GreyHorde

Agreed, to each his own. I realize now that most of my opinion was stated too strongly. It was not intended to be a 'nobody could possibly like this' rant. If I came on harshly, I apologize. In retrospect, I may have been over/reacting to another post that trashed a couple of sculpts I did like. I lost some of my objectivity toward this one. I should have been more 'it's not for me' and less 'I really don't like it'. Proportional minis: most anything by Tom Meier, Dennis Mize (rest his soul) to a slightly lesser degree, Werner Klocke...of course, none of these are known for undead sculpts, but still... It's still not for me, though. I mean, I see your point and accept it as valid. I'm just saying that if I bought it, painted it and showed it to friends, family, fellow painters and gamers, explaining the concept of classic death in terms of gender-reversed Elizabethan personifications seems to be just a bit of a stretch. It's sort of like a joke you have to explain and say, "Get it?" This is usually followed by a blank stare and silence, except for the crickets chirping, or nervously polite (if insincere) chuckling as the audience edges for the door. But that's just one amateur's opinion, you know?

Wow. Glad we got that cleared up. So, then, since the only relevant opinion is yours, what imagery and concepts do you find acceptable and not 'done to death'?

Yep, all current Dark Sword minis are based on the works of Larry Elmore, Keith Parkinson and Clyde Caldwell.

Great looking, very detailed and life-like, legs and all in proportion. Tough to paint and do them justice, I'll bet. Thankfully, it looks easy enough to hack away or bury the Ginsu'd rabbit. Maybe it's telling us she is very fast with very sharp swords and has no emotional or moral qualms about carving up innocent life like a slab of cranberry jelly at Thanksgiving. I don't know what it says, but I'd surely ditch it. Overall, though, while the poses are a little static, I like them and think they would make good display pieces. Why spend (I don't think it's a waste) talent on such a subject? Because it sells rather well. Maybe Mr. Meier is picking up where Dennis Mize left off in the cheescake department. Ask Dark Sword, Hasslefree and a bunch of other mini makers & sculptors. Ask the painters who like them & deserve high quality sculpts to work with. Ask the good folks who entered Femme Fatale: Fantasy and/or Simply Scandalous.

I agree with the comments about the stuffed bodice -- it looks goofy with bare bones skull and hand(s). The skull is way out of proportion with the rest of the body. If it had eyes, flesh & normal hair, I would suggest anatomy class for the sculptor. The features are cartoony, oddly shaped, kind of BESM and...heck, I'm still suggesting anatomy class for the sculptor, aren't I? Okay, you're right, enough about the skull. The clothing looks good, but I don't care for the weapon(s) and...I just really don't like this one. Sorry.

Agreed; from where I sit, 'not the most inspiring' pretty much covers it. Oh, well, they can't all be gems. I wonder if they're just filling spots in the production schedule, saving better stuff for ReaperCon and the big summer conventions just around the corner.

The minis are not my style, but here's the link. http://www.revelation-miniatures.com/

For me, the question of a broccoli base or tabbed/slotted is usually not much of a consideration. I look at the mini and pay little or no attention to what it's standing on. Sculpted bases are a different story. If they enhance the mini, so much the better, unless they are so huge and odd that it will make painting difficult. Now, that being said...I dislike broccoli, wherever I smell it. ;-) I generally just spend the time to bury it or cut it off, but I'd prefer it not to exist at all. Tabbed/slotted may somewhat limit poses and basing options in some cases, but they tend to be the lesser of two evils. Still evil, but, hey, whatcha gonna do about it? I understand why broccoli and tabbed bases exist from standpoints of marketing, consumer usage, sculpting, moldmaking, casting and final materials. For me, each mini purchased depends on the intended application. I look at it and think about the possibilities for RPG, tabletop skirmish or armies, leaders, the intended game system (limiting final base selection for size & shape), display, competition, gift, diorama, etc. If the mini passes muster, then I look at the base. The base alone is never the first consideration, seldom the deciding factor one way or the other, and never limits me to one manufacturer or avoiding another.

LOL ...playing 'My Heart Bleeds for You'...

My workaround: never actually finish anything, then you don't have the tedious 'just a few more highlights here, a little fix there' at the end, and you never have to start anything new! No, wait...eternal limbo is not good, either. Never mind, forget I said anything. :-) I haven't been back to the painting table since the contest closed, either. It's good to know I'm not alone in feeling a bit burned out, or a short-term lack of enthusiasm for beginning something new. It's starting to pass, though -- I've been kicking around some color schemes and have a couple of minis I couldn't finish in time for the Wyrd FF contest. I had planned on a total of five for the contest, but a combination of real life interference, my slow skills and a previously undiscovered miscast mini cut the field to two. In the 11th hour, I had to go with only one or miss the deadline entirely. What a learning experience. The whole contest was a learning experience, really. It forced me to finish something -- anything -- and that was a good thing. That makes two finished already this year, which is double what I had finished in the previous six years combined! Woooot! :congrats:

For what it's worth, I plan to be there. A lot of 'real life' things need to come together first, but there should be time. Side note: If anyone here needs some unofficial, not-quite local information, suggestions, etc., let me know by PM or e-mail. I live about 90 miles from Indy and would be glad to help the 'mini community' in some way.