Alabaster Automata

 

  I've finally gotten the entire 2-player starter kit painted and it is time to paint more models and play larger games.  Because my wife likes to play the Void side, I focus on getting those painted first for her.  And the Void models, like all of the Relic Knights line that I've dealt with so far, area beautiful!  This model is of a female, getting choked by some magical chain-collar that's attached to a huge, broken sword that she's wind-surfing on.  Like, whoa!

  Admittedly, I couldn't tell what the heck was going on with this model.  The resin used to cast these definitely holds detail, but there's no artwork or even painted examples to really clarify how she's supposed to look.  So I slapped on the appropriate contrast paints where I though they should go and worked from there.  The card art helped but 'discovery' was certainly more necessary.  

  After figuring some things out, I worked on the flesh.  She had surprisingly less flesh than some of the other models in the starter forces, and that was surprise considering how much fun the geometry can be to paint and highlight (if you know what I mean).  Alabaster has an exposed rear-end, so that was something, but I'm focused on the front and top ('zenithal' concept).  

  It became very necessary, after an embarassing number of repaints for the flesh, to paint up all the leather and body-armour that she wears.  Again, the model's details are crisp, but there's so much layered leather and techy-plates that it was hard to find all the detail.  And it's all black.  I hate painting black so much.  Highlighting black can make a person go crazy and now I was having to do an embarassing amount of repaint and touch-up on both the flesh and the body armour.  After some frustration, I finally relented and abandoned those.  

  Then came the opposite experience- the purple cloth wrapped around her!  A second layer of contrast paint, then a very fast layer and highlight saw that flowing accessory done in record time and perfectly framing all the non-metal stuff.  I went from frustrated to happy in seconds.

  I absolutely adore painting non-metal metallics as it uses my old pencil-art skills from ages long gone.  I'm not great at it but I did learn from the best (RIP Wappels!) and really enjoy using my paintbrush like a pencil to 'draw' highlights and shadows.  Alabaster's chains were the first to get the quick version and then the flat of the huge blade received more attention to get that NMM silver- wash zenithal primed parts with Nuln Oil, then wash with watered-down Night Blue, glaze with Turquiose, follow-up by watering down a light gray (bluish tone if you have) to build up, and create crisp reflections and shapes with white.  It's no Giraldez, but it's good enough relative to the enjoyment.  My goodness do I enjoy non-metals sometimes!

  By now, I'm happy enough with the results, so I put the pink glow on the blade and gloves, painted the hair with Basic Skin Tone and White mix to get that platinum-blonde colour, and based her up.  She's done!  These models are so much fun to paint and trying out these new techniques makes this game rather neat.  Now back to painting!

Still here, seeking relics...

   Still here!  Sorry for the absence- I've been really focused on work (a growing company working on taking over an entire market!) and just haven't had a strong focus in any one game during off-time.  I still do the hobby thing and even squeeze in a contest once in a while, especially with my peer group- my brother finally got into 40k and started up a Blood Angels army, while my son has been focused on 3d printing (where I've backed projects and forced him to be my production center) and my wife has been slapping some paint on non-gamer models.  But none of it had the 'draw' for me to sit down and make a post.  

  In fast, Google has already tried to shut down this blog-site once for inactivity and I'm trying to avoid that again.  More, I actually (finally) found something to get excited about and wanted to blog about it!  Last year, I went to a little convention known as Reapercon and decided to fish out a new game to distract from the rest of my ridiculous collection.  This is where I ran into something I'd already seen years before and just wasn't interested, but fate knows the 'call-back' technique and sometimes uses it.  I like painting models (well, I like it enough anyway, but at least I'm good at it) and I love being part of a new thing- at the ground-floor, one of the "first adopters", being part of it before it's so-called 'cool', and this reappearance definitely presented that opportunity.  That's right- I have a word count...  (IYKYK)

  This game first popped up as a very successful crowd-funding project that had a poor reception for a number of post-production reasons that weren't limited to communication, logistics, quality, or even consistency.  But it did have a novel concept and enough of a following to not disappear completely.  A big-dog (I don't remember if he's one of the original creators or just a super-fan or what) reached out to an experienced game designer to re-work it and bring the project to life again, and I'm here for it.  The models are actually quite good (both the old and new- completely different materials and designs though) and the rules are very fast.  In fact, the whole game is so novel that it didn't even require dice- my arch-nemesis!  It is set in a sci-fi universe with fantasy elements carried on an 'anime'-aesthetic, and only made this come-back in 2025.  The game is called Relic Knights.

  I have to spread these posts out a bit, so I'm not going to go into the game-play aspects and certainly not the background (I actually don't know the 'fluff' since the online resources are poor and I don't own any of the old stuff), but I have been taking the opportunity to paint models and even work on some new techniques.  In this case, I'm just going to show off the models.  I have a very common style when painting miniatures as I'm a student of the "Citadel System" from the very first introduction of it (like I said- I dig starting at the beginning!), but I wanted to spread my wings a bit and try some stuff. 

  I'm used to that aforementioned approach of 'base, shade, highlight', often involving copious amounts of wash and singular lines of accents with brighter colours- ideally drawing your eye to the detail and not the lighting or aspect/pose.  GW models are high-detail and meant to really impress based on bringing all that out with layers and line-highlighting.  That system is easy and effective and anyone can get great results following it.  In the interest of breaking away from that very system, I tried to get the airbrush involved, applied zenithal principles, tested out Contrast paints, concentrated on highlights and placement, and even dusted off the old non-metallic technique once or twice.  It's been some time and my equipment is not the highest quality which means that I'm not always ecstatic with the results, but I'm very happy overall.  It's the uniqueness and overall aesthetic of these models that really allowed for that artistic expression more than the GW style and I had a bit of fun with it.  Check 'em out:

Radiant Faction (the good guys)

Void Faction (the bad guys)

  I did try to do some editing with backgrounds and effects and all that, but it wasn't working on some of the pictures, so I just posted them raw.  This is also part of the 'learning process'- I recently got a computer powerful enough to do all that stuff and have no idea how to use it!!!  These models are an absolute blast to paint and the opportunity for growth in skills is awesome.  I'm finding the experience fun and my wife even enjoys this one (I think she might even mean it this time!), so I strongly suggest it.  These models and the cards needed to play can be ordered here- give it a go!  If you just happened to be at Reapercon this year, I'm hoping to have a table set up as well- obviously, let me know if you read my blog- I know there's only two of you...  And I will, of course, start posting about this game (sooner or later).

As always- Happy Hobbying!

The Lion is finished!

   Well, we were not able to get the game this weekend like we planned.  Maybe next weekend...  But I still have to show of the final results, so here it is!  Be sure to check out the last post to learn how I painted it.  Now on to the pics.  

  I will admit that this model is aweome!  GW is great at making models (they are a model-making company rather than a wargame company, according to them), but this is one of the best for a couple of reasons.  The most obvious is that it really captures the 'knight' aesthetic.  And then all the details and the scenery of the base really brings the model to the next level.  

  The two Watchers on the base weren't super-detailed but they carry the Lion's gear, like good squires.  When painting it, I had to make some artistic decisions about these guys.  The Lion is already pretty dark, so I had to figure out how to paint the little guys without drawing the viewers' eyes down on the  model.  I chose to use a dark purple instead of the maroon shown on the box, as red is too striking and can affect the colour-balance.  I think I like the results.  

  The face is especially fun to paint as it was probably one of the easiest bare skins I've even done to end up with such strong results.  Again, from that artistic approach, I had to figure out how much highlighting to put around his hood to keep the viewers' eyes up there without making that hood not match the rest of the model's green.  Again, I like the result- if I do say so myself!  

  The shield is detailed in that last post.  The problem is that there is no other red on the model and I had to keep it balanced as well.  The Eagle-head is supposed to be golden in colour, but doing that would have made the model shift attention to that side with the complimentary red and gold.  So I decided to paint it the same white as his chest and kneepad icons just to keep the balance.  Plus, I'm actually good at painting white and I like to show it off.  

  Finally, the sword was the biggest obstacle to finishing the model.  I didn't know how I was going to paint it but I knew that I couldn't really use a chromatic colour if I wanted to continue the 'knight' aesthetic, so I had to go with metallic.  As before, this is a bit more detailed in that last post, but I had to struggle to get the blue-glow effect on top of the silver.  This part still doesn't satisfy me, but it's done and still contributes to the overall look.  

  I enjoyed the end-result of this paint project.  And my son's eagerness to use him has me proud and terrified- I don't want to see the Lion "ginsu" his way through my armies!  But he'll look good doing it, and I did that, so I'm just going to have to suffer through it.  Because I also want to see this beauty hit the table.  Let me know what you think (including any constructive criticism) below.  

As always- Happy Hobbying!

Four-eyes plus five!

  I'm so focused on trying to get my Chaos marines painted that I don't have time to paint other projects right now.  And Emprah knows I have a ton of projects.  My wife decided to help out and picked up one of those projects for me.  Of course it had to be for her favorite game...

  When my buddy came down to visit, we played a ton of Underworlds.  Like, a ton.  And now he's coming down for a visit in a couple of months again, so we have to get more painted!  With almost all the Shadespire warbands painted (only the Skaven and Vanguard left), we needed to get to some Nightvault going.  Luckily, I haven't built most of those, so it was an easy choice.  Remember that focus on Chaos?

  This warband is one that my son showed some interest in and so did my wife, so it was definitely on the docket already.  Because of their fantastical nature and the magical foundation, the Eyes of the Nine definitely got some attention.  Being a follower of the pantheon in general, I don't know a whole lot about Tzeentch's representatives, so I'm curious to see these guys in action.

Eyes of the Nine
  This warband, dispatched by one of the nine Gaunt Summoners, is trying to build a magical portal back to its own realm to escape from the clutches of Nagash's punishment.  Their magical nature gives them some fantastic abilities, including the ability to summon a Blue Horror back to the battlefield each round!  They have speed, but very little defense and so depend on a ton of glory-point grabs based on objective points and casting spells.

  The warband's leader, Vortemis the All-seeing, is a wizard with the ability to cast spells and even has a range 3 spell attack.  His melee weapon is no joke either, with a range and damage of 2 and rolling 2 dice for hammers!  With four wounds and a 4 movement, he's definitely the most powerful member of the band as far as causing damage.  He also has the ability to use an action to summon a Blue Horror daemon back to a starting hex, so he's got some definite utility on the battlefield.  

  Those daemons, including the Blue Horror and Brimstone Horror, are very fragile, but they have the ability to cause a great deal of damage very quickly.  And killing the Blue Horror spawns the Brimstone (which attacks twice in his activation), allowing Vortemis to summon the Blue Horror right back!  It's a really neat little 'evolution' mechanic that really capture's the magic.  

 Now for the 'beatstick' part of the army- K'charik and the two Acolytes.  The daemon monster has a very powerful great blade and gets inspired by being near a caster when they cast a spell (Tzeentch!), plus a shield defense for toughness.  The two cultists, on the other hand, have few wounds and barely any defense, but they come with the ability to attack up to range 3.  The cultists and leader all get inspired by successfully attacking at range 3- a strange inspire condition for a daemonic warband, for sure!

  I can't say that this warband is very confusing.  In fact, it still fits very well with the theme set by Garrek's Reavers, another Chaos Warband.  But it is interesting to see the Tzeentchian habit of fire and range where the Reavers are all about smacking and slashing.  

  I really love the wife's work on this band.  She didn't think that she would do it justice and still pulled it off amazingly.  I keep trying to tell her that she's better than she thinks, and this warband (not being bones or boo-sheets) proves it.  And I really want to play them now too!

Let me know what you think or what you're working on in the comments below.  As always, happy hobbying!

Blood for the Underworlds!

  I painted something fast!

  In a previous post, I noted that a buddy was coming to town and wanted to play some Underworlds.  So I frantically painted up the Chosen Axes dwarf warband that he was preparing to use.  But then we talked again and it turns out that he's also bringing a deck for Magore's Fiends...

  Darnit.  That means more painting.  So I finished up the trees from the last post and jumped right into this warband.  The good thing is that my son also likes to play this band and has been asking to paint them for some time.  I, being the perfectionist that I am, kept them to myself with a grand vision on how I wanted them to look.  But my buddy has thrown my timing off (by actually establishing a reason and a time-frame).  Now I had two people to stop procrastinating for.

  This warband was painted in the span of two days, between various other responsibilities.  I thought about taking pictures as I moved through the progress, but I was too lazy to pull out the digital camera (I miss my phone camera so much right now) and it didn't really matter.  With such a short turnaround required, I didn't exactly put my best effort forward.

  Nonetheless, they came out pretty striking and I'm happy with where the models are at.  A little bit of work on the reds and I think I can have these models at a display quality in no time!  But for now, they're game quality and just in time...

Magore's Fiends

  The pictures simply don't do these models justice AND show off all my corner-cutting techniques!  Oh well, I'm still relearning this camera.  The models just scream aggression and glory and definitely cut imposing figures across the gameboard.  In game, they are just as scary.  They aren't slow, have good defense, hit like a ton of bricks, and can be upgraded very quickly.  It takes some cunning to defeat these brutes and Magore's Fiends is definitely one of the bands we don't like to see very often.  

  Blood for the Blood God!   

Happy Gaming!

Even the trees walk!

  In case you haven't been keeping up, Underworlds is our favorite game for this family.  It's the one that requires the least amount of setup and has the least amount of rules, and models are really cool.  We know that I'm into anything GW, and that I will recruit anyone I can to play, even my poor innocent children.  

  My son obviously plays all the games with me and he's already picked up and used a good number of the warbands.  My wife is all about her Death armies and that definitely is represented in both the setting and the two warbands that she forced me to pick up (it took so much convincing...).  But my daughter had not yet gotten into these games with us and, well, I just couldn't let that stand.  

  Owning all the warbands (and cards and White Dwarfs that even mention the game), I laid them all out in front of my daughter and asked her which one looked like her favorites.  She was stricken by the tree-ghost thingies.  Ylthari's Guardians it is!

  So I went to work furiously trying to paint these things and get my daughter interested in playing.  Maybe if there was some color on the models, she'd be able to understand what the warriors do and how to use their special abilities.  When the models were done, her mom and she played a game using all painted miniatures and it was much easier for her to keep up with everything.  Admittedly, I did not have a fun time painting these models- too many spindly details overlapping too many other spindly details!  But the final result was awesome and accomplished the purpose.

  Before I get to the pictures, I must disclose that I dusted off the old digital camera.  You see, the camera in my phone finally succumbed to years of drops and stopped working.  Unfortunately, I became spoiled and forgot how to use the real camera, so please forgive the poor picture quality...

Ylthari's Guardians

I forgot to turn the flash off...

And then I forgot how to focus...

  And that's it!  It took me a few weeks to finally finish them (and really about five days) because of some experimentation that didn't quite work out.  But they're done and great models to boot!  As far as their strategy in the game- 

  It's best not to put these warriors too close to the enemy's territory as they aren't the most resilient tree-stock around.  With some range and magic, plus the ability to cause additional damage and wound repeatedly, these is a 'rope-a-dope' warband in that it's made to wear the opponent down.  Few in number and requiring crits on the dice rolls to do anything, they aren't immediate masters like the Chaos and Stormcast warbands.  But some cunning and timing and they can be outrageously frustrating for the opponent.  

  Let me know what you think below and what warband you play if you play this game. 

Happy Hobbying!

Death is also Ethereal in the Underworlds

  In my last post, I mentioned the Nightvault game.  Being a huge fan of the undead, my wife absolutely had to get that new set and the ghostly warband it contained.  Because of course she can't just be happy with skeletons.  She also had to have the ghosts.  I dread the day when GW releases the ghouls and vampires and zombies for Underworlds...

  What's interesting about this warband is that I also picked up a couple of the technical paints for her to try out.  Hexwraith Flame and Soulstone Blue were made to paint the new ghostly Nighthaunt models and she was excited to give them a try.  Not being a professional painter like me and my ilk (although she is artistic and her mother teaches canvas painting courses for a living), anything that makes this easier was great in her book.  In addition to those colors, she also took advantage of the Ryza Rust dry color for obvious reasons- undead aren't exactly cleaning and oiling their blades after every battle!  And better yet, it took her just a few hours to get the whole warband done. 

  Just like last post, I took pictures of the models in front of a black background and a white, curious to see which one I like better.  The black background makes the colors pop more, but the white background shows off the detail more.  I just can't figure out which one I like better...

Thorns of the Briarqueen

  I'd say her results were great no matter which background I chose.  I love my wife so much...  I just hope her playing all these death armies isn't giving her any ideas- I don't have life insurance!

  Again, let me know which background you like better.  I invite advice in this as I'm still learning.  Otherwise, as always- 

Happy Hobbying!