Dino Discovery

So I found these plastic Schleich mini dinosaurs at the local toy store the other day.  I think they have interesting 15 mm possibilities.  The raptor and the pterosaur are a tad off-scale but the others seem pretty bang-on.  And, at only $4 each, you could put a herd on the gaming table for the cost of a few pints...

"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

They do have a bit of molded text on their bellies that someone like me would feel compelled to remove and putty over, but otherwise they're pretty awesome as-is.  And scale is at least credible; here they are posing with a (largish) 15 mm humanoid:

"Come at me, bro!"

Khurasan "Huntarr" figure for scale.

Winged Old One

Elder Thing (sculpt)
28 mm scale; 40 mm tall

They were not evil things of their kind. They were the men of another age and another order of being. ... Scientists to the last - what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God, what intelligence and persistence! What a facing of the incredible, just as those carven kinsmen and forbears had faced things only a little less incredible! Radiates, vegetables, monstrosities, star spawn - whatever they had been, they were men!

Unlike many of H. P. Lovecraft's horrors, the Elder Things were not supernatural or truly malicious in any way.  They were aliens who traveled to earth in the Cambrian era, founding a strange civilization and bio-engineering the dreaded Shoggoths as their servants.  Though hinted at in various eldritch volumes of the past, their existence was only truly discovered by Antarctic explorers from Miskatonic University in the 1930s, precipitating the loss of most of the expedition.

This strange creature from "At the Mountains of Madness" started out as an oval bead from my daughter's necklace kit.  I'd painted Lovecraft mythos figures before, but the Elder Things never caught my interest simply because ATMOM is, frankly, not a very accessible novel.  My sculpt isn't overly original, largely based on various Deviantart pieces as well as Lovecraft's oblique text description.  Most people's interpretations look something like these:

Stay away from the brown acid.

I imagined the tentacles, legs and wings to be boneless fluid-filled structures and sculpted them accordingly.  I don't think the "hands" and wings turned out particularly well, but overall I'm happy with it.  I gave it a tool or weapon (Laser gun?  Musical instrument?  Elder drain unblocker?) because they were supposed to be a highly advanced civilization, not just tentacle-waving animals.

Monkey Business

Like most of us, I like to keep up with what other painters are up to on their blogs.  And while I can appreciate the technical accomplishments of a well-painted army... well, usually it's the little things that make me say "Yes!  This hobby is awesome!"

This, at Menace Miniatures, is one of those things:

I'll admit I suggested the idea to redmenace, but wow.  What a great job.  This is a scene I've wanted to put together myself for ages, but I never got around to it.  Looking at it here, I can just imagine that scene from 2001...

So if you like it too, drop by Menace Miniatures and say something about it!  And check out his other work, because it's all very nice.

Prang Posse

I finally completed my last few Prang models, here's the squad all together.

I had fun painting these froggy guys, each one is unique in many ways (weapons and armour are all a little different) but with a coherent painting style they tie together well as a group.  Their slightly different body types and facial structures give them a lot of character too; they remind me of the ensemble casts of many war films.

"Come and get some!"

Incidentally, this is the first full squad I've done with the attached bases removed and scratchbuilt "indoor" bases added.  A fair bit of work even for these simple designs, but I like the results!

Prang Problem Solver

Prang Combat Technologist 
15 mm

Not all problems can or should be solved by superior firepower, so in addition to the basic mechanical training all Prang troopers receive, mission teams usually include an experienced technologist.  Skilled in manipulating materials as common as steel or as exotic as scrith, as well as infiltrating automated systems, they protect their squad from threats ranging from a locked hatch to killer nanoswarms.

Prang figure from 15mm.co.uk.

Pugnacious Prang

Prang Commando Squad
15 mm

Pod-leader E'Li and his crew of heavily-armed marines storm yet another pirate vessel, rescuing captives and capturing or eliminating the criminals.  Their effective use of heavy blaster rifles and industrial-strength laser cutters make them very dangerous shipboard adversaries.

Originating from a swampy, water-rich planet, Prang are bulky amphibian-like bipeds slightly larger than humans. Their resistance to injury and astonishing regenerative abilities, coupled with their culture's strong values of fairness and justice, mean that in addition to forming a formidable self-defense force on their home world, Prang expatriates can be found serving fearlessly in police and paramilitary law enforcement forces across the galaxy. In Prang society, an honest person presents their thoughts plainly, so in addition to a reputation for bravery, Prang are known for having no concept of tact whatsoever.

Figures are, of course Eli Arndt's batrachian Prang from 15mm.co.uk.

War Lizard

Kada Pirate
15 mm

Descended from powerful crocodile-like apex predators, Kada are the true high-tech savages of the galaxy.  Eschewing subtlety or diplomacy, they prefer to attack swiftly with powerful blasters and cantoloupe-sized concussion grenades, or claws and teeth in close quarters.  Of course, such vicious fighting generates quite an appetite, so fallen enemies and any unlucky captives are eagerly devoured without delay.  Kada are often found engaging in opportunistic piracy or working as mercenary shock troops for other warlike species.

A 15mm.co.uk "Draccian" figure.

For the Emperor!

Sister-Captain B'than
15 mm

The "Human Empire" is barely an empire at all by galactic standards; a single moderately resource-rich star system with a handful of inhabited worlds.  Their massive and religiously fanatical military, on the other hand, are a force to be reckoned with.  Brethren and Sistren of the Imperial Forces are indoctrinated from birth to worship the mysterious Emperor and perform any sacrifice or atrocity in his name.  Highly xenophobic, the Empire have already enslaved and slaughtered one sapient species in their home system, and would set their sights on others nearby if they were not restrained by the close proximity of the Cultural Collective.

B'than, an elite veteran, has distinguished herself in numerous border conflicts against humans and alien "abominations".  Her unrestrained purity of purpose against uprisings among the agricultural and industrial helots of the Empire has earned her both Orders of Faith and the admiration of her comrades.

The figure is Ion Age's "Lady Arachne".

Legal Team

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Rude Mechanicals

Droid buddies
15 mm

I thought I'd do something fun with some of the robots I got in a recent 15mm.co.uk order.  Honestly, these aren't the crispest figures out there, but with a bit of work I think they turned out... okay.  Any resemblance to anything else at all is purely coincidental.

Originals: HOF43, HOF45 and HOF70

Multiverse Apartment Block

The second kit Multiverse Gaming Terrain sent me for review is from their "Metropolis 15" line (which could just as accurately be called "Gotham City 15").  It's a small apartment or office building in a style I believe is called "brownstone" and is reminiscent of working-class boroughs of a 20th-century big American city.  Perfect territory for a pulp RPG, cops and crooks, or super-heroes themed game.

Each storey of this kit is a discrete unit, removable to change the structure's height and allow figure movement inside.  Being cocky from having one MDF kit under my belt already, I actually departed from the instructions for this one and assembled the storeys attached to their floors, rather than ceilings.

Apart from leaving walls around the rooms when it's opened up, this also allows assembly as a one-storey building, which isn't possible using the stock method.  I'm surprised this worked, but it did.

Not huge apartments, but big enough for some indoor drama.

As with the bunker kit, the fit was exceptionally precise and assembly was smooth.  The instructions are basic but fairly clear, pointing out a few tricky areas, but I still made one mistake: one of the end wall/window pieces (for the first floor rear) is different from the rest, and I didn't even notice until halfway through the build:

Remedied by cutting the decorative rectangles out by hand to match the others, and using it for an upper floor, but this really should be pointed out in the instructions as it's an intentional element of the design.  I've contacted Multiverse about this, and it should be clarified in an update.

The end result might not get painted for a while, but here it is!  Another strong initial offering from Multiverse.

"Let's move this fight to the roof!"

Pros:
- perfect fit
- classic urban design
- large gaming space
- modular and expandable

Cons:
- plain side walls when used as a stand-alone structure
- instructions need to be more detailed

Multiverse MDF bunker - finished!

Continued from my previous post...

Multiverse has clear assembly instructions on their website in PDF format, so assembly is simple.  After ensuring everything dry-fit nicely, I began gluing.  I glued the surface applique to the outer walls first, since it made alignment easier and allowed me to press them flat with a heavy book.

The bunker's vertical walls are totally plain inside and I thought maybe they could use some detail too, but in the interests of getting this all done in a timely fashion, I resisted until later.

Rubber bands used to clamp the main walls and roof.

That flat, plain roof was still bugging me, so I added some details to make it into a VTOL landing pad.

... on the cheap: window screen and cardstock.

Once assembly was complete I gave everything a generous coat of spray primer.  As it turned out, I probably should have done this twice, since when I put the acrylic on with my airbrush it seemed to soak into the less-primed areas and leave an uneven finish.  But once I drybrushed and weathered it I think it turned out looking pretty good:

In retrospect, it would have been smarter to finish the inside before assembling the parts, as it's harder to do it afterwards.  But I came up with a decent solution: a printed cardstock "liner" to give it a more appealing (and customizable!) interior space.

This is supposed to be a review, so I guess I need to sum up my impressions of this set.  Some of these may be typical of many/all MDF kits but since this is my first, I'll just list them.

Pros:
- attractive design
- excellent fit
- simple instructions
- easy to customize

Cons:
- limited detail
- challenging to produce an even paint finish

Overall, as you've probably guessed, I really like it!  Most of Multiverse's designs are more elaborate, but if they're as well-made as this one they should produce great tabletop terrain for minimal effort, even for a beginner.

"I know you can hear us in there!  This can be easy, or it can be hard!"

Multiverse MDF terrain: out of the box

Andrzej over at Multiverse Gaming Terrain made an enticing offer on Facebook recently: he wanted to send sample sets from his new laser-cut MDF terrain lines out for bloggers to review.  Because I'm not an idiot, I jumped at the chance. So the other day, I received two kits, "Command Bunker" and "Apartment Block".

Pics from the Multiverse website, with dimensions.

IKEA fans will appreciate "flat pack" terrain.

Being an MDF kit noobie, I wasn't sure what to expect from this puzzle-piece approach, but a quick dry fitting of the bunker kit was promising: everything just slid together snugly with no sanding and no wiggle room:

The surface detail is thin matte board and really improves the look of the outer walls; I feel the large, flat roof could use something similar.  But it'd be easy enough to customize with card or bits, which I may do later.  As for construction, Andrzej has told me that PVA glue and spray paint will work fine on these.  In my next post, I'll assemble the bunker and start painting.

Cult Movie Alien

Cult Movie Alien
15 mm scale

"Sorry to interrupt your recreation, fellows, but it is time for Sgt. Pinback to feed the alien."

John Carpenter's 1974 film, "Dark Star", is a weird, fun, low-budget story about a cranky crew of oddballs dealing with life in space and trying to save themselves from an intelligent bomb that has decided it wants to explode.  A major subplot features the shenanigans of a maliciously mischievous beachball-shaped alien (obviously made from... a beachball, and a pair of Halloween fright hands) which wreaks havoc on the ship while moving around via the ventilation ducts.

Dark Star was co-written by (and co-starred) Dan O'Bannon, who went on to write a rather more well-known 1979 film about a cranky crew of oddballs whose spaceship was destined to self-destruct, confronting a malicious alien traveling through the ventilation ducts:

"Look, we have actual money now!"

Skyward Sentinel

Colabreta Anti-Air/APC Combo
15 mm scale

A distaste for excessive military production leads the People's Planetary Partnership to design flexibility into much of their equipment.  Although this armored infantry transport currently mounts a pair of radar-guided hypervelocity cannons to engage enemy dropships and ground attack flyers, the turret can be rapidly exchanged for a variety of other weapons, sensor suites, or even rescue apparatus for disaster emergency use.

Although it's often frustrating, I still find conversion to be fun and satisfying.  The AA turret here is made from an Ion Age "Moth 88" gun, plasticard, greenstuff and the end of a novelty pen.  Sometimes it's about working with what you've got in your bitz box and not being hung up on your original design (which was rather different).

Ten Years of Painting Agency!

What?  It's the tenth anniversary of my first post here?  How is this possible?  That's positively ancient in internet years.  To put it in perspective, in 2005 there was no Instagram, no Twitter, Facebook was for students only, and "Cool Mini or Not" was still my hobby website of choice.  I'd never painted a 15mm figure in my life, and this was my first work posted:

There have definitely been some changes over the years: fewer trivial WIPs and "look what I bought" posts, more comments and followers (thanks, guys!).  I got started painting smaller figures when I tried "Flames of War" WW2 models, and now I don't often paint 25/28 mm figures.  The 15 mm sci-fi renaissance has provided endless material that suits my new interests and time constraints.  On the downside, I think my technique has stagnated a fair bit from not being pushed, but I've also shifted my style to one which complements smaller sculpts.

Will I still be doing this in a few years?  I don't know, life goes on.  I certainly hope so, and right now I enjoy the synergy of painting/posting, and definitely appreciate all the feedback I get.

Danger Doctor

PPP Combat Medic
15 mm

The armed factions of human space place a high value on military medics, who are equipped with nanite injections, flesh plast, and organ stabilizers to treat wounds inflicted by numerous exotic weapons.  In keeping with the PPP's philosophy that enemy warfighters are themselves victims of their commanders' imperialist aggression, PPP medics are unarmed and will treat any wounded they encounter on the battlefield.

I sculpted some nice flippy hair on to the bald, male medic in the Planetary Militia command set to produce this now-female character.  I think it was a good idea, since honestly I felt "he" had a bit of a scrawny head originally.

"This is the third case of Arcturian space herpes I've seen today.  Honestly, guys!"

People's Protectors

PPP Home Guard
15 mm

The People's Planetary Partnership have the odd distinction of being the only sustainably functioning anarcho-socialist society in human history, existing across multiple star systems with a government based on group arbitration and consensus-building.  While no official apparatus exists to enforce ideological conformity, this governmental structure is sufficiently popular that dissenters generally find themselves facing social scorn and little cooperation from their fellow citizens.  Consequently, outsiders have variously described the PPP as "stodgy but egalitarian" and "numbingly conformist".

 

The PPP remain technologically inferior to their main stellar-political rivals the Cultural Collective, largely because of their refusal to create sentient artificial intelligences.  They maintain that "leashed" AI's constitute slavery while unrestricted ones represent an existential threat to humanity.  They loosely ally themselves with the photosynthetic Chloros, whose biological collectivism they admire.

The models here are The Ion Age's Planetary Militia and Hazelwurm Patrol Car.  I'm hoping to paint up a bunch more of these troops in the near future, they have a nice mid-tech look and the sculpts are easy to paint well.