After a good few years of service we've finally retired the old Canister & Grape static site in favour of the blog you're reading now. We've also updated the look, getting rid of the 90's theme. It's almost like we know what we're doing. Almost.
Cheers,
Millsy
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Confessions of a Myopic Procrastinator, Part the Third
It's done!
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth during the building, but all's well that ends well.
As you can see, the Gorger is all painted and based up now, and I think he's turned out OK, all things considered. Given his muscular definition, and the fact that he's a subterranean monster, I've tried for a high-contrast sallow-skinned look, with purplish shading and a sickly yellow tinge to the highlights.
In recognition of his vague resemblance to a certain star of 70's metal bands and reality television, I couldn't resist adding a little something to the base, viz, a decapitated bat. Here it is clutched in his right hand...
....and here's the bit he spat out.
So Ozzy's done and dusted - at long last!
So let's review the army so far;
A bunch of the little guys, a unit of Gnoblars, is next up. It'll do me good to see another regiment through to completion, so I'll make a start on the 40 or so of these I have stashed away. Although they're crap at fighting, get enough of them and they act as a sort of speed hump (or at least a rucked-up green carpet) for any more mobile enemies that might want to cause problems for the big lads. If they get steamrollered, who cares?
More later.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth during the building, but all's well that ends well.
As you can see, the Gorger is all painted and based up now, and I think he's turned out OK, all things considered. Given his muscular definition, and the fact that he's a subterranean monster, I've tried for a high-contrast sallow-skinned look, with purplish shading and a sickly yellow tinge to the highlights.
In recognition of his vague resemblance to a certain star of 70's metal bands and reality television, I couldn't resist adding a little something to the base, viz, a decapitated bat. Here it is clutched in his right hand...
....and here's the bit he spat out.
So Ozzy's done and dusted - at long last!
So let's review the army so far;
- Tyrant
- Butcher
- 6 Bulls
- 4 Ironguts
- and the Gorger.
A bunch of the little guys, a unit of Gnoblars, is next up. It'll do me good to see another regiment through to completion, so I'll make a start on the 40 or so of these I have stashed away. Although they're crap at fighting, get enough of them and they act as a sort of speed hump (or at least a rucked-up green carpet) for any more mobile enemies that might want to cause problems for the big lads. If they get steamrollered, who cares?
More later.
Sunday, 21 November 2010
HOTT Elven Archers
These are a bunch of plastic elves I picked up for a song on eBay - GBP4.99 including shipping to be precise. I bought them to finish off my HOTT "Friends of the Wild Wood", as metal halfling miniatures are proving more than a little difficult to acquire.
Here's how they looked when they arrived. Fortunately there was not much in the way of existing paintwork. I've not seen white(ish) plastics from GW before? Were there ever that many made?
Here's how they looked when they arrived. Fortunately there was not much in the way of existing paintwork. I've not seen white(ish) plastics from GW before? Were there ever that many made?
A couple of afternoons later and here is how they look now. Four stands of shooters, 2AP each.
I really must make myself a light box for taking photos as the lamp I use to paint is a very ordinary photographic tool indeed.
Anyway, that pretty much finishes this army off for the time being - 28 points or so now. I really enjoyed painting these and have been lurking about on eBay looking for more stuff to do a full Wood Elf army. This is almost certainly a BAD THING as I have two other HOTT armies sitting ready to go, one of which is High Elves anyway.
Part of what is tempting me is the fact I've finally managed to get my hands of a big bottle of Simple Green, sworn by many as the primo plastic mini paint stripping drop of choice. The thought of being able to pick up any old tat and give it new life is almost too much to be resisted. Will I manage to restrain myself? Only time will tell...
Cheers,
Millsy
Confessions of a Myopic Procrastinator, Part 2.5 - Gorger in Progress
The Gorger proceeds apace, and what an ugly chap he is.
I'm actually feeling more optimistic, and have even given a little thought to dressing him up still further. Basic skin work is done, face roughed out, and assorted bones found and browned as a basecoat.
Here's the story so far;
I decided to give the right thumb a tweak so that he could clutch something in his hand, and I've added something to the base as well. What is it? Ah, that would be telling!
More later.
I'm actually feeling more optimistic, and have even given a little thought to dressing him up still further. Basic skin work is done, face roughed out, and assorted bones found and browned as a basecoat.
Here's the story so far;
I decided to give the right thumb a tweak so that he could clutch something in his hand, and I've added something to the base as well. What is it? Ah, that would be telling!
More later.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Confessions of a Myopic Procrastinator, Part the Second: The Gorger
This has been one of the most difficult builds I've ever done. I said last time that this could take a while.
I chose to make the Gorger because he was of a manageable size, and filled a potentially useful slot in the potential Ogre Kingdoms army list. It was either him or the Slavegiant for the rare slot, and I have some big plans for the big guy; but he stayed in the box, and I went with the Gorger instead.
I realise now that "manageable size" does not necessarily mean "manageable". While struggling to drill, pin, cut, fill, and base this monstrosity, I couldn't help paraphrasing Obi-Wan Kenobi, muttering to myself in Alec Guinness-like tones, "He's more green stuff than metal now..."
I finally ground out the torso socket so that the lower half could fit, pinned the join, and ended up with a highly visible seam. It also turned out that top and bottom didn't exactly line up, so lots more cutting, and green stuff, and discreet sculpting of the musculature later, I went on to attach the left arm.
The pose on the model as bought seems curiously stiff, operating in two rather than three dimensions. I decided to try and impart more of a sense of movement by cutting into the elbow and bending the forearm forward and to the model's right. I was quite pleased with the result. This was fortunate, since, as it turned out, it only got harder from here.
OK, let's attach the head; again, pinning to secure the rather pointless ball-and-socket arrangement thoughtfully provided by Citadel's finest. Oh, joy, a seam running right behind the start of his hairline. OK, green stuff, do your... green stuff stuff. I model some straggling hair over the offending joins, but wherever I look, there seem to be more defects to cover. Keep piling it on! Practical upshot, while the joins are now concealed, he's looking more like Ozzy Osbourne by the minute. "Sharon, 'ave you seen my bat...?"
Only the right arm remains to be attached... Bugger it, it won't fit, his right knee is in the way! More cutting, pinning, repositioning, gluing and puttying, and I end up with the Gorger's right hand at a lower level than his right foot. How the f....? When the putty finally hardens, some serious filing will be in order. I like a challenge, but this is ridiculous.
As luck would have it, well-known army painting machine Millsy has published on the topic of basing, so he can back me up on this when I say that a dramatic base can rescue even the wonkiest figure! Now, I know that if I place the Gorger on something elevated, at least the hand can hang over the edge. "Oh yes, I was going for that look the whole time..."
Unlike most of GW's large metal castings, the model lacks the usual peg on the foot to stick him into the base. With a model of this size, this is a recipe for disaster, doubly so given that he's rather top-heavy. So drill and pin the feet, and create a pair of platform clogs out of green stuff to raise him above the base so we can build some rocks around him. The pins stick out of the base of his 'platforms' so that they can be secured to the base.
Now for the rocks. The weather is hot and humid, and the superglue is more like water than an adhesive. I'm sticking my fingers together more often than not, but I eventually get the rocks arranged more or less to my liking. A bit of sand and some decorative whimsy, and he's finally assembled.
So after an hour or so of painstaking basing, he's standing on a rocky outcrop, about to leap upon his prey. Except he looks more like he's lurching up drunkenly after the landlord has called last orders ("Mine's a pint of the black stuff!").
OK, I've seen worse, but a commercially-available figure with this many major gaps and basic lapses in quality control is pretty shabby. Yes, I know that the poor workman blames his tools, but I'm convinced that only an extremely confident modeller (one much more confident than myself) would be able to rescue this from mediocrity. Don't get me wrong, the concept is good, it just seems to have failed in the manufacturing process somewhere. By comparison, the Ogre Maneater figure (the piratey one, also on the to-do list) is cleanly moulded and all the bits fit where they should in the dry run. It's not like Citadel can't produce a decent casting.
I've done all I can with the modelling and basing, perhaps the paint job can give it a lift.
Maybe I'll give him a rest and go back to putting the finishing touches on Briss the Butcher. I'm not that happy with Ozzy right now, so perhaps stepping away for a bit is the best solution. Still, I'm actually building and painting stuff for the first time in ages, so that's got to be a positive!
I chose to make the Gorger because he was of a manageable size, and filled a potentially useful slot in the potential Ogre Kingdoms army list. It was either him or the Slavegiant for the rare slot, and I have some big plans for the big guy; but he stayed in the box, and I went with the Gorger instead.
I realise now that "manageable size" does not necessarily mean "manageable". While struggling to drill, pin, cut, fill, and base this monstrosity, I couldn't help paraphrasing Obi-Wan Kenobi, muttering to myself in Alec Guinness-like tones, "He's more green stuff than metal now..."
I finally ground out the torso socket so that the lower half could fit, pinned the join, and ended up with a highly visible seam. It also turned out that top and bottom didn't exactly line up, so lots more cutting, and green stuff, and discreet sculpting of the musculature later, I went on to attach the left arm.
The pose on the model as bought seems curiously stiff, operating in two rather than three dimensions. I decided to try and impart more of a sense of movement by cutting into the elbow and bending the forearm forward and to the model's right. I was quite pleased with the result. This was fortunate, since, as it turned out, it only got harder from here.
OK, let's attach the head; again, pinning to secure the rather pointless ball-and-socket arrangement thoughtfully provided by Citadel's finest. Oh, joy, a seam running right behind the start of his hairline. OK, green stuff, do your... green stuff stuff. I model some straggling hair over the offending joins, but wherever I look, there seem to be more defects to cover. Keep piling it on! Practical upshot, while the joins are now concealed, he's looking more like Ozzy Osbourne by the minute. "Sharon, 'ave you seen my bat...?"
Only the right arm remains to be attached... Bugger it, it won't fit, his right knee is in the way! More cutting, pinning, repositioning, gluing and puttying, and I end up with the Gorger's right hand at a lower level than his right foot. How the f....? When the putty finally hardens, some serious filing will be in order. I like a challenge, but this is ridiculous.
As luck would have it, well-known army painting machine Millsy has published on the topic of basing, so he can back me up on this when I say that a dramatic base can rescue even the wonkiest figure! Now, I know that if I place the Gorger on something elevated, at least the hand can hang over the edge. "Oh yes, I was going for that look the whole time..."
Unlike most of GW's large metal castings, the model lacks the usual peg on the foot to stick him into the base. With a model of this size, this is a recipe for disaster, doubly so given that he's rather top-heavy. So drill and pin the feet, and create a pair of platform clogs out of green stuff to raise him above the base so we can build some rocks around him. The pins stick out of the base of his 'platforms' so that they can be secured to the base.
Now for the rocks. The weather is hot and humid, and the superglue is more like water than an adhesive. I'm sticking my fingers together more often than not, but I eventually get the rocks arranged more or less to my liking. A bit of sand and some decorative whimsy, and he's finally assembled.
So after an hour or so of painstaking basing, he's standing on a rocky outcrop, about to leap upon his prey. Except he looks more like he's lurching up drunkenly after the landlord has called last orders ("Mine's a pint of the black stuff!").
OK, I've seen worse, but a commercially-available figure with this many major gaps and basic lapses in quality control is pretty shabby. Yes, I know that the poor workman blames his tools, but I'm convinced that only an extremely confident modeller (one much more confident than myself) would be able to rescue this from mediocrity. Don't get me wrong, the concept is good, it just seems to have failed in the manufacturing process somewhere. By comparison, the Ogre Maneater figure (the piratey one, also on the to-do list) is cleanly moulded and all the bits fit where they should in the dry run. It's not like Citadel can't produce a decent casting.
I've done all I can with the modelling and basing, perhaps the paint job can give it a lift.
Maybe I'll give him a rest and go back to putting the finishing touches on Briss the Butcher. I'm not that happy with Ozzy right now, so perhaps stepping away for a bit is the best solution. Still, I'm actually building and painting stuff for the first time in ages, so that's got to be a positive!
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