Warhammer Fantasy Miniatures Gallery

Fantasy Army Design Themes & Bases

2012-01-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

For maximum impact hits (before you even charge !) try choosing an army theme, a consistent colour, painting and basing style and you'll cause 2d6 wounds with no saves of any kind on your opponents pride before the battle begins :)

It's been a long time since I updated this blog - errr... sorry about that (my Battlefield 2 rank has shot up though and I've almost finished Oblivion, albeit, about six years later than everyone else!)

Anyway I'm back, I think I prefer it here to be honest*

* Quick side note; while computer gaming can be very gratifying at the time (I think I even get an adrenaline rush sometimes), it really does suck if you're after a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Although, I might have a different opinion if I was back at School and was known to have the best kill/death ratio in the playground. That's why I' plan to be spending more time with Warhammer.

Anyway, I have a long list of Fantasy blogging targets for this site because I have been squirreling away all the links to great sites and articles that I stumble across.

First up is a post about Army themes and in particular unit bases*. A new Facebook Friend Axia-Fish Painting Studio got me thinking about this after seeing his excellent High Elf army painted for commission (ask him if you're interested in getting him to paint yours).

* I actually have a "bit of a thing" for unit bases. When I used to do a lot more modelling and painting than I do now days, basing was my favourite part. Bases are quick (the sort I created!), totally under your control (within the size of the base) and the finishing touch that completes a model ready for battle (or the shelf; before ice cream tub storage takes over).

Coincidentally, Axia's Bretonnians featured in a recent Games Workshop blog article (3rd Jan 2012), Axia also won a Bronze Golden Demon in Italy 2011 (for his Eowyn diorama at the top of this post). So you are in no doubt as to how good Axia's painting skills really are, check this out...

Axia's superb High Elf army really caught my attention because it's based on a coastal defence force and so some units have sea lapping at their feet while others are clearly positioned further back on the beach. From Axia's description below it looks like he had a very clear mental image of what he wanted to achieve and his execution is an inspiration (which is the whole point of posting it here).

In Axia's words...

"...about the army they are the 'Defender of the Gate' the army stationed at the Griffon Gate in Ulthuan and as you can see they are waiting the enemies on the beach, ready to fight them. The archers and the eagles like the heroes are waiting in the back of the army as the bases shows and they are all done in NMM [Sigmar: non-metallic metal] and cartoon style. The griffon took Best of Standard prize at Monte San Savino this year (one of the major painting contest of Italy) with other GW models."

I really like the cartoon-style of fantasy miniatures, I used to prefer the more drab, gritty looking style of miniatures when I first started Warhammer but now WFB has become more fantastical it seems appropriate.

Here are some more not-to-be-missed (!!!) expertly painted High Elf cartoon-style minis from Alexi_Z

So, back to bases and the Swordmasters and White Lions occupying and defending the beach head.

Now, scroll up and scroll down a few times while looking at the unit bases. Do you feel it ? The beach defenders theme ? I do, I feel it a lot, they also seem more dynamic that your usual units with green grass bases. I get the feel of the sea lapping at their feet and, my over active imagination (which is great when it comes to certain things !) is wondering what might be making landfall; a hideous Dark Elf Corsair slave ship, Human Pirates, or maybe something more sinister from "The Deep !"

Anyway, you get the picture, think about your army before galloping off in the wrong direction and changing course later. Have a clear vision of what you would like your army to look like, give it a back story, some history and an objective, throw in some colourful characters and plan it out accordingly from the start.

Thanks again to Axia_Fish, his excellent approach is an example to us all.

Here are some of Axia's Bretonnians (as featured in the GW blog and used here with Axia's permission). Once again, check out the bases (you can find all of these and more in Axia's personal Facebook Album and in the slideshow at the foot of this blog).

I asked Axia a few questions that I thought people reading this blog might be interested to know, here are his responses (thanks again to Axia for his time and friendliness) :-

1) How did you achieve that water effect ? Particularly the lapping / splashing waves at the feet of the Swordmaster to the far left of the unit.

They are done with greenstuff painted with white. The water effect is regal blue plus hawk torquise with a final wash of gloss varnish.

2) Can you describe the inspiration behind the miniatures, I know they were painted as a commission but did you decide the theme ? If not, then how was it described to you ?

They were inspired by a previous unit that my client had from 2 years ago so I continued with the NMM style. The water was present on this unit but I developed the entire story around the army that I wrote in previous email. Also the position of the waves is done in a manner that all the units near will form a unic water front and if they are placed on the battlefield in a front with more than 5 models the waves will not remain cutted.

3) What would you say was the most challenging and difficult unit to paint and why ?

The most difficult unit was the sea guard. A lot of details and decorations, a long work to do in NMM style. However I've done a single dragon prince and it was far more difficult.

4) What made you choose the colours you did ?

I based the colour scheme on the first unit that my client have had, with some improvements like the bleached bone robes that contrast with the water and the metal.

5) If you could paint any Games Workshop miniatures on commission, which ones would it be ?

Eehehhe, I love most part of the Games Workshop minis but if I must choose for now I think I will be glad to paint a dwarf 4-5th edition army or a nurgle warriors army for fantasy and death korps of krieg for the 40k.

6) What's the most satisfying miniature/diorama you have ever painted ? (I'll need a photo)

The most satisfyng Games Workshop miniature that I have painted is a Chaos daemonette of the 6th edition that won with the display the Best of Standard at Monte San Savino this year. For two reasons: I like the model and I've tried a different painting style on it especially for the female flesh.

7) How did you get into painting miniatures ?

In the first years of my miniatures life I never painted well a model since I don't like to paint. After when I've received the first commissions I've started to improve myself reading and exercicing myself painting miniatures on commission

8) Who do you admire most as a miniature painter ?

Ehhh difficult question. I admire more than one painter, Automaton for the metallics, Raffaele Picca for the monsters that create, Iguazzu for the tones and my italian friends like Fish and Ammon Chakai for the mad ideas that they have.

9) What would be your advice for anyone else who would like to paint for commission ?

Exercise exercise exercise, focus on what you can do better and go ahead.

Now, back to bases....

I know I featured a couple of the below mini photos in one of my first ever posts so please forgive me for the repetition but they're worth seeing twice.

These are all from the Warhammer Battle Reporters forum and Facebook members (I'm the forum and facebook group admin and they've given me permission to show you their minis, please join us BTW !) These are just to give you some base making inspiration and to show you the sort of options there are and how they really can change not only the look but the whole fee of an army.

A slideshow of all the miniature photos above (drag your mouse left and right over it to accelerate)

To varying degrees, a unit's base (and indeed it's movement tray) can show:-

where they're fighting and their surroundings (eg. underground, in a town, on a hill side, near water, in the snow, in woods, in the desert etc.)
what they're doing, have been doing or are about to do (eg. trapped in mud, emerging from the ground, surrounded by dead bodies, or just shivering and freezing their tootsies off on the ice),
their level of organisation and cohesion (obstacles in the way, eg. tombstones),
their preparedness & aggressiveness (sitting back in the base slot or leaning forward) and of course
the amount of envy the enemy will be feeling about not basing their miniatures like yours !

Ok, I'm probably going a bit over-the-top, all you need to do is to think how much bases can add to your army and then make the bases and movement trays fit in with your army design - you know it makes sense ;-)

That's it folks, thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you, I hope it wasn't too painful ! :)

Sigmar

And finally... here's Eowyn again. You can tell just by looking at the base alone that this is not a Warhammer Fantasy miniature and that it belongs to the Lord of the Rings game - Q.E.D.

All images used with the permission of the respective owners.

One last miniature, courtesy of Axia who has just seen my post and would like to share another one of his recent award winners with you. This Daemonette actually beat his Griffon above and several other high quality entries to win Best of Standard at Monte San Savino 2011. Congrats to Axia.

click to greatly enlarge photos

Golden Demon Award Winners Website

2011-06-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Games Workshop's official Golden Demon competition has been running since 1987 (in the UK) and you can see all of the winning miniatures from all countries (!) for all categories (!!) in one place.

If you haven't seen this Golden Demon website before then you are in for quite a treat. It features nearly all of the past winners (plus 2nd and 3rd places) from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland. Which is well over 1,000 of the best miniatures you will ever see in one place and tens of thousands of hours worth of expert painting for you to take inspiration from !

The site is arranged by country and then by date within which you can browse the individual categories which (currently) are :-

Warhammer 40k Single Miniature
Warhammer 40k Squad
Warhammer 40k Vehicle
Warhammer 40k Monster
Warhammer Fantasy Single Miniature
Warhammer Fantasy Regiment
Warhammer Fantasy Monster
Duel
Diorama
Large Scale Model
Lord of the Rings Single Miniature
Young Bloods
Open and finally
Best of Show (Forgeworld) and greatest of all...
the SLayer Sword winner !

I have visited this site many times and was after some more pics of Matt Parkes amazing Empire Giant attack diorama which won him the UK Slayer Sword in 2010. Then I realize, that people who aren't already aware of this website might actually appreciate it if I told them about it's existence because, strangely, I don't think it's that widely publicized !

Anyway, below is a small sample of what the site has to offer (and why I like these particular miniatures / dioramas). It's quite an awe inspiring site to visit really and is a great place to get some modeling and painting ideas. (pic above is GD Aus 2008 Large Model 2nd place - Sebastian Archer's Squig Hopper)

click to great enlarge any of the images, they're all worth a closer look !

Italy 2009 Warhammer Monster 1st place - Matteo De Franceschi

I love this Ogre Mercenary / Adventurer. The miniature itself is 100% fantasy and reminds me of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying games I used to enjoy - when I had unmarried friends with no kids and lots of free time !

The backdrop really makes this miniature. What an unusual setting, where is he ? how did he get in there ? who's he with and who's he fighting ?

The setting has so much humour in it too. I mean who the heck paints a portrait of a dead or more likely undead Estalian (?) noble on the wall - a grieving Vampire wife maybe ? Check out his Bretonnian coat of arms / patchwork quilt-like knee patch - lol :) who sowed that on for him ? His mum :) ?

The other thing I really like about this model is that it would look great in a display case under the lights. There are lots of vibrant colours and they work well together. Sure it's a really fun fantasy miniature diorama but it's not silly over-the-top fantasy - if you know what I mean ?!

Anyway, moving on...

BTW, I'm not listing these miniatures in any particular order, they're just some of the ones that caught my eye.

Next up - slightly disturbing Chaos weirdness... the Slaanesh Siren Song

Germany 2010 Warhammer Single Miniature 1st place - Georg Damm

This miniature really stood out for me because of the subtle use of colours and the truly exceptional application of them. On top of that you have a remarkably inventive and imaginative miniature conversion playing a deadly looking "violin" while gliding across the undead who almost look like they are arising especially for the music. Yuck ! horrible chaos stuff - but an amazing miniature and deserving winner of a 1st place.

Below you'll find a similar model but a completely and utterly different painting style and colouring...

Italy 2010 Warhammer Single Miniature 1st place - Angelo di Chello

Next up we're off to Spain to see a couple of incredible miniatures that put the Fantasy into Warhammer Fantasy Battle ! I'm pleased I wasn't on the panel having to decide which of these was going to get 1st place.

The below 2 entries are really what it's all about for me; pure full-on fantasy wrapped up in a single no nonsense model. The miniatures are brilliant in themselves but when mounted on simple but effective bases like these and painted like they are they turn into mini works of art. I'd place the Vampire in my top 10 of best miniatures ever - but then I have been known to answer to the name Count Sigmar.

BTW, I like the fact that the artists have really used completely different styles when painting these models. It just goes to show that there's no "one size fits all" approach that you have to adopt. Just choose the painting methods to achieve the final look and feel that you want to.

Spain 2010 Warhammer Single Miniature 1st place - Albert Moretó Font

Spain 2010 Warhammer Single Miniature 2nd place - Juan Carlos Ávila Ribadas

And now for something completely different which surprisingly didn't win 1st place ?!

France 2005 Warhammer Diorama 2nd place - Matt Cexwish

Personally, I love the creativity behind this. A Steam Tank under going repairs - a brilliant idea and very well presented. There are a load more close up pics of the intricacies of this Steam Tank diorama here.

It's great to see so many entrants injecting a bit of humour into their offerings. BTW, this entry was named "Leonardo DiMiragliano´s Heritage!"

Back to Italy again...

Italy 2010 Warhammer Battle Scene 2nd place - Davide Rapazzini and Carmine Giuliano

I'm not sure what's going on here, the goblin looks none too happy and the squigs even less so ! There could be trouble ahead....check out the saddle on the floor - someone's not happy !

Awesome diorama and great to see even more humour and this time a bit of mystery too. Also, this is the first time I've seen a collaborative entry by more than one modeler / painter.

The above one didn't won because the below one did - as you can see, the standard in these competitions is rather high ! It's a zombie outbreak in an Empire town - they're even crawling up from the sewers.

Italy 2010 Warhammer Battle Scene 1st place - Raffaele Du Marteau

Australia 2007 Warhammer Regiment 2nd place - Jamie Downward

I really like this unit because it's simple, brilliantly painted and expertly based and they look like the sort of unit I would actually like to show off on the battlefield rather than in a display cabinet. I have to say though, I'd be keeping them out of harms way so I didn't have to take them off the table too soon !

Bright and beautiful and back into the more cartoony side of fantasy battle - a very "tooled-up" Troll with his snotling mate - with a nasty attitude (I think it's a snotty, although it could be a gobbo).

I prefer the bright and bizarre models because I feel they stand out more on the battlefield. "Realistic" models look great on close inspection but I equate that kind of painting more with LoTR and sometimes it's better to be bold when it comes to painting regiment minis for use in battles.

USA Atlanta 2007 Slayer Sword ! - Todd Swanson

Anyway folks, I think that's about it from me for now. I could go on forever but hopefully this give you a taster of what tat site has to offer. As always, let me know your thoughts...

Oh go on then, one last picture because I've featured so many "baddies" above, let's go for a noble decent fella :) ...

Australia 2008 Warhammer Large Model - Mark Carlisle

Damn it ! Some gobbos sneaked in at the end before I pressed "post"... sorry about that.

The Goblin Diorama won the Italy 2008 Warhammer Regiment category - Fabrizio Russo

Images are © Games Workshop. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Strewth, I almost forgot. Below is the Slayer Sword winner that I was looking to share with you all along ! Doh...

It's a bit late now so I might have to come back with my commmentary another time, for now just enjoy the pics. Don't forget to click for a much larger close up.

United Kingdom 2010 Slayer Sword ! - Matt Parkes

And finally, one last diorama that I just can't leave out...

I thought this one would have been unbeatable but it actually got 2nd place ?!

Italy 2010 Warhammer "Open" category 2nd place - Massimiliano Richiero

Putting the Fantasy into Warhammer Battle Miniatures

2011-02-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

They're called Mini Monsters and they bring a heck of a lot to the Warhammer battlefield in the way of superbly painted and converted Fantasy Battle miniatures and imaginative terrain and scenery.

I've been looking forward to writing this because I haven't posted anything wholly Fantasy Battle related for a while I really wanted to share a new painting and modeling site I stumbled across. If you're wondering why I'm so excited then you'll get a clue by taking a close look at the Ogre on the right... or should I say Von Ogre.

I discovered Mini Monsters' miniatures on Facebook and they kindly granted me permission to show off some of their Fantasy Battle offerings. I'm not in anyway connected to their company, this is just my review of their miniatures and I get to add some great model and unit pics to my blog ! :)

Mini Monsters run a website (click above logo to see their miniatures gallery where you can find stacks more mini photos) and they are available for commission work.

They also have a presence on coolminiornot and eBay (Mini Monsters) and are well worth a look*.

* Note: I checked out some of their eBay completed listings to see what their miniatures go for and I was pleasantly surprised because in some cases they are a lot cheaper than their competitors (the Buy It Now prices on many of the lots also looks very reasonable).

Anyway, enough of the free advertising, here's what I think of the miniatures...

What I really like about their miniatures is that they make them look "fantasy-like" and unique. They're not drab but colourful and they're inventive with bases, banners and conversions to the models. The banners are distinctive, large and nicely styled and they don't make the mistake of adding too much detail which can lessen their appearance on the battlefield where intricacies are lost in the massed ranks.

When someone like myself tries to achieve this kind of result the miniatures can all too often come out looking "over-modeled" and generally overdone if you get my meaning (hopefully, you know where I'm coming from). Mini Monster's (Dargo000 seems to the the painter) seem to have been able to avoid this and don't go over the top and make them look, for want of a better word, silly. They make them look just right. Bright and original enough to stand out on the battlefield but not so glaring that your opponent dons his Miami Vice shades and complains that eye strain caused him to lose the battle.

In the range of miniatures on their Gallery there is more focus on the baddies than the goodies, hence you'll see mainly Chaos, Vampires, Dark Elves and Skaven below but I don't think they're limited to evil races. There are other armies on their site but in fewer numbers. I suspect most of the commissions (and thus pics) come from the more lazy, evil minded gamers who have embraced sloth and become greedy for painted miniatures without having to lift a brush of their own - just like me :)

Check out this miniature, it looks like a GW one but I certainly can't find it on their website under the Warriors of Chaos section because it definitely looks like it could be Valkia The Bloody (it's been based on the picture in the army book that's for sure). It looks like a conversion to me, maybe some wings from an old Vampire model and possibly some 40k bitz. I shall ask Mini Monsters.

How about this Vampire Counts banner, a simple design (albeit applied very skillfully) and all the more striking for it.... The contrast between the moon and the wolf should ensure that even the stunty cannon crew cowering on the top of the hill have a decent target to aim for ;-)

Below is another example of a mini I don't think I've seen before. This is Malekith on a Cold One. I could be wrong (I usually am and I'm ready to be corrected if you want to leave a comment) but this doesn't looks like your regular cold one to me. The "gills" or whatever they're named around the mouth and the tail set this apart from any Dark Elf cold one I've seen and it's certainly not a Lizardmen cold one or a Carnosaur (although it's big enough - "tip to toe").

Anyway, that's not the point I was going to make with this model. What I'm impressed with here is the colouring and the base. This model will definitely make an impact because it's err.... almost pink ! Not what you'd expect from Malekith, I was thinking more black on black but that's why I like this model. Let's face it, if Malekith wants to ride a pink Cold One who's going to whisper kind advice in his ear ?! (maybe Tyrion, a Blood Thirster or a very drunk giant but that's about it I think). Bold and superb - nice work.

BTW, I didn't mention the excellent gold effect. It's very difficult to make gold work on miniatures but they've done the job nicely here. It's also nice to see the extra work that's been done to the base, this is afterall a Lord character and thus should be worth that extra time and effort because he's likely to be "showing off" on the battlefield a lot longer than a mere harpy - or at least that's what the Dark elf player will be hoping.

Now, how about this for an excellent idea, flagellant ghosts ! I guess they could also be used as Cairn Wraiths (although their weapons of choice aren't quite right, actually forget that idea !)

These are, in my opinion, frankly... awesome. Let's face it, not all of those flagellants who reckon that they have appeased their god by whipping themselves for a decade are going to make the grade at the pearly gates (if you have to whip yourself that much you really have been a bad boy!). So, if you're not in heaven but you managed to edge yourself up from the flaming pits then I guess there is only one vocation left - a ghost.

A great idea by Mini Monsters and very well implemented. Copy it !

Here's a small but effective example of attention to detail. This, I presume, is likely to be The Empire players Battle Standard Bearer so it should stand out and look larger and of course higher than your every day grunt unit standard so... put the model on a higher base. Simple right ? I bet not many people think of it and even less people actually do it.

Now, what about this... I mean, I have no idea what it is (it's incomparable with the GW models) but it's perfect for a Skaven monster "thing". I love it and it makes a perfect Hell Pit Abomination. Afterall, the Abomination has the Regenerate, Shambling Horror and Too Horrible to Die special rules and if any Skaven model deserves those then this is it.

Mini Monsters deserve a lot of credit, they're injecting imagination into their miniatures and bringing us something slightly different and yet in keeping with what we know and love. These guys think before they paint and they think what they're going to paint.

How about this one, it makes a perfect Abyssal Terror but I don't recognize the model - do you ? I'm not an expert in the miniatures out there but I think I would have remembered this one because I was looking for one when the the last Vampire Counts army book was released.

I could go on and on but I need to finish before it gets too long and before match of the day starts. So just a few more to whet your appetite...

An Ogre in a Dragon / Cold One cloak... (another one I don't recognize so presume it's custom made)

Here's a very proud Ogre Battle Standard Bearer who is basically saying "I am the Man (read: 'Ogre')". It looks like his tribe have put it to the Dwarfs, High Elves, Bretonnia, The Empire and lopped off the head of a Dragon for the hell of it. Personally, I wouldn't take this model into battle because I'd be too scared of having to take him off the table !

They also do Warmachines... how about something completely different, a Chaos Warshrine pulled by giant forest spiders !

And just to prove that they don't just paint baddies, check this one out. A proper Red Dragon (as far as I'm concerned they should all be red or green - don't hold it against me Joel [private joke]) with a good High Elf Lord atop - although I suspect he probably has a bad side to him on a "bad hair" day ;-)

I was going to talk a bit about their terrain and scenery but I'll have to put that in another post, this one is already too long, here's just a taster of what you can expect, some gothic ruins...

I suspect this has sounded like one long advert for Mini Monsters, I didn't mean it to I just got carried away. I know they're in it for the money but given the quality of their ideas and that what they're producing craftily breaks the mold of what we're used to, I think they deserve the credit.

Anyway, enough said, you know where to look. Thanks for reading and enjoy their gallery.

Amazing Fantasy Diorama - Pirate Cove !

2011-01-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this tour-de-force in modeling, painting and diorama design on
Facebook (by Michel Zeller) last night.

Thankfully Michel was kind enough to grant me permission to showcase some of his superb miniature and modeling photos from his http://www.michdioramas.com website.

Before I go on I should first of all apologize for the lack of posts here recently (you can skip the next paragraphs in italics if you're not interested !)

I treat this blog a bit differently to my others, I just post here when I see or read something inspiring, I don't post like an automaton - I kind of need to feel "in the mood". For anyone interested here's how I treat my other blogs:-

I always post news esp. Games Workshop news that I think readers will be interested in on the Battle Reporter blog and anything related to fantasy gaming like new models / miniatures, scenery and related fantasy games and Fantasy Battle fan projects.

I post Battle Reports as often as I can raise the motivation to do it (or feel like reading a new one). It's not always easy finding new and good reports and it's quite an effort to copy them across to the 7th edition and 8th edition Warhammer battle report blogs.

Regarding my Nautican Army blogs well, err... don't ask and I won't lie to you :) I've been a bit lacking in inspiration although I do still plan to update the current list to 8th edition rules and I have some photos of new miniatures to share on the army design notes site. I'm not sure when I'll do this, probably after my next Nautican battle which always gets me a bit more "pysched" up about the army - just add yourself to the followers and you'll see the updates as they come in.

Anyway, back to this awesome Pirate diorama... I love it !

I should quickly say that I have no commercial connection with Michel (although he is a Facebook friend). I'm not advertising his site for him for any reward I just think it's well worth a visit if you're interested in diorama modeling because he has stacks and stacks of photos there showing dioramas that he's selling and how he went about constructing them. Michel works with various scale models and it's not all fantasy related, there are also Ancients and WWII dioramas and some of them are awesome !

I'll let the pics below speak for themselves, except...

...check out the arrangement of miniatures in relation to one another, the action - it really looks like a story is being played out - the fantastic attention to detail in the terrain (the waves are superb), the miniatures and the paint colour selection. Truly brilliant. You can find more finished diorama and "work in progress" pics here.

(click to greatly enlarge the pics in a new window)

Photos used with Michel Zeller's permission. Thanks very much Michel.

Awesome Chimera Miniature Release

2010-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

This the second set of brilliant new fantasy models I have stumbled across in the past couple of days which are coming out in 2011 (Chaos Dwarf War Machines on the Battle Reporter blog). This Fantasy Chimera (or Chimaera) is from the Bane Beasts range - sculpted by D.Cockersell and painted by B.Komets.

Maelstrom Games are selling the miniature from the 8th Jan 2011.

Get a load of this... it's 15.3cm long and 13.4cm high ! It looks like the designers wanted something to take on Foregeworld's giant !

The model is actually named "The Terror of Fortriu, Chimaera" and you can find it on the Maelstrom Games website. Check out the close ups below (click to greatly enlarge the pictures) because the detail on the heads looks very intricate. I was about to say the lion's head in particular but the dragon and goat's head all look pretty cool too although I'm not sure the goat is going to do as much damage in battle as the other two !

I recognize the Bane Beasts Giant Cyclops and the 3-faced verminous horror but the Chimera and Ratman are both new to me, as is the Ox-Gore of the Darkwald which, I think, might pass for a Beastman Ghorgon. Actually, come to think of it the Cyclops would pass as a Cygor aswell.

I'm not sure what I'd use the Ratman for, I'm not a fan of the scurrying, flee bitten critters, so maybe just as shark bait for my Nautican Army :)

It looks like Bane Beasts are worth a look if you're after a large specific monster. They don't have a huge range and I cannot find a specific website for them but Maelstrom sell the models which is good enough for me (they're very reliable). The models might actually be produced by Maelstrom themselves.

Click images for a great zoom in. I particularly like the way the miniature's dimensions are shown in the bottom left box-out, lots of sellers don't bother and it's frustrating when you have no measurements and nothing to compare them with in size terms. Great miniatures, enough said !

All images are © Maelstrom Games. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Alternative Fantasy Miniatures - Very Alternative !

2010-12-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

Wyrd Miniatures is a perfect description for this company, they produce some fine quality fantasy models but what really sets them apart is sheer originality. A rare, adventurous and daring approach means that these are some of the most bizarre models you will find on the planet - this planet at least !

It's a bit of a departure from my usual Warhammer Fantasy Battle posts but I couldn't resist posting about Wyrd Miniatures who (courtesy of Nathan) have kindly granted me permission to add some of their excellent model images to this article.

I first stumbled across Wyrd Miniatures through, if I remember rightly, coolminiornot.com which I occasionally visit for a browse. They really stand out from the regular crowd of fantasy miniatures, a lot of these models are genuinely unique and without comparison.

I spent this morning surfing their site and I'm getting quite excited about it to be frank. Originally, I was simply going to comment on their sculpts but now I'm as interested in the concept behind their ideas and, even better, the game system which goes with it. Yes, you heard right, these miniatures are purposely sculpted for a gaming world called Malifaux.

Here's the intro on their home page...

"Based in an alternate Earth, Malifaux uses gothic, steampunk, victorian horror with a dose of the wild west to inject fun and depth into the magical lawlessness of a world rife with monsters, necropunks, manmachine hybrids, gunslingers, and power-hungry politicos. Actively using character-driven stories to define the world of Malifaux, seek your fortune in this fast paced and brutal 32mm tabletop miniature skirmish game. Assemble your crew and stake your claim!

No longer do you have to trust the fickle fate of a dice roll, in Malifaux you use cards, a Fate Deck, as you lead your Crew to victory with strategy, tactics and resource management, and if that isn't enough, you can Cheat Fate. Looking for scalability? Malifaux has it. Jump directly into a Scrap with 4 - 6 miniatures, ensuring a quick and brutal fight with each character having unique skills and abilities. Want to escalate it? Take it to a Brawl, bring in additional members of your faction or hire out mercenaries to do your dirty work."

It sounds great to me and I'm intrigued by how the game mechanics might work using a deck of fate cards (no dice !) and a small number of extremely weird miniatures. I think I could come to love my Malifaux "scappers" given that I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to painting them.

The 4-6 miniatures part of the above blurb really appeals to me because it means I can actually try to perfect each (32mm) miniature without thinking I still have another 100 to get through. Also, the fact that the game is designed for play on a 3ft x 3ft board is a big winner in my opinion and should really reduce set up time and increase gaming time (I have to lay shelves across two dining room tables to set up my usual gaming area for Fantasy Battle).

The most appealing part of the whole game for me is the concept - a gothic, steampunk, victorian horror with a dose of the wild west ?!! I could have a lot of fun creating terrain pieces for that gaming board. Imagine the amount of character you can inject into your small band of brawlers. These will be the kind of miniatures that I will name individually, like I used to when I first started Warhammer back in the 1980's (a bit sad I know). Malifaux sounds like a world where good vs evil becomes very greyed out into good vs slighty bad vs very bad vs psychotic vs those with a mysterious unfathomable agenda.

More from Wyrd Games...

"Trigger-happy gunslingers, misguided Victorian science, hungry undead, and monsters hidden in every shadow; these are the terrors that will plague you in Malifaux. Are you willing to risk your soul for a chance at great wealth and power? Because it's the only thing you have worth trading. In Malifaux, you lead your crew in the battle for control of The Breach, a dark portal to a world of limitless magic.

All aboard! Malifaux is the end of the line."

Well, my mind has already been made up, this is too good to miss so and I'm ordering the rules, just the basic rules for now (there is an expansion pack too). I don't see this as much of an investment risk, from the looks of it $35 for the rules, a few dollars for the fate decks and $40ish for some miniatures and I'm up and running for less than 100 bucks (or rather £60 in my currency).

For anyone thinking about following my example there are some reviews around, they are all very good with only a few niggles about rules which, apparently, Wyrd Games do address with errata and on their forums.

BTW, it looks like there are around 150 miniatures to choose from and importantly please note that there is a much wider variety of miniatures than I have shown below. Visit Wyrd Games online shop for a lot more.

Following below is a nice snippet about the various factions from the Warstore's excellent Malifaux review with some example miniature photos thrown in (with permissions from Wyrd Games):-

"* The Guild: The Law. Monster Hunters, Witch Hunters, and Zombie Hunters. Desperately trying to retain authority in a city gradually spinning out of control - the Guild will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. Mechanically this faction has a lot of ranged attacks available to it, as well as anti-magic abilities and melee specialists. If you want a reason to hate the Guild, you don't have to look far on the tabletop.

* The Resurrectionists: Necromancers, Mad Scientists, and Zombies. Lots of Zombies. The Resurrectionists have no compunctions about sending waves of zombies at you, and building more out of what remains on the table after a brawl. Mechanically this faction focuses mostly on melee and corpse counter manipulation (playing with dead bodies), something that other factions don't really do. Most Resurrectionist models are tough to kill and generally there's a lot of them.

* The Arcanists: Beast and Construct masters. Wither it's ice golems, swarms of mechanical spiders or mole-men, this is the faction for it. They are the most "magic-y" faction, with masters that specialize in different areas. One is a melee expert/beast master, another works with ice constructs that she can cast spells through, and the last builds lots of little mechanical spider friends that swarm up and go eat his enemies.

* The Neverborn: Monsters from your worst nightmares. Babies with cleavers, giant carnivorous teddy bears, whatever Silurids are, and big winged demon things. This faction has a good mix of terrifying melee ability and spellcasting/control. They are generally quick on the tabletop and dangerous once they get where they're going.

[Ed. Spooky !]

* The Outcasts: The Mercenaries of Malifaux. This faction is comprised mainly of highly effective and expensive specialist models. Mainly melee and ranged attack oriented. There's also a kind of "sub" faction of Bayou Gremlins and their warpigs that are Outcasts - think redneck goblins with entertaining abilities (including making pigs fly) and you're on the right track. Mercenaries in Malifaux can be hired by other factions (at a premium), though not all Outcasts are Mercenaries."

It just goes to show that there is a gaming system out there for everyone, yesterday I blogged on Battle Reporter about a free PDF rulebook give away for Kings of War which only comes to 12 pages - the whole rulebook ! This time I'm delving into something a bit more involved and very, very different. I can't wait, I hope I get it in time for Christmas ! My only problem now is which faction do I follow ?

The Best Warhammer Miniatures Ever!

2010-11-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Is Forgeworld the best Fantasy Battle "large" miniature maker on the planet ?!

These guys make some truly inspiring miniatures, if you have the cash... don't hesitate !

I've long been an admirer of Forgeworld miniatures and I try to let everyone know on the Battle Reporter blog when they release a new model. I thought it might be worth showcasing some of their awesome Fantasy Battle miniatures to the uninitiated (ie. the people who have only seen GW models so far).

Let's face it, Games Workshop create some great miniatures and some very iconic ones that really bring out the spirit of Warhammer, think Archaom the Everchosen for example. Not only that but GW definitely make the finest plastic miniatures that I have ever encountered when it comes to detail, customization options and value for money. However, when it comes to the big beasts, the army centerpieces and the massive shock and awe miniatures, nobody beats Forgeworld and here's why...

And just to give you an idea of the kind of scale we're talking about here, below is their giant miniature. The Fire Dragon at the top of the post is a whopping 8 inches (20cm) high and 13 inches (33cm) long (33 centimeters !!!). They are all of a similarly large size. In fact Forgeworld don't "do" small miniatures, the smallest you'll get is probably an Ogre Rhinox Rider. Rest assured though, they are all 28mm scale.

These guys all come at a price but frankly, if you can spare the gold crowns, they're worth it, especially if you really want your army to stand out on the battlefield and stand apart from your friend's weedling forces :)

I think the Mammoth below is especially neat. It's effectively a HUGE Chaos War Shrine although another blogger/modeler named Tushan had something else it mind for the miniature (or should I call it a "massivature").

Tushan converted the model into an Ogre Kingdoms War Mammoth (or Mamut called "Stompfoot") bearing King Rustbeard (Greasus Goldtooth no less). He's given the beast a rider / controller (if that's possible) holding a necessarily very long halberd, there are some Gnoblar hangers-on and even a couple of leadbelchers thrown in for good measure ! Tushan has done an awesome job of it too. You can read about the model and it's very impressive Warhammer profile (unofficial) in the :-

Bellower Warhammer (Ogre) Fanzine here (early 2010 edition) [Note: this link is a 33meg pdf]

Edit (28th Nov): new 8th edition profile courtesy of Randroid:-

Rustbeard & Stompfoot's profile updated for 8th edition rules [< 1meg pdf]

Forgeworld's Chaos War Mammoth

Tushan's Mammut War Beast Conversion below (click for Tushan's website)

See all of Forgeworld's Warhammer Fantasy Battle Monsters

Images except for converted Ogre Mammut are © Forgeworld. All rights reserved. Used without permission. Converted Mammut is © Bernd Barnstorf. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Monstrous Mounts and then some !

2010-11-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Games Workshop certainly did a decent job encouraging the use of Monster Mounts in the 8th edition Fantasy Battle rules. In case you missed it... Monster Mounts (those which are large targets) now provide an army general with an Inspiring Presence range of 18 inches (i.e. his sphere of influence for leadership tests).

Now, check out these custom made monster mounts (I found them quite inspiring so thought I'd share with you), an Airfix converted Triceratops kit model and a Kislevite War Mammoth Steam Tank !!

I think they're imaginative and very cool. Just make sure your opponent is happy to let you use yours once you've constructed it and made up a suitably hard profile profile for it (i.e. toughness 8 to 10)

So, without further ado...

The first miniature is from the Santa Cruz Warhammer blog (here for more pics) and was posted many moons ago (back in Nov 2007 - so apologies to anyone who's seen the miniature before).

And here are some of the steps that were involved....(I know it's more 40K than Fantasy but just swap the cannon for an older fashioned version and it's suddenly an awesome Fantasy Battle conversion).

The Mammoth Steam Tank below is from a more obscure blog called "Game Classy" (http://docred7.blogspot.com). Sadly, the blog hasn't actually been updated since March 2010 so I guess it's probably out of production but (note: there are some other Kislev miniature pics there that some people might find interesting).

I love the scratch built howdah which looks like it could house a few miniatures and also the snow effect looks pretty cool. The best bit though must be the very thematic Kislevite dome (and mammoth's "helmet")which is frankly very odd looking but perfect for the army in question.

My only reservation, I think I would replace the "rope" reins with a cheap jewelery chain attached to the ears (just like in the Lord of the Rings film).

Original fantasy miniatures EXTREME

2010-11-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

If you can find more original and unique miniatures than those on offer by Eureka miniatures then please let me know.

I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across the Eureka miniatures website and I had a good old chuckle to myself while browsing some of their more unusual models.

I'd like to point out that I'm in no way connected to Eurekha. I'm just sharing this site with you because it's got so many crazy miniatures and I'm spreading the war gaming, mini collecting love :)

Before we proceed I should probably also tell you that this site is about more than weird and wonderful miniatures. They also sell hard core war gaming miniatures such as Napoleonic, Ancients, Medieval, World Wars I & II and many other genres. Well worth checking out :-

It is the Frog Warriors that really "tickled my fancy", check these out:-

Starting with the, errr... Frog Cannon ?! Ribbit.

The Turtle Tank !

(honestly, these sculptors must have had such a good laugh putting this army together - this is what fantasy gaming should be all about ! I love it.)

Frog Mallet Warriors - hehehe - fantastic :)

Terrapin Rifile Unit (lol) - I have to tell you I'm really enjoying posting this. If these miniatures have a Game System connected to them then I'm checking it out. I don't know if I can resist buying some of these critters !

This has to be my favourite, a frog king palanquin (or Frog Litter as it's officially named). Check out the standard bearer, the almost happy looking froggy smiles and their frog march postures - awesome.

There's so much attention to detail in the design that make these warrior fellas really, really froggy and, ironically, quite innocent (or bemused) looking. Warrior frogs without attitude ! See the pikes below for an example of the love that's gone into these minis. It would have been so easy to give them the standard type of pike but these guys went the whole 9 lily pads and gave them bamboo poles.

If you're interested in collecting a few of these fellas or even a whole army you can find...

... all the Frogmen here.

Before I leave you... some of the other wacky models they sell:- Gorillas with Guns and Teddy Bear Pirates !

Imagine taking out a Chaos Blood Thirster with the guys below !

Weird and Wonderful Fantasy Miniatures

2010-11-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Wereshark is just one example of an amazing fantasy miniature from Reapermini.com

I have been stumbling across quite a few alternative fantasy miniatures recently so I've been saving the links and thought I'd start to share them with you.

This post is actually about quite an old miniature which will be very familiar to anyone who's been following my other blog - The Nautican Army Project (an unofficial Warhammer Army) (Special Unit)

I'm posting this miniature to kick off my new "Weird & Wonderful Fantasy Miniatures" series because I promised my Hammering friend Pascal (Battle Reporter forum member: Dims), who painted the model, that I'd post it in this blog - where it will be in very good company indeed :)

The Wereshark is in my top 5 of all time favourite miniatures (amongst the others are a couple of Jes Goodwin's old Ogres, a 1980's human Berserker staring upwards in a very manic way and Archaon, The Everchosen - who doesn't love him ?!)

Anyway, the Wereshark is the only miniature that qualifies in the Weird and Wonderful category so maybe I'll discuss the others above in a future post.

I have 4 Weresharks now, they really are awesome miniatures;

The sculpting is good and the model is very well formed (with the modeler and painter in mind). There are deep "sockets" in the torso and a large "head" in the connecting arm and tail so they fit very snugly together in the default position like lock and key and there's no need for pinning.

The model comes in 3 parts, the torso (which includes the head and right arm), 1 left arm and a large tail. It is a cinch to fit together which is nice because there's nothing more irritating than models that you can't glue ! (I actually consider it a design fault and it's put me off buying some metal miniatures when I can use a plastic substitute - which is a shame really).

For all the dimensions and more details :- Nautican Army Design Notes (Wereshark)

The thing which really sets this miniature apart is it's pose - imposing, aggressive and ready for action (he also looks like he's been in a few scraps before !) If you look closely you'll see a small Octopus in the Wereshark's right hand; to me the pose suggests that the Wereshark was just about to munch on his snack when someone (probably a pesky Dark Elf Corsair with a handbow) caught his attention with a foolishly aimed bolt.

It's nice that there is enough "give" in the arm socket to allow for some arm variation both vertically and to the sides. This allowed me to model the Weresharks with slightly different postures. Check the unit photo (click for a big close-up) and you'll see that one of them even has his hand raised as if gesturing to his own unit, those behind or indeed the enemy.

Not only does the miniature have stacks of character it also paints up very well (as you can see in the slideshow below) and is nice and heavy which gives it a rock solid feel when you use it in battle (which suits their rock solid performance in Nautican play testing !)

The model below was painted by Dims (pascalrooze@hotmail.com) who's available for commission work for anyone interested. Check out the bucket and spade - I love it ! :)

BTW, I almost forgot to say... thanks very much to Pascal for painting this miniature for me to help out with my Nautican army project. He's truly done a top quality job and I'm very thankful. Cheers Pascal.

Island of Blood Painting Tutorials

2010-09-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

How to paint Swordmasters, Clanrats and Rat Ogres.

Some pretty cool videos from http://itslikewatchingpaintdry.blogspot.com/ The videos focus on the miniatures themselves rather than the painting techniques but if you're wondering whether you should buy the Island of Blood boxed set these videos give you a very good idea of how the models will "paint up".

All credit to the "Its like watching paint dry" blog which has already been added to the WFB Allies blogroll (so it appears here and on the Battle Reporter blog).

Painting Skaven Clanrats

Painting Swordmasters

Painting Rat Ogres

Videos from YouTube.

Warhammer Podcasts while you Paint

2010-08-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Music (are there any Warhammer bands !?), TV (LoTR films maybe ?) or real-life Warhammer Podcasts ? (or maybe even better, painting with your mates !)

I always used to try to watch TV while I painted, or sometimes listen to the radio. Strangely, this resulted in some kind of weird memory association so I can pick up a very old Lizardman (way before Saurus days, when they were more like walking crocodiles) and I can vaguely recall watching, wait for it... Godzilla in black and white (yes, I'm that old and was a poor car washing, carol singing O'level student !)

Going further back, I can even recall Pickwick Tales (or whatever it's called) which my Dad was listening to while painting the hallway and I was sort of listening to while I stuck together a few 1/35th scale Tamiya German Wehrmacht. Before that it was Airfix Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerschmitt Bf 109s while listening to the likes of Bing Crosby (my parents' choice not mine !).

Anyway, this post is about what you can do while painting, other than dipping your brush in the yogurt pot of water - and squeezing the water out of the brush using the edge of the curtains ;)

I reckon Podcasts are quite a good bet and here are a few of the ones I've listened to myself or stumbled across on other podcast sites. They are mainly Warhammer Fantasy related and they have their own personalities, some a bit more "in your face" than others, but fast forward to the good stuff (ie past the advertising) and you'll usually find some cool Warhammer Fantasy tactical discussions.

Here are a few of them (click image to open the podcast website in a new window) :-

and much as I hate doing this (I'm not a 40k fan !) here's one for gamers from "The Dark Side" ....

BTW, if you're wondering why I'm posting this on a Miniatures Gallery it's because this site is all about modeling and painting inspiration and whatever helps is good as far as I'm concerned. Note: the podcasts are not listed in an order of importance, I've listened to various episodes but not all so you'll have to decide for yourselves which you like most. I hope you find some inspiration from them, Sigmar.

Miniature Painting Guide - VIDEOS

2010-08-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

These tutorials are intended for Warhammer Fantasy Battle beginner painters but there are some intermediate painting and modeling techniques and some very good starter tips.

I found these videos on YouTube while contemplating how to overcome my "painter's block". There are 6 videos in all, they are quite succinct and delivered in a fairly professional manner by DorkToys.com staff.

What I like about these videos is that they get straight to the point and hence all of the videos are quite short but manage to convey what you need to know in a no-nonsense fashion. The videos add up to about 18 minutes.

Intro - Warhammer Painting & Modeling Tools - what you need

Nice comparison between black and white primers. Personally, I'm not convinced you need a dremel though (a dremel is a rotating electric screwdriver-like tool for polishing / sanding). Fine sandpaper, a slightly abrasive cloth and quick hands should suffice.

1) Priming & Preparing Warhammer Miniatures - or any other models !

Good styrofoam priming tip. With regards to the priming - "don't try to go for full penetration right away" ;-) their words not mine !

2) Primer Buffing

Hmmm... I'm not totally convinced this is necessary. I have never done it in the past, although having said that my miniatures are not exactly master pieces. You should probably take their advice I guess and not mine.

3) Selecting Miniature Colours (or Colors if you prefer)

This tutorial contains a superb tip about using a designer's colour combinations book for selecting suitable colour schemes. I really like the idea, it saves having to trawl through your rulebook / White Dwarf back catalogue looking for something you like. A nice simple explanation of the differences between basic paints, primers, metallics and inks. Also, there's a nice tip about using the empty "primed" sprue to test out colour combinations.

4) The Painting Starts...

There's not much detail in this video just some very broad tips, it does however feature a pretty girl !

Not to worry, I'll be searching out some more advanced painting technique videos and posting them up here soon. You'll find them all in the new "Painting Tips" section.

5) Highlighting Your Miniatures & Using Inks

I almost missed this video, I wondered why the last one finished so abruptly ! Again, there's not that much detail which is a shame because they got off to a great start. I'll find some lengthier painting skills videos and get them online soon. At least this series got the ball rolling (as far as I'm concerned).

I hope you found them useful, I did and I think it's given me the kick start I needed.

Amazing High Elf General Miniature

2010-08-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

More incredible painting by Jose, not a Warhammer Fantasy miniature but certainly an example that you can use for inspiration.

I'm going to let these pics speak for themselves (I often say that and then add loads of my own comments !)

Anyway, even though this is a 54mm model it still makes me want to pull out my paint brushes and call in sick for the day - although I am suffering from err... "painters block" at the moment.

The miniature is called Ithramir and on first inspection it looks very much like it's by the same sculptors (Andrea Miniatures) who made Varathar, the Dark Elf General / Lord. However, in actual fact it isn't - much to my surprise. This is a "Green" painted brilliantly by JMPN (Jose) (coolminiornot.com nickname) and sculpted by someone named Freeman. The miniature won a Golden Demon - personally, I'd give it some kind of lifetime "beat this is you can" award !

This guy has definitely seen some hard combat. He clearly maintains that High Elf royalty-like nobility but check out the slightly faded, dusty barding and cloak and the less than shimmering armour. This guy looks like a veteran of many battles to me and, frankly, not to be messed with by anyone less than Malekith ! If I was riding into a fantasy battle I'd like this guy by my side or Gandalf !

Note also, the attention to fine detail on the base - the foliage looks real, not modeled.

Miniature photos used with Jose's very kind permission. Thanks very much Jose.

Warhammer Conversions - Chaos Armies

2010-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Let your imagination run wild in your Fantasy Battle miniature modeling.

I'm not a big Chaos fan really (except for maybe Beastmen which I'm thinking about collecting). Sometimes though I think I might be missing a trick.

My main armies are High Elves, Vampires and my custom designed Nautican army. None of these offers the same kind of imaginative customization that you can experiment with when putting a Chaos army together.

Daemons are the primary candidate for messing around with your bitz bag and things you find in old Tamiya, Airfix boxes, the garden shed or back of the sofa. Next up in the customizable are are probably Warriors of Chaos thanks to them being almost as twisted as their soul less masters :)

Anyway, I stumbled across some brilliant Chaos conversions on Xenite's Wordpress blog ("Little Green Monsters"). Xenite is going to end up with one awesome, very unique and beautifully modelled Chaos army.

(Xenite has kindly granted me permission to show his pics, see the original Chaos photos here).

Both chariots pulled by Chaos Spawn - just looking at the fellow below makes me wonder how he actually moves (without bumping the crew out of the chariot !) Check out the detail, like the taught chains - superb.

Chaos Manticore conversion

I have added Xenite's blog to the WFB Allies blogroll (which must have about 30 blogs on now). If you want your blog added just leave a post anywhere on one of my blogs. You'll need to update it fairly regularly with stuff my readers will be interested in and I'd be grateful if you linked back here and/or the Fantasy Battle Reporter blog.

Miniature Photography "Light Box" - quick, easy and cheap !

2010-08-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Warhammer Fantasy model photography can be a tricky skill to master.

I speak from experience, shining several lights on the same miniature to try to cancel out the shadow effect. I got so frustrated I try to only take miniature photos outside during bright days. So, I was very pleased to stumble across a very easy and simple to make lightbox on the Corvus' miniatures blog.

I contacted Corvus and he's kindly granted me permission to reproduce some of his post here.

If you want to get your miniature photos to look like this...

Then do this...

"So I used a cardboard box, cut out one side and the top and the bottom, and used some tape to cover it with aluminum foil. I also put some foil on the floor of the small studio. It's easy to fold up and store flat somewhere.

Since I have only one light, I positioned it right in front of the mini. On the picture you can also see my tripod, which doesn't have a camera on it obviously:" (Corvus Miniatures)

Note (Sigmar): use the Matt side of the foil (not the shiny side).

Corvus has kindly also put some of the backdrops online (like the ones he used for the above Chaos Marauder looking model) :- Lightbox backdrops (5 cloud coloured .jpgs)

Very sweet, very simple and very do-able for just about everyone. Inspirational, all thanks to Corvus.

I've added Corvus' Miniatures to the WFB Allies blogroll so you'll see his updates here and on the Battle Reporter blog. If you want your blog added just leave a post somewhere here or on the Battle Reporter blog or Forum and I'll be in touch (you'll need to update it fairly regularly with good quality stuff to get added).

Fantasy Painting Masterclass - Dark Elves (Druchii)

2010-08-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Amazing Dark Elf fantasy miniature sculpt and masterful artwork from JMPN

I found another amazing paint brush magician on coolminiornot, his nickname is JMPN (Jose) and he is one hell of a painter (in fact, he rates 5th on cool mini !!!).

Jose has very kindly granted me permission to show off some of his awesome modelling and brushwork skills. He's working on a new website right now so I cannot share a link with you (until it's finished) but you can find him on coolminiornot if you'd like to tell him how great his work is.

To start with, I chose one of his most highly rated miniatures to share with you, a Dark Elf Lord. This miniature is so good it almost looks like a computer generated image for a film. Actually, it looks better than that and I'd love to see it in combat with it's High Elf counterpart.

The miniature is 54mm scale and a lot more "life-like" for it. I guess it's not completely fair to compare it with Warhammer miniatures which are all (in the modern era) 28mm (in the old 1980's era 25mm) but when you check out the pics you'll see why I was keen to post them here.

A Dark Elf General on Cold One

Let's get straight to the point, this model is utterly brilliant. The scale comparison between mounted and mount, the elf's posture and the realistic "feel" make this miniature next to perfect. On top of that the incredible painting, colour selection, textures, armour, shading and attention to detail (check out the snow on the cloak and the saliva dripping from the Cold One's lower jaw) make this one of the best miniatures I have ever seen (the base alone is outstanding !)

Enough said, just enjoy the pics. This model rates as 10/10 without a doubt in my mind.

I'd like to show more pics but these are all there are (click on them for a close up).

Apparently, this miniature now belongs to a private collector. Here's what Jose has to say about it:-

"One of the idea for this character it's the diferent's materials. For me, the elves are magical creatures, so I try to represent different materials in weapons and armor, looking for a combination of metals (sword, ornaments ...) and magical stone (obsidian, etc ...) to the armor.

This figure has win diferents awards, including Best of show and best of painter, but probably the greatest award was able to make more time with this work and enjoy this great work."

If the private collector brought this along to a Warhammer battle I would have to let him use it (as my miniatures cringed in badly painted self-conscious embarrassment !). Let's face it, this could be Malekith on a very angry giant Cold One or Carnosaur (strength 7, toughness 7 with 7 attacks !).

Although, if my opponent didn't cost the unit at well over 1,000 points I wouldn't be inviting him back for another game - unless he was prepared to play "winners takes all miniatures" :D

This miniature is named Varathar and is from Andrea Miniatures, a very top notch fantasy miniature outfit.

Painting Chaos miniatures - to boldly go...where ever you please !

2010-07-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Daemon army might not be as all conquering in the 8th edition of Warhammer as it was in the 7th but there's still one big reason to continue to envy a Daemons of Chaos player and indeed, to some extent, Warriors of Chaos generals...

They can paint and even construct many of their miniatures any which way they choose. With daemons, every paint pot can be used, no colours are out of bounds (imagine painting your Dwarf Hammerers pink !). Similarly with Warriors of Chaos characters although you probably have a little less scope with the rank and file who would also look a bit silly dressed in pink !

Here are a few examples to inspire...

The New Daemon Prince (released July 2010) painted and constructed by Dims (website: www.dimsgalleries.com). Dims painted this new mini at the request of his local GW hobby shop staff.

Check out the very original mottled effect wings and the variety of colours. It's all very pleasing to the eye and, Dims tells me, very enjoyable to paint.

You can contact Dims through the Battle Reporter forum or via Facebook (Pascal Rooze). He does commission work if you're interested.

The next example is from Alexi_Z's live journal (http://alexi-z.livejournal.com). Alexi has won numerous painting awards and is very highly rated on coolminornot.com (13th top artist out of thousands !). Alexi has also just started selling her own DVD painting guide which you can find on her site or coolminiornot.com.

Khorne troops tend to be red, Nurgle green and brown, Tzeentch blue and pink and Slaanesh... actually there doesn't seem to be a general Slaanesh colour. However, I would argue that because they are from the realm of ultimate Chaos where there is little semblance of order then you can paint your Chaos miniatures any colour you choose.

And finally, some colourful examples from Chest of Colors just to give you some more examples of the striking look and feel you can aim for when painting Chaos miniatures. I wonder how many people select their fantasy battle army based on which models they will get to paint ? After all, these models must be more fun to paint than hordes of gobbos, skaven or zombies that you have to remove from the battlefield in handfuls !

Note: there are a lot more pictures of these miniatures (and at a higher resolution) on the Chest of Colors website.

This last miniature has to rank highly in my all time favourites. It's not actually by Citadel / Games Workshop, it's a 28mm scale Hordes miniature (I believe Hordes is a PrivateerPress game). It's a superb model and has been given a superb paint job to match by Ana. They should really use this miniature pic in their advertising, it's better than the one on the official hordes site !

All miniature pictures have been used with the kind permission of Dims (Pascal Rooze), Alexi_Z and Ana & Mahon from Chest of Colors.

I would like to point out that I'm in no way associated with the painters (except for Dims being a member of the Battle Reporter forum which I administer) and I don't receive a commission or anything like that for showing off their miniatures, I just think they're great and thought you might think so too.

Painting "Fantasy Quality" Miniatures

2010-07-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Study other people's Warhammer Battle models to help you paint "Fantasy" into your minis.

I have had real trouble in the past injecting that elusive Fantasy feel into my miniatures. Some miniatures make it a lot easier than others because they already look the part but I have struggled in the past to make some of my models really look like they occupy the Warhammer world. My minis tend to come out looking somewhat rough and errr... ruddy. It's not always easy to emphasize the detail or make them look fantastical and, for want of a better word, "real".

I stumbled across Alexi's miniatures a couple of weeks ago and she has kindly granted me permission to display some of her awesome pics in my gallery blog. Alexi ranks as the 13th best Fantasy Miniature Artist on coolminiornot (Alexi_Z) out of thousands of painters and you will see why below.

Alexi's ability at making models look like they really exist in a fantasy world is second to none. Her vibrant colouring, shading, lighting and freehand skills are virtually peerless and she is one of the finest miniature painters in the world. Her metal work is particularly impressive, check out the High Elf Dragon Princes and Caradryan.

Here are some examples that show off Alexi's skill at turning fantasy into reality.

High Elf miniatures Masterclass
(I'm using these pictures for painting inspiration, I hope they inspire you too).

finally, with the perfect musical backing (if you turn your volume on)...

More of Alexi's miniatures to come in future posts, involving fire and lava effects, bringing the magic to life in sorcerers and other "wizards" and the most realistically painted WFB miniature I have ever seen.

Expert Miniature Dioramas - A Masterclass Gallery !

2010-07-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Some of the best painted WFB Empire Miniatures you will ever see, all arranged into an amazing showcase diorama.

If you have seen a better diorama featuring Warhammer Empire miniatures I'd like to know where ! This is my favourite Warhammer Fantasy Battle diorama and here's why:-

1) The presentation, the terrain, the detail.
2) The miniatures.
3) The "story".
4) The monkey !

Firstly, this Empire unit looks quite battle hardened and experienced. I like the way that the musician and standard bearer both sport mustaches (a badge of rank) and the marksman a beard (only allowed for Sergeants in some forces). The handgunner on the far right is balding and grey, he has an eye patch / bandage and rotting teeth and, even though I don't think he's leading this outfit,* I bet they listen to his hard won advice.

* he has a golden stripe on his leggings so I could be wrong !

These guys look like a cohesive unit, most of them share the skull unit motif somewhere about their person and they have a consistent "feel". Their uniforms are similarly coloured but some of them differ slightly suggesting (to me) that these guys have been around a while and the unit members are veterans. I imagine these guys to be no-nonsense, uncompromising "get the job done" soldiers.

The marksman is clearly lining up his shot and it looks like an important one because the banner bearer is staring intently, the musician is piping while focused in the direction of the target and the veteran on the right is clenching his fist urging his marksman to get a clean kill (they're probably aiming at a Vampire Lord if my experience fighting against Empire is anything to go by).

All of this is part of the story and it's really been brought to life by the way the miniatures have been presented. Check out the "powder monkey" his face almost looks human and he's either drunk or he's getting a bit of a fright - I wonder what this unit is up against ? It seems to me that these guys are taking a small window of opportunity to get in a shot from the top of a small ridge over looking the enemy.

Amazingly, these are all individual models and yet they fit in seamlessly with the terrain and that's what sets this diorama apart for me - the setting. Frankly, the terrain looks real, it doesn't look modeled at all. The boulders, exposed roots, autumnal leaves, moss, grass and tree trunk all look perfect and that's what really attracts me to this diorama.

This is a master piece. There's more detail I haven't mentioned (just check the pics and click to enlarge them in a new window). The banner itself is a work of art - I wouldn't mind betting that these guys are called the Death Jesters.

Well, that's more than enough from me. Let your eyes do the talking and take some inspiration from what you see. A lot of love has gone into this diorama and it deserves a lot of credit for it (there are a lot more images of this diorama on the Chest of Colors website)

There will be more from the ChestOfColors.com gallery in future. I'm also going to try to contact some of the Golden Demon award winners to ask for permission to show some of their photos. Firstly, I have a particular Russian painter in mind, another lady in fact.

All of the images are from Ana the owner of the Chest of Colors website and have been used with their kind permission (all rights reserved by Chest of Colors) and many thanks to Ana and Mahon - the painter and site owner.

Ana, is clearly one of the finest modeler / painters in the world and she ranks in the top 20 out of thousands of miniature painters on coolminiornot and has been awarded several Golden Demon awards, including gold !

Note: see the Warhammer Fantasy Battle gallery at Chest of Colors for higher resolution photos.

Chest of Colors boasts thousands of miniature pics, a forum, blogs, mini auctions and tutorials. You can find Ana's miniatures on eBay by performing an advanced search by seller id "chestofcolors".
Ana will paint for commission and can be contacted through webmaster@chestofcolors.com

PS. I am not affiliated with Chest of Colors or any other miniature / terrain modelers on this site, I just enjoy talking about their accomplishments.

The Best of the Best Fantasy Miniature Painters ! (telling tales).

2010-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

A truly magnificent miniature painting and modeling masterclass.

This is another post in my expert series which follows some of the finest Warhammer Fantasy miniature painters on the planet.

All of the below images are from Ana the owner of the Chest of Colors website and have been used with permission (all rights reserved by Chest of Colors)

The site's catch phrase "painting your imagination" is quite apt because what you will find below are not only inspirational examples of fantastic painting and modeling but a rarely paralleled attention to imaginative detail and, in my opinion, story telling.

Ana, is clearly one of the finest modeler / painters in the world and she ranks in the top 20 out of thousands of miniature painters on coolminiornot and has been awarded several Golden Demon awards, including gold !

Note: check out the Warhammer Fantasy Battle gallery at Chest of Colors for higher resolution pictures.

first up... a Golden Demon award winner ! (GW Poland - Gold in Monster category)

The more I look at this miniature the more I wonder at the scene. This diorama certainly tells a tale, it's not just a miniature, it's a story. Check out the daemonic looking dog - named "dog fish" :) swimming in the frozen waters. Now check out the Rhinox, it looks like it's sniffing at the ground... can it sense something below ? The "dog" maybe or is something else bothering the Rhinox ?

This Ogre is clearly a veteran of many fights, check out the bretonnian banner he's using as a saddle cloth. The shields strapped to his mount and his shoulder suggest he's seen off Empire, Dwarfs and maybe Skaven, it looks like he's managed to amass a fairly large sack of booty too, or is it full of human body-part snacks !?

The ogre looks pretty aggressive with his raised blade so I'm guessing he's psyching himself up for a fight. But who's he fighting and where are they. Why are they "risking it" on the ice, why is there a "dog-fish" moving in concert ? Does the "dog" know something the rider doesn't ?

The gnoblar clinging to the Ogres's patchwork shirt looks a bit manic (or maybe he's nervous !), is he urging the Ogre onwards, or trying to warn him about something to the Ogre's right, while the Ogre is looking to his left.

Check out the drips of water on the wooden base from the melting ice. This diorama feels almost alive. Now read this....

"The inscription says 'And whoever stands here he will die, because it's curs....' The end is intentionally washed off by the pool of water leaking from the crack on the back of the base." (Ana)

Now that's what I call using your imagination !

I'll be posting my thoughts on some more of Ana's wonderful miniature modeling; you will find them all under the ** Extreme Masterclass ** label in this blog. Thanks again to Ana and Mahon for kindly allowing me to share their images with my readers.

Warhammer Scratch Built Scenery Modeling - inspired, simple and free !

2010-06-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Free Warhammer Fantasy Battle buildings ! Just add time and imagination.

I stumbled across this during my regular Saturday morning surf. What a great idea, all gamers will have the raw materials to hand so all you need is a bit of planning, free time and your imagination. The pictures are of small half built hut or maybe a workman or armourer's tool shed or even a small shop. It doesn't really matter, it makes an excellent addition to a small village or outpost under attack my marauding goblin wolf riders !

"I hope you all like it. All I used was cardboard, Super glue, wood glue, dirt and Sprues." by EmpireGuard from The Battle Bunker forum (http://forum.battlebunker.com/viewtopic.php?p=2712)

Inspiring !

An incredible Fantasy Building project - from a Warhammer Gamer / Painter

2010-06-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Check out Bag End in all it's glory from Maddie Chambers. A lady who honed her modeling and painting skills as a Fantasy Battle gamer !

I'm not certain of the scale, it's a lot bigger than our beloved 28mm Warhammer but take a look at the attention to detail and the pure skill that went into this model ! Simply amazing.

For loads more pics and a project overview from Maddie :- madshobbithole.wordpress.com/

You can also leave comments on here site above if you want to show your appreciation.

PS. I know this isn't strictly Warhammer but it's inspiring modeling !

"The rug took me a LONG time to do. I looked everywhere for one similar to the one in the movie but couldn’t find one I was happy with so in the end I used good old Microsoft Paint and drew the design myself from the rug in the movie! then printed it onto cotton and sewed the rest of the rug." MC.

Last but not least... a miniature hobbit pantry stuffed to the rafters !

"The pantry – I installed shelves and filled full of food – I made all the food in here from Fimo." MC

"I based some on the movie, some on the book and some on my imagination. The food in the kitchen and pantry includes everything mentioned in The Hobbit when the dwarves and Gandalf come to visit: beer, cakes, tea, seed cake, coffee, porter, scones, red wine, raspberry jame, apple tart, mince pies, cheese, pork pie salad, eggs, cold chicken, pickles and ham. (anything you can’t see on the shelves is in the little store cupboard behind glass doors or in drawers – couldn’t fit everything on the shelves)."

That's what I mean by attention to detail !

Presenting Beautiful Battlefields !

2010-06-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Making a great Warhammer Fantasy Battle wargaming table your aspiration.

If you need it, here's some inspiration for you...(click to enlarge all images in a new window)

From the Plastic Legions blog (my personal favourite Games Workshop related blog. It's owned by John, a passionate, smart and interesting gamer. Great pics, opinion, news and superb battle reports). A very popular blog and recommended - he's on my blogroll.

The Jungle ruined castle style Wargames Board was made by Rich and it's John's Realm of Battle board...

Obviously this scenery is not totally practical for a Warhammer Fantasy Battle with massed ranks of troops but that's not the point, the idea is to show you what can be done.

Another board I find quite inspiring that I stumbled across on the internet. I quite like the idea of adding roads to a Fantasy Battle. They could also be used in victory conditions or you could even introduce a custom rule to take the importance and tactical advantage of a road into account, eg. march moves at +1".

pic from flickr: JHG Hendriks' photostream

And something a little more practical...

Note the low hills and gentle inclines which your miniatures should be able to stand up on ! Don't forget this when making hills :) Also, the roads and rivers are in generic removable sections so they can be postioned differently for every game - something else worth remembering ;-)

pic: I think I found this on flickr (sorry I forgot to save the link)

If you develop a passion for modelling terrain, scenery and war game boards and you have a spare lifetime then try something like this...

And, if you really need want a challenge try beating what is supposed to be the biggest wargaming board ever...

Having fun with Warhammer Army Banners, Standards and Shields - "A dream to some... a nightmare to others !"

2010-05-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Every Fantasy Battle General needs a great Army Standard to rally his troops around and they don't come any better than these !

Flat surfaces are a rarity on fantasy miniature models so make the most of it when you get a relatively even banner, shield or tunic to paint. It's your chance to place your own personal stamp on your units, give them a consistent, uniform look (if you want to) and to make some great centerpieces for your army.

I was surfing around looking for inspirational pics of banners and shields when I stumbled across IronHalo.net. I had never seen the site before but was extremely impressed.

The site is owned by a lady named Rachel. Rachel has been painting professionally since 2001 and has won 5, yes 5 Golden Demons, 2 of which were gold !!!

Thankfully, Rachel responded to my begging letter and has very kindly granted me permission to show off some of her awesome banner / shield work.

To check out IronHalo.net click the banner below or see the foot of the Blogroll. They provide terrain and bases* in addition to painting services, some painting tips and an absolutely awesome miniatures gallery.

* I didn't realise this at the time but Rachel tells me that Philfy used some of the IronHalo.net Valhalla range of bases in his Lizardmen to Daemon Army Conversion (it goes to show what a small Warhammering world we live, hack, slash and die in !)

PS. Rachel is available for commission work if you want to have the best painted army on the planet !!

An enormous amount of modelling and conversion work went into this BSB miniature (click the image at the top of the page to enlarge it). The miniature was for the Australian Golden Demon 2005 competition. You can read all about it in the Iron Halo gallery. All of the below pics come from the Warhammer > Bretonnians section.

This is the pic I really wanted to draw your attention to. Check out the fabric look, it's meant to be French Tapestry. Can you imagine anyone being able to achieve a better effect ?! To me this just looks incredible.

Check out the level of detail ! I particularly like the leather / gold stud effect on the scabbard and the horses barding and indeed the overall colour combinations and the way they contrast (click pics to enlarge).

More Bretonnian Banners...

A very grand Holy Grail Battle Standard or possibly a Grail Knight Standard Bearer.

(enlarge the pics to see them in a lot more detail)

The Bretonnian King, Louen Leoncoeur himself...

It sounds like this model was a bit of a pain to put together but produced a satisfying end result. Note that the banner is custom built, it does not come with the model.

The banner itself is less detailed than the first BSB at the top of this thread but King Leoncoeur's standard will appear more striking and stand out better on the battlefield. Remember that the first banner I showed you was specifically for a Golden Demon competition and therefore a lot of close up scrutiny.

Bretonnian Shields and Heraldic Uniforms

Take a look at the heraldic shield designs, they really draw the eye and give the models a nice sense of purpose and pride - the shields almost make them look more virtuous !

Also note how a different palette can achieve a completely different "feel". These models are quite similar but look very different due to their contrasting colour schemes. The first one seems more fantasy like while the second, which I personally prefer, has a more "let's get down to business look".

Both are superbly painted and there are more pics on Rachel's IronHalo.net site of these miniatures.

One last example to give you hope that you can achieve something similar...

This Knight bears the Chivalric Virtue of the Impetuous Knight (+d6" for his first charge and any unit he's with). Look how simple the design is and yet how much it adds to the model. Go for it, give it a go !