Reaper highlander (No. 2276 "Patrick Rowan")

Nothing much to say about this one. I've had this figure for three years sitting around unpainted. I finally got to him. I decided not to paint a plaid on him; I like the wrappings plain and simple. I need to re-develope some control before I try plaids again. I've done them before with a satisfactory result, but that was a few years ago.

Another Conan

Here's my Conan conversion (from Heresy's berserk big Boris figure). I found a couple hours to myself with which to paint, so I did a quick paint job -- a couple layers, some ink, another layer, some ink. But a rough paint job seems to suit this rough Cimmerian.
Hmm, after seeing the pics of the figure up close, I see a couple areas I want to touch up....

Giant Sculpey snake (in 28mm)

Well, I think it turned out pretty good for only a couple hours work. I freeformed the pattern, shortcutted the scales and left out protruding fangs and tongue, but it still looks like a snake! Now I have to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with it.

In-progress updates: Giant snake and Conan conversion

It's been a while since I slung some Sculpey. I've been on a Conan (the Cimmerian) kick, and I've been toying with throwing together a small collection of Conan-related minis -- Conan, women, sorcerers and a giant snake. The snake came first because I wanted a reason to sculpt again. It actually wasn't too difficult to make; what you see is about an hour's work, including 20 minutes of baking time. I'm pretty sure I could do a better job at the detail, but I don't have the patience, especially for all those scales which I think makes the best snake sculpts. Nope, this project was just for fun, and will make a nice little addition to my Conan collection.



I also decided to convert yet another figure into a Conan-ish copy. This time, the conversion started with Heresy's Berserk Boris figure. My only addition (other than some gap-filling) was hair on top of Boris's bald head. I was a little daunted; I had never sculpted long hair yet. Ok, I've done a few beards, but getting hair to look like it fit the head had always been a problem with my skills. This time, it turned out just fine! This figure is still a bit thick on muscles to be a great Conan (Conan is described as tall and muscular though somewhat compact.) Still, this will be a fun figure for the collection, and will make a nice human barbarian for D&D if I should play such a character.

Reaper 3205 travelling monk

Well, I went a little nuts with the robe, adding a little color variation here and there. I'm happy with the bit on the bottom of his robe, a reflection/effect of what magic may be kept in his bag. The purple/blue on his shoulder needs a little bit of work, but it's ok as is.
This figure as a D&D character will be that of a monk who has left his monastery to seek converts. He is a travelling showman, a magician entertainer whose "magic" is really a bunch of alchemical tricks (These tricks can/will also be used as utility weapons in battle.) Through his shows, he can observe the audience searching for those who have the right qualities for possibly becoming new converts.

Reaper mini: 3204 Battleguard golem

Here's the Reaper battleguard golem. The crossbow is from a Reaper weapons pack. The stock has been cut off and the bottom of the crossbow filed down to fit snugly with the forearm. Other than that, this is the mini you get from Reaper- it's a very nice mini, and easy to paint.

If you don't mind a little assembly, this is a great starter mini for beginning painters. A quick note on that; for beginning painters, I would also recommend any figure from Copplestone Castings or any old Games Workshop figures (and I mean OLD school, nothing later than 1992), and Heresy minis. Heresy, however, requires a lot of assembly on most of its minis. Once assembled, Heresy' figures are great to paint.

Quick update July 8

Currently working on Reaper 3205 travelling friar (to be a monk for D&D,) and Reaper 3204 Battleguard Golem, which will be a warforge. And no, I didn't realize until just now that the model Nos. are indeed consecutive; just coincidence.
The friar has been modified just a tad: I've taken away his studded club and replace it with a nice simple "walking stick." I haven't started painting just yet- not sure about what color to do the robe. I have a few ideas- "Shao Lin" orange, or natural worn browns, or all red (see this rogue), or all light blue (for whatever mythical monastary.) I'm leaning toward the orange (to almost a yellow) or the red.
The warforge has been modified with the addition of an arm crossbow on the forge's left hand.
I'll try to have photos this weekend. He will be silver with a simplified Deep 13 (from MST3K) logo on one of his forearms.

D&D fun with Photoshop

Not really miniatures related, but still art related; I threw together this picture of me as a fighter(or barbarian) to put on my character sheet for Dungeons and Dragons.
I could have easily just used a photo of the mini I'm using, but this was more fun:)