SpectreEliteGaming

Woooh! Good idea. 

I already have them all in metal though. ?

I suspect a number of them will look better than the metal version - I'm thinking "avatar" pandora in particular.

Good choice on McMourning, Raspy, Hamelin, and Somer - some of the best sculpts you guys have put out.?

You can only get them by playing? Boooo...

I suspect they will be sold as limited editions later, anyway. ?

I'd hate to see the gaming aspect take precendence over the hobby aspect - as it usually does. ? If hobbyists cant get their hands on these models witthout playing or ridiculous ebay prices that would be a shame.

Does anyone have a shiney Somer or Leveticus Henchman card they want to give/sell me?!? PM me! >8)

Cool stuff. Congrats to both - Curtis because he's a dece painter and Mason, mostly because he gives me free shit at every convention. ?

Only question that matters... Will this model be PVC? I dun liek PVC.  /poutyface.

My bunny! YUS!!! I guess I can stop begging for that mode now... I figured it was only a matter of time - way too cool of a character to not have a model. Collection complete.

And, of course, the top hat makes him sooooo much better. Very excited for that one.

"More Plug-Uggies than Levy Could Ever Need + Ima-Ho Zako: Complete!"

I've taken to calling this guy the "Entropic Siege Engine" and it would make a neat proxy thematically, if say - your first DE was killed and then reformed into something more powerful, or something. Otherwise, I was thinking I could easily use this as McMourning's Avatar - hence the simple industrial looking base that would blend in well with many crew schemes and the gold Master/Henchman/Avatar trim rather than the typical silver trim I use to designate enforcers. I loves me the mechanical horrors and I recently found that WWX has a suitable model for pretty much all of Levy's base crew - so an entire Levy proxy crew I shall make for an epic face-off... just because I can, and that sounds pretty sweet.

Okay fine, it wasn't "finally," because I promised finished pics of this little ol' lady. Math called me on my laziness of taking photos of shiney minis before they were actually done being varnished so I made sure to kill the shine but good this time... then forgot to add my dead grass tufts to the base before taking pics... siiiigh. Well, I'm not taking more pics, so tough.

Double-post.

Kingdom Death! Yeaaaaaaay - I just got myself a late Kingdom Death pick up. Lucky enough to find someone willing to part with their kickstarter. Thanks for some artistic inspiration - time for some KD (don`t worry, they can be Mally-proxies too, right). Looks great always like your style because it stands out from everything else you see... like I`ve said 10 times before probably.

Okay, so I still really don't like it all that much but the more I look at it the more I feel compelled to paint it up DBZ style with floating balls. It would be a good challenge to actuallybe able to pull it off well. But then again... I have sooo much to do. :/ 

Too much cool stuff coming out I think.

Sold.

Not a very good model for gameplay but will look great warming the tray.

Good catch, yool.

I'm indifferent to this one - moar dragons and all that. Not interested personally but it does look good. Need to base that bad boy with floating dragon balls otherwise not worth it imo.

On 2016-01-12 at 6:24 AM, Math Mathonwy said:

Photobucket is annoyingly slow to get to the original non-tiny version of the pics but it was worth the wait. The skin is amazing work and all in all I feel that her face is one of your best works to date. The lantern looks a bit weird in copper and I find the pink clashing with the yellow in a somewhat non-appeasing way but man those skin tones just blow me away.

That's a lantern?!?! I thought it was a jar or something... sheeeeeeeeeeeit... too late now.

I follow Bohun on CMoN like he is my god and a lot of his skin tones are rubbing off on me... especially the gory messy ones and ones that look rotten or infected. Regardless, proper use of purples and greens seem to be your best friends when shading (no freaking clue how that works - remember I have no real background in color theory or even art what-so-ever) - to get the skin looking almost transparent or membrane-y you need to apply the the absolute thinnest layer of a bright grey-white then glaze in a non-uniform almost speckled fashion to make it look natural. Hard to explain. Her skin is red to separate it from the white face paint but i used the same idea - red is picky and honestly you kind of have to mess around with it again and again to make it work - a step forward and back over and over til its good, as it were.

I actually didn't think too much about the color choice - I just wanted to do something brighter because I always do dark stuff. Do you mean that the yellow and pink clash too much because they are both bright? I did a google search for geisha source material and they wear some really bright stuff so I followed suit with that to pull off the funny "surprise" idea. Also, I brought the brightness of the yellow down quite a bit in the final piece... so let me know what you think when I post it. Finally, I wanted the dress, not Ama to be the focal point of the piece... not sure if that makes sense. I love the critique though, thanks.

On 2016-01-12 at 9:42 AM, lusciousmccabe said:

Loving the freehand but not too taken with the pink, think with the texture on her dress it's a bit bubblegum-ey. Brass/gold on the head-dress and bangles look great and I'm assuming you picked the sane option and didn't connect that ribbon all the way round?  

 

You are correct sir, and boy am I glad I did. Pro Tip: cut the ribbon in half after painting it up fully, just under the armpit location and reattach through the front and back, then touch up as needed. I did some random Asian looking freehand on the ribbon and if it was attached it would have been hell trying to freehand that in addition to the robe. Yikes. I'll be updating with the finished model soon-ish.

"Mini-Update: Ima-Ho Zako"

Bumped from Page 1 already?

I currently have a large amount of minis on the go and I am also finishing off a major project for Adepticon this year plus I am trying to finish off a "premium" Blood Bowl team before diving head-first into dedicating myself to Kingdom Death minis for a good while. I will, however, be doing Wyrd minis here and there still because I like to shake things up.

Pro Tip: If you ever find yourself getting bored of hobby, the best thing you can do is shake it up a bit. I always have a healthy amount of very different minis from different companies in a queue plus terrain elements and a couple of "batch-painting" projects ready to go so that I can pick an choose what I feel like doing... otherwise, if I feel particularly crafty, I will just do scratch terrain or display making until I get bored and move back into painting/gaming. I find it pretty hard to burn yourself out this way because you have so much to do and all of your projects are all very different from each other.

Example: I'm just finishing off a wave of Wyrd models I had in a queue - most of which were undead mechanical things. I like undead mechanical things as much as the next guy but it can get pretty tedious. So I went off on a tangent and finally put some paint on this chick. Going for a "Surprise! I'm not a Geisha - SWALLOWYOURSOULSWALLOWYOURSOULSWALLOWYOURSOUL" angle with this one. I really only use her with Daw but she doesn't get much play time at that anyway. I will be proxying her with a KD Watcher on a Graveyard base for my new JD crew anyway so this is just a model I did "for fun" really. 

The finished model will be in my next full update. I wanted to take a lot more WIP pics step by step but forgot.

Thanks for looking.

You guys are making it very difficult for me to make snide remarks as of late. This is top-notch. I kind of just sat here gazing at the model for little while, "lost in its eyes", as it were. Can't wait to throw some paint at this. 

I'm really hoping for a generous size - and judging from the fiddy-render it looks just fine. Can't wait to see the rest of them.

Not to be too positive, or anything - there's no way I can use this as my Bull in my CD Blood Bowl Team because its too steam-punky... so there.

Now show us the rest!

Its sooooo prettttty.

I can't wait for Dagon, Shugnaggroth and that shipwreck golem in Bones 3 kickstarter. Freaking awesome stuff they are doing.

I needs moar lovecraft!

And that Cthulhu monolyth is freaking sweet. I just wish their Cthulhu model wasnt such sheit.

I still buy metal when psossible - the only bones stuff I buy are the huge pieces.

Great piece, btw - your stuff is always top class. Yellow with earth tones and good contrast - a lot of theory there.  

Great stuff in this thread! 

I'm glad to see a Chompy that isn't purple! 

You sure get a lot done - good work overall - and would you look at that Barby!?! Can't wait to crack mine open - glad he isn't tiny - paint him up stat!

This is a thread I will be following closely.

This is a concept that I am really interested in. As soon as I heard that Wyrd was not producing new avatars and just bases for the avatars I thought "screw that - I'll make my own avatars."

Yo dawg - heard you like bases -here's a base to put your bases on.

I'm going to do something over the top for any avatar that I make - like the Hamelin I did for Iron Painter 2015 - a really over the top centerpiece that will honestly never see play but will look really pretty being a tray warmer.

Glad to see others taking initiative and doing stuff like this.

12 hours ago, Nathan Caroland said:

... along with some additional goodies!

... go on...  

^ Fair enough. The huge skulls bothered me too but after I coverted it I figured it was too late and I was generally okay with the way it looked so I just kept it the way it was. I'm big on the grimdark and overly excessive stylized models like WWX or Raging Heroes TGG minis and wanted a battle standard that looked both mechanical and "necro" if that makes sense.

The shine has been killed since that pic - to make my models more playable without me worrying about chips and stuff I always use gloss varnish first then flat varnish overtop - sometimes I have to go back and further kill the shine after a day or two if the matte layer wasn't thick enough. The big problem with matte is that if you put it on too thick it makes the paint job look chalky or cloudy and basically ruins it so I'm conservative with it and just touch up the shiney spots that remain. I took those pics right after I varnished the first time and I was too lazy to go back and retake them after another couple matte layers.

Even so, after applying the matte-over-gloss technique - the model will still be a little shinier than it should be but the added protection is worth it and it looks great for metallic painted models - like the peacekeeper (which was also still too shiney in the pic too).

I think I might just start taking pics before varnishing from now on to avoid that - my pics and lighting aren't of the highest quality either so that doesn't help.

Thanks for the interest.  

"Return, From Beyond Page 5 - Now With 100% More Lechery and Other Srs Shit!"

TL;DR? - I feel its time for geeks to toughen up, drop the hyper-sensitivity and stigma we haul around, ditch the passive acceptance of mediocrity, and start aspiring to constantly better ourselves in all aspects of our life to become fully functional individuals - after figuring out what that means for you, on an individual level, and however you decide to do it for yourself. And off I go.

More Minis!

 

I recall all the bitching from the Monday Preview Forum about how the new Peacekeeper model looked "too orc-y" and no real mention of how the old one looked pretty much the same and just as orc-y, as well. Well, here's proof:

 

 

A tribute to one of the only three factions worthy of being played in Fantasy (others being Chaos Dwarves and Dwarves, naturally).

 

Also, here's a little flying dude who will see more time on the tray than the table... oh well, at least he looks pretty (notice his "skin wings" - I'm trying to keep a consistent trend of keeping my minis corrupted and bio-mechanical so that I can swap them between all the different construct using crews I have without them looking out of place unless they are specifically with their main crew - I like to think ahead about the possibilities and not have clashing themes just because I take an atypical model):

 

 

On December 15, 2015 at 9:02 AM, Rob Lo said:

How has no one asked what the heck the guy on the last page is yet? What setting is that? Doesn't look Malifaux, at least nothing like the standard areas we've heard of. Different art style and feel from what we've seen of The Other Side so far. Doesn't fit Darkness Comes Rattling. Not a single jetpack unicorn.

I've started flipping right to the back and looking at the back image first before anything else with the latest issues.

That little guy looks like a bloodwretch hybrid in an underground boneyard/mass grave - its wyrd that he appears to be standing on a decrepit street next to a brick wall - gives the impression of the ruins of a city, despite being in a large cavernous area.

The brickwork and graffiti style iconography give a modern impression so I'd hazard a guess and say its from The Other Side. Confusing scene none-the-less.

On December 24, 2015 at 2:24 PM, Math Mathonwy said:

I don't quite understand the cheering since these look the same as the metals. Am I missing something here? I mean, sure, there's a third one, and yeah, they are nice enough but I'm honestly wondering if I'm missing something.

The only way I would have bought this set is if all sculpts were different. I didn't expect a third oogie and I actually did expect this to be one of the "updated but practially the same" models - like the Widow Weaver or Rat Catchers - since these are iconic from 1st.

NBD though - If I didn't already have 4 I would have bought these for sure but not worth it if you have the metals IMO. Betcha the detail on the metals are a lot deeper than these will be, as well. Still look good, though - the new third sculpt is my least favorite.

21 hours ago, Khoregard said:

I'm in the same boat - I ordered my brotherhood box here at the FLGS at the same time I ordered the Xroads Seven and the Hodgepodge Effigy hoping I could get them all in time to earn my Bete Noir for the month of November. Alas, I just recieved my Ashes & Dust from the black friday sale but the brotherhood box still hasn't even shipped out yet, according to the store manager! At least I'm not without alternatives, been practicing obey hamelin with I Pay Better, Piper and Survivalist. Can't really give the Plague a go without the extra rat models.

Not sure if you're missing much anyway. When I do get games in I have been using Hamelin and honestly I don't think Plague Hamelin is all that great - feels like too much work - and it makes my head hurt - looking after all your activations is annoying and I hate using beads and shit like that. Unfortunately, Obey Hamelin just feels like a shitty Zoraida - I'm a little disappointed actually - especially with the Mysterious Emissary coming out to buff Zoraida tenfold - don't see me playing Hamelin very often.

To stay on topic: Rat Kings are some of the best designed recent models and I'm slightly disappointed that the rat catchers are pretty much the same.

11 hours ago, Kadeton said:

I think you're talking about the movie you might make about Malifaux, but it wouldn't be the one I'd make.

Ultimately, the characters you think are important will be the ones you like the most, and the ones you like the least will be those you think of as bit players. Everyone has their own Malifaux story in their head.

There's always more than one way to "pose a threat", and in most movie narratives it's the underdog who comes out on top.

Perhaps - but the point I was trying to make that you are missing is that I tried to take myself outside of myself and think about Malifaux in terms of the general public consensus. Not sundance film festival - we are talking Hollywood blockbuster thinking.

My Malifaux movie would center around Levy and Alyce with the Viks in a Hellraiser meets Kung-Fu type badass action-body-horror type movie - and I think that's cool as hell but I also know it wouldn't be most people's cup of tea.

I look at particular characters like all the ones closely linked to Tyrants and I think how the hell could a bunch of silly little green people or a collection of ragtag brusiers and thugs compete with these.

Furthermore, like him or not, Ramos is basically the Dark Knight of Malifaux. He is what Batman only wishes he could be. Top that.  

On December 16, 2015 at 2:11 AM, Kadeton said:

I find that view strange - to me, the reason why some people are Masters is nothing to do with the resources or powers they command (though they tend to rise quickly to positions of power as a matter of course) and everything to do with their Fate. All of them are "literally integral to the Fate of Malifaux", and Ironsides has her part to play just as much as Leveticus does.

To put it another way, if Ramos and Colette were to fight (remembering they're essentially on the same side):

Ramos waves his hand and Colette's contraptions turn tail... or do they? One of them seems to wink at him as it goes, though clearly that's impossible. Colette's voice, directly in his ear, says "What's the matter, old man? Mind playing tricks on you again?" He turns just in time to catch her smile before she disappears in a cloud of iridescent butterflies. Was she ever really there? Ramos decides he'd better go and have a lie-down.

They're all important characters, and when they come into conflict, it doesn't matter how much of a "bad mofo" they might be - the outcome is still decided by Fate.

Sounds like some silly random hypothetical story telling rpg musings to me.

To be fair - I think we're just thinking of this topic differently. I am coming at it from a "typical motifs" perspective that you would expect in big blockbusters, best sellers, or anything geared towards the mass or general consumer.

Remember that this is purely fluff related.

For starters - it seems to me like people have different levels of "awakening" through the breach - some respond not at all and others get master status. It would be reasonable that there would be some masters more powerful. Ramos' wealth, influence, power, and intelligence just adds to this power. The abilities of these characters are just not equal no matter how much you might like one over the other. For instance, in the Arcanist story I referenced - you can just feel that Ramos is the big cheese and Colette (along with almost all arcanists) is just his pawn -she might eventually think shes sneaky or can manipulate or best Ramos but chances are he is three steps ahead of her at all times and knows very well what all of his subordinates are capable of.

Another example: Hamelin isn't Hamelin - he is the physical manifestation of a Tyrant...  whereas someone like Mr. Cooper or Lynch just seem to make bad decisions in life and can do some magic tricks. Read any of the stories that involve the Dreamer - you really think all the masters are on par with the power that that whiney annoying little brat has?

So like - basically I'm just thinking "if Malifaux was a movie - who would be the main players" - and the others are just not that important/take a supportive position. You got your bad mofos like Ramos and Lucius with some super schemey and very integral characters like the three neverborn sisters and Levy for backup - as well as the heroes/anti-heros like especially Perdita, Sonnia or Justice - then you have largely boring, typical, or generally uninteresting niche characters - who a few people here and there will like/relate to but, in general, just aren't that important, interesting, or just "main character" material. Woe-is-me-poopy-pants-Hoffman comes to mind as well some weirdo who likes puppets and quite a few generic tough chicks that might get a little time on the screen in a major brawl but no speaking parts. There probably wouldn't even be any gremlins - and if there were - no one would take them seriously at all and they wouldn't pose a real threat to the major players. Think drunken green ewoks.

Like I said - the idea of balance from a fluff perspective is not happening. IRM ("In Real Malifaux") some masters wouldn't even pose a threat to others - wheras in game, well - anything can happen.

How disappointing it would be to have someone like Levy/Seamus/Lucius/Ramos, etc. be killed by anyone but the strongest most relevant characters. In comparison, Mei Feng is a gimmick and Collodi wouldn't even get screentime.

Finally, this is all just fluff related and totally irrelevant anyway - but hopefully you see where I'm coming from.