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Well, first and foremost, happy new year!

Right gang.
2017 has been a fantastic year for us. Started with a knock to my confidence professionally, but bounced back and can honestly say things have never been better. Wife now dissertation/MSc done and now lab manager, kids all fantastic and ever more entertaining, and I'm one of the heads of media education nationally - plus done more geek painting, comic reading and varied writing than ever before. Busy year in a crazy world, but truly hopeful for 2018! So. Happy New Year and all that jazz!

But anyway, annual nerd goals:

To finish from 2017 -
Donut Store (PIP)
John Stewart conversion (WIP)
AK Harley (WIP)
Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring (4, u/b)
Motherbox objectives (4, PIP)
HQ objectives (4, WIP)
Rift markers (12, WIP)
Bat computers (1 WIP, 1 u/b, 1 only in my brain)
X-Wing Dashboards with extensions (2, u/b, primed)
Batman Double Dashboard (1, primed)

2018
Twd Prisoners (4)
Twd walkers (2)
2e Joker Crew (4)
2e Bat Crew (4)
2e Sirens crew (4)
2e Blackgate prisoners (4)
Parliament of Owls (4)
Grodd Crew (4)
Constantine
Enchantress
Zatanna
Flashpoint Batman
Knightfall Batman
Reverse Flash (comic)
Arkham Militia set 2 (2)
Batgirl Rebirth
AK Red Hood
Nightwing Rebirth
Red Son Superman
Kylo Ren's shuttle
Rebel Transport
Red 6 X-Wing
(45)

Hmmmmmmm. That's quite a lot. Should keep me busy... in January
Best for the year ahead,
Graven

Gitsplitta wrote:So very glad things are shaping up so well for you my friend. All I can say is that it's good be along for the ride! Many happy returns to your fine family as well!

Thanks kindly sir. Likewise great seeing you in action.

CommissarKhaine wrote:Some interesting goals, looking forward to all the stuff appearing here over time!

Arkham City
Arkham Knight
Rebirth
Dark Knight
Batpod
Adam West
Dawn of Justice
Dark Knight Returns

Do you have a group pic? I know you've painted a few differently, just curious to see the overall effect.

Lol no not as such. Tell you what, when I've done the new 2ed Arkham Asylum Batman, Flashpoint and Knightfall bats I'll do a group pic of them all, ok? Looks like I might even be an Arkham Origins bats also which is great as I don't own one and is a limited model (PITA to get hold of). So he'll be there too :S

Camkierhi wrote:Hey its the 3rd already, you finished that lot yet!

Looking forward to following you this year.

shaddup already Looking forward to seeing your crusty goodness also

Back to school, after NY at parents', so not much done. Ironically, holidays are not good nerd-time for me...
Anyway, I'd better get a move on!
Big Joe Kerr's Donut DrIvE THRU is done, I reckon




And an earlier pic with mini sign for scatter:

I could weather / tag it further but I'm happy enough with it for now. Plus I'm out of coloured printer ink I'm a little bit over-excited about all the other stuff in hand so kinda want to see the back of this. Shocking, I know.

Stuff without pics:
- The horde of batlings also means that I'm keen to get my various objectives done for DCU. So the 12 rifts (6 for me, 6 for a mate) are now built, along with 4 HQ bases (40mm, 2 each). Annoyinginly, my circle cutter only goes down to 45mm Oh, and some 40mm water markers for destroyed fire hydrants, entirely necessary when your kid likes using Aquaman (water teleportation).

- Working on John Stewart. My original idea, to use Cyclops's arm (having finally sourced one!) cradling an M16, just looked wrong, so I'm back to making one from gs. This is wayyyyyyyyyyy out of my comfort zone. Still, 2018, new skills and that. I've been wanting to try sculpting my own stuff on armatures for a while. I *have* figured out how to make the GL symbol though, using tiny secret weapon brass etch letters (an "O" and two "I"s)

I'm not necessarily doing my 2017 stuff first as such, but I do want things out of the way. Equally, I need to get all the new resins soaped and scrubbed so that they can be built and primed.

I also need to give my whole nerd space an overhaul, it's getting a bit ridiculous. New storage, specifically for DCU, required. I think the pace of new BMG will slow down with the resin reissues of metals, so there's not going to be much new stuff for me for a bit there (I hope, perversely!) after next month - Etrigan, Amazons, Darkseid, Parademons, Steppenwolf and new GCPD set. There's so little old BMG stuff I don't own for my gangs that that case, at least, shouldn't overrun for a while I also need to move my expanding walking dead collection into a slightly bigger case (don't open - dead inside) Ah, the practicalities of nerd life.

Onwards, if not upwards,
Graven.

CommissarKhaine wrote:That's a lovely piece of terrain you got there! I can why you're willing to move on, it'll be a nice addition to the gaming table.

Lol no not as such. Tell you what, when I've done the new 2ed Arkham Asylum Batman, Flashpoint and Knightfall bats I'll do a group pic of them all, ok? Looks like I might even be an Arkham Origins bats also which is great as I don't own one and is a limited model (PITA to get hold of). So he'll be there too :S

Sounds good to me, thanks

Cheers ! And soon, there will be Batmen. Indeed, it has begun!

Yorkright wrote: Donut looks good enough to eat, really a great piece Graven you did good man. Will need some pics when you do your next bat rep, close ups of the heroes battling over the donut shop is a must.

totally. thanks mate. I have the smaller donut just so it can be thrown

Red Harvest wrote:That donut shop will look splendid on the table. Very good work. And it does not need more weathering/tags/etc. It is great as is.

Glad you agree. I think it's there too.



So, started cleanup of the resins. Man, they are crisp. Minimal mold lines, easy flash. 20 minis or so done in about half an hour. Once I've done the rest I'll post a pic. My only fear is that they remind me somewhat of "FINE"cast in terms of feel, but I've not got any issues with bubbling, miscasting etc. We shall see.

Meanwhile... First finished mini of 2018!




Okay, started in 2017, but still
And a close up in at attempt to show the light spotting in the yellow and the brightness of the chest



And first objectives of 2018 also: motherbox markers -

BOOM!
The best thing is that they're easy to see as Activated (flipped up) and who controls them (facing player in question). They aren't on 30mm bases, but the are the right size, and it's not like there is a tournament scene for DCUMG anyway. Other objectives are in for priming. For all that I love BMG, the time efficiency and downright fun of DCU make it more appealing just now.

One other bit of news: off the back of my blog, I've got an actual paid magazine gig, for Initiative Magazine!
Monthly piece, pays peanuts, but still, it's toy money and paid for writing about something I love. Got a couple of articles and a great interview lined up so pretty excited, and all that jazz.

So, merrily we roll along,
Graven

Gitsplitta wrote:Love all the new paint work graven and very excited about your writing gig! Great things have small beginnings!

Thanks mate, really chuffed.

Yorkright wrote: Congrats on the writing gig, looking forward to your 2018 projects.

Me too - I think,

youwashock wrote:Love that donut shop. Such a cool piece. And great news on the writing.

CommissarKhaine wrote:Some excellent minis, and gratz on the writing gig!

Cheers matey!

GiraffeX wrote:Looks like you had a really good year Graven, lots more to come I see, looking forward to watching you bash your way through that lot

Yeah, it felt like a turning point actually. Hoping I can sustain a decent paint rate: 10 minis a month or so, average that is. This month is about building, primarily, however.

Llamahead wrote:Whats the magazine about comics or wargaming?

Ah, sorry, gaming. It's part of Figure Painter Magazine but obviously with more :dice:

Ah, a Lazy Sunday! A rare treat, that involved reorganization of stuff. Got a Feldherr case thanks to my favourite autobot, Amazon Prime, so my DCU now all has a home. It fits neatly inside an empty bag I found in the garage too - win! Got my 2nd ed BMG cards and spell cards sleeved up also (sleeving cards, there's something I thought I'd left behind me...) On a more irritating note, discovered my Nightwing is missing a leg damn km and their quality control issues. Thought they'd got past that. I mean I know they'll send me a replacement - though it did take 5 months with the heavy troopers guns...

Repurposed, rebased and repainted (in places) the High Security Henchman from BMG as a High Security Survivor for the prison expansion.

He's got a new sculpt in 2nd, inexplicably - it's not like there isn't more than one person in high security in Blackgate - but I might as well use what I've got to hand. It looks like I'm getting a joker half of a suicide Squad boxset as part of a trade so Stan the Eyeball man may also be getting the TWD treatment

Still, the main event today was Star Wars.

Kylo Ren's shuttle


It's huge. Like crazy big.

Talking of big...



The first transport is away!

And it's got company -

Red ten, checking in.

Red squad! 2, 3, 5, 10

Couple of scale shots



So all in all,not a bad day
Anon,
Graven

I hate when your browser wipes your comments...

Paradigm wrote:Top stuff. Ren's shuttle is one of the best designs in SW and you're really helped it with the imposing, looming look. I didn't realise it was so massive either.

The transport is just great. Lovely texture work.

Cheers, though I have a hankering to paint more tiny spesssheeps now...

Dr H wrote:Nice job on the Doh-nut shop.

Good job on Mr. Big Green Armour.

Orange-clad henchman looks good.

And the ships are great.

And lol at "amazon prime the Autobot"

I live to serve

Gitsplitta wrote:Not a bad day at all graven. Great job on the space ships and I love the re-paint on the prisoner. Excellent work all-round!

Cheers mate.

Back into normal routine.
HQ markers for DCU

Did a couple of extra bases for a mate also. Blue is Hero, Red is Villain. I think I can count that another 2 models off the list
And 12 markers wip (6 for me, 6 for same mate)

Hey ho,
graven.

 Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:
Wow. There's so much going on here I'm going to pick up with the Star Wars and stay updated from there.

Excellent weathering on all your ships and the OSL on the transport is done well. Looking forward to seeing what you do next.

Cheers buddy, good to have you back on the dakk. Thanks very much, I do like a filthy rebel Appreciate the osl comment, I was really pleased with it, especially on the middle ventral engine.

On Tuesday I was lucky enough to organise a demo night at my local club with French company Monolith Editions (Mystic Battles, Conan) of their new Batman boardgame, that's hitting Kickstarter on 27th February (yes, I'm an addict, leave me alone).
Whilst this is certainly in keeping with the recent industry trend of hybridising Board and Miniature gaming, this feels like it will appeal more successfully to the non-gamer than most, not just because of the IP but it is still recognisably a board game, rather than a small-scale miniature skirmish game on a board (*cough*Shadespire*cough*). That being said, the game comes with 60 miniatures cast in the now-familiar plastic-resin (blue for heroes and red for villains), and having got my hands on some of the initial renders, I can tell you that the quality of the sculpts, and the level of detail is astounding:

Riddler's cufflinks, for example, are miniscule question marks. The overtly comic-y aesthetic (especially of Scarecrow, seen here, and of some other models such as Harley Quinn and Alfred) may not appeal to everyone but they attempt to capture the feel of the characters - and with 60 models in the basic game pledge (working out at around £1.50 per miniature), you get a lot of pretty toys for your money.

(for demo purposes, we were just using cardstock standees for the models)

The game is for 2-5 players, pitting an Overlord (arch-villain) against the Heroes. The Heroes play co-operatively - well, if they don't, they just lose horribly - and interestingly, there's no set sequence in which they have to do things, beyond alternate Hero/Overlord turns. You could, for example (as we did) sneak Batman along a gantry, then run Red Hood up to grab a gatling gun and pick off some goons, then have Batman hack a computer that he's standing next to. This means that there's a lot of discussion and planning, though not at the expense of time: the game is playable in an hour to an hour and a half. The core mechanics in the game are the use of Gems, which are essentially action points. You can use as many of these as your character has, but you only recover a limited number each turn, so the game is about careful asset management and weighing up risk/rewards. So, to continue our previous example, after Batman has hacked the computer, he might still have some Gems left to parkour down a wall and move elsewhere, but that could leave you short in a subsequent turn.


Gems also provide you with the dice you roll, with the different coloured dice having different averages and number of successes. It's actually much easier to get your head round that than you'd think, as they go yellow-orange-red (worst to best), and with white and black as a safe and risky option respectively. With skills covering melee, ranged, manipulation and intelligence, your various characters can assign their dice as they see fit based on a task, with the ability to spend for rerolls also (but again, you run the risk of running short of gems).



The Overlord player, on the other hand, has a smaller pool of gems overall but one that they can assign to any of their thugs in any ratio, meaning that whilst individually weak swarms of goons still present a threat - as we discovered to our cost:


It's a really fun game. We were really surprised by the emphasis on stealth and co-operation: it's very easy to over commit yourself, partly because the gameplay is so intuitive. Because it's narrative-objective based in any given scenario (here, we were trying to stop Bane blowing up an abandoned Subway station below a hospital), it feels very much like a comic story and, crucially, different enough to other games out there, both of the super/mini variety and of the board/mini variety. Yes, £90 for a basic pledge, £140 with all stretch goals, through to £320 for a full pledge might seem steep - but, as I said, remember that effectively at the basic price you're only paying £20 for a heck of a game, and £1.50 a model for some stunning miniatures, never mind great rules, dice, boards... It won't be to everyone's wallet, but it's an excellent, accessible game from a company with a track record of delivering on their Kickstarters.

Anyway, that's my two euro-cents

Best,
graven.

Right corrections: base box 140$ (around £103) or all-in 320$ (around £237). 90 will be the number of minis in the base box without SG
so more minis at the end with all the SG unlocked during the campaign
Lost in translation...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And yes, Kickstarter only

 Paradigm wrote:
Those revised figures sound a lot more tempting. £100-odd for 90 minis, a game and all that associated jazz is a good deal in and of itself. In terms of SGs, will they be added to the base box level or just to the all-in one?

And while this isn't necessarily the way to think about it, if one were to be looking at this as a way to (massively) expand a BMG collection, how does it stack up? In terms of basic goon/cops are there sufficient numbers/variety of each to use as the core of a BMG gang or are there a lot of duplicate sculpts ect that would make them more difficult to use in BMG in that manner?

There will as I understand it be different ways of accessing the stretch goals. Ironically, things became easier when we switched to talking in French. Ah well, allons-y!

The core models have plenty of variety but BMG has very few generic models these days. That being said, some of the sculpts of the generics are just cracking, especially the civilians. There are some monolith sculpts I far prefer - tweedledee and tweedledum notably - and some that we don't have bmg versions of like Man-Bat, OMAC, Cornelius Stirk etc.

On a separate note, I cleaned up my resin Grodd crew. Wow, what a nightmare. Crap mold lines across fur and organic shapes. Glad KM moved to plastic- and, tbh, that monolith have decided to also.

And I've washed the new KM figs. We'll see how they build and prime...

Paradigm wrote:To be honest, generic style doesn't bother me too much, I'm not really a fan of the more specific gang henchmen like the Riddler guys in the spandex suits or everyone working for Joker dressing as a clown ect. So long as the sculpts themselves are decent, and there's a decent variety of weapons that correlate to BMG (really just the old staples of pistols, ARs, shotguns, knives, baseball bats ect) then they serve my purpose, I'd rather have a pool of nice minis to pull various gangs from than have to build 4 or 5 separate crews or chase the 'new stuff' meta. And if there are some duplicates I can always theme the paintjob anyway.

One to keep an eye on then.

Well in that case you're laughing although riddler does get some spandex pals Looking forward to your take on things!

Yorkright wrote: What a great game, do you think it will be available from LGS's in the future?

Nope. KS only. Believe it or not, it's brought the cost right down.

Llamahead wrote:When it comes to the £320 pledge for Mystic Battles this is what I got.

Monoliths miniatures for monopose are honestly some of the nicest out there. Batman does seem to be a pure reskin of their Conan game which I've got but haven't played (I want to rebase the models for use with my fantasy collection). 8 of those models are basically on par with Mortarion in size. Excellent quality on pure production miniatures. Even better they are supporting the games with further scenarios and content on their forum. Batman does intrigue me but I'm probably saving up to go all in on Joan of Arc so I might give this one a pass.

That's a lot of stuff. Very nice.
Actually, despite appearances it's not just a reskin, there's some other tactical elements particularly the different uses of Intelligence and Manipulation skills to complete missions. Also multi-level terrain is very important in this, with the addition of a character's Parkour rating indicating how easily they can move between levels without using Gems (actions). But yeah, Joan of Arc is hellapretty.

Alpharius wrote:

Yorkright wrote:
What a great game, do you think it will be available from LGS's in the future?

Nope, that doesn't appear to be the case here.

Unless I'm mistaken (possible!), this one is "Kickstarter Only".

Of course, success has a way of changing things...

Definitely won't be in stores... in its initial incarnation, anyway. I think as well the £100 price point would be a deal breaker for most folk. For what it's worth, I'm a strong advocate of a cardboard only version of the game (and have had long chats with Monolith about this!)

Quick and rather rushed pic just before I ran out the door this morning, so apologies for quality (or rather, lack thereof):

Portals! Well, Rift Markers for DCU. They're pretty much done, a little wash needed on the purple to take the tones back down, and edge tidying. Such fun to do
Rest of BMG 2e models in soapy water to remove release agent. Torn as to how to base them, as I actually just want to crack on. Probably just regular rubble bases, a little gravel, maybe a weeeeeeeee bit of scatter (shell casings etc) for the vast majority. Ivy and her plants will be overgrown, I imagine, and I might go for marbled floors for magic users (well Constantine and Zatanna, anyway). We'll see.

In other news, looks like I'm getting a review copy of Wave 4 of Walking Dead - woo! That'll save me a pretty penny. This writing gig is a lark

Cheers chaps,
graven

angel of death 007 wrote:


Are the minis size wise spot on with BMG by Knight models. Also what is your opinions on going all in on this KS because I probably will just want to know the gossip

Pretty much. I mean there are some inconsistencies within KM generally but yeah, they're basically dead on regardless. Slightly more comic-y aesthetic, so slightly bigger heads I guess?
Hello gang,
Sorry dropped off the map for a couple of days there. Writing articles - turning the above into one for BCP, starting to write a couple for Initiative etc. And y'know work, life etc

But a little something. My rift markers (and pal's) are now done these are also the test for how I'll be basing magic users generally - Zatanna, Constantine and Enchantress in the first instance.

Speaking of Enchantress, that's the spindliest most delicate model I've ever built. Not hard, but terrifying. Really worried about how to keep her intact in the long term. I think gribbly tentacles being summoned is the answer (haven't attached her arms yet - think they'll be towards the ground). Zatanna (and Batgirl for that matter) isn't much better though. Constantine is ok but I've noticed his fingers are miscast he's holding a vial with a spirit emerging. I'm tempted to replace it with a pack of Silk Cut

So here's what's built so far.

I say built, the starter models (coloured) are all one or at most 2 piece. So really based and filled. The resin for Grodd and his crew was fine in the end but it annoys me that you need to remove their base tabs for them to sit on their bases. Just don't cast them with full tabs. FFS.
There's a metal Harley there next to new one (red) and the size is, as you hopefully can see, dead on. Scaling is generally more consistent. Still terrified of the fragility of tiny females.

These guys are waiting on green stuff filling:

And an AzBat and Enchantress, mostly armless, for scale:

I think she'll look good with her arms by her sides (as opposed to how they should be, at 90 degrees to the body). Did some test placement and it should look like she will be drawing power out of the ground.

So, merrily we roll along!
Graven

Knightley wrote:Crikey, she looks very fragile, you'd almost need to put a cage around her as a protective barrier (tentacles would work as you've mentioned)

It is crazy. But here's the (remarkably stable) solution:

Chaos terminators, the gift that just keeps giving. I wonder whether to add another power cable actually out of GS, in keeping with the SS movie gribbly aesthetic - or is it ok? Don't think she needs anything in the other hand.

CommissarKhaine wrote:That's a nice haul . I'm assuming those arms are way too thin to pin?

Oh, yeah, they are wafer thin. About 0.1mm diameter.

Generally, basing stuff is making me scratch my head. I think generally things will end up being painted in the order I figure out what the decoration is going to be. I'm considering breaking up some ~0.2mm resin or plastic into shards, and adding as slabs of broken concrete. I'm going to mix up my basing grit with some assorted gravel from the garage for a bit of variety, too. I found a gs skull mould I made years ago, so I can add some grimdark bits. We'll see. I think I have some (real) carnivorous plant seeds somewhere for Ivy and there's always posters, police tape, newspapers etc. I guess.

Still, Thomas Wayne has a snazzy base, and also I got my Jason Blood/Etrigan!

Love their sculpts, though slightly annoyed by Etrigan's tactical skulls/gravestone; I feel obliged to give Jason Blood's base similar decoration. I'm thinking of giving Zatanna something too. Not sure yet, but again, she's insanely fragile (the crossed leg is a separate piece, meaning she's connected to the base by the thinnest of bits of plastic-resin). I'm thinking a plume of smoke rising up from the ground, maybe even curling around her feet, to her hand? I'd use a bent paperclip as an armature of sorts I guess. It's the cage principle again.

I also made a start on a few of the remaining metals (Superwoman, Reverse Flash and Power Ring) too, pics anon. Meanwhile, AzBat has arms and Catwoman has... a cat!

(The hard part wasn't stealing it. The hard part was how she got it up onto the roof.)
I like the cat as a bronze statue, rather than a pet (it's from a Mantic KoW elf sprue, if interested) but I wonder whether I should have gone for a completely flat base to put her on. I don't have any more of the tiled bases but do have one spare plain base. Hmm. Was going to use it for Constantine though, with an Elder Sign on it.

That's pretty much where I'm up to. It's still really all prep work, but that's ok, we've got snow so priming in the garage is kinda out just now anyway. I'm slightly wary of priming the new plastic-resin with car spray also, even though I know it'll be fine.

Adios,
graven




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Gravel tests :


or ?

CommissarKhaine wrote:Gravel tests are looking good! And 0.1 mm? yikes! I like how you're protecting the more fragile models, looks very natural.

Cheers, and thanks. Yeah it's pretty terrifying. Not sure what to do with Batgirl yet, I think I'm going running up a slab of metal or something. Need to trawl my DC archive, rake through back issues, see if anything jumps out at me.

youwashock wrote:Loads of progress! Can't wait to see what you do with Zatanna, Etrigan, and Enchantress.

Me too Glowy purple around the base, mostly, I think.

Knightley wrote:Oh man, that arm looks so thin! looks like a great solution however, is there anything inside the tentacle (like a pin) or is it just GS

Cheers. No, it's a plastic Chaos Terminator arm superglued to the base and then gs round the bottom.

Yorkright wrote: Quite the challenge with those arms, nice job fixing the problem. You are going to have quite a lot of choices for heroes and villains when you are finished.

LOL. I'm rapidly approaching the point where I have the entire DCU range... I *may* have a problem.

Red Harvest wrote:Neither Zatanna nor the enchantress look any more fragile than some of the new Malifaux plastics. I'm thinking of the Smoke and Mirrors crew specifically, since those are the minis I have. Those Malifaux minis are scary fragile though. I'm afraid to play them Without coming up with some sort of protection. I was thinking clear plastic cylinders to 'sleeve' the minis.

It would work. It would look a bit silly, but it would work.

I think it's about finding ways to adapt in the basing, genuinely. I had a big falling out with the guy behind Wyrd in its very early days (pre-Malifaux), because I dared to criticise the aesthetic of the orginial Pandora. Sometimes people don't like you speaking your mind Funnily enough I'm picking up one of the Malifaux Nurses (the one with the big needle) to turn into a Nurse Harley. (I'm a very easy going person, but I'm no yes-man, and this has led me to falling out with companies in the past - Wyrd, Decipher, Privateer Press... Maybe it's me?! )



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here's the rest of them rubbled:



And the Batgirl Solution:

Back of the wall is full of bullet holes. It's an old gw gravestone cut down I think.
Onwards!
Graven

 CommissarKhaine wrote:
Batgirl is lookign good, keeping that dynamic look. And if you're really concerned about you falling out with companies: there's dozens of tips on communicatio and ways to handle conflicts - but remember: sometimes, people just aren't compatible

Thanks mate I'm an English, Media and Comms teacher, I should follow my own advice It's actually very different circumstances for each. Privateer incorporated stuff I wrote for an Iron Kingdoms contest (which I won) into canon and gave me no credit whatsoever (still the case, I might add). Decipher just couldn't handle being warned that a second edition of trek ccg was going to kill the game (at the time, I was UK #2 and world #5), and probably the company... which it did. I'm a fan, not a yes man.

CommissarKhaine wrote:Ouch.. Well, at least you can be sure it's not you, it's them

Yeah, that's what it is I just need to keep my big mouth shut sometimes.

Red Harvest wrote:Nathan Caroland? Now I'm curious about your critique. I've seen the mini. Heck, I've played against a Pandora crew multiple times, BITD ( When Wyrd did only metal minis.)

Well it's been a while but as I recall it was the original flagship pandora with box. I think criticism was along the lines of too manga, too cheesecake for my tastes. Didn't like the proportions.

Last couple of bits on the topic of basing for now:

Some bases accessorised further.

Some mesh for wrecked fencing. Some shell cases for he guys with automatic weapons. Jokers got some nice bits, the baton of unfortunate guard, a pair of stiletto heels. Wondered about giving the other guy a chicken. Wakkawakka...
Joker, Harley and the Bats don't have anything else yet. I'm thinking of newspapers etc for them, but am open to ideas.

And Justice League Dark...

Constantine needed his entire hand remade, so decided to lose the spectral floaty skull and just give him a ciggie (there's a packet on the ground too which will OF COURSE be Silk Cut) standing in a pentagram, because he's bloody John Constantine,that's why! And Zatanna has her armature now. I may add another floaty skull in there at the bend.
Later y'all
Graven

Alpharius wrote:Can't wait to see you paint that fishnet!

The metal of Zatanna's legs?

Dr H wrote:Nice work. Good solution to the fragile bits.

Cheers! Need to get Zatanna's nice and smokey.

Red Harvest wrote:Silk Cut eh? Those are the cigarettes that did in Warren Zevon. :(

Gitsplitta wrote:Love that song... listening to cranked up on my headphones. Thanks for posting it graven.

Most welcome. It autoplayed when it came up ther on my thread, and now the kids won't stop singing it

Red Harvest wrote:Get the album, Excitable Boy, if you don't have it already. One of the best Rock n Roll albums ever. Sadly, my LP disappeared some time ago, so I'm stuck with just the CD. It's not the same. I remember watching what I think was one of his last public appearances on the Letterman Show where he talked about his cancer. Geez, it was over 15 years ago.

Back On Topic: Fishnet stocking will be an interesting challenge. One skull will do for Zatanna.

So, so good. That interview's on Youtube too I think, hard stuff.

OT: I think it might be tights, not fishnets... Good advice on skullymcskully.

A very busy few days, partly because of snowpocalypse (seriously, it is pathetic how much chaos 2" of snow causes!), through at my folks' for the weekend (omonomnomnomnom duck pie omonom) and marking mock exams. Sorry, by the way, that I'm mostly lurking on other folks' blogs atm.

Still, a strange notion came to me, off the back of a request. A mate is building a dockyard board and wanted a couple of gangways that would be suitable for two minis to cross/fight on. As it happened, I had some spare Arkham signs lying about (I have a painted set, I don't need more of the same tbh) and had an idea:

Leading to this:

Result! Add some treadplate and well on the way. He also wants 3 oil barrels, so I'll need to cut some tubing up for that (or possibly marker pen lids, they're pretty good for that). I do like a wee project and I get another (!) Batman out of it, who's going to converted either into Wrath (evil purple batman, closed face mask) or Zurr-en-Ar (crazy multicoloured batman, sword or something).

He's also after a Batgirl, in exchange for his spare Ra's al Ghul (I don't play League in BMG, but he's a villain for DCU that I don't own, and I love the classic 70s look of the model). Now I have a dilemma: I have an unpainted metal, but also one I did when I first got into BMG, and back into painting after all my hand trouble:

She's fine, but not great, in terms of painting. She is a nightmare to build, however (metal cape, weird leg positions). He's inexperienced, and would happily take the painted one. Do I bite the bullet and add another unpainted model (a at that) to the shelf of shame?

Other stuff: got my Mantic Point promos!

Abraham (with carbine) and Negan (with Lucille!)

And this beast came in the post too -

KS Made to Suffer. That's a whole lot of suffering better pics to follow anon. So much good stuff in the set, and it comes with Michonne's Katana as well! Which is great because the promo Michonne card doesn't come with that, and having made my own Michonne I was loathe to buy the booster or use mantic points on the promo Michonne model. Huzzah!
So, busily writing articles. I've also been asked by the London Batman group to make some objectives and prizes for their big tournament in March. That's going to weigh heavily on my mind. Lots to think about, plan and do!
Anon,
Graven

CommissarKhaine wrote:Looks like you got your work cut out for you! On the batgirl: not sure. I'm always emotionally attached to painted models. If you don't have that issue, and you're able to do better, it might be worth it.

I know, and more to come at that

Slinky wrote: Likewise, these days I am quite unlikely to sell models I have painted, but sometimes it's for the best in the end

I'm torn. She was painted up (indeed, converted also) to be the Bargirl of Burnside redesign. However, the new model

youwashock wrote:Send Batgirl on her way. Your friend will appreciate the paintjob, and you get to take another swing at her.

Very true. And I can always do the other one in classic colours. Plan.

Camkierhi wrote:Busy boy aren't we! Good idea on the walkways. Nice haul. And send the girl on her way

Cheers, I have all these mad builder friends that inspire me

Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:Solid idea on repurposing those signs into walkways.

Well I had to do something with them, you know.

Bits and pieces. Managed to source a copy of Miles Behind Us, the Hersel's Farm expansion for TWD. Means I have all the core sets for the game. Building the herd... And also, got this fella:

DARKSEID IS quite big.


Got this little lady too:

A malifaux nurse, that just happens to have pigtails. And be identical in scale to BMG. Dr Quinzel, anyone? Was thinking of counts-as Hugo Strange but he's OC/Riddler only. A shame, because he's the only character in the game with Arkham Asylum Dr rule. I'll try her regardless as a counts-as with Wonderland (I've got a nasty crew planned that's Wonderland and LexCorp troopers, all of which are now part of Organised Crime) once they arrive.

Also, for commission work, getting hold of a couple of tournament exclusives, the promo card for Zurr-en-Ar Batman and Monster T (mobster from the SS movie that Joker kills for eyeing up Harley) who's a nightmare to get hold of. Speaking of which, proof of concept pics:


Generator, which will get a Riddler tag on it. Bomb in a Pizza box (good use for square bases ), stack of smilex cannisters (maybe with a balloon attached) and a lump of Kryptonite in a box. Need to a giant Joker playing card sticking out of the ground... and one more. The guy suggested a stack of money, like in DKR, but that's melting my brain. I though maybe a neon HELL- -HERE sign, like in Bats Returns, but I'm open to suggestions?

Played the Firefly Brigands mini board game last night. Lots of fun, neat little mechanics, and I love the way the box and all the counter containers are themselves cardstock terrain. A very nifty idea.

I'm at the stage where I'm out of green stuff and glue. Time to restock!
Later gang,
Graven.

Unfortunately, this weekend has been marred somewhat by the boiler packing in. No hot water, no central heating. Really, really sucks. It's a bit milder this weekend, but still, very poor.

So brunch with friends (one was Anxiety Man, the former pro painter, so have given him the Darkseid as a distraction project), and shortly off to wife's sister for showers and, hopefully, pizza.

Anyway...

Slinky wrote:I think those fuses will look very good when painted up, good idea!

Cheers, yeah, I hope so. Also that the kettle doesn't blow up. They've now got a nozzle top, wondering whether to add a balloon .

Yorkright wrote: So much done since I checked in last, did you send batgirl along? If so my bet is your next one will be better, great ideas for your objectives also. Seeing all your DC models almost makes me want to take a crack at a few even if I never play the game.

I've not sent her yet but intend to. And thanks for the vote of confidence. If you're tempted, I totally recommend DCUMG. It's fun, fast, feels like a classic comic showdown, and you need no more than 4 or 5 models a side. It's great. Pick models and/or characters you like, nothing's overpowered (well except Bat-Mite).

Dr H wrote:Good show, Ol' chap, what.

I tend to have two minds when building models. If I'm building for myself, I get quite attached to them and wouldn't part with them.

If, however, I'm building to sell. I don't get attached to them. I know they'll be leaving once finished.

Adding another mini' to the "to-do" list, not a problem.
Parting with one of "my" mini's, not for all the wonga in the world, personally.

Fair points indeed. I think that genuinely the deal breaker for me is that I know I can do a better paint job now than then.

Hearing lots of horror stories about the new batgirl breaking... Note to self. The new plastic resin is brittle as

Serves me right I guess. However, my usual primer works well at least. As glue also, it seems
Easy fix, easy pin. Turns out the new plastic pins really well at least!

Got covered in paint goop. Whatever crazy crud the guy used to paint his Ra's (side note - love that my autocorrect knows to include the apostrophe) and has turned to tar in the disinfectant I usually use to strip minis. Alarming.

Was still waiting for green stuff. But couldn't resist starting this fella:

Bulking out arm and neck to follow. But the gun is good, I think, and it's clear enough that it's John Stewart. Not sure what to do with the rest of my spare set of Squad joker goons (and indeed Leto) - it was Goat priest's arm used, who's the least useful of them anyway, and another mate wants the rest to make Pyg's Farm Hands. I agree with Batman, Pyg is by far the scariest villain in Gotham. Possibly why I've resisted getting him till now.

Then, green stuff came from Mr Amazon. So started the oil drums

And finished the bridges



Let's hope this week's a bit better ...
Graven

Ach, it's on a service contract at least. Just a pain in the backside. Means house is too cold for Green Stuff to cure properly

Couple more bits and pieces though. Got John Stewart's pose down, and started bulking up the new arm:



And more work on the custom objectives:



Been looking for a use for this Awaken Realms piece for aaaaaaaages, like the idea of it as a Riddle Generator. Joker cards need blood spatter and maybe a HAHAHA on the back.

Camkierhi wrote:All looking good bud, nice work on the objectives.

Thanks mate. And thanks for the next one

Red Harvest wrote:That joker card seems a bit large. Maybe print a scaled down version?

I have a couple of electric radiators -- the sealed oil filled kind-- just in case my furnace goes out. Something to consider. Careful though, don't get the sort that'll burn down the house. People, sadly, do that.

That use of old fuses is clever. They would fit well on a sci fi themed table too.

Joker card - I don't disagree, but it's for a specific scenario and has to be taller than specific models. Yeah we have 2 large electric radiators, and a gas fire also. But it's a big draughty old victorian house.
Thanks about the fuses. I'd seen them used individually but thought a stack seemed more convincing, somehow.

CommissarKhaine wrote:Objectives are looking good! Hope you manage to get the boiler fixed, I know from experience how much 'fun' that is...

Cheers! Yeah, it's now up and running.

Knightley wrote:Is it just me, or is the head on John Stewart a little off, like a fraction to high from the neck?

You're not wrong. It's because I haven't yet built up the muscles around his neck / \ (not quite Cardassian neck, but certainly thicker.

Gitsplitta wrote:Yes graven... paint a miniature joker card. Right now. Paint monkey-boy, paint! *cracks whip*

Yorkright wrote: Sorry to hear about the home reapairs :-( , nothing worse than the heat or water going out. All your hobbying though looks good!

A little hobbying on a big thing today, made by the mighty Cam:

The diameter of this is the size of my oustretched hand.
Needs some more edge highlighting but it's nearly there. It's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages since I've used any metallic paints - don't use them for BMG, which is 95% of my painting. VJ Burnished Copper, wet blend shaded with Tiiny Tin and Brass for highlights. Some Shining Gold should be enough to finish it off, then burned, scratched and scraped along the back,

Other stuff - slogging through priming everything. Priming black, rather than my usual grey, but with zenithal grey instead - at least, that's the theory. I really want to get these commission-things done, so I can get on with my own stuff
Later
graven


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Aaaaaaaaaand done



Prisoner for scale

And started a neon sign

 Slinky wrote:
Coin looks good - I may be being dim, but what is it for?

Batcave
More work on other bits:


Progress


Automatically Appended Next Post:

That'll do

Thanks chaps. Now, onwards!


A riddle generator. Part of the commission batch of objectives.
Next, card, bomb and Kryptonite...

Camkierhi wrote:Excellent work. Generator looks spot on.

Ta. Awaken Realms make some lovely odds and ends.

Red Harvest wrote:It took me a moment to see the question mark. The angle is a bit odd. Which fits. IIRC, the Riddler is a bit odd.

ta! Yeah I wanted it to be... Odd.

Yorkright wrote: Coin looks great, are you putting together a bunch of batcave terrain also?

Eventually. That's a long term plan. I've started one of the Bat Computers also.

Gitsplitta wrote:Nice work on the riddle generator, but what kind of output does it have? A printer? A screen? A speaker? Or does it just generate them for it's own private amusement?

you are a silly man

Another week. Another boiler packing-in incident The pump this time - turns out the whole system will need flushed also, to the tune of nearly £800

Sigh. Anyway.
The objectives continue:

What's in the box?

Needs a LexCorp logo on the side but nearly there.

And started these:


Going to be doing a set of box files from TT Combat's Urban Accessories. Which also come with these cute little buggers... to ruin:

They're going to be substitute robot dolls for joker. I'd been looking for Evil Toys for a while, and as a result am getting a Malifaux Neverborn starter and rules on the cheap. A lot of my mates play and I like the Neverborn part of the aesthetic (other parts notwithstanding). Not going to get sucked in, but ten quid to play a game works for me. For all that I love DC, XWing et al, they're not quick games. Walking dead is fairly concise, but it's not overly crunchy - there's something to be said for a wee fantasy skirmish game. And I have graveyard/ruins aplenty for scenery too.

...

Yeah who am I kidding?! it's going to eat my soul.

Cheers as always for you ceaseless support,
Graven

A 1945 Lincoln penny at that yeah I did know but the lovely Cam made me a 2 face themed 1922 (there is a destroyed one also).

Dr H wrote:Good job on the copper-y look.

Good fires.

Nice riddle generator.

Good job on the box. Like the wood colour you got on it.

Fuses do the job.

Cheers mucker. Yeah, nice box, eh? More below

aku-chan wrote:Nice work on the objectives, especially the giant penny!

Thank you kindly sir! Fun using metals again.

CommissarKhaine wrote:Objectives are looking good!

Ruglud wrote:Too much stuff to comment on - suffice to say it's all excellent...

too many toys

Knightley wrote:Awww, those little teddy bears.

So cute.

Now...

Mess them up!

Ha ha ha so true. Will do.

So finished off the box

The card

And the cannisters

Plus more work on the next two:



2 more to do after these, the neon sign and a stack of box files. Then, motherboxes. I've made a rod for my own back, really.

Really need to paint actual model
Graven

yeah, like the old Great Objective Swap? I'd forgotten about that, actually. Definitely going to be doing the whole square bases as pizza box thing again, that's for sure.

Thanks mate, it's now just about down:



Now with added cheese

Fuel?Fire?


And WIP on the neon

Camkierhi wrote:Love the pizza box, objectives are looking spot on bud.

The neon sign is looking really promising.

Cheers, here it is now:

Yorkright wrote: Very cool objectives Graven. I like how you have so many various things to build and paint for the DC game, in 40K you have to paint so many troops that getting to paint vehicles and characters are a treat.

Believe me, I have plenty to paint

Shame! Shame! Shame!

CommissarKhaine wrote:Looking good! And stealing that pizza box idea for sure

Cheers. Willing to bet you'll do it better than me!

Gitsplitta wrote: I know that bit! (in the pizza box) It's from the downed plane thingy...

Crashed aquila? Maybe. I have a lot of random junk lying about

Couple more rifts:


Oh, and the back of the sign:


Fairly quite otherwise, little one's birthday (2!), wife under the weather. Bonkers weekend ahead too, wife's entire family (she's one of 5) have invited themselves over on Sunday not cool. As an only child, it baffles me.

But, the end is in sight with the terrain project, so we can get on with our own toys! And I'm off Monday Tuesday. The latter is a rare trip to the opening day of Black Panther (mmm isense with deluxe recliners) and the former is me stuck in the house whilst we get underfloor insulation - excuse to get some paint on!

Later
Graven

CommissarKhaine wrote:

Different mainly, we have a vastly different style when it comes to painting. it's why I love looking at your stuff, it approaches things from a different angle.

Barring Sunday, things are looking good, so I'd suggest not murdering anyone with the good times ahead

I do love how everyone expresses their individual style, especially in terrain, it's true.
I get on really well with my wife's siblings (mostly), it's more that we specifically decided not to have a birthday party as we're both wrecked. Sigh.

Dr H wrote:Nice work. Good selection of little terrain-y bits.

Cheers. Need to do the lid for that box.

Made a brickwork base for the sign:


So, ended up being off today as #2 son threw up at 0230. Joy. We watched movies, played some King of Tokyo and Pokémon, and I even got some modelling done:

Owlman, reposed and with a razorang. Not at all because I couldn't find his original left arm. Nope.

And John Stewart:




Started on the remaining owls, power ring and Ra's al ghûl


And built a couple more militia, Superwoman and Reverse Flash


Scraped down the mold lines on my walking dead wave 4 stuff. Also gsd Zatanna and built a Nurse Harley and High Court Lady, but they're already in for a prime.

More productive than I expected to be at this point of my time off tbh.

Adiós
Graven

Slinky wrote:Ah, the old 02:30 vomit.

"Daddy, I think I'm going to..." <chunder noises>

Hope he's on the mend.

Owlman is cool. All these funky pics are making me think I might go in for the Batman KS, hopefully I can stay strong

Yeah, he's fine, cheers.
The monolith stuff is nice, the game cool, but the aesthetic is radically different, much more stylised and comicy.

Dr H wrote:

inmygravenimage wrote:...Cheers. Need to do the lid for that box. ...

And what a nice box it is...

Good work on the modifications.

Cheers old son.

TerrainWalker wrote:I'm a bit behind so just saw your objectives. I always love it when people make those and yours are no exception. Brilliant idea on the fuses and love the cheesy box haha

Thanks, you're an inventive chap yourself! They were a lot of fun.

Well having had a more productive Friday than expected, the rest of my time off was less so with the little one's birthday, and spending time with kids etc (woo Black Panther!); ie no painting :( However, I got the remaining stuff drilled, pinned and assembled: Parliament of Owls, Power Ring and Superwoman, Deathstroke militia, Reverse Flash, and rescue Ra's al Ghûl. Still need to GS gaps. I am not going to miss metal, tbh. Especially with KM's ridiculous tiny arms... However, the collection grows also: I've now added Professor Pyg, SHAZAM! and the Dynamic Duo. Plus Miles Behind Us, the farm expansion for Walking Dead.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Work, life etc. Sure I'll get back in the swing of things but still.

Did manage to get a cracking game of BMG last night. Took the Batpod, Azrael, Alfred and some cops against Emperor Blackgate, Deathstroke and some goons. Great, great fun, and surprisingly a full game in 2hrs flat. The batpod can cover 2/3 of the board in a turn, so is fairly nasty (if a points sink) to say the least. However, the new sewer rules (you can move from one to another as movement) mean that's not as overpowered as it once was. My sniper managed to take out Emperor (to be fair, I knew to target him from the outset) but Deathstroke held out against combined Bat and Az assault despite getting locked down by Bullock with a whistle (cops are able to Halt! you, preventing movement). I won on VPs but wouldn't have fancied Az or Bats' chance if it had gone another turn.

Anyway, on we go - too many toys, not enough time...
Later
Graven