Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Muddypaw on 13 December 2024, 12:29:28 AM
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In March I decided to finally start the Glorantha miniatures project I’d been assembling and thinking about for years. It’s still going strong, so I think I’m far enough now to finally start posting about it here.
The miniatures are all by David Soderquist, either from his own company or sculpted for others. He has a vast range, so almost all of it is by David. Where I can’t find one by him, I’ll try to use something from other manufacturers, mostly Fenris Games and old Citadel. First up were the Sun Dome temple, along the Zola Fel river south of Pavis. I went for a colour scheme that evoked the classic cover artwork of Sun Dome County, by Avalon Hill. The griffin is from the old Citadel Runequest range, the flying creatures box. The shields and banner are all freehand.
Edit. I forgot to add, the bases are all by Ian at Fenris games, the rubble city range, as are the miniatures, by Bronze Age and stocked in the UK and EU by Fenris.
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Here’s a close up off the hoplite shields, all dedicated to Yelmalio (little sun and son)
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Beautiful work on those figures! I don’t know anything about the Runequest setting but the figures are great. The blue and yellow palette is striking.
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Great use of Blue, the shields look amazing
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Stunning work on them!
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Lovely work.
Brings back a lot of nostalgia as I played a lot of RQ using the 1st & 2nd editions. back when they came out. The hoplites fit the bill perfectly. I quite like the standard bearer.
Thanks for sharing.
Z
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Lovely work, especially the freehand iconography. Yelmalio would be proud.
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These are glorious! :-*
I have some of those Amazons in my queue but they are now shuffling further back...
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Aww thanks everybody. It helps that I find David’s sculpts really easy to work with, and the blue and yellow was such fun to paint! I need to do some more.
As a treat between factions, I painted something just because I liked it. This is an Amazon from Bronze Age, one of my favourites. She’s meant to be a Babeester Gor bounty hunter (max axe maidens with a grudge).
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Excellent choice of miniatures - they fit the Runequest vibe really well. Your painting really brings them to life - great work. As per one or two of the commenters above, I also used to play 1st and 2nd Edition RQ back in the day and I have literally just bought the latest version in the hope it might prompt me to do some Bronze Age style gaming, so these are a great inspiration for me at the moment.
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They are perfect for RQ aren’t they? I’ve been collecting miniatures for this project for probably a decade or more, and it was the re-release of Runequest, and some personal stuff, that finally got me off my arse and painting! “Do it now” is now my motto.
Here’s another adventurer type, a Zola Fel river guide, by Dragon Bait miniatures. As ever, bases by Ian at Fenris Games.
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Here’s another adventurer to join the river guide and tracker. She’s a follower of Yelorna, stars and unicorns and stuff. After this are the Orlanthi, mix of Celt/Anglo Saxon types with some fantasy touches here and there. It’s a nice change of pace to paint adventurers who aren’t members of one of the larger factions.
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Excellent choice of miniatures - they fit the Runequest vibe really well. Your painting really brings them to life - great work. As per one or two of the commenters above, I also used to play 1st and 2nd Edition RQ back in the day and I have literally just bought the latest version in the hope it might prompt me to do some Bronze Age style gaming, so these are a great inspiration for me at the moment.
T
Thanks. It’s nice to know there are other Runequest fans out there, 1st and 2nd edition here too. It was seeing another fans painting that motivated me to finally start this project after probably more than a decade(!!!)
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T
Thanks. It’s nice to know there are other Runequest fans out there, 1st and 2nd edition here too. It was seeing another fans painting that motivated me to finally start this project after probably more than a decade(!!!)
There is one in Oz too! Ever since RQ first came out,and I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t have one of the bigger collections in the Southern Hemisphere.
Cracking work Muddypaw :)
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Very nice work on those miniatures.
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There is one in Oz too! Ever since RQ first came out,and I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t have one of the bigger collections in the Southern Hemisphere.
Cracking work Muddypaw :)
Thanks! The big gap in my collection is the box sets, which I *kind* of have, with the yellow spine book reprints.
Very nice work on those miniatures.
Thanks, they’re a joy to paint.
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Great job on those ladies!
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The second faction is the Orlanthi. Saxon/Celt/Bronze age mash up with many varying depictions in Runequest art. These are all Bronze Age, from Fenris Games in the UK/EU and Bronze Age in the US. Colours are muddy but sticking mostly with green and blue. The visual hook will be the shield design. Not as much fun to paint as the bold yellow and blue of the Sun Dome/Greek faction. As a treat I gave a couple of them bright hair, possibly dyed for various cult reasons.
I think the chap with the spiked hair and poisoned weapons is a bit too high fantasy for this bunch so I might spin him off into another project, with a more D&D feel. The rest are nicely rough looking compared to the Sun Dome.
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More beautiful painting! I agree about the fellow with the spiked hair, he doesn’t fit the ancients-inspired style as well as the others.
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Great job on those ladies!
Thank you Freddy. Modern Bronze Age female faces are such a joy to paint, it almost feels like cheating as they almost paint themselves!
More beautiful painting! I agree about the fellow with the spiked hair, he doesn’t fit the ancients-inspired style as well as the others.
Thanks! I have a bunch more of more typical adventurer types, which I’m hoping to alternate with the Runequest project so he might gets friends soon.
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I think the cowhide shields are very effective. I also like the varying sizes in the range. They look like good human variation in height and not simply out of scale.
Mike Demana
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I think the cowhide shields are very effective. I also like the varying sizes in the range. They look like good human variation in height and not simply out of scale.
Mike Demana
I was looking for a pattern for the big figure of 8 shield, and of course almost all of the images are from Minoan wall art,so I thought ‘that looks fun’ and it was! And I hadn’t really noticed before about the height, but you’re absolutely right , there is a lot of (natural looking) variation. Huh, cool.
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Wonderful work here, I've admired Runequest from afar for a long time and have a soft spot for the early Citadel minis in particular. Love seeing painted examples and these are particularly glorious - especially that Griffon, oh my! :-*
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Wonderful work here, I've admired Runequest from afar for a long time and have a soft spot for the early Citadel minis in particular. Love seeing painted examples and these are particularly glorious - especially that Griffon, oh my! :-*
Thank you! I was wary at first of the bright plumage, bit I think it goes nicely with the others, The griffin is the only ‘designed for Runequest’ miniature I’ve painted so far for this project. I might add the Citadel manticore and wyrm too, both from Citadel RQ flyers box. They’re certainly the most old school miniature I’ve painted in a long while.
Here are two more Orlanthi, a warrior showing off his abs and an archer with a cloak to match the shields. The aim for all this is to paint up at least 10 or so if each major faction or race, so Lunars for sure, Prax nomads, Esrolian, Uz, and so on, and also a growing pile of factionless adventurer types added as the mood takes me.
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Beautiful work. Love the clean painting style and color selection. Top notch.
I have fond memories of playing 1st edition Runequest as a teenager back in the 80s. I was very fond of the strike rank system, so much so, that I carried it into other RPGs that I GM'd in the 90s.
This is what my rulebook looked like.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7067/4N1HII.png)
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Beautiful work. Love the clean painting style and color selection. Top notch.
I have fond memories of playing 1st edition Runequest as a teenager back in the 80s. I was very fond of the strike rank system, so much so, that I carried it into other RPGs that I GM'd in the 90s.
This is what my rulebook looked like.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7067/4N1HII.png)
Thanks Koyote, this is very much a nostalgia trip for me. I think like most of us on here, we’re rapidly hurtling back towards childhood!
This is another Orlanthi. She’s not a dwarf (even though the miniature is), rather, she’s a person of limited height. Anyone can do anything with a high POW stat and a head full of Rune magic! She’s a tracker with her hunting cats, who have caught breakfast.
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Love these models and the bright, light way you’ve painted them!
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Love these models and the bright, light way you’ve painted them!
Thanks Ockius. I’ve tried painting grim n gritty but it’d just not me!
As of March next year I will have been painting (for this project) for a whole year. After the Orlanthi I’ll have a bit of a change. I’ve been working on some slightly sword & sorcery style stuff, still set in Glorantha, with my Esrolian faction, a nice change from pseudo historical. Hopefully by March I’ll be putting paint to the Big Bad (or enlightened saviour), of the setting, those guys you love the hate, the Lunars. I’ve been picking out miniatures and have a few nice centrepiece conversions planned once I’ve wrapped up the Esrolian earth cult.
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I think 9 or 10 minis for each group is a good number, not too much to potentially get burned out, and enough for many of the skirmish games out there.
2 more. I’ve added a Storm Lord another warrior woman, with the groovy figure of 8 shield, which I love. The second pic to show the complete Orlanth group. The dodgy looking bloke with the poisoned daggers, who seems to be trying to work out the best angle for kidney stabbing Blondie, is being transferred a more dungeons & taverns kind of world. He sneaked into shot.
Edit. I must work out how to up the file size a bit. I’m shrinking them too much.
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You've done a fantastic job on all of these Bronze Age minis. I've been a fan of David Soderquist's work for years and have many of these same miniatures in my own Runequest miniatures collection (you have a lot more talent than I though). He has very recently started a direct collaboration with Fenris and has completed work on some Greek Adventurers to be a part of the Rubble City range and they are really great for Runequest adventurers.
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You've done a fantastic job on all of these Bronze Age minis. I've been a fan of David Soderquist's work for years and have many of these same miniatures in my own Runequest miniatures collection (you have a lot more talent than I though). He has very recently started a direct collaboration with Fenris and has completed work on some Greek Adventurers to be a part of the Rubble City range and they are really great for Runequest adventurers.
Thanks Plisken! I’m a big fan of his work too, his minis feels very Frazetta to me. I’m looking forward to the new minis arriving from the US, but it’s going to be a tight race to get here before everything shuts down! This Rubble City stuff has me pretty excited, along with all that’s going on with Chaosium and the new Runequest it’s a heady time to be a fan.
Here’s the first of a new faction, the theme is the queen of one of the smaller Esrolian cities and her retinue, guards, priestesses etc. He’s a conversion from a Forge of Ice Cyclops cultist, a really nice range. It also gives me an opportunity to paint something more sword & sorcery rather than pseudo historical.
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Great work! I've never heard of that range before, will check them out!
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He’s a conversion from a Forge of Ice Cyclops cultist, a really nice range. It also gives me an opportunity to paint something more sword & sorcery rather than pseudo historical.
The Forge of Ice range is great and the snake priestesses are such superb miniatures.
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The Forge of Ice range is great and the snake priestesses are such superb miniatures.
I have them too, and you’re right, they’re great sculpts. I’m hoping to do a centrepiece using other models in the range.
This is another cult guard. I love the look on his face, so I modelled his helm with visor partly raised. He’s got a grin like he’s up to no good!
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Very interesting topic! I know very little about Runequest, yet I admire your choice of figures and your excellent painting (your style is really shinny, if I may say so)! Not very far from Mythologic Greece.
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Very interesting topic! I know very little about Runequest, yet I admire your choice of figures and your excellent painting (your style is really shinny, if I may say so)! Not very far from Mythologic Greece.
Thanks Philotep! Runequest is our Bronze Age mashed up with magic., so yes, very close to mythological Greece.
Another guard, this time an archer. Snakes figure a lot, but (for a change) don’t signify bad guys. More in a wisdom and healing kind of vibe.
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Another great paint job! I dig these guys!
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These cult guard figures are really great. Excellent work. Those poleaxe weapons look a bit like they're from GW Lizardmen . . . are they?
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These cult guard figures are really great. Excellent work. Those poleaxe weapons look a bit like they're from GW Lizardmen . . . are they?
Well spotted! They are indeed from a lizardman kit, the old metal temple guard. The dinosaur skulls too, which was a very nerve-wracking task, cutting and filing the head skull just right to fit like a helmet. One of the melee guardsman has a fantastic face, an evil hencheman style leer, so I modelled it as a visor pushed up. I’m planning on making a priestess riding in a palanquin, using the at ease guard as bearers.
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This is the last of the guards, next up is a guard captain and friend. I’m really happy with how the guards came out. I wanted a definite S&S vibe, with the feathers, skulls and turtle shells suggesting a rich, sub tropical coastal location. I was considering using turtle shells with the archers, but in the end decided not to, as they had details on the back the spearmen lacked, and also to suggest light skirmishers.
After the captain, a few more adventurers then a queen and her advisors and priestesses. After that, a complete faction change to Lunars, so lots of red!
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And a pic of the guards altogether. I’m tempted to have the turtle shelled guards power up their armouring matrix by raising their spears and yelling “Turtle power!” ;D
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Great stuff! Love the painting and the figures - I'll have to look at the range and see if some might be suitable for the Osprey 'Jackals' rpg.
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Great stuff! Love the painting and the figures - I'll have to look at the range and see if some might be suitable for the Osprey 'Jackals' rpg.
Thanks Rick! The generic guards and the snake priestesses would fit really well I think. They’re made by the Bronze Age sculptor, and he does loads of Greek style soldiers and amazons. I have Jackals but I’ve not yet had the chance to play. It looks good, Openquest is probably my favourite flavour of d100.
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What a great topic, I’m always a sucker for Runequest posts.
I didn’t know the work of this sculptor, how well do his miniatures scale against the old citadel Runequest adventurers?
Have you decided on what rules you will use to get these figures on to the table, are they for a RPG or a skirmish wargame?
When ever I have thought about collecting and painting up some Runequest themed miniatures I get stuck on how to portray the Uz. You mentioned you had plans for them, are you prepared to let a spoiler out and say what figures you are going to use?
I should mention of course that I’ve been greatly impressed by what you’ve done here and perhaps, just perhaps, I might dig out some of my old citadel figures and have a go myself!
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where are the cats from?
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where are the cats from?
They’re part of the rather nice Dark Fable Egypt line, from Fenris in the UK/EU.
https://fenrisgames.com/shop#!/Dark-Fable-Miniatures/c/125076736
What a great topic, I’m always a sucker for Runequest posts.
I didn’t know the work of this sculptor, how well do his miniatures scale against the old citadel Runequest adventurers?
Have you decided on what rules you will use to get these figures on to the table, are they for a RPG or a skirmish wargame?
When ever I have thought about collecting and painting up some Runequest themed miniatures I get stuck on how to portray the Uz. You mentioned you had plans for them, are you prepared to let a spoiler out and say what figures you are going to use?
I should mention of course that I’ve been greatly impressed by what you’ve done here and perhaps, just perhaps, I might dig out some of my old citadel figures and have a go myself!
Thanks! I’m on a real RQ buzz at the mo. Unfortunately they’re loads bigger than the Citadel RQ miniatures, which is a shame as I love both. I am planning on using the Eiritha miniature as a dwarf/short person, just as a sprinkle of nostalgia. There are so many skirmish games about, though I’m leaning towards Five Leagues from the Borderlands and Sword Weirdos, both of which have a sweet spot of maybe 6 to 10 models a side. Though I am possibly looking at Dragon Rampant if I can reliably get each faction up to the 12 models unit size.
I’m a bit picky about Uz, as I love the proper dog snout look, and the only ones that look the part (to me) are Fenris Games fantastic trolls.
https://fenrisgames.com/shop#!/Ogres-giants-and-trolls/c/8977043
And the Mistress Race troll from Rapier miniatures, which scales perfectly with Fenris and is a great call back to Citadel RQ.
https://rapierminiatures.com/product/mistress-race-troll/
See @chunkyduff.bsky.social intimidatingly good paint jobs below!
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After this they’re a small break in the earth cult to paint up an adventurer or 2. The model I have picked out for the queen won’t be here for maybe a month or two, so after the adventurers are done, I’ll do her priestesses instead, both bloodthirsty defenders of the earth, with axes and big smashy hammer (Babeester Gor and Maran Gor in Runequest lore)
This one is captain of the queens guard and leader to the guards already painted. A fancier hat with horns and ridiculously large plume mark him out as leader (and maybe a little insecure!) The original model is totally NOT Thulsa Doom, from the Dark Fable Temple of Set range, and carried by Dragon Bait in the US and Fenris Games in the UK/EU. The armoured crocodile is from Forge of Ice in the US, and again Fenris Games in the UK/US, who also make all the bases I’ve used, Ian’s Rubble City line.
Edit. I’d also did a chew toy and psychedelic snake for the base but it was a little too crowded!
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outstanding
where are you sourcing these skull masks and turtle shells from?
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outstanding
where are you sourcing these skull masks and turtle shells from?
Thanks, I’m glad you like them :)
The skulls are from the temple guard carrying the oldie worldie Slaan, and the shells are by Forge of Ice in the US, Fenris in the UK/EU. That reminds me, I need to trawl e-bay for some more bearers for the priestess palanquin I’m planning!
Originally, I planned to keep the bony frill on the skulls, but it looked unbalanced. The feather plumes are even bigger by volume, but the eye sees feathers and it looks right.
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I’m almost caught up to real time! This latest one is the first of two adventurers, the other is a Conan knock-off (also with gladiator helm!) I’m really enjoying these small breaks in between faction stuff. It adds a nice bit of variety, and I don’t plan what to paint in these little breaks, until the moment comes, and then decide purely on whatever takes my fancy! It seems to be working so far.
Onto the mini. She’s another Bronze Age miniature, from their Northmen (and women!) range, again also available from Fenris. I wanted a fantasy/Glorantha vibe so went with one of the new bits from Bronze Age minis conversion kit, a gladiator helm. I also swapped out the axe head for a more Bronze Age vibe double headed axe. I still felt it needed ‘fantasy’ing’ up a bit more, so added the horns, which I think turned out perfect.
Edit. oh, and of course I added the pack and rope! Can’t be a proper adventurer without the right gubbinz.
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Nice work.
Good to see Runequest getting some attention.
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Nice work.
Good to see Runequest getting some attention.
Thanks! In the world of fantasy gaming, Runequest has always stood out (to me) because of its Bronze Age roots, and it’s what makes the miniatures side of the hobby not quite unique, but certainly not your typical fantasy world! I love coming up with conversions and mentally building the story of who and what I’m trying to build in tiny metal toys, and doing that with cool stuff like gladiator helms and armoured crocodiles!
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Another adventurer, a conversion with a Bronze Age miniatures barbarian with a gladiator helm with rhino horn added and a few pouches and other adventurer bits n bobs. He and the previous mini, are followers of Storm Bull, great fighters against chaos, and the crowd to get to the bar at last orders.
So far that makes 6 adventurer types, all fit in between painting factions. Group shot below of all so far, including Tom the baboon trickster.
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These are lovely! I tried getting into Runequest background just so I'd paint some models - I went with 1/72 because I'm cheap!
Are you on Facebook? There's a Glorantha wargaming with miniatures group, they'd eat this up
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These are lovely! I tried getting into Runequest background just so I'd paint some models - I went with 1/72 because I'm cheap!
Are you on Facebook? There's a Glorantha wargaming with miniatures group, they'd eat this up
Thanks Dubbya! I joined the Glorantha group only a few weeks ago, after I found some of my stuff already being posted, which was nice! They seem like a good bunch.
I’m just about to start my next mini. He’s Ironhoof, Lord of Beasts and first King of Dragon Pass. It’s a converted Bronze Age miniature (Fenris in the UK) with a head from the new bits pack and the sword arm from a Bronze Age adventurer. I love mixing up historical armour and weapons!
Edit. I need to bulk up the sword arm shoulder a little and add a bow case.
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While I wait for the bits for the earth cult to arrive I’ve cracked in with the adventurers. Meet Little Mo, battlefield reclamation specialist and wandering tradesperson. She’s a conversion of one of the Bronze Age miniatures Star Imps, with the lightsabre and sci-fi staff bits cut off, and given a bunch of bags and a parasol, for some reason. There’s going to be some generic fantasy creeping in as I build up to another project, which is Warhammer Quest using Citadel miniatures official AD&D range, or something from the same era if there are gaps in the range. I hope to alternate between the 2 projects. I’ll see how it goes.
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I'm just discovering your topic, that's very cool to have this ancient vibe, we do not see it so often !
Great paintjob by the way.
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That’s a great conversion, I wouldn’t have realized it isn’t how the figure was originally designed! Cool colour palette, too.
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Great conversion. Made me go down a rabbit hole looking for the model. Then I realized ... yeah, I'm not going to do that much converting to get a similar look. So good job, you!
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I'm just discovering your topic, that's very cool to have this ancient vibe, we do not see it so often !
Great paintjob by the way.
Thanks for the kind words! You’re right, it’d such a classic look, it’s a shame we don’t see it more often, though am I imagining an uptick in interest? Maybe.
That’s a great conversion, I wouldn’t have realized it isn’t how the figure was originally designed! Cool colour palette, too.
I’m on a David Soderquist binge and my mission is to cram every model by him into a fantasy setting! Slight exaggeration maybe, but only slight :D All of the lightsabre wielding imps should be pretty easy. Got a beefy melee one up next.
Great conversion. Made me go down a rabbit hole looking for the model. Then I realized ... yeah, I'm not going to do that much converting to get a similar look. So good job, you!
Originally I was only planning the parasol and single belt pouch then I added another and it kind of snowballed into one of those hireling NPCs miniatures loaded down with junk! The next one is a weapon swap and a pouch so should be quick, famous last words….
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I realised I didn’t include pics of all the junk Little Mo was carrying, including 3 packs, a bedroll, drinking horn and gladiator helm with arrow sticking out of an eyehole!
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Another trollkin adventurer, this time a follower of the troll god of fire and death. She’s another converted Star Imp from Bronze Age minis. I had fun with the undead rising up from the earth and all the little scrolls, pouches and skull. It’s back to the snakes and the earth cult for the next miniature. An axe wielding temple guard.
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Some more finished, the first one is an earth cult temple guardian, a very angry woman with a liking for axes. She part of a fascinating range by Paymaster Games, they have Aztec, Mayan, pacific island nations and loads of others. I’m working out how to shove all of them into the project!
Also a guard goose, like a watchdog but like 1000% scarier. She’s a follower of a minor goddess called Goose Girl. She watches over military camps and sounds the alarm if needed. The goose is by Northumbrian Tinsoldier.
Lastly a repurposed Grey Alien from Dragon Bait miniatures. He’s a type of mushroom elf, a quiet, friendly bunch who will often help hide adventurers and other elves from their troll neighbours.
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I bought some of the Paymaster Games Pacific NW and Kiribati figures on their kickstarter (only one I've ever backed). Overall, I wasn't that pleased with them. I will probably sell the Kiribati figs some day, but keep the NW ones in case I ever get around to gaming that period.
Your Maya lady looks great -- as do all of the other figs you've posted!
Mike Demana
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I bought some of the Paymaster Games Pacific NW and Kiribati figures on their kickstarter (only one I've ever backed). Overall, I wasn't that pleased with them. I will probably sell the Kiribati figs some day, but keep the NW ones in case I ever get around to gaming that period.
Your Maya lady looks great -- as do all of the other figs you've posted!
Mike Demana
Thanks for the kind words Mike! I’m trying to include only Paymaster sculpts by David Soderquist, so all of them are the best in the various Paymaster ranges. I am tempted by a few of their monsters. The part orca/wolf cross is especially barmy and I’m sure I’ll pick it up at some point along with the flying heads!
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Let me know if you're interested in my Kiribati and I can send you some photos. Still in the packages... :D
Mike Demana
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One more done! A Trollkin sharpshooter. She can shave the whiskers off a gnat at 100ft which isn’t that impressive as the gnats of Shadows Dance are the size of a small car. Still, she’s ok. Mini is a Star Imp *cough Yoda* from Fenris in the UK/EU and Bronze Age/Dragon Bait in the US.
That’s 3 of the little trollkin almost enough for a gang. I’m building a bunch based on the misfits who don’t it in anywhere else. Adorable, yes. Dangerous? Ehh *wavy hand gesture* Now back to the earth cult with only 3 miniatures left I nee to plan what’s next.
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Wonderful paintjob!
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I love these little guys and gals! You definitely should do a gang with them for whatever rules set you're playing.
Mike Demana
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I love these little guys and gals! You definitely should do a gang with them for whatever rules set you're playing.
Mike Demana
Thanks Mike! I’d love to play these in a Mordheim type of game. A dozen or so of them, all as dangerous as the Andrex puppy! More likely, they’ll be ‘low roll on the enemy table’ opponents for 7 Leagues.
Wonderful paintjob!
Thanks I’m glad you like them. I’m having a blast painting them:)
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They come together very nicely indeed. The paint jobs are truly amazing. Great work.
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Really nice stuff.
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One more done! A Trollkin sharpshooter. She can shave the whiskers off a gnat at 100ft which isn’t that impressive as the gnats of Shadows Dance are the size of a small car.
I dunno man, hitting anything using a sling is impressive in my book, never mind dual wielding them...
I really love all the stuff in this thread. There is not nearly enough bronze-age style fantasy around. Excellent work, and I am really looking forward to more.
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Thanks everyone!
I dunno man, hitting anything using a sling is impressive in my book, never mind dual wielding them...
I really love all the stuff in this thread. There is not nearly enough bronze-age style fantasy around. Excellent work, and I am really looking forward to more.
Thanks! You’re right about the Bronze Age thing. Maybe thats where we’d be now if RQ became to juggernaut rather than D&D? There certainly are more coming! I’m halfway through a trollkin drummer and priestess of earthquakes, dinosaurs and dancing! I’m hoping the first will be done in a few days.
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First mini of March, he took longer than I'd hoped. Still, I'm very pleased with it. Ironhoof, Lord of Beasts, first King of Dragon Pass from the Runequest/Glorantha setting. His helm, sword arm, flaming great sword, shield and bow case are all from other minis.
I might paint some more famous faces from the Hero Wars like Argrath, Jar-eel and Cragspider. Also some less-than-famous faces from the Griselda stories. But right now? A couple of smaller minis, a duck or another trollkin. Snake Sister possibly towards the end of March.
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Also a small landmark. I started this Bronze Age fantasy project last March, so a year gone and more minis painted than the previous 10 years! I’m still enthusiastic and planning some more hoplite types and some chaos beasties. This is all of them, from March to March.
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That’s an impressive body of work! I’m not really familiar with the Runequest setting but you have a very cool selection of figures and your painting and conversions are excellent. I always enjoy seeing new additions to this thread.
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That’s an impressive body of work! I’m not really familiar with the Runequest setting but you have a very cool selection of figures and your painting and conversions are excellent. I always enjoy seeing new additions to this thread.
Thanks, I’m glad you like it :)
Runequest is a mishmash of Bronze Age arms and armour styles from around the Mediterranean and the Near East, with a sprinkle of fantasy and non human peoples. They work great with any mythic Greece game, the centaur would fit right in. It’s a very versatile setting! Next up is something that I don’t think any myths have been told, an anthropomorphic duck. They’re basically Donald Duck with all the attitude. Some people love them, some hate them. I’m in the love club :D
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Been busy with some stuff but always time for some fantasy! A cow headed beast-man or Minotaur, a duck archer with floppy hat and pipe, and a snake tailed temple guardian pointing at some poor trespasser. Also some harpies! I’m in a very Greek mythic mood.
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I have enough now for a beastman skirmish gang, and I’m hoping to paint some more centaurs and duck, and some more Fenris broo. I definitely have enough painted stuff to now start gaming so I’m getting all my scenery sorted and hope to fill a whole tabletop worth of terrain. Here are all my beasties together. I’m really pleased with them.
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These are amazing!
Quite apart from the stunning painting, there's a real Gringle's Pawnshop vibe about that gang!
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That's a great collection of miniatures, beautifully painted. I am really looking forward to seeing you gaming with them. I think we are in for a treat.
Where did you get the harpies and gorgon from?
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Some nice models here, I really like the scales on the snake girl, and those harpies are pretty creepy :)
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Wonderful thread. Beautiful painting and modelling, thanks.
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I completely agree with the previous posts, those figures are spectacular! Excellent painting and presentation.
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These are amazing!
Quite apart from the stunning painting, there's a real Gringle's Pawnshop vibe about that gang!
The dirty dozen (or so..) of the Hero Wars!
That's a great collection of miniatures, beautifully painted. I am really looking forward to seeing you gaming with them. I think we are in for a treat.
Where did you get the harpies and gorgon from?
The harpies are by Bronze Age miniatures, as is the top half of the gorgon, a Bronze Age barbarian (bottom bit is from a Reaper snake demon) also available from Fenris Games in the UK/EU. Some nice models here, I really like the scales on the snake girl, and those harpies are pretty creepy :)
It’s surprisingly hard to find truly monstrous female monsters and these fit the bill nicely, rather than being pin ups!
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Finished another retiarius, or river guide/bandit in Runequest. Do I really need 3 net and trident gladiators? Yes. Yes I do. Also some more choppy types, a Storm Bull and Babeester Gor axe maniac.
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It’s surprisingly hard to find truly monstrous female monsters and these fit the bill nicely, rather than being pin ups!
Yes, in most cases you can choose between properly sculpted and badly sculpted pinups, ocasionally some clearly fetish stuff :)
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Those Harpies are extremely disturbing!
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Love the duck where is he from?
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Those Harpies are extremely disturbing!
Yep! Creepy…That’s why I love them.
Love the duck where is he from?
They’re both from Fenris Games. One has a helm added from a Bronze Age miniatures accessory pack, also Fenris, and the archer has a hat added from an old Perry ECW musketeer.
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I’ve finally finished a model I’ve been slowly working on for a couple of months though only started seriously painting maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. I broke it up with a couple of other minis so I didn’t burn out. It’s the biggest thing I’ve done since probably a Warhammer Empire general on a Pegasus maybe 25 years ago. The wings are stolen from the same model! It’s a conversion with roughly 12 bits from a variety on minis. I wanted to keep the colour scheme simple as there’s so much going on I didn’t want to overwhelm it too much.
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Wow - that's astonishingly good!
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That is amazing!
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fantastic conversion work and painting. What a great collection. :-*
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Guessing at what it is: a Storm Bull rune lord and mount?
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The whole project is just stunning mate, love it!
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Thanks guys, I’m really pleased with them :)
Guessing at what it is: a Storm Bull rune lord and mount?
Spot on! Though it may, or may not, be Argrath on the white bull.. They’re all for my Runequest (aka Glorantha) project. I’m planning a few more personalities of the Herowars. Someone on a chariot as the next big piece.
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I’ve started on my next big centrepiece model, a chariot. Spear lady ordering she be driven closer so she can hit stuff with her spear. If I can find the right model, I’ll have a chariot runner alongside. The chariot is based on a famous Etruscan chariot, the model by Gorgon studio who I think have packed up shop which is a shame :(
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the model by Gorgon studio who I think have packed up shop which is a shame :(
Have they? Drat.
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just looked right through the thread once more - again, what fantastic figures / conversions and painting. o_o
gosh RQ1st edition - such a strong formative memory. From the UK side, Oliver Dickinson's Griselda stories made such an impression, doing his Runyon-esque thing with the setting ... wonder if they'd still seem so good now ...
*inspired putting that ECW hat on the duck-eteer
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Thanks for the kind words. Griselda is a big part of why Runequest (the world and game) have stayed with me all these years. Right from the first short story with Russ Nicholson art to ‘The Lady of Alone’ which Oliver Dickinson wrote just a few years back.
Here’s another one, a follower of the god of killing stuff and making sure it stays killed! I do love a good mix of historical and fantasy :)
Edit. She’s a new release from Bronze Age miniatures, start of a lovely grey elf range.
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Very lovely! Where is that model from?
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Very lovely! Where is that model from?
She’s the start of a new range of grey elves from Bronze Age miniatures in the US. You can pick them up from Fenris Games in the UK/EU. Their broody, demon sword carrying leader seems slightly familiar…..
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One more for the fantasy pile. She’s covered in feathers and phoenix heraldy, but I wanted something different from the usual red/orange/yellow. A paladin maybe, or perhaps an anti-paladin with those almost funereal colours. It’s fun picking up whatever takes my fancy whether it’s part of a project or not. The chariot is trundling along in the background in between little ones like this.
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That looks great! Nice work!
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Good looking figure. The purple on her looks great.
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Fantastic work on that elf!
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Thanks guys. Really pleased with how she came out.
Halfway through greenstuffing and painting a wolf pelt standard my brain decided it didn’t work for the model I made it for. Thanks brain!
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that's good though...
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Agreed. A great looking standard.
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Another well travelled grey elf mercenary in a wolf cloak and leaning on a large shield. I wanted something that looked like heavy infantry but not the usual hoplite shield. All members of the unit will have a different shield from another era or place, so the next one is getting an Egyptian shield with fantasy bling.
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Wonderful job! Really nice. Thanks for posting.
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Wonderful!
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Dang, that looks great! Like I need more miniatures, but this is inspiring... Do I need these miniatures? Do my kids really need swim lessons? Decisions... Excellent work, thanks for posting!
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Stunningly good! :-*
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Well done
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Thanks everyone :)
Finished another grey elf mercenary but the arrows for my funky bullet time pose haven’t arrived yet! The horror. The chariot is slowly puttering along a bit at a time. Eventually it’ll reach critical mass and I’ll focus on its properly and get it done but for now it’s something to do in between paint drying etc.
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I could only scavenge one arrow so stuck it through her shield. I messed up the alignment slightly so the arrow nicks her shield hand so did a dot of blood. Also rearranged the pose from back foot dodge to leaping forward. Another 4 elven mercenaries to go so hopefully they’ll all be done early August.
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Really great stuff! I especially like how you're painting style creates a high level of contrast between the bright colors and the dark shadows in the recesses. It looks really clean but also adds a feeling of "realism" (that's probably not the best word for it, but oh well). Nice work!
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Glad you like them! It’s funny, I think a lot of painters, me included, can’t ‘see’ their own style, like not recognising an accent because you and everyone around you speaks it daily. If that makes sense. Anyhow, thanks :)
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more lovely figures and painting.
can't seem to find a 'grey elf / elves' listing on the Fenris site, within the Bronze Age miniatures section ...
Interesting to hear Dickinson has continued penning the odd tale ... didn't know that, and will look into it.
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Fenris Ian has been pretty snowed under the last 2 weeks. It shouldn’t be too long hopefully. There’s a Bronze Age order every few weeks, and I’m sure he’d want the grey elves up on the store by then.
And thank you!
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Another grey elf with wolf cloak and all black arms and armour. There's only another 3 to go then I'll decide whether to paint the remaining non wolfy elves in a similar scheme or something more traditionally elven. The next is the first guy, who I'm deciding wether might make a good banner bearer.
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more lovely figures and painting.
can't seem to find a 'grey elf / elves' listing on the Fenris site, within the Bronze Age miniatures section ...
Interesting to hear Dickinson has continued penning the odd tale ... didn't know that, and will look into it.
The grey elves should be up on the Fenris site now :)
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more lovely figures and painting.
can't seem to find a 'grey elf / elves' listing on the Fenris site, within the Bronze Age miniatures section ...
Interesting to hear Dickinson has continued penning the odd tale ... didn't know that, and will look into it.
By 'Dickinson' are you, perhaps, referring to that distiguished academic and Greek bronze age expert, Dr Oliver TPK Dickinson, now retired reader emeritus of the department of classics and ancient history, university of Durham? He did, indeed, continue to pen the odd tale, among his many academic papers and books on the Aegean Bronze Age! lol
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er, yes - that's right?
I was aware of his main gig in Academe from back in the day.
In the context of the thread, thought using his surname only (after being fully named in an earlier post) wouldn't be causing too much outrage / indignation ;)
I wasn't trying to confuse anyone into thinking I meant David Dickinson for example.
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er, yes - that's right?
I was aware of his main gig in Academe from back in the day.
In the context of the thread, thought using his surname only (after being fully named in an earlier post) wouldn't be causing too much outrage / indignation ;)
I wasn't trying to confuse anyone into thinking I meant David Dickinson for example.
I have to admit, I had no idea until a few years ago when I stumbled across the connection! It was just too good an opportunity to miss though - those were the days when White Dwarf had a much better class of writer entirely! lol
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I love the white on that pelt. Consider that colour combination stolen ;)
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Another great paint job! This thread is pushing me closer and closer to buying more miniatures...
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I love the white on that pelt. Consider that colour combination stolen ;)
It’s pretty simple! The only colours used are a pale grey, white and a pale blue wash. I’m making a conscious effort to reduce colours and techniques needed. Skin uses a similar method.
Another great paint job! This thread is pushing me closer and closer to buying more miniatures...
You know you want to ;)
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I’m always on the lookout for funky shield designs, especially when you can purchase them individually rather than with the miniature. These are from Crocodile Games Aegyptus and Olympius range. I love the rectangular tower shields and will be using them on as many miniatures as I can! The current grey elves will each have an ornate shield of various styles to give them a well travelled, wealthy look. The Golden Fleece will make an awesome objective.
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Those are cool shields, nice find. And the fleece is a very nice objective! Can't wait to see them painted :)
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Another member of the White Wolf mercenary company. He’ll be the last for a few weeks as I wait for the final 2 to arrive, Elric and an archer. I’ve also got an actual wolf mid way through, a Tom Meier Dark Sword mini, as a company mascot. Also by Bronze Age, there are a whole bunch of non elves wearing wolf cloaks or hoods, so I might extend the theme to add a few local auxiliary scout types.
If the elves still haven’t arrived by the time I finish the wolf, I have a gladiator with a pet hyaenadon to keep me busy till then.
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A good looking band with a unique look.
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Really cool warband!
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Nice work! Are they for a particular game or just to paint some cool miniatures?
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Thanks for the kind words everyone!
Nice work! Are they for a particular game or just to paint some cool miniatures?
They’re mostly just rule of cool but with a loose idea that I paint maybe 5 to 10 of a particular type or faction just in case I find a skirmish game to play. Right now, that means Five Leagues from the Borderlands and Middle Earth Battle Companies.
Edit. And Dragon Rampage which has a sweet spot of 6 or 12, which seems doable.
After painting all those white wolf cloaks I felt like showing where those cloaks come from, so here’s a concerned parent and pups. I wanted a supernatural feel, like a chilly hell-hound. I’m planning another 5, all Tom Meier sculpts for Dark Sword Game of Thrones dire wolves. The cute little pups are from Fenris Games.
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Aww, what an adorable puppy playing with a human skull! Great job!
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Those puppy minis are lovely, and the painting is gorgeous!
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Great looking little wolf family!
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Thanks everyone. I do love those pups. I’ve nabbed the rest of the Tom Meier Dark Sword dire wolves and they are sooo good. The man’s a sculpting god! I’ve also got a few coming from Ral Partha, giant wolves also by Tom so hopefully they’ll gel as a pack. Dark Sword ones below. I’m planning to do little bits and pieces here and there in between other minis or when paints drying, etc. 9 all together which feels like a nice number for a pack.
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Finished another! Took me 10 days but there’s two of them and it was a conversion job, head and sword arm swap. He was originally going to be a charioteer but he crowded out the passenger, so career change time. In vaguely historical settings he’ll be a guardian of the royal tombs, in fantasy a hard drinking berserker type with a love for horns, wether for hats or drinking. He has two friends already painted, so slowly growing into their own little faction or gang.
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This looks grand! That fur patterning is just gorgeous :-*
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This looks grand! That fur patterning is just gorgeous :-*
Thank you! I’ve had a complete turnabout over the last couple of years, from hating painting fur and feathers to something I actually quite enjoy now. So far on this project I’ve done a lion (griffin bits), a couple of lynx like cats, a couple of magpie themed harpies and a magpie winged gnome. Not quite an arks worth.
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Great pose on both of the figures
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Excellent work! Love the dynamism, color scheme, and combination of historical and fantasy armor and gear!
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My first mini of August! I should have had this thing done a few days go, but only got the varnish on yesterday. The varnish is always the chefs kiss moment in a figure paint. I love it. She’s the first of another occasional gang or faction, bunch of amazons led by a hero on a unicorn. I’m going to finish the final 2 elf mercenaries and then onto another of these amazons. 6 to 10 always feels to me like a solid number to feel like a cohesive and good looking bunch of minis.
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Really nice work!
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Well done.
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Just fantastic. The face is really well done :-*
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:-* Love the hyena - you can really see him tugging at the leash and pulling his handler forward.
The female hoplite is stunning too!
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Thank you guys!
:-* Love the hyena - you can really see him tugging at the leash and pulling his handler forward.
The female hoplite is stunning too!
I love painting odd little scenes models like this. A little story in a couple of minis. More grey amazons soon, there’s enough for a whole phalanx! Only one more elf mercenary to go now I’ve finished this archer. Not having to paint a shield shaves sooo much time, 5 days instead of 7 in this case. I’ll do a group shot when the leader, totally not Elric, is done.
Edit. Added group shot.
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Fabulous looking warband.
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Really nice work! Looking forward to seeing not-Elric!
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Fantastic work :-*
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Terrific. They look great
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Gorgeous as always! I’m loving blue shading on the fur, adds a real pop to the colour.
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Thanks everyone :) Been a bit slow this month, as I’ve been playing Cyberpunk 2077 and my paint time plummeted! All done now, so I’ve finally finished the last elven mercenary. I might add one or two at a later date, as I have a few more Bronze Age games that elves that might fit though none have the Wolf pelt cloak. After this, another Amazon hoplite, who’s almost finished. I’m gathering the bits together for some Greek undead soon, some conversion work though mostly head swaps so shouldn’t take too long.
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They look great. Very barbaric
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More excellent work! Looking forward to seeing those undead.
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This stuff is great, lovely pjs on fantastic minis, I'm looking forward to your next update.
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Another Amazon hoplite, this time with a freehand star rather than the other with an embossed shield. I added a javelin case hanging from her sword strap to give her a skirmish feel to go with the lack of armour. I’m hoping to do another 3 or 4 after this, with a leader on a unicorn which should be a fun conversion.
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Great work. Love the shield
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Great work. Love the shield
Indeed, excellent freehand.
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Another great paint job, and I agree that the shield is excellent! Are javelins/throwing spears assembled from two halves out of the quiver or are those a different kind of shorter weapon?
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Another fabulous addition to the growing collection. Great work.
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I can only echo the other comments, superb paintwork and such characterful minis! :-*
Are javelins/throwing spears assembled from two halves out of the quiver or are those a different kind of shorter weapon?
It looks like they are the ones from the Satyr plastic kit that was produced by RDG Games and distributed through Wargames Atlantic - I think they are getting reissued (slowly) but are available on eBay. The quiver of javelins is a single add-on piece.
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It looks like they are the ones from the Satyr plastic kit that was produced by RDG Games and distributed through Wargames Atlantic - I think they are getting reissued (slowly) but are available on eBay. The quiver of javelins is a single add-on piece.
Ah- gotcha, thanks! It's a cool piece of equipment. I seem to recall seeing a good number of javelin-armed models equipped with only one (which is perfectly fine, as there are lots of times where we "just say they've got more X"), but it's always cool to see a model armed with an appropriate amount of weaponry!
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They’re from Crocodile Games, who do a whole bunch of awesome shields and equipment singly. I snapped them up a few months ago. All of the grey elf shields are by them :)
https://www.crocodilegames.com/store/itemList.cfm?catID=32&sort=prodID
They don’t sell all the Olympus shields singly as yet, just a few of them. Mostly the tower shields. If they ever do sell the round hoplite shields singly it’s another massive order from me!
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It’s been a slow month so far, so I’ve only just finished my latest. She’s another Amazon hoplite painted in the same colours as the others. I’m planning on 6 in total and then a few odd bits and pieces, such as a priestess, messenger and what have you. I’m pushing myself to be a bit bolder with my freehand and hoplite shields are perfect for that!
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The latest shield is freehand? Wow! just Wow! :-*
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The latest shield is freehand? Wow! just Wow! :-*
Agreed. The whole paint job is great, but those shields are outstanding! Nice job!
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Truly incredible freehand work! Wow!! :o :-*
Mike Demana
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Thanks guys :)
It was digging up old banner and shield designs I did way back in the 90’s. Back then I wasn’t afraid to aim high even if the results weren’t perfect. I’m trying to get that vibe again, though I don’t think I’ll be doing Man o War sails. Hmm, now I think about it, still got some ships knocking about…. Oi, no!
As to the now, I’ve put the standard bearer on pause for a little bit. I’m not sure the pose and helm are quite right so I’ll muse on it while I work on a unicorn rider, who’ll be the boss of this little lot. I’m using a big, chunky Celtos horse with a rhino horn rather than a Narwhal. I want brute strength rather than twee and ethereal.
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Here we go, finally ready for paint. It took me a little while to find the parts I was 100% happy with. The rider is an Amazon from Bronze Age. I’ve had those Celtos horses for years now, for unicorns, war horses and warzebras. The bow case is from a Citadel high elf. Not sure about the javelin case. There’s also a loose helmet to rest on her bum bag. The rider is the perfect pose for a bareback rider in heavy gear shifting her weight on a charge or swerve. I’ve reposed the spear arm to give a more upright grip and she’ll have a long cavalry lance.
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Looking forward to seeing how it works out- that horse is huge! Cool to take a unicorn in a different direction than the usual "elegant prancing" style.
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Looking forward to seeing how it works out- that horse is huge! Cool to take a unicorn in a different direction than the usual "elegant prancing" style.
I wanted a brutal “I’m gonna mess you up!” vibe and chunky + rhino horn seemed just right. I’m about halfway through on horse and rider, so probably a few more days. I’ve also prepped a classic GW mini, the Nick Bibby toad dragon. I’ve got a few of his and hopefully crack on with another whenever this one’s finished, either the Great Spined or Dragon Masters.
Also also,I’ve knocked together a conversion for the priestess for this little lot of amazons. Lots of star symbols. She’ll be right after the unicorn, with the dragon painted more slowly in between my usual 28mm stuff.
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Cool!
Don't think I've seen the Toad Dragon outside a catalog picture- looking forward to it! There was a while (maybe as late as the mid-late 2000's or early 2010's?) that the old Dragon Masters Dragon (and some other classic minis) were still available in a little side section of of the GW website. There were Mordheim guys, classic BloodBowl guys, the original space marine armor variants, and some dragons all decently priced (for GW). Really wish I'd picked up a few of those!
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The only dragon model I really wanted but couldn't afford was the Heresy dragon by Andy Foster - saw it on display and simply couldn't believe the size and detail of it. Amazing model - all other dragon minis are just pale imitations after you've seen that one! :o
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The thing I like about the Nick Bibby dragons is how unusual they are. All of them are a very different take on what a dragon could be, and I love them!
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Not an update so much as a milestone. It’s a year and a half since I started this fantasy Bronze Age project in March 2024. I’m really pleased I’m still focused and enthusiastic so hopefully more milestones to come! I’ve normally been really bad as sticking with a single project but this time it seems to be sticking. Not sure what I’m doing differently, but whatever it is, it’s working. My favourite is the little duck dude in the final photo. Love the hat and pipe I added.
I’ve still got a bunch coming. October should see me finish a unicorn rider and another Amazon and priestess. I’m also aiming to get a few more cavalry done, a couple of zebra riders, and a sable antelope and rhino rider.
Edit. And of course the Bibby swamp dragon. How could I forget!
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Don't forget to have a look at the 28mm Duck adventurers (ex-Mongoose) at Rebel minis, they really are nice figures.
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Don't forget to have a look at the 28mm Duck adventurers (ex-Mongoose) at Rebel minis, they really are nice figures.
Thanks Rick, I’ll take a look. Can never have too many ducks.