Is that You, Santa Claus? - Kingdom Death Gold Smoke Knight and Campaign years 26-End

Here's some holiday cheer from an ancient fat guy trimmed in white fur who comes to judge all the little guys, once a season!

Indiana Jones... Or Lucas McCabe... Or Illinois Smith? - Sculpting project

It's fairly rare that I get such a specific conversion project... I got to browse a ton of Indiana Jones photos to get the style just right.

The Ghost of Kingdom Death 1.3 - The Watcher and campaign years 21-25

Remember when the Watcher was the Big Bad?

The Hunter-Hunter Hunter - Kingdom Death early survivors and monsters.

...which would be the Butcher, I guess.

Either way, I think these guys look pretty snazzy together. The Butcher and Screaming Antelope have a bit more pop than I've given them in the past, but are pretty similar to ones I've done before. I feel that I've gotten the Survivors and White Lion notably better tuned, specifically in lightening up their shadows a lot and giving the Lion some stronger texture.

Gone Fishin' - Kingdom Death Survivors and campaign years 16-20

Well, I've been away for a while: turns out, a trip, a nasty cold, and a bit of overworking can do that.

Starting off, a few survivors that didn't fit anywhere else.

Black Operations - Drukhari Mandrake Horde

Or, since they're figurines, would that be "hoard"?

Advanced Footwork - Kingdom Death survivors, and campaign years 10-15

The Brawler armor is one of my favorite little survivor kitbashes. The only actual cutting and sculpting was from adding the crest/rack thing to his back and adding a little musculature around his shoulders so he didn't look like a doll/action figure. However, I felt like I hit the right place with the slightly back-leaning upright boxing pose, that looks just a bit unnatural, despite being the best way to box.

Fearful Symmetry - Watchmen's Rorschach

When I saw that Knight was putting out a Watchmen set of miniatures, I knew I had to paint Rorschach's. I'm still on the fence about the others, since they're all based on the movie iterations, and those diverge more for the other characters, but, well, Rorschach was too classic to mess with.

Alcoholic Mythology? - Malifaux Yasunori

Yasunori's got to be one of the most colorful minis I've painted recently, and I was really happy with how he came out. Obviously, a lot of that's his wings/man transitions, which was something of an experiment to work on, but, I was very happy that I was able to control the color and shade well enough that it didn't come off as something bland, and there are a couple other models where I've done dull feather designs that I'm tempted to redo to get something this punchy going.

Pedomorphic Pachyderm - Kingdom Death Gorm Review

Who's a big boy? That's right! You're a big boy!

Time for a review of Kingdom Death's Gorm expansion.

From the Shadows - Dark Eldar Mandrake Test

While I thought a few of the original Dark Eldar kits, like their warriors, the vast majority of the line, especially the metals, just did nothing, and I was quite happy to see the Mandrakes, among others, basically get overhauled from the ground up.

A short one today, the first of those Mandrakes, which I'll be painting in large numbers, to see how the colors go down to be sure I didn't mess up a batch together. He's a mix of mostly traditional painting, with  just a little source lighting effects beyond the obvious bright points.

Don't Go Into the Jungle! - Pan Oceana Shock Army of Acontecimento, Part 2

The Drago just screams classic (modern? archetypal? post-Eva? maybe I should drop the descriptor) mecha to me.

Crowning Achievements - Kingdom Death Dragon King and Campaign Conclusion

It nearly slipped by me I'm hitting my 500th post... well, I had to do something a little bigger for that, didn't I? (Note the 35mm model on the bottom...)

Sewing Circle - Widow Weaver and Bandersnatch

The Widow Weaver's one of my favorite Malifaux models, and I was glad that the plastic version was 90%+ just a materials update.

Creepy Crawlies - Spidicules and Kingdom Death Campaign years 5.1-10

The Spidicules was one of my favorite minis from the first Kingdom Death KS. I've griped plenty about how impractical it turned out to be, which is why it's not still a favorite, but think it's a cool model, and think its little spiderlings are just charming, in an ugly sort of way. I'm particularly happy with how all their eyes came out.

Don't Go Into the Jungle! - Pan Oceana Shock Army of Acontecimento, Part 1

Before working on this, it was actually a fair bit since I'd painted any Infinity guys, and it was a nice reminder how much I like the line (except for those flimsy antennae).

Everybody Knows that the Bird is the Word - Codenames Review

I don't like "party games." I don't like yelling (or buzzers), interruptions, timers, or social stuff relying on poor information or hidden teams. That certainly doesn't mean I don't like having a good time in a social situation, and there are still plenty of times where I like things that become those things*, but what it actually comes down to is that I hate when those elements are essential to the game rules or the inevitable outcome, because I don't really like things that are that high energy.

So, when I had Codenames described to me as something along the lines of "There's lots of yelling and guessing who's the spy, and who doesn't like party games?!" I was skeptical, to say the least.  It basically sounded like the least enjoyable parts (most parts) of Taboo, Pictionary, and Bang!, rolled in to one mess, maybe with some Apples to Apples mixed in, where I'd tolerate a few rounds and then beg off.

Fortunately, that turned out to be a poor description of Codenames and, despite any reservations, in a few rounds, it became my favorite light-weight guessing game, which isn't saying a lot, but the fact that I actually bought a copy the next week does.

Given the game's popularity, I expect that party gamers are well aware of the game, but this strays well outside my normal interests and reviews as mostly a fan of strategy games and thematic games/RPGs, so is worth a review from a different perspective.

Wings of Shadow(?) - Nekima

The old metal Nekima is still a very impressive mini. She appropriately looks massive on the table with her huge wings and serious height, and I think just about every part of the old model fits a classic demon (or at least fantasy setting demon) look. She could have been a little beefier in demonstrating her complete lack of sublety, but Wyrd did give her some serious height and a fairly athletic build, so I can't complain much. (The horns are converted, but only because the kit was used and missing them, not because I felt they didn't fit.)

I went with a more natural/fleshy take on the equally-classic red & black demon color scheme, on some shiny black volcanic rock. As is often the case, my favorite bit of the model was getting to play around with the large surfaces of her wings, since it allowed me to get a bit more texture and personality into the model.

A New Light on the Horizon - Kingdom Death Gorm and Campaign (year 0- 5, modified)

So, I finally got around to painting some Gorm survivors.

Terror tactics - Night Lords Raptors

Continuing in my favorite mode for my Night Lords collection, these Raptors are a kitbash of a whole bunch of eras.

Me and My Shadow - Kirai Crew, second half

Continuing with my revisions on another person's paint job... I think the Seishin were a pretty cool improvement in second edition, and particularly like first pair for some unusually nice texturing on the part of Wyrd's digital sculptors.

It's Dangerous to Go Alone! - Messenger of Courage (Kingdom Death Link Homage Mini)

(Guess what game series I like, probably too much?)

Me and My Shadow - Kirai Crew, first half

So, I believe this is a first for me- heavily retouching someone else's paint jobs.

Magic from Within - Kingdom Death White Speaker and Snow the Savior

Two pretty diametrically opposed KD ladies, today.

Second String - Dark Souls Silver Knights

I really wanted to try to get some coldness into the Silver Knights, mostly to differentiate them from the other wholly-armored minis in the Dark Souls set, and to fit their apparently defining characteristic.

Cult of Personality - Carnac Commodus Conversion, and 8th Edition Astral Claws Thoughts

Okay, Commodus has been burdened with both some pretty awful mechanics and being named after an historical figure whose name looks like "toilet."

Before & After - Kingdom Death Aya Versions, and Analysis of the Kingdom Death Comic

 I really liked the little diorama of Beyond the Wall.

Angels of Death - Deathwatch Blood Angel and Dark Angel

Zameon Gydrael has a pretty classic Dark Angel sensibility, and really gave me a bit of nostalgia- I hadn't thought about my collection in years, but they were one of my two Marines armies when I was a young 'un.

I Guess You're Gonna Have to Go Wake Him Up Now - Dark Souls Titanite Demon

Okay, honestly, I never really understood these guys. Why are they missing their leg? I mean, sure, whatever, headless unnatural monsters, sure, but why a leg? Is this subtly explained in gear or did someone just think it was cool? Was it originally a specific boss and maybe it was unique or others were designed with other parts missing and slightly different stats, but it then got turned into an entire race of metal monsters that were missing their same leg? Are they supposed to be dismembered in the same way, or did they all have a design flaw, or maybe there was just a race of lightning monsters bred with only one complete leg because some necromancer was lazy and said "good enough." IDK, it's just bizarre, and not really in a way that fits my sense of horror or thinking outside the box, more... confusing, I guess, than anything else.

(If anyone actually has an answer, I'm genuinely curious, that wasn't just random banter for the sake of it...)

Okay, on to the model. With Dark Souls being practically monochrome, I've been playing with lots of slightly different hues- the Titanite Demon has a lot of purple and a little green in its shades, so that isn't color balancing issues you're seeing above, but how I painted it. I thought his texture turned out pretty neat.

A Deadly Realm - Complete Core Kingdom Death

So, I'm pretty darn happy with this collection.

Posthumanism in the Bayou - Neverborn Swamp Elementals

The Mysterious Emissary is pretty darn cool- I wasn't really a fan initially, but having assembled and painted one, I'm quite happy with how it turned out (I just wish its changelings and the ones it created were consistent designs... preferring these ones hugely over the prep school kids).

Command Restructuring - Astral Claws 2nd Company Command, for 8th Edition

My kitbash for Captain Corien Sumatris is one of my favorite Space marine models.

Party Time! - Dark Souls Player Classes

The Warrior's bulkiness is pretty appealing-- I think they're probably my favorite of the four base classes, with a pre-action pose and a fair bit of weight.

The Workers are Revolting! - Deathwatch Overkill Genestealer Aberrants and Hybrids

Yeah, yeah, I know, hardly a new pun...

In the Belfry - Dark Souls Gargoyle

I consider the Gargoyle to be one of the most iconic Dark Souls bosses, and was particularly happy about this big bad.

A Spring in Her Step - Kingdom Death Mage

This was a love-hate project. I think the model is gorgeous, and really enjoyed working on its palate, taking the conventional look and trying something very different through the pale lighting.

On the other hand, this model should have never been made in anything other than HIPS plastic: the fragility of the piece in resin was pretty much infuriating to work with, the second most frustrating I've worked on, and it's made me rethink buying any pretty little resin models.

Dungeon Romp - Warhammer Quest Silver Tower Review

Silver Tower is, well, as the title suggests, a bit of a romp. It's certainly in the tradition of a dungeon crawl, but simple and easy enough that it's a very casual experience.

Barbarian Hordes - Ral Partha Blood Drinkers

Another quick one-- this is the biggest unit I've painted in quite a long time! I'm a bit surprised to say that, despite the volume of dudes in this army, I'm still strolling along without going crazy--I think it says something about the old days of monopose models: while they're not as sophisticated as a lot of more modern styles, they actually have the right amount of detail to work with them in bulk that can keep things clear without getting too fiddly.

A New Lease on (un)Life - Starting Dark Souls with Hollows

Okay, I admit it: I've never actually beaten Dark Souls... or even gotten particularly far in it.

Pulling Strings- Zoraida and Her Puppets

This is the second Zoraida crew I've gotten to paint, and I still think Wyrd hit the proverbial nail on the head with this iteration.

Gloom and Doom - Silver Tower Elf Heroes

The Misweaver Siah is definitely the color scheme I'm most excited about for my Silver Tower set. I thought I got a pretty unusual set of colors to work together, and think that she's one of GW's better female models in general.

Taka no Dan - Kingdom Death Berserk Homage characters - Messenger of Humanity + conversion

Kingdom Death's first kickstarter actually reminded me that I'd never gotten through more than the first couple episodes of Berserk way back when I'd first kinda' watched it.

Spoils of War - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders, part 2

One bit I really like about working with heavy object source light is playing tricks with color saturation.

Orc, Orc, Orc! - More Ral Partha orcs

These guys have started to reach a critical mass where they actually look like an army-- I've done six units of these guys, and the mass is looking pretty cool, now!

Back With a Vengeance - Night Lords Revisions and Additions

So, there comes a time in basically every project that's allowed to sit around me long enough, that I decide I need to fix something.

A-Hunting We Shall Go - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders

Okay, I admit it-- when I was a young 'un, I always kinda wanted to do a Beastmen set when I played Mordheim, but had way too many gangs already. So, it was pretty neat when someone not only liked an object of my nostalgia, but wanted me to work on a group I'd never approached.

It Is Your... Destiny - Kingdom Death King's Man & Cursed Survivor

A pair of interrelated models, the game's been out for a while, but I'll still try not to spoil their relationship.

Command Structure - More Ral Partha Orcs!

Another batch of orcs! Most of these are Assault Hackers, though it also includes four Drillmasters (those would be the guys with stylishly larger armor and big hooks) and a unit of Bloodmaster command who are appropriately front and center.

Nurture and Nature - Kingdom Death Wet Nurse

First, in case you're not familiar, this would be a definite NSFW due to body horror and nudity... 

The Vanguard - Code Zero Anazi Dynasty Scouts (including review)

I had a lot of fun painting this unit from Garage Gaming's new Code Zero line. It's always pretty cool working with new lines others haven't already explored, and you can't get much newer than currently crowdfunding.

Light Up the Knight - Kingdom Death Warrior of the Sun Pinup and Percival the Black Knight

I was pretty darn happy with how this repaint came out-- a slight conversion to turn her top into more of a sleeveless thing than a corset, but basically I just repainted the Warrior of the Sun.