Monday 8 February 2016

From IanW Reaper Bones Gargoyle 10 points

Well I have painted up more Fantasy figures in the last eight odd weeks (did a few just before the challenge kicked off) and here is another for the intrepid adventures to come up against. It reminds me of the cover from my rather battered and well used Creatures and Treasures, still in use today.

It's one of the Dark Heaven Bones from Reaper and rather a good one. It cost me just £2.30 and I can only guess how much if it was made of metal.

So here is Mortar the Gargoyle sculpted by B. Ridolfi. It comes with the wings far close to each other but a bit of hot water and a bit of patience gave me a pose I was happier with.

An undercoat in grey followed by a black ink wash set the tone. I then used progressively lighter shades of grey with especial attention to the ribs in the wings. The base was washed with a lighter stone colour to make it look different to the gargoyle but not so much as to shout at you.

I then gave a fight drybrush of a few shades of green but went over again with another of grey where the green was more obvious. I wanted a look that suggested it's been there some time without over doing it. Maybe a bit light as Cath could not really see the green until pointed out.

Last job was to paint the eyes and teeth though I left the claws without extra highlights as I wanted the stone look to be all over (except the teeth and eyes).

Unfortunately the base was a little uneven on the bottom and sanding had not worked so in the end it got glued to a 2p coin. From base to highest wing tip it measures around 65mm but head to toe it's around the height of a 28mm figure so another 5 points to my total.

What a great bit of nostalgia Ian, I love this guy.  I think ewe all have a love-hate relationship with the Reaper Bones line, but Mortar turned out well.    Good catch on the wing re-positioning - I'll remember that for future Bones figures.  The paint job really brings this figure to life (or semi-life, whatever the case with Gargoyles).  I too use coins for basing single figures, they are often cheaper than the cost of a similarly sized washer.  It's less of a legal issue in Canada now that the open was discontinued but it still doesn't feel right.

Numismatics issues aside (that's two visits to the OED today), it's a great post and I'll award points as a cavalry figure due to bulk. 

28 comments:

  1. Gotta a love a good gargoyle. Nice modification on the wings. Nice ICE reference too.

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  2. Lovely figure Ian. I'm tempted to get on myself seeing how well it painted up. Haven't seen that ICE tome for a while but remember it fondly. Great book!

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    1. Thanks Michael, very little clean up work too

      Ian

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  3. That is a great looking gargoyle, Ian. Well done. Our old group still plays RoleMaster when we can all get together, so it's wonderful to see that someone else is rocking it as well.

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    1. Our campaign is based on the wheel of time books mixing it in Tolkins fourth age.

      Ian

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  4. Great looking piece I don't know how I missed this piece in the Bones line I will have to see if I can find it.

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    1. Thanks Adam, well given the number released it's not hard to see how you might miss it :-)

      Ian

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  5. That's a really nice living statue. Gargoyles are awesome. cheers

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  6. Of all the gargoyles I have ever seen this is one of the best.

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  7. He looks like stone come to life Ian. Nice job on him!

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    1. Thanks Anne, now I am back to tiny LOL

      Ian

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  8. nice paintwork, well done!
    the stone effect is stunning!

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    1. Thanks, the model really helps provide the detail. it's not thin as some can be

      Ian

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  9. Really nice! Love the wings.

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    1. Me too, the veins and raised area's really make the model

      Ian

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  10. One very nice gargoyle, Ian! You really brought out all the model's detail! The wings came out really well!

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    1. Thanks David, I like the base as well, it helps set it up

      Ian

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  11. Great figures and a great nostalgia trip too. I think I will be in the loft this weekend flicking through old Rolemaster books, happy days, if only there was enough hours in the day.

    Cheers, Ross

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  12. Thanks Ross, seems it has struck a cord with the Rolemaster link

    Ian

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