Oh Rats! Rat adventurers and adversaries.

 More of the Oh Rats! section of the Reaper Bones II Kickstarter.  This is the same place I got the Gnome in Gimpsuit... and its equally odd.. Ok it's odd in its own... (slightly) less creepy way than Gimp Gnome...

Anyway!

The set of Adventure Rats!

 I suspect these are intended as adversaries for the Mouslings and I'll get round to digging those guys up eventually!

Here we have some henchrats... indispensable really and loaded down with backpacks, sacks, and various supplies for the trip.  The proverbial red shirts of the group.

These were painted while working on a pile of salvage Skaven but should be the end of things Ratty... until the Veermyn roll in from the Warpath Kickstarter.... Rats... IN... Spaaaaacccccceeeee....

The bases are worked up with gray pumice and give a nice weight, and stability, to the models.  

 The infamous Packrat!

Everyone needs a dungeon (or sewer... as the case may be...) capable beast of burden.  This one does all that and can fight to protect the loot to boot!

In truth this guy looks more like a mutant mouse than a mutant rat but that's not entirely unlikely.... right?

 Packrat has a full load of loot, including a huge ivory tusk, and a good big stick to keep pilferers at bay.

Lots of earth tones here and lots of washes.  I added a few points of actual color, like the pot and the lamp, to break up the oppression and draw the eye.

 A Red Shadow!  Fearsome Rat Assassin!

Looks like he has been hangin' with the Skaven a bit too long and has absorbed some of their symbols... as well as the glowing warp poison on his corrupted blade.

I seem to have returned to subsurface symbols on the robes of these and on several more projects that are currently on the table.  These symbols are painted on the base red of the robes and then washed with Secret Weapon Drying Blood, retouched with yellow in the vertices and ends, and rewashed with Drying Blood.

 I can't decide if this is a Rat Shaman manifesting a weasel totem or... a Weasel Shaman... or something completely different!

Ok... ok... NOT Gimp Suit different but still....


Worked up with the same subsurface symbols as the Red Shadow.

Weasel Necromancer....?

Next week is going to be hectic so I think I'll do another update before the weekend gets here I've got a Raging Heroes bit drying its pumice and a major WiP for the Mantic Abyssal Dwarf Army.

Cheers!

Aleksandr Kurganov, Krell, and the most disturbing gnome...

 Aleksandr Kurganov, Chief Commander of the KST.  This is a massive, and heavy, model.  I chose the metal version for this one and it plunks down on the tabletop with authoriTAY!

Shown with a Nurgle Terminator and Assault Marine for comparison.  I like that he is shorter than the Space Marines but still imposing.

 I split the difference on positioning on the base.  The left foot overhangs the base a bit but shifting him too much farther over and the cloak would have become a weapon in it's own right!

He's on a 40mm beveled base like the Terminator and is pretty stable on that.  I went with a Grey and Red scheme to fit in with some incoming Inquisition troops that I'll be working into the campaign fluff.

 This cape has a lot of room for silliness.  I did some stark shading but decided against freehand for the moment... I'm kind of torn between inventing a House Kurgan Sigil and waiting to see what Raging Heroes comes up with in that regard.

 Reaper Bones I Kickstarter.   I really just signed up for everything with the idea that I'd be using it to fill out a long neglected FRPG collection as my interest in Tabletop Roleplaying was perking up. 

In one random bag that I pulled out of the massive Kickstarter box was this... Gnome... pleasure cultist?  ... Inquisitor?

In spite of being perhaps the most disturbing Gnome miniature I've ever seen it was a lot of fun to paint and gave me a few ideas for story lines... I was a bit inspired by the Penny Dreadful character with the outrageous and, I assure you , completely natural..... hair! 

 Yeah... chaps!  pimpled, warty, gnome buttocks... oh my!

It did get a Slaanesh-esque sigil on the hood but otherwise but otherwise a plain utilitarian purple color.  I thought about designs and stripes but thought they might obfuscate how outrageous the miniature really was.










The Gnome spending some quality time with Warlord Krell...

Krell is still missing his back banner and is on a round lipped base instead of his original square one.  I think both of these minis are being added to the pile of stuff for Carnevale. 

Have fun and beware of gnomes in chaps!

Mantic Berserker Brock Riders WiP, repairs day, and a Mystery figure

 Lots of stuff seeing the light of day after a long time here... Given how often I move its no surprise that I am often rediscovering projects that have languished for years, sometimes decades, in a storage box or bin just waiting to be finished.  Today I knocked out a few.

Random GW ghoul that I got from a friend who was , sadly, getting out of the hobby.  This is a salvage job that had been partially painted a long time ago.

 With salvage work I like to retain what I can of the original paint scheme and you see that in these GW Zombies.  They came along in the same batch as the ghouls and had been base coated and the first colors blocked in... primarily the yellows and blues... I kept the scheme but gave them the Blanche treatment which narrowed, and dulled, the color palette and gave them a "just dug up" vibe.









Some GW Spectres or Wraiths... I don't remember which ... and there may be one of each..  These are form different editions and show the growth in figure size over the years... mind you,... both of these are older edition models and, as such, are considerably smaller than their modern equivalent.  Fortunately the Undead army they will be joining has been kicking around the tables for for 35+ years so they are in good company scale wise.

 A mystery figure.... Hey Pat!  I think this might be one of those Rackham models.

This is a really great Elven Fire Mage.  I'm going to lump it in with the Carnevale stuff for the moment and use it in that game until I get Cadwallon running...

 Mantic Berserker Brock Riders!

Ok its just the Brocks at the moment but they are well under way.

Here you see the size difference between the Hero mount and the regular Brock.... That is one big hunk of angry metal there!

 I'd first thought of Brocks as bears... but on closer look they remind me more of  badgers, wovlerines, or some similar feisty... subterranean... rodent thing.... obviously not sourced from the Skaven.... but.... if you are gonna have some shame to work out ...

Bevie has comanded the creation of a Dwarf army stat!  and wanted Berserker Brock riders first!  Of course, it doesn't fit with the "Everything Fantasy must be playable in 3rd Edition WHFB"  but maybe I can get a friendly geek to cobble me together an army entry for them anyway!

Next post should have the final Iron Empire Mecha up and more salvage work...

Iron Empire Mecha WiP and some Carneval in action

I have some family visiting which has slowed down the painting... quite a lot!  But, on the flip side, I've been able to get in an initial game of Carnevale... so that's a bonus!

Here you see the Mecha in the Iron Empire Cream and Purple colors... at least that's the colors of Iron Empire in the Swelterverse!

 I've been painting the bits seperately as the final posing will make a lot of areas practically impossible to reach... the range of viable poses is quite large with these kits.

A lot of Secret weapon washes helping out with the weapon glows and so forth... note the Mummy Pilot and the Egyptian Death Mask!  Scary!

 On to Carnevale!  Our first game pits the classic foes .. Vatican vs Strigoi.  Were still fumbling around with the rules but the game seems very evocative and fun...


Some thoughts so far:

The rules are a little hard to follow and a little confusing in places like... its not always completely clear if an AP (Action Point) cost is a replacement for another AP cost or an additional AP cost.

I'm also unclear why the final health box has a penalty listed when it appears that checking the final box should take a model out of action... odd to have a -2 penalty to action performed while dead... not undead... just dead.

*Update*  We figured out that we were reading the health chart wrong...DOH!  There is no postmortem penalty !

 It is interesting that a lot of abilities are available to any faction but really are tuned to a specific faction.  A lot of choices are available... even if many of them are silly.  I think like that... and once I understand the synergies it might make more sense why some choices, which currently appear to be silly, might be fun or effective to make.

 I am a little concerned about the Inquisitor in the Vatican faction, who looks a lot like Marilyn Manson, seems to be a vampire without the undead trait... or maybe a demonic entity... he certainly doesn't appear to be human 1.0.

I do like all the focus on theatrical maneuvers and water stuff... like how to drown ... accidentally or... on purpose... how to hold the head underwater until the bubbles stop.... not sure how it works precisely but it's very detailed!

More on that... after we play a few more rounds!

*Update*  After finishing the first game we think the Vatican is a strongly designed faction... The Cross Bearing Deacon in particular is very powerful and makes the faction largely immune to morale effects.  The Inquisitor and Executioner are also pretty spectacular in their effects and the whole force has an intuitive synergy that is really significant.

The Strigoi are less intuitive, although they have strong signature special effects, the synergies of the faction are less obvious and require more tactical forethought that the Vatican does. 

We got a lot of basic stuff wrong but, by the time we finished we had most of that sorted and things began making a lot more sense.  A couple of more practice games will tell the tale... and I'm really looking forward to playing some of the other factions...

Carnevale French Vatican Guard

 I finished the Big Unpack yesterday... finished is of course a relative statement and there are a few odds and ends that will slowly ease into their new spots.... but the main work of unpacking is done!

That means today I got to spend some time working IN the studio instead of ON the studio.  I decided to pick up where I'd left off on Carnevale and start prepping some Raging Heroes.  I also found the Foldio II which lead to more goofing off with pictures than painting miniatures.

Anyway I did manage to finish up a couple of French Vatican Guard and a Deacon.  I really love that after the catastrophic opening of the Rift in the Sky,  and the ensuing destruction of Rome, the Vatican moved to Avignon, France... seat of the Anti-Popes, or the Black Popes of the Schism... way back when...

 I decided to do the Guard in a French Impressionist style which turned out to be a lot of fun to paint.  They look good from tabletop range and really interesting when picked up for a closer look.

The expressions and poses of the miniatures are very good as you can see... here the Deacon is  admonishing the Guard for their sloppy appearance...

And a little closer look reveals... just how little the Guards think of the Deacon's tongue lashing.

I've also made the uniforms recognizably French rather than a special pattern for the Vatican Guard.  The Guard are meant to be a symbol of the ascendance of the French State as they are a protective force for the Church.  No mistaking who these guys really work for!

This week I have more Carnevale, some Raging Heroes, and some Tabletop World in the queue.

See ya soon!

Carneval Vatican

I was playing around with these Vatican minis and something pretty cool happened.  I mean I love the retro feel of these things and am coming to really like the actual game they are associated with!

So look at these two pictures and see what happens...





We are bad inquisitors!

 or is it...

You are bad inquisitor!





Same minis, just rearranged... the looks of condemnation are so easily turned round. 










Perspective is a funny thing... here in the Swelter-verse I typically only do hobby stuff... If you want a dose of real world your in the wrong place...

but...  sometimes it slaps you in the face!

Food for thought....



I do really relish the looks of horror that occur on some of the faces in the Carneval lineup... from the fledgling Strigoi terrified by it's own first kill, to the inquisitor seeing the blood on his hands and realizing... that he is not repulsed by it.















... and the Executioner whose piercing eyes look out from the false anonymity of his mask.... seem totally unrelated to the idiot's grin that is perched over a fragile and severely receding chin...makes me happy not to see the whole face!











Things are moving along.... the Tabletop World Townhouse 2 should wrap up this week.. as should the French Vatican guards and the Inquisition standard bearer.  Then is on to the last TTW building that I have with me and prep work for Raging Heroes and some of the Age of Sigmar stuffs from GW.

Ohhh... Last minute update!   I've been struggling to make posts because pictures would not load into Blogspot... I seem to have got that sorted...for now!  AND  I just got the email that another big batch of Raging heroes shipped!   Mecha INCOMING!  I am really anxious to see these.. can ya tell?


and remember to

Build it!
Paint it!
Play it!

Carnevale Strigoi

 By way of reacquainting myself with the tools of the trade I've decided to knock out the Carneval stuff before moving on to the Raging Heroes models... which are more demanding to paint.  Starting with the Strigoi.

The Carnevale Strigoi are the Vampire faction.  They have very little in common with the modern, super sexy, romantic vampire...  They are very much one of the horrors of the old world and Carnevale did a good job of fleshing out the horror side of the Vampire.

One of the great things about Carnevale as a game is the inclusive nature of it.  It has standard fantasy tropes, super heroes, and steam punk-esque styling's as well as Lovecraftian horror.

There is the Fledgeling strigoi... a vampire newly created and just beginning it's descent into horror.  Shown here with the severed head of it's first kill and a terrified expression.  I've used the Reaper vampiric flesh triad on these along with Secret Weapon Concrete wash.  The result is very splotchy and highly textured.  I still envision these old style vampires as being painted directly onto a wood surface... medieval syle.  The victims and servants are less abstract and a little more accessable. 

The Monstrous walk the streets of Venice... classic Nosferatu and an aquatic vampire reminiscent of Deep Ones... of Cthulhu fame.

The Aquatic Strigoi has waterlogged pants and some spots of Secret Weapon Swere Water wash added tio the skin treatment.

The noseferatu is in the classic pose with the 1000 mile stare...

A noble Srrigoi and it's human servant.  The cape has a very fleshy look to it and the waist coat has a lot of texture.

The human servant is an older man whose practice of hygene is limited... even for the time period.   This miserable fellow comes with a lantern that is intended to hang from his belt... a dangerous and uncomfortable arrangement!  I left the lantern for future use!

The Noble Strigoi isn't particularly flashy and everything about the strigoi in general reeks...probably literally... of decay and mildew... everything feels a little damp, if not downright sodden!

A pair of rank and file Strigoi.  Continuing the damp and mildewed theme... I imagine the Strigoi of Venice to spend an unusual amount of time in the water and in the wet sewerage... it shows in the oppressive amount of earthtones and the irregularity of the colors.

In sharp contrast to the Strigoi... Studio Swelter has a new, temporary, painting table.  Just a 6 ft. folding table and a couple of folding chairs.. they'll come in handy when I next have to move.   I am loving the light of this workspace although its a little warm at times!



















... and finally... a Tabletop World Townhouse 2 beginning its journey to join Greystone Village.

Tabletop World Stone Bridge adventures and some early WiP on Carneval Strigoi

"Nice bridge ya got there Swelter... except for the bit where the shingle is all funny shiny and... odd..."

"Thanks!"  I says...  "and did ya notice that the whole model has that funny effect?  Did ya?  .... uv course you did!~  You was jest bein' polite and mentioning the shingle 'cause its all kinda pink like....."








Well... lets jus get the FAIL out of the way!

What you have here is a clearly labeled can of Plastic Primer.  Its transparent and in a matte finish... but its still Primer and not the Sealer top coat that I was looking for! 

Still I've had a lot worse Primer fail.... heck... I've had a lot worse Sealer fail for that matter.











So yeah... basically I seized that last best chance to destroy a model and sprayed it down with Primer. 















It dried transparent as the can suggests but there is a bit of shiny-ness to it and some color shifts... most notably on the red/brown shingle on the main house. 










I think its recoverable with a little effort on the shingle and some Dull Coat... once I'm able to get some...  but otherwise the thing looks ok..... the rest of it seems mostly to just be a bit shiny.. which the Dull Coat should solve... Famous last words!










On to Carnevale  and some very pasty Strigoi getting their subsurface done...  mostly in Reaper Vampiric Flesh triads... because... Vampires!... and some Blue... just because I spilled a bunch... its been that kind of day around the studio!

Time to but the brush down and grab a beer!