Back Through The Breach... ...A Return to Malifaux

[DaVinci's Cat]

Well 5 months since I did any real painting... ...nothing like being locked-down to act as a painting motivator!

Having finally put down Elite Dangerous (for a while), I've had a bit of a clear out and with a potential Malifaux Encounter on the horizon, I thought I ought to take stock of what I need to get painted. So to start with, I did some printing . With the Gaining Ground Season 1 now out, there is now a requirement for Strategy Markers that aren't Ht5 Blocking etc etc and given that my normal suppliers don't have anything that really floats my boat coupled with the fact that Wyrd are clamping down on their Iconography IP, I thought I'd have ago at sorting my own. So after a couple of hours on Fusion 360 and the printer, scheme and strategy markers:

Neverborn Markers.jpg

Scheme on the left, Strategy on the right. 30mm diameter and 3mm thick so identical to laser cut acrylic ones. Clear the detail on laser cut ones is much better, but these should do the trick.

As mentioned, not having picked up a brush for quite some time, I needed something relatively easy to get me back in the swing (no Kirai and silk robed assassins then!) and being large was a bonus. At the moment the bases still haven't arrived so they're just sat waiting...

Carver Fr.jpg

Carver Rr.jpg

Buoyed by that effort, I immediately had a go at this one. Not as easy as I'd hoped as the sculpt isn't that detailed so it felt a little odd. Not sure now realistic you can get a 10ft+ Killer Teddy Bear...

Teddy Fr.jpg

Teddy Rr.jpg

On a roll, I thought I'd really try and wreck my failing eyes... My God they're small!!! And annoyingly they look alright in real life, clearly taking a picture and enlarging it shows up a whole heap of roughness and poor blending. That said, I'm happy with them at the size they are and what I can see.

Candy Fr.jpg

The cork 'plug' is 30mm in diameter...

Kade Rr.jpg

The intention is to continue in the current vein, and I'll hopefully have at least 1 fully painted crew ready for our first M3E encounter. I've also got quite a bit of scenery to assemble and painted.

[MoodyGit (Gary)]

Looking good.

On a roll, I thought I'd really try and wreck my failing eyes... My God they're small!!! And annoyingly they look alright in real life, clearly taking a picture and enlarging it shows up a whole heap of roughness and poor blending. That said, I'm happy with them at the size they are and what I see

With you there. Everything I'm doing will be photographed from a distance now.

[Dave]

Nice, like the skin tones, skin is something I always struggle with, always ends up looking stripy but yours look great. I like Teddy too, I have the model but never got round to it.

Also Neverborn!? I thought you were a Resser guy!?

[DaVinci's Cat]

I played Pandora (as well as Seamus and Nico) in 1st Ed. Once we got into the swing of things and with the 1st Ed mechanic, we found her seriously over powered, especially as the sorrows misery aura stacked - you'd easily be doing +3 damage for every failed Wp duel along with whatever self-loathing they were inflicting on themselves. I think the only thing that gave her problems was the Ortegas and maybe the Dreamer so in the spirit of friendly gaming, she got shelved.

She looks much more balanced in M3E so will hopefully interesting to play and is also the only Neverborn Master I've got any interest in playing, although wouldn't mind painting Titania as she is the original Red Joker artwork. Have any previous Neverborn players got an Angel Eyes lying around that is surplus to requirements by the way?

I still intend to play Kirai as I really like the aesthetics and fluff but am also being drawn to the Ten Thunders - Youko and Lynch - just love the whole Honeypot and Qi & Gong premise. Kirai is just continually thwarting any of my painting motivation and effort, hence the attempt at something else to get me back in the groove.

With you there. Everything I'm doing will be photographed from a distance now.

2 metres I trust..

[Darkson (Simon)]

With you there. Everything I'm doing will be photographed from a distance now.

Ditto - here's a pic of my latest BB team (they're on top of the hill in the centre).

[Tom]

You say you see roughness and poor blending. I say on my phone screen that last one looks like a photo of a real baby.

[DaVinci's Cat]

You say you see roughness and poor blending. I say on my phone screen that last one looks like a photo of a real baby.

I only posted up the good one! There are a couple of shots from the side and front that look pretty rough, hence didn't pass the cut to get posted. Same with the rear of Candy, aspects of her dress looked really blotchy when enlarged.

I think it comes down to how well (or not) I've watered down the paint as to how it pools and then becomes blotchy/rough. I also get on better with certain colours than others. For me greys generally tend to go on smoothly whereas browns and greens tend to be more grainy/rough. I might have to look at using a different thinner or flow improver rather than water.

That said, I'm pretty happy with both of them in the flesh, even when I'm wearing glasses. I just hope that any 'varnish' won't obscure any colour transitions too much.

Nice, like the skin tones, skin is something I always struggle with, always ends up looking stripy but yours look great. I like Teddy too, I have the model but never got round to it.

I tend to look at Angel GiraldeZ for tutorials. He does a lot of good stuff and has turned out some amazing paint jobs for Wyrd including their scenery. The following are worth a watch, even just for understanding colour theory.
Face:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJlckpSVDPU

Or full body:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI3K5KNRlBw

[DaVinci's Cat]

Still on a roll. This time Pandora's Totem, the Poltergeist:

Poltergeist Fr.jpg

Poltergeist Rr.jpg

Poltergeist Rr2.jpg

More than happy with the way this one has turned out. Initially I'd thought the green wasn't vibrant enough but it fits in well with the subdued colours of the rest of the crew. I need to sort out my desk light as the depth of colours on the green hasn't really come through.

The Sorrows are next on the table. Currently base coated and waiting detailing... ...and starting to worry that the bases won't arrive in time

[DaVinci's Cat]

I've finally got a fully painted Malifaux crew. Well, at least a relatively competitive (hopefully) fully painted crew (since v1.5) I should say. Nicodem without Mortimer was never going to hold is own...

Anyway, after having to get different bases that I'd originally envisaged, and ignoring the fact that there are a couple of figures on the painting table to give me some options after the initial couple of beatings, the core crew looks like this (unsurprisingly, a little pic heavy);

First up, Teddy, Carver and the Poltergeist now all based:

20200430_165915.jpg

20200430_165936.jpg

The Sorrows have come together quite well:

20200430_170037.jpg

20200430_170105.jpg

Pandora, Candy and Kade:

20200430_170142.jpg

20200430_170148.jpg

20200430_170216.jpg

And the whole Misery Crew:

20200430_170406.jpg

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the way these have turned out in the end.

Painting Pandora taught me quite a few lessons, mainly;
1) I need to used a magnifier as well as glasses!
2) I need to thin down my paint even more when doing skin and faces.
3) Wyrd plastics are way, way more detailed than their original metal models.

Just hope the lacquer I'm about to use doesn't screw it all up

Typically, the day after completion, I get an email saying the bases I originally ordered are on the way . Not to worry as they will probably work better with Kirai's Crew. I now just need to keep the motivation going and get her crew done.

[JAC]

Very nice. I like that Pandora sculpt.