My latest mini painting projects. I really need to get out the light box and do some glamour shots, as these iPhone pics off my desk makes them look like crap.
This pic is by request, because somebody on Facebook wanted to see how big my hands were in comparison to these things. I think the non-gamers, non-painters don’t realize how tiny these things are, but that’s what makes it a relaxing hobby for me.
These are all from Warmachine for my Mercenary army.
Epic Magnus
The Devil Dogs
A Buccaneer
The photos in the “how to paint” sections of the Warmachine books are just as bad at showing the size of these things. In particular, the “how to paint the eyes” section shows how to paint a pupil dot using photos that make the eyes look about five times bigger than they actually are. It looks easy in the photos. But when you look at the eyes on the actual figure…
It’s easy to forget how small 28mm figures are, even using the sample photos that the companies release.
Other scales have similar “Wow!” factors. You know you’re looking at someone with very steady hands if you spot lightning bolt insignia on their 15mm SS officers.
Mercs are my favorite faction. I have a Cygnar army, as well. I painted my Mercs Cygnarian blue and gold because, well! I like the color scheme and as far as Magnus is concerned, he was blue and gold first. And I save on paints.
Bear in mind that Larry’s hands are big enough to be weapons in their own right. Think Tetsubos with fingers.
🙂
Strangely enough, the GM for my Pathfinder tabletop game brought up Warmachine as we were wrapping up that night’s session. Never played it myself though. I played a little Warhammer 40k (aka ‘give all your money to Games Workshop’) but I’ve always been more of an roleplaying game kinda guy.
Are the mechanics for Warmachine very different?
Free Warmachine quickstart rules can be found here –
http://privateerpress.com/warmachine/the-game
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
And while you’re at the link, you might also want to check out the Hordes quickstart rules, which can be found in the appropriate section of the site. Hordes can essentially be viewed as a stand alone expansion of Warmachine, and lists in both games are designed to fight against each other.
Those Devil Dog look great! Sam’s face especially.
Is that top pic Rag Man?
All hail the International Lord of Hate, whose desk is made of solid granite, and whose army grows every weekend!
Dang, Larry, you have huge hands…
I know how big those Mercs are (for those that don’t, that round base the dude is standing on is 30mm, or about an inch and a quarter, in diameter), and they don’t look that small in *my* hands!
Every time you post one of these, I am amazed at the detail you manage. Miniatures were something I always admired; seeing your posts really emphasizes the level of patience and skill and very steady hands the painters have.
The size of your hands vs the figure just hammers it home. Like the tetsubo. ^_^
As someone who does *not* have steady hands, you’d be surprised at the level of detail that pretty much anyone can achieve. Yes, having steady hands helps. But no one should ever feel that they can’t achieve at least good results without steady hands. The trick is knowing and understanding the various techniques that will allow you to draw out the details.
No one should ever feel put off by their inexperience or fear of failure on a miniature. Anyone can achieve results that are at least passable.
Having said that, Larry’s results appear to be more than “passable”. For instance, the goggles on the middle figure in the third picture show good ability with the fine details.
No, nobody should; after all, practice is what helps one learn. Though, I should note that miniatures are not a ‘thing’ I play, and I have plenty of expensive, time consuming hobbies and interests as it is. ^_^; I can appreciate the skill involved though!
Larry – awesome work as always! Have you ever gone back and re-visited your G.I. Joe scaled customs?
One reason I ask is that there is an already-funded (but still pushing for sweet stretch goals) kick starter out there by a small group of artists/sculptors called Boss Fight Studio. They are making a line of 4″ action figures, and the toys that are in this kickstarter seem right up your alley. You let me post the link when some friends at Marauder held a prior KS (for the 1/18 scale weapons), and I am hoping you’ll share this one also. BTW, the people producing these are top notch professionals – they are already pros doing freelance work for Hasbro and others. This might just be the future of toy collecting (and they are already planning future waves of Fantasy and Sci-Fi figures).
The link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/813878470/boss-fight-studios-vitruvian-hacks-action-figures/?ref=kicktraq
Cool. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check it out.
I’ve not done any action figures since the MHI ones I did. I’ve been so into the mini painting that I’ve been distracted. 🙂
I know the feeling. It’s nice to get immersed into and focus on just one of these kinds of outlets, although you somehow are capable of immersion into many all at once! As for Boss Fight Studios, I’m thinking you might need to look them up on Facebook to see the preview drawings of the future waves to come after this kickstarter. Thanks Larry!