armor fit the survivors a little better. As a result, this has been about the slowest progress I've ever made experimenting with a model, as I messed around, let it sit for months, then returned to do a little more, quite a few times. (Unlike the monster, I love all of the survivor models, and I can barely wait to paint more when the rest arrive.)</div>
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In addition, I've added a couple Malifaux models, slightly modified and with Lion Knight masks added because they always struck me as vaguely Japanese stylized eyes and mouths.</div>
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I could go on about my design choices, but this is going to be plenty long with the review, so I'll leave it at saying that I tried to do something pretty unconventional with this model, and hope it came across while retaining some of the original Sunstalker sensibility.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Review</span><br />
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The Sunstalker is of the minority style of expansion, that provides both a <b>high-level quarry</b> and a campaign. The expansion has some of my <b>favorite</b> and some of my <b>least-favorite</b> parts of the game.<br />
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It adds up to a lot of content, and a <b>lot of gameplay hours</b>, with some particularly <b>unique</b> new paths and interesting finesse choices, but the results aren't always the most fulfilling.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Materials</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Miniatures</span><br />
The People of the Sun minis are pretty cool. A theme that will become familiar is my general regard that the People of the Stars campaign is better, though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPuZvMlAufhKswBzQibHru0ZCThh_Jebh1gUauVt7gjrMRvytCETHktQ0uqqe86bvHr8LsBWV_UTcjrIug-YldCn13AUxDjeGzlqHDcUNoubrdAHU7IBwlhpHExJOXPcLAPPaNm8RGRo/s1600/sunstalker+survivors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPuZvMlAufhKswBzQibHru0ZCThh_Jebh1gUauVt7gjrMRvytCETHktQ0uqqe86bvHr8LsBWV_UTcjrIug-YldCn13AUxDjeGzlqHDcUNoubrdAHU7IBwlhpHExJOXPcLAPPaNm8RGRo/s400/sunstalker+survivors.jpg" width="282" /></a>The Sunstalker is some sort of puke vegetable with a giant penis and rubbery leg tentacles and regular tentacles and eye stalks and people teeth, that's supposed to resemble a "sunshark" (i.e. a sun fish, a type of shark). <b>I think that it's got some cool aspects, except it doesn't look like it can move as fast as it does, doesn't really look or act like a shark, and the three silly tentacles</b> are definitely not my thing (I've now converted both my own and one I did for a client, and it prompted me to write an <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2016/10/art-and-censorship-and-censorship-in.html">article on the nature of censorship in hobby media</a>). Despite not liking the Dragon King model as much initially, I think it looks way more dramatic than the Sunstalker that, as I gripe about many Kingdom Death pieces, feels like it's just kinda standing there in a neutral pose. I don't think it's especially transparent to include my modified sculpts here, so I'm reiterating in case you skimmed my hobby notes that these are modified (there's one that's the standard sculpt noted below). It's also currently and, from the 1.5 Kickstarter, probably going to remain, the smallest 4x4 monster. In short, I feel like of the biggest monsters (even the ones I don't really like), the Sunstalker model has the least table presence.<br />
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The <b>Sunstalker survivors</b> are very nice (they were actually the reason I was interested in the expansion, in the before-times during the initial kickstarter, when the line was going to be cheap PVC). They are less compatible with other armor kits than most, but most people seem to stick to single armor kits for models, anyways, so this probably isn't an issue. I think they're pretty awesome.<br />
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Two are <b>vaguely Japanese</b> single-pose survivors and these represent the unique gear options for the campaign (with at least one of each accessory and weapon to incorporate into armor kits, and hand sockets to add armor kit gear to the above two). The standard armor set of four are covered in tiny Sunstalker details, which aren't the easiest models to build, but they come with plenty of extra bits and at least they aren't as finnicky as some kits. They're a little complex, but honestly most of the details can be left off and they still look nice (and you can use those details on other kits). They come with extra legs for no reason I understand, but it's nice for someone like me who constantly mods models. Also, changing the colors to match regular leather/hide etc. looks pretty nice, and the spare arms and bits mix with the Antelope, Rawhide, etc. armor decently well.<br />
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There is a <b>class of minion</b> (i.e. mini-baddie) that the Sunstalker has rules for, where you're instructed to use some otherwise unused survivors or to just use the core's Hand lantern tokens, which I think is <b>a bit of a cop-out</b>, but I took it as an opportunity to make a couple custom pieces, and I'm happy enough with the results. Again, the accompanying monsters are custom, not part of the kit.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Printed Matter</span></div>
Like all of the first wave of Kingdom Death expansions, the booklet paper quality isn't impressive/is easily marked by any oils on your hand, and the cards are the same stock as the core's.<br />
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This one suffered from some awkward writing. There are lots of <b>errors</b> that make me, as someone who appreciates precise language, wince, and there are quite a few errors that make rules <b>confusing</b>. Again, good editing would have helped this.<br />
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This expansion additionally comes with a large board that needs to be fit together with puzzle-style interlocking things, which make me very nervous, since those seem extremely easily broken (I've handled my set very carefully because of that, and one prong was already weak after fewer than a half-dozen games... I'm trying to figure out something to reinforce the piece by permanently connecting the parts). There's also another terrain tile variant. These boards are on the same heavy stock as the terrain pieces.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">People of the Sun Campaign</span></div>
So... I love the (Dragon King's) People of the Stars campaign. I don't really like this one, though.<br />
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It succeeds in its creation of a different sensibility of setting than the core game campaign, for the most part. The Survivors' motivations in this one are... kinda <b>lacking</b>, from beginning to end. Also, the story was really <b>confusing</b> at one point because I think there were things that either were never mentioned, or the creative team assumed we'd make some logical leap that we didn't. It felt like lots of things just kind of showed up, which I think works well in the core for the Butcher since he's kind of a random force, but in most other cases feels like an <b>incomplete story</b>.<br />
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As with the People of the Stars, one of the bigger changes is a paired <b>different Survivor sheet</b>, and different Intimacy table to go with it, resulting in replaced Saviors as well. The non-spoilery version is, they get <b>a lot stronger, but are a lot less flexible</b>.<br />
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My group didn't particularly like that trade, because the lack of flexibility meant, in one fashion or another, quite a few <b>monsters became less interesting</b>. The campaign structure and your gear restrictions mean that certain Monsters are either less rewarding or actively punishing to fight. The following (which may be an incomplete list) have some or lots of problems (getting into mild spoiler territory):<br />
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Limited gear (though still worth it to a degree, since what's lost isn't either of the best elements you get from them)<br />
-White Lion<br />
-Gorm<br />
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Mechanical impediments (that make fights a bad idea in one way or another)<br />
-Spidicules (depending on how you interpret rules interactions)<br />
-any special showdown/added nemeses<br />
-Dung Beetle (I don't know if I'd strictly call this an impediment, but it certainly highlighted issues with the new survivor structure in a way my group didn't especially like)<br />
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Add to this <b>boring timeline that strays from the better core formula</b>, and several errors, and you've got a campaign my group didn't really enjoy. Its timeline gives you more freedom than the standard one, but <b>without that punctuation of things you're forced to deal with, it exacerbates the blandness of some of the middle of the core campaign</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsUxurdlHVxSqRP1yTOc24YqAZYzrSg_l9b4Jj29KS92cBBARm_wi4ml70k5cmDC14Oys23XD9XxBBOPkNiwraStBPxE-j9UMxgj57X3anUgJ096-FjuXesuLOU5HjJLwhjY70WQzIRA/s1600/sunstalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsUxurdlHVxSqRP1yTOc24YqAZYzrSg_l9b4Jj29KS92cBBARm_wi4ml70k5cmDC14Oys23XD9XxBBOPkNiwraStBPxE-j9UMxgj57X3anUgJ096-FjuXesuLOU5HjJLwhjY70WQzIRA/s320/sunstalker.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Unlike the other two, this one is unconverted)</td></tr>
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You get kick-ass survivors, but, well, I guess I'm beating a dead anthropomorphized sea(?) thing with these issues. You also do get a few <b>cool/unique gear options and rules that encourage you to fight harder monsters</b>. And, unlike the Dragon campaign where there are narrative and mechanical reasons preventing you from including Dragons as quarries, there's nothing strictly stopping you from fighting Sunstalkers in your Sunstalker campaign (I'm not sure if this was the intent, though). Again, in the theme of gaining some things and losing others, while you get unique building options, there are limitations that prevent many core gear elements, though none that I consider essential.<br />
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In short, though, <b>if what you're after is a different, advanced, and engaging campaign, buy the Dragon instead</b>. The campaign has merits, probably the greatest of which is actively forcing you to use a different tool set, and it's a campaign I might play every now and then, but I don't actively look forward to playing it again.<br />
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<i>FWIW, this is also the expansion from which you get Katana proficiency, which is mechanically similar to Twilight Sword proficiency, except that instead of being rather than difficult to train, it's difficult to actually benefit from it, and that difference is just as disappointing as it sounds. These mechanical and narrative complaints extend to IMHO a fairly poorly timed and poorly established introduction of said proficiency in the regular campaign, too.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Sunstalker as a Quarry</span></div>
This is, in my experience, a rough Hunt. Maybe it's bad luck, but I find it just nasty. Like some of my other experiences with high-level expansion quarries, it punishes you for taking some of the better common gear.<br />
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However, <b>I really enjoy the Showdown</b>. It's very maneuvering-heavy, and will have you running all over the place, both to avoid things and for advantages. It's pretty much in line with the Phoenix, and nowhere close to as brutal or rules-breaking as the Dung Beetle Knight. It has an interesting mechanic that provides variable damage, meaning the threat ebbs and flows a bit. This works through an interesting timer mechanic that encourages you to play aggressively and quickly, which I like, since it's often easy to play conservatively and game other quarries.<br />
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Once you understand the mechanics, the Sunstalker adds up to a <b>pretty conventional higher level monster</b>, closer to the core game than some of the weirder expansions. Since I like the core mechanics and think that rules that break (rather than modify) rules should be used sparingly, I like this. I find KDM's <b>best</b> (most personally enjoyable) fights to be the <b>movement-heavy and moderate to high pressure ones</b>, and this is no exception.<br />
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I also really like that, more than any other monster IMHO, what you get from a level 1 Sunstalker helps you fight higher level versions. I expect (from the previews) and look forward to the next wave of KD expansions continuing this system of gear being partially determined by the level you fight (each level has a unique resource that's used in crafting two gear pieces).<br />
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The level differentiation is quite nice, and, as usual, it adds nice complexity and difficulty with each level.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gear</span></div>
Well, first, it's around Phoenix-tier regarding difficulty and requirements.<br />
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It has two weapons that require (as mentioned above) taking on a level 2 at least once; 2 more weapons that require taking on a level 3 at least once. Three of its weapons require one resource there's only one of in the deck, which makes it both unlikely and makes those gears compete for the same resource. Eliminating those, you have a couple weapons that are a bit more reliable to get, one of which competes with a piece of gear that improves fighting Sunstalkers. So, it's <b>pretty unreliable to get weapons from it without some extra effort and/or luck</b>. So, while it has some very strong weapons, you're unlikely top get something very quickly.<br />
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The <b>armor set</b> is pretty cool, about as specific in its requirements as the Phoenix armor. It has subtler offense and defense than "run at it to hit it harder" and "this has the second-highest raw armor in the core game," but that isn't saying a lot. It's pretty light but gives you an <b>absolute ton of flexibility and generally emphasizes evasion.</b> Spoiling things slightly, it gives you far more affinities than is at all reasonable, meaning that it allows you to make types of gear combos that are unavailable outside of this expansion, which I feel are unlikely to be topped in the next set of expansions, short of being able to buy affinities for survivors. It's probably borderline overpowered, but the choices around it add so many fun ways of constructing builds that I really don't care. It does exactly what it should, which is encourage you to repeatedly fight hard monsters.<br />
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Really, my only complaint here is that I think a couple of the resources should have had another copy in the deck to improve some odds, but that's all. Because of that rarity, I'm not sure if the limitation is a matter of balance, because more could make things too easy?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDrkTzMOouhyphenhyphen5HOIAtLdeSVTEmaLE4OEd9ECbDk_BS9Zk7mDEPWYsNKKQT4pV1OHQixRDq3u29b0hgaP7AUxVx8IgWNPpIaCy_KvrGeOxXdcrmpMTxxXrSYM-qZt7SVJou9FDG4GN86w/s1600/sunstalker+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1000" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDrkTzMOouhyphenhyphen5HOIAtLdeSVTEmaLE4OEd9ECbDk_BS9Zk7mDEPWYsNKKQT4pV1OHQixRDq3u29b0hgaP7AUxVx8IgWNPpIaCy_KvrGeOxXdcrmpMTxxXrSYM-qZt7SVJou9FDG4GN86w/s640/sunstalker+scene.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Summary</span></div>
At this point, it should be fairly clear what I like and dislike about the Sunstalker, but, in case you skimmed:<br />
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I think its <b>campaign isn't very exciting</b> despite changing things up a lot, since I don't like a lot of the changes. Also, the katana thing was neither mechanically nor narratively incorporated to my taste.<br />
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I think the <b>quarry is very rewarding, and wouldn't hesitate to include it in a campaign</b>. Except for that minor gripe about gear acquisition, I don't think I'd change a thing.<br />
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Basically, it has <b>two halves that divide my opinion</b>.<br />
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The trickier question is, how much would I recommend it? I'm a little less sure, here. If it were 2/3 the price for just the quarry, I'd say it's one of the first you should add. However, it isn't, so it's now competing with the Dragon King or probably two other expansions.<br />
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Because of the Sunstalker's price, and what I believe are its strengths as an expansion, I'd suggest you get it as your <b>first high-level expansion quarry</b>, but that if you already have another, I'd recommend filling another niche (nemesis; special showdown; low-level monster; (IMHO better) campaign) first.</div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-47977562448618841982020-04-27T12:52:00.002-07:002020-04-27T12:52:36.972-07:00Ghosts of the Past - Monochrome Kingdom Death bosses and survivors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJRW32PzMCz6uIBmxC4BWDFx4J17Mqpp-QZ4aXkNVDBkt0OoZNf_ZPPrpfO586ff9CMebJm7KymSr1byDWAwN7LYjyOjNgQ_PrmDE_pJSiya1oUI3A94Pfu69-bctilkIB_wsOjWcDUs/s1600/blue+watcher+ns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJRW32PzMCz6uIBmxC4BWDFx4J17Mqpp-QZ4aXkNVDBkt0OoZNf_ZPPrpfO586ff9CMebJm7KymSr1byDWAwN7LYjyOjNgQ_PrmDE_pJSiya1oUI3A94Pfu69-bctilkIB_wsOjWcDUs/s640/blue+watcher+ns.jpg" width="568" /></a></div>
Continuing an older commission that got lost in posting and life, I'm happy to post a complete core I've done in a style that honestly surprised me.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>My client wanted an extremely narrow palate for his Kingdom Death collection, and the results are these very distinct minis that capture some of the abstraction of the "official" style, mixed with my own love of lighting effects.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadPqNtMDDN0BQUsyMS1vo5AqrQki7FK-FmjafQu5pn9jCIQn6FCXh9Mhm5mt6w9sk-tgsSUyO-W6ecvnklgEnEOQKZV3d94o4-zsjzKjNOQEo_RHafhqOa8e181K5EJPnAtCB8rQV6BE/s1600/core+survivors+additions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1200" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadPqNtMDDN0BQUsyMS1vo5AqrQki7FK-FmjafQu5pn9jCIQn6FCXh9Mhm5mt6w9sk-tgsSUyO-W6ecvnklgEnEOQKZV3d94o4-zsjzKjNOQEo_RHafhqOa8e181K5EJPnAtCB8rQV6BE/s640/core+survivors+additions.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The above survivors are the advanced half of a core I had worked with before (link below), where I worked with my client to figure out a healthy variety of miniatures to have a versatile set to pick from. My favorite is definitely the lantern armored gal with the dragon slayer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp6ejk3bExfRSZcoTOL1q98HNZQWq1i4y8DnqycJxWG26rrSH9o4u-NdGcobyxztoIRtJGXvjsj0ALEyYMHEZLYqNbAAM9-TEKVHlmj7QDkGzXZNG6uH_06ULcXFBXOoQgcW4lGs6TL4/s1600/gold+smoke+knight+ns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1200" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp6ejk3bExfRSZcoTOL1q98HNZQWq1i4y8DnqycJxWG26rrSH9o4u-NdGcobyxztoIRtJGXvjsj0ALEyYMHEZLYqNbAAM9-TEKVHlmj7QDkGzXZNG6uH_06ULcXFBXOoQgcW4lGs6TL4/s640/gold+smoke+knight+ns.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Finishing off the core, this may be departing a bit from the idea of a "gold" smoke knight, but I think this guy took on an ethereal/haunted (and somewhat Japanese mythological) sensibility done with just the cold blue.<br />
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(Some of you may have noticed that my above survivors incorporated some expansion components. Yep, there's more where these came from!)<br />
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Because these guys have an interesting effect together, links to the previous blue models: <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2018/03/jazz-men-kingdom-death-core-nemeses.html">Core nemeses</a> <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2018/04/huntershunted-kingdom-death-core.html">Core Quarries</a> <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2018/02/societal-climbers-kingdom-death-early.html">Core Survivors</a>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-45056139133632875392020-04-24T10:13:00.000-07:002020-04-24T10:13:56.077-07:00Dead Man Walking - Night Lords Dreadnought / Hellbrute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxh5TjSXyTFkJlu8xAVhEQt-_NjkZRg1tCQx3di9JPIxN6ZjZm1pzRb5i8S2cjLXkYOIB2XM4En1WBUhZXuG9GR5cjdpFXI3ywZPAi8XSTVSCHJ_1eD0losFgw-m_aHqjAgW4sKuhceo/s1600/helbrute+dreadnought.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxh5TjSXyTFkJlu8xAVhEQt-_NjkZRg1tCQx3di9JPIxN6ZjZm1pzRb5i8S2cjLXkYOIB2XM4En1WBUhZXuG9GR5cjdpFXI3ywZPAi8XSTVSCHJ_1eD0losFgw-m_aHqjAgW4sKuhceo/s640/helbrute+dreadnought.jpg" width="608" /></a></div>
A quick one, today. This guy is basically stock, minus a couple horns I cut off to give a lower profile. What was by far most interesting to me on this project was trying to reconcile the organic/biomechanical sensibility (which I feel tends to approach overly cartoony designs) with my Night Lords (which are generally quite subdued, to counter the overwrought aesthetic of bats 'n' lightning. I tried to go with a sick, vaguely Akira-esque blending of flesh into machinery: I thought that simply making the organic forms metallic (so closer to organic metal) wouldn't read, while a clearer delineation between flesh and metal when I was laying down colors honestly made him look weirdly naked.<br />
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I'm not going to do a ton in this style, but I'm pretty happy with how he looks, since it gives me options on how to do others when I want to.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-50922206845511317932020-04-13T11:11:00.002-07:002020-04-13T11:11:38.490-07:00Compulsion to Repeat - Kingdom Death White Lion set<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbWnFNYFVPukDqxEDcm40Q7lNOUIHl_uPHVYo5vrwx3XMyTijAohrAAvLjizvCJzBk9mCT_JD3YWFg0HZATncH2dVJAFk5keqBN0u0tpa-HpWLAhfHK6Rpq0zgLNmnjgFPEKyU2C3eiY/s1600/white+lion+v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1600" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbWnFNYFVPukDqxEDcm40Q7lNOUIHl_uPHVYo5vrwx3XMyTijAohrAAvLjizvCJzBk9mCT_JD3YWFg0HZATncH2dVJAFk5keqBN0u0tpa-HpWLAhfHK6Rpq0zgLNmnjgFPEKyU2C3eiY/s640/white+lion+v3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This guy is practically where it all started, for me and KD: the White Lion is the first monster I painted, and one of the earliest KD models I painted.<br />
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He was also the first that I converted, I believe the first base I cast, and one of the first I later revised, all of which I've done a lot in the years since.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgwCDzf-1hGLdlguZlYffpKifaz40YVa9L8wAsjI-xWzlDSTjn7WGyTRzEaYXNQVK8UAdQP9SXyRwdLnuYVs3E_1-XC0jRVTX9FgzlYrQ6u4EDs4Awm0r3gUnnLlko5LZEPfkvs_ZIkA/s1600/white+lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="750" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgwCDzf-1hGLdlguZlYffpKifaz40YVa9L8wAsjI-xWzlDSTjn7WGyTRzEaYXNQVK8UAdQP9SXyRwdLnuYVs3E_1-XC0jRVTX9FgzlYrQ6u4EDs4Awm0r3gUnnLlko5LZEPfkvs_ZIkA/s320/white+lion.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This version is the first lion I did, getting rid of those shark teeth that I still don't think read well (it's also one of the conversions I've done, so I guess others don't think so either), and the colors, while perhaps more realistic than my current lighting, were kind of subdued compared to how I operate now.<br />
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A lot of my choice to change is based on bounding around between a lot of styles, and of course there's some degree to which I improved (though this is always balanced by how much time I actually want to spend on 5 square inches of plastic surface area...), but one of the largest reasons for my change was how the game pieces look together.<br />
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While the above version and particularly the <a href="https://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2015/09/lantern-side-stories-kingdom-death.html">accompanying core survivors</a> are all perfectly nice, the models, at a distance, didn't have a lot of punch. The natural darkness, natural light, and natural materials all ended up as a muddy mass, once you had a bunch of them together.<br />
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Returning to my current iteration, I decided that, since the slightly simian muzzle, the shark teeth, and the paws that were hands but that had claws all didn't read very well, I would add some details indicating the Lion's intelligence as reflected by some of its hunt cards, so he got bangles, an extinguished lantern, and a couple hands braided into his mane. While I was at it, I added some tall grass to give a sense of movement, and spent an inordinate amount of time adding fur texture to a model with really shallow detail.<br />
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The katar survivor above is still one of my favorites: the original version was Georgie, from our second campaign, with Beast Knuckles, who layed some memorable hurt on our first Watcher. The Twilight Sword survivor is one of my first more dramatic conversions, which I've just slightly revised. The Lion Mask one marks a more recent choice I've made to stop caring quite so much about gear, and just do something stylish. He's pretty stock, except that I've sculpted the mask into a head, rather than affixing it in front of one. Finally, the bard on the right is from the second Echoes of Death set, and one of my favorite recent survivors, one which is actually the impetus for updating the set. Though, ironically I think I could improve her paint job...Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-78760904228787582362020-04-03T09:44:00.001-07:002020-04-03T09:44:46.381-07:00Now the Darkness Got a Hold on Me - Huron Blackheart conversion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9Ptsr_i1VZO1c2DmzZbQP90HInnBwzxjra-DD9lfXDmJNxoyo00KYt9O3Rvg2A-uOipujccjBzUCHhRckUPMtB1PS5T1GnX1Oo6jpJ1vvt72BBSliPG3UKu7qLDDzYTzeHzNqyLYYxs/s1600/huron+blackheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1400" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9Ptsr_i1VZO1c2DmzZbQP90HInnBwzxjra-DD9lfXDmJNxoyo00KYt9O3Rvg2A-uOipujccjBzUCHhRckUPMtB1PS5T1GnX1Oo6jpJ1vvt72BBSliPG3UKu7qLDDzYTzeHzNqyLYYxs/s640/huron+blackheart.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
While the Astral Claws are easily my favorite chapter, and Huron is also one of my favorite characters, I think the stock model for Huron Blackheart is just... dumpy.<br />
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So, of course, I needed to do something about that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkFs-I3K0hbTjZ4LjunuQiivFuxLQ3gBCXHhr5bXZBTDuD61JVthjHCwXBXcsVTzsJF8kje1HIJkmOurAx8odlPJdUgMgk_SFKsiv97txMf33ge536hNEAVODz4uhyphenhyphenWUKK6oSYzgk3MM/s1600/huron+bh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkFs-I3K0hbTjZ4LjunuQiivFuxLQ3gBCXHhr5bXZBTDuD61JVthjHCwXBXcsVTzsJF8kje1HIJkmOurAx8odlPJdUgMgk_SFKsiv97txMf33ge536hNEAVODz4uhyphenhyphenWUKK6oSYzgk3MM/s320/huron+bh.jpg" width="309" /></a>His ugly mug is really just an uninspired studio paint job, but I feel like his details, the modern Red Corsairs color scheme, his pose, and scale are all wrong.<br />
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The parts that thematically changed things the least were making his boots way bigger, so he's a little taller than a Marine, instead of embarrassingly short (which is of course further aided by his now broad and tall base) and similarly dropping his shoulders and putting spacers between them and his torso, to give him a greater bulk.<br />
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I also gave him a cape (honestly, not my favorite part of my design), and added a number of details to make him feel a bit more like a Marine captain/chapter master, like the tassel and cape (which also hid how thin he is by obscuring his profile).<br />
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I then messed around his signature Tyrant's Claw, which is just not impressive on the stock model. It looks like a regulation chaos lightning claw with some do-dads sticking out of it and a hole in the middle. I modified the fingers to more closely resemble his Forge World chapter master incarnation, and so it would look a bit more distinct. Still dissatisfied with how generic the opening looked, I also added some fire coming out of his fist, because I don't think it especially read as a focal point (after the sculpt below).<br />
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I still think the weapon deserves better rule, along with Huron himself (Why does a posthuman ex-supersoldier pirate king only have such absolutely generic weapons as power fist with a small heavy flamer? <i>This</i> is the symbol of his empire that operates out of space hell? And, what? Did he suddenly forget how to lead like a chapter master when he changed his title? Or did he previously rely on his good looks to inspire his marines? Why doesn't he have the full re-roll aura? ),* but I think that these modifications at least made him feel like the leader of one of the major chaos warbands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1G1-dKk-Oz8WHczKImzcPGbCuhVhpDt-OI6-nextgYwQjhQA1yIbnSc1ZT6IMiQOFiAiVMNMbqTRexYURxVLJ-bRDlfM92fl-zJ6YYS8d7kvnRU4RfySQvaWkruW7bqHY4NobmBJiVs/s1600/huron+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1000" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1G1-dKk-Oz8WHczKImzcPGbCuhVhpDt-OI6-nextgYwQjhQA1yIbnSc1ZT6IMiQOFiAiVMNMbqTRexYURxVLJ-bRDlfM92fl-zJ6YYS8d7kvnRU4RfySQvaWkruW7bqHY4NobmBJiVs/s640/huron+WIP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiekHe7-E9aoDYjzXvuo-aKVT4ez5StuyrMTcHAKe5JRwA3eltuElqBrl1lTsl_7uhyphenhyphenwSMYMT_n5mZhWOdgdk7GvxjUt1sS7k1-ggeFAoNyE-KsMUn44oizuOaBvBo4cfsdQzocaPbT4/s1600/Screenshot+2019-09-20+at+9.38.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="1045" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiekHe7-E9aoDYjzXvuo-aKVT4ez5StuyrMTcHAKe5JRwA3eltuElqBrl1lTsl_7uhyphenhyphenwSMYMT_n5mZhWOdgdk7GvxjUt1sS7k1-ggeFAoNyE-KsMUn44oizuOaBvBo4cfsdQzocaPbT4/s320/Screenshot+2019-09-20+at+9.38.34+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I'd say my biggest conceptual change is actually his paint job, however. I think one of the weakest points of modern Red Corsairs is their mostly homogeneous paint job. Maybe it's just because 3.5 was the height of my playing 40k, but I still prefer the Red Corsairs mostly in their original chapter colors. I think that it fits the heterogeneous space pirate theme, and fits the nature of the original chapter's downfall, i.e. Huron's pride.<br />
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I think that, rather than obscure his colors, Huron would flaunt them, a rich mockery of the power he once served and explicitly defacing his heraldry at the same time that he went to battle still in those colors, as a point of pride: he was and is still the last chapter master of the Astral Claws, regardless of whether the Imperium was too blind to see what he was trying to accomplish for humanity. Also, the only partial chaos color schemes, I think, helps distinguish the Corsairs from legion marines, especially since their red & black & gold now compete with red & brass (World Eaters), red & gold (Crimson Slaughter) and red & silver (Word Bearers). (I'm planning a lot of my rank & file Red Corsairs to have very little in the way of dramatic mutations and spikes, saving those for the most corrupted.)<br />
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And my above interpretation (rather, my ability to do so) is why I've always enjoyed the 40k setting, even when I've disliked GW or the rules: some combination of the breadth and depth of the setting really lets you run with it in a way that few do.<br />
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Finally: for indie fans out there who got the post title, I have a kinda hard time not thinking about good ol' Lugft singing those songs.<br />
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<i>*Which is not to say that I want those upgrades for free: I think he's in a decent place, I just wish he cost more for a more powerful version. He's closer to a decent hybrid lord/sorc than the fluff, which has him as threatening as chapter masters.</i>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-47905893728324842112020-03-26T10:44:00.005-07:002020-03-26T10:44:44.268-07:00Like a river's flow, it never ends - Kingdom Death Legend of Zelda Homages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDpijIPigtbqCFw1gWYewXvHHJ6XAl3VtVyJ2k8didleIH_odG40ntkk5BbBZPCRW07GbTyP_6N3T9p5diOEMqa2YBiXFVTtPKaZ7zhLsiEWTZwKl4FVCzoZ_GQRWDQHB6DPEfh6lJuA/s1600/link%252Bzelda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1200" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDpijIPigtbqCFw1gWYewXvHHJ6XAl3VtVyJ2k8didleIH_odG40ntkk5BbBZPCRW07GbTyP_6N3T9p5diOEMqa2YBiXFVTtPKaZ7zhLsiEWTZwKl4FVCzoZ_GQRWDQHB6DPEfh6lJuA/s640/link%252Bzelda.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
So, it's been quite some time.<br />
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I don't know how frequently I'll be doing this, but I'm starting my blog up after a dry spell, because I know I could use something a little lighter than what's become my day-to-day that, like everyone else's, has been pretty derailed these past weeks.<br />
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I'm starting off with some nostalgic homages to my favorite ol' N64 game, plus a note about my absence.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>If I wasn't hooked back in... whenever it was... when Kingdom Death's first kickstarter was running, their Messenger of Courage homage to Link certainly caught my attention. I think it's a pretty nice model, minus the bizarre window... I dunno what you guys like, but personally I don't need to see the 2mm cleavage of the sex-swapped version of my favorite character as a kid. Either way, I touched mine up when I <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2017/08/its-dangerous-to-go-alone-messenger-of.html">painted mine</a>.<br />
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But, inevitably, I ended up wanting to do a more traditional Link. I've actually <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Legend%20of%20Zelda">done a few Links over the years</a>, including a commission request to make a (chaos?) space marine version, and the one that remains my favorite, a Wind Waker iteration. The Kingdom Death one saw a fair bit of work, and I'm pretty happy with the shape. (Also, if/when we ever get scenarios involving the Messenger series, he notably has the same gear as the Messenger of Courage gets during the boss rush.)<br />
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I decided to do a bit of a reversal, changing Link's primary weapon to his Light Arrows. Complementing him, I used the Knight model as the base for my take on Zelda. Unlike Link, who's pretty much just based on Ocarina of Time with some creative liberties, Zelda is I guess a little closer to a mix of Ocarina and Twilight Princess (fittingly, I guess). I considered giving her the Flower Knight's Vespertine Foil, but I decided that I preferred the heft of her oversized... whatever it is.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About Time (or, "About Time!")</span></div>
Apologies, followers, about dropping out of communication without any real notice. This was never the intention.<br />
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Without going into too much detail, my miniatures work has gone from often my main activity in any given day to occasional projects when I have time, which isn't a lot.<br />
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I have a now-toddler in my life, and a parent died, and of course we're now dealing with this pandemic, which is a lot of why I've disappeared.<br />
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However, my main work now is as a doctoral student in the University of Oregon's Comparative Literature program. I may someday go into more on this, but the short version is that the "Literature" part of the title has become very, very broad these days, and I've been pretty actively working with comics and prints (as forms and as literature, not as pop/culture), while incorporating the discipline's methods, philosophies, linguistics, media analysis, and ethics. It's been beyond taxing, and worth it. I may eventually publish on board or video games, but right now my academic reach is mostly staying closer to art and literature.<br />
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So... hopefully this will be the first post reviving my blog while we all have a little more time at home. I hope you enjoy!<br />
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<i>PS. If by any absurd chance any of you attend UO, I'm a GE and have been teaching for Comp Lit and German; I'll probably be moving to the English department for a couple years. Obviously, games won't come up often but, hey, they might.</i>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-20000432324686314882019-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:002019-09-17T08:28:33.266-07:00Feed Me! - Kingdom Death Lonely Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wfLTba3ioGEFixS6iCotPp2G_iEQ_2_5FsFO5lNt9Mp-cJL20MWXk0izdsqKxAgLpZpOx3cvp4i6VQZFQLLwnMD-8J1__e6e2BP87HXGhCKSfbbXAvpVg-JYShuYbI1D7nv_ovC0wBs/s1600/lonely+tree+action+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="1400" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wfLTba3ioGEFixS6iCotPp2G_iEQ_2_5FsFO5lNt9Mp-cJL20MWXk0izdsqKxAgLpZpOx3cvp4i6VQZFQLLwnMD-8J1__e6e2BP87HXGhCKSfbbXAvpVg-JYShuYbI1D7nv_ovC0wBs/s640/lonely+tree+action+shot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The Lonely Tree is both the last expansion I've painted for a client or myself, and the last I personally bought. It's... a difficult model, but I'm pretty happy with how this one came out, even though it took way longer than I intended.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Assembling the model, it has bizarrely flat branch structures for a model with so many pieces. I don't know if this was a digital sculpting issue, a matter of manufacture, or someone thought it was necessary for structure. Either way, I ended up re-posing a tree, which is honestly not a project I ever imagined I'd be doing.<br />
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I took painting the tree as something of a challenge, for a few reasons. First, I decided that I wanted to do full-color lighting: having done <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-plants-and-animals-eat-each-other.html">my client's monochrome one</a>, I'd proven to myself that it was actually possible to light the tree and its fruit in a way that looked cohesive, even when the fruit were (as mechanically necessary) removable. The effect above, I think, makes it look pretty easy, but you need to go through some mental gymnastics and keep a lot in mind, in order to source light multiple separate and modular objects that can fit in a number of configurations. (For the record: no, I'm pretty sure no one could ever pay me enough to try this with multiple colors of lanterns.)<br />
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Second, the model's detail is really soft. Again, I don't know why, though I suspect that someone decided the tree needed to be bigger (to be more impressive, or tougher), so it's scaled up at a lower resolution (which would be consistent with the giant skulls and lanterns). Either way, it took a lot of freehand-derived techniques to get it right, and I'm still not entirely satisfied by how the upper foliage looks. I'm still not positive if the leaves on the base are supposed to be a different kind of parasitic or symbiotic vine, some other sentient part of the tree, suckers, or what. Either way, I chose to paint the leaves the same color, so the model didn't get an even busier palate.<br />
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What I am quite happy with, though, is how the light interacts with the bark, and the clearly Egg of the King-based fruit, and with some of my creative interpretations of the model. The Lonely Lady is very far from my favorite Kingdom Death model, but I think that giving her a kind of birch skin to make her a mimic, dryad, etc., gave her a lot more narrative interest than one more mostly naked KD woman. I also spent more time than I should have, making three degrees of ripeness in the fruit, and giving their weird eyes multiple colors, mostly because after all the work I put into this thing, I didn't want six identical fruit hanging on it. And, that kind of sums up how I feel about this piece: it took a lot of effort to get it feeling pretty good, and I don't think I would do it again, because I think I could have in the same time instead made a great model look outstanding. Here's hoping that the Campaigns of Death rules similarly salvage the monster design, nailing it so it makes me feel justified in the work.<br />
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<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-47973004749860486082019-09-03T08:15:00.001-07:002019-09-03T08:15:38.760-07:00The Eyes of the Cat - Arena Rex Leo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been ages since I've painted an Arena Rex model, but I got the itch, and it was time to get out one of my few unpainted minis from the game.<br />
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I just love how they've handled animal design. Short (*ahem*) of some back legs that seem like they were sculpted last, and needed to fit the model on the base, the anatomy of Leo is just superb and natural. I think it has exactly the right movement and weight of a jumping/lunging lion, and manages to avoid the problem of many such models which look like they're tripping.<br />
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I'm quite happy with the texture I got on him, with the only real issue being that I had a little more depth on the mane, but it kept getting scratched off through basic handling (it's been a while since I've worked with how sharp resin edges can be) so I needed to flatten down the highlights a bit so the color would stick. I normally don't like this sort of scarring, but I think I got some nice, subtler stuff that clearly reads as scars, but not as completely fresh ones.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-54342096653472769822019-08-24T08:02:00.000-07:002019-08-24T08:02:52.974-07:00The Halls of the Past - Silver Tower collected, complete painted box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I realized recently that I've actually completed my Silver Tower collection, but never remembered to consolidate them into one big, snazzy post, so, here's a little trip down memory lane.</div>
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(Actually, no, I guess that's not quite right. this is a gallery. My feelings on the minis haven't really changed since my initial posts, but if you'd like to read them, here's a <a href="http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Silver%20Tower">convenient link</a>.)</div>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-59397117795940276662019-08-20T08:38:00.000-07:002019-08-20T08:38:33.119-07:00Surviving - Early Kingdom Death Survivors, and some characters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For me, Screaming armor still embodies the best parts of survivors in Kingdom Death.<br />
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These guys got a number of minor conversions and sculpting work, the most consistent of which was sculpting their shoulders because otherwise they look like weird dolls (the socket joins are otherwise painfully obvious once you see them).<br />
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The core—as of 1.5—8 survivors are also pretty nice conceptually, and I think they make a nice set of pawns for easily identifying the character types. Bonus points that there are four of each sex, so it's easy to represent any party composition, in that regard.<br />
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In the same sensibility, I think that the original Anna model nicely captures the progression of survivors past the Screaming Antelope era, in kind of a weird horrific take on basic medieval fantasy, that's cobbled together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-adJRjs-c51S_Zu3HwoqePbDpBIjnV6-IiSv6QPBRfNYf7kUtMp_wFCKwliesJ-K9Ew8LJ7ONTvdBTIK6zyaYzjjhXCzE7yDutHVXmofCM2I9caMXMaYdON_vLG-hs2ggTwBTnYJoM0/s1600/aya+beyond+the+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-adJRjs-c51S_Zu3HwoqePbDpBIjnV6-IiSv6QPBRfNYf7kUtMp_wFCKwliesJ-K9Ew8LJ7ONTvdBTIK6zyaYzjjhXCzE7yDutHVXmofCM2I9caMXMaYdON_vLG-hs2ggTwBTnYJoM0/s320/aya+beyond+the+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Aya in her Beyond the Wall iteration is one of my favorite vignettes in the entire Kingdom Death setting, and was, I think, what drew me into the Kingdom Death setting before it was a game.</div>
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Other than the IMHO unfortunately common choice to make non-standing models taller, I think the character is nearly perfect in this same "era" of KD. While I understand where a lot of the more recent armor styles are going, and they're impressive and baroque, in many ways I prefer the earlier, more desperate and simpler style of the setting.</div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-91563139717931773312019-08-16T15:00:00.001-07:002019-08-16T15:00:23.424-07:00Traditionalist Radicals - Blackstone Fortress Black Legion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EsE8wRgVd7U62PkN1Yuou5VI2kz9LXiTbV68ffqDweyNNuPCTd2lHeEXtMCTfZWPacXpA22A8232MUhgK8WyRuqLXKQCIZvGRk6XuR7tW-o6GlBBsGLzSbqK54TLuR5K0cdmawOUcLg/s1600/obsidius+Mallex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1000" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EsE8wRgVd7U62PkN1Yuou5VI2kz9LXiTbV68ffqDweyNNuPCTd2lHeEXtMCTfZWPacXpA22A8232MUhgK8WyRuqLXKQCIZvGRk6XuR7tW-o6GlBBsGLzSbqK54TLuR5K0cdmawOUcLg/s640/obsidius+Mallex.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I've painted lots of red & gold & black, and I'm personally a fan of jade, so I decided to do my own take on Black Legion, that heralds back to their Sons of Horus days, which I just find so much more stylish.<br />
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I considered holding back on my rant, but:<br />
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Obsidius Mallex might be my least-favorite chaos character, ever. He's just... so lame. His backstory is that he's one of Abbadon's lackeys, then he got thrown a curve ball, got stuck in the Blackstone Fortress, and is mad now. He wants to capture the station/ship, to bring back to his boss, but is probably kind of a pawn of the ship, if you read between the lines. Like, what sort of weak-ass motivation is that?<br />
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Arguably the most interesting part of all CSMs (and what's interesting to me) are their motivations: How did they fall from grace? What were they like before they did? What changed their beliefs? What do they think of the gods? How do they go about making a name for themselves? Maybe they're natural born CSMs (is that still part of the setting? I forget) and they were from some tribe or cult or whatever and never fell, and are just true believers in their way of life: what culture was that from?<br />
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For that matter, how did Mallex become the warlord of his band? Was he picked? Did he rise through the ranks? Was he blessed or did he form some pact that will come back? What and why? Or, at least what?<br />
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Nope, just some random chaos lord with a thunder hammer (you've got to wonder: did the loser get a new name after he got his hammer, or did he get his hammer after he had his name?), a boring old plasma pistol, a top-knot like his boss, and an ugly chin since GW didn't feel like modeling his gorget or head as a separate piece. Like, I swear I'd have been able to come up with a better character when I started playing 40k in middle school.<br />
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OTOH, I like his striding pose, and "The Servants of the Abyss" is an above-average warband name.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpq5alxIJinDDXWHnXRVlmulDF08kj6FN9acbFcEIoHwQIuOJxhtmphVYc7Dl9lqC72bGwi_w53Ps5WG78NUaOA0EyISeK1w1dDFmYhSmWs-w5Wez-R_tdOOx_uQDnNNCXNqV_KFG-0ow/s1600/black+legionairres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="800" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpq5alxIJinDDXWHnXRVlmulDF08kj6FN9acbFcEIoHwQIuOJxhtmphVYc7Dl9lqC72bGwi_w53Ps5WG78NUaOA0EyISeK1w1dDFmYhSmWs-w5Wez-R_tdOOx_uQDnNNCXNqV_KFG-0ow/s640/black+legionairres.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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His goon marines are goon marines. I'd have liked to get a full mini-squad of 5 with a champ and special weapon, but, eh. They look nice, and were presumably a test run for the new CSM line update.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-12825369782610459342019-08-13T14:05:00.000-07:002019-08-13T14:05:00.806-07:00Boss Rush - Kingdom Death Nemeses, Watcher, Smoke Knight, Twilight Knights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZQvjGRNfdN9fWysi0iIdaktOt2AiKrUBLpbA_m56xh7k0xklCwwSyQ_p_6zhUPimqPXVg4lIGmg5luWsUMlSgx9xmDiIqt2v9AiPPTccLWlIADRp6-vq5MLpff6qt8SAiEN-v1TDuRc/s1600/gold+smoke+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZQvjGRNfdN9fWysi0iIdaktOt2AiKrUBLpbA_m56xh7k0xklCwwSyQ_p_6zhUPimqPXVg4lIGmg5luWsUMlSgx9xmDiIqt2v9AiPPTccLWlIADRp6-vq5MLpff6qt8SAiEN-v1TDuRc/s640/gold+smoke+knight.jpg" width="528" /></a></div>
This version of the Gold Smoke Knight is one I'm quite proud of.<br />
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The technique is the same as previous ones I've done, and I still prefer my intentional misinterpretation of his smoke, rather than armor, as gold, but I don't think I could be happier with the execution on this guy. I'm particularly happy with the patina I have on his armor, but, like I said, I like the whole shebang.<br />
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My Hand is pretty similar to ones I've done before, just with a bit more electric to his electric blue lighting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLm27CcKrFQN6ENvzBG_MQ5pAXUyn82pAM4qX0TEU-e2dkNqfc3S0Hwk3FxLs9bxKKUjA70nRBqTAvhGgC7W6s7xpz76aPRzFxUZuyJUJX-qYk7nda0zEUCNR0tL8q_l0s2mkmFlyUf8/s1600/butcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLm27CcKrFQN6ENvzBG_MQ5pAXUyn82pAM4qX0TEU-e2dkNqfc3S0Hwk3FxLs9bxKKUjA70nRBqTAvhGgC7W6s7xpz76aPRzFxUZuyJUJX-qYk7nda0zEUCNR0tL8q_l0s2mkmFlyUf8/s640/butcher.jpg" width="628" /></a></div>
I think I may have pushed the red saturation too hard on this Butcher, but I think I got a pretty cool, almost cel shaded sense to the lanterns, with the sharp yellow accents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp6kmysYu_KQKdEboeWBarPLk5tnlP8VhE269M0C1Of2Jd_QQqaPlaY_XAIEj_docZrZ0EJCwFZ7f7gh5M0Ni2g7hdXy7lx-ehM2xHd1bWoqeCj7T7OHqBPr2BrfqLs1ipotn05aozyw/s1600/watcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1000" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp6kmysYu_KQKdEboeWBarPLk5tnlP8VhE269M0C1Of2Jd_QQqaPlaY_XAIEj_docZrZ0EJCwFZ7f7gh5M0Ni2g7hdXy7lx-ehM2xHd1bWoqeCj7T7OHqBPr2BrfqLs1ipotn05aozyw/s640/watcher.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This version of the Watcher is mostly one I've done before, just with a bit more pop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_f2rVlhojl-m6eDQj8wQXZk5iHT1yobmLLxp9wcIRcB6-LkWUEpf-15YphUIKh3f-pobTAgM3BGXwW-zwaqY8TOfw3RvE5nmd27BsPtclJbuePcraREsN3X-wH7z1INRXmPm1qQn0Bo/s1600/twilight+knights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_f2rVlhojl-m6eDQj8wQXZk5iHT1yobmLLxp9wcIRcB6-LkWUEpf-15YphUIKh3f-pobTAgM3BGXwW-zwaqY8TOfw3RvE5nmd27BsPtclJbuePcraREsN3X-wH7z1INRXmPm1qQn0Bo/s400/twilight+knights.jpg" width="371" /></a></div>
What would the Watcher be without Twilight Knights to stab him full o' holes? Well, actually, about as easy, it just wouldn't have the now fairly enjoyable task of training up a TK to wreck him really hard. (This is just supposition, I've never actually gotten to the Watcher without a fully prepped Twilight Knight...)Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-41785239767524178852019-08-09T13:55:00.000-07:002019-08-09T13:55:56.828-07:00We are the Earth-Intruders, We are the sharp-shooters - Amalynn Shadowguide & Spindle Drones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4DTabXU8li-610cEKDtUTbbPO_BRXq9CdHr9MEZ1waAJOlD5S1ngU2q3b4g1QPrReBhKOjX_X21oKH5vSPN2gxDDANM-dt9Wjt9zOMi5BhPx6GAntArqVAEt7y0wI8nLIzVdQN2Q4rA/s1600/amalynn+shadowguide+eldar+pathfinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="800" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4DTabXU8li-610cEKDtUTbbPO_BRXq9CdHr9MEZ1waAJOlD5S1ngU2q3b4g1QPrReBhKOjX_X21oKH5vSPN2gxDDANM-dt9Wjt9zOMi5BhPx6GAntArqVAEt7y0wI8nLIzVdQN2Q4rA/s640/amalynn+shadowguide+eldar+pathfinder.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Eldar were actually my first serious army, in any game with miniatures at all, so I wanted to do something special with Amalynn Shadowguide, a model I thought was so close to being awesome, but had ended up a bit flat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5gMRxszamr5URRenljJonde9dxKxYCOa9qgk6lVK3lg6afRY1y8fHDdVp_W52hvGBOtbAFG9cpCf6h_Bu1qjgHOSwsdzWa6grk026RFtDrW10WW96kI01zWpcgvkgzSUU_CyZfifWLE/s1600/Shadowguide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5gMRxszamr5URRenljJonde9dxKxYCOa9qgk6lVK3lg6afRY1y8fHDdVp_W52hvGBOtbAFG9cpCf6h_Bu1qjgHOSwsdzWa6grk026RFtDrW10WW96kI01zWpcgvkgzSUU_CyZfifWLE/s320/Shadowguide.jpg" width="232" /></a>First off, I understood the idea behind Games Workshop's posing: showing her main characteristics of knife, gun, and female space elf. (I would have shown my WIP here but, embarrassingly, I've misplaced my greens.) After cutting her arms off, I tried having her actually aiming her rifle in a few different ways, and it just wasn't working especially well.<br />
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So, I dropped her arms to a resting position and turned her head. The result was something of a badass—IMHO—pose, where she's scanning the room or ready to go, rather than the stock pose that recalls old single-piece metal models' flat poses, and not in a flattering way.<br />
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I'm not sure if it's the hood that overhangs further, or that the weapons are now forward, but, despite not changing her torso or legs at all, Amalynn also no longer seems to have the same issue with her chest out and poor weight distribution across her feet.<br />
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I was pretty tempted to paint her in Ulthwé colors, those being said Eldar army back in the day, or in Alaitoc pathfinder colors, being the classic elite Eldar ranger style. Instead, I tried going for a heavy variation on her native Biel-Tan craftworld. I went with a sort of alien camo sensibility (just bit of stippling on her cloak for a pattern), with no true greys and nearly no primary colors. The only hint to her craftworld is the green ribbon on her scan-a-majig. She's a haughty alien, but that doesn't mean she's going to go running around with a big green target on her, when everything's gloomy here.<br />
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She got kind of an Infinity vibe, IMHO, by the time I was done with her.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURhWpFp7V_Kb_0caIlcJPKHefVwLrshk6S7o85G5LTUw9WLV4ShT6KMdHWflZ8UY8XBsDIjQ1AbRwR1PhVtpFJeXf1kxEXpfvZCYiY0zUMwH653Yr8G3SHoCwOa_qB4j58-8RJFTM6bw/s1600/spindle+drones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="1000" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURhWpFp7V_Kb_0caIlcJPKHefVwLrshk6S7o85G5LTUw9WLV4ShT6KMdHWflZ8UY8XBsDIjQ1AbRwR1PhVtpFJeXf1kxEXpfvZCYiY0zUMwH653Yr8G3SHoCwOa_qB4j58-8RJFTM6bw/s640/spindle+drones.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I realized after the fact that she's actually fairly close to the colors I used on my Spindle Drones. Let's say she was trying to be extra-sneaky and fit in. I didn't take many liberties with these guys, mostly just doing my gloomy interpretation of the stock paint job. I really hope GW adds some more aliens in their next Blackstone Fortress expansion, since I much prefer the unusual alien baddies to yet more Chaos goons (not to say said goons aren't well executed; this is just a great opportunity to expand the setting past more variety of Chaos).Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-35206373607733650972019-08-07T09:35:00.001-07:002019-08-07T09:35:31.924-07:00 In Fearful Day, In Raging Night - Kingdom Death Nemeses and Gorm set in blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkff7aYxxAO_NKlsp5juTmrGgZa1w64_h-Y65GnjOAfUbkehDOCE46AknJLJ7AKoZ6lYlZPj0YlRZUXWoaDouK62uhZKb2xSAbDpZzqqx2EtTcFNULa9GHxtEcNOS2IDCIe8e1EA6ALVk/s1600/manhunter+1.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="950" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkff7aYxxAO_NKlsp5juTmrGgZa1w64_h-Y65GnjOAfUbkehDOCE46AknJLJ7AKoZ6lYlZPj0YlRZUXWoaDouK62uhZKb2xSAbDpZzqqx2EtTcFNULa9GHxtEcNOS2IDCIe8e1EA6ALVk/s640/manhunter+1.1.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
I think I used all of my better "blue" references up in earlier titles. This one is a bit obscure. (Nerd cred if you get it.)<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The above Manhunter is the second I've done in this style, repeating my earlier repurposing of the really oversized Death Marshal from Malifaux (a model with I think is terrible at representing an average-sized human, but very dynamic, and when do you ever find well-sculpted oversized cowboy models?!). This is the third time I've used this guy for a conversion project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FLSrkiVU2jA5dP3fY2A-trVtwqoCIEOS7DHSVQk1ToAwgbQ3-hh4I_uZPUEPA2qggK8m3632NpRsoniy44hFTzJViKMHQqmVZi_ZM0DC7CCFuXzT7Rs-uA4ybT1Gy_bzhQXiIu7h52s/s1600/manhunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="936" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FLSrkiVU2jA5dP3fY2A-trVtwqoCIEOS7DHSVQk1ToAwgbQ3-hh4I_uZPUEPA2qggK8m3632NpRsoniy44hFTzJViKMHQqmVZi_ZM0DC7CCFuXzT7Rs-uA4ybT1Gy_bzhQXiIu7h52s/s640/manhunter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This one presents a rare opportunity, since my client initially wanted it done in regular lighting, before deciding he'd like the Manhunter redone with the supernatural look. So, for all those curious about my painting methods, here's what the same guy looked before he got his lantern, when he was just gloomy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QL6ipeZNlElrxK9flnLXlZN68ze4x1UOrlg6NMeMr-w8Znd-lYtYiQw_vQsWNdYWA3RyhEeGz-Omel14xiylEPe9Owlc8gVorlFtgp_GtuhKKcNp5FxQuqj2XxzxV_4LlBVPld-LFA0/s1600/gorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QL6ipeZNlElrxK9flnLXlZN68ze4x1UOrlg6NMeMr-w8Znd-lYtYiQw_vQsWNdYWA3RyhEeGz-Omel14xiylEPe9Owlc8gVorlFtgp_GtuhKKcNp5FxQuqj2XxzxV_4LlBVPld-LFA0/s640/gorm.jpg" width="554" /></a></div>
I also worked with a more or less straight repetition of an earlier Gorm scheme. I think they came out pretty nicely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOYmMy-tT3LcnpzIdgSLeH5enqUcEFd1rR3ao_T4iX7-ljOkOo6vRFlhVNjDL7PG2jEcqhTHQ2b8VAuNpu8IBhGvRoFobyD3_NM_15hi1ZL26jMfG90ImX1kFj5bO6kPo9YSOX8zwWyA/s1600/gorment+armor+survivors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOYmMy-tT3LcnpzIdgSLeH5enqUcEFd1rR3ao_T4iX7-ljOkOo6vRFlhVNjDL7PG2jEcqhTHQ2b8VAuNpu8IBhGvRoFobyD3_NM_15hi1ZL26jMfG90ImX1kFj5bO6kPo9YSOX8zwWyA/s640/gorment+armor+survivors.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BtBdhmtYugnfwyO2WWz2q4ykGm1r3lrba7tnM9pgPuKbs9uK8VimStuHqfq8LlBRDbOmBMV6JKi9CV4uh3mz8EgBjINHMHNTddikVscUL1GZxUMlCEcY2EHTMRs0FIr89Sof15H0VI4/s1600/king%2527s+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1000" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BtBdhmtYugnfwyO2WWz2q4ykGm1r3lrba7tnM9pgPuKbs9uK8VimStuHqfq8LlBRDbOmBMV6JKi9CV4uh3mz8EgBjINHMHNTddikVscUL1GZxUMlCEcY2EHTMRs0FIr89Sof15H0VI4/s640/king%2527s+man.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The style that most departed from paint jobs I've already done are the core Nemesis I worked with, and especially this version of the King's Man. I think that this might be my favorite scheme I've done with him, since it got a very cold sense of menace, with the blown out hot spots on the light sources and his face as another light source.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfG7dFL53PMDVovaOpBJocPL7S8Y6lfqOz_mM0PN20wOXFIICHwsxgZy8t2NqsuGeJs-5w_Hpzg3C0xZrJ0wgvp2Mvuy_w9BeYS419zYrOLRBY7wbYocdSzPdP600pHXNYvbdxNTHe1NM/s1600/the+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfG7dFL53PMDVovaOpBJocPL7S8Y6lfqOz_mM0PN20wOXFIICHwsxgZy8t2NqsuGeJs-5w_Hpzg3C0xZrJ0wgvp2Mvuy_w9BeYS419zYrOLRBY7wbYocdSzPdP600pHXNYvbdxNTHe1NM/s640/the+hand.jpg" width="534" /></a></div>
I've done a few blue Hands before, but, again, I'm very happy with how his glowing brain came out: I might want to revise my own for the extra-supernatural look.<br />
<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-42955197427670367252019-08-05T16:12:00.000-07:002019-08-06T10:58:03.427-07:00The Faithful - Taddeus the Purifier & Rogue Psykers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpESRxOgPe_0aMoKS_iCaj4-dnL8abLhZp2evYX7VQBGC_nWmFm9xMWTQ_51QqrhfrTMMvyo3kW0UGdSwa6-ydxHpMnEhBUvptA8us1ZMEmQTwf6Ia4Uf0k9jwEjQmM9s2KkBB-XvGUwU/s1600/taddeus+the+purifier+ministorum+priest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="900" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpESRxOgPe_0aMoKS_iCaj4-dnL8abLhZp2evYX7VQBGC_nWmFm9xMWTQ_51QqrhfrTMMvyo3kW0UGdSwa6-ydxHpMnEhBUvptA8us1ZMEmQTwf6Ia4Uf0k9jwEjQmM9s2KkBB-XvGUwU/s640/taddeus+the+purifier+ministorum+priest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Taddeus is... probably my least favorite of the Blackstone heroes. I don't really like playing cleric-type characters (I actually often do<br />
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, trying to make it work, but it rarely does), and I think his face is, well, one that only a mother could love.<br />
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I'm pretty happy with how I salvaged him, though. I got a dark warm metal going that I thought had a nice, understated antique look, and I've recently enjoyed doing really yellow osl. I might have done more with his book, but, honestly, I didn't like the model enough to try something I might mess up and need to fix.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1-nxM95LDx57yQ0QDJIsyb2wNl266axHXNZ7X7T1AmRC9tbsFTK8MGLKY7m1XdS_Q570Z-K4hJKVjMqzR78wN3BC0KUtlG08pHWJw26bAQOH7uHHwvNzA21zKjs19hDNbXLeliZWlcI/s1600/rogue+psykers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="800" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1-nxM95LDx57yQ0QDJIsyb2wNl266axHXNZ7X7T1AmRC9tbsFTK8MGLKY7m1XdS_Q570Z-K4hJKVjMqzR78wN3BC0KUtlG08pHWJw26bAQOH7uHHwvNzA21zKjs19hDNbXLeliZWlcI/s640/rogue+psykers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The Rogue psykers are also ugly as sin, but at least they've got an excuse. As they're evil mutant pseudo-priest wizards that worship dark gods, follow spiky supersoldiers, and exist to zap people with magic siphoned from Space Hell, I didn't feel the need for subtlety: I feel that they have enough teal light to look suitably full of barely controlled magic.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-1353196617644252032019-07-29T14:54:00.000-07:002019-07-29T14:54:14.614-07:00Om Nom Nom - 1.5 edition Screaming Antelope & Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGozRAV0-2hvXW-HpU3yH5CD8nUHpnk73cWLVVkPZ8XyF98FPgZuupPefN-IaB0Zx0mNrUahARCObQjpbxuFnkvVnwSm1qjqfNdJaQ4QQEtUz7Y48aHm8u1RT2OI-b2oa1QoYWSsM2KM/s1600/screaming+antelope+complete+set+1.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1292" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGozRAV0-2hvXW-HpU3yH5CD8nUHpnk73cWLVVkPZ8XyF98FPgZuupPefN-IaB0Zx0mNrUahARCObQjpbxuFnkvVnwSm1qjqfNdJaQ4QQEtUz7Y48aHm8u1RT2OI-b2oa1QoYWSsM2KM/s640/screaming+antelope+complete+set+1.1.jpg" width="516" /></a></div>
There's a special place in my heart for the fleshy, gross monster that is the Screaming Antelope, and it was the first of my Kingdom Death monsters that I was really pleased with, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't improve on it, too. While it's been slow progress, with 1.5's release, I've taken the opportunity to tune and update my own collection, too.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Screaming Antelope was cool, but I thought its most dramatic feature, the stomach-mouth/vagina dentata, was not nearly strong enough, and it came out looking a little tame from many angles, as a mostly-mundane oversized antelope thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-3uju0zC5BNfCU8M4Nu9L5rA1mpqEtHVI_yKMg3xdmjeEkbFNY1-P9oh0UZ20kmeH5XIIOX9R5x-K0UNNoMFndfH9Wxf2iq4F7kEQZNGnZDFMz9W4yeMzH8qidgJMmyWvF5EW8vVxZw/s1600/screaming+antelope+1.1+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-3uju0zC5BNfCU8M4Nu9L5rA1mpqEtHVI_yKMg3xdmjeEkbFNY1-P9oh0UZ20kmeH5XIIOX9R5x-K0UNNoMFndfH9Wxf2iq4F7kEQZNGnZDFMz9W4yeMzH8qidgJMmyWvF5EW8vVxZw/s400/screaming+antelope+1.1+WIP.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
I went through a number of ideas for this guy, possibly using a spare set of survivor legs hanging out, or imitating the illustration of a survivor reaching for help, but this was finally the one which I executed. The hands are from the Phoenix kit (one of my clients didn't like his with hands), and the rest is just paper clips and wires. While I was painting this guy, I also touched up the contrast and saturation on the original.<br />
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While the antelope is the centerpiece of this new set, I actually revised the survivors before I tackled it. The Shield/club one saw an update reflecting the new club rules. I quite like my new bone club lady, since I think that it fits fighting the Antelope way better, and I think the mask was a big improvement on a previously bland model, too. However, the Sunstalker harpoon guy is far and away my favorite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPzxMTroj3uwIr61-bbm5N8p0NFwEQkBkVhybdH6RKzWjXyRV7MndNipoAvadFJDgrQNDQn09r-Lq_yiWrvRtg9JMqTdeSfGvcdUDD3YUIuT_1yKzcSGkB9EC3yNp7pTwDQb9PW0fkXA/s1600/screaming+harpoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="800" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPzxMTroj3uwIr61-bbm5N8p0NFwEQkBkVhybdH6RKzWjXyRV7MndNipoAvadFJDgrQNDQn09r-Lq_yiWrvRtg9JMqTdeSfGvcdUDD3YUIuT_1yKzcSGkB9EC3yNp7pTwDQb9PW0fkXA/s400/screaming+harpoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I spent a lot of time making his pose dynamic and then sculpting his musculature more naturally, and, somewhere in that process I realized that the harpoon really was just being treated like a spear, and wasn't tethered to anything so was a pretty strange way of dragging something. So, I built him a rope out of some kneadatite, a paper clip, and a spare whip, which I think looks pretty snazzy. (I know that, yeah, it probably isn't the wisest way of storing your rope, but KD survivors aren't the wisest of folks, either.)<br />
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I also sculpted him a teeny-tiny luck charm as a light source... mostly because hitting Savage with the Slam bonus is too fun.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-76755696630774429282019-07-25T15:39:00.003-07:002019-07-25T15:39:35.231-07:00Flame and Shadow - Pious Vorne and Ur-ghuls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJEuwDXQ4m1bMry5xKBMBSm6lx8rE2u-WhX4Lm3qpC3HLdAP6-SJC96_obbj2VB0GCx3IstCyaBat8eVm6Q60txsXowssSXHGNg5e8WqmCFTOZ6FIpe1aPaI2oOn2ZYslh_qsOzADD9A/s1600/pious+vorne+missionary+zealot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="900" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJEuwDXQ4m1bMry5xKBMBSm6lx8rE2u-WhX4Lm3qpC3HLdAP6-SJC96_obbj2VB0GCx3IstCyaBat8eVm6Q60txsXowssSXHGNg5e8WqmCFTOZ6FIpe1aPaI2oOn2ZYslh_qsOzADD9A/s640/pious+vorne+missionary+zealot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Pious Vorne is one of my favorite recent models.<br />
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I think she's a great design, and represents many of the better things GW has been doing recently, including a good sculpt, crisp detail, imperials that are pretty unique and recall but don't 1:1 reproduce older concepts, and is a female character neither defined by heels nor the tradition of "boob armor." The design was enough that I wanted to make a force she could be a part of: Some allied Sisters or stand-in Inquisition or zealot count-as veteran imperial guard, or maybe a Cawdor gang (and I haven't even played Necromunda since the 90s... which makes me painfully aware of my age). I probably won't because I have too many projects, but it's infrequent that a model makes me want to. An easy 10/10 sculpt.<br />
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I was also quite happy with my paint job: I think I managed to respond to the stock scheme while making it very specifically my style.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B9rsssjU0FKuD-BuZYxycUeEolkNx-Km18v_Ihwnh7vHFsYdTQBf1MAq8t1Kr9kWcCiflyto0BWYitvzvYLmm_IzaFmuB9I25jUDk5DNdukFWEjf6BO3V-4-Utp5QV2CsNiiizcT95A/s1600/ur-ghuls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="1000" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B9rsssjU0FKuD-BuZYxycUeEolkNx-Km18v_Ihwnh7vHFsYdTQBf1MAq8t1Kr9kWcCiflyto0BWYitvzvYLmm_IzaFmuB9I25jUDk5DNdukFWEjf6BO3V-4-Utp5QV2CsNiiizcT95A/s640/ur-ghuls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I think the Ur-ghuls are decent sculpts, and it took just some light bending and cutting to get them into four poses instead of two. Rather than going the albino/pale cave dwelling route, I tried to make them look barely lit, playing up their lurking out of the explorers' lights.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2990568103663663429.post-67396692893056415492019-07-05T10:14:00.000-07:002019-07-05T10:14:28.549-07:00I will wander through the pines and make my way to nature's shrines - Abyssal Woods set, Part 0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G_WADNuTRlL-CrtbxM9oHinQ9w-AknKYwsHghGvmJe9Lq6uzMz6ArZ-dTwoDj8rCouXC2E0LZB_SN8Xid6y4y5ygJ70SPCSubk0nexe3JehCjCf6AEFHm50R6BESpn-ib5nXBJgeJTc/s1600/dung+beetle+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G_WADNuTRlL-CrtbxM9oHinQ9w-AknKYwsHghGvmJe9Lq6uzMz6ArZ-dTwoDj8rCouXC2E0LZB_SN8Xid6y4y5ygJ70SPCSubk0nexe3JehCjCf6AEFHm50R6BESpn-ib5nXBJgeJTc/s640/dung+beetle+knight.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
So, this was a lot of fun: with the Abyssal Woods campaign coming... uh... some time in the future, I was happy that my client went with my suggestion that all his expansions that would integrate into the campaign be a single palette.<br />
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I've done the Dung Beetle Knight's ball similarly a number of times, so that part was pretty standard, but, doing the Beetle in total monochrome was a first, so I wanted to try to figure out a way to get it a little more interesting: just having the eyes lit would have been pretty bland and dark. So, I decided that I'd go with kind of a fey/fairy look on it, and make the wings some sort of supernatural light source.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAqDke8eJVAUmiAVewaYnVgRezZTv8LvCNVJKrTLQutLPTeBfFh0MutoummTNRZQQFuam2U7k7Xs3TSkN52Y7_aTu4LS5RJuoFdd4PDYtpN6zehP0v-LJJMPK27ZrB35Zr71YRgXv3gw/s1600/flower+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAqDke8eJVAUmiAVewaYnVgRezZTv8LvCNVJKrTLQutLPTeBfFh0MutoummTNRZQQFuam2U7k7Xs3TSkN52Y7_aTu4LS5RJuoFdd4PDYtpN6zehP0v-LJJMPK27ZrB35Zr71YRgXv3gw/s640/flower+knight.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
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This, of course, leads me to the Flower Knight, which was the original impetus for the fey sensibility. She(?) is certainly one of my favorite early Kingdom Death models, and one of few I went out of my way to find in resin for my own collection. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPXA6HgJ2AaAZZty8ycSiz6uYj6DIWzFV7cfO2vQARlfqeZaIb7n8tzvNLIOGQIMR2yBCgsMVEOWmsAJsSQzoLxhwxS5Gsj1ck-YLxRyaON_n9Q034tjQEkSB3M1SP05rIB2q44B2gFc/s1600/spidicules.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPXA6HgJ2AaAZZty8ycSiz6uYj6DIWzFV7cfO2vQARlfqeZaIb7n8tzvNLIOGQIMR2yBCgsMVEOWmsAJsSQzoLxhwxS5Gsj1ck-YLxRyaON_n9Q034tjQEkSB3M1SP05rIB2q44B2gFc/s640/spidicules.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The Spidicules is, uh, kinda cool in all magenta; I think what worked best on this one was the broad transitions I was forced to make, since it isn't very detailed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuK7KNaBVXL2iJQdbT4Obu4jmTu8l2kbm1ZiTeIzfzMObVe33f-9WK1n5bDcG8NrnkvlGV0E_7hkvHRDYT0rmO9jL9dpdKFyonbnI4sfSRk6riSpzsN2ODR6GZEskgW_AnMC8yWYqCXc/s1600/abyssal+woods+flower+dung+beetle+spidicules+mix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1400" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuK7KNaBVXL2iJQdbT4Obu4jmTu8l2kbm1ZiTeIzfzMObVe33f-9WK1n5bDcG8NrnkvlGV0E_7hkvHRDYT0rmO9jL9dpdKFyonbnI4sfSRk6riSpzsN2ODR6GZEskgW_AnMC8yWYqCXc/s640/abyssal+woods+flower+dung+beetle+spidicules+mix.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Complementing the magenta, I thought a supernaturally lime greenish color would fit the Abyssal Woods survivors nicely. I think the combo looks pretty striking together.<br />
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The sad naked Spidicules victim dude is pretty plain; while working on this, I thought of the idea of using him as a prey/straggler marker, hence the bleak and non-vibrant look. I'll be using my own that way, too.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01311656134311365354noreply@blogger.com0