From ColeF - Devils, Demons, And Dervishes (45 Points)

 

I am  a man with a hearty backlog of miniatures. I'm sure absolutely no one here can understand. I'm sure none of you have mountains of unopened packages of grey plastic, sprues that haven't even been clipped or graced with the touch of glue, or entire armies that sit primed and unloved.

Okay, maybe that's all of us, but I'm trying to be better, which leads me to my first ever post!

I dug deep into my pit of unpainted shame and threw some paint till I felt nice.

First we have two minis from Dungeon Saga by Mantic Minis, from way back in 2014. I brushed off the dust and painted this demon guy, and this ghostly ghost guy. Do I know their proper names? NO. Have I ever even played a SINGLE game of Dungeon Saga, a game I so desperately needed to back with all of my heart and wallet almost a decade ago? Also no.

But the minis have great depth, simple details, with not a lot of excessive bits and bobs, and I enjoyed painting them. Is it worth the 2014 Kickstarter FOMO I bought into? Please stop asking these questions, they make me uncomfortable.

Second we have a Dervish for Battletech, printed in Resin. I mostly dipped a toe into Battletech because I missed painting Sci Fi miniatures, and I must say that the official Catalyst minis, as well as the numerous STLs available online are a treat to paint, plus I get to practice edge highlighting.

Last but not least is Oloch Iconic Warpriest from Reaper, from their Pathfinder line of minis. I've had him and several other Pathfinder Pewter minis sitting on my desk for close to a decade, and they're some of my favorite sculpts, literally ever. As a result, I've always felt nervous to paint it up, as I didn't think I'd do it justice. I feel like I'll come back to him in the future and add some extra details on his back banners, but I'm calling him done for now.

Thanks for having me in this challenge and encouraging me to slay my grey. Love seeing all the submissions every day.

Cole

Points Totals

3x 28mm Assorted = 15 Points
1x 54mm Demon =  10 Points
Overdues and Returns = 20 Points

Sylvain: Great first post Cole! The colors are rich and deep and you brought out lots of volume in your miniatures. You offer a great variety of figurines and I will be looking forward to see what comes up next from your paint station.

If you cold provide a map of your progress in the library, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From PeterB: Animal Companions (20 points)

I thought I was done, then I had a brief surge of painting energy and finished off these. They are from Archon Studios (same peeps that make the Masters of the Universe range) and are in a similar hard plastic. Like the rest of their models these multi parts go together really well. They are from the Animal Companion set, 24 various models of creatures for fantasy or sci-fi, including dogs, cats, mimics and monkeys. 

They come with their own various scenic bases which are specific to the model (No switching around unfortunately) sometimes the feet of the creature is part of the base.

I painted up the sci-fi dog as a tribute to Gus, Miles' dog. So I shall use this opportunity to say thank you to Miles for his hard work being my minion for this year.

So, that's four 28 models at 5 points. That takes me over the 1000 points mark, an acceptable result I think, considering I really thought I was only gonna just make my 500 point target.

From TeemuL: What a nice bunch of animals, Peter! I'm sure Miles is delighted to see these. And it was nice to be a companion to you on the Wednesday for Lotr crew. :) And next time you know to aim higher!

From TeemuL: Quintet of Heroes [Sarah's Star Yacht] (45 points)

Quick post today. I guess I could backtrack my way to Mars, but why bother when we can use a comfortable Star Yacht?

These are bendy plastic Pathfinder minis, I intended to buy these for my son to paint, but he found them too detailed. So off we go and collect another squirrel with these rather quick Contrast jobs. Also, writing with phone, terrible experience... There are two female oracles and fighters with a single male monk.

From Millsy:

Another post packed full of colour and character Teemu and a great way for you to round out your Challenge. They're all wonderful but I particularly like the monk, with his beautiful bronzed skin tone and wickedly curved blade.

Thanks for sharing your creativity with us this year mate. It has been a blast and I have enjoyed each and every one of your submissions. 45 points it is to add to you tally!

From LeeH - Kights Solar - Paladin with Elemental Sword

At last, I have reached the Third Level of the Chambers of Challenge. It's taken a while to reach it, but every stage has been interesting and fun so I'm not complaining. Now we get to the most challenging rooms and I'm starting off with my entry for the Kights Solar. The brief says "A chamber for painting Kights of all kinds, and their knightly deeds, loves, pastimes and quests". Hmm, the ultimate expression of Kightly piety in the fantasy world is the Paladin and I had the perfect model for that.

This warrior ventured into the frozen city of Felstad in search of a fabled elemental sword. He has been searching for it in lost scrolls and ancient texts for many years and now he has found it. His Quest is over...but first he must make it out of the city alive.

This is a 28mm Ral Partha Figure from their Pathfinder range and looks particularly heroic. The casting is wonderfully clean and the face was so well sculpted it was a joy to paint. Once again I have based it for use in my Frostgrave games (really must venture back there soon).

(Scoring - 1x28mm Figure + CoC Bonus = 25 Points)

SebastianR: The Aviary

Short and sweet post here, this is the miniature I originally bought and imported at great expense, only to leave it unpainted and ignored until I got a more suitable miniature (painted for last years challenge).

I think he scrubs up nicely actually, for a mini I was also dreading painting.

Actually also surprisingly appropriately armed for my archaeologist, and posed in such a way that it looks like he's casting a spell.

25 points all in?

From SimonM: "Wizkids" Rolling Oil and Yochlols (20 Points)

This 45mm tall pre-painted plastic model of some Rolling Oil is produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 029 from their Ruins of Lastwall range of "Pathfinder Battles" figures. "A magical compound of pitch and alchemist’s fire", the "volatile and dangerous ooze... hunts in subterranean tunnels and even city sewer systems and waterways for animal and vegetable material to consume."

"Thick, viscous, and resembling a glistening spread of black wax" the mutable creature was re-based upon a "Games Workshop" 50mm circular base and primed using a double layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The Rolling Oil was then enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, before being drenched with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Alongside this "usually mindless" monster, I have also pigmented a trio of Yochlols, which are also by "Wizkids", and can be bought as miniature number 012 from their Storm King's Thunder range of "Dungeons & Dragons" models. A chaotic evil creature, this shape-changing demon were able to slam "away at their foes with their numerous tentacles", and introduced in the 1980 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" game adventure module, Queen of the Demonweb Pits by David C. Sutherland III (with Gary Gygax).

"A type of lesser tanar'ri demon", which were also known as Handmaidens of Lolth, each figure was super-glued to a 25mm circular base, and originally undercoated with some "Vallejo" Heavy Goldenbrown. However, due to the rubbery texture of the Yochlols' figure, this extra opaque Game colour simply didn't take to its surface, so in the end I applied a couple of helpings of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

Once this had dried, I then re-applied the "Vallejo" Heavy Goldbrown once again, and subsequently shaded each 'handmaiden' with an old pot of "Citadel" Gryphonne Sepia. This seemed to pool really well amongst all the sculpts' soft details, and create precisely the yellow, oozy, effect I was after to suggest how their "bodies seemed to be constantly melting and piling back up like a sickening living candle." Later, I gave each miniature a rough dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Goldbrown and 'picked out' their eyes using a combination of Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Really cool stuff Simon, the shading is fab on the tree thingy and a bizarre oil slick is a 1st for me
top work

Martin

From SebastianR: Vermillion, Pathfinder Character (35 Points)

"Look mate, 'e's go' a floppy 'at, what else do y'need?" Geezer sniffed and wiped his nose.

He flicked an uncertain look at me. The guardian of the sandhill looked, likewise, uncertain.

I cradled the foot long idol in my arms as the awkward silence spooled out.

The tribute demanded by the guardian had taken a while to recover. The first one had snapped off at the legs. A second had also snapped at the legs, but this time it had been a clumsy acquaintance rather than myself.

The guardian licked his lips and coughed. "The donnybrook theme was very clear."

"e's a fantasy bird form a fantasy land ma'. With the elves an' goblins an' all tha' nerdy stuff. Look I'm no' 'ere to judge. Maybe he was figh'in' one of them wars bu' wif gandalf or summat."

"It could at least have a badger" muttered the guardian, clearly in retreat.

"e's go' a rat. It's basically a tiny badger."

We shook on it and I handed over the idol, paid geezer his fee and began my climb towards the top of the Sandhill.

***

So this is Vermillion, my other Pathfinder character, this time for Pathfinder Society. He's a Tengu Archaeologist (the horrible misnaming of what is effectively an arcane rogue) and was also procured in return for beer cider. The comments about it breaking aren't a joke. The first print, I managed to break while block colouring. The second was crushed by a fellow player. Those legs are... not robust.

The spell effect in his left hand is my best impression of the shiny spell effects I see on various fantasy models. I think it's passable.

In other news, I got a marco lens. For my my phone. It cost like 10 quid off eBay and the effects are... interesting.

I basically got it in lieu of putting together a proper photography set up, which I don't really have space for.

Pros, I dont need to crop the photos afterwards.

Cons, not significantly better than cropping photos after the fact, closer photos means higher res means my mistakes are bigger, probably made by child-slave-labour.
 

So that's 35pts methinks; 30 for the challenge and 5 for the mini.

***
Hi Sebastian - wow, a lot going on with one figure! I enjoyed the story, but breaking three times...yikes! On the plus side, the brushwork here is very, very sharp on a very cool looking figure.  The spell effect is pretty neat in particular, and works wells with a character working along something as cool-sounding as the "Pathfinder Society".  I've enjoyed looking this up online, and it will help me delay doing work for at least another couple of hours :)

And your new lens helps us appreciate your work. I sympathize when it comes to those who find taking photos frustrating - the lighting is almost always a hassle. But the notion of a macro lens for the iPhone is pretty cool, something I should look into. As long as it's only "probably" made by slave labour...

35 points for you, well done. 

GregB

From SebastianR: Off The Beaches (40 points)

The verdant coastal region gave way quickly to a dry and dusty plain. During my travels it became rapidly apparent that the islands biomes made little geographic sense and appeared to run on dream logic.

The land here was pockmarked with what appeared to be crashed spaceships and odd mechanical mega-fauna roamed the land, belching flame and generally causing a nuisance.

I fell into the company of an itinerant gunslinger who had harnessed the advanced technological bounty of this land and had made it his mission to destroy powerful and dangerous entities he referred to as the Iron Gods.

Our trail led us through a series of great rocks that had been hard enough to survive whatever natural or unnatural forces had weathered the plain. Eventually we came to a great mesa which I scaled so I could take readings with the phlebotimiser and wonder at the islands interior laid out below me. The phlebotimiser packed in within five minutes.

***

So technically I purchased this miniature with beer, but it was after the challenge was announced and beer is a currency so here we are.

Heroforge is really too expensive to justify buying anything from, especially once you factor in import duty which I'm told can be extortionate. Turns out, however, that I have a friend with a 3D printer, and it also turns out that expressing skepticism about the quality of consumer 3D printers in front of a certain type of 3D printer owner will trigger a kind of a defensive response that may lead you to getting some prints done as proof, for the cost of a pint or so.

This is Atticus von Hotzmann, my Techslinger from our ongoing Iron Gods Pathfinder campaign. Yes, he is a fantasy RPG character, despite the noticeably non-fantasy weaponry. I tried  my best to balance the design to meet the Conan meets Mad Max a e s t h e t i c (sic) of Numeria region of Golarion, but in all honesty I think I went too far into sci-fi - flintlock pistol notwithstanding. My original design had a renaissance-ish style helmet on and my fellow players mocked it (quite cruelly IMO) by singing the Whalers on the Moon song from Futurama.

I'm not entirely pleased with the colour I picked for the Proximity Helmet he's wearing, but I wanted something that stood out against his other gear. I might repaint it later.

There are two different prints as I couldn't choose between them, that's fine as Atticus is now packing a figurative golf bag full of ranged weapons.

***

Points: 30 for the challenge and 10 for 2 28mm foot miniatures.

MilesR: Sebastian - two fine figures in this submission and there is nothing wrong with mixing in figures with advanced weaponry into classic RPGs.  Of course I run a convention game entitled "DAK and Dragons" so may be biased.  I am amazed at the growing quality of 3d and resin printed figures/terrain and think we're probably 5 years away from that being one of the major ways we all increase of lead or PLA piles.  40 points for you!

From HerrRobert: Constantinus Prodromus (5 points)

My last entry for Painting Challenge IX is a mini for an NPC I used in a Pathfinder campaign: Constantinus Prodromus, a gnome fighter.

The build was based entirely around the armament of the mini, which I found entirely by accident. He's armed with a spear, carries a tower shield, and wears a breastplate and helmet. He's very much a tank, with Armor Class 23, despite his small stature (3'4" tall, weighting 42 pounds). 

He was a major player in a party of wizards clearing out the mines at Rashtan, and is usually seen in the company of a gnome illusionist/thief, amusingly called Bubbles the Executioner.

The mini itself is from Stonehaven Miniatures, and goes for a very hefty $11.99 on Amazon. I splurged a year ago, purchasing a gnome thief, two halfling barbarians, a halfling cleric and a half orc bard. Paint is on several of them, but only Constantius will be finished when the Snowlord calls brushes down. I'd partially thought they'd be my fellowship entry, but instead they languish in paint table purgatory.

He's been done since almost the challenge began, but has been waiting to post. I, personally, found this to be a very difficult mini to paint. Partially because of how small it is, and partially because some elements just did not flow well at all. I went more Macedonian than Greek in my palate, trying to echo the Companion cavalry or the phalangites.

The armored skirt, frankly, was a nightmare. I tried white on black, which failed. I tried the top color white, which failed. Finally, I had to paint the whole thing Reaper Leather White, then Vallejo Offwhite, then hit it with Vallejo's pale gray wash. I'm still not satisfied, but it's done. 

I also wanted the cloak and the crest to be purple from the get go. Purple and white is a combination I have found goes well together on a mini. This was my first experience using Army Painter's Purple Wash, so I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. As you saw with my previous posts, I've gotten better at painting purple.

The bronze of his cuirass, helmet and shield was pretty easy, but the ears and many crevasses made everything fiddly.

I deliberately kept the base simple, since most Pathfinder mats are usually just sketched out grids.

So, another five points, which should push me over the top to my raised challenge target of 300, and a personal Best Ever for the five challenges I participated in.

Huzzah, or whatever gnomes shout before bashing you with their shield.

_______________________________

Haha, great work Robert. Gnomes often get a short shrift (excuse the pun) in fantasy games, so it's nice to see one claiming a bit of the spotlight here. I also like that he's working the whole hoplite/tank angle. AC 23 and in the front rank taking the hits. That's a tough nut indeed - a very cool mini for a very cool character. Well done. 

- Curt