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Aloha, fellow Dakkanauts!

Some of you might know that I have a little comic using miniatures called 28mm.
Spoiler: an example of 28mm

28mm has been going strong since 2020 and I've decided to branch out into a swords & sorcery setting. That new project is Big Fantasy Epic
The comic isn't live yet, as I still have a lot to work on. But I've decided to share my progress in a blog in the mean time.

So where to start? How about with the protagonist. The story focuses on a mundane scribe named Asphodel the Pale who stumbles into all manner of adventures in the bustling city of Halbstadt. So I needed a model that looked like a commoner and not a warrior. So I went with the Wizards 2 boxed set from Frostgrave and a head from Wargames Atlantic Cannon-fodder 2 set. The body was perfect in that the plastic Frostgrave lady wizards aren't overly arcane looking or cheesecake-y. I chose that particular Cannon-fodder head as it was very distinctive, youthful, and I just happened to like it.


This is our heroine

The one thing I learned from doing 28mm is that there's only so much a static miniature can convey. That's why I chose that Frostgrave set with all those arm options.


Magnetized options are good to have in a main character

So for colors, I went with muted earth tones. I did this partly because of the contrast with the albino heroine but I also wanted her to look peasant-like.


That purple seal means she's a member of the Scriveners Guild.


I may have gone a little overboard on the arm options

I think this is enough for a first post. There's more to come as I'm working hard on gearing up for the launch. Feel free to comment.
Thanks for reading

Very nice KidCthulhu.

Cheers,

CB

Wow, very cool. Can't wait to see more.

@Captain Brown & Galahad: hey hey, thanks for looking and commenting!

So now that the protagonist is ready for her debut, it's time to work on the setting. I grabbed some 3D printed houses from Amazon (Ender Toys, I think?) and found some 12 inch X 12 inch printed cobblestone decals on eBay for the streets:


Four houses and a decent floor for about $46 USD ain't bad

One of the things I've noticed with non-GW terrain is that they sometimes seem too small for GW-style "heroic" 28mm scale. It's not so much the buildings themselves, but the added height of the model's base throws off the perception. My solution? Add bases to the buildings.


The doofus with the polearm is also a comedic foil brave hero


A little greenstuff makes everything better

I made some progress on the houses. They are relatively simple pieces but they paint up nice:


I need to touch up that green roof; you can see the primer through the shingle spaces


Wow, the Dakka image enhancement made this waaaay too dark.

I have a few interiors in the works, so I'll leave you with these quick teasers:


Gloria in excelsis Deae


I really wish these walls were a smidge higher

Thanks for reading

Okay, so just a quick little update here.

I got a painting commission and my payment was a Mantic Terrain Crate. There's been some great stuff in there for fleshing out the interiors of the buildings in BFE. I need to take more photos, but here's a glimpse:


Terrain by Mantic, Bartender by Wizkids


The terrain paints up nice, but the pre-primed bartender is coming out awful


It looks a lot better in situ with a backdrop, floor, and more models

More photos to follow. Thanks for reading

Aloha, Dakkanauts!

Okay, so I got some more terrain done. Specifically, the Mantic library stuff.


Them's some good lookin' books!


The Scriveners' Office is open for business

I've also been working on costars for the comic. In some cases, it's not feasible to magnetize the model and it's easier to just get multiple models for the same character. For example, there's Faolán and his hound, Girvin.


These are courtesy of the Dark Age Irish sprue by Wargames Atlantic

Multiple models for the same character really help the comic from being stale. That's a lesson I learned from doing 28mm for multiple years. Here's some more examples to show you what I mean.


Chutzpah, don't be an idiot


He tried to warn you, jackass...


Plant monster courtesy of SPG, Chutzpah is a combination of Empire Halberdier and Mordheim Mercenaries bits (plus a Bretonian polearm)

Take care until next time...

Progress is slow but steady...


She may not be as well sculpted as the first barmaid, but the paintjob is significantly better.


Not a bad set up, considering my backdrop and floor has been sitting in UK Royal mail since January 10th


♪♫ ♪ Sometimes you wanna go, Where every NPC knows your naaaaaame ♫ ♪♫

In the meantime, I need to finish that fourth house for the exteriors. Just haven't really had the chance.

Thanks for reading

This new barmaid is prepared to work at the fantasy equivalent of Hooters!

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
This new barmaid is prepared to work at the fantasy equivalent of Hooters!

Work there? Nah, she's more likely to run the place

I'm afraid I don't have much to show aside from a WIP of the man who raised & trained Asphodel:



Obviously some of the magnet connection points aren't ideal and need a little filing. Most of it just a matter of careful positioning before the photography. I also have an alternate head for use in flashbacks of him as a younger man.

Thanks for reading

KidCthulhu

The gangs all here.

Cheers,

CB

The gang sadly is not all here. I've been waiting on Hasselfree since November for a major cast member. I'm also waiting on a Renedra order since January, but at least they shipped it timely and it only got to US customs a few days ago due to the UK Royal Mail hack.

I wish I had more to show, but I have a bunch of things in various stages of completion. Maybe I need to snap some pics of 'em.

Thanks for reading

Okay, I have some good news today! My Renedra order, which was held up over a month due to UK Royal Post hack, arrived today!


Time to upgrade my backdrops

I also managed to get some work done on a supporting character; Faolán and his hound, Girvin:


Nothing to see here, just a man and his dog


Since his arms were too weedy to magnetize, it was easier to just paint an alternate model


Whoops! What's this pic doing here?

Faolán was a bit of a challenge to paint. Being 60% skin and 40% cloth, there was always the issue of getting the wrong color where I didn't want it. Compound this with pastel cloth and a light skin tone for even more fun. I'm happy with the end result. Well, aside from one eye on the "at ease" version of him. On the flip side, Girvin the hound was super easy.

I'm also working with some Wargames Atlantic Boxer Rebels to use as foreign travelers. I painted up one for a friend while I try to narrow down a color scheme:


I really love Wargames Atlantic's stuff


Thanks for reading

More nice work KidCthulhu.

Cheers,

CB

@Captain Brown: thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the peek behind the curtain.

Speaking of which, I did some tests with some of my recent Renedra haul:


Not a bad basement, just needs better lighting when I take the photos


Asphodel's favorite watering hole looks a lot cozier now

Thanks for reading

So I tried playing around a little more with what I have:


Trying to see if corners are viable for photos; my last attempt made photography difficult at best


That door from the Renedra crenelations sprue works wonders


Chutzpah's room is a bit sparse, not that Tawny minds

That's all I have at the moment. Thanks for reading

Just a small update this time around...


Kriegsknechts are mercenaries that make most of the standing armies of the Grafschaft



The Barony has knightly orders to help maintain its borders

In the meantime, I'm working on more reoccurring characters and some more floor/walls set ups.
Thanks for reading

I got some more back drop panels done. It's not a huge update, but it's something.


That is not a "Funky" Tut

I'm pleased with how the yellowing tone came out on the bricks.

Thanks for reading

Love your scenery man. All of this looks great, but I'm really impressed with the mummies.

 From_ash wrote:
Love your scenery man. All of this looks great, but I'm really impressed with the mummies.

There's an irony in the Mummies catching your eye.I painted them ages ago and will be using them in an upcoming playtest of my homebrew dungeon crawl. Guess I'll have to make sure they pop up at least once when BFE goes live

Just a quick update:



Thanks for reading

Progress is progress KidCthulhu.

You also have a wonderful bar to hold a great number of fights.

Cheers,

CB

So I finished a few more models and I wanted to try out some lighting:


The Cazadore Brothers are renown monster hunters


Kriegsknechts in the livery of the Graf


Roterbart, Kriegsknecht axe-man


Where did this pic come from? Pay not attention; nothing to see here


A Ritter from Die Grafschaft


Melodie Kellerin, proprietor of Das Beschwipste Mädchen


A knight from the Barony

Thanks for reading



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Captain Brown wrote:
Progress is progress KidCthulhu.

You also have a wonderful bar to hold a great number of fights.

Cheers,

CB

Oh hey! You must have posted this just as I was posting my last update.
Thanks for the kind words, Cap'n!

In a good mood today; finally got my Hasslefree order and my primer just got dropped off by UPS.


Yes, I can't wait to paint her up and drop her into Halbstadt

Thanks for reading!

Okay, small updates...

I made another door to match the yellowy stone backdrops. The addition of a second step to the base really helped:


Meanwhile, in the mess hall...

Oh and my sweet sweet Wargames Atlantic Ogres finally arrived today:


The scale is great and the detail is amazing!

Thanks for reading!

So right now, Comic Fury (the website host/community for my miniature comics) is having their annual 30 Days of Characters challenge. So I've stepped up my game on BFE.

Here's what I've been up to:







Feel free to check the challenge link; it updates every day for the month of April.

Thanks for reading

Here's the first real test of a street scene:



Thanks for reading!

I've been putting an awful lot of work into my entries for the 30 Days Of Characters challenge and I don't want to spoil them.
Suffice to say, there's nifty characters and some interesting new exterior shots.

So for now, here's a WIP shot of some more mercenaries I made from Warlord Games Landsknecht Pikemen.
Since Pikemen at ease do not make for interesting individual models, I've been looking for new ways to use the kit


Greatswords courtesy of the old Mordheim accessory sprue

Thanks for reading and don't forget to give the 30 Days Of Characters challenge a look

So I'm still working on backdrops and terrain. Just got some work done for the two major shrines in Halbstadt:


The Scarlet Sisterhood at the door to the inner sanctum


Of course Chutzpah is gonna try to make his move in the sanctum


By only showing half of the altar at a time, I can get two faiths out of one terrain piece

That's all for now. Thanks for reading

Hey mate,

This is one of the coolest blogs I've seen on Dakka. I have seen your 28mm comics floating around the internet - didn't realise they originated from a Dakkaite!

The terrain/settings you've made are very evocative and the minis just drop right in. I'm also super impressed with how neatly you do their eyes!

I will be following along - excited to see the progress!