3D Printed Snakeman

 

I managed to get this snake man I bought at Salute painted up to tabletop quality last week. I picked him up from a random box of 3D prints on the Encounter Terrain stand. He just had some simple base coating, an Agrax wash then a few colours dry brushed on or picked out.

The plan in my head was that I'd get ahead on my painting so there was plenty to post as Empire LRP drew closer, but instead I've been encouraged to get on with the clear out we've been intending to do for a good while.

We've sold a good bunch of stuff, but I ended up doing a bit more selling and a bit less painting than I'd planned, so I really want to focus in on finding the time to do some painting so I don't slip out of the habit and suddenly find four weeks have passed.

I've also solved some of my light photography problems. It turns out the front light I was using had another, less yellow setting. The second photo is with the old setting, the first with the new one. I think it's much better in getting a bright model.

I've also had some advice from my wife who saw how I was taking photos of models and recommended I change a couple of things. I'll see how those changes work as well!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Shasvastii Sphinx and Combined Remotes

 

In between painting models, I've been finishing up the prep of an assortment of Infinity figures that I farmed out to be assembled a while ago but haven't got to. It's a nice, simply and restful activity I can do in between complicated bits.

First up, we have the Sphinx TAG. Tactical Armoured Gear, or TAGs, are the biggest models in Infinity, and some of the toughest models to face. The Sphinx is the Shasvastii TAG, so fits in to the design of the Shasvastii being sneaky and into asymmetric warfare. It can be deployed "Hidden", so you don't need to put the model down and write down where it is. While lightly armed and armoured, it also has the ability to move around as a marker that can't be shot until discovered, and has a hefty penalty to be hit even when visible.

The Sphinx's guns are pretty light for a TAG, so it's best role is in picking off weaker enemy models rather than going toe to toe with the enemy armour. I have used it a little in TTS before now, but I'm looking forward to getting it painted up and on the table so I can use it in person.

The Scindron Remote unit is a small remote carried by TAGs that can detach to run around and do specialist tasks. It doesn't come out very often, but I wanted to make sure I had the model in case I needed it to activate a console during an objective mission.

I also got two more remotes for the Combined Army set up too. I've got a few painted already, but wanted some more variation in available load outs.

First up is the T-Drone, the Combined Army's Missile Launcher remote. This edition has made guided missiles a viable play, though usually through a defensive repeater network that can leave players feeling a bit like there's nothing they can do. You definitely want something in your list that can sneak up to or parachute onto a missile remote when planning your list these days.

I also got a second Q-Drone assembled. These Total Reaction remotes are amazing defensive pieces, and the Mimetism on the Combined Army ones give them an edge over the rest of the Human Sphere. I already have one assembled and painted, but was finding more and more while playing on TTS that I really enjoyed playing with two, giving me a strong defensive position.

Mammoth Miniatures

 

During the evenings, I managed to finish up a couple of models by Mammoth Miniatures. I picked these up at Salute last year. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've finished painting something I got at Salute within a year of getting it, so I'm definitely taking that as a sign of growth and improvement...

I'd kind of not been counting the treasure tokens I got done in February as I sold those, and I'm intending on keeping these two. I'm feeling really positive about the pace of painting.

This weird little fellow is described as a Scribe. His face was a little weird, but took contrast paint really well, and I was easily able to dot in some eyes and draw out a few highlights on the skin. The rest of him is a Zandri Dust undercoat, with an Agrax Wash and a heavy drybrush (maybe Typhon Ash)? Then contrast and a light drybrush of Karak Stone.

He's not the most detailed of sculpts, but he has some quirky charm I quite like.

The other model I grabbed was this "Half Dwarf Fighter". His helmet isn't quite in the right place for his eye holes so I thought he was wearing a blindfold at first! I'm classifying that as "quirky charm" too. I think he best suits into a grubby homebrew type system. He feels very much like a grimy 'old school' RPG NPC to me, and Mammoth do produce Brutal Quest. I'm not sure if he's edgy enough for Forbidden Psalm - though I think he'd work if he has some more "out there" companions.

Hasslefree Inquisitor

I've had this model assembled and ready for painting for ages, and when looking for something else, I decided to commission someone to paint her. The model is a Hasslefree resin model I was thinking of using as an Inquisitor or similar, but will likely end up used in Stargrave.

The model is called Justice Sedante. I commissioned Zoe Wright to do the paint job, and she's knocked it out of the park. You can check out more of her work on Instagram, too.

She has, like all good commission painters, painted the back of the model as well.

Shasvastii Noctifer with Spitfire

 

I was away last weekend meeting up with family, but I managed to finish this Shasvastii Noctifer for Infinity the weekend before after I'd taken that week's blog pictures. He's an old sculpt, painted up with the usual zenithal undercoat, contrast paints and drybrushing that makes up my Shasvastii scheme.

From a gaming perspective, I've never tried the Noctifer Spitfire. Most people take the Noctifer Missile Launcher, who is an ambush piece, primarily for the reaction phase. The Spitfire is a medium range gun with a high rate of fire, so is far more aggressive. Now I've got one painted up, I really should give him a run out at least once to see what he's like . . .

White Company Additional Reinforcements

I recently got another batch of White Company mercenaries for Infinity back from That Mr Shy. This was a mix of models I'd picked up cheap that needed painting, and starting to try and get the army towards a sensible playable force...

First up are the newer Kaplan Tactical Services box. You may guess from my already having the old box that this was a cheap acquisition, and a shop's clearance sale will indeed prove you right. This gives me a really solid basis for almost any configuration of Kaplan fireteam without having to proxy a model.

The Fusilier Forward Observer that comes in the Vallejo PanOceania Paint Set was something I had lying around and was worth getting painted up to join a Fusilier Core link when needed... 

Onto practical things that will be in some lists and not others, I picked up the Nisses blister, containing a Nisse Hacker and a Nisse HMG. The HMG is the "traditional" pick here, and likely to be the one taken more often. However, the Nisse Hacker can complete an incredible number of Classified Objectives, so is a solid pick in missions like Countermeasures.

I also picked up the Tiger Soldier blisters. I already have the Tiger Soldier Hacker for when I want a drop troop to push buttons in a mission, but sometimes you want them to do some killing. With a choice between a Boarding Shotgun and a Spitfire, there's both the cheap and cheerful version, and the fancy expensive option. They won't be every list, but I definitely want to give them both a run to see which I like.

Fenris Games Rats

 

I managed to get some painting in on some of my weekday evenings this week, and managed to quickly finish up these Fenris Games Rats. They're just a simple contrast job with some drybrushing, but that will do fine for models like these. You may notice if you click through to the Fenris site that a couple of them lost their tales over the course of getting them assembled and painted - rat tails are tiny thin things, so its easy to do!

I also took a photo of them ambushing a magic user and her porter. I might do a few more photos like this if people like them.

It's been nice getting back to painting post Empire LRP. Getting a routine going is useful to getting more done. I've signed up to a trainer with the local gym for the first time to try and get more regular with that fitness malarky too, as I was feeling like I'm starting to get a reasonable pace with the painting.

We changed internet providers this week too, and moving lots of boxes of things out of the way to let them install the cable definitely made me feel like I have too much stuff I'm just never going to get to, so expect to see a few more things listed on my eBay as well...

Knightmare Miniatures - Triceratops Beastman

 

A while back, I won a "promise auction" for charity, that meant I could get a friend of a friend to paint a single miniature. Digging around the stash, I picked out this "Beastman Champion" by Knightmare Miniatures that I picked up in a Kickstarter ages ago.

After an attempt to lose him by the courier, I've retrieved him from a random local store he'd been delivered to, and was super impressed by this lovely paint job. He'll probably see the table in Frostgrave or Stargrave eventually...

Crossing from April to May

 
I've managed to get one of the Heroines in Sensible Shoes by Oathsworn Miniatures finished. I like their old school aesthetic and they're a nice easy paint.

Empire LRP took a little longer than I remembered to get sorted before and after, but was good fun. Now there's another one in less than six weeks . . . And I also have a trip to see family scheduled that will be excellent, but impact painting time.

There's still tons of models I got back from my assembly people that aren't "paint ready" yet. I think I need to get those sorted. Possibly worth a big blitz?

I got a whole bunch of miniatures assembled, but there's also tons of assembled miniatures waiting to paint now. I've got a few more new things from small companies and Kickstarters I'd like to get assembled up, but when will I get to paint them?

I think maybe it's time to have a day or two where I focus in on just painting a whole bunch of small miniatures in one go with nice simple paint jobs?

Plus there's all those Shasvastii I said I'd paint by the end of June . . . but I think having fewer half finished things cluttering up the paint table will help me really focus on those...

This is all pretty scattered, and I think that's telling. I've got two much stuff going on at once, and I'm bouncing between stuff and finishing nothing. Definitely a case that I should pick one job, get it done, then move on to the next...