“Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs…” First, let me explain “why” I made this. Yes, “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie. The same as any of those Hallmark channel movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or “Elf.” I can feel my teeth rotting just mentioning that movie. Second, my wife…

We all keep knick-knacks and trinkets to make things from in the future. Whether it’s some small bit, like a dragon pendant I got from the Salvation Army for 50 cents or some cardboard forms that hold the latest tech device you ordered in.  The kind that would make good, simple buildings for Battletech or…

A Hellborn Troll WizKids’ Dungeons & Dragons: Nolzurs Marvelous Minis: Troll Recently, I checked the paint aisle at AC Moore to find the missing FolkArt Pickling Washes while my wife shopped for school play costume materials. Nearby I found FolkArt Ultra Dyes and picked up two colors to check out; Purple Rain and Pucker Up…

Spellcrow Miniatures’ MINOTAUR CONVERSION to MONK SPCM2001 > Designed and Sculpted by Marek Rurarz The WIP for this Conversion and Paint Job [on Reaper Forums] As I mentioned in the WIP, my buddy, @muddy, likes Minotaurs for his PCs.  This time he wanted at Monk for the 5E campaign he’s currently participating in.  He explicitly…

Starting Again Well, it’s been a while but I pulled the Dark Maiden from Reaper Miniatures and her subject of interest out and started working on them again. Specifically, I have added a flotation device and started the water layers. The water layers applied so far are: Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish to add a…

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Ral Partha AD&D Miniatures Frost Giant There are a great many times in the course of your hobby life when you might say, “F’ IT!” and throw your hands up in the air.  Then maybe walk away in disgust as something that you just spent hours on, days even, devolves into a smoking…

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Reaper Miniatures Fire Giant Jailor The Series continues with the merriest mini of the lot, the Bones 3 Fire Giant Jailor, joining the Joten Horde of Thrym! Now, after sitting on my desk since pulling him from his plastic bag and dry fitting him together, I’ve been considering what to do with him….

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Reaper Miniatures Goremaw The Blue Worm of Markshire As some of you may have seen, Goremaw has been sitting on my desk since we moved in and I received my Bones 3 order. Goremaw hanging with Kaladrax on my desk at work. I recently received another Kickstarter order that started me down my…

You’re all alone in the treasury of the old wizard’s tower. Or are you?… One of my co-workers loves to hang out on the beach of a state park on the shore of Seneca Lake called Sampson.  It was an old naval training base and now there’s a veteran cemetery out there as well.  She…

As I tend to do, I had a side basing project today for our Paint Day here in the Finger Lakes of New York. So I present the … Mountain Base w/ Marble Boulder. The pieces are obviously, Bark (from Mosser Lee Garden Gag), Marble stone (from Lowes, loose in the parking lot), Play Sand,…

Reaper Miniatures’ Mountain Troll The Skull Collector This Reaper Miniatures Mountain Troll, sculpted by Ben Siens, is inspired by the Abomination from Marvel Comics as seen in the early years of the Incredible Hulk.  The Abomination has an interesting overall look to his skin. It’s scaly and leathery, and naturally, green for a gamma irradiated…

Reaper Miniatures Mountain Troll Scaly Abomination The ball keeps rolling, so next up direct from the shelf of shame is Reaper Miniature’s Mountain Troll, sculpted by Ben Siens, that looks like he escaped from an episode of He-man.  I spent a decent amount of time cleaning the mold offset this guy suffered from … see?…

Reaper Miniatures Young Swamp Dragon Copper Dragon on Marbled Tiled Hex Base At the monthly Paint Day I host in Seneca Falls, NY … Finger Lakes Paint and Game Day … a Reaper forumite came up for a visit from down near NYC.  He brought with him some great pieces of marble tiles that were…

Reaper Miniatures Gauntfield Harrow, Reidlar of Terror I bought Gauntfield to specifically use him as my terrifying Reidlar (embodiment of emotions/thoughts), Harrow, for my custom campaign, Markshire.  The miniature was perfect for the character … a detailed scarecrow with a scythe and a bag of bones and other tidbits who pulls unwary adventurers and children…

Reaper Miniatures Frulla Krung The Frost Giantess Frulla Krung was chosen as the next project by popular vote on the Reaper Miniatures forums.  The miniature was sculpted by Sandra Garrity and the base was composed of a piece of slate, sand, ballast, and bark.  You can see for yourself in the WIP post. The miniature…

I’ve been thinking about this since I got back into a regular amount of miniature work. Specifically with regards to skin tone triads for various monstrous races. What do you choose for a creature with blue skin, like a Frost Giant? I know a lot of painters determine a middle or base color and then…

Reaper Miniatures Frulla Krung The Frost Giantess In the continued effort to clear off the shelf of shame … er, clear off some of the miniatures that were “started” and have been sitting on the shelf of shame for some time … I have grabbed Frulla Krung, Frost Giantess from Reaper Miniatures. She was simply…

Hordes of Things Jabberwocky Roving the Streets ~ Daughter’s Christmas Gift ~ Okay, so I started painting this shortly after I gave it to my daughter for Christmas … 2014.  He languished in a box, in my kit, on and off for the last two years. A while back I pulled him out and applied…

[pt_view id=”3641b11q9b”] Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Fire Giant Stalking the Steps This 25mm scale Fire Giant isn’t humongous by today’s miniature line standards but he has a lot of character.  The sculptors, Chaz Elliot and then apprentice, Jason Wiebe, put a lot of great detail into this fellow.  I personally love the…

Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Fire Giant Stalking the Steps Surtur’s son is coming along nicely through the initial WIP. After the last post he received some detailing. Starting with Reaper Terran Khaki “highlights” to his eyebrows, sideburns and topknot scalp line. After that I blended them in to soften the transition a…

Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Fire Giant Stalking the Steps This is another old mini that has been sitting on the shelf of shame for some time. I removed the integral base. I liked his pose but not where he was looking, so I wanted to have him stalking someone while walking up…

Reaper Miniatures’ Giant Mountain Troll The Old Troll and the Boar I cleaned, repaired and repainted a long time baddy from our gaming sessions, Reaper’s Giant Mountain Troll. He had fallen to the floor a few times over the years and had a gloss coat instead of a matte coat for a sealer. So he…

Reaper Miniatures’ Hellborn Troll On a Plane of Volcanic Glass This brute of a troll obviously has some extra-planar blood coursing through his veins. He walks the wasteland of his abyssal home across sheets of volcanic glass that stretch unending. Dust flows around his footsteps and he holds aloft a large shard of the glass…

It’s a Giant Troll From Hell! Reaper Miniatures’ Hellborn Troll sculpted by Ben Siens (available in Bones now) is a demonic version of the Hulk with 3 fingers and a really bad case of acne dermal plating on his back. I painted him a while ago to about 2/3rds finished. And in a recent spat…

Reaper Miniatures’ Lunkh The Hill Giant and the Silver Dragon Egg If you haven’t figured it out by now, I enjoy giants, and I have prolly said as much here more than once. There are many more giants in the queue that is my shelf of shame. However, I am doing my damnedest to move…

My long time generic bad guy, the Giant Mountain Troll sculpted by Sandra Garrity from Reaper Miniatures, came out of the carry box to get cleaned, repainted, and repaired.  His nose suffered a long drop to the floor which flattened his bulbous nose considerably. Stock photo from the Reaper’s online catalog.   His paint has…

Reaper Miniatures’ Gauntfield, Necropolis Hero as Harrow “Reidlar of Terror” from Markshire :: Kingdom of Ice Given that it’s fall here in the Finger Lakes of New York and with leaves still turning and falling from the trees, I really wanted to do a pile of leaves at Gauntfield’s feet. I buried part of his…

Reaper Miniatures’ Ogre Mage “Master Phthalo” I picked up this guy a while ago. He’s an actual lead miniature from the Reaper P-65 Heavy Metal line that was later discontinued. The Bones material is much cheaper and far easier to cut and convert. (White Metal Version) Not long after I got him, I based him…

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] “Lunkhead” The Egg Thief I pulled another miniature off the wall of shame, Reaper Miniatures’ Lunkh, Hill Giant.  Amusingly, it’s another of Jason Wiebe’s sculpts, so there are tons of detail on it. He’s mostly finished and you can see the process in the WIP below. I started out with lining the tan…

After a lengthy battle, I stood triumphant over the defeated form of my enemy … Procrastination!  I got into the details and clean up of the Ogre Mage from Reaper’s discontinued lead line, P-65 Heavy Metal.  You can still get the mini in in some locations that have older stock or you can get the…

It’s the surfing samurai ogre mage … er … just my P-65 Heavy Metal Ogre Mage. The P-65 Heavy Metal was a remake of Reaper’s original mixture of lead and tin alloy.  This one is 60% lead and 40% tin alloy.  The government banned the use of lead in products and then revised that law…

Reaper Miniatures’ Gauntfield, Necropolis Hero as Harrow Reidlar of Terror from Markshire :: Kingdom of Ice To continue the work on Harrow, I started off by lining the scarecrow with Reaper Grey Liner.  I basecoated the tree with Reaper Rattlesnake Leather (promo color) and then edged the bark with Reaper Palomino Gold. His hat is…

Reaper Miniatures’ Gauntfield, Necropolis Hero as Harrow Reidlar of Terror from Markshire :: Kingdom of Ice A long time ago, I made a campaign world for D&D called Markshire.  I’ve prolly mentioned it before on here.  It touches a lot of what I do creatively.  In 2005, my friends and I created this campaign world…

Reaper Miniatures’ Eando Kline Generic Adventurer! Eando Kline, from Reaper Miniatures, is a static posed classic character who could be any one of a number of classes in your RPG. Here he’s still very much generic with his crimson jacket, yellow-green packs, and griffon tan hair. He stands atop a Scibor Miniatures Royal Lions resin…

Working on the Undead Dwarf from Stonehaven Miniatures using a slotted base from the same company.  The resin base is flagstone and has a skeleton hand coming out of the ground. I enjoy dwarves.  Unfortunately, I missed the Kickstarter for the Stonehaven dwarves.  I traded for the set.  And their undead dwarf is my favorite. …

Eando Kline from Reaper Miniatures is a great passive posed miniature.  He is loaded for a full adventure be it a dungeon delve or a trip to a lost temple.  With so many details it was hard to figure out where to begin. First, this is a Bones miniature so the removal of lines, etc….

I frequently post to Facebook or a forum about the stuff I find at a craft store on a given visit.  My trips to a craft store aren’t frequently project specific.  My wife and I go to the stores when we are out for other reasons or she might have a project she needs to…

A while ago I saw Anne Cooper’s repaint of the Marvel Frost Warrior from HeroClix.  It is an amazing job.  Please take a moment to appreciate the piece. Before I continue, I want to state that I am in no way comparing what I do with this miniature to Anne’s.  Hers is really amazing.  I…

After chatting with my good buddy, Ub3r over at Ub3r’s Ubsession, I decided on a Copper Dragon with a darker “bronze” body and more coppery wings and scales for the type of dragon and marbled tiled floor with green and off-white for the tile colors.     I finished rebuilding the right hind leg with…

I decided to start a project based on a piece my friend, Knarthex, gave me at the Finger Lakes Paint Day last Saturday. It was a neat piece of white marble in the shape of a hexagon that was intended to be used for floor tiles.  One side of the hex is glued to string…

Long before I held my first fantasy miniature I was introduced to the Model Railroad hobby.  My father built a small set in our basement where I could stand up straight and he had to bend down a bit… I was twelve or thirteen. The table and track was rather simply setup on a 4′…

THESINKING KEEP  continued The Parapet Construction began at Finger Lakes Paint Day on the coffee lid into a proper Parapet. I added a cardboard rim under the lid to insert into the tower and bolstered that with cork. Then added a wooden round to the top of the lid and added another cardboard rim around…

Okay, prototype number one completed.  Time for another. THESINKING KEEP So after reviewing the previous thread other ideas I decided I really want to make the keep. I found the six-inch cork round and roughed in the water and then cut away the cork where I had drawn water in the picture.  Then after finding…

After a lot of work and patience … not to mention delays for surgery and rehab … I present to you … The Old Way! For Sale on: For Sale on: If you followed the WIPs (WIP 1 & WIP 2) then you know the story behind the piece but here’s a revised summary ……

Previously I started a base, dubbed “The Old Way,” built from a cork round normally used for coasters or plant mats.  From that point I roughed out the bit of terrain by adding more cork, sand, Sculpey flagstones and more. I moved on to more detailed additions. First I added some red foliage.  Alright, some…

The Old Way. I can’t count the times I’ve read a book or story with “The Old Road” in it.  You know the one … with perfectly paved stones and only a century has finally brought it close to becoming overgrown.  The concept is pretty popular with some fantasy / sci-fi authors who use a…

New base WIP. I started in on a cork round 4 inches in diameter. I removed the cork to reveal two levels. Then started painting the surfaces.  The upper levels got a basecoat of Reaper Midnight Blue.  The lower level got Walnut Brown. Then I used an orange, Vallejo Amarantha Red around the edges of…

I gotta say I really enjoy Reaper’s Midnight Black. Here’s the bull basecoated in Midnight black and then the scales are edged with Cryx Bane Base. I’m gonna add a glow to his eyes and perhaps dry brush his belly with an alternate color but for now I like where it is. So here’s a…

Reaper Miniatures’ Bones Ankheg with Metallic Chitin on Flagstone Base When I decided to work on this miniature it was because the base was already made and I liked the idea of something coming out of it, so I went with Reaper’s Ankheg. As a Bones mini it was easy to remove pieces of the…

While I frequent my “local” game stores on a fairly regular basis it’s always nice to check out new locations.  My wife and I traveled to Saratoga Springs, NY this week for her teachers conference at the Hudson Valley Community College on the Common Core.  We treated it as a mini-vacation except I had the…

We cut lots of wood and leave lots of pieces in the scrap bin. Well, we just processed a beautiful seasoned branch of oak and cut it every which way right up to the very last piece, the spot where it was cut from the body of the tree. For some reason I spent a…

Sanding Files Not long ago I had visited Hobby Lobby and as usual I went to the section where the sanding needles are.  I hadn’t used all of my last batch by any means but was thinking ahead. I came across these sanding files in the same location… Medium Grit Sanding Files (120/240 grit): They…

On My Table Thrym’s Table has a ton of different projects on it at any given time. So I decided to show some other little projects   … some for Markshire Studios and others for gaming. Wargaming Terrain My buddy, Eric the Farmer, dropped a Honey Locust tree recently and scavenged some thorns to check out…

KAGUNKSon of the Magi So after an absence while working on some business options here’s Kagunk of the blue-based skin. He’s standing on a WoldStand Spalted Oak Round.   Detail Shots: Close up of the head neck where I layered Tanned Shadow over Vallejo Deep Sky Blueand then brought in highlights with Tanned Skin mixed…

Another great piece of Bark found amidst the remains of a local Ent of the Black Walnut tribe.  This “mitt” is 8.75 inches long x 5.5″ inches wide at it’s peak points. Like the custom ordered piece, Treant Mitt 1 (WIP 1 & WIP 2), I’ll sand this down and clean it up.  Currently, it…

Want to place your own custom order?Visit http://markshirestudios.com Here’s the second WIP for this project and the end of my involvement.  I’ll post a link to the customer’s progress later. As with most wood pieces that you are finishing, the first step of each round is to sand the piece.  After coating the smooth side…

Been a while, so back to it.  Been focusing on the business and my wood miniature base line, +WoldStand, at http://markshirestudios.com, and not so much on the hobby.  Today I am combining the two a bit.  The following is a custom order for my buddy, Ub3r N3rd, for a Black Walnut Bark Display Base.  Or…

For Finger Lakes Paint Day, a monthly paint day I host at the office, I spent all my time on getting Kagunk, the Ogre Chieftain, near to completion. I’ve discovered a new favorite color … Reaper’s Promo color from ReaperCon 2014’s grab bag … Rattlesnake Leather. Let me point out all the places I used…

This is just a photo update.  Nothing special, some details.  Need to dedicate some more time to just painting but … anyway … photos: Worked on the chain armor and the scale plates. More chain armor and the shield. The majority of the work went into the Shield. Added Reaper Pure Silver over the blue…

Damn.  Kickstarter’s getting me again.  Time to promote them all then. Reaper Miniatures :: CAV : Strike Operations CAV: Strike Operations is a project to bring to life the CAV Universe with an all-new game edition and high-quality plastic figures. Even if you don’t like the mechs or the system … get in on this…

Resumption of work.  Been busy starting a new business online: WoldStand Display Bases.  So hopefully I will get more work done. I know it’s not a huge update but I trimmed the ice shield with more blue.  It will get washed with some metal color … just not sure what yet. I also added his…

I find it interesting as I have progressed with this project that I liked the method of the under-coat bright color more. I also realized why I tried this. Like the bright red that my buddy, ub3r n3rd, used on his barbarian dude, the bright blue gives the ogre a tone but in the ogre’s…

Yes, I have a lot of WIPs.  Big whoop.  What’s one more?  When you have nearly a 1,000 20 minis any paint is good. So here is Reaper’s Kagunk, Ogre Chieftain and he’s trying out a new look.  Well for me anyway. I basecoated his skin in blue. Vallejo Deep Sky Blue Then started blending…

Switching from ideas (Wyrmgear 1 & Wyrmgear 2) on what to do with Wyrmgear.  Okay, Test One… begin. I have a set of cookie cutters that are hex shaped.  The largest of which make a hex that doesn’t quite make it to the edges of my WoldStand Display Base.So I rolled out some Sculpey and…

Way back when I posted a few cool finished pieces of wood from a local vendor to the blog and talked about how I would use them on miniatures. Display Bases:  Finished Wood Crosscuts Recently, I decided to build on that. I wanted to bring these unique items to the miniature enthusiasts at large, so…

Below are the primed pictures of the weapon conversion for the minotaur. It ships out tomorrow.  Cross your fingers it arrives unscathed. To read about how I made this… http://goo.gl/P9rfrp

A buddy of mine decided to get into painting miniatures and checked with me about it.  He wasn’t sure what to get and since I have over 500 miniatures I said I’ll send you ten or so miniatures. He spent a whole week going on about it.  I showed him the Bones listings on Reaper’s…

Round 2:  Basecoats Pyre Troll got Reaper Spattered Crimson as a skin basecoat and I did the flames in white so I could see them all and so they could be nice and bright when I paint them. The Ice Golem got primed white after some Green Stuff sanding.  I then basecoated him in Vallejo…

This is a WIP for two minis that really don’t have anything to do with one another game wise or even really project wise, except one is fire-based and the other is ice-based. So Thrym’s Table proudly presents: BATTLE ROYAL :: FLAME vs. FROST IN THIS CORNER … HAILING FROM PRIVATEER PRESS … WITH FISTS…

I bought the Monster Manual II (published 1983) not long after it was released.  I was still in junior high.  But ever since … Grippli have run amok among our adventure campaigns as player characters.  They’ve fascinated each and every person who has witnessed them in action ever since. I spent two weeks about 5-6…

Painting In Memorium, Amalor Myrnnyx*: Fellow Reaper Forumites decided to honor Amalor Myrnnyx: “On March 7, 2014 Long time member and prolific painter, not to mention inspiration and friend to many, Amalor Myrnnyx; passed away. He was always ready to participate in painting challenges, both here, and in the Battletech community as well. Best known…

The work was set aside to finish Hulkbuster as well as the Hellborn Paladin for the Reaper Forums Winter Exchange. However I have put some work into this piece.  I had reviewed this project a bit with Cash (The Wiley Brush blog) at Paint Day and finished fixing some bits on Ezren this last week….

I know a great many people who use journals.  I don’t mean writing down our daily thoughts about what happened to us.  I mean keeping track of that which we thought of at that moment so that we may remember it later. Over the course of my life, I’ve had many a conversation where an…

Marvel Golem Team Up It’s been a fun project to work on but I’ve exhausted plausible minis to add to this and I only have one matching base left anyway.  I hope everyone enjoyed the concepts and methods I employed.  I learned a lot about maintaining a style across the group.  So as a wrap…

Here’s the final member of my Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: Hulkbuster Iron Man! Built from Reaper Miniatures’ Bones Large Earth Elemental, this miniature has been converted to match my Marvel Golem series.   You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team and please give Hulkbuster a thumbs…

Reaper Miniature’s Bones: Vaeloth, Hellborn Paladin Vaeloth was chosen to be my Winter Exchange piece for … certain person yet to be revealed … and when I decided on him, I spent a little time working out what I wanted to do for a scheme for him. Firstly, I knew I didn’t want a classic…

A quick update on Vaeloth for my exchange. Spent a bit of time working out what colors I want to paint the Hellborn. Initial Basecoat: The red is Reaper’s Fresh Blood, except the epulets holding the wolf cloak which are Gory Red.  Reaper New Gold on the shield top and the hand guard on the…

In this work in progress I try out the “cork” terrain under Reaper’s Vaeloth, Hellborn Paladin from their Bones line. Not pictured below is the initial setup.  The lowest portion of the base is a 1-inch plastic tile.  Using a broken piece of wall mount cork squares I’ve had for nearly 25-30 years I matched…

I stop at a gas station most every morning I work to get two sodas for the day.  I am NOT a coffee drinker.  I keep a case of Orange Juice at work for my morning drink and then drink one or both sodas over the day.  All of you health nuts can shut up…

After watching videos and researching over the weekend, I decided to try out a Water Effect for this vignette.  A Water Effect is a gel-based medium placed on the surface of a model or they can hang after drying separately as waterfalls and the like.  The guys on Reaper had some links of interest that…

Reaper Miniatures forumites hold paint exchanges and paint excuse challenges frequently.  A new one caught my fancy because I like the concept of using non-fantasy miniature related stuff to inspire what I create with the miniatures I have. Girot created the Randomness Painting Contest of painting a miniature based on a Song.  Read about it…

I’ve never been one to keep the original packaging on some of the stuff I’ve gotten over the years. Some were box sets so those boxes still exist and transport stuff around. Possibly even the original miniatures. Things like the old Ral Partha blisters though? Nah. That makes it a bit harder to create a…

After contemplating the previous attempts to create rock striations and patterns I decided to do some work towards “dirtying” him up a bit.  Thus below you will find the upper torso, upper arms, head and abdomen are now “dirty.” I also did some color on the “chest arc” or gem.  I added a greenish yellow…

The Secret Sophie exchange came up and I jumped in to participate twice to cover for odd number. The first one went out to Kay13 in Australia. The Bones Owlbear Special thanks to those who mentioned using straight pins to adjust drooping Bones minis, including MiniCannuck. I shoved a pin up the Owlbear’s single leg…

Had a quiet evening for a change, so I got started on adding detail to Hulkbuster beyond the sculpting.  I began with the largest sections of stone on his chest. First though, I checked around Google images for rock patterns in red with some striations that I liked. I found this guy: In the image…

I recently got the Learn To Paint Kit #3 (Intermediate: Non-Metallic Metal) from Reaper Miniatures and it included Palomino Gold.  I had been dreading creating a proper gold for the Hulkbuster from craft paint yellows that can’t cover or mixing a complicated series of drops from 5 or more bottles to get the correct color….

Here’s the sixth member of my Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: Thanos! You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team and please give Thanos a thumbs up in the Inspiration Gallery. Bonus Images The last of the Marvel Golems are done. Just needed a classic comic cover to…

The delay in getting back to and finishing Thanos has been long but there were other worthy efforts delaying him.  But return was inevitable and so here’s the work to date on the big blue guy. When last we saw Thanos he was a large gloss black covered prepared mini but since he’s… Gotten Blue:…

It’s What to Write Wednesday and I am continuing my test project for Reaper’s Wyrmgear and the use of Happy Seppuku stamps to make a Steampunk base for him.  Okay, it’s not quite Wednesday but I missed one or two and the Thanksgiving holiday keeps me busy. I bought some of Tim Holtz’s gears and…

 I originally decided to make this a surprise for the Finger Lakes Paint Day crew but I really, really wanted to make a WIP for this so … here. we. go! The Seventh Marvel “Golem” I’ve enjoyed making all of the various Reaper Bones Stone Golems I’ve collected since the release of their first Kickstarter…

Once again I’ve left the diorama to sit while another project came up for the Halloween Contest at ReaperMini.com.  However, I did manage to prime the whole thing.  I did add some sand to the pit wall and smooth it out to do some texturing and fill. So here’s some pictures using my new fiery…

Straight from his successful tour of the Reaper Miniatures Bones II Kickstarter map… MR. BONES II “Walking for Pledges ’13”   The diorama was part-and-parcel with the concept of the miniature from the get go.  Just thought I was behind getting it done for the Reaper Halloween Painting Contest. Mr. Bones is removable from the…

During the creation of Mr. Bones II from the now finished Bones II Kickstarter by Reaper Miniatures, I realized that I had the perfect base and pieces to recreate a scene from Mr. Bones’ stretch goal map. So using the cemetery and mansion areas of the map, I have made a small display diorama for…

Reaper Miniatures’ MR. BONES Converted to Mr. Bones II from the Bones II Kickstarter Here’s what he looked like in the Kickstarter Game Board for Stretch Goals: As you may recall from the Reaper Miniatures Forums WIP Thread for this, the issue with converting Reaper Miniatures Mr. Bones I to their Mr. Bones II is…

There’s Still Time! That’s right, the Bones II Kickstarter is winding up for the final rush.  If you haven’t heard about it by now get there.  If you have heard about it, what are you waiting for?  As you can see in my Kickstarter section above there are two others I have pledged for.  But…

Gonna play with the lighting and get a better focus but here’s the last shots of Mr. Bones II before sending him off to the +Reaper Miniatures Halloween Contest:   I think I’ve hit everything I want to get done and have cleaned and re-cleaned him.  So, I’ll mess with my settings and re-shoot him tomorrow…

Mr. Bones II got some additional shading this weekend and I started on his diorama.  He’ll be removable so I can use him as needed.  I like the Halfling Necromancer idea. It’s setup on a wood color sample with some additional base pieces for the Bonesylvania path.  I also added a Bones piece (cut from…

I know it’s been a while since I last updated my Work In Progress titled “Altar of Blood.”  First, the poured rock wall pedestal for the altar was my first time working with Dental Stone and it took forever for it to set completely.  I stashed it next to my dehumidifier and left it there…

It’s What to Write Wednesday and I conduct a test.  A culmination of Kickstarters and local sourcing has lead to an idea.  Having participated in both the first +Reaper Miniatures Bones Kickstarter and the Happy Seppuku Putty Texture Stamp Kickstarter I have determined that combined with some locally sourced wood products I can make the…

A couple of runs … First with the glow in the dark base against black background: And another pass to deepen the shading and highlighting against a white background: WIP 2 | 1

In the latest from the very successful (see widget at right) Kickstarter from +Reaper Miniatures a bonus Stretch Goal appeared from nowhere to be added to the Core Set.  At a measly $1,615,000, Reaper will add to the Core Set a 2 ounce bag of 1″ round bases (approx. 50). A nice touch as last…

It’s What to Write Wednesday again and for this W3 I decided to review one of my favorite tools … the Pin Vise with Micro-Files. I found this utensil at a local train centric hobby shop.  It’s a combination of a pin vise and micro files.  A perfect device for miniature preparation. The first time…

I got the basecoat over the conversion using Walnut Brown. So tonight Mr. Bones got his first layer of color: The bag is Oiled Leather and his robe is Sapphire Blue.  The bones are Linen White and the tunic and lantern are Sun Yellow so far.  The lantern will need some additional layers. Without shading…

Okay, finally had a chance to pay attention on the Reaper forums and make an entry for a contest.  So, since I want another Mr. Bones based on the new Bones II Kickstarter character I decided to make my own version.  So the original Mr. Bones lost his shovel and stopped pointing at people.  Now…

  It has begun.  Hell, it’s already passed the $500,000 mark and is on it’s way to record breaking monies again. There are the same type of 30 base minis for the Bones II Core Set similar to the Bones I and a set of 24 Bonus Figures to go with it. The stretch goals…

Here’s the fifth member of my Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: Colossus! You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team and please give him a thumbs up in the Inspiration Gallery. Work In Progress Posts:18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |…

Check out Reaper Minis for the countdown! Are You In?

Okay, so you’ve seen Mr. Silver prepped. Well now, he’s banded. First run of Blue Steel (honed steel mixed with blue liner) banding over him. Have a look: He looks fairly cool like that. But I think I will run a couple more layers of lining to get it darker and then make thin dark…

Here’s the fourth member of my Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: Doctor Doom! “Before this day is ended, mankind shall grovel helplessly at my feet — and, as fate has obviously ordained — Doctor Doom shall be Master of Earth!” You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team and please…

Here’s the third member of my +Reaper Miniatures Bones, Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: The Hulk! You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team on Reaper and please give him a thumbs up in Reaper’s Inspiration Gallery.  Hanging out with the Thing and Juggernaut: Work In Progress Posts:17 |…

Paint Day in the Finger Lakes yields a considerable amount of time to get some work in on my Marvel Golem team. First, I jumped on getting Doctor Doom basecoated with Honed Steel for his “armor” and Leaf Green for his “tunic/hood” and he looks very Doom-like. Then I got back to Colossus and cleaned…

Here’s the second of my +Reaper Miniatures Bones, Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: The Juggernaut!   You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team on Reaper and please give him a thumbs up in Reaper’s Inspiration Gallery.  Hanging out with Thing: Past Posts: WIP 15 | 14 | 13…

The next three golems’ skins are basecoated and here’s a quick update picture. Colossus, Hulk and Juggernaut Remember to vote for the Fifth Golem’s Character:   Marvel Golem WIP 15: Number Five is Alive Voting ends at midnight tonight (Sunday, 9/8).

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’s here: Number Five! I bought another one with the LTPK 4. But which HE is it? Medium Gray with Blue (Thanos) Purple w/ Blue (Sentinel/Galactus) Red w/ Gold (Ironman) Bright Blue w/ Red (Captain America) Dark Blue w/ Yellow (Beast) Gunmetal Gray w/ Green (Doom) I like the idea of a blue one.  We…

I try to write about something miniature-related each week, whether it is about a Work In Progress (WIP) or Showing Off a miniature, diorama, or other finished piece.  Now I am going to try upping my game and write a post for Wednesdays.  I’ll try not to cheat and post one of the above items….

Here’s the first of my Marvel Stone Golems Team Up: The Thing!     You can find more about the Work In Progress on all of the Marvel Team on Reaper and please give him a thumbs up in Reaper’s Inspiration Gallery. Past Posts: WIP 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |…

The Hunt for Color I spent some time working on colors for Hulk and Juggernaut. The colors I used originally for the upper half of the big guys were both mixes and while I did note the mix, I have since lost the colors.  So I spent some time making a chart from colors I…

Spent some time on the new Myconid Cephalopod (MC) tonight.  Finally had a chance to bend some wire and make some tentacles. I bent the wire in the middle to form a heavy pin of sorts and then flexed the ends to get the “pose” of the tentacles for MC.  Once I had what I…

I haven’t posted in a short while and honestly I haven’t gotten much done in that time so there’s not much to “post home about” so to speak.  However, I have lurked. I use a feed program, www.feedly.com, to aggregate the various blog posts I follow to my phone/computer and keep up with what most…

After releasing the finished version of the Myconid Cephalopod I got to thinking about it. Should I make one attacking?  Does this thing have a mouth or does it place the bodies of its victims around itself to slowly draw nutrients away from the new fertilizer?  If that’s the case perhaps I need some skeleton…

+Anne at O’Leary Miniatures shared a link to Laughing Ferret’s blog which seems to be centered around Warhammer Army building and Blood Bowl teams.  Two things I am not specifically interested in but it’s always cool to see how people build them and put together various monsters, men and machines to field an army or…

Watching a Pot of Water Boil, Watching Grass Grow, Watching Stone Dry … you decide which is more painful to do.    Okay, I know I posted the pictures a while ago of the mold form, the pour and the removal from the form and even a “dry-fit” of the various parts, so what’s been…

Here it is the finished ten-foot-tall Myconid Cephalopod.  This strange critter lies in wait luring unsuspecting underground miners or adventurers close with its seemingly harmless glowing cap and then using both of its ten-foot-long tentacles it will rend you in half. Wish I had lighting to make give this an underground look but here are…

I got the latest golem all primed with his Wrought Iron Black. He’s all rubberized for his Colossus paint job. Enjoy. Past Posts: WIP 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

It’s been a while since I worked on this mainly because the bugger disappeared for a bit. When I found it I realized what I had really made …  Myconid Cephalopod: Everyone remember the Roper? Well this is similar, it’s a mushroom with two cephalopods.  The tentacles are the long ones that rest out in…

Here he is … the Stainless Steel X-man: The Colossus I traded with Jarlis for him.  If you want to see more Golems turned Marvel Golems, shoot me a PM. Perhaps I can get him rubberized … er, primed tomorrow.

Let us start right out with … I am a total newb when it comes to casting with plaster, etc. There.  That said, the following is a look at how I made the core of my pit wall for my diorama. Building the form.  I made a rough outline of the slate pieces from the…

So I took a bit and edited the photo of the Blood Lich from my previous post. I added larger altar pylons that will have small bead globes at the top that I will do an OSL for them. Then I add a rim to the blood altar’s bowl with a spout off the front….

Last night was the first night in a while that I haven’t HAD to go back to work.  Not the first night I’ve not bothered to go back to work.  There’s a difference.  I’m salaried, so when work needs to get done … you go and do it … unless you are physically exhausted, then…

Nearly there… The Thing! [still a stone golem] Some Reaper Paints made it on to Grimm here thanks to LTPK1.. Sapphire Blue Carnage Red Intense Brown Along with some mixes from other sources. Also, a variety of techniques. Couldn’t begin to lay it all out because I got in the zone painting. Hulk and Jug…

A variety of wooden disks, raw cedar (bottom left), a burl (bottom right) and two crosscuts with bark on them still (top right), and a straight cut piece Igot for free because she liked what I was doing with them and it had chainsawscrapings on the opposite side. The fiancee and I drove down (45…

The Thing gets some shading and details. The “4” on his belt buckle is a smidge of a joke.  I plan some kind of 2d bauble there. He needs some clean up and a wash then he’ll be next to finished.

Here’s Juggernaut or Red Hulk depending on how shading goes.  Basecoat is a desaturared red.  A mix if RMS Carnage Red, Delta Ceramcoat Tompte Red and Delta Soy Red Clay as well as Vallejo Stencil. Trying the basecoat is my highlight method on all of these. Did this before dinner, tacos, tonight at Family Game…

The Thing basecoated: And now the start of The Hulk:

Some one suggested a Sentinel.  Nice.  That allows for a purple golem.  Just need more Golems. If I do get more golems, whether in trade or when they add them to the store future ones could include: Silver w/ Red (Colossus) Medium Gray with Blue (Thanos) Purple w/ Blue (Sentinel/Galactus) Red w/ Gold (Ironman) Bright…

I had some time tonight finally to at least finish blocking out Thing’s orange segments. Work has calmed down … a smidgen … so hopefully my whole weekend won’t be shot and I can get some painting in. Perhaps I can at least basecoat the blue tomorrow and start on the hulk basecoating.

Okay back to the interactive parts of this WIP. The heroes in question all have specific colored pants – Thing gets Blue, Hulk gets Purple, Red Hulk/Iron Man/Juggernaut gets … have to think about that. Wrist bands … same thing as pants perhaps or “chain” metal. But what to do with the “helmet” heads.  I…

— Cash Wiley — Red Hulk is kind of a hero now, in Thunderbolts with Elektra, Deadpool, Spiderman and Punisher. http://static.comicv…bolts_1_cvr.jpg I’ve recently gotten back into reading comics, the Marvel Now stuff has some really nice books going. Wow, I really need to catch up on my Marvel lore … um … Spidey has a…

I received a bunch of suggestions for various Marvel superheroes and villains. Responses to suggestions on Reaper: Red Hulk was initially considered and is an obvious color choice. I also considered Juggernaut (Brown), Thanos (Slate Gray to Blue) and Grey Gargoyle (Light Gray) Thanks for the suggestions.  I was really hoping to stick to Heroes…

Here’s the start of TheThing! I did get his upper half done as well as his hands.  Sadly, my phone ran out of juice. Off to bed.   More tomorrow.

Been staring at the Bones Stone Golems, 77171, and wondering what to do with them. Ran ideas around and round … starting with the Jade Golem from vulture … pulled some greens to consider as well as other alternate colors for golems. Onyx, Jade, Rudy, Topaz … gem stones? Hmmm. Rock.  Rock facets.  So I…

Jabberwockyby Lewis Carroll(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872) `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,  And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  The frumious Bandersnatch!” He took his vorpal…

Okay.  Final WIP pictures: This morning after crashing early last night, I got up early and manage not much: I added white to the eyes and tan shadows to the teeth. However, after out of work late, picking up the chicken and corn for birthday dinner, picking up everyone including the Jabberwocky, heading over to…

Ran out of juice yesterday and went to bed early. So gonna have to work on him this morning before work and then Dullcote him after work unless I manage to power through highlighting and details this morning. *** Worked on him some before work.  Not as much as I would have liked. Will have…

Here he is with his purple glaze: Sorry for the poor lighting.  Will see about better lighting later. More highlights and shadowing later.  Along with details, Horns, Eyes, Teeth and Claws.  And veining … the wings have veins. Which is somewhat weird considering that those types of surface details don’t exist elsewhere on the figure. …

Yup, primed white.  Which I managed when I got home this afternoon. I am working a bit tonight so to break up the night I brought him in for basecoating. First base coat done … underside and wings.  I went with Rose and Vallejo Stencil mixed equally to get the pink-purple start point. Took the…

I got home last night and attached the wings. First I glued them into the designated spaces with super glue.  However, the wings are too thin I couldn’t easily pin them, so I bolstered the super glue with some green stuff. This afternoon, I will file the heels and the wing joins down and smooth…

Okay, Leanne … TURN AROUND AND LEAVE THIS TOPIC.  J/K. She’s not on the forums.  I think. Anyway, the Jabberwocky in question is not the Bones Jabberwock from the Kickstarter.  Those disappointed may want to stick around anyway. Feel free to comment or point and snicker. Here it is: I got this on the holiday…

Here are the primed shots … or glamour shots.

I came across the start of a conversion from the last time my group played Battletech. The battlemech in question comes in several pieces and the stock look for the mech is firing platform on two leg-shaped struts:  example of a well painted version in a stock pose (not painted by me) Now the idea…

A long time ago, my Boy Scout troop attended a summer camp in Trumansburg, NY, about 40 minutes south of my home town of Waterloo.  On that trip, I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons.  Yup.  It was in a platformed tent, called a hogan, in the woods near Cayuga Lake that I learned about…

A while back Joe Kutz posted a reply to a thread on Reaper about holding the miniature while painting that included a link to a cool tool. I have “add to my Amazon wishlist” for Firefox ready for any cool things I find on websites.  This was a no brainer.  I usually store things in…

This piece is initially made out of Sculpey.  I created a core and cured that.  Then I attached more clay to get the rough stem show below. I made a small cup for the mushroom cap.  I assembled all of those with super glue and a pin for the cap.  Then I added sand and...

Or as my sister called it... Deformed Easter Egg. LOL I decided to make a WIP for some deep cavern scenery I am custom making. The first colorful piece is really a ball of sand, ballast and glue. It is a spore producing fungus that sits upon a small stem. A parasite plant is growing...

Final phases are completed.  Mottling of the ovoid and ground cover: Then tipping the parasite growth with some off-white and clean up. I'll get the light box out later for final photos to post to Show Off.  It got a dullcote finish last night before heading to bed.  I might go back and add some...

Here it is with a darker green outline around the "caps" and the parasite growth. Tonight I'll get in there and dab in some mottling on the remaining olive drab color.

I am considering an adventure for my local group that will involve some extended underground travel.  It's a custom campaign so there's no Underdark and what not, but there will be some shriekers, mycanoids, and other plant based life in addition to some traditional underground dwelling critters. To that end I have begun a project...

Taste the Cold What's this mean? It's fairly easy, walk outside in a cold region of the world when it's below 0 degrees. Open your mouth and take a deep breathe through it. You'll know what I mean.