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

[ZeroTwentythree]

There's also a swivel gun and some more engineer types in the range if you want. 

I saw those. If I could, I'd just order up an army of everything. But I think I will have to stick with filling a few holes in the existing collection, and even then I'm probably not going to be able to order for a while. (Especially since our clothes dryer and my car both decided to fail in the past two days....) I think the greatswords and just a few handgunners are really at the top of my list.

I think I may have mentioned this, but back before your project, I drew up some sketches for 5 greatswords in this style and had wanted to try my hand at sculpting & casting them. (And some ogres.) I got side-tracked and it never happened. I think I still have the drawings. Who knows, if I ever manage the time I may try my hand at it someday. I did convert & paint up a couple of old figures, though.





I swear I had one more -- a Marauder spearman with the spear removed and replaced with a shouldered greatsword. But he seems to be AWOL from both photos and my collection at the moment. I fear I may have imagined the figure altogether. 

I already forgot if you have mentioned your secret bone colour recipe yet?

I don't stick with one recipe. If I am painting a full unit of skeletons, I will base coat them in groups, using about 3-4 different shades of white through light tan. Then I'll shuffle those up into mixed groups, and give them washes with one of 3-4 different shades of brown(ish.) Depending on the figures, I will also go back and do a bit of detailed shading with thinned out paint (or pre-mixed wash) anywhere from dark brown to black, and may highlight with some shade of white. I'm pretty free-form with painting, and tend to get lost in the process, just doing whatever looks & feels right at any given time. 

[DeafNala]

The Little Guys with the BIG swords look TERRIFIC...GREAT brushwork & converting. The one eyed, peg leg Fellow is an old favorite. SPLENDID WORK!

[Lowtardog]

I noticed werewoolf minis are sculpting some nice ogres which would fit right in, pricey but nice

[ZeroTwentythree]

The one eyed, peg leg Fellow is an old favorite. SPLENDID WORK!

I admit, it felt slightly blasphemous cutting him up, even though it was just a minor weapon swap.

I noticed werewoolf minis are sculpting some nice ogres which would fit right in, pricey but nice

They definitely have some nice looking figures.




My phone has trouble photographing white, so this is hard to see. But I accidentally started making this tonight.



I saw one of these Bones orcs when I went to a local store to pick up a few paints I needed. Still some work to do, like the weapon and tail. It's a bit of an experiment. A prototype, perhaps...

This idea -- and specifically, using certain Reaper orcs -- has been in my head for a while. I've had some ideas about my Althammer setting and campaign, too. And I've been thinking about a few different ideas for some more minor players and also the "historical" context. Eventually I'll write a bit of my own, but for now, an excerpt from WFRP "Marienburg: Sold Down the River" for some of the inspiration.

But sometime after the departure of the Elves and the Dwarfs and before the arrival of Man, Chaos and evil came, spreading like a cancer from the north and the south. The Skaven, digging their tunnels like cracks meant to undermine the continent, burst forth from the abandoned mines and ravaged the surface. Within a few decades, the land was a ruin: the herds were slaughtered, the waters poisoned and the groves cut down. Marching like vermin into the north of this realm, they found the Fimir, a race of reptilian giants who themselves were remaking the land in their own blasphemous image.

War was inevitable. For how long it raged, only the Fimir and the Skaven know, and certainly no one is asking them. The Skaven built great castles to hold their conquests, and slowly they pushed the Fimir back. In the end, there came a cataclysm that decimated both sides. Whether it was a last desperate effort by the Fimir, an attempt at final victory by the Skaven, or even a rebellion by the earth itself doesn't matter. Great waves of magic washed over the land and the earth convulsed and cracked. In a night, the castles of the Skaven and the holds of the Fimir were thrown down as the very bedrock heaved, broke and sank. Their armies were destroyed and their minions crushed or swallowed whole. By dawn the next day, only the land itself remained, nearly empty of life and hiding its wounds under a thick blanket of fog.

[Vermis]

Looks good! The head swap/sculpt is almost enough on it's own to transform the mini.

[Timbor]

That fimir does look convincing.  Where did you get the head from?

[ZeroTwentythree]

My own attempt at a quickly sculpted head. My putty is a bit past it's prime, and I'm way out of practice. So it's not necessarily great work.


Here is a little more work and some better photos. The tail is pretty crude. I initially thought I would prefer a plain tail, but I think I would like to see what it looks like with a clubbed end. I don't care for the scale & taper (not enough) of the tail, either. I've tried drawing & building a few quick weapon forms, but haven't got anything I'm really fond of, yet. (This is not glued in the hands yet.) I'm going to try a knobby or spiked cylinder mace head next, maybe later tonight.

[DeafNala]

Actually the head is quite a nice sculpt. From the reaction, you probably could sell some if you cast it up...he/she/whatever does have a charming expression.  GREAT WORK!

[ZeroTwentythree]

Thanks!


After trying a few other weapon & tail options. Also chopped down the boots and sculpted bare feet after someone on FB pointed out that the boots looked out of place. Not perfect, but good enough for a "rough draft." Going to try a quick paintjob on it & see how it looks. If I still think the idea has potential, I'll try doing a few with cleaner sculpting, more detail, etc.



If I do continue on, I *may* try making a mold for a few heads and tails, so I can convert a bunch of these without having to sculpt each individual. If I get *really* caught up in this, I may try finding some unarmored bodies. Maybe a robed one, too.

[ZeroTwentythree]

I've apparently had some sort of fire lit under me with this little side-quest. Started painting, not quite done but so far I'm really liking the way it's turning out. I can also see some of the things I'd like to do different next time, details to add, etc.



And a shot with some other large figures, plus my usual reference model, to give a sense of scale.

[beefcake]

That looks great. If you're making more and wanting variety in tails I reckon a Stegosaurus type tail would look good, that with a spiked club would be a cool combo.

[white knight]

It's fantastic! The painting really made it come together!

If you're going to use bones, perhaps sculpt and cast some feet as well, anything to speed up the building should help you to avoid running out of steam.

[Elbows]

Man that is shockingly cool..and as always, phenomenal colour palette.  Keep it up!

[ZeroTwentythree]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

I agree completely in regard to the tail. Although I did try a few different tails (and weapons) I didn't spend nearly as much time on any of them as I should. If I continue on I will definitely do better. I was in a hurry to see a painted figure with the general shape so I could get an idea if I would like what could be done.

I *do* like where it is going. Now I have to decide on how big of a project I should let this become. If it's more than a few figures, I think it would make sense to try casting some heads & tails. Possibly weapons, too. And maybe feet, too. But that's a bit trickier since they are particular to each figure and I would need  to figure how to replace the existing ones efficiently (so that it's less work that just sculpting feet on each figure individually.) But converting the figures involves more than the sculpted bits. I have to drill, cut, shape, clean, etc. each original figure, and then there is a it of filling/sculpting at the joints of the new bits to get them to look right. That gets me wondering if it would be worth trying my hand at just finishing the job and sculpting my own bodies & arms so that it all fits better to begin with, and eliminates a lot of the chopping up of existing figures. And if I do that, should I just go back to the drawing board entirely and come up with something more original. I don't want to invest a bunch of my time copying someone else's designs. Once my thoughts have come around to this point I'm starting to wonder what I've got myself into and should I just stick with a couple of figures and forget the rest before I let it get out of hand.

As far as requests for making cast bits available to others, that really depends on how far I go (if I go anywhere at all) in regard to the above and what sort of moral & legal grey areas I wander into.

Also, I've only done resin casting with someone else guiding me through the process, and although I have most of the equipment, I still need to put together my pressure tank. For that matter, my sculpting isn't quite expert level either. I love the idea of expanding & improving my limited skills, but there are a lot of questions about how well I could pull any of this off. Converting one figure is one thing, but building an army based on a lot of sculpting & casting is another.

[Vermis]

And that's why I only converted one high elf.

Painting of the fimir is brilliant. What your general recipe for the bronze metals? I think I might like to nick it, soon.