Saturday 14 March 2015

From DavidB - 'Myth'....just a little late (120 Points)


I finally completed the Oliphant, and you can see he is giving me the stink-eye for the delay. I took a different turn with him and painted him and his amigos in another paint scheme different than the movie. I used GW scaly green(lord knows if it is around anymore or what name it has now) It's a very pretty dark jade and I only got it to give some of my 40k Inquisitors a flashy punch (they ain't painted either) I used a blue ink wash and swooping hawk turquoise for shade and highlight. unfortunately you can't see it in the photos very well, but it did highlight the green very well. You also won't be able to see the six different greys used on his hide! I'm really miffed that didn't come out...my blending isn't that good, it's almost nonexistent! ;)

I've a whole bunch of Harad ready to go in the traditional colors  (block yet not finished) they have an officer and a standard. The Oliphant is such a large and fearsome beast that it counts as a standard and hero in an army (or so I've been told). I figured he and his entourage would be like a tribe showing off their beastie, like a hotrod! ;)


He isn't fearful of much with a howdah packed with archers and spearmen guarding his flanks. Unless someone throws a LED bouncy ball and summons the wild pack of lab mixed breeds anyway!


I have been practicing with gold NMM with the Harad. It's still progressing. I gave them the grey robe to match the Oliphant, jade green sashes and turbans, then brown and off white pants and inner robes. It was a bit of a chore finding where each layer of clothing started and ended as the detail does get soft on the sides. some of the archers reaching for arrows have slabs for hands with no fingers.. must be part of a Harad ritual in following the dark lord. Maybe they are archers because they can't hold a spear with a slab hand!?


They do have a lot of movement though and I think they will do fine till Legolas appears!


The boss mini is pretty neat, but he is missing fingers too. Still he looks almost as imposing as his charge does.


I did finally find the missing support...this morning in fact! It is the left one in the front and is still wet from glue and paint.


I gave him a worn spot on the left side of his head as he did take a tumble. It wasn't five layers of grey but four of flesh tones to give him a nice pinkish tone.


I also applied the layers around his body where the straps and ropes would rub. I imagine the weight would leave wear and tear on him. He is now done and repaired and it is the fastest turnaround on a damaged model ever in this house (I usually like to sulk and rage for a few months.. or years)

I'd say more, but I'm off to apply block colors on the most antihero army of them all!

I'm working the next three days, but I am off Wed and Thurs and hope to submit before the clock winds down. I'll catch up on what everyone else is up to during work breaks.
Back to the brushes I go!

- One wicked Oliphant (I really hate painting tanks)
- twenty-two Harad


From Curt:

Wow, what a cracking job you've done David, and it's made even more so after the Lab altercation.

The shading of the Oliphant's hide and tusks looks absolutely terrific and I really like the texture/shading of the straps and howdah as well. (And he DOES look like he's giving the world the 'stink eye'!).

Great stuff in getting him repaired and completed. It's an incredibly impressive model. Congrats David!

25 comments:

  1. Really great. Love the Oliphant.

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    1. Thank you, Martin! I'm going to be using him shortly against my kids' fellowship party. With Aragorn in the mix, I'll probably need more orcs!

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  2. Great job, a beastie I must get done myself sometime!

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    1. Thank you, Scott! He is a brute, and killed one of my brushes! ;)

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  3. Excellent work David and a great recovery from the Lab experiment :)

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    1. Ha! I see what you did there! ;)
      Thank you, Tamsin! Thankfully most of the breakage was the joins...and Tusks! At least I had the colors blocked in before it was smashed! ;)

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  4. Fantastic painting David, I really like this.

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    1. Thank you, Peter! This model is the whole reason you field Harad!

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  5. Just impressed the family showing this to them, great work

    Ian

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    1. Thank you, Ian! My kids are laying odds on which one will "slay" it first! ;)

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    1. Thank you, Ray! I gotta find a safe shelf for him now...away from squeaky balls! ;)

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  7. Impressive job, well done.

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    1. Thank you, Dave! Now I gotta finish up the rest of the Harad!

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    1. Thank you! I'm very glad he is completed and no longer waiting repairs!

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  9. absolutely fantastic - the skin tone is top notch.

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    1. Thank you! For his size I had to keep backing away from him to see the whole effect. I wish my camera didn't hide the layers as much as it did! ;)

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  10. One of the great things about the Challenge is the diversity of projects being carried out by people. It has been a joy to see so much LOTR figures completed and this is the cherry on that particular cake. Well worth the wait.

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    1. Thank you, Clint! There has been a lot of really good LotR stuff submitted! I'm glad my Oliphant is part of it. Now I have to finish the rest of the dark armies I have! ;)

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  11. My hat is off to you good sir. What a great way to cap off what was a very unofficial "LotR" challenge!

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    1. Thank you, Dave! He may be late, but at least he beat the tulips! ;)

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  12. Thank you,Curt! He is going to have a place of pride with my minis on the shelf. My kids are excited to have him finished too, they will be hunting him shortly! ;)

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