Niyaf the Slave Girl and the Vizier of Morabia

I've added two new miniatures to the Harwood Hobbies Sinbad store. 

First up is Niyaf the Slave Girl:

Secondly is the Vizier of Morabia:

Both are in the store at 15% off!  Both are painted by Stone Cold Lead and sculpted by James Van Schaik.

Mounties!

Being Canadian, I had to get some of the Mounties done by Bob Murch at Pulp Figures.  I think these are Northwest Mounted Police of the early 1900's.

These were very easy to paint, but I almost forgot the yellow stripes on the pants!  All of the bases are from Model Display Products.

Last Days by Adam Nevill

OH MY GOD!  I loved this book.  I haven't been wowed by a book in a long time, so I thought I'd post it on my blog to let everyone who reads my weekly blatherings about it!

Here's the summary:

They visit after dark and they never let go . . .

When indie filmmaker, Kyle Freeman, is offered a deal to make a documentary about a notorious cult, an opportunity to avoid both bankruptcy and obscurity is finally on the table.

Led by the infamous Sister Katherine, The Temple of the Last Days reached its bloody endgame in the Arizona desert in 1975. Ever since, rumour and speculation about the group’s mystical secrets and paranormal experiences have lain half-concealed behind a legacy of murder, sexual deviancy and imprisonment.

The shoot’s locations take Kyle and his one-man crew to the cult’s original bases in London, France and finally to the desert crime scene where the cult self-destructed in a night of ritualistic violence. But when Kyle interviews the remaining survivors, who haven’t broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events and unexplained phenomena plague the production. And what exactly is it they are managing to record in any place the Temple once resided?

Troubling out-of-body experiences and nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artefacts soon pitches Kyle into the unnerving realisation that he is entangled in the cult’s hideous vestiges.

And whenever the old friends call, there’s no light, no warning and no mercy . . .

This book really reminded me of the movie The Ninth Gate.  The atmosphere is very creepy, and the interviews with the former cultists really suck you in!

If you like spooky horror and a great story, check this one out!

Cult Leader

When I saw this miniature, I knew it had to be the leader of my cultists.  He's a big fella, as the picture below shows.  The miniature is Reaper's Pactmaster of Katapesh.

I have to admit that I got about half way through painting him and stopped, distracted with something new to paint.  I didn't want to add too many colours to him, as all of the other cultists have the limited colour palette of red and greys (with the odd brown mixed in).  The other two cultists were a bit rushed as well, but painted up easily.

The two human-sized cultists are the remaining two from the Pulp Figures pack I bought a while ago.  All of the bases are from Model Disply Products.

I've been working on some other Pulp Figures miniatures, their old-school Mounties - I'll post pictures of them next week.  And I think that's all of this style of cultists I will be doing for a while, but will be working on another type of cultist in the near future...

Yeti Hunters

I have always had a fascination with the Yeti.  When I saw the Courageous Mountaineers pack from Pulp Figures, I knew I had to get it!  They were perfect for Yeti hunters!

I had a blast painting these, and really pumped them out in no time - I just wish there were more miniatures like them...
I like how the girl came out - the orange really makes her stand out and the eyes turned out well.

The bases are from Model Display Products, which are highly recommended.

If you're looking for some movie inspiration, have a look at the movie The Abominable Snowman with Peter Cushing!  It's one of my favourites.

A while ago I read Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti by Loren Coleman.  I hadn't heard of Tom Slick before, and it was an interesting read.

Cultists, Dapper Man, Big Game Hunter and Devil Girl

I had a bit more free time last week, and managed to get through a few more cultists, an old Spyglass miniature, and two gentleman hunters.

I started painting some of the cowled cultists from Pulp Figures that I picked up a short time ago.  I almost have the other two finished as well, and will but them up soon.  I haven't started the little lectern that comes with the pack, but will probably finish it sometime when I want to paint something different/easy.

I used the usual grey and red combo, with some brown for the pants (which matches the colour of the book as well).  The bases are 30mm Regal Stone Bases from Model Display Products.  I think I enjoy their bases the most of all the ones I've tried so far!

I forgot I had this miniature!  I dug it out along with the she-demon a post or so ago.  I believe it is an old Spyglass figure, and don't know if it is sold anymore.  I'll be needing some demons/devils and this girl fits the bill!  The base is from Fenris Games (another great base manufacturer).  I like how the eyes turned out on her.

These last two chaps I have no idea where they are from!  I thought they were Copplestone, but couldn't find them on the site.  Anyway, here they are:

If I remember correctly, the bases are from Fenris Games. 

Next week we'll have the entire pack of Pulp Figures' Courageous Mountaineers to add to my even growing collection of Yeti hunters!

Ravenous

I picked up the movie Ravenous a few years ago but never got around to watching it...until now.  My wife was out with her family and I thought I'd watch it, as she probably wouldn't like it. 

I didn't know what to expect going into it - I knew it had cannibalism or something as part of the plot, but didn't know how far it would go!

I won't give anything away, but if you like historical movies (1840's) set in a desolate environment (mountainous California in winter), with great acting and lots of blood and guts, give this movie a try.

R.I.P. Tamara David

The last two weeks have been tough.  First we came home and found my mother-in-law Tamara unresponsive on her bed.  We called the ambulance and after a week found out that she wasn't going to make it.

I will miss my friend Tamara, who didn't have a bad bone in her body.  I will miss playing cards with her and her great sense of humour.  It is so sad to see someone so young and kind pass away - I will miss you.

Demons and Evil Familiars

This week I've got something a bit different for you - a she-demon, Chupacabra, and two little demonic familiars.

After seeing a painted version of a Celtos miniature on eBay, I dug out my primed version of that miniature and set about to painting it!  Sadly, it has been sitting in my primed pile for about 8 years or so.

The version I saw on eBay had a green skin-tone, and I really liked the look if it, so I emulated it on mine.  I really like how the eyes turned out on her.  The base is one of the 30mm Ruined Flagstone resin bases from Fenris Games.

Next up is a Chupacabra from Reaper.  I don't know much about Chupacabras, but he looked cool and demonic so I picked him up.

I had to raise him up from the inset of the base to avoid covering up his feet with basing material.  I put down some plasticard and used a 2-part epoxy to cement him there (I couldn't pin the feet like I usually do).  I filled the base with white putty and put on some sand.  A very simple base, but I put some leaf litter on the ground to spice it up a bit.  Like the she-demon, I like how the eyes came out - simple but effective!

I felt like doing something quickly, so I grabbed some familiars I bought a long time ago. 

Both are from Reaper's Familiar Pack XI (I still haven't worked on the third miniature in the pack, but probably will soon).  Both are on 20mm bases and I just spread a bit of white putty on the base to provide a bit of texture.  I really like how the green one turned out and is my favourite!  I don't think the purple on is supposed to have an eye in the middle of his head, but I kept it there as it made him stand out.

Finally, here is a picture of them all:

Harwood Hobbies update:

I've added a few concept pictures up on www.harwoodhobbies.com