Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Justin Buck on September 30, 2020, 07:30:51 PM
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...that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that boarded on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west.
Hither came Conan the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.
-The Nemedian Chronicles
Conan! I have finally gotten off my @$$ and started this project that I have thinking about for years. The seeds were planted when I was younger watching Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, and Red Sonja on Sunday mornings. I now have a collection of Reaper miniatures, Otherworld, Black Tree Design, Ral Partha, North Star Miniatures, and Hasslefree Miniatures. Along with some Victrix, Wargames Atlantic, Fire Forge, and Gripping Beast rounding out the plastic side of things. The Cimmerian will be fighting temple/carava/magistrate guards, Turanian soldiers, savage men, great/flying/gray apes, giants, and all the sons of Set.
First up, the man himself
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMCMFgu5Q7U/X3S_xg46nqI/AAAAAAAABT0/RLJee2D-2qQ9QT2xjGU1LI96hfifpussQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200929_125636816.jpg)
Next some Turanian troops. These are Fire Forge Byzantines with Oathmark human arms to give them a fantasy look.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pzXLwW_lROg/X3TADif91KI/AAAAAAAABT8/mupFu_mHlK439igOkYyHdEwx_na9bUdgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200929_125805640.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ga_bxRJzeg/X3TADrFXOuI/AAAAAAAABUE/j-Ay64iR2LQD9bC0Fgx3YAQXsfqSGBUfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200929_125847417.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpPiwEZwrac/X3TADrxNbbI/AAAAAAAABUA/htfWaCj2aYU3YEtRXGfXllJ_J9NPW10GwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200929_125912451.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOwnAEMdNw4/X3TAEtMGiKI/AAAAAAAABUI/XXUv3tsJDlAbAEPl0Mwphjli3sVpbLqXACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200929_130017319.jpg)
I'm still tweeking light/camera settings. The last picture best shows how they look in real life. I think the light I use from the front is too much and casts a bad glare on the figures. Oh well, back to the drawing board for my camera set up :(
Justin Buck
http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/ (http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/)
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Very nice kitbash, they look great.
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Thank you Neunfinger. Seeing Fire Forge's Byzantines reminded me of the soldiers Conan fought in the old Savage Sword of Conan comics and knew I just had to have them. :)
Justin
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Excellent, I love Conan and his world - there is a huge potential there for gaming one on one fights, skirmishes and upwards to massive battles. I like the colour palette and look of your Turanians - simple yet striking. And now I’m tempted to do Conan! I saw this mini https://www.tritex-games.co.uk/product/dd-nolzurs-unpainted-w12-giant-ape-huge and thought that with a minimal amount of sculpting to make it a bit shaggier it would make and excellent Great Gray Ape.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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Lovely work...look forward to seeing more :)
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Looking good! :)
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Cool! Love me some REH every now and then.
You know what you need to make it "proper" Bob Howard, though, don't you? Snakes and some kind of giant ape! :)
Heehee, sorry, you already mentioned apes, missed that , somehow.
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Very nice! So much potential with those Byzantines.
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One of my favourite characters of all time - I like the mini you have chosen for the man. Those plastic kit-bashed guards look the business too (and great paint jobs too) - as mentioned above, they remind me very much of the average mook guard that figured in several Savage Sword tales. A few giant snakes wouldn't go amiss.
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Thank you all.
@BeneathALeadMountain: I agree, the scale of the game is very fluid. He could just fight one monster/person up to a pitch battle against an army lead by a long dead sorcerer. This is part of the reason why I like this project so much. I saw that ape when I was looking at the available figures on the market. I was about to get it, but I then was able to snap up pair of Obelisk Gorillas. They are posed very aggressively and I think make great gray apes.
@Plynkes and Little Odo: I agree about the snakes. I have 2 large Reaper snakes, a few Ral Partha large snakes, a couple of "toy" snakes, and an Otherworld Naga wearing Egyptian headgear that I just had to have. :D
@Wilgut Spleens: I agree. If anyone is on the fence about getting a box, or a sprue, I would defiantly suggest they pick one up. They were quick to put together and fun to paint up.
Justin
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Don't be so hard on yourself about the photography. I never would have even noticed if you hadn't brought it up. They look great.
Amazing work on the figures! Conan looks the part and the Turanians look exactly as I've always pictured them, so you must be doing it right! lol And couldn't agree more with your choice of the Obelisk gorillas. To my eye they are the best ever sculpted in 28mm. Keep up the great work!
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I love what you are doing & will follow with interest.
Years ago we did a post WW2 fictitious Naval campaign.
Using any 1/3000th ships you wanted.
My country was based on Hyborea, with ships like
CSS Crom (Deity class).
Great fun.
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The Turanians are spot on. REH and Mr. John Buscema would be proud.
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Great work, they look the part!
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Brilliant
I hope he is going to crush his enemies etc :)
Best first line in cinematic history !!!!
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If anyone is doing Conan - they did a big board game (and a 2nd version already I believe), so a lot of Conan specific miniatures are out there on eBay etc. Thak, etc. A lot of the main characters from the books.
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Awesome stuff - off to a great start!
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Thank you all for the kind words.
@Elbows: I agree, I have some monsters on their way to me right now :)
Now on the the good stuff! I have finished some Temple Guards for the heroes to knock around, or be potential allies. They are made up of parts from Victrix's Republican Roman, Italian Allies, Samnites, and Numidian heads.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajGmZ1YBKXw/X4SbA6n0A-I/AAAAAAAABVA/5FJqvjPLux8MEWZs2xWLhAXNq3atVITQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20201012_133620177.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uHQXy0shUyg/X4SbAybnWhI/AAAAAAAABU4/j3S7NfMVKjoM9auiKj8c3SGJwbNwIrkFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20201012_133642923.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8n-NLFk2TU/X4SbBPgNwHI/AAAAAAAABU8/Mm4EH7QHCBIBTpcv2RoIMv4343XFIlD7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20201012_133720609.jpg)
Just saw that the leader has a spot on his nose that needs touching up >:(
I also finished two companions for Conan, a native guide and a bronze armored warrior.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2JK16OYwLCI/X4SbwQBLEgI/AAAAAAAABVQ/CBgXi_KJAKIVRcj08dFUIkeDvHyS_eNzACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20201012_133433068.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9joMzb6PiI/X4SbxUPwmvI/AAAAAAAABVc/vtGzztDZQBcrm3tcJdLodmXDMAM4wjGtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20201012_133554227.jpg)
Justin Buck
https://theparadeground.blogspot.com/
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Now that is a great start and introduction to the time of high adventure. I remember every single line from those movies, endless hours of reading the books and countless attempts to copy the art of John Buscema's graphic novels. Thank you for rekindling sweet memories of my youth... :) :)
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Continually great work, very inspirational!
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Nice work!
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I love your painting style and the whole take you have on this project. Looking forward very much to seeing the monsters!
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Really like your work with metallics, these all look great!
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Thanks everyone. This helps me stay motivated
@Michi: I know what you mean. The old Conan movies, the new one, and Red Sonya have been playing on constant loop next to me while I'm painting.
@Arundel: I have an evil sorcerer and some henchmen on the painting table right now. Up next I might paint up some giant snakes/apes/animals.
@barbaric splendor: thanks for saying so. I feel that metallics are my weak spot. I can never get them the way I want them to look in my head. I just paint a dark metallic color, then a wash, and then highlight with a lighter metallic...then some more washes and highlights.
Justin
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Time for some dark sorcery to bring this thread back to life....
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-W6U229H9ICye5y3ElTlI7VoxJg6To8J3UYkCy40K59CQ5h94yPsBIAof51MqN04GLA8&usqp=CAU)
I have recently taken photos of some figures that I have completed awhile ago. It takes me a while to set up my "photo booth" so I tend to wait until I have a few to photograph.
Here are some magistrate's guards that can be used as allies, but more often than not, as enemies who show up at the most inopportune time. They are mostly Victrix Republican Romans, some have Celtic or Greek heads. I have tried to go with an uniformed appearance.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPzb4FBlk2o/YJXKoC70mKI/AAAAAAAABaM/JkFLcQErFC0cWrbBSD110dTYkUmOiW-LACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093709130_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tyh_EXmMmY/YJXK-EiD1NI/AAAAAAAABaU/mufX-pvChmEB_oXlSGWWHx3zK3waWVUZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093459542_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fIkm0jPpom8/YJXK-GTq0SI/AAAAAAAABac/XJ1EPlUDNgEJN6Dg0e-PDVu_9K3TkuggQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093548228_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hosXe7nKGDc/YJXK-M93r1I/AAAAAAAABaY/7sEySL68iXAy8pmtWAZ46Nn83szN9KewwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093620689_HDR.jpg)
Up next are my sellswords and freebooters, The Crimson Hawks. A roving band of sellswords, if the pay is good, or bandits, if not. Just one of the freebooter bands that Conan has spent some time with during his travels.
I tried to build a multi-national band of warriors. They are again mostly Victrix Italian Allied Legions bodies with some Guals, Samnites, Greeks, and Iberian bodies/heads. There is also some metal Reaper Miniatures thrown in for good measure. Conan is from the Northstar Ghost Archipelago range.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQ9bEoyYmU/YJgt7aHiA7I/AAAAAAAABbk/1DlJhwexUnM3DCcsvK9AdiQr1WIjKF7pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094507458_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vzGIBQ3cO2A/YJgtz76UiGI/AAAAAAAABa0/pSrum2D9twUp10XlViafY5huj3XLsV4SwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093944642_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JsD8Y7K8KWM/YJgtz-mdiAI/AAAAAAAABa8/qpC2NwGFLcIzO8Kr4bY4uaSQFKgyZxRmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_093840590_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlYCNeDFSd4/YJgt2PXJKXI/AAAAAAAABbE/XBvg85XP2b8QoGh72DFKg6kc3LAyEY9MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094030140_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoJjYcPhRbo/YJgt3i8YA1I/AAAAAAAABbM/YgNP25jBchQeQCTOtJIdc2R2mz7g5Y9HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094106565_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_g8tkULMrZ0/YJgt4snlfpI/AAAAAAAABbQ/J0kelfaXAyQOEvBhXA9bORMuWiVmSyAywCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094144234_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WgpnNcAH4MA/YJgt63ZQZRI/AAAAAAAABbg/ZlTk8e46wQ4Jq5BzTmhY8XvD-5sDiJLdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094249502.jpg)
I have some cultists/followers of a sorcerer of ancient Acheron coming soon. There are some more pictures on http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/ (http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/)
Enjoy,
Justin
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Great thread and some really imaginative use of plastics.
More please! :D
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I’m curious what the base figure was for the big guy with the club in the Crimson Hawks. He’s a stand out figure. The whole collection looks great!
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Great collection of figures.
Love your painting style :-*
darn, this is getting me all conan-y again ... must resist ... (has my brother still got that copy of 'royal armies of the hyborian age I wonder ... ;D )
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These are really, really good! Inspired conversions, and great painting.
The mix of parts works very well and you're creating figures that seem historically plausible and true to the source material so that they scream out "Conan!"
I'm looking forward to seeing more!
If you're interested in other characters or monsters, have you looked at "Lucid Eye Miniatures"? They're sculpted by the very talented Steve Saleh. I've just bought a few, and size-wise they work well with Victrix etc.
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Two very well painted and sourced warbands. They both tell a story already without the need for words. Great job! Looking forward to seeing many more.
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Thank you all for the nice comments.
@Muzfish4: Thank you, I just primed some more figures.
@Pattus Magus: It's a Reaper Miniature figure, Street Thug Mercenary. I cut off his head and put on a Victrix Republican Romans head to tie him in with the rest of the group.
@Bloggard: I know what you mean. I caught the last fight scene from Conan the Barbarian (1982 version of course ;) ) and next thing I know I'm painting more Conan figures.
@Ingarsby73: I love to sit on the floor surrounded by plastic sprues trying to figure out what works and looks good. I have my eye on a few Lucid Eye Miniatures. As it is right now, I have a Naga, some gray apes, some large snakes, and a winged horror to paint.
@Little Odo@: Hopefully I'll have some finished soon :)
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Just found this thread, and am loving it! Beautiful work on the Crimson Hawks. They have a real polyglot feel, which is perfect. The magistrates guards look lush too: love those blues.
I'm beavering away at some Conan stuff at the moment too, so this thread is quite the inspiration.
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@blacksoilbill: Thanks! That is the look that I was trying to achieve with the mercenaries.
I wanted to have an ancient city for my figures to fight over. I wanted something cyclopean in nature, like it was build long before the time of Conan. I was trying for something similar to the ruins in Mycenae. These are two test pieces, a wall and a column. It wasn't until I finished painting the wall that I realized I forgot to make one side ruined! Oh well, they are after all test pieces... ::)
They are made with a core of styrofoam with polystyrene bricks glued on the outside. I saw this done somewhere here but I can not seem to find the original poster to give credit. I plan on making more ruins to fill up my ancient city.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j6TQAAh_sU4/YJkMhOhENzI/AAAAAAAABeQ/7BzzTxQnYgkZWaa9sXbDMJAoJe0l_-KMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094635722_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iexwqd8puvk/YJkMhKMbaHI/AAAAAAAABeM/Ir10P4NEL5MljmsZTQgZD-GUWSP3fhJDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094643390_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EemIpL1C6GU/YJkMhPDlwOI/AAAAAAAABeI/hGY_nWaS99AC_WG2n04n1Mx0kO6EA_ilwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094656619_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rM5qwKJy_jA/YJkMjdVHymI/AAAAAAAABeU/j8lR_fZ1SUEPxbwMS5pRb0cQZlq2g9DCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094704757_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FxHb6YmSpoY/YJkMjgq6LzI/AAAAAAAABeY/ku9qeiYsC6QrfJutn2qALk6JMoUck05-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094720970_HDR.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d84awHiuG70/YJkMj3p79LI/AAAAAAAABec/qkTaJosthc4VcA2XFLwqZ3p1_we-wekWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_094732526_HDR.jpg)
I also was able to take some photos of my new cultists. Every hero needs a good villain to fight against. Meet Conan's nemesis, Nakhtem, a dark sorcerer from ancient Acheron, a disciple of the slumbering Set, and an antagonist to all things good.
Nakhtem and the two assassins are metal Reaper Miniatures. The non-hooded followers are Wargames Atalantic Persians. The hooded followers are old Wargames Factory Persian bodies with Frostgrave cultists arms. I have some sorceress and some snake men/women basecoated and waiting to be summoned.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6M1qSCyzPIs/YJkLiTudNII/AAAAAAAABcE/D8_r40CNSs0BZekpKsv-mIkpkpP8OYBMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_102142592.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8wZyEj7ejc0/YJkLw9JjF-I/AAAAAAAABcg/l6oZdbeu-gQyfmj3iE3D_dnACBV5WD_LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_102005531.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEfeF_SNe9Y/YJkLwKQLrvI/AAAAAAAABcc/1ZosotaO0hUxy3uBc9-vRgle1S_S0b1HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_101940897.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u612fnk4SX0/YJkLvHu_5iI/AAAAAAAABcU/czF-bIo99JMwdll7lbqlySWUYTXocwrlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_101851797.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjU6vMqVB6U/YJkLttOMl5I/AAAAAAAABcI/h2B6a-ZZfm8ByQ767Bei3I4NsomS01KsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210503_101802842.jpg)
Next on the painting table are bandits, caravan guards, and some tribes men.
Justin
http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/ (http://theparadeground.blogspot.com/)
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That's come out well.
I do recall Oshiro Model Terrain doing several individual brick projects an inspiring a few others to try it out too, so perhaps thst was the same one you were thinking of? It certainly creates a nicer effect than inscribing often does.
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Those are some nice ruins!
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Nice mix of figs and parts there. I like the purples - just been finishing up a set of Frostgrave cultists in purples myself.
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Agreed, the purple looks good. The brick work is an inspiration too - the detail does seem to come out better than just scoring the bricks on.
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Another agreement for purple!