Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (update: undead & spooky stuff)

[ZeroTwentythree]

OK, I really wanted to order the dragon & ogres, so every bit of encouragement pushed me over the edge. They're ordered. 

Speaking of Tom Meier and his dragons, I've been looking for an excuse (as if I should need one) to repaint one of the others -- a favorite of mine, and another one to fit with the scale of the current project.





This may be a bit overly academic and/or odd, but I've been mentally picturing myself in scale with the figures scale lately. Or, more accurately, imagining them in scale with the real world. Contemporary figures have just been exploding. "Scale creep" to the extreme. It really hit me when I painted up that Reaper giant a few months ago. I was thinking it was a bit on the small side compared to many other recent giants. And that is correct. But in proportion to the regular human figures, she would still be terrifying. Maybe more so, because it's more... I don't know... relatable? personal? I think that a giant the size of a skyscraper becomes more like a force of nature, and less like another creature. A creature that's fighting you with a significant advantage. After a certain size, it's more like a building toppling, or a rockslide, or some other faceless disaster. So I like that these Meier dragons, for example, are more like the size of a school bus rather than the size of a large school. Not sure if this is making any sense or if I've lost everyone at this point. 

I do think there's still a place in my concept/setting for the impersonal force of nature type creatures. But I'm not in a hurry to get there yet, and I'd like to keep that more rare. Maybe better for sieges and similar scenarios?

[Vermis]

Not sure if this is making any sense or if I've lost everyone at this point.  

Heh! I getcha. I'm fond of collecting a few vintage dragons myself, and occasionally I think modern dragon collecting would be a bit easier if so many didn't try to go big-bigger-biggest-evar - with proportional price tags - and stuck to the old croc/elephant/dinosaur/schoolbus sizes.

I also think that the sheer size is sometimes a ploy to awe people away from the hiccups in sculpting and design, but that's a tinfoil-hat story for another time.

[beefcake]

Fully understand, a larger giant would think of us something like ants and only need to squish us if it felt so inclined whereas  a smaller one could see us as a threat so squish us before we get it. Do you still want the scald pics? Kind of redundant now I guess.
 You won't be disappointed, unless we've built your hopes up too much, in which case you may then be disappointed

[white knight]

All three look so well sculpted. I've got a couple of the other Meier dragons, and really like them.

I don't suppose you have any photos of the ogres with something giving a hint as to their size? Such as bases of a particular size, next to other figures, or anything else that would give an indication of scale. (Edit: or even if you could tell me the height in mm, I would be so grateful!) I have no idea how big they are, the only photos I've seen show them on their own.

If they're the ones from the DSA/Armalion range, they are about the size of 80s-90s GW ogres (before ogre kingdoms), from memory.

[Thew1]

If you don't mind me asking, what are your thoughts on the mantic undead range? Do you get a lot of options with the skeletons sprues?

[ZeroTwentythree]

Awesome, thank you. Yes, they're on their way anyway, so size is a moot I guess. I figure they look good, I'll find a use for them. Haha. If they scale with the old GW stuff that's even better, because I'm obviously using some of those, plus I have some of the Foundry great orcs, which are also similar size.

Now I just need to find (try sculpting??) two more.

If you don't mind me asking, what are your thoughts on the mantic undead range? Do you get a lot of options with the skeletons sprues?

Well, they are mostly in two pieces, upper & lower body. About half have separate heads, and about half of those have either open hands or separate arms. There's a little bit of variety, but not a lot. Some of the poses look a bit awkward, especially the revenants.

Subjectively, they're OK but not great. I think I'm OK with them in a large group, but when I look at them individually I start picking out some of the awkward details, cartoony faces, etc. Definitely a good deal for the money if you're OK with the style.  I'm OK with them for now, but to be honest, I wouldn't mind replacing them at some point in the future.

I haven't assembled or painted any of the zombies or ghouls because they don't fit into my project at the moment. But they do look pretty good. I had debated selling them off to fund further purchases of figures I have an immediate need for. But I'm tempted to hang on to them in case I decide I want a bunch of zombies for something in the future.

[Schrumpfkopf]

OK, I really wanted to order the dragon & ogres, so every bit of encouragement pushed me over the edge. They're ordered. 

Speaking of Tom Meier and his dragons, I've been looking for an excuse (as if I should need one) to repaint one of the others -- a favorite of mine, and another one to fit with the scale of the current project.

My first dragon ever :--)

[ZeroTwentythree]

I wanted to work on something different for a while, so I'm on a terrain sidequest. I got some insulation foam for some hills, but I want them to be a bit rocky. I may cut up some of the foam off-cuts for larger rubble, but for smaller stuff I went to the craft store armed with $5, and came home with $2 and this:



Dumped into some storage for a better look:




And after I took a hammer to the "deco stones":

[ZeroTwentythree]

First set...







In both of these arrangements, each is 20" wide (so that's about 8" gap in the second photo) and project 18" out. Both the long and short edges match up.

Not exactly what I had pictured in my head. Not digging those top levels. They look like OK gaming hills, but I think I'd like to do something more visually interesting. Hard to make that balance -- not to mention figuring out WTF I am doing. All previous hills I've done have been of the "stepped pleateau" style -- heavy on the gaming practicality, but not too interesting to look at.

Meh, I'll give them a chance. I've still got more foam & hills to make. I think the next one may be a pair of 1/2 hills (as opposed to 1/4 hills above) that can either go on table edges or be put together as a big free standing deal. Or maybe a big "filler" that can go between the two 1/4 hills above, so I can stretch it along one long table edge like a ridge...

[ZeroTwentythree]

OK, one more. I had some 1.5" pink foam left from an older project, so I used that for a big hill. And as I sat carving it, and even after, it gradually warped (cupped) so that the center of both hills lifts off the table a bit. Not sure how to remedy this. :dry:

I made some quickie rock pillars with some of the scraps.

[Elbows]

If you don't glue it down to some board...perhaps "mask" it with some scruff...some lichen or something when it's on the table?

[Rhoderic]

But... but... Marienburgers are lowlanders!

[Vermis]

Aha! But the moors and downs beyond Marienburg and the cursed marshes are hilly uplands, with various kinds of interesting erosion effects implied, like tors and pillars and scarps and coombes.  
Although, 023, did you mention this wasn't strictly Warhammer Marienburg?

Anyways. All the foam is looking good. Not sure I could suggest anything about the warping... sandwich it between two heavy books or boards and see if that flattens it out...?

[ZeroTwentythree]

When I glue sand to the hills, I think I will try to weigh them down -- if I can do that without disturbing the sand as it dries.


As far as the geography, although I am re-writing the setting, the basics of Marienburg and surrounding Wasteland, as Vermis points, will still be present. I still plan on painting the opposite side of my tabletop glossy blue for water, and when I do that I hope to have a big selection of hills to fill the table with "solid land" while the exposed table areas will be marsh or waterways.

The steeper, rocky hills are for use in the foothills of the rural hinterland, and possibly coastal cliff sides in other areas. I've got meandering ideas for an extended narrative campaign that starts elsewhere and works its way toward Marienburg. Depending how battles go, it could possibly head back to the distant foothills & mountains at some point.

[ZeroTwentythree]

Slow going, but I did just a few more skeletons. The photo makes them look a bit darker, but they look like they fit with the previous skeletons in real life.