Sunday 17 July 2016

"Any Minute Now He'll Yell Flame On 'N' Go Flying Outta Here!"

"That tears it! No more nice guy! I'm doing some Thing-type stomping around here --"
This 28mm coloured plastic model of the Human Torch is by “Wizkids” and can be bought as number 072 from their “Heroclix” Marvel Fantastic Forces range. Unlike the previous Johnny Storm miniature I’ve painted, which was a good representation as to how Jack “King” Kirby drew the comic book character, this particular sculpt has the youngest member of the Fantastic Four entirely ablaze.

As a result the figure was initially undercoated with “Vallejo” Heavy Orange and then heavily washed with the “Citadel” glaze Bloodletter. In order to try and bring out the model’s wonderful detail I then dry-brushed it with more “Vallejo” Heavy Orange before highlighting the human mutate’s flames with Heavy Ochre. Finally I applied some additional Heavy Ochre to the miniature’s raised edges with a “Winsor & Newton” University Series 000 brush.
Gravestones WIPs - "Lost Patrol" requires six of these 'infestation' tokens
 Having recently played some games of “Lost Patrol” by “Games Workshop” using models taken from my “West Wind Productions” “Secrets Of The Third Reich” collection, I did realise that in order to play the rules fully I would need to create some suitably Weird War Two themed objective bases to use as infestation markers; especially as these tokens ‘allow you to place more Nazi Zombies on a tile, even if it is not at the end of a path.’

Thinking you probably couldn’t get more appropriate than six grave markers, I’ve cobbled together some 40mm circular bases using some of the plastic Gravestones manufactured by “Renedra Limited”. For now these objectives have simply been assembled and undercoated. But should soon be shaded and dry-brushed so as to allow Steve May’s wonderful sculpting stand out…
Re-Painting the Undead - These Zombie Troopers have been partially re-painted and re-based
Lastly I have finished re-painting some of my old collection of “Copplestone Castings”. These three weapon-carrying Zombies are from their Code FW23 Zombie Trooper and, having previously had numerous areas ‘blocked in’, have had some additional washes added to the figures as well.

Now properly based, these gun-toting cadavers will help populate a rather macabre -looking tabletop I have planned based upon the 2015 “Mad Max: Fury Road” motion picture. I still need to ‘touch up’ and re-base three more similarly distressed Undead models. But once they are ‘overhauled’ I should then be able to quickly finish painting my project’s titular character as well as a couple of 1/55th scale armoured vehicles I recently spied on the “North Star Military Figures” website.

24 comments:

  1. Lovely stuff Simon, and another beautifully painted Johnny Storm. I do like your objective markers too those are some very nicely sculpted headstones, I must do something like that myself.

    That must be quite the little horde of "Zoms" you've got there now, I looking forward to you Mad max game immensely now.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thanks Roger. I've a few more 'flaming' "Heroclix" miniatures to practice my rather limited palette technique on, and they are rather fun to paint. Hopefully the headstones will soon be finished, as I want to try them out with Captain Webb and Medic Gobbo, as they lead some United States Marines into the jungles of Argentina ;-) Once I've re-painted the last three Zeds I want to re-base I will do a group shot of my "Copplestone Castings" horde. Plus I think you'll really like the two "Mad Max" vehicles I've bought :-)

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    2. Cheers Simon, I am salivating at the thought of these vehicular miniatures now. Captain Webb, he hasn't got to swim the channel first has he?

      Cheers Roger.

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    3. No worries Roger... and no swimming needed :-) If you visit "North Star Military Figures" website and have a look at their "Copplestone Castings" Back of Beyond Range, you should find the vehicles I'm talking about. Very old school ;-)

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  2. more great stuff, mad max vehicles - can't wait

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    1. Cheers Martin. My choice in old skool "Mad Max" vehicles may surprise you though ;-)

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  3. There is always something exciting going on with your hobby time Simon. Lost patrol was great, but Mad Max zombies could be even better!

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    1. Thanks Michael. I try not to flit too much ;-) Though both August and September are going to be dedicated to some Fantasy gaming I've had the back burner for a few months now.

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  4. Loving the stream of updated zombies - keep them coming. :)

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    1. Cheers PulpCitizen. Three more to go and then the re-paints are finished... Although I still have some to paint from scratch at some point :-)

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  5. Mad Max vehicles sound brilliant! Better get those zombs on the table quick, I want to see this project come to fruition

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    1. Thanks Andy. Hopefully you'll like the vehicles. Lots of bolted on sheets of metal.

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    2. My uncle was the Ford Falcon design team and racing boss that produced the XA and XB versions that featured in the original Mad Max films, I've always loved them since I was a kid...

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    3. Wow. Huge fan of "Mad Max II" but sadly never enjoyed the first film. Hopefully you'll like my version of the vehicles, though as I say elsewhere they're a little old school in design ;-)

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  6. "Flame on!" Really nice work on Johnny Storm, Simon. I don't have this particular figure but I do have other versions of him, including the one you previously painted.

    Your objective markers are simple and effective and very much in keeping for spawning zombies.

    And once again, you keep the best stuff till last - Zombie Troopers. What's not to like? They look suitably disgusting. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you do with your proposed Mad Max project.

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    1. Most kind Bryan. I've got another couple of Human Torch minis I believe hidden away within my "Heroclix" collection.

      The gravestones are my first time using anything from "Renedra Limited" and they're very nice imho. They certainly should paint up well.

      The "Mad Max" project is almost finished. So many zeds, so little time (or heroes) ;-)

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  7. All good stuff Blaxx; can't help but think the gravestones may end up peculiar when placed on some boards- 'nice' looking disgusting zombies too btw.

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    1. Thanks Joe. I've still got plenty of gravestones left over to make some more for some of the other terrain bases I use (e.g. snow). I do like my zeds to be bloody and grisly too :-)

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  8. Nice work, Simon. An simple yet striking paint job on Mr Storm and I like your infestation markers - I really ought to pick up that gravestone kit from Renedhra. I couldn't locate the post where you said how big the Lost Patrol hexes were and the web seems to be awfully reticent on this point. I'm estimating about 4" across the flats, which means that they're roughly the same size as the Kallistra single hex tiles, which are 100mm. A pack of 10 unflocked single hexes (in whatever colour) being 7.50.
    And I've just remembered they do trench hexes. So, you could do the steampunk WW2 section of Sucker Punch with Lost Patrol, nazi zombies and heavily armed girl commandoes...

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    1. Cheers Jez. The tiles are 73mm in width, and as I already own loads of "Kallistra" tiles I was thinking the same thing... Albeit not the heavily armed girl commandos bit :-)

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  9. Love the Human Torch. This one a far different take. Think you could have slipped in just one more tiny highlight to further enhance the fire effect?

    Been eyeing the Renedra gravestones for a while m'slf. I have an old old old fantasy-scifi graveyard board I'd dreamt up for years...

    More not-zeds. Yesss.

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    1. Thanks Dai. This Johnny Storm is a lot different to my previous version. I did debate adding a little white to the Heavy Ochre for a final highlight. But tbf the yellow doesn't show as brightly as it does to the eye, and I was trying for a 'quick'n'dirty' technique which this is.

      The "Renedra" gravestones are great, and I've some more WIPs to post before I present the finished articles. Perhaps they'll tempt you ;-)

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