Monday 18 June 2018

"So Timid Toad, His Eyes A-Popping..."

"...Into the woodland night went hopping."
This 23mm tall metal model of a Toad Mage is produced by “Oathsworn Miniatures", and can be purchased as Code BB66 from their "Burrows And Badgers" range. Originally part of the County Durham-based company's "Fur And Feathers" kickstarter, Grarrp Croaak comes equipped with a Mage's Focus and Mage's Pouch.

The short-legged frog was super-glued onto a 30mm plastic circular lipped base, and primed using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki. His "dry, leathery skin" and "large bumps covering the parotoid glands" were then washed using some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" and later dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki.
70mm x 70mm x 42mm MDF WIPs - The "N-FX Game Design Studio" three-dimensional decals are self-adhesive
"Often viewed with suspicion or even outright hostility" due to it being a Magic User, the tailless amphibian had its bone staff painted with "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, and both his leather bindings, as well as his satchel, 'picked out' with Heavy Sienna. All of these areas were subsequently shaded using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, before the skeletal stave was treated to a light dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand.

Initially, I had pigmented the Mage's feather charms using some "Vallejo" Turquoise, but felt the deep blue was a little too incongruous with the rest of the creature's muted palette. As a result I settled upon a combination of Heavy Red and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". In addition I also considered applying a green ink over the Toad's 'warty' skin in order to help differentiate it from the rest of his body. In the end though, having returned to some of the wildlife photographs I'd been using as a colour guide, I simply settled upon a second application of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade over the bumpy areas.   
70mm x 70mm x 42mm MDF WIPs - Primed "Vallejo" Black, the building fits nicely inside the next-sized box
With my "Burrows And Badgers" warband now almost complete, I've spent a short period of my hobby-time assembling some simple MDF boxes sold by Tepic2000 on "Ebay". This biggish project should see me create a few straightforward sci-fi buildings to use as a Cyber-City for the "Warlord Games" rule-set "Doctor Who: Exterminate". The smaller of these planned buildings will not only be able to be stored inside some of the larger ones (to help save on storage), but will also be used to store my cards, dice, rules etc...

The first box is just a humble 70mm x 70mm x 42mm square affair which I have glued together, and stuck some three-dimensional decals on in order to 'space it up'. The decals are by "N-FX Game Design Studio", and should provide plenty of sci-fi detail once I've painted the piece silver and weathered it a bit.

37 comments:

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    1. Thanks very much, Simon. Enjoyed this one immensely :-)

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  2. Mmmm, more food for Sid, with added toothpick!
    Russian doll houses look very usable (and Sci Fi).

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    1. Cheers Joe. I'm hoping the sci-fi buildings will get a lot of use once finished.

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  3. Aww, he looks cute with those solid black eyes. I think a bit of a departure from the "creepy" factor that B&B Toads are typically described as having. Really like him mate. I got the Animist (Fast becoming my fav of all their sculpts) and am thoroughly looking forward to getting some paint on him!

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    1. Welcome to the "Burrows & Badgers" brotherhood, Dai. So glad you succumbed to temptation :-)

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    2. If I didn't have so many OTHER projects on the go right now, I'd be further along with my critters than purely "prepwork and basing". :)

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    3. LOL - I know what that feels like, Dai. So many wonderful minis and ranges out there currently. Definitely a Golden Age of models imho.

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    4. My gosh you are not wrong mate! So many minis, so little time (And funds...).

      And now my LGS has announced a planned Battle of the Bulge event at the end of the year, so I REALLY have to get those blasted Winter Germans finished!

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    5. More Winter Germans!?! Wahoo!! Really looking forward to seeing those, Dai. Awesome announcement :-)

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  4. Toad love, illegal in so may countries.

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    1. Thanks Phil. I’m really happy with the little critter :-)

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  5. That toad is a great sculpt and I like your paint job. I get a vibe of him leaning towards the "dark side" which looks awesome and is entirely appropriate for a mage. Looks great! Sci fi boxes? Where do you find all this stuff you show on this blog? Then you add 3D decals and turn them into a cyber town! Blaxkleric world is a highly imaginative place! I can't wait to see the finished product.

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    1. Cheers Undercoat. In many ways the Toad painted himself, as I was planning on a bright, vibrant Native American palette for him, but having perused some photos suddenly found myself applying drab brown washes all over him, and making him suitably murky for a Mage.

      The 3D decals were a very generous gift from “N-FX Game Design Studio”, so beginning a showcase project for them was the least I could do. I’ve actually been sent some more, so I’m hoping to show most of the range off over the next few weeks :-)

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  6. Great work on the toad Simon, The buildings look good, and very useful you can store them inside of each other

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    1. Thanks Dave. I’ve actually first dug out a few buildings from “Wargames Terrain Workshop” which I forgot I’d started whilst having a rummage around. But as they’re post-apocalyptic I didn’t think the 3D-decals suited - hence the MDF box idea. However, I have kept one of them out on my painting table to remind me of them, and give them a lick of paint every now and then - superb detail :-)

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    2. yes not a lot of flat panels on the shanty huts ! LOL
      And as you say being Post Apocalyptic not necessarily well suited to sci-fi detailing

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    3. Indeed, I'm not sure what made me think corrugated iron was a valid surface for 3d decals, LOL :-)

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  7. I've not been overly enamoured by the 'Burrows and Badgers' range, but that Toad has something. It's got a bit of a 'Dark Crystal' vibe and I think you were right in choosing to go for a more European toad look. Very nice.

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    1. Cheers Jez. Spookily, I wasn’t taken with the range either until this year’s “Salute”. Not sure why I suddenly fell for them - might have been the free mini with the rule book - I’m such a sucker for such extras, but I’m glad I did and hoping to get a BatRep in soon if I can.

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  8. That toad is awesome! Great work on him mate

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    1. Thanks Andy. The additional washes seem to have grunged up Toad rather well :-)

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  9. Your toad would definitely make it to my own list of your ten best painted figures of 2018, Simon. I even approve of the gloss varnish on him, which I normally dislike on your figures. Personal preference, I know! No offence meant.
    I'm very much looking forward to seeing how your MDF boxes turn out. I do love sci-fi scenery.

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    1. Cheers Bryan, and no offence taken. I’ve already finished the last of my “Burrows & Badgers” warband, so expect my Dandy Highwayfox to be posted soon. I’m pleased the MDF buildings seem to be going down so well, especially as its nice to paint something so straightforward for a change. Fingers crossed I can get the first building finished by the end of the week :-)

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    2. "Your toad would definitely make it to my own list of your ten best painted figures of 2018, Simon". For goodness sake Bryan, don't say things like that or he'll have us all doing a top ten!! ;-)

      Cheers Roger

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    3. LOL, Roger. I think more than two people doing a "Top Ten" would really make my head swell ;-)

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    4. Roger, mate, you are really tempting me to do a top ten of Simon's figures myself! ;-)

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  10. The 3D decals have piqued my curiosity, so I'm curious to see how they paint up.

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    1. Thanks Roy. I thoroughly recommend them already, having simply placed a few of them on an MDF box. I’ll certainly be letting people know how I get on, especially as I’m being sent some new ones this week to go on some of the larger boxes :-)

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  11. He is brilliant, perhaps one of my favourites yet!

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    1. Cheers Michael. I'm really pleased I decided not to try and give him 'proper' Toad eyes, as I think the all-black (which I've used for all my "Burrows & Badgers") works rather nicely :-)

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  12. I love that toad, and he is "Top Ten" material (pulls tongue at Bryan). as he said you gloss varnish works a treat here!

    The buildings are a great idea too, and look brilliant.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thanks Roger. I'm pleased both my mainstream gloss varnish detractors like this one ;-) As for "Top Ten", well, I'd certainly hope one of my "Burrows & Badgers" paint-jobs was in contention at the end of the year :-)

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  13. Fantastic work on the Toad mage Simon, he's got bags of character and you've brought it out really well.
    Never heard of these box/buildings before, but what a brilliant idea - I'm off for a closer look immediately! :-)

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    1. Cheers Greg. I've made a bit more progress on the first of my sci-fi box/buildings, so expect to see a bit more of an update in my next posing ;-)

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  14. The Toad looks very nice, one of my fav's, and as everyone has already said the boxes sound intriguing.

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    1. Thanks Vagabond. I have some more WIPs of the building/boxes coming very soon ;-)

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