Another Zombicide commission complete!

Here's the latest Zombicide models I've painted for a client in Singapore! Must say I was pretty flattered when he chose me for the commission, as I'm sure there are plenty of miniature painters a lot close to him than Ireland!

Sadly the photographs don't do these models justice but the overall effect is there. My D60 is out of commission at the mo, in for repair and a much needed clean, so I had to make do with the wife's ipad... and it's a bit awkard trying to take pics with that thing to say the least. Or maybe me and technology just don't mix and I should just stick to painting. :)

In the past I've kept the bases pretty simple; a road tarmac effect with a simple black edge or the added on Dark Age deep bases, but this time around, as per the client's request, I painted the edges of the bases the appropriate designated colours of the Survivors and Zombivors. And I have to admit it looks pretty darn cool. Definitely makes them stand out a little more and will be easier to pick out on the gaming table.

Anyway who's excited for season 2!? I've got a whole horde of them on order and I'm hoping we get the "dispatched" notices this week and with a bit of luck be able to get painting by the beginning of September. I'm looking forward to the new sculpts of the zombies, that's not to say I'm not excited for the characters - but there are sooooo many to chose from - and since you have to paint more zombies that characters it'll be nice to have more variety.

Oh and yes, I am already accepting commissions for season 2 - so if you were thinking of getting your models painted you'd better get in before the rush if you want them painted before Christmas!

The forgotten Skycutter!

Ooops! I completely forgot to post the other big bird that was a part of the High Elf commission. So here it is. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to use the Corsec rods for this model since you need two of them and what with them needing to be screwed in, well of course it wasn't going to work. However the two normal rods provide enough stability and is helped along too with a magnet connecting the two parts together.

Talking of magnets, all of the figures are magnetised and can be removed or switched around. I think I might be a little obsessed with magnets! But damn, they are awesome!

I've been fortunate to have received a commission for another Skycutter which I'm really looking forward too - and next time I'll try not to forget to post the photos!

High Elf Phoenixes with better flight stands!

Games Workshop's new phoenix models are plenty impressive in their sheer scale and flair. The kits are versatile and easily magnetised for removable riders and even comes with an additional Lord on foot which I was not expecting. 

I had the opportunity to paint two of these models as part of a commission: one as a Flamespyre and the other as Frostheart. The only glaring problem with the kits are the provided ball and socket acrylic flight stands. After painting had been completed it proved difficult to take any decent photos of the final models. In this specific case I could not use glue to permanently fix the ball of the flight stand to the model (the models needed to be shipped to the client) and as we all know GW fixed flight stands are prone to breaking due to their brittle nature. The design of the flight stand, without any sort of permanent fixative, is fundamentally flawed given the weight of the model and the positioning of the socket, this is without even adding on top the rider at the head.

So, I was not happy to complete the commission without providing a suitable solution. And so this is where Corsec Engineering came into play as they produce a wide range of robust and versatile flight stand solutions for a variety of game systems; I first discovered this awesome company for Dystopian Wars for their big heavy flying machines. 

For the phoenixes I used the Omni-Stand Rods, with small mounts in the existing flight base with a moutning peg in the actual body of the birds. (You can choose from many different fittings depending on your needs.) The rods are screwed into these pegs making it easy to put together and dismantle for transit and storage purposes, while still providing a solid and secure gaming piece.

You can probably fix the pegs numerous different ways, but my method for the attaching the regular peg to the body of bird simply involved using a 3mm drill bit to drill through the exisiting socket allowing the peg to fit inside the tail of the bird and securing it with superglue and greenstuff. For the base, to avoid drilling, I used a small mount (no peg) that simple sat in the indent of the hole and glued it and greenstuffed it in and added a bit of texture to the surface. 

And without further ado, here are some photos of them all completed with their new stands. :)

Loremaster of Hoeth

Just a quick post from me to showcase the latest Loremaster I have painted and to let you know he is now available on eBay - auction style! :)

I went with the traditional blue and grey/white colours, but decided to go with purple gems this time around... you know just to spice it up a little! I also spent a good deal of time on his cape, smooth blending up to highlights and not to mention his nice little decorative gold stitching.

His globe thingy, which I like to refer to as his magic squidy is a mix of blue and purple swirls with an iridescent glaze to give it a more magic feel.

I'm also pretty proud of his face, especially his eyeballs - managed to get a eyeliner effect to go with his icy stare.

Anyhoo I hope you all like him!

Dust Tactics - Commission

Time for Dust Tactics! Another great opportunity to get my paws on a host of new and interesting models. I am certainly partial to anything WWII related so it was cool to get a look at these models first hand.

I will say that despite the medium consistency of the plastic used on the infantry (and a few slightly flaccid weapons) the detail on them is pretty good. The plastic for the vehicles, by comparison, is solid.

The goal for this paint scheme was leaning towards more historically accurate colours and weathered realism. For the axis uniforms and weapons I incorporated a number of Vallejo's German specific paints I had, namely German Fieldgrey WWII, and German Camo Dark Green. The Foundry palette Drab was used for the Allied uniforms. The Axis vehicles were base coated Vallejo Black Grey, with Foundry Phlegm Green Shade for the allies. These were weathered up in many stages with a combination of dry-brushing and inks.

The basing for all the models involves Vallejo Dark Earth Paste and a little ink plus water effect applied. The final touches were squad markings for the Allied troops and all the markings for the vehicles which are from the official Dust transfer sheets (available from Dust Game - super quick delivery from the US! Or alternatively if you were just after the stars and crosses, and none of the vehicle designation or extras, you could use the Bolt Action decals available from Warlord Games).

Plenty of impressive models are still being released for Dust Tactics/Warfare following its switch from Fantasy Flight to Battlefront/Gale Force 9. It will be interesting to see where they take things. We shall also see if I get the chance to paint any further Dust stuff. If I do, you will be sure to see it here!

The Walkers: Axis

Ludwig

Luther

Hans

The Walkers: Allies

Pounder

Hot Dog

Steel Rain

Black Hawk

Wild Fire

Troops: Axis

Troops: Allies