Round 3 - Broken Buddhas vs. Casualty of War

[Dr Mathias]

The miniatures are indeed Kingsford. They're my favorite samurai figures with one or two individual exceptions from Clan War.

The heads are cast in plaster from a resin sculpture I picked up in NYC last summer. It has a face with a different emotion on each side, honestly I'm not sure what the iconography means. After casting a few up and filing off three of the faces on each, I had the plaster heads sandblasted so they would have an eroded texture. I wanted the one the monk is standing on to have a 'presence', like he was looking up at him so I'm happy to have pulled that off

I almost didn't have them done in time for the entry deadline- I had a hard time finding someone to do it. I took them to one auto place, and the guy wouldn't do it 'because they look like they have something to do with false worship'.

Me, being me, said 'Well, they are Buddha heads... I wouldn't exactly call it false worship though, after all I'm sandblasting them... its probably more accurate to say it's disrespecting them.'

He stated that his conscience wouldn't let him do it for me, but he would rent the of the use of the sandblaster so that I could do it myself. How about that? Am I wrong to find it odd that his conscience would allow rental? Bizarre.

Anyway, thanks for the comments! 

[jimweaver]

That is a bizarre story!  Possibly the weirdest miniature story I've ever heard, and this includes my own feat of almost putting my eye out snipping an arrow head off of a plastic arrow for a conversion.

[Hawkeye]

That is a weird story, Dr Mathias, but after living in Kansas for the last five years, I've run into similar weirdness at times. Which is not to say that Ireland (where I'm from) didn't have its own share of weird. Where are you based? I'm in Winfield, about an hour south of Wichita (which is where I go to game).
I'm happy that he rented the sandblaster to you, though, because those heads look fantastic!

[valleyboy]

What a story!
Superbly done

[Blackwolf]

Both great entries Love your clean painting Doc,smashing!!!

[Drachenklinge]

Me, being me, said 'Well, they are Buddha heads... I wouldn't exactly call it false worship though, after all I'm sandblasting them... its probably more accurate to say it's disrespecting them.'

With that outcome of votes I am not so sure if ancient Buddha like to see this as "re-satisfied" after beeing sand-blasted ...  then again, so maybe it is "false worship", now, too ^^

tricky situation!

best wishes 
Drachenklinge

[gnomehome]

I'd guess roughly 2hrs per figure including basing, the figure in the purple O-Yoroi taking longer.

That makes this entry even more impressive - I always assumed that this level of painting takes far longer. Great photography as well and beautiful scenery.

Excellent entry, and I truely deserve to get my #$$ kicked in the voting this round.

[Mahwell skel]

Great entries and I love casualty scene especially the guy sharpening his tool of the trade. What a story for the Buddhas!

[Dr Mathias]

Hawkeye-
I live in the Northeast tip, a little town named Hiawatha, about three hours from Wichita. And you're right, its not all that odd a story for Kansas, I've met some real characters here. Wichita is where I went to grad school and get there every so often. I'm not sure the game stores I frequented are even there any more.

Gnomehome-
I was wondering about your entry, I don't do any games with element style basing and I was wondering if you're using it as an objective for a particular game, or if it is a stand alone vignette. It's not my period either so it is pretty interesting and mysterious, at least to me. Where are the figures from?

[gnomehome]

Gnomehome-
I was wondering about your entry, I don't do any games with element style basing and I was wondering if you're using it as an objective for a particular game, or if it is a stand alone vignette. It's not my period either so it is pretty interesting and mysterious, at least to me. Where are the figures from?

It's just some 'battlefield decoration' actually, there is no real 'in game' use. It could do service as an objective marker or location marker now that you mention it.

The figures are from Redoubt : http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/shop/?page=shop/index

[Hawkeye]

It's true, Dr Mathias, games stores seem to come and go in Wichita - it's happened to two, at least, since I've moved here. Well, if ever you're in the Wichita area, shoot me a PM if you'd like to meet for a game. The store in Wichita (a new one, just a year old) where I go is called Hero Complex, on 21st just off Rock Road. I've just got a group of them hooked on Legends of the Old West, which we're having fun with.
Thanks for the info on the stone heads - a lot of work, but they look fantastic!

[Laughing Ferret]

Stunning Samurai.