Rat Ogre - 2015

 

 

For me the GW Skaven Stormfiends were an example of the ‘creep’ of Warhammer towards 40K, which finally culminated in the ‘40K lite’ Age of Sigmar – all those sci-fi-esque weapons, mind controlling brain rats and so on just didn’t work with the way I see the Warhammer World.  They did get me thinking about creating a monster that showed the pinnacle of some crazed Clan Moulder experiment... which is how this Rat Ogre was born.

Stormfiends:                                                

 

 

Not a Stormfiend:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea of a huge armoured Rat Ogre was interesting enough, but I started thinking about a crossbreed with some other creature to make it even more imposing, and quickly settled on a porcupine.  I mean, a giant rodent Ogre encased in armour is one thing, but one covered with spines?  Imagine meeting that down some dark sewer! 

I started to experiment with bitz and blu-tac using a Stormfiend as the base model.  None of the arms worked for me, so I whipped some off a Rat Ogre from the Island of Blood set.  The pose of the upper body and arms looked a little odd, as if this beast was just flexing his muscles, so the addition of a weapon made the arms look more natural.  The model was beginning to look like he fulfilled some sort of armoured guard role, so a halberd seemed right, with a huge metal ball at the other end to make it look a bit more balanced.

 The build took almost as long as the paint job!  Because of the way it had to be built and sculpted I wasn’t able to paint it in smaller sections, so it was completely built then painted.  I added a few armour plates and blades from the Stormfiend set, but all of the spines were from my bitz box or carved from plastic rod.  The spines were the last to be added so that they could be positioned in a way that flowed more naturally with the pose of the Ogre.  I also had to position them in such a way that they would not get caught in tunnels, so the natural spines point behind the model… he’s not able to walk backwards down tunnels though!

 

 

Where possible I use bitz rather than sculpting new things with Green Stuff (mainly out of laziness!), but a lot of hair was sculpted to cover gaps and holes, as well as to sculpt those areas where the spines had ‘punched’ through the armour.

 

Undercoated black with spray highlights of grey then white (I’m too much of a luddite for an airbrush) this was painted with Vallejo paints for the more earthy colours, while the colourful areas (red, blue, etc) were GW paints.  I also like to do my washes with the pretty good GW Shades range rather than inks.

 

When deciding in which order to paint I would always advocate starting on the inside and working out… skin, then hair, then clothing, then armour, then weapons, then base.  It means you are less likely to get paint on something you’ve already done, but also makes it easier to cover up any mistakes.  This model was slightly different in that it is hunched over, so the ‘inside’ was also the front of the torso and I had to account for the belt, belly, etc when determining order of painting. 

 

 I don’t paint blue very often, and thought it would make a nice colour for the armour in contrast to the big areas of skin and hair, as well as looking nice next to the ivory coloured spines.  The armour was always going to be rusty and scratched, but when doing this I prefer to paint the area up as if it is fairly new and clean, then add the dirt and rust and damage – it means I don’t have to commit to the areas of damage early on.  When adding damage it is important to think about how the model moves and fights and where damage might naturally occur; edges and corners are more likely to be scraped and worn than the centre of armour plates which may be more likely to be scratched and dented.   This big fella moves down tunnels so is bound to have lots of paint worn off the edges of the pauldrons (shoulders)  and vambraces (lower arms).  Enemies are more likely to be in front of him – you’d never squeeze past him in a tunnel - so there should be less battle damage at the back!  To get the damage effect the areas were painted first with a terracotta/ orange mix then silver, then I went back and painted little blue highlights to show the edges of the chipped paint.

 

 

 

Little areas of red add a nice spot colour and I think the paint scheme flows nicely through the red, purple and blue spectrums.

 

 

 

 

 

As ever while building and painting the model I was thinking of the overall ‘story’ of the model.  The original Stormfiend had one foot on a rock (which GW seems to love almost as much as they do models jumping off rocks!), but my model was in some subterranean vignette – I came up with the idea of him in a two-level sewer or similar.  Which meant I had to find him a two-level sewer or similar!  Unable to locate anything to suit my needs I ended up building him one with little bricks I purchased online, made of hard plaster or similar.  Each brick was painstakingly weathered at the edges and glued in place, a long slog but definitely worth it, especially when I was able to add a little drain cover!

 

 

 

As I worked on the model I realised that there would be a big open space at the front of the base.  Never a fan of a big open space on a model I added some rats, emerging from the sewers, emboldened by their giant friend!  They were painted in dark colours so as not to detract from the Ogre, but certainly something that would reward the person who took a bit of time to look at the piece!     

 

 

 

 

This model was entered into the Golden Demons Competition in 2015 and was one of the last I entered before retiring from the Demons due to the time constraints of work and family.  It didn’t make it into the second round of the competition.

 

The following year I went to Salute in London and took this fella along – he was a finalist in the peer-judged Salute Painting Competition, of which I am very proud.  I love this big spiky rat fella 😉
You can see some of the other entries here: https://www.beastsofwar.com/eventslist/salute-2016-painting-competition/ (apparently my model looks wicked!)

 

 

Thanks for reading... thoughts, tips, questions and comments are welcomed :)

 

 

Drunk Halfling Sentry

 

 
 If looking for a miniature that tells a story, you could do a lot worse than the Citadel C11 Halflings from back in 1988.  I think the first miniature I ever painted was from this range, using poster paints – I repainted that model again more recently, it looked a bit better this time.   These are super little models, each with so much character!

Have a look at the range here, courtesy of Stuff of Legends: http://www.solegends.com/citc/c011halflings/index.htm

 

 
This fella was named ‘Hero’ when he was released.  I didn’t give him a name… it would probably be something like ‘Tiddler the Tipsy’, but he isn’t much of a hero when he is almost unconscious, propped up against his spear.  I never felt the need to convert him, he is a perfect miniature.

A joy to paint, using Vallejos for the earthy colours (browns, creams, wood, etc) because they have a far broader range than GW.  I do use GW paints for colours such as red and blue as I think they have stronger pigment and hold the colour better… saying that the Vallejo greens are very good!  The red and green colouring is to represent the colours of apples, one of which is on the base.

 

Don’t forget the little things like fingernails, eyebrows, etc.  They might not stand out, but it’s the little details that people will spot – that’s what makes the difference between winning models in the competitions.

 

You might notice that I still use metallic paints.  I’m not a fan of NMM, it just doesn’t appeal… there are so many good metallic paints out there why not use them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking of detail this fella is so tipsy he is spilling his scrumpy – the cider was made by patiently heating clear plastic rod over a candle and when it starts to melt pulling it to the required thickness.  Please be careful - don’t hold the plastic too close or it will burn, and don’t set fire to anything.  A little tea light is best.  Once I had extruded the plastic a small length was glued in place between the mug and base, with layers of clear PVA painted over to the required thickness and also to cover over the ‘joins’.  A couple of layers of yellow ink mixed with gloss varnish completed that.

 

Because I had made no changes to the model I felt the need to assuage my OCD by adding more to the base.  Lots of little grass, leaves, plants and flowers from a variety of sources, plus the apple!  This was made from green stuff with a wire stalk – at least one is added to each Halfling I paint, to the extent that I have started a Halfling warband, the Scrumpton Militia (using the sublime Sabre Miniatures models) whose imagery is based around apples and the orchards they guard… more of them another day!

 

Not much to say about this fella really!  A simple model with a simple paint job… but I think he is great, I hope you like him too 😊

 

 

 

 

 Thanks for reading... thoughts, tips, questions and comments are welcomed :)

P.S. Do you want to avoid paying full price for GW models?  Looking for a friendly independent model store that is also great value?  Visit my friends at the Cryptic Cabin: www.crypticcabin.com .  They also have a lovely little store in Wokingham...

 

 

 

Marauder Goblin Officer

 

 

 

Every miniature is a character, and you have to admit this little fella certainly has plenty of that! He is a Marauder Miniatures MM30/6 Goblin Officer… or as I prefer to refer to him: a ‘cool little tinpot Grot’.

It’s not often I can pick up a model and go straight to the undercoat without changing something, but this wee fella is as natural as the day he was cast.  He’s got the pose, the attitude and is a perfect sculpt from Ali Morrison.

 I don’t think I took a shortcut and painted inks over bare metal, he was likely a black undercoat.  Although I’d usually always ‘start on the inside and work out’ – skin, then clothing / armour, this chap was armour first; GW metals then ink washes to dull it down a bit and paint some rust.  You can spot some of the greatest ink ever, Chestnut. 

GW greens for the skin, highlighted by adding white.  Whereas I’d use yellows to highlight an Orc, Gobbos I think are a little pastier, hence the white.  The blood looks dramatic, but this fella probably didn’t kill much himself, he just butchered a goat or something to make himself look mean – red paint with a layer of Tamiya clear red to make it nice and shiny.

Every heroic Grot has to stand atop a rock to make himself look taller.  The ‘tree’ at the back is real wood, but instead of using the top part of a plant pull up some roots, clean them off and let them dry.  They make for far more interesting and organic shapes and look a bit more realistic at such a small scale.  Various static grasses and modelling leaves complete the base.

 

This fella never went to any competitions.  He was just for me, and now I have figured out how to take better photos I can share him with you...

 

 

See the MM30 range here: http://www.solegends.com/marauder/mm30goblins.htm

 

Thanks for reading... thoughts, tips, questions and comments are welcomed :)

Sheikh Khaleg – Golden Demon UK Single Miniature Bronze, 1998

 

Of all the models that I have ever painted, the one that gets mentioned to me the most is the Sheikh on flying carpet from 1998.  I have no idea why!

I don’t recall which came first, the desire to paint a model on a flying carpet, or the desire to paint a tiny version of the rug in my parent’s living room.   Nonetheless the outcome is a version of the Dogs of War Money Lender on a tiny version of my folks’ rug!

 
The build was not too complex – the carpet was tin foil sandwiched between 2 pieces of paper.  The foil gave strength, shape and the little tassly bits at each end, while the paper provided a better surface to paint on.

The wizard is named Sheikh Khaleg, the Sheikh Yadosh model with a couple of little changes.  The giant ruby provides some focus for the belly which is otherwise quite plain and there is a little brooch on the chest from Milliput.  A subtle but important change was the hand – It was rotated so that instead of opening a treasure chest he is now controlling the carpet.  It is the little differences like that which make a model seem more natural.

Subtle details are so important to the model.  When planning, building and painting a model you are giving it character, bringing it to life.  A miniature is a snapshot in time of a bigger story, so think of the story as you work – give it a name, imagine what is happening around the character.  You don’t have to tell anyone else, but the details will show in your finished project and turn it into something far greater.  

 

 

The familiar is a CH5 Chaos Familiar, with a bikini to keep her PG and a gem in her belly button for when she dances.  The lamp is from a small piece of 40K Ork or Gretchin sprue which happened to be the perfect shape, with 2 little plastic disks and a paper handle.  If you coat small pieces of paper with some superglue they hold their shape really well.  The skull is a hollowed out Skelly head, with 2 bottles made from Milliput.

Sadly the carpet is not really floating, it’s metal rod hidden among the long grass that goes up through the carpet into the Sheik’s leg.  He can’t shake that leg!! <sigh>

 

The paint job was relatively simple, except for replicating a rug which took longer than the wizard!  This was painted before Newton had figured out the colour spectrum; I had no idea of colour wheels and contrast and the colours are a fluke.  I liked painting purple, the rug was copied, the coat matched the rug (ooh matron!) and rubies are red.  The make up on the Daemonette was easy as I was a bit of a Goth at the time.

The colours are a bit flat – this was before I had ‘the chat that changed everything’ and I had yet to figure out diluting my colours and blending.  My method of highlighting was to add layers upon layers, each slightly lighter than the last.  If you looked through a microscope you could probably see them all in tiny lines that the naked eye could not make out, but overall led to a highlight.  It took ages to do it that way… so thin your paints kids!

 

 

The base was a simple texture, add rock, paint, add flock.  It lets the model down I think, but I had yet to learn that lesson too (even after the ‘Orion’s flat base’ episode, that’s for another day).  It could be a bit more interesting and natural and the green sides don’t frame the model at all well.  At the time all my models were intended for an army, hence the green.  On the plus side I managed to get the long grass to hide the support, and they all bend in the correct direction under the carpet!

Tip for the grass – get an old toothbrush and paint the bristles in browns and greens and bone colours to look like grass, and snip some off whenever you need it.  I still have this one somewhere.  Use a different one to brush your teeth though.

 

To my surprise in the end this one got me a Bronze Demon.  Jacob Nielsen took Gold with a lovely Dark Elf and Ned Gladis Silver with a very crisp, neat Bretonnian Knight – both well deserved, and I can’t grumble at all.

 

You can see their entries here:

http://demonwinner.free.fr/uk/1998/golden_demon_winner.php?categorie=8




Thanks for reading... thoughts, tips, questions and comments are welcomed :)