Grenadier Ruster Beast aka Rust Monster

My goal with this blog has been to post no less than once per calendar and month, and for the first time since I started it I failed by missing April.  The good news is I'm back!  This time I bring you Grenadier's Ruster Beast from their Monster Manuscript line (Vol.IX.) 

I think this is one of the better Rust Monster minis out there and I enjoyed painting this little bugger.  I really like the texturing that the sculptor, John Dennett, put on this mini. The rocks in particular have an excellent rock-like texture.  I'm not sure I'm satisfied with how I painted the eyes but I was going for some contrast.

I have a couple of small robots on my painting table now, and from the "Other Oddities" department, I went big on backing the Low Life Miniatures Kickstarter even though I have never played the RPG.  The minis are just so gonzo that I had to get some.  I just got the first wave in the mail, so expect to see those soon as well.

Artwork by Andy Hopp

Andy Hopp, the creator of Low Life has a current kickstarter going for a new addition of the Low Life game that I should probably mention as well: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1359565526/low-life-the-rise-of-the-lowly-core-rulebook?ref=live

Asgard Unicorn

I almost thought March was going to go by without a post from yours truly, but I did manage to paint up one miniature this month: Asgard's Unicorn (FM16). 

I tried to give this Unicorn a tacky color scheme, like something that might have appeared on a poster or trapper keeper cover from the 80s.  I figured the world didn't need another plain old white unicorn.  In the end, I'm kind of disappointed with my work though.  It doesn't match up to what I pictured in my mind's eye.  I got a little lazy with some of the blending and overall it just lacks a certain something.  The purple somehow gave it a potentially evil look too, which is not what I was going for.  Oh well.  Stay tuned as there are lots more minis on my work table eagerly awaiting some paint.

Archive Dracula Himself

This month's post is Archive Miniatures' "Dracula Himself."  This mini was apparently released in a few different ways.  He was released as a single miniature in the Dungeon Adventure line as number 719 and in a two pack with "Vampire Woman" as number 720.  He also appeared in their Fantasy Series as part of a three pack with "Wolfman" and "Franlcenstein," (aka Frankenstein's Monster).  Based on the picture featured on this website, it looks like he may have been re-released with a different head/face sculpt.  I'm not sure.  Enough with the history, here is the prince of darkness himself:

 

I had fun painting this guy, even though the sculpt is a bit rough in places.   I mixed purple and grey into the skin tones to give him a deathly pall but for some reason the camera didn't really quite capture it. 

Up next is something kind of wacky....or maybe tacky is a better word....stay tuned.

Grenadier Troll and Reaper Hawk

Here is the classic monster promised in my last post: Grenadier's Troll from the Denizens of the Swamp box set.  I love the gnarly, thin, and long-nosed trolls from D&D's past and I had a good time painting this guy.  The limited palette meant that it painted up pretty quickly too despite the fact that I am an incredibly slow painter.  This is the third mini I've painted from the Swamp set and it may be a while before I get to them, but eventually I'll paint the rest.  

I also recently painted the hawk from Reaper's Animal Companions I pack.  One of the players in the D&D game I'm running has a hawk "animal minion" and this was for him.  It's fairly small.  To give a sense of scale: the base is 20mm. 

More vintage lead and other random minis to come...

Reaper Gremlins II

I found the time to finish up the remaining two Gremlins, from Reaper's four pack.  And here they are:

I sculpted a mohawk out of green stuff for the one on the right and painted some little yellow spots on his ears to make him reminiscent of Spike from the movie Gremlins, just for fun. 

Here's a shot of all four together:

Up next an animal familiar and a classic monster from Grenadier.  Stay Tuned.

Reaper Gremlins

I painted two of Reaper's Gremlins (Dark Heaven Legends 03621) and thought I would share them even though they are from a pack of four.  I realized I hadn't shared any painted minis here for almost two months.  So I am still working on the other two but here is the first pair.

These are fun little miniatures that look similar to Pathfinder goblins.  They are quite small: less than 15mm high from their feet to the top of their head or hat.  Can't wait to finish the remaining two and I've got lots of vintage lead to paint up and share too.  Stay tuned.

Fall and Minis

This is the time of year when, besides getting a Halloween costume together and watching horror movies, I realize I need to base up and prime a bunch of miniatures before it gets too cold.  I always use spray primer and I apply it out in my backyard so I don't have to worry about overspray.  This is something you can't do when it's below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  So that's what I've been working on and I don't have any newly painted minis to share...yet, anyway.  I do have some in progress that I hope to be posting soon! 

Since I'm a visual-kind-of-guy and it's Halloween, I will leave you with this sweet Lovecraft inspired illustration by Rowena Morrill.(Which I found on one of my favorite blogs: Monster Brains.)

Ral Partha Aerial Servant aka Ghost Butler

I painted Ral Partha's Aerial Servant with Pizza, from their Weird Fantasy line, to represent the ghost of a butler that the PCs in my current D&D game are going to be facing.  Definitely a silly miniature but here he is.  Hopefully the players will underestimate him, evil laugh, evil laugh...

Grenadier Shambling Mound

Here is the Grenadier Shambling Mound from the same "Denizens of the Swamp" set that I posted the basilisk from earlier.

I feel like the photo I took makes my brushstrokes look huge and a bit sloppy but overall I'm satisfied with this mini.  I've always loved plant-based monsters for some reason and I tried to paint him with the cover illustration of the box set in mind.

I tried to use a similar (but slightly duller) coloring under the eyes like you can see in the detail of the painting below.  I'm not sure if that's supposed to be source lighting from glowing eyes or just a coloration in the facial area of this beast, but I went with it.

 More monsters on the way...

The Five Doctors

Here is a group shot of all 5 of the FASA Doctor Who minis which if you've been following along, I just finished.  Thanks for looking! (Click to enlarge)

I've got several things on my painting table right now so I'm not sure what's next...