Math Mathonwy

The poll is a bit strange in that it's impossible to vote that someone didn't have fun. OTOH I very much believe that everyone who took part did have fun, so that option most likely isn't needed, mind. As for the future, I've held quite a few speed painting competitions along the years and I've come to love the format of 45min + 45min with a pause in between that can be as long as you like. This allows you to use slow-drying methods (like oil paints or whatever) and also gives you a chance to brew a second cup of tea and take a good look at what's going on, where you need to focus and whether you need to revise your strategy. Or take the dog out, as the case may be. Or wife. I also allowed for people to add grass or stuff like that to the base at that time. Of course 30 + 30 min would also be possible if you wish for the slightly shorter time limit. You could even allow/ask for a WIP shot at during the pause. Just something to consider. Also, some kind of instructions on the approximate size of the photos might be a good idea. Something like "try to have a 30mm to be approximately 300 pixels wide meaning that a nicely cropped image of the mini would be about 400 pixels". Nothing binding but a general guideline. But yeah, I had fun and would do this again (with the exact same specs). Thank you! Well then, obviously the only solution is to get more models!

Oh my, that Steamborg looks amazing! Certainly one of the better specimens I've seen. I like the skin a lot.

Levi and Colette are a bit difficult in playstyle for demos. Especially Levi is crazy weird so I strongly suggest against him as a demo crew (that, and his box is kinda weird as a standalone). Out of the ones you listed I think that Zoraida is the best though Ramos and Hoffman also work. I would go with Zoraida since her minions are Living which makes Seamus make more sense in a way. Zoraida's box is also a lot of fun.

Huge congrats to all who finished! I feel that the overall level was extremely high with some utterly ridonculous performances. Very well done. The contest was fun and it really shows how much one can do if one is determined, has a clear plan and a strict deadline. I really suggest people try this - a nice change of pace (har har) but you also get a quick sense of accomplishment. Not to mention a painted mini for the gaming table!

And now for the rest of the comments! aka_hazard: how long did it end up taking? That's a gigantic mini and the skin has a lot to highlight so I think that it is entirely understandable that you didn't make it. The end result, however, looks great! Positively monstrous. The skin looks good and since that's mostly it - well done! Maybe a slight purple wash onto the stiched parts? I do like your base as well. It gives a nice sense of scale for the model. Guardian: you Zagrebians certainly can paint! Taking the dog out seems like one-upping on peterdita's smoke break! But seriously, a nice Witchling. You went for a very no-nonsense scheme fitting a convicted husk of a mage. The pics could be a bit bigger, I think. Now it's a bit hard to make out the details. I do like the colour of the metal you've chosen for the gun! And the base is very nice. Mister Shine: First, I must say that I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't use gloss varnish over the whole mini. I feel like I've been lied to... :-P OK, but seriously, you went for one huge mini! Damn, just putting on the base coat takes a long time for NLCB! It does seem a bit rushed in a couple of places and maybe a darker red for the tongue would make it a little less aggressive but I do like the colours otherwise and the two-tone limbs are a good idea. Kudos for finishing such a giant in so short a time!

Santiago and a Wastrel or two. I think that limiting oneself to just constructs with Hoffman is not necessary or even the best strategy. Santiago is a great model that works well on his own (no specific support needed) and Wastrels are phenomenal in some strategies.

Having time to finally go look at the different entries a bit more closely I thought to comment a bit. MAC: Amazing! The mini is what - twice the size of mine? And yet you managed to finish nicely. My hat's off to you, sir! I also really like the skin tone - it's pink but not at all garish and looks actually really natural. I also feel it fits the character of the mini - though demonic he really doesn't look all that brutally evil but rather a bit more insidious. Lovely work. Victoria: the pics are a bit dark but Wastrels kinda are the sort to lurk in dark alleys. I like the scheme you've chosen for him and the pinstripe pants seem like a crazy thing to attempt in an hour! I feel that you have really brought the mini to life in a way. Would love to see brighter pics. Peterdita: the pics are a bit small (especially as it is two minis) but MY GOD IT'S TWO MINIS! Utterly crazy. I see that you've gone with a colour scheme of how the poor sods might've actually been dressed when getting hanged as opposed to a colour scheme of evil manifestations from beyond the grave which is a valid choice for these. I also really like your bases, though I personally would've done them a bit darker to make the minis pop a bit more. The rope as a central thing makes for a good and appropriate eye-catcher for these. Extremely impressive all in all. Demonn Agram: Very smooth! I feel that the model is perhaps too insanely difficult to make really work in a single hour since there's so little detail - it kinda cries out for an elaborate freehand and there really isn't time for one. That said, I like the extreme neatness of the piece and that orange is very impressive. The base is also really, really nice. I like the serenity of the scene. SteamHammer: Another big mini. This one looks like it could use a bit more contrast in that the fur texture could be brought out a bit more. I do very much like the fact that you have spent some extra time on the mouth forming a clear focal point for the mini. Guzojec: Now this one looks evil. Downright sinister in fact. You have really brought forth the creepiness of the mini with the desolate base accentuating the feel. An extremely good paintjob all in all - very impressive. I love the hues of the skin and the hood looks great. Very smooth all in all. Kudos! Mister Monkey: A big mini and normal sized mini. I dunno, I feel that's sorta ridiculous. Damn you're fast! The scheme you've chosen is very nice as well. The reddish skin of Snow fits her very well and all in all the white broken up by bits of intense colour makes for a great look. There's a couple of spots where the time has certainly run out a bit but all in all that's crazy impressive to be able to finish such a huge piece. Sheesh. Demonn Agram: You have got to be kidding me. Three minis? Whaaat? And they look absolutely fantastic as well! The pics are a bit on the small side but I love the flame effects and the dark red skin. The loincloths maybe could've been some other colour, that brown is a bit drab, I think. Your bases are again fantastic. Insanely fast. Considering the time the flames are kinda insane I think. Bravo! Viruk: Again, I feel that the sculpt is hard to do justice to in such a short time. Especially so with that scheme. However, I think that the end result looks really good, actually. I love his face and the feel is again really there, I think. Would be great to see some other angles as well, since I really like what you've done with the claws but it's a bit difficult to appreciate fully from the pic. Very good job, seriously! MDL1113: It's a quirky mini with a lot of detail. Certainly a tough one, I think. A really good pic, I must say! I also like how you've really gone to town with the colours. The metal looks a bit boring, though - could use some warmth to it, I think. I do like how you've chosen clearly brighter palette for the mini as opposed to the base. So even though the base has a lot going on and introduces new colours and all, it doesn't detract at all from the mini. Love the bowtie, btw! Normski: ooh, yeah, dry it looks great! Really looks like a Union worker, I must say! And that's a very good shade of red you've used. Even though it's the only strong colour on the piece, I don't feel it taking center stage but rather it nicely frames the important stuff. Very cool! edonil: he looks great! Your paintjob really fits the piece I think. Normally I would say that the purple looks a bit out of place but I think that is the idea, really. Really like how you've managed to make the coat, shirt and belt all brown but with very good variation and yet keeping the mini interesting. Very good!

Whew. It was certainly intense. Ten minutes more would've done a world of good for this mini but I'm kinda happy with the end result anyway. I went with a monochrome clothing (though with quite a bit of different hues and really a lot of different paint pots used - the camera unfortunately ate the differences a bit - the shirt is in reality quite different from the vest and the trousers) with blue skin (red around the eyes for that extra touch of sinister) and green blade (it is, after all poisoned, and everyone knows that poison means green). Hoping to draw the eye towards the important bits, since they are the only bits of colour, really (other than the rusted pieces of metal on the ground).

And I'm off. See you on the other side!

I'll be starting in an hour or so. Damn that Crooligan has a lot of detail...

Aye, you are correct. I was being unclear - I meant that last part as kind of a speculative thing, not a rule.

As usual, you're full of wisdom. It's just that I don't own two Grave Spirits and I don't see myself using two often, so I guess I'll go with the inferior choice. But you are extremely correct.

Well, that's pretty bonkers. But since you have the models... Be sure to report how it goes. Here's a different list: Ressurectionists Crew - 35 - Scrap Dr. Douglas McMourning -- 8 Pool Zombie Chihuahua [1ss] Molly Squidpiddge [9ss] Grave Spirit [1ss] Crooligan [4ss] Crooligan [4ss] Crooligan [4ss] Izamu, the Armor [10ss] Certainly bonkers. The idea would be to try to use the Chihuahua as something else besides just cheap bodyparts - no idea if it's viable but as long as I'm going to be fielding a stupid crew, I might as well go all in, I guess.

But you can't flip the BJ if it has already been flipped... Not that I actually believe that it should be taken into account, mind you.

Very nice, Normski! The colours scheme suits Johan very nicely, I feel. Would love to see another pic once the washes have dried

Heh, you and me both. But seriously, Bolster, Mist and Defensive Stance would mean that A Crooligan would be next to impossible to shift from an objective. Which might be useful in some cornercase best-case situation, I guess. Oh, I'm not looking for a learning experience to find out the secret of Crooligans - I simply have the minis so not using them seems like I wasted money. Or something equally silly. Heh, well yeah. It was kinda obvious indeed. My excuse is my headache. Ooh, not a bad combo. Nice!

I don't think this is correct. The rule forbids actions that, if succesful, are guaranteed to inflict enough WDs. The fact that the action may fail is not enough uncertainty to the killing, though if it can be resisted, then that is enough. Causing a variable number of wounds is also enough if the minimum amount is not enough to kill. Not quite sure if the chance of getting a Black Joker is enough. Especially if Black Joker has already ended up in the discard or if the player has it in his hand...

OK, that's an interesting idea. I didn't consider Nico at all since Crooligans might be spirits when they kick the bucket thus being sorta anti-synergistic, but I can see the merit in the approach. So what would you suggest taking besides Molly and the three Crooligans if I went the Nico way? Haha, I know! And those were the Molly-additions in third book... sheesh. I wonder if the playtesters hated Molly or something. It must be something obvious, but I have a headache currently - why is it important to attach Spirit to Molly? Aye, Avatar option is certainly a lot better than the Necrotic Machine. Still, would need 2SS more I think. I think I can talk my usual opponent into going with a full beast-list Marcus, so we'd both be playing some really lousy lists. So if you have insight on such a match-up with the three Crooligans, it would be much appreciated.

I own the Molly box. Since I have the minis, I feel the need to use them at least once, no matter how bad they are. But let's face it, they really dropped the ball on the Crooligans. It feels like they were supposed to be 3SS but got a 33% price hike at the last minute or something. Not that they would be very good even at that cost but at least they wouldn't feel like you're actively trying to cripple yourself by using them. But yeah, enough of that, I need a crew featuring three Crooligans. I kinda feel that having Molly in the lead would make the crew even worse, so here's my first draft: Ressurectionists Crew - 35 - Scrap Seamus, The Mad-Hatter -- 4 Pool Grave Spirit [1ss] Molly Squidpiddge [9ss] Necrotic Machine [2ss] Crooligan [4ss] Crooligan [4ss] Crooligan [4ss] Punk Zombie [5ss] Rotten Belles [4ss] Yeah, it's rather horrorrific... well, horrible, to be honest. Really little hitting power and not much staying power either. Also not very fast. I feel like the list might struggle against some of the better 25SS builds. I'm seriously considering leaving out the Necrotic Machine to have at least some kinda of a cache. Any other suggestions? An identical list but with McMourning in the lead would likely be tons better, I guess.

In that case, IKEA to the rescue: http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.se/2010/02/tutorial-how-to-build-photo-setup.html

Have you seen this: http://dragonpainting.net/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=3193

A very nice tutorial! You're getting way too few thanks for this But seriously, a very nice step-by-step. Using your hand as the background distorts the white balance somewhat, though. I do, however, understand that fixing it for this many pics is a lot of work and you seem to have a pretty good camera (the distortion isn't all that great). But please, keep it up. A joy to read!

Why not use white gesso? It doesn't give a very even coat but that really doesn't matter unless you intend to use the primer coat as a final colour.

I'd like to try my speed with a Crooligan. I've hosted quite a few speed painting competitions. Usually I've given two sets of 45 minutes with a pause in between ideal for waiting for stuff to dry and to take a look at how things are progressing and plan a bit, but an hour sounds like fun as well. At least it isn't as crazy as my first speed painting competition which was five 28mm minis in one hour...

LCB is tremendously powerful and his box is very good. Levi is also a good master but he is tricky to learn and LCB is actually pretty good at dealing with Levi (meaning that even though both are high-tier masters LCB is strong in that particular match-up). Out of your suggestions, I actually thing that McMourning is the best against LCB. LCB excels in taking out key minions but McMourning is rather self-sufficient without obvious weak points in the crew, so to speak. He is also fast and very powerful in close combat so LCB needs to be careful with the good old doc around. Additionally McM's models fit both thematically and rules-wise nicely to Levi crews, so they can work together.