eastman

Ugh I certainly will. 562+ items and counting shouldn't be hidden from people. :irked:

Maya~

They show up fine when I check ebay (577 items are listed), and I'm high bidder (at the moment) for the 3 items I've bid on.

:party:

Happy Birthday Sue!

I don't know about weapons, but couldn't armor be a status symbol (especially something like full plate)? That seems in-line with the stereotypical vampire psychology to me.

Just a thought.

Especially if it was really ornate 1500-1600s style (with the engraving and gilding).

plastic =/= resin

yes, many plastics will dissolve in acetone. Polyurethane resin (the popular one for resin kits) is fairly resistant to acetone. I threw a scrap of resin from the last kit I prepped into acetone last night. Still undissolved after nearly 24 hours of soaking.

(I don't just a play a mad scientist on TV, I am one IRL)

They have a few bigger pictures of individuals on their website. They look good. Hopefully someone will carry them on this side of the pond.

Very nice work on the miniatures!

...

And... Long Island you say? As in the Long Island in New York state? Please tell me more!

The Long Island Miniature Model Show 2007 is Saturday November 17th (9AM-5PM) at the Freeport Recreation Center.

There doesn't appear to be a website listed on the flier, but the Long Island Historical Miniature Collectors Society does have a contact email address (PM me if you want it)

Competition & Display categories are Miniature Figures, Aircraft, Tanks, Autos, Ships, Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Actually a respirator will do you no good. The vapors given off from resin are isocyonite based.. basically like the vapors off superglue.. this is NOT cyonide..thats totally different. The molecules are so small they will pass through any cartrige filter you can get. Ventilation is the key to it. The vapors off resin are actually heavier than air so they sink to the floor level and build up.

The organic vapor cartridge is there to trap the molecules - it is an adsorption/chemisorption process, not a physical barrier filter. (I don't just play a mad scientist on TV, I really am one) That's why a real respirator with a cartridge will work and a dust mask won't.

(Of course they don't make respirators that seal over beards, so I think I'll pass on the world of resin casting)

Well resin tends to pick up detail better and is a lot safer to work with (in the casting stages anyway) and is a lot easier on the moulds than metal.

Other than the heat of the molten metal, it is safer than resin. To do resin casting at anything approaching a commercial level, you need a really good ventilation system, and well-fitted (with a functional organic vapor cartridge) respirators for each caster. There were several kit producers on the garage kit forums who've had to quit casting resin because of sensitivity or allergies to the resin becoming a major health hazard (IIRC, potentially fatal in one case).

Resin is also a lot more abusive to RTV silicone molds than metal is to real vulcanized molds. For some resin models, the RTV molds are only usable for 20-25 castings before they are damaged.

Is there a US retailer for Hasslefree?

Yes, Fantization and CMoN carry them, but I buy them direct from the source.

Mary is now up on CMoN (my first post there). Depending on how she does, I may post some others over there.

If you'd like to vote (or just want to see what was too hot for P-Bucket), check her out at http://www.coolminiornot.com/169064

More views of Mary: (my pics on Photobucket, not the "official" GenCon pics on Electric Ocean)

back -

a different view of the front-

BTW - the dragon tattoos were completely painted using tube watercolor paints (a mix of Pentel and Grumbacher colors)

BTW- If P-Bucket deletes them, they are in my gallery here.

more pics soon please! I'll stick them on the FOD if you like

Although I don't spend much time there, I think I'm registered at the FoD. I was hoping for an official Hasslefree manufacturer prize topic there, but I guess Sally's been a wee bit preoccupied lately.

I do need to shoot additional pictures, since this view doesn't show the winged dragon on her back. As for the inspiration, I photographed a woman about 10 years ago who had the Oriental dragon tattoo. I made a few changes to make the design work a little better at 54mm, but it mostly followed the photos. (I'm not sure about linking to those pictures from any of the minis forums since the subject happens to be completely nekkid in all the pics, just like Mary)

Breaking the habit of a lifetime, I have actually posted my photos online this year. Like everyone else's, they're through the glass and have some other challenges, but I did take the time to do some colour and levels correction to show the minis to best advantage. My apologies to people whose minis I missed, some I had photos of but were just too blurry to post, others I missed or had already been removed from the case. The woman who won 6-7 prizes had reclaimed her minis before I took pictures so there are all kinds of holes in the winner coverage. Also I somehow spaced on getting photos of the Single winners, and I think there are some Hatchling entries mixed in with the Single entries I have.

ftp://www.journeytogencon.com/Minis

I found all 3 of my entries in your pictures (HF Mary and Ashlee, DS Lowland Hunting Dragon). Thanks for posting (I still haven't shot any yet). I brought my camera and didn't shoot a single picture at GenCon.

Great job on your DarkSword entry.

I've already posted this on two other boards (in case it looks familiar), but I did want to post here as well.

This year, I had entries in the GenCon contest with the goal of trying for the manufacturer prizes from Hasslefree and DarkSword. I haven't had a chance to shoot my own pictures yet, but they have showed up on Electric Ocean, so I thought I'd start by posting links.

1) Hasslefree Mary - Dragonmarked. Note - contains 54mm nekkidness. Viewer discretion required.

http://electricocean.com/67/index.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=196&pos=10

She placed second in the Hasslefree Manufacturer Prize and 3rd in the GenCon Dragon theme prize. I'll post links to more pictures once I shoot them, since this doesn't show the back tattoo.

2) DarkSword Lowland Hunting Dragon (the dragon is just as nekkid as Mary is, but no one makes a big deal about it)

http://electricocean.com/67/index.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=196&pos=11

I started painting this when I was suffering Purple & Teal withdrawal. The LHD placed 3rd in the DarkSword contest.

(My third entry - Ashlee Campbell, Zombie Hunter - didn't make the cut in single figure (even if she does have a chainsaw handy) so I don't have pictures to link to of her yet.

Mercury!? Is this specifically Vallejo, or all brands?

It was specific to the Vallejo Model Color reds that I tested (Red, Black Red and Carmine Red). The mercury was not found in the VMC yellows or the VGC red and yellow that I tested. For good measure, add barium and strontium to the fun things in VMC.

(no heavy metals were found in the RMS reds I tested)

I have not tested Citadel, Rackham or P3 paints, since I don't own any. I didn't test Adicolor either since it is a terrible paint and no one would want to paint with it, much less ingest it.

I think I'd vote "Perdita" to the top of the list.

Gencon is held in Paris since about 2 to 3 years (that's in addition to the Salon du Jeu (Ravage Mix Open)) : http://www.gencon.fr/

The next will be held the 25th, 26th and 27th of April 2008.

My understanding is that the owner of GenCon is franchising the GenCon name for use in conventions in other locations. He's not actually involved in running them, so he doesn't take a huge loss if they fail (like GenCon SoCal did).

I've used a number of the Woodland Scenics products for basing.

The long strands are product called Field Grass. They are some kind of hair dyed to the color in the pack. They are great for tall grasses and the straw colored ones make good water / swamp grasses and weeds (like cattails, etc).

Static Grass (from WS) is sold in 1 qt jars, they haven't started selling small bags of it. I have mixes of different colors of static grass to give some variety, but I still go in with a brush and add some highlight color. Some painters will completely paint the static grass. Both the Citadel and GF9 pre-mixed static grass contains red fibers, which I personally hate the look of.

my $0.02

I'll be there, and I'm also staying in one of the airport hotels (says it's 7 miles from the convention center).

If you're using the canned propellant, it is a liquid under pressure in the can. As you draw the gas from the top of the can, liquid evaporates to re-balance the gas/liquid equilibrium. This causes the can to get cold (which changes the pressure in the vapor headspace above the liquid, lot's of fun, right?).

You can put the propellant can in container with water to serve as a heat sink to keep the can at a constant temperature. This should help even out the pressure fluctuations and make the spray more consistent.

Matty hit most of the important points.

Not sure about yours, but some of the external mix types can adjust the amount of paint sprayed by rotating a threaded tip on the paint bottle (can't tell if yours has a threaded tip in the pictures). Raise it to get more paint, lower it to get less.

If you find too much paint is spraying for a thin coat, try lowering the tip, it may help.

Can you post a little info about what you bought? I'm certainly not an airbrush expert, but I am learning.

BTW, I spent about 3-4 hours playing around with the airbrush before spraying any paint onto a model.

I agree with JonasD. I like the sculpt and I'll probably buy one.

Thanks all

Kind of funny how I describe this figure as chunky. It's only really chunky compared to my older stuff which is really slender.

Guess I'd better get on with a few more figs eh?

I don't know if "chunky" is appropriate. To me it seems like you stopped sculpting the Kate Moss types and upgraded to more like Aria Giovanni for the latest one.

:You_Rock_

She looks great. I'm looking forward to getting some of her when the metal is ready.