Salute 2011 #2

Click for Part 1

I took the chance this year to explore more figures ranges and while I was tempted to dabble in some historical figures (I really had my eye on Napoleonic s), my wallet was constantly opened for the many Sci-fi and fantasy products on offer (and normally overshadowed) at this years.

First on my list was Taban Miniatures a French company who produce the wonderful post apocalyptic Eden skirmish game, there were some very unusual and unique cyber punk styled gangs such as the Bakama and Jokers. But what really pulled grabbed my attention were the ISC who are basically wandering Samurai robots, almost immediately images of Samurai Jack popped into my head. I already had a Grey Daimyo and so I eagerly took the chance to bulk out my collection.

Wip: Kingdom Death: Saviour #1

After my disappointing Preacher Pin Up paint job, I decided to push myself today by starting another figure. Today I started the Kingdom Death Saviour miniature, another small female miniature loaded with detail.

Gallery: Preacher Pin-Up

Sometimes, persistence to see something through is the only answer. Right from the onset I struggled with this miniature with problems ranging from grainy paint right through to poor photography and lack of editing skills, but with all those issues behind me now I am happy to say: this figure is finished.

I nearly gave up on this figure on so many occasions but even if it is not my best work, it's another fully painted figure to chalk up for the year which gave me a steep learning curve. The head is magnetised and at some point I intend to paint the alternative head for completion's sake.

DiStudios

Send The Eighth!

To keep up to date with all our goings on, like and follow our Facebook, Google + & Twitter pages.

Wip: Preacher Pin-up Complete

Huzzah my Kingdom Death Preacher Pin-up figure is done! Despite all the hassle I have had painting this figure, I think it has been a good one to practice and develop my technique on, I re-learnt a lot of basic things about cleaning figures properly and paint thinning. But the most important thing is; it's  another fully painted figure to add to the collection for the year.

I aim to take proper photos tomorrow morning and should have this figure added to the gallery section as well. Time to hit the sack!

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Salute 2011 #1

Due to the amount of fun and pictures from Salute 2011, I have had to break down this report into three parts, I am aiming to get all three reports finished and up by the end of this week. 

This year's Salute looked like a busy affair right from the start and it seemed that a lot more people had opted for Advance tickets this year. I think a lot of this was down to the very generous Salute goody bag which not only had a American Civil War miniature sculpted by the Perry's but also KR Multicase's very generous give away (for the first 5000); the K-Lite. I have to admit the bag itself became very useful during the day for carrying my loot and saved on plastic carrier bags. The Imperial Legion was also well represented with around half a dozen Storm Troopers being led by Darth Vader patrolling the queues, I have to say that the presence of these guys made the queue waiting time a lot more fun.

Site News: And were back!!

Salute 2011 has been and gone, year and what fun it was! I am in the process of re-settling into the office after a fun weekend away full of painted toy soldiers and games. This year was also the first time I entered the painting competition and I have to say I had a lot of fun.

Salute 2011

Good morning! I am making preparations (a big flask of coffee) for my journey to Salute 2011, the biggest wargaming event in the UK. There will be lots of shopping (yay!),  the painting competition and of course awesome gaming tables, for those who want to know more or have made the last minute decision to go (like I did last year!) details can be found Here.

I will be writing a review later this weekend covering the event, with photos of new and unusual figures and of some shots of the this years painting entrants. For those of you who are going, have a awesome day!

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Wip: Kingdom Death Preacher Pin-Up #3

Burning the late night oil as I work on the the very last stages now of my Kingdom Death Preacher Pin-up, I have now finished the hardest part of the figure: the face.

Wip: Great Unclean One

It has been a long time coming, but finally I have started work on my Forge World Great Unclean One. This beast of a model has been sitting in the sin bin (along with the rest of Death Guard army) for almost 2 years now, and this morning I decided enough was enough. I really wanted to play around with colours this time round, so opted for a light brown colour with green mix shades, the idea being to give it a nice and unhealthy green glow.

I intend to add around 3-4 highlights then tie it all up with a brown(ish) wash before working on the diseased areas of the miniature (will have fun there). I can't really say why it has taken me so long to get this project started, but I can say that I am glad it's now in motion and while I can't see an army appearing from this in the short term, I can see it leading to more Death Guard work down the line.

Looking forward to sharing this project as it progresses.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Monsterpocalypse: New arrivals

Nice big box at my door this morning filled with Rise series 1 Monsterpocalypse goodies (Rise starter and booster) now being a collectible miniature game, the figures inside will be random so I am interested to see what beasties I have drawn this time round. The last time I had bought anything collectible was 'Vampire the Masquerade' and the older 'Legend of the 5 Rings' card games, and I and I had never been interested in Hero clix or anything like that.

Privateer Press: Black Ivan

Black Ivan, Harkevich's personal warjack is here and as I expected it's a Destroyer! It looks like another character jack pack in the same vein as Torch, which I don't mind as I liked the Torch kit. I am intrigued about the industrial claw with my bet on slightly higher power compared to the Kodiak with some form of sustained attack option, or perhaps a damage bonus to represent 'crushing', It also would seem logical that like Torch, this character jack can be bonded to Harkevich.

Privateer Press: Thoughts on Khador Kommander Harkevich

So Khador's 'Wrath' caster is finally revealed and the first thing that comes to mind is the 30mm base. At first glances the new caster does not look like much, it seems like someone took the Butcher of Khardov and stuck Baldur's head on it with a cap and scraps of Iron Fang armour, the weapon also looks unusually Menite in design for some reason. From the stock photo, the figure looks uninspired, flat and a little rushed, now of course this could be an issue with the photography (Jazz hands Gators?) and I will reserve final judgement for when I actually have the figure in my hand.

Site News: Slight mess up

Hi everyone, there have been some gremlins (OK my stubby accident prone fingers) on the site. As far as I am aware everything should be working as normal, although at one point no links to the blog were working and the blog itself vanished... If anyone notices any missing pages/posts/pictures/dead links etc please let me know.

Many thanks,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Wip: Kingdom Death Preacher Pin-Up #2

With some of the clothing done, the issues I pointed out in this post seem to be less noticeable. The reds have turned out nicely, using the same palette I have used painting Khador and World Eaters over the years. Looking at the loin cloth, I do not think I will be able to free hand the design shown in the artwork as the work area just looks to small, I may change my mind but right now it seems a little much.

Monsterpocalypse: Cthugrosh Repaint

Ctugrosh is done, it was a nice and quick piece which was a lot of fun. I have decided not to base it for now, as I don't want to risk covering the stat lines. The desicion to speed paint this critter was a good one, as it has been relaxing and ultimately yielded a completed figure for the collection. Next week I will probably be working on Defender X as a relaxation piece, so my partner's force does not feel left out...although it really does depend on what other critters appear in the post!

And now time for something completely different...

I have been doing a lot of 'serious' painting recently, stuff that requires lots of time and a lot of attention. It is nice to break the cycle by painting something completely random, for me that random factor is Monsterpocalypse figures. My partner got me the starter box set last Christmas as a light hearted game to play when we have spare evenings, it does not hurt that I am also a big Godzilla/monster movie fan. The critter below is Cthugrosh and you've guessed it, it's from a Cthulu-esque faction (did the tentacles give it away?).

Wip: Kingdom Death Preacher Pin-Up #1

This figure has gone a bit wrong sadly as the skin is no where near as smooth as I want. There is a graininess; most significantly around the waist that, I can't figure out how to get by. The paint was nice and thin, I did the usual multiple layers to keep consistency, but still that random grainy bit. It's not impossible, but I think it could have come from the primer.

I am hoping that as the figure gets closer to completion, that the issues become less obvious. This figure does not have any real features outside of the copious amounts of skin and as a result getting the skin smooth and correct is the most important part.

Looks like it's back to the drawing board.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Wip: Kingdom Death Manhunter #3

Managed to get my motivation back to continue painting this figure. With the skin out of the way the focus is on  clothing and small details, there is a challenge here to get the clothing to stand out from the skins as both are quite reddish browns.

I am liking the blueish tint to the trousers (a little shiny as the glaze is drying) and feel that the figure is now dark enough to allow the skin to stand out properly. I am thinking of now working on the details before finally moving on the trench coat. I have ordered a very plain display base for this figure as I tend to prefer the minimalistic look to my displays.

Still a lot to do, but I am happier with how much is done.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Kingdom Death: 54mm Twilight Knight - Pinup

Last week Kingdom Death added to it's general release, a 54mm version of their iconic Twilight Knight Pinup character. After losing last week to work commitments and the flu, I have finally managed to open and inspect the pieces that make up this fabulous miniature.

This figure uses the new smaller packaging first seen with the Grand Mother release, with a business card sized box, with a black print of the art on the cover. This release comes with a brand new art piece from Lokman Lam and quite frankly it is beautiful, part of me secretly wishes for a sculpt based on the new art piece.

Site News: Apologies!

So a slow start to April, my apologies for that! A nasty bout of flu struck the house hold last week, rendering me a mewling bunged up mess (queue small violin). Things are getting back to normal now with the focus being Salute 2011 (tickets arrived over the weekend) with only a couple more weeks to go. 

So again apologies for the radio silence, this week is business as usual!

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion