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Having joined some of DAKKA's discussions, I've decided to dive deeper and bring up my attempts at painting and modelling for the criticism, enjoyment and ridicule of the community. I'll start with my ongoing project to build a some sort of Circle of Orboros, or maybe not, and here is the latest addition to the small force - the first warlock miniature I consider finished. Mohsar

Nothing spectacular, merely an attempt to create a base that represents Mohsar mastery over sands. A few additional images, hopefully providing a more 3D view of the miniature, are in my gallery, linked below.

The first warlock is followed by the first solo - Morraig the ... Lord My initial reaction to this miniature was "Superb!", but after closer inspection the mount simply could not be a wolf, thus it is painted closer to jackal, which is, IMHO, fine for the desert theme. The infantry model, however, is so far my favourite.

Two more images even though there is not much to show:

A totally unexpected update - Argus, Circle Light Warbeast. Classic (metal) sculpt, intended to try the colour scheme for sooner-or-later coming of Warpwolf Stalker. A very difficult to work with miniature - plenty of mould lines in hard to remove places. A rather hard alloy does not make it easier either.

Two additional views:

Long time in painting - the first Circle Heavy Warbeast, Gnarlhorn Satyr. Again, mould lines in the most hard to work at places, like muzzle, but also a few defects I was not expecting in metal miniature - bubbles and cracks. Other than that - my favourite Privateer Press miniature thus far.

And two more views of the beast:

My second but so far the favourite warlock - Kaya the Wildborn. The first plastic miniature from Privateer Press, and already I'm not a fan of the material. Cleaning mould lines is harder than pinning metal models. If not for these small defects it would have been a pretty little sculpt.

As always, two more views:

Circle is slowly coming together. Much slower, than I'd like, but I am enjoying it whenever I can. This time I've finished (most probably the last) warlock for the company, Kaya the Moonhunter and her character warbeast, Laris. Lovely pair, came together nicely, except Laris had his share of hard to remove mold lines, some are still visible, and also a rather poor fit at his neck, leaving a gap between the two body halves, that was, however, easy to fill. The camera gave images a strong blue that I am unable to correct for, the actual colors are much closer to previous models in this blog.




... and one more ...

Personally I find war wolf sculpt by Privateer Press rather boring (particularly static and too similar to their own Laris warbeast), so I've looked around for some substitutes. Dire wolves by Gamezone miniatures appeared to be a good fit (aesthetically), although when I've got them in my hands, the (physical) fit of their halves left much to be desired. Growling one needed a bit of putty along the seam, while the howling one had to be modified to hide a rather nasty gap at the neck. Well some armour was added to cover that. When i get to the point of fielding a rieve of Orboros, these wolves will come handy.



And back view...

This is a solid start. Good thing you made proper bases which makes the models look complete.

I like how you paint metal on armor.

Baxx wrote:
This is a solid start. Good thing you made proper bases which makes the models look complete.

I like how you paint metal on armor.

Thank You! The metal is a bit of a shortcut... I was considering going for a high contrast scheme, close to what You've done in Your thread, black-and-gold or black-and-chrome (Your Gnarlhorn is amazing with that glowing fur), but in the end decided to keep the "traditional" Orboros armour colours.

I undercoat and coarsely pre-shade armour to three colours, like dark brown for the down-looking parts, white or cream for the upwards facing parts and sand for everything inbetween. Then I put a very thin layer of metallic bronze on everything, this is just to let some metal shine through the green. Next I put a few drops of almost undiluted green in places that can be expected to be darker and then spread them from there with a water-filled brush. This step may be repeated, if deeper green is wanted, but rarely more than once. Finally I just highlight all raised parts with more metallic bronze.

Perhaps this can be done quicker (my method takes some time for all the water to dry) and with most likely better results, but with my skill I am satisfied with both process and result. It looks a bit better on the table than under the flash or direct sun...

And another heavy warbeast for the Circle - Privateer Press Shadowhorn. Nice metal kit, heavy duty pinning required (naturally) as well as some creative filling around the waist, as the fit is far from ideal. I've tried to remove bits that prevented good contact between upper and lower halves, but in the end went for the simple pin-and-epoxy solution.

I've had fun building and painting this figure, in my opinion both original satyr kits were much more characterful than the current plastic one. I fear and dream of the day I'll have to do something to represent the third one! As usual, two more views:


Funny fact - I've brought this freshly painted satyr to the table today, and while at first he failed spectacularly to throw enemy jack (Cryx, with poltergeist) on the second turn (and was pummelled by spells in retaliation), he lived on, surviving through the enemy negligence (the very same jack had a chance to finish him, but my opponent concentrated on wiping out most of my skinwalkers instead), to win the game by killing the caster.Talk about painted models being better in-game...

And now - to the long neglected wolves, the old metal Feral and stoic Skinwalkers

And - the first finished warpwolf, the venerable metal Feral. While this kit does not assemble itself after being shaken in a box, it is still nice in sculpting and casting departments, not to mention being really different to the current plastic look-alikes from the multi-kit. The only real "problem" with it - how diminutive this Feral looks like when compared to other heavies of the Circle, especially the Shadowhorn. I've assembled the kit as is - most connections require pinning and waist has to be filed and greenstuffed to make a nice join. Also, I am not a fan of warpwolf tails as envisioned by Privateer Press (in fact, I consider them ugly), so another roll of greenstuff and some pinning were used to make a more wolfish tail for the warbeast. The result, to be tried on the table top in a week or two -

As usual, two more views:

There is a lull in painting - having lost both my favourite paintbrush and will to paint, I've turned to the hacksaw and assembled Skinwalker Alpha. Had it not been out of blister for a long time, I' have contacted a replacement service - worst metal casting of all Privateer Press metal models I've seen. Blobs that were meant to align leg and torso parts had to be removed, cape had several ugly protrusions, possibly a flash from worn mould. Due to complex shape the cape had to go. Sculpting is next step, to preserve the current state of things - a memory photo.

At last (and a long time in making, much longer than I'd prefer) - second unit of the Circle infantry, Skinwalkers. Got a single metal miniature long time ago, was thinking to re-purpose it for something else, most likely for another game, but then a half of the 2-player starter box "just happened", and now I had two min units of skinwalkers to assemble. The first one was already half way through modification - moving its head to the top of the shoulders with a bit of the neck inbetween, so other five had to undergo the same surgery. Heavy duty PVC solvent is not a good glue to use with Privateer Press plastic, but when mixed with bits of that same plastic it becomes a good alternative to sculpting putty. The only drawback is the smell... I am fairly satisfied with the end result (If not for mould lines - the pauldrons! Yuck!!!), but should learn to do simple things faster...




Onwards to the alpha!

Alpha is progressing slowly, but may lose its spot to Stonekeeper. Reeve is following them closely.
A few small pieces of greenstuff and the right arm are left to do.

Alpha is finally finished, a few days ahead of the stonekeeper and the reeve. Fun to modify and to paint, not so much to assemble. I've already mentioned problems with the cast, so let's stop here. And - as an afterthought - I've added the tail. Much better sign of advanced warping, than spikes, IMHO.


My camera had its own opinion about what is the center of the composition from the other side, but here is the result...

...and a back view...

Two more solos are finished, reeve hunter and blacklad wayfarer. Ahem, whiteclad wayfarer, for sure. Having built 7 druids from PP I was not going to do another one, they may have (somewhat) unique silhouettes, but more obscure miniature lines - to the rescue! I've picked these two from Sphere Wars Alliance line and added some minor details. Wayfarer got his voulge from milliput and greenstuff while reeve - cape and a cleft sword. I must say - Sphere Wars are not the easiest things to assemble. Weapons, attached at the wrist, point contact surfaces or highly uneven ones... pins and vices.


As usual, the back view -


And something silly - an action shot! No tabletop terrain at hand, unfortunately, so bookshelf will do for now -

What Circle is complete without a teleporting werewolf? Long have I overlooked this option, but no more! Two sets of stones are enough, right? I have a strange urge to make some more... walking ones, perhaps? Or floating? Or standing...

Rear view doesn't add much, I've simply painted letters on stones to make them easier to track (for opponents).

Now it's time to work on the Lady of the Feast, and then big beasts should come - Stalker, Pureblood, Riphorn. Maybe even more stones indeed.

And the last solo for now - Lady of the Feast. Being tired of all the bones, horns and skulls from other games, I've found a suitable replacement to fit into my desert theme - Avatar of Sekhmet by Reaper Miniatures. Just two pewter parts, not that much to put together, although alloy is quite hard and sculpture is posed in such way that makes dealing with some mould lines difficult. I did less than I should have, being afraid of ruining details. To replace the raven, symbolic to Lord of the Feast, I've greenstuffed a falcon to sit on her weapon. That should make things a bit more WYSIWYG.

Two more views...

It's back to warbeasts time! Actually, this is the first "miniature" (closer to 75mm - 80mm scale) I've sculpted all the way from toothpick skeleton to the table-top finish. Toothpicks, matches, plenty of greenstuff and Milliput. Way too long in the making, but with significant interruptions. That will be my Pureblood (or Purebreed?) Warpwolf stand-in for the Circle. The intention was to get close to the original metal sculpture by Privateer Press without actually copying its pose.



And two more views, including a better one (for the controlling player, anyway).



(Had to edit out auto-appended next post...)

You know, that Pureblood lady-wolf is not bad at all, particularly built from scratch as it is. Nice paint too

Also dig the Lady of the Feast counts as, way to keep extending the desert theme.

- Salvage

 Boss Salvage wrote:
You know, that Pureblood lady-wolf is not bad at all, particularly built from scratch as it is. Nice paint too

Also dig the Lady of the Feast counts as, way to keep extending the desert theme.

- Salvage

Thank You! I am trying!

Just wait for what is in store for even bigger stuff, like Gargantuan. But the current waiting list is Stalker-Riphorn-???-Efaarit-???-Fulcrum-???-Wrath with Ghetorix possibly somewhere in there too. Stalker definitely coming first in order not to become another abysmally long project.



He is currently waiting for his weapon arm, and it is unlikely I'll finish him before February, maybe even March. Working with resin and undercoats in winter is difficult.

And, since its almost a New Year time, that calls to finish old projects - a new warlock, Epic Kromac, The Champion of That Wurm... First metal and resin kit from Privateer Press in my hands, with some mixed impressions. Overall casting quality is very high, as is fit of all parts - only one joint (lower and upper jaws) required filler, the rest of the model was assembled with "super-glue". The design of the miniature was somewhat lacking. Resin took away problems of PVC casts, but it held the same smooth "melted" detailing inherent in these same PVC models, like warpwolf kits or skinwalkers. Certainly not a 35$ resin model level of the year, but fun to assemble and paint. Will be seeing how it plays...



Other views...

Happy New 2016 everyone!

Let's start it with a couple of proper New Year resolutions! First, to actually make this thread into a weekly log (in hopes that this will result in more finished miniatures and less idle browsing), and second - to actually finish the Circle! Of course, every wargamer knows that his army is NEVER finished, but I'll still try. After all, there are not that many things I'd like to add to it. Just about a dozen models, really...

And, to have something to compare to at the end of the year - a group shot of all things druid, man, spirit and beast:

Well, here goes the resolution. One and a half month has passed, and no news to report. Amid multiple RL-problems my Hordes took the back seat... in a bus that is rusting on the side street.

Depending on the weather (and health) permitting working outside, I'll attempt to cast a substitute for a Feralgheist. Sculpting is finished, all parts and a base assembled, it should be done in a week.

News of WM/H Mk3 this summer have, apparently, put another brake shoe on this project. Should I start a new blog or just rename this one a "patheticlist of all things I am dabbling in"? Anyway, stalker is assembled and primed. This is the last time I am having anything common with Pebeo crystal resin. The thing needs a proper vacuum chamber or a real centrifuge and is a pain to fix after it decides to set in...

The planed colour scheme is like

Fur - whiteish yellow to orange-red

Eyes - either solid black or green

Face mask, blade, left bracer, belt buckle and paw guards - green bronze

Necklace - gold, blue, red

Belts, wraps and right bracer - red leather

Headdress, loincloth - white cloth

Edit: No idea why a usual list markup with asterisk is not working. :(

those are really cool! I love your bases especially

 Guildenstern wrote:
those are really cool! I love your bases especially

Thanks! Really, I don't think my bases are something special, but I do try to create a finished miniature!

So, the Stalker is finally done. A warrior wolf, maybe I'll use him as an avatar of Wepwawet. Having painted an almost white wolf before, this time I went for golden fur, hopefully it will stand out on a table equally well. Free-handing shapes on the blade didn't went well (or as well as planned), and in another injury my camera again decided to screw the color balance beyond my correcting abilities. Gravity casting with only a vibrating stand left a few bubbles I was unable to properly fill. Form suffered a nasty tear during initial tries, leaving a significant mould line across the loincloth and along the right leg. Fortunately, these are mostly obscured...



I've tried some more tricks for the first time, including following Angel Giraldez advice on doing leather effects and using the same procedure to highlight bright fur. To my eyes the result is too high-contrast, but maybe OK for a first try. Viewing miniature from a typical game distance under artificial light hides most aggressive spots, though. More trials and practice are needed.



As usual, a totally unnecessary tail view...



Riphorn satyr should be next, although when that "next" will be?

Riphorn is still resting in pieces... and I am still contemplating leaving this game behind and selling my Circle. Malifaux has my attention and is slowly dragging me in. Perhaps I will get the Orboros 2016 card deck first, have a few games and then decide whether to stay put in Hordes. In the mean time swarms of large and small things are preventing a proper progress in any hobby.

Upper torso of the kung fu goat is assembled, but the most important part remains to be completed - I want him to be clad in chain-mail, which means I am looking at a few hours of slow hole-poking this week! After that it should get easier, I should be able to finish it before August. I sure hope to!

Well, my idea about chain mail was a failure. More time experimenting is required, and to prevent riphorn from being another 2-year stalemate, I am going for a padded leather shirt. Hopefully by the next weekend there will be more progress with posing and maybe basing that discount beater.

Riphorn is almost finished. Apart from small things like strings and hooves only base still remain untouched. Tail is already done, just not yet attached. In other developments, I've cast Feralgheist (again... hopefully this time resin sets AND become clear), disassembled Efaarit scouts (again, although not into as many pieces, will try a different glue and putty) and scavenged some neat photos that, hopefully, will help me visualizing a desert Woldwrath.