The End of the Golden Age - Berserk tribute models

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.

Hunter's Instinct - Blackstone Fortress Dahyak Greekh (Kroot) and Beastmen

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 Warmachine mercs to Malifaux Outcasts to Astral Claws/Red Corsairs, 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.

Noblesse Oblige - Kingdom Death Lion God modification

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.

Now the Darkness Got a Hold on Me - Huron Blackheart conversion

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.

So, of course, I needed to do something about that.

Like a river's flow, it never ends - Kingdom Death Legend of Zelda Homages

So, it's been quite some time.

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.

I'm starting off with some nostalgic homages to my favorite ol' N64 game, plus a note about my absence.

Feed Me! - Kingdom Death Lonely Tree

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.

The Eyes of the Cat - Arena Rex Leo

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.

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.

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.

The Halls of the Past - Silver Tower collected, complete painted box

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.

Surviving - Early Kingdom Death Survivors, and some characters

For me, Screaming armor still embodies the best parts of survivors in Kingdom Death.

Traditionalist Radicals - Blackstone Fortress Black Legion

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.

Boss Rush - Kingdom Death Nemeses, Watcher, Smoke Knight, Twilight Knights

This version of the Gold Smoke Knight is one I'm quite proud of.

We are the Earth-Intruders, We are the sharp-shooters - Amalynn Shadowguide & Spindle Drones

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.

In Fearful Day, In Raging Night - Kingdom Death Nemeses and Gorm set in blue

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.)

The Faithful - Taddeus the Purifier & Rogue Psykers

Taddeus is... probably my least favorite of the Blackstone heroes. I don't really like playing cleric-type characters (I actually often do

, trying to make it work, but it rarely does), and I think his face is, well, one that only a mother could love.

Om Nom Nom - 1.5 edition Screaming Antelope & Friends

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.

Flame and Shadow - Pious Vorne and Ur-ghuls

Pious Vorne is one of my favorite recent models.

I will wander through the pines and make my way to nature's shrines - Abyssal Woods set, Part 0

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.

The Plants and the Animals Eat Each Other - Kingdom Death Lonely Tree and Slenderman

So, the Lonely Tree marks the very last Kingdom Death "monster" I had left to paint, before completing the first wave of expansions, and is one of the trickiest things to paint, since it's a modular kit.

I Wanted to Build an Empire to House the Machine to Kick His Ass - Astral Claws Armenneus Valthex

So, I decided not to let it stop me that Valthex has one of the dumpiest and most static character models that Forge World has ever produced.

(Next time, I'll tell you what I really think ;) )

A Light at the End - Kingdom Death Nemeses, etc. Also, custom gear.

Starting off, the Twilight Witch is one of my biggest disappointments with Kingdom Death's 1.5 Kickstarter: I think it, and the non-pinup "Twilight Cloak" survivor model, could so easily have been included as part of the postgame mechanics/gear, with a more interesting survivor addition than the young and old survivors, neither of which are especially mechanically relevant.

I liked this old design so much that I actually made a gear card for it: