Group photo

Not much to say to be honest.
Just a proof that I'm ready;]

cheers

'eM

Welling Model Club Show 2013

Yesterday I visited really nice show. It was held in Welling (London) and was organized by Welling Model Club for the 39th time (next year is big 40!!).
It was a  nice day, even weather was merciful and it was warm and sunny. It is always a pleasure to meet fellow modellers and painters, talk about the hobby, exchange experience and buy a new mini or two.

The competition itself was really friendly and well organised (some of the judges are judging also at EuroMilitaire). I managed to take photos of some of the entries, but because I forgot to take my camera, and was forced to use my mobile... most of the photos is rather crappy and doesn't do the justice to the paintjob, sorry guys. But yesterday i had rather hectic morning, and I'm happy I didn't forget my entries...

I must say I'm glad I didn't, as I managed to win some medals there.
I took 3 miniatures to the show, and two of them placed really nice.
Urmuth Scars of War was awarded with gold in the Fantasy/sf category, and The Grinder with bronze in Bust category.
Poor Yoda the Bloob got nothing... but I received some nice feedback and might tweak him a bit before Salute to give him fighting chance.

And here's a short photo gallery from this event. Just please remember, before you check it out, that these photos were done with my mobile and they're mostly horrible and don't do any justice to the miniatures:( Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to link another gallery here, with decent photos done by my friend John (who won silver with his Wolf!)

cheers

'eM

Port Royal - Inbox

While I'm working mostly on my 'secret piece' I can't show you any photos of the progress. So, in the meantime, I decided to do a review.
Yet another Andrea Miniatures lovely model, another of my favourites subjects: the Pirate


The mini:

(c) Andea Miniatures

Name: Port Royal, 1660
Manufacturer: Andrea Miniatures
Product code:PC-06
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean
Material: White metal and resin
Scale: 1:32 (54mm)


The box:

In the box: 

As you can see, parts are secured very well with two layers of thick cartboard and thick sponge, so there is no chance that anything can move inside during transport.

Quality of the cast:
On the first glance, the cast seems to be very nice. There are some delicate mold lines and imperfections, but it is rather complex model, so I can understand and accept that. At this point I can say, nothing is damaged, and the metal surface is rather smooth.The resin parts are more rugged, but because it's only wall and ground, I can guess the extra texture was intentional.
Of course all the thin parts (blade especially) are rather thin and bend easily, so we need to be careful with them.


Assembly:
Well... The mini is rather complex... So I can expect some small obstacles and difficulties with the assembly, but at this point it's just my guess. 
But the very most important thing for me will be of course the order in which I'm gonna assembly the piece. So far I was experimenting with with that on different miniatures, and must admit the trial and error approach got me nowhere. I'm not sure if there is one right answer to that problem, but I'll do my best to find the ways best for me and the particular minis.


Other Andrea Miniautes reviews:
Menhom Dark Shadow 
Urmuth, Scars of War


cheers

'eM

Urmuth - belt buckle

Folowing one of my friend's advice, I decided to rapaint the buckle on Urmuth's belt. I tried to make it look like a gray gem. And here are the results.

I know that photos aren't that great. But I had to do them with on camera flash. Lamps would be in danger, as my cat's were displaying unbelievable levels of hyperactivity. So I had to be very quick and pray that they won't demolish anything;p Of course there was small accident. Mila was trying to lick mr U so hard, so he ended up on the floor, hence destroyed ends of his horns.

But anyway, he's in one piece again, nothing irreversible happened, and here are the photos:

Suprisingly I must say, the wooden axe handle, even though not finished yet, doesn't look too bad in such an extreme close-up. You can see some beginnings of the wooden pattern.
The gem itself isn't too bad as well. I might need to fix the highlight on the top, but other than that I'm quite happy.

And what do you think?

cheers

'eM

Urmuth - another small update

I did some more work on Urmuth. But because it might not be so obvious at the first sight, here is the list of what I did:

- I fixed his eyes a bit - still suck but a bit less;p But in my defense it's awkward part of the sculpt
- I did horns, and I'm really happy with them
- I did the ribbons around his horns
- I painted this weird thingy on his skirt (the one with triangles)
- I shaded the bottom of the fur
- I was working on the fabric on the handle of the axe, but now I think I need to repaint it (probably gonna do old leather here)
- I was working on the handle itself, but it's not there yet. I'ts kinda silly that the wooden handle is so thin here (axe itself looks quite massive and heavy) but I'm not gonna fix the sculpt. I was thinking painting it like metal element, but there is splitted wood at the end, so it needs to be wooden. I guess I can assume it's some sort of magic stick or something;p

cheers

'eM

Urmuth's base

The base is almost done. The shape will stay as it is now, I just need to work on colours and dust.
I might be tempted to add some more plants, but I'm not sure yet.

And with the piece getting closer and closer to the complition, I must say, I can't wait till it's finished, so I can start something new.

cheers

'eM

A bit more skin

Another quick update.

Some more work on Umruth's and Viking's skin is done.
I also managed to paint metal parts on Urmuth. I was hoping that they're done, but I need to work a bit more on the contrast and some colour niuances, judging by the photos in a day light.

 

cheers

'eM

Urmuth - little update

A bit more work on the skin is done. Still not even close to being finished, but I'd say I can see a little light in the tunnel here. Muscles on the lower part of his torso are starting to shape up quite nicely, and the upper part and shoulders look almost ready.
Only the face is complete mess so far. And I'm not sure I have an idea what to do with it, so it may take a while before I'll paint it.

As you can see on the side shots the background is much darker than on the middle one. It's not an effect of me manipulating the photos, but literally accidental change of the usual background for blacker and more furry one.
As it turned out, Mila likes miniatures as much as Bombel. Or maybe she just loves the camera and being photographed... I'm not sure yet;]

I guess we'll find out what's her biggest passion soon enough;]


cheers

'eM

Urmuth - quick photo

Not much to say. Still an early stage, still looking kinda messy. I managed to fix the fur a bit, but as much as I can see I still need to crank up the contrast quite a lot.
The skin on the picture looks like he's indulging himself in carrot and carrot juice, I know. But I hope I can get rid of this tint and make him look closer to normal;]

cheers

'eM

Urmuth - WIP

As a part of the plan of reducing number of projects I'm working on simulatneously (and stop HoS from growing) I started another mini: Urmuth Scars of War from Andrea Miniatures:)

Still an early stage. I was working mostly on fur, leather skirt and shoes. The brighter parts of the fur are not even close to the final contast and brightness, but the colour of the skirt is close enough to what I was going for.
The skin and other elements are just basecoated.

So far it's a nice mniature to paint. Good cast and fine details (for more informations check Inbox I did few weeks ago) makes it a real pleasure, and almost every element gives the painter a chance to show the skills.
I do enjoy painting it to such an extent, that I might even finish it;p

cheers

'eM

Urmuth, Scars of War - Inbox

My first 'inbox' here, something a bit shorter than review, focused mostly on the content of the box.
I don't think there is any need to describe Andrea Miniatures, or their range Warlord Saga, so I'm simply gonna show you some pictures with very short description.
I guess I'll be still doing proper reviews for more 'exotic'  miniatures and companies.


The mini:

Name: Urmuth Scars of War
Manufacturer: Andrea Miniatures
Product code: WS-15
Category: Warlord Saga
Material: White metal
Scale: 1:32 (54mm)


The box:

In the box:

Quality of the cast:
As you can see the cast is really clean and crisp. There are some delicate mold lines (photo below), but as far as I can tell, nothing is damaged, and surface is rather smooth. Of course some amount of work will be required, but that's normal.

The only thing that makes me wonder is this deep hole on the left side (on the photo on the right) under his collarbone. It doesn't look too deep on the photo, but in real it looks almost unnatural. I'll probably fill it with some milliput or something, to make it look more natural and anatomically correct.


Assembly:
Seems to be really easy. Fur fits nicely to his back, just needs a bit of filler to mask the joining point.
The only tricky part might be attaching the axe because the shaft is very soft and bends easily.


Other Andrea Miniautes reviews:
Menhom Dark Shadow


cheers

'eM

Euro Militaire 2012 - Shopping

Shopping wise it was a really good weekend, trust me.
So many nice stands with lots and lots of awesome models and accessories... All Vendors so nice and friendly:) Everything shiny and tempting:D

First group photo, ofc with Inspector Bombel:

You know, this cat is a big one (almost a stone). So taking that into consideration, the loot looks even more impressive;]


And because not everything is clearly visible on the photo, and because I'm still extremely excited about my new treasures, here is the list with official photos:

1. Landsknecht Soldier (Pegaso Models, 90mm)

(c) Pegaso Models

Sculptor: Andrea Jula
Painter: Diego Ruina

2. Iroquois 1760, or as I like to call him: pi**ed off Indian (Pegaso Models, 75mm)

 

(c) Pegaso Models

Sculptor: Andrea Jula 

Painter: Franco Mocci

3. Francois L'Olonnais (Pegaso Models, 75mm)

(c) Pegaso Models

Sculptor: Maurizio Bruno 

Painter: Danilo Cartacci

4. Port Royale (Andrea Miniatures, 54mm)

 (c) Andrea Miniatures

5. Norse Lord 800 A.D. (Andrea Miniatures, 54mm)

 (c) Andrea Miniatures

6. Brock the Wanderer (Scale 75, 75mm?)

(c) Scale 75

Sculptor: Joaquin Palacios

Painter: Alex Varela

7. Apache Lipan (La Meridiana, 200mm)

(c) La Meridiana Miniatures

Sculptor: Carles Vaquero

Painter: Danilo Cartacci

8. French Courtesan (El Viejo Dragon Miniatures, 1:10)

(c) El Viejo Dragon Miniatures

Sculptor: JR Arredondo

Painter: Pepa Saavedra

9. Gem Smith (War Griffon Miniatures, 1:10)

(c) War Griffon Miniatures

Sculptor: Raul Fernandez Romo

Painter: Adrian Hopwood

10. Leo Bust (Yedharo Models, 1:10)

(c) Yedharo Models

Sculptor: Fausto Gutierrez

12. Animal set (Mantis Miniatures, 1:35)

(c) Mantis Miniatures

12. Few bits and pieces : airbrush holder, a plinth (so called einzelstucke;p), set of sanding cloths,  few pigments.

I do believe it's all...

I think I should be done with buying new minis till Xmas;] Or maybe,  if I'm really lucky, till Salute next April;p

cheers

'eM