Back to the ruins

well, the ruins are built, the base is carved and a few pieces of wall have purposefully been broken.
The next step is to build the wooden plank parts and the broken door. Then i'll paint the ruins in a black undercoat before adding the wooden pieces. I'll try and post pics tonight.

a few stats

so far so good : keeping a blog has helped me focus on new projects and finish those that were in the pipeline for some time.
In 2 months since starting the blog, I managed to make :

- 1 diorama
- 1 mould
- 19 figures including a snake

Among the figures, 7 are for Confrontation, 2 for Dark Age and the rest for fun..
Ok, some of the figures were already done but were waiting for the finishing touches, but still, i think I can be proud of what I achieved.

In the next few weeks, I need to work more on diorama pieces than on minis : the annual Hirst Arts Design Derby is coming up in August and I haven't started anything yet !
I ordered some new Egyptian moulds from Bruce, so that i'll have to work on an Egyptian dungeon after HADD 6.
Regarding minis, i should concentrate on taking on more Kelt Sessairs for Confrontation and tackle S'Erum before buying more Ophidians.
Dark Age will be needing a new demo at the end of summer and I would need to start on the Warwind, the twins etc.. in order to change tactics for the game and because a new order is on the way as well as freebies, all feeding the pipeline !
also, I was toying with the idea of entering this painting contest : http://www.wyrd-games.net/contest.html just for fun, of course. I don't really believe I can win anything, but there are plenty of random prizes !

a new project

I received some new vine leaves from a supplier (www.barrule.com) after I had complained a little about a former delivery; the new products look better and i decided to use them on a ruins project.
The design is largely "inspired" from said supplier's website. Two new techniques are going to be applied :
- I'll use a piece of high density styrofoam brought back from France as a thick and carveable base (mental note : bring back some more next time)
- I'll build the walls first and then carve their outline on the base just a little so that the bricks will look as if they continue below ground..
So far, the ruin is build, the base is cut and the outline is traced.
Pictures to come soon...

Malek the Bloodthirsty
Now this is a figure I'm happy with for mainly 2 reasons : I managed to better paint the details and you can really see the progress between Malek and the other fury warriors painted a few months ago !

the last Firestorm for Dark Age
I had finished a few weeks ago, but could never take a shot.
This one had been waiting on a shelf for months waiting for a missing arm; DA finally sent it with our last order... In the meantime I had replaced this figure with LE New Wave mini.

Ophidian Slaves
Not too happy with the outcome; the colour scheme was inspired from pics on the French Rackham forum, but the contrast brown/gold is far from optimal...

Snake Attack !

The last thing Lara expected while climbing on top of the Egyptian temple was to find herself face to face with a deadly snake..

the Egyptian Cobra
This is the cobra I bought in Bangkok, carefully researched and painted as an authentic Egyptian Cobra. I feel they get along very well, hehehe !

Female Spasm Warrior (Rackham)
I am quite happy with the transformation of this figure, especially the leather skirt..

Lara Croft
This is but a preview of an upcoming diorama.
so far, im happy with the skin tones, the boots and the eyes (finally !)
but not too happy about the union jack belt buckle...

Lara, Lara...

Ok so I got a little carried away last night and tried to rush through painting my mini tombraider diorama.
Basecoat of white for a change and typical Lara Croft colours on shirt and shorts... it looks awful so far but I hope I can learn to handle my new Vallejo paints (remember to thin a lot and apply several coats !); I'm not totally convinced that they are better than my regular hobby paints.
Anyway, I found a worthy opponent while in Bangkok : a 25mm brass mini (the kind they sell near temples) of a cobra in an aggressive upright pose ! the size is right and will be an ideal target for Lara's guns provided I know how to paint it.
A little research on the net provided me with a few pictures of the Egyptian cobra (that's really the name !) that I'll try to replicate.
Will I have enough time to paint up something before the weekend ?

a little update

I just returned from a business trip to Bangkok, so I did not have enough time to paint or build anything recently.
Still, I managed to squeeze in a much needed pinning (I hate it because my pinvise always slips and I have only so many fingers...) and basing session for my next confrontation army :
- S'erum
- 3 ophidian slaves
- Firebrand Ogre
and incidentally a Lara Croft figure from Hasslefree on a specially prepared plaster base.
Hope to get some pictures up soon..

Also, I will have to prepare for the upcoming HADD (Hirst Arts Design Derby) to be held in August; I was hoping for Bruce to finish the last Egyptan mould so that I could finally place an order but nothing seems to come...
What could I build for HADD ?
So far I have never missed this competition; I never won but came in second once...
wait and see