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Hello peeps

Briancj wrote:Dear Graven,
Stargrave is coming.
Love,
Your Wallet

Oh lord, I know. Nightmare lol. But again, that's the thing with SoB, it's stuff for, well, anything and everything

DJJazzyJeff wrote:I'm once again amazed by your production. You must have a warehouse somewhere to store all these completed minis.
Excellent work as always. I particularly like the succubi and the lava men/magma giant.

Thanks kindly sir! Just a lot of boxes and a pragmatic attitude to plastics

The saga of Shadows of Brimstone continues...
This weekend we played the coda of our first campaign, escaping out of the canyons from the mines: we just played the standard Escape the Mines scenario, but with canyons tiles/decks - really great fun, again a very differently experience as you can shortcut through streams to tiles that aren't connected, and actually wanting to get "passage" tiles rather than "rooms" (essentially the reverse of normal) - plus we found a gate and the Serpentmen we'd encountered in the swamps ambushed us ! We also got attacked, randomly, by Void Hounds which is just perfect as they're part of the first Campaign 2 mission. Plus, we rescued a Blacksmith who also happens (quite coincidentally) integral to the new campaign story. Of course, now the kids are itching to play the new Campaign.
So, another big push! First up, the Black Fang Tribe:

These are a corrupt tribe of warriors, infused with dark stone, but I wanted to keep them fairly system agnostic. 2 basic poses so boiling water to the rescue! Does the job, I reckon. I have switched to a different base skin tone for them, VJ Medium Fleshtone (as opposed to my usual Flat Flesh) and I think it's rather better, certainly for their skin colour (used it on the Mexican Bandit also, and plan to use it on the likes of the Rancher and other outdoorsy heroes).
And of course, we need the posse!

A 3D printed blacksmith to accompany Flash Harry, Marshall Mac and Dandido the Bandido, our characters! All set for defeating evil and saving the west. I am actually rather reminded of Moss in the IT Crowd: "I'm here to kick arse and drink milk. And I'm all out of milk."
Inspired in part by Fifty's fab oldhammer chaos hounds, I also got these wee helpers done:

Who's a good dog? Who's a good dog?! This was a very good dog, but sadly the escape from the mines proved too much and he went mad from staring into the abyss. Still, we shall no doubt get another, dogs are extremely useful in game, scavenging for stuff and sniffing out trouble.

Hyah mule! This wonky donkey has done us very well, having survived where no other henchman has, a proper Iron Mule. And, to finish off, scatter terrain for Trederra:

Simple tank traps and storage crates. I've slightly rejigged my scheme for Trederrans themselves, so the other two raiders are nearly done - it doesn't really matter, there's so many different factions that there can easily be differences in uniform - and then, onto the Grenadiers, Mutants, X-4 heavies and Officers. Oh, and the Dark Stone Shaman I'm using as the Tribal Shaman for Black Fangs. Once they're sorted, that pretty much everything we can possibly encounter in the short term done, bar Belial himself - we could in theory run into the Gastral Tyrant aboard the Derelict ship, so that's got the beginnings of a paint scheme, and there's the unfinished Old West stuff in theory also, which is less of a priority but still in the queue. Got a short day today, might get a game of something different with the boy, he's working on his Chainrasps we're thinking either Moonstone or something aerial - AI, Wings of Glory or maybe even Tripods and Triplanes.
Onwards, and upwards also, it seems,
Graven

Havent had much time to chime in on all the work your getting done here. A few things that popped out at me are the magma clan and giant, outstanding job on them. The Illithid hounds look great, and I do love the old west stuff. Reminds me of some of my parents favorite shows when I was a little fella.

You are just insanely productive graven... at a good standard too. I just can't process it.

** Data Overload... CPU Meltdown in... 5....4....3...2...1...**

Yorkright wrote: Havent had much time to chime in on all the work your getting done here. A few things that popped out at me are the magma clan and giant, outstanding job on them. The Illithid hounds look great, and I do love the old west stuff. Reminds me of some of my parents favorite shows when I was a little fella.

Thanks mate, I have a lot affection for classic westerns from afternoons with my grandparents.

Gitsplitta wrote:You are just insanely productive graven... at a good standard too. I just can't process it.
** Data Overload... CPU Meltdown in... 5....4....3...2...1...**

Tolerable standard, hopefully. And certainly insane
Better live up to expectations then, eh? Right, next up, two new heroes join the fray!

Jargono Native (female) - had to have her built as an NPC for a previous game. Lovely, if skimpy, sculpt; my daughter loves the fig and has already claimed it as "her" character for Brimstone (she's 5). Printed a plant in a similar style to the gate I'd made to preserve that continuity. And, the Dark Stone Shaman, to double as a War Shaman for the Black Fang. Both of these are resin and it's remarkable to see the difference in the quality of the sculpts. Speaking of old sculpts...

Ah, crappy monopose plastics. Yay! I shouldn't really complain, they were very generously donated by endtransmission ... But they're pretty crappy so a bit of cutting to get a crawling dead and variation on the prospector. Fungus the zombie man is a print, just to mix things up a bit. Oh, and talking of prints...

Flesh stalker #2, the scaled up printed plague doctor with the variant head and hands from the stalker kit.

Best buddies. Most dangerous large enemy in the game: teleporting, torturing, time travellers. Maybe need to dial up the blue in the grey on the printed one but other than that very happy. And continuing the alien theme:

Wasteland warriors, somewhere between tusken raiders and a lobster. Painted whilst bingeing Futurama. Woopwoopwoopwoopwoop!
I am clearly avoiding doing my Trederrans
Graven

Wait... you painted 17 figures in one night!!

Gitsplitta wrote:Wait... you painted 17 figures in one night!!

Well, not really... Finished is more accurate. Stuff is always sitting in various stages on my shelf, so it's just a question, usually, of paint a bit here and there, and then finishing things off as I see fit. Anyway, it's 16, not 17, I painted one of those Flesh Stalkers a while ago

SoB stuff is going very well as usual - Love the pink dress zombie

Slinky wrote:SoB stuff is going very well as usual - Love the pink dress zombie

Cheers chum. It's very fetching, isn't it?

Not much to report or site. Work continues to be unrelenting. Bits here and there are getting done, but it's mostly legwork, basing and so forth. Still, you know what they say, go big or go home. And sometimes it's good to break up the monotony of hordes with something more substantial.

The Gastral Tyrant - definitely not the alien queen. A very satisfying model to paint, these more recent plastics are far more impressive in terms of assembly (gapping, posing, detail, everything).

I decided to pick up the blue I use on the bases as deck plating for the spaceship on the skin tones of the Tyrant - not exactly camouflage but blending in with environment. It's a big beast, standing around 12cm, really imposing.
As I say, other stuff is starting to come together: the next big "rush" will be the Trederrans and feral Vampires, hopefully tackle them at the weekend. Going to try to get some more Moonstone in tomorrow afternoon, though, and get that primed if possible also.
C&C welcome always,
Graven

I know, I know

 Gitsplitta wrote:

Spoiler:

*poke* *poke* Horrible mold line down the center of the back...

I dunno, I look at that Gastral Tyrant and I say, "poke at your own risk."

Really like the like choice to tie her skin tones into the base, and her belly's skin-crawlingly perfect.

Don Qui Hotep wrote:
I dunno, I look at that Gastral Tyrant and I say, "poke at your own risk."
Really like the like choice to tie her skin tones into the base, and her belly's skin-crawlingly perfect.

definitely risky. And thanks!

Something a bit different (albeit still Brimstone):

This is the depth track, which is used to track your descent into - and struggle against - the Darkness. Given that this is used in every single game, it's nice to have a pretty one, and the cardboard one is really starting to get tatty. Plus it comes with a cool pack of extra cards for the game, so that's a wee bonus.
And some more critters

Dark Stone Brutes, humans that have become corrupted and started to merge with rock and the mystical dark stone in the mine. Big lads, 40mm bases - fun with texture paint.

Trederrans are progressing, they're at the detailing stage, but there's 19 of them to do and they're getting done as a batch to keep the uniforms... uniform That being said, if I can get them done this month, that's me one shy of 365 this year by the end of March, which isn't bad at all.
Not much else done nerd-wise, cut down a tree in the garden today so that took up much of my time, and no doubt the cleanup/followup will continue through tomorrow.
On we go
Graven

Nice gaming aid! Great work as always graven!

After a weekend of chopping down trees, demolishing a trampoline and moving a playhouse, I somehow managed to squeeze in completing my Trederrans. First up, Raiders:

3 are repaints, or at least touch-up to fit in with the revised scheme.
Legionnaires:

You'll notice a couple of different "levels" of the grey uniform. This is deliberate, to convey different factions whilst still being the same if needed. In theory it works well for environmental differences etc too. There's 6, but one seems to have deserted...
Z-4 Grenadiers:

Despite being dreadfully monopose, I love these chonky boys and their Hurt Locker vibe. I think - to my surprise - the palest base colour has worked best generally.
Lieutenant and Field Marshal:

Very similar, but I'm kinda ok with that. The Marshal is the only one in an "official" Trederran colour scheme, and it's what has informed the whole look. And, yes, that's an IG helmet I've added a 3rd eye too
Mutants and Mutant Lieutenant:

Tbh the total lack of variety in these sculpts is maddening, the lieutenant only differed from the other choices by having a single tentacle arm and the mutants just two poses with the same pseudopods. Still, a little bit of nurglry, some Dreadball mutant bits, and a lot of gs have really rather dealt with that
It was lovely painting a bit this weekend, especially as the girl joined in with some of the Reaper figs:

She did a battle between a monster hunter and goblin, a witch, a kobold, a cowgirl, and was rightly very proud of herself.

I've reached an important decision. I think I should take a bit of a break from Brimstone, so I don't burn out. Granted, I need to do Belial, but I need to want to do it justice. So I think a little break may be required. Plus, I can't help but wonder what mini 365 of 2021 will be. Admittedly, given what I've been working on, it should be something Brimstone perhaps, but I think possibly something with a little more pizzazz is required. I've got some Dreadball, some 2000AD and some DC supers(villains), plus an awful lot of Imperial Assault, all primed and ready. Currently, in my head at least, it's a toss-up between Cthulhu and Obi-wan, but happy to take suggestions Moonstone is going to jump up the queue once the rest of the figs arrive (enough fairies and goblins to make a full troupe of each of them, and a mercenary Ettin, plus some basing grass tufts).

Nearly the end of term. There's not enough coffee in the world, alas.
Graven

Great updates as usual Graven, those mutants and other gribblies are looking good.

Love that last photo. Way to pass it on dad!

Yorkright wrote: Great updates as usual Graven, those mutants and other gribblies are looking good.

Thanks Yorkie!

Gitsplitta wrote:Love that last photo. Way to pass it on dad!

Well, I learned from the master

Big decision made. And I mean BIG.

Now, obviously, this is a WIP. And despite the fact that I should be working on Belial, the other XXL, I felt, well... The Call of Cthulhu he's obviously got a long, long way to go but it's a really great challenge. I'm thinking of taking the tentacles up on the same way I did the Harbinger's wings, from reddish brown to electric blue to a pale cream highlight. The sword is likely to be bronze/verdigris, and the eyes red, or mayyyyybeee purple. The base is going to be challenging, I want it to be split into sections representing the various Otherworlds as he fragments and rearranges reality around him.

This is not to say that I haven't painted anything.

WooOooOooo spooky trees! Not much, but they're a thing. Or 3, by my Byzantine rules. Yes, it's vaguely ridiculous that Cthulhu will only count as one model but it all comes out in the wash, I reckon. Still, useful for all sorts of games Also, I found the missing Trederran, he was hiding in amongst the Lost Army of Santa Anna, and doesn't even have more than primer on him. Tsk. Nevertheless, the trees push me over the 365

Who knows, maybe I'll paint something different in April??
Till then
Graven

Wooohooo! Cthulhu has awakened!

Love the trees by-the-way, where'd you get them?

I don't think I've ever seen Cthulhu carrying any sort of weapon.

Gitsplitta wrote:Wooohooo! Cthulhu has awakened!

Love the trees by-the-way, where'd you get them?

Well, that is not dead which can eternal lie, and so forth.

The trees are from the Forest of the Dead, the Asian (ish) Otherworld, populated by Goryu (mindless masked ghouls), Nure-onna (vampiric serpent women, spectres, undead versions of heroes and the Jorogumo spider queen. Good stuff lol.

JoshInJapan wrote:I don't think I've ever seen Cthulhu carrying any sort of weapon.

A fair point, though this is the Ancient One for Brimstone - not Cthulhu per se but then he doesn't wear clothes, either *shrug*

And whilst the ancient one has progressed, I ended up having a bit of a brainwave about how to tackle Belial.

Belial, Last of the Shadow Kings

Just noticed that a bit of the ink has pooled weirdly in a recess (or rather, not)

So much gap filling

He was primed Kobra Shadow (dark grey with a hint of brown) and then reverse-zenithal (nadir-al?) sprayed pale grey (with Kobra Platform). I'm absolutely thrilled with him, I shan't lie.
The Ancient One is next, and I've been building Moonstone today - ah, new hobby distraction Hey look, a bunny!
Graven

Loving the Big Bads from Brimstone. Not'thulu is one of those models I should really get around to painting.

Belial is looking snazzy, love his 'Ring of Fire' base.

youwashock wrote:Loving the Big Bads from Brimstone. Not'thulu is one of those models I should really get around to painting.

He's an absolute cracker of a model, I quite agree. And many thanks old son.

aku-chan wrote:Belial is looking snazzy, love his 'Ring of Fire' base.

Thanks old son! I printed the fire, it's for a Balrog I believe, and Belial is most definitely a demon of fire and shadow.

So in a funny turn of events, I discovered that I had some old, old air miles about to expire, not enough to go anywhere (not that you can go anywhere ANYWAY) but enough to turn into an eBay voucher. A nice windfall to get some more Moonstone, for sure, enough to get started with Leshavault, the neutral/nature faction.

Meanwhile...

That is not dead, which can eternal lie...

And with strange aeons, even death may die

The idea behind the base is the fact that he strides across the Otherworlds, crossing the void and rearranging them at will.

Hopefully, there's some sense of that: Swamps of Jargono, frozen Targa Plateau, Derelict Ship, Mines of the Old West, Trederran battlefield, Blasted Wastes, Caverns of Cynder, and I've even tried to a work in a bit of the new ones I haven't got yet (because I'm a realist about my own self control ) Forest of the Dead, Haunted Castle, and Belly of the Beast.

This is VERY satisfying, as it doesn't leave THAT much left to do for SoB: the Ghost Warriors (another corrupt tribe), the Lost Army of Santa Anna, the Scafford gang, Feral Vampires, Dark Stone Hydra, Dark Stone Scorpions, Wasteland Terralisk, and of course the other heroes... ok, still quite a lot

Easter is a long weekend; having already taken down another tree (and cracked myself in the head with branch loppers), aside from a trip to the dump I'm looking forward to not doing much else other than some gaming with the kids, building lego with little miss, and all that jazz.
Might even paint something
Graven

He looks great graven, nice work.

Those are some big updates, Belial looks amazing, as others have said, the fire ring is so cool!

Old one looks suitably scary too, torn clothes make it look like it posessed some human or other creature that then "hulked" out.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn and all that. Dread Cthulhu is damn impressive. Belial is grand, great sense of movement on that model.

Gitsplitta wrote:He looks great graven, nice work.

Cheers old son!

Viterbi wrote:Those are some big updates, Belial looks amazing, as others have said, the fire ring is so cool!
Old one looks suitably scary too, torn clothes make it look like it posessed some human or other creature that then "hulked" out.

Thanks buddy. The printer certainly has its uses but doing basing details is particularly handy. I hadn't considered that about the big fella, maybe I shouldn't given him purple shorts

Don Qui Hotep wrote:Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn and all that. Dread Cthulhu is damn impressive. Belial is grand, great sense of movement on that model.

Many fthangs And much obliged chum!

Apologies for the quiet. Took a bit of breathing space. I'm aware of being slightly on edge, and feel like my middle kid is getting the brunt of it in particular. So a change of focus, and just spending a bit more time with them. Kaiju movies have featured heavily Also done lots of house stuff, garden, bit of rewiring - RL and all that.

Anyway, we started our second SoB campaign, Through the Gates of the Cynder Key. Belial, Lord of Shadow, has begun to seep through the cracks in reality. First, with the help of the local blacksmith, our posse attempted to seal the cracks appearing into the Void in the mines outside the town. Then, we travelled across worlds to stop a twisted tribe using Realmkeys, ancient artefacts that can be used to summon Belial, before helping defending the local town, which we're helping rebuild, from a marauding gang of undead bandits.

When not hanging with them, have been doing busy work and building instead. I got myself a pack of metal Alamo Mexicans for a fiver as I refuse to pay £20+ for a resin undead mexican standard bearer.

Little on the short side but there's a solution to that...

Tada! Green stuff boots, tattered flag and zombie paintjob to follow. You may spy there that I did some prints too, some oddments for friends, a little japanese shrine to add Cthulhu's base and more scatter for Moonstone.

Talking of Moonstone, been building more:

They are truly stunning figs, and going to need a lot of very... focused painting lol. The game is absolutely superb, and have been playing more with the boy:

We're definitely hooked, it's so quick and portable which makes an enormous difference - as well as beautiful figs (although the fae are terrifyingly delicate) and deceptively simple mechanics. I'll be doing a full review, got some more figs coming from the company, and a discount code for y'all too cos I'm super-nice

Got on with the resin Heroes for SoB also.

I really dislike the fact that these models have no base tabs or anything
- which would be fine if they were steady enough to base on flat bases, or not so skinny that any attempt to pin them would just destroy the legs - and some of the first wave alt sculpts are a bit shaky. There's also some very poor casts in the mix, though at least I can work that into mutations the female gunslinger is definitely getting a... makeover That notwithstanding, I now have a substantial old West miniature game. Time to find a copy of Legends of the Old West!
Ta-ta
Graven

No one can ever accuse you of being stuck in a rut my friend. Wonderful to see the diversity that you work on every day. Very inspiring!

Be'lial be'rilliant! Very nice.

Really excited for the Mexican undead army (a sentence I never thought I'll utter)!