Toothed Trunks and Monoliths

Lately, I've found myself painting a good many miniatures from my favorite books and films, my growing Doctor Who collection being a good example. So, having just finished the last of these, I'll share a few non-Who models, including a scratchbuild.

First, from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, none other than the enigmatic Monolith. This was a scratch build, a piece of foam cut to the 1:4:9 formula, with tape around the edges to smooth it off. It may actually see service in Dark Tower, although the miniature was just a size comparison.

One of the foundations of science-fiction is the 1927 film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. The sets and visuals from this, especially the iconic workers buildings, were actually a big inspiration for my Dark Tower game setting. Perhaps the best known character from this film is the evil robot duplicate of Maria, which Reaper makes as a miniature.

I enjoyed painting the all-silver color-scheme, it really stands out on the tabletop.

The base was simply painted grey, but I did add a pentagram to it. That's a recurring image in Metropolis, especially around the robot, and the mad scientist Rotwang's laboratory.

Last, from the late Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the Luggage. A thousand-toed, homicidal suitcase with teeth, the Luggage attaches itself to Rincewind, becoming a constant companion of the magically challenged wizard.

I altered it from a Reaper Mimic Beast, adding the necessary pink feet on the base with green stuff. The Mimic was surprisingly close to what I wanted, even with a large mahogany tongue and store of tempting gold.





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Ice Warriors from Mars

Ice Warriors, the ancient inhabitants of Mars, have met the Doctor on several occasions during his second and third regenerations, also reappearing in the Eleventh Doctor episode Cold War. A race of honor-bound warriors, they are often at odds with the Doctor, and his less violent means of conflict solving.

The miniatures are from Harlequin/Black Tree Design's original series range, and are good representations of the on-screen Ice Warriors, standing a head taller than the average human.

They were easy to paint, one overall green and a handful of details, but I like how they turned out.

In addition to the standard warriors, I got Ice Lord Izlyr from the Third Doctor adventure The Curse of Peladon to lead my Warriors into battle. Certainly one of my campiest paint-jobs!

A slight issue with the Izlyr model- on the show he has claws similar to the Warriors, not gloved hands. Still, I'm pleased with them, they were enjoyable to paint, and make a good, classic villain for any Doctor to face.

As always, check out my Etsy Shop for custom commissions, and pre-painted miniatures.

Rapiers and Snakes

It's been a while since I've posted! The holidays were, as always, very busy for me. Since than I have been able to get a good bit of painting done, and starting to get back on my posting schedule, and since most of my other models are awaiting basing, I'll start with these two Reaper Pathfinder models...

First is Vencarlo Orosini: painted as a mix of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride and a friend's SCA Character. It was a pretty simple paint-job, although I did arm him with the six-fingered sword from the movie.

The base is also from the movie, the ruin-littered top of the Cliffs of Insanity, where Inigo fights the mysterious Man in Black.

Khavith, Serpentfolk evoker:  I tried to give him a middle-eastern nomad feel- with dusty robes and an embroidered scarf.

I'm not sure what I'll use him as, he'd make a good Beastmaster or demon hunter in Frostgrave. Regardless, I like how he turned out.

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Dark Tower: What lies beneath...

Many caverns, not to mention a great maze of sewers lie beneath the city, shunned by the sane as the abode of many horrors even more terrifying than those that dwell on the surface. Some, the brave and foolhardy, still seek the depths in search of treasure and mystery. It's been a little while since I've posted on my Dark Tower miniatures, and I've gotten a few more encounters painted up.

Among the many strange inhabitants of the depths is this, a Cloaker. Able to change color like a chameleon, they live on the ceilings of vast, damp caverns far beneath the surface, where flocks of hundreds can often be found. 

This miniature is available for sale on Etsy, providing an excellent encounter for Frostgrave or D&D, and even if it sells out, you can always request a custom order to your own specifications. I really like how the stalagmite it's balanced on turned out, moss-covered, with water running off in pools to the floor. 

Equally at home above the surface or below, undead, often skeletal dogs run in feral packs seeking food. This is a Grenadier model from the mid-eighties, a sculpt I really like. I used a good bit of washes on it, particularly around the mouth to give it a nasty, dirty look.

A rusted collar still hangs around its neck, a relic of its former life- or current service in the warband of some dark necromancer...

Statues from a forgotten age lie mourning in ancient courtyards... but are they just stone? After painting my Weeping Angels, I went back and added more detail to a pair of Reaper's Angels of Sorrow, making them more suitable for the Dark Tower. These are true 'weeping' angels, with small streams of water coming down from the eyes, pooling at the statues' feet.

These can serve as mere statues or constructs as well, adding a great accent to any game. Thanks to Georgia Ballard of Loot the Dead Things for tips on the weathering of these, and the cloaker's stalagmite.

You blinked.

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Exterminate! The New Dalek Paradigim

I painted up some more Doctor Who figures, the infamous Daleks!

Emotionally unstable pepperpots with plungers, the Daleks are the oldest, and perhaps most iconic recurring Who villain, featuring in the second-ever story-arch. They've gone a long way since 1963, and this is the most recent, although short lived, incarnation of the Daleks- the brightly colored new Paradigim from Victory of the Daleks.

 The different colors denote function on-show. This is the lowest rank, the Drone. They were a straight forward paint job and some I think turned out quite well. The balls around the hemis were time consuming, but really add to the effect.

These are from the same set as my Weeping Angels, sold with Doctor Who Adventure Magazine as a special. While not my favorite Daleks, these stand out well against a muted setting, perfect for something like the Dalek Invasion of Earth's ruined London.

Here's the gruff-voiced Supreme, highest in the Dalek hierarchy. The Paradigim consists of five different Daleks, all of which I have models for. These three also appeared briefly in The Pandorica Opens, transmatting down to Stonehenge to help imprison the Doctor.

The main problem with these models, to me, is the oversimplified rear- still, it's an excellent, to scale model for a cheap toy!

Lastly, the Dalek Eternal. A strange Dalek with a mysterious function, said to be involved with the purified continuation of the Dalek race. Whether a fanatic priesthood or serious-minded genetic scientists, plenty of scenarios spring to mind based around this Dalek!

In addition to the bright reds and yellows, I think the gunmetal on the shoulders and neck also turned out well, setting the dominant color off to good effect.
I have started on some terrain to go with them, based on the main set from Daleks Take Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, from which these three will be well prepared to launch their schemes of galactic domination and extermination!

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Your Life May Depend on This...

Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't look away, don't turn your back, and don't blink!
Good luck,
-The Doctor

The Weeping Angels, the most deadly life-forms in the universe... statues until you look away, or even blink...
These are from the BBC television show, Doctor Who, and are among the Doctor's most dangerous enemies- and my favorites. While no official Weeping Angel miniatures exist as yet, Doctor Who Adventure Magazine ran a freebie pack of monsters from the series with one of their issues, some of which, including the Weeping Angels, are scaled almost perfectly for 28mm wargaming.

They are molded out of a rubbery eraser-like plastic and flash is a pain to remove, but well worth the effort, as they paint up really well. I have six total, three of which are left to paint.

This sculpt, in particular, looks really sharp as is well shown by the wings and back of the robe. It was a simple, enjoyable paint job, base coat followed by a medium and light grey dry-brushed on and then the same light grey used for highlights and touch-ups. An overall coat of Army Painter soft tone was applied to add depth and a bit of weathering.

This sculpt is by far my least favorite, the arms are way too small for the body - but it's still an Angel!
These will see plenty of service in both true Who games and in Frostgrave as constructs. With all six I need to make a Maze of the Dead scenario for one of my favorite episodes, The Time of Angels.

The Angels have the Phone Box!

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Don't Blink...

WWII Ostfront: 500pts German Grenadiers Part 2

As I mentioned in part one of this post, I'll cover my German force in greater detail, section by section. Today, I'll start out with the command:

 First up: my officer. He was originally sold with the Armies of Germany book as Otto Skorzeny, but here he's re-purposed as a standard officer, armed with an MP40.

He's painted in a standard German uniform, with 'oak leaf' camouflage trousers. These took a good while to get right, but I'm happy with the effect. His helmet also turned out well, just the right amount of sheen to the black. A Germanic rune was painted on the front, their letter 't', called Tyr, the god of war.

His aide, along with several of my other Germans, is not up to my usual standards of painting, I started this force quite some time ago, and the force has an uneven quality to portions of it.

He has on a Zeltbahn poncho painted with a Heer splinter camouflage - these doubled as tent-halves as well. The splinter, here, is a simple three tone pattern, a base of Vallejo Khaki with V. German Camouflage Medium Green and Army Painter Chocolate Brown added over it. Now I add a second, darker green in light, irregular streaks over areas of the poncho, which is accurate, although not very noticeable.

Lastly, a medic, to try and keep my men alive a little longer. He's all decked out in a white helmet and tunic to avoid being mistaken as a regular soldier, although this was more of a liability on the Eastern Front, where neither side was above taking potshots at the other's medical troops. It was, however, a much more satisfying paint job!

With that second bag, he's a full Sanitater, usually assigned at company, rather than platoon level, but at this late stage of the war he's been called to serve at a lower level, or he's just a platoon-level Krankentrager who happened up on a Sanitater bag.

That's all of my command, next up, I'll start on an infantry squad.

See part 1 of this post here.

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