Saturday 23 February 2013

Sherpas and Porters

I'll be needing some guides and porters to show the way and carry the expedition's equipment in their search for the Yeti.  I picked up some Copplestone sherpas (I still haven't painted the yaks) and some Pulp Figures porters in order to do just that!



The sherpas are from Copplestone's BU32 Tibetan Yak Caravan - it also comes with three baggage yaks, but I'll have to wait painting those as I don't have the right size of base for them.  The pack actually comes with a third sherpa, but it broke right in half when I was cleaning the flash on it!



I've NEVER had that happen before, and I've been cleaning figures for many, many years.  Mark Copplestone was great when I contacted him about it, and sent out a replacement right away.  Great service from Mark!





In a recent Pulp Figures order, I picked up a pack of Chinese Baggage Carriers.  They were very easy to paint and I had these done in no time.  The only funny thing that I noticed about two of the sculpts is that they have vampire teeth!



Maybe they're masquerading as porters, just waiting for their chance to strike! 

All of the miniatures were based on lipped bases filled with white putty and Woodland Scenics snow effect glued on top with white glue (in two coats).

Next week I'll have some demons and evil familiars for your viewing pleasure!

Sunday 17 February 2013

The Raven

While my wife was out with her friends last night, I sat down to watch The Raven.  I have had this movie for a while, but didn't get around to watching it until now.  I am always on the lookout for movies like these, with a great setting (especially the 19th century) and moodly atmosphere.

John Cusack was good as Poe, but not really as I imaged Poe to be in real life.  I always saw him as more of a depressed, antisocial sort of fellow.  But Cusack does LOOK quite a bit like him, which was great!



I thought the plot was okay - it's all been done before.  Copycat killer killing people like in his stories.  The movie was what I expected it to be - a good historical romp with a good setting.  If you like historical movies like this or are a Poe fan, check it out!


Saturday 16 February 2013

Cultist Characters

I am always on the lookout for miniatures that can be used as cultists.  I found a few from Reaper and Hasslefree



Firstly is Reaper's Khavith, Serpentfolk Evoker.  I really liked the look of him and thought of a cultist transformed by a dark ritual into something more than human.



Next up is Reaper's Velmarius Elazarin.  Something about the arms raised like he's casting a spell really caught my attention and I thought he'd be a good cultist character.



This is a bit of a curious one - Reaper's Dark Creeper.  I liked the look of him - he's shorter than the rest of the cultists, but I envisage him as a deformed character - maybe cast out by the "normal folk" and joined a cult in order to feel like he belongs somewhere.



Lastly, and by far my favourite of the bunch, is Hasslefree's Brooke.  I don't know who she is supposed to be, but I thought she had the look to be a great cultist assassin!  I like the hair in the face, which is similar-ish to the hood of the robes covering part of the face (like most of the other cultists).  I continued the grey and red theme, this time with blood on the blade of the knife and on the base.  I really like how the blood turned out.  I did the highlights in the hair with blue as I didn't want too much red on the miniature to take away from the blood.

Aside from the Dark Creeper, all of the miniatures are based on 30mm Regal Stone Bases from Model Display Products, by far my favourite of theirs.

Saturday 9 February 2013

More Arctic/Antarctic Explorers

I ordered a number of packs of Pulp Figures from Bob Murch a while ago and have been pretty exctied to paint them.  Here's the latest that I've completed:




The two miniatures on the left are from the Northland Adventurers pack, while the woman is from Tree-Line Tough Guys.  Like usual, my sad attempts at painting are especially noted when I look at the pictures and I can see all my mistakes!  Ah well, my days of spending ages on one figure so it looks fantastic are over.  I'm happy now with getting them done quick and on the table.




Next up are some "Mad Trappers of Rat River", which I might use as some thugs or tough guys in my miniature games...possibly ordinary crew hands.

All of the miniatures are based on 30mm Snow Terrain resin bases from Model Display Products

The Pulp Figures models are very easy to paint and I whipped out these guys in no time.  Highly recommended!

Thursday 7 February 2013

A Podcast to the Curious

A few months ago I discovered a podcast dedicated to the classic ghost stories of M.R. James, one of my favourite authors!  It's called A Podcast to the Curious and is run by two gentlemen from the UK.  Aside from enjoying their accents, they bring forth a lot of information about the story they are reviewing in the episode. 



I enjoyed listening to all of the previous episodes on my commute to work.  It was great having a little more detail added to the story and learning more about M.R. James as a person.




This podcast is highly recommended to those people, like myself, who enjoy those old ghost stories.

Sunday 3 February 2013

Arctic/Antarctic Explorers

A few weeks ago I ordered some miniatures from Pulp Figures, a company I'd always had on my radar but never picked up anything from them.  After seeing some of the models from their Yukon Peril range, I finally made the plunge and picked up a bunch.




The girl and dog at the end are from the Northland Adventurers pack, and the two on the left are from Tree-Line Tough Guys.  I really liked how this picture came out, and the miniatures were very easy to paint.  I think that Bob Murch really has gotten a lot better with his sculpting over time and that this range has some of his best sculpts yet!

The bases are from Model Display Products and I think they really add to the Arctic/Antarctic look (it also looks a lot like Alberta right now too!).

I'm working on some more Pulp Figures right now, so I should have more up next weekend.