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Did everyone have a good Christmas? Play some games? While it's usually a time when we have some time off, there is often so much happening we can't fit in everything. I hope you enjoyed yourself, whatever you did over the holidays. Shall we see if our bloggers managed to get some models painted? Spoilers alert, they did! And some of them are something else.
Black Spectre (Carnevale) By Sam de Smith
Fuelled by rage, resentment and the dark energies of the rent, face the Black Spectre!
Been painting in earnest again having got the Vallejo Game Color set and tackled this fantastic Carnevale figure that I got as a Secret Santa!
As a being of living shadow, I used very thin layers of royal purple, imperial blue and highlighted with ultramarine and electric blue (the imprisoned figure was done starting at ultramarine). The skulls and eye glow were done with livery green, and the hands were done with dead flesh, elf skin and a very thin purple wash. The nails and base were done with mahogany blended up to deck tan, and the mask was deck tan up to Arctic white.
Loved doing the model, Carnevale really is my jam.
Colossus (MCP) By Stu West
Okay, so he may not be the most wonderfully painted miniature, but I’m quite proud of Colossus. This is my first ever attempt at non-metallic metal, which has come about because when I started to paint my Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP) collection, I set myself a couple of rules.
Firstly, I committed to use only one box of paints to try to keep my palette limited. The idea behind this was to make my collection look coherent and to keep things simple. Secondly I decided to never use metallics on my MCP collection to reflect the fact that the characters in the game are ultimately based on artwork in comic books.
I had no idea where to start with the big man but luckily there were a couple of greys in the box of paint I had to work with and I had some black and white too. If you look really closely, he’s a little messy, but from a distance, or if you squint, he looks pretty good.
On the table, Colossus is a great addition to either a Brotherhood of Mutants, X-Force or X-Men roster. He can throw terrain, reduce damage and step-in as a bodyguard where needed. All very useful.
I have been putting more time into my MCP collection recently, as my younger child has decided that that’s where he wants to put his effort and he wants to go to some tournaments in 2024. It’s very likely that MCP characters will make another appearance in my miniature of the month entries later in the year.
Balor (D&D) By Suzanne Bradley
Out of the shadows, snapping jaws and wreathed in flame, Nolzurs Marvelous Miniatures, Balor is an imposing beast. It hails straight from the bowels of hell. A horned demon of immense strength and power known for it’s fiery whip and formidable long sword. It also has an aura of fire and explodes upon its death if your players manage to kill it.
Nolzurs Marvelous Miniatures have created a miniature that is very detailed, with straps, chains, wrist bands and greaves. It has multiple human skulls in various sizes in multiple places. The detailing is impressive, his expression intimidating, his abs go for days. I very much adore his face and his pose. It does look a little lopsided from the back though, but that is a minor issue. Its weapons being clear, in contrast to its already primed body, is also a nice touch to the design.
I started painting the Nolzurs Marvelous Miniature Balor a few months ago, it was an ongoing process. I wasn’t sure when I started if I had picked the right red for his skin. I thought at first the shade was too dark for the fiery demon. As my project progressed, I realised it worked well, with the right shades and tones. I struggled with some of the details, like where the wristbands began around the chains on its wrist and where it gripped its whip.
It took me some time to complete this, but I persevered as I worked on it in drips and drabs. I also thought it would appropriate to test out Green Stuff World Crackle paint on the base, painting it red and then doing a layer of the crackle paint over the top. Using a darker wash, even though it made the dark red even darker, brought out the detail on its wings adds definition to its muscles. I used the wash also to dirty up the skulls and give it an unwashed look.
Paints Used:
- Army Painter Skeleton Bone
- Army Painter Pure Red
- Army Painter Dragon Red
- Army Painter Babe Blonde
- Army Painter Glistening Blood
- Army Painter Shining Silver
- Army Painter Oak Brown
- Army Painter Leather Brown
- Army Painter Mocha Skin
- Army Painter Soft Brown
- Army Painter Quick Shade Wash
- Army Painter Matt Black
- Green Stuff World Crackle Paint - Badlands
- Green Stuff World Burning Gold
While this piece was a bit of a challenge for me, and took time to complete, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures Balor is a well-designed monster. It’s sharp fangs, and horns, it’s broad wings and intimidating roaring face. This monster will scare any new players and hurt them even after the Balor has been defeated. Nolzurs Marvelous Miniatures Balor is somewhat complicated and a joy to paint. It takes a little time and a little planning. It is very satisfying to paint and complete.
Krondys Son Of Dracothian (AoS) by Stu West
Since to some December marks of time for giving and receiving, I’m going to cheat a little for my bonus miniature of the month. Krondys Son of Dracothian is probably the most stunningly painted miniature that I own (although he is massive so miniature may be something of a misnomer). This really is a fantastic model and he is great fun to play with, but more on that later.
Despite being the best painting model in my collection, I must admit that I didn’t actually paint Krondys. He was a prize at an Age of Sigmar tournament that I attended last year. I have picked up plenty of trophies over the years playing with my toy soldiers, but nothing quite as impressive as this model which was commission painted by the sponsor of the tournament. The detail on the painting is so crisp and the colours are really vibrant. I have no idea how the painter managed to get these effects but they’re easy to appreciate.
Krondys is pretty unique for a Stormcast Eternals dragon character in that he is a wizard and a very good one at that who also enables you to take Stormdrake Guard as battleline options if you’re inclined to go full dragon... He also synergises exceptionally well as an ally for Cities of Sigmar force by effectively adding that much needed additional rend to attacks with his signature spell. Krondys also has a fantastic weapon profile where his tail has a number of attacks equal to the number of models within 3 inches - this can be devastating and turn a game on its head in an instant.
I definitely consider myself to be lucky to have this centrepiece model in my collection that I can pull out for special occasions. I get pretty nervous about transporting him so I haven’t dared to take him to a tournament yet!
Farstalker Kinband (Kill Team) by Ross Coulbeck
I've been steadily working my way through my Kill Teams and my Kroot were the last on the list. They have a really cool array of characters, and I especially like the one with the bow and array. I must confess though, I think I wanted my Kill Teams done, so wasn't in the right headspace to do what I had originally planned for this team (there will always be one Kroot Hound painted like that I did for a test, it shall go down in legend). So instead I went for something easier to paint, but I think it's really cool and artistic.
Yes, that's right, I went full Sin City. Well I swapped the red for yellow, but there was that one yellow guy in Sin City, plus I think many bright highlight colours work for this aesthetic. I might have to try another on some other models. Last year I was all over oranges and reds, and I feel like this year might be the year of the yellow.
The scheme is easy enough to paint. Spray in white, paint all over in basilicum grey contrast, then do a few layers of yellow on the parts you want to highlight, making sure it's a really solid coat. Finish it off with some technical paint and a dark wash on the base and you’re done. Give it a try, it's really fun!