Wednesday 15 December 2010

This model is the Son of Yog-Sothoth made by a upcoming miniature manufacture Tengu, Yog-Sothoth is a outer God from the Cthulhu Myths it‘s body is risen made and tentacles are lead based, and this was bought for the game Strange Aeon, as it stands just now there is no rules for him, but they will be out in due coarse.
You may ask why the Son of Yog- Sothoth the story goes that a family off cultist named Whateleys worshipped the outer God Yog-Sothoth, and the mother mated and bore two sons witch were tainted and grotesque to look at.

How I went about painting up, I airbrushed with a Vallejo primer to start then I used the airbrush for the two main coats, first coat was Yellow Sand (1) and next coat Hemp (2), the reason I went with the light coat first was to try something new out, after the last coat of Hemp was on I then used oven cleaner to remove the high points this leaving the shadow’s in place, but I must stress you must wait till the first coat is fully dry or your take to much off.
Then I did a dry brush with Sand, paint used was Vallejo Air.
I found oven cleaner useful for removing acyclic paint, just put some on a brush and rub were you want the paint to come off, to stop the process use plain water.
After that I did the tentacles with Dark Yellow, this is very same Dark Yellow used on Germen WWII tanks.
The small lumps on the body I don’t think they are boils but lumps with a small air bubble you some times get in cold cast, but some looked like burst boils, so I went that direction plus the boils will add some colour to the miniature, the eyes was painted was painted in a off white black iris and bloodshot in the comers, with the face I was in two minds weather to leave it the same skin colour or change it, so I went with a light highlight of pink, teeth was off white with a wash of dark yellow and I painted in one gold tooth.







(1)

(2)



I needed a ghost for Strange Aeon so I used the wee girl holding a toy doll of Cthulhu
It is made bye Hassel Free miniatures.




This is my Cult, when I first started out there was not much in the UK in way of cults being made by miniature manufactures, so I plumed for Artizan miniatures cultist ok for starting out but I had to do some conversions, rifle man, crossbow man, suicide bomber, and give them the odd hand weapon.
Plus the high priest pointing is a very old GW Inquisitor may go as far back to the mid 80s.


The serpent humanoid is one of the original Grenadier miniatures when they first came out, still two more to paint up.






Have bought two cats familiars to go with my witch, these are from Rapiers Miniatures, just a overall black coat highlighted with a very dark blue was trying to keep them black.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Ghoul King and Scrawny One's

This is my Ghoul King there should be rules out for him in the near future.
He is the Magus for the Cult De Ghouls in V.U.K, would think his stats will be in ether Shocking Tales II or the VUK rule book when its out.
Bought him and my other ghouls from Heresy miniatures, I found it easier to paint them up then him, I could not picture him in my mind and he sat in my box of miniature to paint up for a few months.
I did a basic cost of flesh with highlights and shadows, I could only see the one eye so I painted it in, the overall appearance I wanted was similar to my other ghouls and that was him being dirty, so the loincloth and flesh was giving a selective wash of Mig’s Industrial Earth, some parts more dirty then others, I presume the body he standing on it freshly dug up so I kept the skin clean.










A update on the Scrawny One's
These pictures is my idea off the Scrawny ones having a snack, the head is from Gripping Beast miniatures they do a range of heads for there WW1 miniatures, and the Tommy gun from Hassle Free miniatures, the Tommy gun and head is not fixed in place as I can’t find my blue tack, the one on the right side seemed to be content as if he had just eaten with his hand on his stomach, I had other ideas about that, so I cut a Gripping Beast head in half and glued it on his stomach, then used green stuff on the edge of his stomach to give the look as if he was too full and his stomach was bursting.
Before painting the face flesh I filled in the eyes socket with green stuff then painted it flesh as his head would be sticking out of his stomach then only the high details had to show forehead, chin and nose ,the I painted his stomach with a glaze green idea being that its part transparent and the face had to partly show through.
Am happy with it but its had to capture what I want on camera.







Here is my Scrawny Ones
Painted them awhile back when my mind was not on painting, so it was rather a quick paint up.

Monday 15 November 2010

Playing Strange Aeon

Prologue
Had my second game with my son, the scenario was fighting it was set at 16 BP this was due to the fact he never lost any player in the first game so he can’t re -equip with any new agents or equipment.
All he had from first game was rifle man given the skill Lighting Fast.
You can see the set up in the picture plenty of cover or so I thought?
The trees was deemed cover 5+ if in base contact, the pillars and ruins was cover 4+ in base contact , and between the trees and the road running to the ruins will that was classed as long grass giving a 6+ cover throw .
For the Lurkers I went with a Mummy and 4 cultist one with a Tommy gun the other three .22 pistils the other point being spent on bowie knifes for 2 of them for CC, 16 BP in all.

The events of that night
It was getting near dusk as we approached the ruins, I herd one of the agents remark “I went through the Great War but these cultist scare the shit out of me” in the war Germans would put there hands up but cultist all way fight to the death.
As we got closer just behind some apple trees, one could see the out line of the ruins, I give the order quit and keep you eyes open.
We crypt closer using the long grass as cover, agent Smith out front with his rifle and agent Parker moving towards one of the pillars near the ruins, just as parker reached the pillar Smith fired his rifle, what you shooting at I remarked “there was movement in the long grass other side of the road in front of me whispered smith as not to give his position away” will then did you hit it, Smith replayed no don’t think so this grass is giving them cover.

We all paused for what seemed like a life time when Smith fired his rifle again and a scream went out, Agent Smith remarked yep he dead this time.
Parker shouted they trying to out flank us at the ruins, with that a cultist let of a few rounds with a Tommy gun, the pillar saved Parkers life.

Movement caught the corner of my eye from across the road I turned my head and saw the out line of a grotesque creature moving towards Parker hiding behind the pillar, I give a shout move quick this way, but to late, Parker saw the Mummy, Parker let out a shot with his revolver but his hand was shaken, the shot went wide with that parker moved a few steps back wards then stopped he turned around, I could see it in his eyes fear, he stood there motionless for what seemed like a life time and fell to the ground motionless looking up to the havens, I wanted to help him but my legs would not move, I raised my gun hoping to save him when a shot rang out, looking around it was Smith who fired, the mummy went down but it was not dead and Smith was reloading his rifle, then I herd a volley of shots looking around agent Shotts was on his nee with a steady outstretch hand holding his revolver, with that the mummy fell silent ever shot hit true.

I helped agent Parker to his feet you ok I remarked, yes he said as his shaken hand tried to reload his revolver, as I helped parker agent Shotts let out a shout they moving toward you, then a shot rang out Smith remarked nope he staying were he is, the cultist with the Tommy gun fell to the ground.
The cultist lurking near were the Tommy gun cultist lay dead made a move though the ruins, Smith let out a shot you could see the bullet ricochet of one of the pillars and the other missed , both Parker and I fired our revolvers both parker shots missed as his hand was still shaken, my first shot ricochet of the pillar these ruins was giving him good cover my second missed, the cultist fired his .22 but both shots missed, Smith fired his rifle again one shot ricocheting other missing , I steadied my revolver and fired this time I hit him and he went down.

Across the road we saw the last cultist take up cover behind a pillar, I can till you we throw every thing at him but he seemed to have a charmed life behind that pillar, eventfully a round found it mark and he lay dead, we searched the site for info of who they were or why they was here but found nothing.
Shotts remarked we did will to night, I turned around and give him a hard stare “No we got lucky the extra shooting range practise help Smith with his shots and a big plus they never had rifle to combat our range of fire”
I took my lighter out and lit Parker cigarette his hand was still shaken, my round every one we need a stiff drink am buying.

Friday 12 November 2010

More Strange Aeon Lurkers

Had painter block for awhile now, got Strange Aeon miniatures to paint up so I have started with this hand full.
This is the Formless Thing and was made bye Strange Aeon and is made with risen.
I wanted it with a shimmering of colour some thing that would change in real life, it was a tall order, painted it with deep blue shade then lined with then black wash, then did the high lights with a metallic blue then toned them down with a fine coat of black using a air brush, looks good when holding it as it catches the light but hard for me to capture that on camera.
The body and tentacle both have earth magnets so to remove to pack away.










The witch is from Heresy miniatures, as Strange Aeon is set in the roaring twenties it did not seem right to have one with a pointed hat, and nearly all manufacture make them like that, so thirst thing I did was remove said pointed hat and give hair.
Black was out of the question for a modern witch so went with brown and blue for a more modern shawl, now she was looking more like a old hag, hair I went with red to pull the colours together but not bright red but with touches of grey to say she getting old.
I give her a booze nose of bright red to make it stand out, after the shadows and highlights I used Mig’s Industrial Earth 502 oil to make a wash I used on face hair shawl to give a dirt unkempt look.











I all ready have a mummy paint up but he more of the modren type, I wanted some thing from the early movies played by Boris Karloff so I painted this one up think I used a bone colour for his bandage and give it a overall wash of Mig’s Industrial Earth 502 oil to age the bandage.






The standing stones in all the pictures was made by Old Crow Models, they were painted a sand colour and then giving a fine wash with Mig’s Industrial Earth 502 oil to age them and then selective wash of green with a Mig oil.















Wednesday 4 August 2010

Vickers's Medium Mk.II 1/56 scale tank

This is the Vickers’s Medium Mk.II tank built around 1925 to 1930 it served in the British army till WW2 were it saw limited action in North Africa.
This 1/56 scale model was made bye Copplestone Castings, there was 3 things wrong with the casting.

1. The mud guard was bent up at the front and rear of the tank this can be put down to the casting and can be corrected bye pouring hot water over them and gently bend them straight then dip in cold water this should hold them in place, but one must be careful not to scald one self .
As I was waiting for the kettle to boil I accidentally broke a rear mudguard piece off, rather then just glue it on I thought why not make two new mudguards bent as I have seen them in pictures, so I did this with brass plate then soldiered a small bit of brass rod on, this was to hold the brass in place, after drilling a hold in the tank body.

2. The tracks had no gap between the links, this may be acceptable on smaller scale armour but not 1/56 scale, I dear say there will be a reason for this most lightly down to how they are made in the mould, but it can be corrected I took my scalpel cut a gap at the edge of the track, there is a line on the track to follow plus pictures of the internet will help, but one must be careful the risen here is thin and may break.

3. The two tracks are universal and can be used on ether side, but this has caused a problem the sprue on the tracks for casting is at the end of the track on the links, this means there no detail on the end of the tracks due to the sprue being cut of, would have been more appropriate to put the sprue on top or the underside of the track were no one can see were it was.

You can see the mudguards I made in these two pictures.




My thought on painting this tank up.
This tank was painted up for the war game AVBCW.
Up to 1938 all paint on armour vehicles was ether gloss or semi-gloss, after May 1938 it was matt, A Very British Civil War started in and around 1938 so this meant I could chose ether gloss or matt as both would have been around in 1938.
I went with Deep Bronze Green Gloss as was the colour then, being painted in gloss meant it took longer for the paint to fade, so no fading on the model.
I would not think there would be much chipping of paint apart from around the hatches doors and mudguards, so I kept this to a minimal
Rust to me is some thing that you would mainly have on hatch hinges and door hinges; this is because of the consent movement in the hinge this making fine metal particle to rust.
Bare metal starts to rust as orange colour turning darker over time till it’s similar to a black brown, you more likely to have rust running when it’s that orange colour, when it get past that stage it will stop running as rust, this is why I have no rust running from the chips and only the hinge’s.
I don’t believe in heavy rusting on tank tracks unless the tank is not being used for a long time, any rust that does form in between the links will be tinted with dirt and road dust
And the only bare metal will be the track bit running on a hard service.
The name and number decals are 28mm, the tactical marking are 15mm I tried the 28mm tactical marking but these were to large, this tank may be 1/55 scale, but there was a few small tanks prior to WWII hence me using the 15mm.
I painted the exhaust dark brown with touches of light rust colour reason being, if you look at the exhaust you can see a dentations at the side door, this mint any tank crew interring and leaving the tank would stand on it, if this was the case then that exhaust pipe would have been made out of heavy gauge tin, so I would not think the heat would effect it as much.
I saw a picture with the Mk.II turret covered in dust with little circles of dust around the reverts, so this how I visualise the tank painted up I am more then happy with the effect I got.
I also put some dry dirt on the track protection plates to give the visual effect of it having been through some form of earth.







The Paint Job.
First thing was the primer coat I used Vallejo Acrylic-Urethane Grey primer, first time I have used this primer time will till how it works out.
Base Coat
For this I used Xtracrylix XA1814 British Deep Bronze Green, this I airbrushed on, the dust effect was done using Mig modelling oil color, then for rust on the hinges joints I used VA 301 Light Rust, rust on the exhaust was done using first VA 302 Dark Rust then 301 light rust, the tracks was first painted using VA 304 Track Primer then dry brushed with VA 863 Gun Metal Grey then the edges of the tracks were done in Foundry Spear point 35C, for the dried dirt on the track skirting I used VA Matte varnish 059 mixed with VA Diluyente Thinner and sprinkled on Mig Europe Dust P028.
Decals
Decals I used for the tank name SID and the number B2 was made by Company B and bought from War Games Command Post, the tank number and the tactical markings were made by Dom’s Decals and were bought from Maelstrom Games.
(VA=Vallejo)