Thursday 3 March 2016

From EvanH - A Nice Toad (6 points)

I'm channeling icy thoughts in the hope that I can lower the ambient temperature here in Sydney, aka Satan's Y-Fronts. Trust me, you don't want to know.

So here's my latest attempt at sympathetic weather magic, a Nice Toad an Ice Toad from North Star's Frostgrave range.

I'm feeling cooler already!

This chap was part of my birthday present from Mr Mills, and I hope to get the other half of the blister pack, That's No Leopard that Snow Leopard, finished next.


The snowdrifts were prepared using my usual recipe of bicarbonate of soda and PVA glue, undercoated with a wash of OOP GW Ice Blue and highlighted in white. Gloss varnish was used for the snow and the eyes of the beastie. A princely five points, but every little bit helps, right?

Eww. You might want to get those looked at.
He's the first of my Frostgrave figs to be completed, and I've got several more lurking in the Twilight Zone of undercoat limbo - but can I get any more of them out there before the Challenge ends? Time management has never been my strong suit...

Stay tuned!
Ev
Nice to see the birthday goodies getting some attention Ev! Considering we've both bought into Frostgrave rather heavily and then done bugger all since, this hopefully can kick-start things and make sure we get some gaming in sooner rather than later. 
I must admit until now I was dubious about how this weird little chap would look painted up. As of now I'm a convert. The sallow skin and almost Henson-esqe facial expression are very likeable indeed and the effort you've put into the basing really finishes him off nicely. 
He's worth just five points as you mentioned but I'm throwing in another for the basing. Cheers, Millsy.

36 comments:

  1. A very nice Ice toad. Frostgrave seems to be the flavour of the challenge and this toad is one of the best I have seen (so far). Looking forward to the kitty .

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    1. Thanks Clint, my Good Lady Wife declared him quite repulsive, so 'tick, mission accomplished'!

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  2. nice paintwork on a strange figure !

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    1. Thanks Gilles! He is an odd little fellow, but quite endearing once you get to know him. Though I suppose the same could be said of many of us...
      ; )

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  3. Great looking toad. He really has a superior air to him, I think he needs a crown and a princess to kiss. Well done.

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    1. Thanks! Though I think Iannick covered that subject far better than I ever could!

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    1. Now just imagine those words set to Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby' and I guarantee you'll have an earworm for the next eight hours.
      ; )
      Thanks Tamsin!

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    2. Crap. Thanks for that you b@stard.

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    3. Lice, lice, scabies... Doo, doo, dee-dee, do, doo, doot...

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  5. Peter is right - he does seem rather smug.
    Well done Evan. Maybe you just need a spreadsheet to get you moving on those other Frostgrave figures? :)

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    1. It's bad enough that I work with the damned things, do I have to put up with them in my leisure time as well...?
      ; )
      Thanks for the kind words!

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  6. Wonderful! He looks suitably irascible (as any self-respecting toad would be, hopping between slippery ice patches). BTW the ice looks excellent. With the OOP ice blue I expect you are feeling the same frustration as myself at seeing our old GW colour pallet having gone the way of the dodo.

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    1. Thanks, Curt!
      Yes, it's a source of constant frustration to me when GW does a reboot (or as would be more appropriate in this case, a ribbit) of their paint range.

      I got tired of trying to keep up, so as they run out, I'm replacing them with Vallejo paints. More for your money and less wastage from dropper bottles!

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    2. Yes, I swear they designed their 'pots' to dry out within 4 months of being opened. This is especially poignant as I still have my original Citadel inks, in their droppers, from 1987!!

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  7. Well done on the ice toad! If it wasn't for the frozen earth, he blends in well to the snowy patches! ;)

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    1. Thanks David, I had to break it up with some earth tones or he would have been lost among the snow and frosted rock. While the toad probably relies on his camo to ambush his prey, I need to ensure he's visible for photography purposes!

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  8. Terrific stuff Evan. One of my fave figures from "Frostgrave" and you've really done him justice :-)

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    1. He's very characterful for a toad - he's even licking his lips in anticipation of the next Treasure Hunter!

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  9. Great stuff Evan! Quite a few people seem to have been bitten by the frostgrave bug! Starting to get really tempted myself!

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    1. Thanks Samuli! As Millsy has remarked, we have both invested a fair bit in Frostgrave, so it's about time we got our figures painted and ready for the tabletop. More next week, I promise!

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    1. Thanks Fran, I'm very happy with how he's turned out!

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  11. Well Adam, that's one of the best renditions of this kind of miniature I have seen so far!

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  12. Nice creature. Meanwhile in Darwin we laugh at your hot days down south. ha ha ha.
    Yes we laugh as Mango madness seeps into the soul and we all go Troppo?!*&@#%^
    cheers mate.

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    1. Thanks Brendon! Though I think you should perhaps go indoors now and have a nice lie down...

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  13. A strangely characterful amphibian!

    How did the weather magic go? I'm not sure it was an unqualified success...

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