From Curt: A Trio of Villains for 'Hametsu' (27 Points)

Hey There!

It's been a bit of a stretch since my last post. I blame the Challenge's 'The Squirrel Effect'. My hobby space is currently littered with all manner of stuff, spanning genres and periods. Like Bilbo, I feel like too little butter scraped over too much bread! Fun, silly and always part of the Challenge it seems. 

Nonetheless, I did manage to maintain enough focus to get these three figures across the line.

This trio of villains is for our Hametsu adventures. Two bosses: a Shikigami a Nogitsune, and a Oni Captain. In Hametsu the Bosses enter play when the heroes find enough clues to their whereabouts, and/or when they've dispatched the lower-level minions. As you'd expect, the Bosses are VERY tooled-up and are designed to provide a unique and tough end-game for the players. 

First up is the mysterious, willowy and floaty Shikigami. This is a 3d print from the very talented Cobra Mode. I really like how elegant and otherworldly this model is. Its been sitting on my paint desk for months while I pondered how to approach it. In the end I decided to keep it simple, with just a few bold colours, trying to mimic with its robes opening like flower similar to a tulip. 

For its war fan I used the airbrush to put in an unstructured rising sun motif along with kanji script on each side symbolizing Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. 

The Nogitsune (Spectral Wolf) is from DM Stash on MyMini. Again, another beautiful sculpt. Fairly straightforward paintjob on this guy. Fun to work on with all the deep-set textures, a veritable playground for Contrast paints. 

This fella has already seen action on the tabletop with today's Minion having been its unwilling chew toy. :) 

Finally we have the Oni Captain. Another 3d print from Cobra Mode. He has a sort of a Hell Boy vibe going on which I just ran with. 

Yeeash, that Kanabo he's toting is something else! You're not going to walk it off if he taps you with that thing.

A final shot of the three villains set against some heroes that I painted last year.

As to points, the Oni Captain is around 40mm and the other two are over 54mm so let's call it 27 for the trio?

Aaand another Squirrel point for me...

Thanks for dropping in for a peek!

- Curt

Sylvain: Subarashii! I suspect you got your inspiration for coloring this group from ukiyo-e, (japanese woodblock prints from the Edo period) especially on the Kanabo. It gives the figurines some kind of eerie look, in addition to their sculpt and poses. A great demonstration of your mastery in painting. Keep feeding that squirrel!

From Curt - Oni Shamans for 'Hametsu' - Sarah's Book Cart (34 Points)

 

Another small addition to my fantasy Japanese collection for 'Hametsu'. Here are two Oni demon shamans.

These are 3d prints from MyMiniFactory. I scaled them to 40mm to fit in with my other Oni baddies. They will provide some much need spell-casting for the Oni villains.

This rather elegant female shaman is from Lord of the Print. Unfortunately the facial detail was a bit soft, and I tried my best to help it along with the brush, but to no avail. Still, a lovely model to work on.

I will claim her for a trip on Sarah's Book Cart to the Giftshop where I'll be meeting up with Lady Sarah for a co-authored entry!

This hipster male oni shaman is from Kyoushuneko Miniatures.

These two 40mm villains will give me a base of 14 points plus another 20 for Sarah's Book Cart, for 34 points total.

Thanks again Martijn for shoehorning me in for this entry!

- Curt

It is always a pleasure to have you dropping by, Curt, and this contribution is no exception. Both figures are great, I think you did a very fine job on the female shaman, but the hipster villain really takes the biscuit for me. He looks like he's on his way to yoga class, doesn't he? A very nice figure, and an expert paint job as always. Off you are to the Gifts Shop then, with another 34 poinys in the pocket!

Martijn

From Curt - Oni Villains for 'Hametsu' (35 points)

Back to my Hametsu project. Here are five Oni demons to pit as villains against our intrepid heroes. This is the the first group of five.

I wanted a motley bunch of rogues for the Oni, thinking they should all be unique in their overall look. Thankfully, there are a load of suitable models available on Myminifactory, so I was fairly spoiled for choice.

I printed these at 40mm to make them a little more opposing when set against the character figures which are around 30-35mm. The red edge on the base is to denote their 180 degree field of vision in the game.

These 5 red nasties should give me 35 points to add to my tally.

Thanks for popping in. I hope you have a great weekend!

- Curt

From Millsy: Very nice indeed Curt! Oni are such an iconic creature from Japanese mythos and the raft of different ways they can be represented is one of the most interesting facets from a modelling perspective for me. You've got a great bunch here, ranging from the more humanistic versions right through to the more beasty types, all tied together with a great colour scheme. If I had to pick a favourite it would be number two who has a distinctly Hellboy vibe for me. Lovely brushwork mate and another 35 points for your tally!

From Curt - Japanese terrain for 'Hametsu' [Overdue and Returns](50 Points)

I figure a new game requires new terrain, so here are some tabletop additions for our ongoing 'Hametsu' adventures.

First up is a Japanese family grave. I understand from my reading that these grave markers are called Haka. In doing a bit of research I found that they often are adorned with flowers, incense, and sometimes have these long, elegant wood planks called sotōba. These boards would be inscribed with the names of the deceased and set beside the formal stone markers. I've done a somewhat crude facsimile of sotōba using thick paper, scribed with ersatz kanji, stained and then glued into place.  3d models from Terratribe Scenery.

These bamboo barriers are from Village Hope Miniatures. I thought they'd add a bit of colour and texture to our miniature streets and alleyways. I used this picture I found online as a reference for painting.

I really liked the look of this whimsical little tea 'cart' from CobraMode. 

I thought it would serve nicely as a 'Loot Marker', or perhaps just as an interesting little accent for the tabletop. 

Several of the scenarios in 'Hametsu' are set within built-up urban environments, so I figured that some formal walls were in order. These are 3d prints from Making Tlon which I've scaled to fit my figures. These were started prior to the Challenge but now benefit from a few extra sections, a good highlight and some cleaning up, so I'll claim them as my 'Overdue & Returns' entry. I decided not to glue the wall sections together as they look alright separately, and it allows me to store them away more easily (I think I can go out on a limb and say storage is a going concern for many of us in the hobby).

All of these would fill 1.5 6x6 cubes, so I will claim 30 points, plus 20 more for 'Overdue & Returns'. 50 points total.

I'm not exactly 'on fire' with my Library progress. I need to attend to this...

Thank you Martijn for letting me join in with your Tuesday team!

- Curt

Another great Hametsu entry, Curt! We are very proud to have you as one of the Tuesday Troopers today, and boy is this a nice contribution! In all their modesty those bamboo stakes are very lifelike, I love the way you accomplished the transition of green into light brown. The grave markers are great too, and what a creative and effective way of making the lettering! I'm afraid my Japanese is a little rusty, so whether they commemorate some beloved relative or are just an order for salmon sushi I can't tell, but they absolutely look the part. The tea cart is a little jewel, likely to be of use in many a game. Your table lay out looks quite impressive already! I would have loved to have a more close up view of the walls, but set out on the table like this they look excellent. Of course you can have your Overdue and Returns bonus, but I would be remiss not to remind you that, although you know the Library like the inside of your back pocket, a map would have been nice to track your progress ;-).

50 points for the Head Librarian!

Martijn

From Curt: Characters from 'The School of Strength' for 'Hametsu' (15 points)

Hi Everyone!

Here is my last trio of heroes for 'Hametsu'. These are the archetypes from the 'School of Strength': the Gaijin, the Sumo and the iconic masterless Ronin.

Similar to most of my other figures for this project, these are 3d prints that I sourced from MyMiniFactory and Thingiverse.

I really enjoyed working on all three of these models as they are so evocative of the period and very well designed. My hat is off to the sculptors. 

The Gaijin ('outsider' or 'foreigner) is based from a Renaissance Spanish rodelero which I thought would work nicely since the Portuguese were the first Europeans to make contact with the Japanese in the 16th century. 

I was thinking of what kind of colours to do him in and found some great images of the Papal Swiss Guard in their red, buff and blue livery which I thought that was perfect. I imagine him a lost Guardsman, perhaps the bodyguard of a Jesuit, or perhaps a Prince of the Church, stranded in Japan and making the best of his lot.  

For a bit of fun I added a Japanese lamellar spaulder to protect his right shoulder. I was thinking of giving him the distinctive leg faulds as well, but didn't want to hide his fancy European trousers (it's all about cutting a dash, right.). Model by PeculiarCompanions.

The Sumo was fun to do as well. I wanted to make sure I did a decent job on his skin as, um, there's a lot of it being that he's a big boi! I also really wanted to give him a tattoo, but wasn't confident on my freehand bush skills to do a dragon, so I used two rose decals from an old Sisters of Battle sheet, which give a close approximation to chrysanthemums. Done. 

There is an armoured version of the Sumo which I may do later to reflect the progression of the character - but that will be for another day. Figure by The Dragon Trappers Lodge.

The Ronin is one of my favourite figures of the series. Such a wonderfully dynamic pose, with him giving his all with his terrifying nodachi two-hander. Somebody's going to have a real bad day with this fella in front of them. 

I also really like the texture of the sculpt, with the deep folds in his trousers, his sinewy musculature and the spikiness of his hair and beard. A ferocious character to be sure.

These three warriors from the School of Strength should give me 15 points.

And to close, here is the wrap up shot of all nine characters for the heroes.

Thanks for dropping in!

- Curt

TeemuL: So the hero character collection is now done? Looks great. I'm with you, the Ronin looks excellent and you have added nice stripes to his clothes, too. Very effective. I'm under impression, that tattoos are not a big thing in Japan, but I wouldn't argue with that sumo wrestler about it... And the colourful Gajin, I like all the colours there, emphasizing the mix-and-match equipment he has. 15 points that is.

From Curt: School of Stealth Heroes for 'Hametsu' (15 points)

Hi All!

Moving forward with my 'Hametsu' project, here are three characters from the School of Stealth: a Shinobi (ninja), a Geisha (bard), and a Matagi (archer). These archetypes are very different from the previous School of Magic in that they are a little more subtle in their support of the larger group, but are still very powerful in their own manner. 

All three of these models are 3d prints from MyMiniFactory. I usually print my '28mm' skirmish stuff at a more heroic 32-35mm as it seems more in-tune with the small-scale action on the tabletop.

The Shinobi is from 'Artificers Mini'. Not much to say about this guy. A black-on-black badass ninja fella - death in goth pyjamas. Nice simple pose, which I prefer to the more over-the-top models frequently on offer. 

He'll be a great addition to the party due to his obvious stealth and assassination abilities.

The Geisha is from 'The Dragon Trappers Lodge'. I really like how the game reflects this character-type without regressing to the standard trope. She uses songs and deception/inspiration to either influence her fellow heroes, or mess with the opposition.  

I really like this mini with her elegant pose, and all shrouded in magical energy. She was a lot of fun to paint. Nonetheless, she is quite delicate, so I'm not sure on her survivability on the tabletop, hopefully she holds up well.

The Matagi is from 'Kyousheneko Miniatures'. As you can imagine, the Matagi are a great at long-range missile support, and suppressive fire. They're also good a setting traps, which can be very handy. 

I love the distinctive over-the-head draw back pose of this figure and the elegant asymmetric bow. Very evocative to those who have seen Japanese archers ply their craft.

...and I'll close with a group shot of the heroes so far. One more 'School' to go!

These three models will give me 15 points to add to my tally.

Thanks for dropping in for a look! 

- Curt

From Millsy: Oh wow! Such a contrasting set of minis and so much to love about each of them.

The Shinobi exudes menace in his all black with his matched weapons. I really struggle with getting variation in my blacks without them looking dirty or grey so you will have to share some tips!

The Matagi is all action and I think his cool palette is a great counterpoint. It makes him feel like he's having a Zen moment where he breathes out and settles himself as he prepares to shoot. Only someone in the right space could hold the draw on such a large bow.

And whilst the other two are wonderful the Geisha is my absolute favourite. The pastels and flowing clothing surrounded by smoke from her magic are wonderfully thematic. We understand so little about Geishas in the west and the ideal they are magical in the true sense and not just through our lack of understanding is a great twist.

15 gorgeous points for you mate!

From Curt: Lesser Oni (Kappa) for 'Hametsu' (50 Points)

In 'Hametsu' there are a wide assortment of villains with which the heroes have to overcome, ranging from the Oni, to the fearsome 'Bosses' and over-the-top 'Raid Bosses'.   The lowliest of the low are the Lesser Oni.  These are essentially the luckless mooks within the game's monster hierarchy. Individually they are fairly easy to dispatch, but if encountered in a mob (which invariably they are) they can be quite dangerous to an incautious adventurer.

The Hametsu figures from Black Site Studio are beautifully designed, but I find the cost of shipping to Canada is prohibitive. So begun the long process of looking for viable 3d proxies online (two of the heroes were in my previous post originated as stl files). During my search I came across a series of models from Sharedog Miniatures depicting Japanese water spirits called Kappa, which I think will make fun Lesser Oni for the game. 

In doing a bit of research I found that Kappa have a shallow depression on the top of their heads which holds a small pool of water. If this water is spilled, or dries up, it makes them weak and sluggish. Yes, how wonderfully odd! The list of defensive measures to ward against Kappa is quite lengthy (and rudely funny), so I suggest you look them up for a laugh if you have a moment.

I decided to give my Kappa a sort of tree frog look, so I used blends of vibrant Citadel Contrast and Vallejo Xpress paints over a white basecoat. Overall I'm happy enough with the effect and they should stand out well on the tabletop.

For those who are wondering, the yellow on the front base edge denotes their arc of vision, which is a big deal in 'Hametsu' which is all about keeping out of sight and timely ambushes. I chose the bright yellow as I'm planning on gaming with these online and I hope the colour will help with on-screen identification.

These 10 Kappa-Oni should give me 50 points to add to my tally. 

Thanks for dropping in for a look!

- Curt

***

Fantastic work as always Dude! It is always a pleasure to share your dive into new projects, particularly when they turn up things like water spirits! The whole pool-of-water-in-the-head thing is a mix of awesome, off-putting and supremely entertaining, and it seems particularly appropriate to use these wash-style paints to do these models - with fantastic results, as they look fantastic. And creepy. 

50 points for you. And now, when I spill my coffee, I will be thinking of these guys...

Greg