Sunday, January 25, 2015

'Myth' from PeterT - 'Arthur'

As soon as I saw the Bonus theme titles, I knew what I wanted to do for this one - Arthur, the Once and Future King. 


Having read and re-read Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Trilogy, I have long wanted to do an Arthurian/Romano-British force.However, it was not until TFL released Dux Britanniarum that I finally got myself into gear and painted up a Romano-British force. These were all infantry, but with the release of the Raiders supplement for DuxB there is an option to include mounted troops in a British Army of the Old North. Needless to say I got some models but it was the Challenge which gave me the kick to get cracking on them. And who better to lead them than Arthur himself.  Originally his cloak was going to be red, inspired by the cover art on the WHAB Arthur supplement, but then I remembered the opening of The Last Companion by Patrick McCormack (an excellent re-imagining of the Arthurian story which deserves to be much better-known):



"The the reserves appear, walking their horses over the crest of the hill, and at the forefront is a man in a purple cloak, who lifts his spear to the sky and shouts:
'We ride!'

And the voices thunder in reply: 'We ride! We ride! Amherawdyr'"



So, my entry is a purple-cloaked Arthur from Gripping Beast. The shield is an LBM transfer, as even basic shield patterns are beyond me!

'Myth' from KevinH - 'Gug'

So, this Fortnight Challenge is "Myth." We used to play a lot of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game, years ago. I always enjoyed those "Mythos" stories! Some years back, when we were looking to try and do some Cthulhu miniatures games with the Strange Aeons rules, I painted one of the RAFM "Gug" models. Sadly, I never did take any pictures of that figure...

On Boxing Day, I dropped in at the F.L.G.S. as they usually have some good things to offer on the day. I started poking around in the Reaper figures, and found THIS crazy "Gug" beastie!




I was thinking "Myth" or "Monster" or something similar, was one of the Fortnight Challenge options, so I scooped up this figure, along with some other nice Reaper figures I'm hoping you might still see as part of my Challenge posts!

I found this illustration for the Gug on the H.P. Lovecraft Wiki page. I wish some company had made a Gug model that looks like this! At least this guy's "face" looks practical and workable! (yes, I just used "practical" and "workable" in reference to a Cthulhu monster!)



The RAFM model doesn't look too bad, but the mouth on the Reaper model looks positively suggestive! --like a "vagina dentata!" (Look that up sometime, if you're feeling adventurous! --sorry Ladies, and children!) Someone has a very ODD sense of humour!


I painted this Gug according to the description on the Wiki page. In order to try to add a bit of diversity to an almost ALL black figure, I smudged in a bit of Green and Red in the "recesses" on the legs and back, and the "brain" lumps sticking out the sides of the head area. I finished off the model with a wash of Vallejo Model Wash Black. I did thin the wash, but perhaps not enough - it sort of 'killed' the Green and Red bits unless you look closely at the model (and I'm not sure they'll even show in these pictures).


Anyway, it was a fun model to paint! I hope no-one looses any SAN from looking at this post! ;)

Thanks for looking!

'Myth' from AdamC - 'Thor'


I got this Thor figure form Reaper miniatures for use a the head of my Gods and Mortals army.  I actually intend to call him Thunir in the game Thor type deity form Guy Gavrial Kay's Last Light of the Sun Novel but its pretty clear from the book that Thor and Thunir are the same hammer wielding god of weather, thunder etc. 

I wanted to try and capture the idea of Thor/Thunir as force of nature feared as much as worshiped and this striding figure with it powerful build, streaming hair and billowing cloak fit the bill. 


For the cloak I wanted to try and suggest that it was made not of cloth but storm clouds.  I looked a pictures and tried to shade not on how light would fall on the cloak but how if would fall through it the way it does a cloud.  


I also used a bit of silver to suggest the crackling energy of the lightning that is ready to burst from the cloud.  That's what I was trying to but I am not sure I pulled it off. 


The vambrace has some nice details that came out well there are lots of little details like this on the figure but it was hard to get good pictures of most of them I am sorry to say.



The figures is 28mm scale but as fits a god is significantly larger than the 28mm dark age warriors he will lead into battle. 

'Myth' from RichardC - 'Jason Battles the Skeletons'


The Children of the Hydra’s teeth

For this round, I went back to my first great love – the myths of the Greeks. My father used to tell me these wonderful stories, and gradually, I came to know these characters (I would actually go on to study Classics at university).

It does help, of course, if there’s a rattling good film made of the subject. And there is no better “Sword and Sandal” epic that Jason and the Argonauts. Made in the year I was born, 19…..ahem, it features the wonderful creations of the later Ray Harryhausen.


Yes, for my Myth entry, I’ve plumped for skeletons and Greeks! I’ve played slightly with the timeframe. Jason has killed the Hydra and is about to liberate the golden fleece. Meanwhile King Aeetes of Colchis has thrown the beast’s teeth into the earth and summoned forth its children – armed skeletons.


The skeletons are from Wargames factory, the Greeks (including shield transfers) are from Warlord games. The tree and fleece are from Steve Barber Models, ruins from Ral Partha and the figure of Jason was the free miniature given away at Salute two years ago.


I really enjoyed this diversion from my normal period, but I think I will carry on painting up a few Napoleonics.

'Myth' from JohnM - 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde'


Here is my submission for the MYTH bonus round. Surprise........surprise something else from the West Wind EotD line! The good news is that I can not parlay the next bonus round HOT into something from my remaining EotD figures. 


It was interesting to read the wikipedia entry for Jekyll and Hyde. I had not even realized that the basis for this Myth was a novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. Nor had I known that the story was an allegory for the good and evil that exists in each man (and woman of course). I was further startled to discover that the main character, Dr Henry Jekyll, was suffering from a split personality with which he used the potion to cause the metamorphosis from character to the other.


I am not really sure if I believe that split personality disorder exists ( I will conform this with my wife who has a practice in psychiatry this evening), but in the meantime I think I can safely submit these figures to the MYTH round. They were fun to paint, I think the Edward Hyde figure is one of the biggest I have ever painted, he certainly is quite mean looking.


I found this early double exposure photograph of an actor who played the main characters in a stage production of the novella in the late 19th century, I thought it was sort of cool.

'Myth' from JaccoK - 'Greek Heroes'

For this entry I used a  28mm pack from foundries Greek Mythology range. I only used 4 figures and football fans will understand that with the rivalry between Feyenoord Rotterdam and a club from our so called capitol the 5th figure is a miscast and will never be used or painted.


According to Foundry these are from left to right: Odysseus, Achilles, King Menelaus of Sparta and King Agamemnon, 

Odysseus was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer's epic poemthe Odyssey. Odysseus is renowned for his brilliance, guile, and versatility. He is most famous for the ten eventful years he took to return home after the decade-long Trojan War.



Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and the central character and greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad. Achilles’ most notable feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan hero Hector outside the gates of Troy. He was killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris, who shot him in the heel with an arrow. Because of his death from a small wound in the heel, the term Achilles' heel has come to mean a person's point of weakness.


Menelaus was the husband of Helen of Troy, and a central figure in the Trojan War. He was the brother of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and, according to the Iliad, leader of the Spartan contingent of the Greek army during the War. Prominent in both the Iliad and Odyssey.


Legends make Agamemnon the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area. When Helen, the wife of Menelaus, ran off with Paris of Troy, Agamemnon commanded the united Greek armed forces in the ensuing Trojan War.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the background text.

'Myth' from BrianB - 'Merlin & Lancelot'


Since I was knee high to a sarsen stone I have always been fascinated by the Arthurian legend, particularly Merlin. So when this round came around I knew exactly what I wanted to paint. I had picked up the Musketeer Miniatures Romano-British Arthurian figures for a dungeon delve project that I started last year. I haven't gotten much further than making a test piece of terrain ( which the figures are photographed on) so I took this opportunity to advance the project a little. 


My painting for this duo was strongly influenced by Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles so Merlin was done in black druid robes and I tried to keep the rest of the colors matching with the setting. I really love this Merlin figure and although there are a few different "historical" Arthurian miniatures out there as soon as I saw this one I bought the whole set. 



Also in the pack came a Lancelot figure so he got some paint as well. I tried to add some white to his armor as in the books he has a suit of scale enamelled white. Also in the story Lancelot's emblem was a fish eagle but I couldn't figure out how to add that around the shield boss so I decided to go with a pair of fishes instead. Seeing all of the recent fantastic freehand shield designs everyone has been submitting I decided to try one as well. 



'Myth' from BurkhardS - 'Minotaur'


When it comes to the them rounds, it seems like those I was looking forward to and those I do not alternate. Fortunately this is one of those I was really looking forward to. I have for a long time been a great fan of Crocodile Games Wards of Ægyptus and Wards of Olympus ranges. So I had an abundance of yet unpainted mythological miniatures form both Egypt and Greece to choose from. And an easy choice it was. One of the mythological figures that always captured my imagination (and this was only enhanced by a trip to Crete as a child) was the Minotaurs and since I had one in my lead pile I chose it for this round. Now Crocodile Games actually have two Minotaurs, but I always liked this one better. You can still see the chains that were used to chain it to the labyrinth. But if you look closely at the flail he has, you can see that it is actually one of the stone blocks that he was chained to. He ripped it from the wall and now what used to keep him, is his weapon of choice.







But now on to something more somber. When Crocodile Games started off over a decade ago, there were many people that helped get things started. Deane P. Goodwin was one of them and over the years I found him to be a very kind person, who was always forthcoming with great advice and good natured comments. Although I never met him in person, he was one of those people whom I really enjoyed seeing on the internet. So I was greatly saddened to hear that he had passed away about a week ago. So I would like to dedicate this entry to him. Rest in Peace Deane, you will be sorely missed!!!

'Myth' from ByronM - 'Steampunk Little Mermaid'


I had planned some trolls for this week but had a mishap that led to them not getting done. Therefore I am submitting another figure which is based on myth but twisted a bit to steampunk.  This is the second figure from Guild of Harmony that I have done, and I am really liking them, they have a lot of character to them.  This one is a steampunk version of the Little Mermaid.  Myth and steampunk are not the same, but a myth can also be a folk tale, fable, folklore, etc, which would definitely fit Little Mermaid as it is a fairy tale which is a form of folk lore.



On to the figure, I picture her as either just going into the water or just coming out.  My initial thought was coming out, but the wife corrected me that the bottom of the skirt and the hair would both be flattened out more if that was the case, so she is going into the water here.  I tried a few things new on this figure including a bunch on new glazing techniques, to try and give the impression of the skin showing through a tight wet skirt. 


 While it looks really good in person, for some reason I can not get the camera to pick up the colours just right and the skin tone doesn’t show up as skin tone in the images, not sure why…



The base is simply a round lipped base that has had the middle cut out and a piece of plasticard glued to the bottom.  It was then filled with some depron foam sanded down to be the shore line and covered in sand.  I then used some water effects to fill the remainder of the base.  

'Myth' from PaulS - 'Werewolf'


The myth of werewolves goes back to ancient greek literature and covers most cultures across the world, from American tribes to various Asian cultures where the wolf is replaced with tigers or leopards. The symbolism and myth of the beast still prevail today and were even used by Hitler to bring fear. 





The actual transformation process can be triggered by many things and can take many forms. Some myths tell of the slow transformation of man to beast, with bones reforming and skin stretching... painful to be sure. 


But not as painful as the beast bloodily ripping itself from within the man, leaving ragged tatters of flesh clinging to his fur. You can see why TV programs shy away from this version of the transformation.

'Myth' from IannickM -'Manticore'


Since I'm currently working on a Oldhammer fantasy project this bonus round fitted right in. A good number of Chaos creatures in the Warhammer world take their origins in various mythological creatures, such as Chimeras, griffons, etc. I just had to decide which creature to paint! 


I settled on the dreaded Manticore creature, a myth of Persian origin, where its name was "man-eater". It had the body of a lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), bat-like wings, and a trumpet-like voice. 


As mentioned above, it is a Chaos creature in Warhammer and as such will be a nice addition to my Chaos bestiary. This particular figure was sculpted by the master Jes Goodwin in the mid-80s and is probably my favourite Manticore sculpt. It was made back in the days where Citadel actually made stand-alone creatures and not just hero's mounts. It is smaller than the recent offerings by GW, but I find this lack of gigantism makes it look more realistic, if one can say such a thing of a fantasy creature.



I went pretty conventional on the painting, with a classic beige for the lion body and some dark purple wings. The base was made with cork, accompanied by the remnants of a skeleton to add a little atmosphere to the piece (he is a man eater after all).



'Myth' from JamesR - 'Cthulhu Mythos'

I figured the imagination of HP Lovecraft was no less Mythy, than a bunch of Greek gods, so I painted some Cthulhu Mythos minis.

Here's a group shot.


Here's a rear shot of the group.


Here's a "Hound of Tindalos" from FFG's Mansions of Madness board game.  He's human size.  Invented by Frank Belknap Long, hounds are immortal creatures that live in the angles of time.  They may materialize into our world through sharp angles to drain the fluids out of humans.  I keep mine in a round cage, because I like my fluid on my insides. 


Here's a "Mi-go" Here's a  from FFG's Mansions of Madness board game.   It's somewhat larger than a human model.  Invented by Mr. Lovecraft, Mi-go are some sort of bat winged fungoid crustecean that are a war with the Elder gods.  For some reason the fly from Pluto and steal our brains.  They don't eat them, but instead keep them in containers, like portable hard drives.


These are not really Lovecraft minis.  The eleven spider looking things are actually monsters from FFG's Doom game, but I'm pretending they are servitors of the spider god, Atlach-Nacha, the Spinner of Darkness.  I think the fish guy is a Mage Knight Sahugin, who I think make a fairly decent Deep One.


This is a Shoggoth.    Another invention of Mr. Lovecraft, Shoggoth are semi-conscious amorphous shape changing blobs, covered in eyes.  No longer slaves to their creators, the Elder Things, they like to squish albino penguins.


Lastly, is a Cthonian.  Cthonian's are underground worm creatures invented by Brian Lumley.  Cthonians much like witches, are killed by water.  I used varnish to make his tentacles look slimy.