Excellent model with a choice of three heads.
Now, while the heads and body as supplied have many uses, the search is on for alternative bodies.
Now I think this figure Artizan KKBB203, would be usable for two of the heads.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Body Snatchers
Crooked Dice have released images of their June release, The Guru.
Excellent model with a choice of three heads.
Now, while the heads and body as supplied have many uses, the search is on for alternative bodies.
Now I think this figure Artizan KKBB203, would be usable for two of the heads.
Excellent model with a choice of three heads.
Now, while the heads and body as supplied have many uses, the search is on for alternative bodies.
Now I think this figure Artizan KKBB203, would be usable for two of the heads.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Not May Killan 1
I have not finished painting the first Crooked Dice Casual May Killan figure yet, but have just reached the take digital photograph and spot all the tatty bits on the second.
Corrections required, left boot has paving colour on it, left part of the scarf needs the edges cleared up. There are also a few bits on the right hand side that need some work.
And look, I have painted the door on the background building. We make haste slowly.
And look, I have painted the door on the background building. We make haste slowly.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Cheap Truck
While shopping on Saturday, I saw the following toy for £2.99 in QD.
It is a JCB branded 'Site Truck', 1/60 scale. The cab is die cast, with interior detail in white plastic (right hand drive). The chassis and tilting back are plastic, the tyres are a rubbery plastic. The cab appears to be held in place by two screws, which should assist in repainting.
The photograph above shows two Copplestone Guards in Berets about to slap a parking ticket on it for parking across the loading area.
The figures are work in progress (so what is new on this site?), so apologies for the paint job. I also just spray painted the two part Ainsty building pieces for a background, which is my excuse for not having painted any of the doors etc.
The photograph above shows two Copplestone Guards in Berets about to slap a parking ticket on it for parking across the loading area.
The figures are work in progress (so what is new on this site?), so apologies for the paint job. I also just spray painted the two part Ainsty building pieces for a background, which is my excuse for not having painted any of the doors etc.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Salute 2011
On the way to Salute, I often wonder what the two groups of people going to the Excel Centre make of each other. Most years, Salute is the same weekend as the London Marathon (does anyone attend both?), so I while away the journey tagging those I think are going to Salute and those who are going to be slogging round London (hopefully for a worthy cause) on the Sunday.
Attendance at Salute looked good, the initial queue is always daunting, but they efficiently process everyone in and fifteen minutes after arriving (just before the opening time of 1000) I was already spending money (Cutlass! from Black Scorpion).
Next stop was those nice people from Hasslefree. They were especially helpful in offering to swap the slightly full selection box for another empty one ^___^.
Heresy supplied some new SF figures, a small robot and a couple of civilians.
Then on to Crooked Dice for 7TV.
The rest of the day was then spent wandering around (often in circles) looking at what was on offer, deciding, then trying to remember what it was (and more importantly where it was) so I could buy it.
Westwind had their new WWW2 British Paras which look nice and Warlord had their new WW2 Commandos. A name new to me (Offensive miniatures) had some very nice riot police.
There were others, but it all became a bit of a blur, and I will need to unpack to see what I bought. I nearly left before remembering I wanted a couple of Winston Churchills from Black Scorpion, I am sure there was other things I wanted.
I might even get some of them painted before the next Salute ^___^
Game of the show, well, two participation games stood out, both run by Crooked Dice.
The first was "You Only Live Dice", an episode of Department X from 7TV.
The presenters were in suitable costumes (including a costume change at one point) and the game was played on a massive and well detailed board:
No wait, that was in the office:
Which was in a corner of the board:
The Victory of the Daleks game had a far more restrained board, unfortunately I made a bit of a hash of the pictures (not helped by being more interested at peering at the details) and everyone playing getting in the way:
The pictures do not do the boards justice (see earlier post about needing to improve my photography).
I have just read that they (rightly) won Participation Game of the Show.
The figure of the show, the new Messan Grunts from Hasslefree. Definitely going to need a few more of them (some green, some a sort of orangey red colour), and they are going to be chasing Tweedy Mattison around the battlefield. Definitely up there with the Crooked Dice Scary Statues and Corn Dolls for 'suitable villains'.
Game system of the show, well 7TV (I especially like the 'show' listings and the scripts). Admitedly I have not had a chance to read Cutlass! yet. I am working through the figures I have to come up with a suitable episode (the release of a Western style store by Perry Miniatures makes me wonder about "The Die with No Name").
Attendance at Salute looked good, the initial queue is always daunting, but they efficiently process everyone in and fifteen minutes after arriving (just before the opening time of 1000) I was already spending money (Cutlass! from Black Scorpion).
Next stop was those nice people from Hasslefree. They were especially helpful in offering to swap the slightly full selection box for another empty one ^___^.
Heresy supplied some new SF figures, a small robot and a couple of civilians.
Then on to Crooked Dice for 7TV.
The rest of the day was then spent wandering around (often in circles) looking at what was on offer, deciding, then trying to remember what it was (and more importantly where it was) so I could buy it.
Westwind had their new WWW2 British Paras which look nice and Warlord had their new WW2 Commandos. A name new to me (Offensive miniatures) had some very nice riot police.
There were others, but it all became a bit of a blur, and I will need to unpack to see what I bought. I nearly left before remembering I wanted a couple of Winston Churchills from Black Scorpion, I am sure there was other things I wanted.
I might even get some of them painted before the next Salute ^___^
Game of the show, well, two participation games stood out, both run by Crooked Dice.
The first was "You Only Live Dice", an episode of Department X from 7TV.
The presenters were in suitable costumes (including a costume change at one point) and the game was played on a massive and well detailed board:
I have just read that they (rightly) won Participation Game of the Show.
The figure of the show, the new Messan Grunts from Hasslefree. Definitely going to need a few more of them (some green, some a sort of orangey red colour), and they are going to be chasing Tweedy Mattison around the battlefield. Definitely up there with the Crooked Dice Scary Statues and Corn Dolls for 'suitable villains'.
Game system of the show, well 7TV (I especially like the 'show' listings and the scripts). Admitedly I have not had a chance to read Cutlass! yet. I am working through the figures I have to come up with a suitable episode (the release of a Western style store by Perry Miniatures makes me wonder about "The Die with No Name").
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Blinking statues...
Two more pictures and a slightly new technique.
The above are two of three Scary Statues from Crooked Dice.
The figures were sprayed with black undercoat then brushed with Dheneb Stone. Gryphon Sepia was then washed over them. The bases are standard 25mm bases topped with a 24mm circle of Slaters 7mm scale paving embossed plastic card. That was painted with Astronomican grey.
The pictures again highlight poor colour separation, there is paving color on the bottom part of the statues robes.. The wash technique does however give an interesting marble like pattern to the plain paint colour and I will definitly be trying this again on further figures. I will have another look at these and see if I can improve them.
Oh, and the third statue, that one is reaching out, and that requires a lot more work with the camera to get the hand, the body and the wings in focus.
The figures were sprayed with black undercoat then brushed with Dheneb Stone. Gryphon Sepia was then washed over them. The bases are standard 25mm bases topped with a 24mm circle of Slaters 7mm scale paving embossed plastic card. That was painted with Astronomican grey.
The pictures again highlight poor colour separation, there is paving color on the bottom part of the statues robes.. The wash technique does however give an interesting marble like pattern to the plain paint colour and I will definitly be trying this again on further figures. I will have another look at these and see if I can improve them.
Oh, and the third statue, that one is reaching out, and that requires a lot more work with the camera to get the hand, the body and the wings in focus.
Further cruel enlargements
The problem with digital photography is that it is easy to take pictures (not quite so easy to take good pictures), and then blow them up so the subject is much larger than 'life' size.
So with a painted miniature that you think looks fine when you hold it in your hand, the photograph shows all the blemishes, bits missed, sloppy glueing and all the other mistakes you thought you had grown out of when you finished painting Airfix soft plastic figures as a child.
This 28mm scale Copplestone Castings armed archeologist being a case in point:
The overall shading is not too bad but the state of the face is not very good. There is also flesh coloured paint on the left hand gun that could do with being cleaned up, and some of the fingers on the right hand need repainting.
I am slightly happier with this Blood Angel figure (assembled from a normal plastic Space Marine and a modified Berzerker head).
The main thing the picture highlights is the sloppy painting of his left fang, I have not been brave enough to either paint in the iconography or use the GW decals. I have two more of these awaiting finishing, not exactly an army!
This Word Bearer (standard plastic Chaos Spacemarine) highlights problems with the photographer more than the painter though again there is poor separation of the colours, this time on the reinforcement of the lower right leg.
The Blood Angel has 'arty' depth of field (the face is in focus, the chain sword is not), the Word Bearer could really do with the bolt pistol being in focus as well. So I need to practice the photography as well.
Once you magnify the figures you can see where your skills need improving. And boy do my skills need improving!
I already use a magnifier for painting, what I need to do is spend more time working in the final details.
So with a painted miniature that you think looks fine when you hold it in your hand, the photograph shows all the blemishes, bits missed, sloppy glueing and all the other mistakes you thought you had grown out of when you finished painting Airfix soft plastic figures as a child.
This 28mm scale Copplestone Castings armed archeologist being a case in point:
I am slightly happier with this Blood Angel figure (assembled from a normal plastic Space Marine and a modified Berzerker head).
This Word Bearer (standard plastic Chaos Spacemarine) highlights problems with the photographer more than the painter though again there is poor separation of the colours, this time on the reinforcement of the lower right leg.
Once you magnify the figures you can see where your skills need improving. And boy do my skills need improving!
I already use a magnifier for painting, what I need to do is spend more time working in the final details.