Wednesday 4 January 2017

WEDNESDAY from BillA - The Cult of Set (55 points)

I've been sitting on these figures for a while, and decided to take them out of the lead pile and finish them up.  I've been a fan of the 1982 CONAN THE BARBARIAN movie for years - it's Arnold's best, bar none, and James Earl Jones excels as the villainous Thulsa Doom.  So when I saw that Dark Fable Miniatures had a Kickstarter of the Cult of Set, I knew I had to back it.  Having backed a prior Dark Fable Kickstarter, I was able to score a bonus "Prophet of Set" figure in Jones' likeness.

Group shot
"What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?"

The cultists, Doom and Priest of Set are from the Kickstarter, and the two axe-wielding guardsmen I purchased separately from Dark Fable to round out a potential warband for Frostgrave or Broken Legions.  Finally, the Medusa and Giant Snake are from Reaper; the Giant Snake I'm particularly proud of, I feel like I really captured the coloration of the giant snake from the film.





All in all that's 11 28mm figures for 55 points.

ByronM: I always loved that movie, it doesn't hold up awfully well, but I still love it.  These figs really capture the essence of the characters from the movie, and you paint job works well on them, especially the darker skin tones, you can instantly tell who he is. The pattern on the snake is also nice.  Maybe its just the lighting, but I think the white cloaks could use a bit of grey in the folds for definition.  Maybe it is there already though and the photos don't show it. Also was there no Conan with the set?  It was just the cult?  Or was he part of the earlier set you got?

22 comments:

  1. Well done Bill. I like the addition of the snake!

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  2. There are figures of Conan, Subotai and Valeria from the film, just in a different pack. I just picked two packs of Set cultists for my reward.

    I may go back over the white with a wash of pale khaki to bring out the definition of the folds; gray I think would look too "cold" and less like natural fibers bleached white.

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    1. Good call on the khaki or tan instead, see once you said it, it works and makes sense. I am horrible with colour theory though.

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  3. Having never heard of Dark Fable miniatures I am looking them up when I stop typing. Excellent job on the painting it really does evoke the feel of the film.

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    1. Some of the figures have odd proportions - one of the two guards and one of the cultists have extra short legs compared to their torsos and arms, for example, and female figures often have incredibly buoyant, erm, "tracks of land," but you can see how much character is in every sculpt.

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  4. I watched this movie so many times. Fun entry and well done. I believe you have answered the riddle of steel.

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  5. very nice looking set, well painted

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  6. Love the vibrant colours, very well painted

    Ian

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  7. That movie gets quoted all the time in our gaming group! Love the models, you've done a great job bringing them to life!

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  8. "Rule 34: I will not turn into a snake. It never helps."
    ; )
    Lovely work, Bill!

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  9. These figs, as well as your brushwork, are quite true to the spirit of the film. I always thought that Thulsa Doom was one of the odder villains, JEJ's performance sometimes looked like he was either stoned or wanting badly to be elsewhere.

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    1. He was one of the few experienced, professional actors in the film; this was Arnold's big break (other than Pumping Iron), Gerry Lopez was a surfer and Sandahl Bergman was a dancer at the time, not an actress. Wonder if that had something to do with it?

      But I agree, having a David Koresh-style cult leader as the villain in a sword and sorcery film is very odd :)

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  10. Awesome retro vibe. Love it.

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  11. One of the coolest entries yet! Absolutely love em!

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  12. Love 'em, can think of a few uses for these wonderful cultists.

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  13. Crom! By the riddle of steel those are very, very cool. Awesome! Thanks for posting this one. cheers

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  14. Been forever since I saw the film, but could immediately know what it was after seeing Earl there... great work!

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