Display Base update

Just a little update to the Figurines Album. I'm working hard to finish the Display base for Arwen, so these are the latest progress. I've shot some of the photo's in Black and White. This was more for me as I was arranging basing material, particularly rocks and grit, and since the different elements that I was using were/are all different colours it was difficult for me to determine whether I was going too far with the stuff or not. Shooting this in Black & White allowed me to see the whole 'picture' much better.

I built most of the ground out of Milliput, doing two layers so that I could build up the texture and detailing on top once the base layer had set. My sketch is almost faithfully translated into the 3D sculpt and I'm quite happy with the balance. Arwen on the horse will hopefully hold their own against the 'weight' implied by the statue. The statue is on Arwen's 'weak' side where there is not a lot of detail to hide by mistake. I have left enough room around the statue so that the horse doesn't become 'lost' within the background. The hole on the center of the base is for the horses' left front leg. I've left a little room for her to ride into the setting. I have added an ivy vine around part of the statues' waist and I'm working on a lizard from the Lustrian Jungle Swarm blister that will go on the blindside of the statue to add an element of colour (contrasting) to an otherwise bland part of the display.

I'll add more as I work, Keep looking,

G

New Uploads

Hi There,

I've just updated my albums, in particular the Warmachine stuff. I've added a new album so Capt Steve can have a good look at the Magnus Battlegroup.

Those of you who took a look in the figurines album at the start would have seen an Arwen on horseback in progress...well she's almost finished and so I've begun on her base piece. She is meant for a Xmas gift for my wife, so she's getting a rather large base piece with a 'massive' ruined statue on it. I have seen many Golden Demon and such displays of Arwen done, but none really reflected the visuals from the movie. I've tried to keep the figurine's colours natural and true to the film, and in such I wanted to show the waining power of the Elves on Middle Earth as the Fifth Age dawns, an age of men and a time of decent for the Elves, their ones proud cities emptying and their magestic artworks fallen. Arwen, like her Grandmother - Luthien Tuniviel, has given herself to a human, altho' a Dunadain at that, and will give up her heritage and immortal life to be with her love. This is the start of the base and I will add as I continue, hopefully I will finish it soon, as I have another to prep and paint before Xmas!

So check out the Figurines album for the 4 new pics!

See ya

G

Saturday Night Live!

Hi there,

I was given PAGE 5 in spades, had my Brass Ones handed to me with a bit of 'Jack oil gravy!

So went my first Tournament.
I was thoroughly trounced, to put it in a word, BUT, I had immense fun and I think so did all the rest.
A Mini-Tournament hosted by the Bury WarGamers this Saturday past. Duelling Battlegroups and Wargroups (Warmachine/Hordes) in a limited timeframe...Mayhem!

Three visiting Warcasters, from Londonium, had sound strategies & a bit of luck and walked off with the prizes. Well done chaps, I think we need to get a bit more aggressive with out gaming, Huh!

Thanks to Runik Games of Ipswich who kindly donated 75 quid worth of vouchers for the prizes, and brought a fair portion of their shop with for us to sample. (Did we ever, vultures the lot of them...or is it just 'who snoozeth looseth')

Thanks also to Commander Adept Steve and Scrutator Tim for a great evening, casual and brutal as it should be !

Some people just couldn't be dragged into the fray, altho' eventually Anthony relented and carved Deneghra into chop suey in the third round of his battle, well done mate!

All the new pics are in the Bury Album in the sidebar.

See ya Soon,

G

Freebooter Rulz!

I got myself this little beauty today, ordered it on the weekend and here it is - all the way from Germany...Wonderful! Werner has really outdone himself on this sculpt, the powder-monkey is possibly the cutest fig I've ever seen. Don't know how he does it. No fancy three-up and 3d computer work for this man...all by eye and green-stuff. Absolutely amazing!

The paintjob is by Jennifer Haley a renowned artist, and sculptor for Reaper mini's. Check out her stuff here:

Paintrix

She features in the latest 'No Quarter 15' as winner of the Gold in the Diorama category of the P3 painting contest. Her Old witch of Khador and Scrapjack Vignette is filled with small resculpts and details. I've been following her work since before she became Pro, and got Reaper commissions. (8-9 years) She just gets better all the time. Her site is small and links to wegotgame site, but it all needs updating- pity really. You can see some of her work at the freebooter miniatures web site, in the gallery.

See ya later,
G

Quicksand

Sorry, good morning, good evening and good night. Been consumed with a set of Warmachine figurines. Trying to get together a unique colour-scheme for the 'Magnus the Traitor' set of Warjacks and caster- namely ol' one leg...Asheth Magnus.
A note: I never fully realised, until a short while back, that this character, Magnus, was such a die-hard. He's either just plain stubborn, or so set in his ways that he'll end up dying for it. I haven't looked at the second two books from Privateer yet, only Prime remix and Escalation, but it seems that Magnus just gets kicked over and over again. Then he just gets back up; re-adjusts his leg-brace; and starts again. He tends to be a bit of a genius with 'Jacks and arc nodes so most of the construction work was done by Magnus himself. With solid 'Engines East' chassis to work from he couldn't really go wrong. So I wanted to make personal 'jacks, so I needed some different colour schemes:


I really like character fluff/background/history/etc so I'll probably move on from him and use other warcasters as well, in particular Ashlynn and the new Privateer 'Caster-Fiona the Black'

She's due for release in Feb next year, but they're showing her off in 'No Quarter' already. That's just wrong man!

Dirty Meg the Jack marshal/Mechanik/Privateer is out next month and I can't wait to get my hands on her....the figurine of course, tsk; tsk!

Check out the Figurine Album link in the sidebar, my Warmachine pics are there.

Magnus is done, just the base to finish off and he's complete. Notice that instead of opting for the painted front/rear arc option on the base I've allowed two pointed pieces of flint hang over the edges a bit. These denote the left and right sides of the halves. So no need for an ugly painted line on the base and everyone should still be happy. Oh yeah, you may have noticed, once you take a look, that Magnus is on a larger base. I put him on a 40mm because he's not a Solo or even a Captain or Std bearer unit, he's a Warcaster Damb You! I know its not Tourney legal, and so what - house rules prevail, Hah!

Catch yawl later,
G

Bury Wargamers 27/10

Hi all,
Had a blast on Saturday evening at the Bury Wargamers meeting in (wait for it)... Bury St Edmunds. Hah! It was great, relaxed and full of happy people. I arrived a bit early as I'm busy trying to get a Battlegroup finished (Warmachine). So I sat painting while the juniors fought each other to a standstill. They've decided to have a massive tank battle next time. can't wait to see it. Runik Games, Ipswich (www.runikgames.com) sent their man, Reuben, to tempt us with new shiny goodies to buy, Wonderful!
I got some pics of the games in progress and some fantastic shots of a Deathjack. Display class stuff! New links in the sidebar.

I have got new photos of the Rhino armour in the album, and I'm adding a new link to the Warmachine and Bury Gamers albums so do have a peek.
I bought Magnus the Traitor Box set, Eryss-mage killer & a Buccaneer 'jack so keep the album in mind - I'll update with each post. I've been reading the fluff and trying to figure the colour-scheme in my head. All the main factions are so set in their colours (orig) but the Merc's tend to be more hap-hazard.
This opens up many options when it comes to painting the 'Casters and especially the 'Jacks. When you consider that few Merc 'jacks are gonna be legit. A few may have been designed for special Merc's, like the Rhulic stuff, but most are scavenged, looted or stolen. anyway, have a look see as I progress.
I will only be posting pics of Magnus for now, as certain peoples need surprising, so the 'jacks will be posted when complete.
Later

More Armour

Hi there,
I've updated the Rhino armour album (check the lynx!). I'm almost done with it now. I'll work on the templates and try to get them published soon, but it's all really up to the individual. I wanted my armour to be unique, and yet look like manufactured Mechanicus plating. The layout and linear design you choose could well be better than mine, and in you own opinion it probably will be.
I used 0.4" card all the way through this build and it served me well. I was easy to work and is soft and flexible. It files, scrapes and sands very well. All the rounded edges were a doddle really, just keep them even and you're okay. I nicked some of the rivets that are hidden by the plating and re-attached them around the door plate. This really beefed up the look of the armour and gave it a good Templar feel to it. The hindged doors were a mission, but well worth it in the end. The most fragile part of the build was definitely the cowlings, I was forced to re-glue them at least three times. Only once I had glued on the bases onto the cowlings did they strengthen up.
TIP: Brace the cowlings with a base early in the build, it'll save time and frustration. The base could also be placed inside the bottom of the cowling giving it a sunken look.
I'll keep adding as I work.
Cheers,
G

Spaced Armour

Hi there, this is one of my newer projects.

A Warhammer 40K rhino that I'm preparing for my Black Templars. I wanted spaced armour, but wasn't going to fork out 14 quid for the Forge World parts. Not that I don't think they're great, but I have champagne taste on a beer salary.

Plasticard and sweat go a lot further. I really like the spaced armour as it looks more imposing than the reinforced armour. Especially on the Rhino the spaced armour gives it a slightly wider profile.

My biggest problem is having to be very neat with the work. Space Marine vehicles are serviced by the Adeptus Mechanicus and as a result you can only expect the very best work from them. This is not a jury-rigged set of plates like the Imperial Guard may be forced to use, but rather well-crafted and fit plates of armour from a template.

I have drawn up a plan which I am tweaking as small problems arise. i.e. the frontal plate overlap and it's narsty angles. I will post the completed template once I'm satisfied that it'll work properly.

New album of the Rhino Here:

Warmachine walk-through

Hi again,
Sorry I'm having fun... so sue me!
I found this link the other day and figured it could help a lot of Warmachine players out there. Especially those who are getting started or want to try another faction. Good up-to-date info that is being edited as the errata appears. I found a wealth of info including 'Jack choices, Warcaster choices, strategies and alliances. Have a look, you won't be disappointed.
Enjoy,
G
Ps. I'll be adding links to the sidebar as I find good ones. If any happen to die out without my knowledge, please let me know. There is nothing quite as irritating as searching for a link for an entire afternoon, only to find that it is dead!
Thank you,
G

Figurine Album

Hi there,
I've just updated my web-album, so come check out the figurines and models I've been working on.
I'll add more pics as I can take them. I just got my camera back from repairs, so I'm good to go again.
Go Here for Figurines
The captions are huge, sorry, but I was trying to explain a little!
Enjoy,
G
Ps. I'll try'n stick a link in the side-bar, then it'll remain.

Do you want her?

This is Eiryss, Mage Killer. The most notorious assassin in the Iron Kingdoms.
This is an Alternative sculpt that will only be available to those who buy issues 14, 15 & 16 of 'No Quarter' magazine (Privateer Press). She comes free, well almost...send off the proof of purchase from the three mags, plus the shipping costs and she arrives at your door within 6 weeks (or so).
This is NOT a plug for the mag, I just want yawl to know she's gonna be available, and there is no other way-besides ebay-to get your grubby little paws on her. I know that I want this fig, not only for the cool paint-job she will be, but she is considered to be almost 'beardy' when it comes to Tournaments. Everyone seems to field her simply because of what she is...A mage killer of note. She'll take down a Warcaster or a leader faster than you can say tikitikitimbo-noscoarimbo-berryberrybushki-impromendo-pompom. So an alt sculpt of her is gonna be very welcome. And since only those who purchase the mags are gonna get her, that'll make her nicer to have, or what!

Check out the Privateer - No Quarter - page for yourself.

The Magazine is available in the U.K. but you have to hunt for a good price.
Enjoy
G

Greetings All

Hi there,
This is my first ever blog, so put up with it.
I'm gonna post some of my photos, ideas and creations from my favourite hobby. It's more than a past-time 'cause it occupies most of my free time, not that I'm obsessed, I'm not, really. I really enjoy building and gaming with miniature figurines. Mostly wargames, and skirmish type conflicts. Not that I'm violent by nature, but I enjoy painting beautiful figurines and then having the joy of playing intricate wargames with them. Cream on the Cake !!!
Since I was quite young I've been inclined towards art and didn't really get into the model building until at least 13yrs. I started as everyone does, with military stuff.
Being in South africa was a bit of a problem since the availability was erratic and prices were crazy. Once I'd seen the second Star Wars movie; on the Silver Screen, I was more than hooked on Sci-Fi.
Then the army took me into a different direction when I discovered Dungeons and Dragons. Yes... the original 6 Player character game from Gary Gygax. The figurines were-by today's standards-terrible, but I faithfully painted them (and have since repainted them) and was hooked on figurines. Solo pieces that could make a vignette (look it up dork!).
Since the market was cramped and there were very few distributors of the early Warhammer and WoTC figs I had a hell of a time getting my hands on any. So one fig would have to last my a few months, at least. In 1984 I got given a 4pack blister of Marauders from the Warhammer range. I was in extacy. I have only recently finished the last one this year, Ha!
Once I arrived on the other side of the Pond, in England-Oh Sunny England!, God I miss the S.A. sun. Once I got here I could buy any figurines I wanted, I could order over the net at reasonable prices, OOOOoooooh! I've got so many unpainted figs now it's silly really. Eyes are bigger than paintbrush syndrome. Some call it Figmentia. (Look it up Dork!)
I've now joined the Bury Wargamers, and hope to hang around there for a good long while. My first impressions are fantastic. The members all enjoy the same thing in general, Wargaming, so I enjoyed myself thouroughly. They're the reason that you have to listen to all this now, since I found this spot through them, so I'm not to blame for any forthcoming actions !
I'll post some of my pics asap and some of my concept ideas, etc.
Cheers,
G