Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Jorny on February 13, 2014, 10:02:55 AM
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I am new to this forum, and I thought that the best way to introduce myself is by showing one of the (too many) projects on my desk!
A couple of months ago I was cleaning out boxes of my old stuff from my parents house when I found my old Prince August moulds and casting equipment. My introduction to miniatures was when me and my brothers got a casting kit for christmas sometime in the early 90's. First we only had 40mm semi flat Karoliner moulds.
But it was when I discovered fantasy in general through Drakar och Demoner and the Lord of the Rings I got really hooked, these new imaginary worlds in combination with the local toy shops rather good selection of fantasy moulds was the combination that got me in to the hobby.
Since I found some of my old moulds I decided that it would be a nice project to cast and paint all the figures i remember from my childhood, at least one set of each. What I will do with them I don't know, maybe just put them in a cabinet, maybe play some skirmish games. Time will tell.
The first set I cast and painted are these, mould NO 689, Skeleton Knights.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/Skelett_PA689_front_web_zps7a66c79e.jpg)
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/Skelett_PA689_back_web_zpsf498cbe6.jpg)
These were rather easy both to cast and to paint. The sculpts are nice in a nostalgic way. Looking at the base it seems like this mould was released in '93.
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Brings back memories of the moulds I had. Nothing was ever painted up as nicely as those back in the day! Really great stuff. The green and red works very well :)
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Blackstone:
Thanks! I found that you have to use rather strong highlights since the details are somewhat soft. It is fun to paint them with the skills and equipment I have now. I probably used Humbrol Enamels back in the day. ::)
Here are two orcs from the Orc Stormtrooper mould. PA684. I have the third cast as well, but I haven't painted it yet.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/OrcStorm_PA684_Front_zps5e75ecbc.jpg)
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/OrcStorm_PA684_Back_zps97bf240f.jpg)
These are older sculpts, '86 if you would believe the stamp under the base. The details are somewhat softer on these ones. Not as easy to paint and cast as the skeletons either. If you look closely on the orc with the halberd you can see that one of the arms is significantly longer than the other. They have charachter though and I still like them, but nostalgia certainly plays it part here. ;)
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I probably used Humbrol Enamels back in the day. ::)
I definitely did :)
I visited the PA factory with a gaming buddy a fortnight ago: its about an hour from where I live. They had versions of the very first miniatures that we had ever painted on display. The temptation to get a set of what I had then painted up is currently very high.
These are older sculpts, '86 if you would believe the stamp under the base.
I remember that mould. That was around the era that I was casting and painting PA stuff.
You did a nice job on these, the palette on the undead is particularly nice. And welcome to the forum too :)
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Cool stuff! Those skeletons are quite nice models, it's a shame the scale is 25mm and not 28mm or they would have seen a lot more action. I appreciate that they are difficult models to paint as the detail is soft. You have done a great job on them.
You would definitely get a kick out of visiting the PA factory!
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WELCOME ABOARD! Your introduction is SPLENDID. The Lads may be old & no longer state-of-the art pieces, but they painted up BEAUTIFULLY with an undeniable charm all their own. VERY WELL DONE!
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I have a load of their moulds and have never been able to get the painted figures to look as good as that. Well done :D
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Cracking stuff! I've always been interested in these, even had a couple of moulds, just never got anything cast. Really nice painting on the skeletons though.
Duncan
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Boy those undead skelly fellas are just awesome. Gorgeous paintwork on some figures with real charm!
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Gah, just what I needed after discussing the potential of a PA project with Cheetor! :D
Nice job, looking forward to see more! How many molds do you have? I'm hoping for some of the ones I used to have (troll + goblins, hobgoblins and one w attacking orcs among others).
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This takes me back! I have a box with four or five moulds in it somewhere. Happy days inhaling toxic fumes and escaping nasty burns while trying not to let the metal cool too much before pouring.... :D
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Very nice :)
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What do you use to melt the metal?
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What do you use to melt the metal?
I used to use an old pan on the electric cooker...they a gas ring once my ears had stopped ringing... :D
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Nice job, looking forward to see more! How many molds do you have? I'm hoping for some of the ones I used to have (troll + goblins, hobgoblins and one w attacking orcs among others).
I have the Silvan elves mould and a foot knights mould. I should have a goblin and another orc mould I think. When I look at the Prince August web shop and recognize a mould it is a bit hazy if it really was my mould or one I borrowed from a friend some time. We were a couple of boys at my school who where in to casting.
What do you use to melt the metal?
Prince August ladle on my kitchen stove! I use the lead free metal from Prince August.
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Nice!
I had the men at arms mould. Remember heating up the prince august nuggets in the little ladle and that bloody mould clamp. Jesus that hurt when it twanged! ;)
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Nice paintjobs on some interesting poses!
DIY metal casting for kids? Why did they not sell this in the USA? Damn our litigious society!
Pleased to meet you,
Jevenkah
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Great work on the skeletons, they look much better than most photos I've seen (including Prince August's!). I've been trying to tell myself I won't pace an order with them :)
Any chance you have a photo of them next to some more recent models? I don't mind skeletons a bit smaller than usual, but I worry they'd look like children...
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Nicely done. I had several of those moulds in my youth, great fun to mess around with and a good way to quickly populate a D&D dungeon. Great thing being you could re-use the same metal over and over so a new set of monsters each weekend! Even if the smell of burning off the old humbrol paint as they melted down did linger in the kitchen for hours.
The Orcs you have there (plus the unarmoured ones and the Hobgoblin figures) match perfectly in height and bulk with the GW Lord of the Rings Orcs/Uruks. I have many of them scattered amongst my Mordor forces.
(http://displacedminiatures.com/images/2582005121213768PA%20Orc.jpg)
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Jorny, just noticed you're in Sweden (well - assuming, based on your history with Drakar och Demoner) - where you at? I'm in Kävlinge, a bit north-west of Lund.
If I take the plunge (not very likely, but still) and get a few molds maybe we could arrange for an exchange of sorts? Do you get the casting metal locally or straight from PA?
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Jorny, just noticed you're in Sweden (well - assuming, based on your history with Drakar och Demoner) - where you at? I'm in Kävlinge, a bit north-west of Lund.
If I take the plunge (not very likely, but still) and get a few molds maybe we could arrange for an exchange of sorts? Do you get the casting metal locally or straight from PA?
I live in Umeå! But we could maybe arrange something by mail? PM me.
I get my metal from PA.
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I cast up a couple of more minis the other day, with mixed results to say the least. I haven't found time to paint them yet. Hopefully I can get some time this weekend.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/unpaintedmaaorc_zpsea178229.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/unpaintedmaaorc_zpsea178229.jpg.html)
This are the men at arms from PA674 and the remaining orc stormtrooper from PA684. All cast relatively easy.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/elfdisaster_zpse4967d42.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/elfdisaster_zpse4967d42.jpg.html)
This is the silvan elves from PA 691. These were hard to cast, and what's worse, there is something wrong with my mould causing bad mould slipping. The one with the bow might be usable, the other one are completely ruined and the mould has to be replaced, something I am not sure I feel will be worth the money. Have to think that over.
The disaster with the elves where quickly forgotten however when I found these guys in a box.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/mithril_zps843e8182.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/mithril_zps843e8182.jpg.html)
It is a couple of Mithril miniatures I bought back in the 90's. When i was a kid these (and later some warzone miniatures) were the only cast miniatures available for sale in my hometown. They were kept in a wire basket behind the counter in the toy store, so you had to ask the rather grumpy ladies working there if you could take a look at them...
I will paint these up as well as soon as I get some time on my hands, some have to be stripped from old paint first though.
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Nice nostalgic stuff! :D
I used to cast a lot as a kid as well, and last summer I brought my moulds back from my parents and started casting again. I've been saving any off-cuts from metals I've bought, and the numerous sprues on stuff like hats, helmets and heads I get from Warlord Games means that for every new box I can cast up a couple of minis.
I cast and painted quite a few dwarves and some goblins which can be seen here (http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?126821-mrtn-s-Southlands-Beastmen-and-other-fantasy-armies-and-warbands&p=6393767&viewfull=1#post6393767).
I've also used some of their bigger moulds, like the barbarians, to convert and use with 28mm historicals.
PA's website have some good tips on casting, their tip to drill holes through the mould for venting is something which has been very good and means I cast much better models now than 20 years ago. The shields and such that always used to miscast doesn't any more. :)
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Those PA dwarfs are great! Nice paintjob on some of the best PA miniatures. A friend had that mould, and I know I casted some for myself with that. I wonder where those are now.
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PA's website have some good tips on casting, their tip to drill holes through the mould for venting is something which has been very good and means I cast much better models now than 20 years ago. The shields and such that always used to miscast doesn't any more. :)
Yeah, I found that really helps. Wished I knew those tricks back in the day. Nowadays the casting is a lot easier.
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Got some paint on two more PA miniatures.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/maaorc_zps41e494a5.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/maaorc_zps41e494a5.jpg.html)
It's the remaining Orc Stormtrooper from PA684 and one of the Men at Arms from PA674. The orc was fun to paint, the Prince August orcs are certainly growing on me. As you can see on the paint job, the men at arms are not as fun to paint. The miniatures are not that exciting either.
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It's the remaining Orc Stormtrooper from PA684 and one of the Men at Arms from PA674. The orc was fun to paint, the Prince August orcs are certainly growing on me. As you can see on the paint job, the men at arms are not as fun to paint. The miniatures are not that exciting either.
I think they turned out great, both of them! Agree the man at arms isn't the most exciting miniature, but it still looks good!
I sometimes miss the old PA paints... they had a blue reminding me of the one you've used. It dried very, very flat - almost chalky.
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The Orc's strong points are an abundance of charm & personality; unfortunately the lack of a visible face leaves the Knight without either. HOWEVER, they are both SPLENDIDLY painted. WELL DONE!
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I finally got some time to complete my Men at Arms after letting my PA project rest for a while. The Prince August miniatures came back to the forefront of my painting table because I was getting a bit tired of painting a gazillion skeletons for my Tomb Kings. I also invested in some new moulds which of course helped with the motivation! ;)
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/lead%20adventure/Menatarms_zpse3cab908.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/lead%20adventure/Menatarms_zpse3cab908.jpg.html)
These are the Men at Arms from PA674. Not the most exciting miniatures, but they came out better than expected.
(http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx160/jornyl/lead%20adventure/magiker1_zps8c3fe328.jpg) (http://s751.photobucket.com/user/jornyl/media/lead%20adventure/magiker1_zps8c3fe328.jpg.html)
I have made a little detour from the purpose of this project with buying this mould. This is one of the three wizards in PA657. I never had this mould and I can't remember seeing it in any shop or catalogue as a kid. I have the other two wizards and three dwarfves from PA683 casted and waiting for some paint!
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COOL STUFF! The Lads & Lady painted up BEAUTIFULLY...GREAT WORK!
There is a lot of appeal to casting your own minis. I wonder where that would have taken moi should the molds have been available when I was a lad...way back when.
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"These were hard to cast, and what's worse, there is something wrong with my mould causing bad mould slipping. .... and the mould has to be replaced, "
You may be able to use the mould by casting in one figure at a time - less metal weight should cause less slipping. One of my moulds would only ever cast successfully if I only did 2 out of the 3 figures at a time.
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You may be able to use the mould by casting in one figure at a time - less metal weight should cause less slipping. One of my moulds would only ever cast successfully if I only did 2 out of the 3 figures at a time.
Thanks a lot for the tip! I tried it out today and it worked!
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Such a rush of fond memories here - these were some of my very first miniatures the mounted knights and chess pieces were fantastic too - made 2 full sets of chess pieces but gave them away. Certainly cutting channels into the mold can help as too molding only 1 or 2 minis at a time. The quality of the metal is key I used everything from plumbers lead to a type of white metal with mixed results. Softer higher lead content tends to work better and makes for easier conversions the best being drilling holes through hands and adding ne weapons and banners etc. Keep it up would love to see more...
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Such a rush of fond memories here - these were some of my very first miniatures the mounted knights and chess pieces were fantastic too - made 2 full sets of chess pieces but gave them away. Certainly cutting channels into the mold can help as too molding only 1 or 2 minis at a time. The quality of the metal is key I used everything from plumbers lead to a type of white metal with mixed results. Softer higher lead content tends to work better and makes for easier conversions the best being drilling holes through hands and adding ne weapons and banners etc. Keep it up would love to see more...
The smell when casting really takes me back to my 8-9 year old self...
I started using the lead free Five Star Metal from Prince August, since I wanted to avoid using lead, but I have gone over to the Model Metal since it is so much easier to cast with.
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I love the smell of hot lead in the mornin' ;)