Miniature Monday: Reform Candidate

Nuala the Huntress, Unit Attachment for the Tharn Bloodtrackers, is an expert in pointy objects and their application in conflict resolution. This is an admirably well-sculpted model: when she was first introduced, some people were complaining that she is almost Warcaster-detailed. Still, as a character model, I feel it is entirely appropriate. I’ve not seen another Privateer model with a sculpted pedestal built in, either. I used Miliput to match the ground from her pedestal, and added a log and extended the vines to the edge of the base.

Not the kind of girl you bring home to Mother...unless Mother is a homicidal maniac.

Nuala (or Nualar, if you are from the land down under by way of the great white north) is not really an auto-include, but that’s what I appreciate about her: she brings utility to the table, but the Bloodtrackers are strong enough all by themselves that she nuances their effectiveness rather than validates their existence. Her signature ability, of course, is Reform, letting the Bloodtrackers make an extra bit of move at the end of their activations. I seem to have trouble remembering this ability at key moments, trying to get through those mid-game turns where everything is in combat and there are a lot of rules and effects to remember. Quick Work is nice enough, allowing the Bloodtrackers to make a ranged attack after killing a model with a melee attack, but I am hesitant to charge into melee with the unit since they do much better at range where their mobility and Stealth are most effective.

You won't be in her rear arc much, if you know what I mean...

I am considering painting the entire Bloodtrackers unit rather slowly. I have one extra Bloodtracker I picked up at some point, and can actually paint them one at a time since I don’t have to remove them from heavy rotation to paint them that way. That of course may lead to some variation in their appearance, but with ten models in the full unit, all with lots of little details, I am not keen on going without a cornerstone infantry unit for the month and a half it might take me to paint them all.

So Angry It Hurts!!

What is the Gorax?
And why is it here?
And why is it angry and Primaled, I fear?
And ready to frenzy wherever it goes?
That old Mohsar still lives here.
Ask him. He knows.

(With deepest apologies to Dr. Seuss.)

Miniature Monday: Wealth of Stealth

In a quick update for  Miniature Monday, I have recently finished The Lord of the Feast and a Dwarf Thief model for the new Pathfinder campaign at work, both models representing stealthy characters of different sorts.

The Lord of the Feast came together very well. I wish I had built a little more contrast into the color scheme, but it does make the hair really pop.

Look, kittens! I love kittens. And the flesh of my enemies.

I wish I had built a little more contrast into the color scheme, but it does make the hair really pop.

You don't have him for dinner...

My Dwarf Thief is a nice Reaper mini, and I made a point of trying to paint him quickly for a change, all in all about 4 hours or so.

I steal everything, basically, but especially mustache wax.

While the photos are a little washed out, the blonde beard was probably not the best choice, both because I am not good at Blonde yet, but also because it fades into the skin tone a bit.

Thieves's Guild, not Lollipop Guild. Come over here and make that joke.

I intend to try painting the entire Druids of Orboros unit this weekend, so I used this as a dress rehearsal for the cloaks. It came out too light, so I’ll go darker for the druids.

This week, I’m working on Nuala the Huntress.

Miniature Monday: Don’t Go Into the Woods

Circle Orboros represents the red in tooth, red in claw side of nature to be sure, and I am currently working on two of the more emblematic figures that embody this: Wurmwood, Tree of Fate and The Lord of the Feast. (Circle Orboros makes up for its lack of titular preposition by liberally applying them elsewhere.)

Wurmwood, Tree of RAWR!!!!!

Wurmwood is relatively straightforward to paint, though it has a lot of detail. The photo washes out the skulls around the base–the shading is much darker in person, but I will still need to deepen the shadows in the eye sockets. Painting all the ropes was getting fussy and I surrendered partway through the day. I have yet to field Cassius and Wurmwood, but am looking forward to the day I feel advanced enough to take on the challenge.

Om nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom...

While Circle Orboros doesn’t have anything I’d call as much of a “crutch” or auto-include as the Choir or the Deathjack, The Lord of the Feast comes close, “bloody” close (har!).  I specifically started painting him to remove him from my battle bag and try something else with the four points. I’m still having trouble with the skin, drybrushing didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. I need to do a little more glazing and highlighting, the shading ended up too heavy-handed.