Reaper Bones Goblin Commander

Behold the Bones Goblin Commander.  All tremble in his wake!

This is another model from the Reaper Bones II Expansion Set #1.

This model was painted fairly quickly by my standards...in 6 or 7 hours.  I under painted him in shades of black, white and grey and then used glazes to bring in the color.  After I glaze a few layers, I usually drop in some more really dark shadows around borders of areas.  After that, I highlight the mini with glazes.

This mini will make a fine leader for my Bones goblins painted several years ago.  I sprayed the model with 2 layers of Dullcote to make sure it wont scratch during RPG sessions. 

Another monster model added to my army!

Reaper Bones Ice Troll

This mini came as part of Expansion Set #1 for the Reaper Bones Kickstarter II project.  I think that set had quite a few large monsters, which must be why I bought it.  I don't know exactly because my kids have ferreted away many of the good minis for their painting needs. Anyways, this ice troll throwing a chunk of ice is a really nice sculpt.

I did something new on this piece which I'm really excited about.  I primed the mini black.  I then under painted the mini in shades of black, white, and grey.  Next I painted on the colors in thin glazes, one after another using my Vallejo paints mixed with glaze medium. The results are very nice and the amount of time this saved me over my usual method of layering highlights is huge.  This mini only took me 8 hours, which for some of you is a lifetime, but for me this is like speed painting...

For the snow I just used a quick technique of mixing baking soda, white paint, and glue together and then brushing on.  It looks OK...not super.  This mini will go in the RPG figure box for use with our games.

I named him Krondar.

Otherworld Fighter

I present to the internet my version of the Otherworld fighter/warrior miniature that came in their Dungeon Adventurers pack for their Kickstarter.  I worked on this fellow about the same time as the thief, but stalled out on him quicker than I expected.  I think this is because of the monotony of painting all of that steel armor.  Color choices for grubby warriors are also limited.  I will say that painting the torch and trying to get a decent representation of fire was interesting.  I would like to practice that more often.

The mini looks better than these poor iPad pictures show, but you get the idea of my scheme for this guy. It may be time to get a portable light box.  He would be a great miniature for tabletop gaming...particularly Old School D&D.

One of the first things I did to these Otherworld miniatures before I primed them is to create some stone dungeon floor tiles on their bases.  I used green stuff that was very thinly rolled out to achieve the effect.  There was no need to go for symmetry on the tiles since the places this guy explores are bound to be old and decrepit.

These side views give you an idea of all the detail on these miniatures. They are loaded down with torches, bags, and backpacks.

Otherworld Thief

Below is my latest paint job...one of the Otherworld Miniatures thieves.  This fellow arrived a year ago in a shipment that was part of their Kickstarter.

I think he's great.  There is a lot of character in that face of his and his stance.  He's ready to sting anything that gets in his way.  The overflowing loot bag is also a nice touch.

I didn't spend too much time trying to perfect the loot bag or the boots because I get a bit of miniature fatigue when I paint player characters.  I don't have this issue with monsters...it is a weird condition so be thankful you don't have it.

The mini is supposed to look dirty and unshaven from being underground for a long time.  Also, I tried to make his face a reddish color to indicate that he has been drinking heavily on the adventure - I know I would if I had to loot a dungeon full of monsters.

Grenadier Lost Lands Human Cleric

This mini is another of several that I found in a bin at my local game store.  It is supposed to be a human cleric, and it comes from the Grenadier Lost Lands boxed set released in the early 1990's. The ears on this mini are pointed which leads me to think it is really a half-elf or even an elf.  Imagine an elf cleric in old school D&D.

 I noticed that a dwarf mini I had painted last year comes from the same boxed set, so I must really really like it.

I decided on a blue and silver color scheme for the cleric, with hints of gold around.  I assume he does not want to be flashy, but at the same time wants to look respectable and devout.  I added some freehand Celtic knot patterns to the bottom of his tunic for a little interest.

The freehand on the shield is not very well done, but I grew tired of the mini so I stopped perfecting it.  This is supposed to be the symbol of the D&D god Lathander...a road leading into the sunset.

Again I decided to use real metallic paints here.  I washed the hammer pick and shield with various Citadel washes to try and make them look aged and interesting.  The chain mail is bright silver as I was going for a shiny clean cleric look.

He will go in the case now as one of the brave adventurers trying to fight off all the monster minis I have painted.  It is very possible he could be used for gaming if someone in our group wanted a human cleric mini.

Reaper Bones II: Dragon Turtle!

In the early 1980s I was one of many  kids who were excited about a "new" game called Dungeons and Dragons that had actually been out there for a while. I think the reason for the excitement at that time was the release of the Advanced D&D books and the first Basic Set. The game was so popular in those days that I remember guys reading their books on the school bus and reading them at lunchtime in the library.  One of the favorite books for everyone to look at was the first Monster Manual.  I remember kids trying to find the most powerful monster or demon in the book ,and I also recall that everyone wanted to pick their favorite beast. For me, it was the Dragon Turtle. 

With the arrival of my Reaper Bones II minis, I finally own one of these amazing creatures.  Here it is all painted up.  I love this miniature - it  was very very enjoyable to paint.  Some may find painting all of the scales and horns on this mini a daunting task, but for some reason I could not get enough. In fact, I think I could keep painting and perfecting this guy for another month.

For the colors on the miniature, I wanted to go for a really fantastical palette that emphasized the strange, magical origin of this monster. It seemed appropriate to use bright colors that are not as natural for a lake dweller to have such s the teals or the purples.

The skin on this model began as a mix of dark green and dark blue as I was planning on going for a blue-green look.  However, something happened along the way.  I kept adding yellow to the highlights and I couldn't stop, so now the skin is very yellowish green.  I don't mind - it stands out on the table.

One plan that I did stick to was that the top of the shell would not be brown or any variation of brown.  I forced myself to use violet colors to give this monster a magical appearance and make it unique.

The rest of the monsters in the Reaper Bones II Expansion Pack 1 are very nice as well.  My next choice for painting may be a troll throwing a rock.

1990's Ral Partha Goblin

I present to you a Ral Partha Goblin from the 1990's.  This fellow has a very nice flail...I called it a morning star when I was a kid...but I think it is a flail.  He looks very devious...I really love the nose. 

I used Citadel Ironbreaker metal paint on this guy and some Citadel washes to kind of weather the metal a bit.

This goblin looks like he would have NO problem fighting dirty in the dungeon.  I think I'm going to call him "Cheap Shot".

I still have trouble trying to figure out what colors a goblin would wear... I opted for forest and earth tones.