Reaper Miniatures Ingrid, Female Gnome - 77167

I needed a gnome NPC for our upcoming session - she's a female spellcaster but uses a shortsword when needed.  This was the perfect model - a female gnome with a shortsword in one hand and a crystal that I'll have her use as a staff/wand (point of concentration) in the other to cast magic.  Thank you Reaper Miniatures - awesome!

The Reaper model is named Ingrid, but in this campaign, the NPC is Jamna Gleamsilver.  She's a member of the secret organization known as the Zhentarim or Black Organization (think Illuminati like for those who haven't played in the Forgotten Realms).  She has her own interesting backstory in the campaign and it'll be fun to see how my players react - will they see her as a friend with a common enemy or will they actively work against her.

This is a Derek Schubert model - I'm guessing, as it was released in 2006 as the metal model 3082, that this had to be one of his first sculptings.  Derek is a phenomenal painter and has numerous paints displayed on the Reaper website.  What's very cool is that for this model, not only did he sculpt the model, but he also painted it (in this case twice) - so you can visually see what he was thinking.  For example, in both his painted versions, he paints the model with bare legs.  As a member of the Black, I wanted my version to be wearing all black from head to toe.

Painting instructions for Ingrid (Jamna)...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Stynylrez green primer (this is awesome on bones)
Step 2: Use Solid Black on everything but the face
Step 3: Use Desert Tan on face
Step 4: Use Elfin Flesh on face as highlights
Step 5: Use Entrail Pink on lips
Step 6: Use Crimson Red on hair
Step 7: Use Rusty Red on hair as highlights
Step 8: Use Gunmetal on chain armor and sword
Step 9: Use Nightsky Blue as highlights on everything black
Step 10: Use a wash of Solid Black and bring down all highlights as well as dull the chain armor and sword
Step 11: Use Rich Indigo on gem
Step 12: Use Dragon Blue to highlight gem
Step 13: Use Ice Blue to hit the gem edges
Step 14: Use a wash of Rich Indigo to tie it all back together
Step 15: Drybrush Concrete Grey on base
Step 16: Drybrush Arctic Grey on base as highlight
Step 17: Drybrush Solid White on base as final highlight

Kickstarter paint total: 106 + 1 Ingrid, Female Gnome = 107

Reaper Miniatures Undying Minotaur - 77559

While I like the end results of this "undying" minotaur.  I wasn't happy with the journey getting there.  Painting bones models is supposed to be an exercise in fast/good tabletop quality.  Good enough whereby the players in our campaign get a jolt of fun seeing a hand-painted miniature on the table - but then their next thought is how quickly they can remove the bad guy from the table.  If a model lasts 3 rounds, that's about 30 minutes of game time.  It doesn't make sense to spend several hours on a model that's going to get 30 minutes of fame and then be put on the back shelf.

Unfortunately, this one took the better part of the day to complete which is frustrating as I looked at this model as drybrush some bones, drybrush some armor, throw a wash on it and be done.  It didn't quite work out that way and I wasn't happy with the drybrushing nor the wash.  So after going that route... I ended up putting on some layers, trying the wash again but even more watered down, and then some more layers.  I don't drybrush or wash very much because I don't like the inability to control the paint.

I used the Reaper triad of Stained Ivory, Yellowed Bone, and Creamy Ivory for the first time on the skeletal portion.  I do like that triad and will continue to use that on my skeletons in the future.  The bronze armor was completed using a technique I learned back at Reapercon 2017 - I had always drybrushed my metals on top of black undercoat - the new technique is to use a warm brown for the golds/brass and a medium blue for silver - then to paint the metals on just as you would any other color - lightly mixed with water.  The end result is a cleaner/brighter looking finish which can be highlighted by adding a bit of silver to your base metallic - finish with a wash - I used Vallejo's Sepia ink with a lot of water.

He'll be a lot of fun come game day in our next Dungeons and Dragons session.  This one will be used in a classic barrow mound campaign taken right out of a Tolkien setting - the party will be going through the dead fields and be drawn to a barrow mound where they'll find this bad boy and a couple of his ghouly and ghastly friends protecting the ancient treasure from legendary wars.  If I'm lucky enough he'll last more than 3 rounds and maybe, just maybe get to feast on a player character!

Kickstarter paint total: 105 + 1 Undying Minotaur = 106

Reaper Miniatures Dragon Hatchling Red - 77274

The fourth bones dragon hatchling - this one is the red dragon.  The first was the green dragon hatchling, the second was the black dragon hatchling.  The third was the blue dragon hatchling and now the set is complete from the bones kickstarter numbers 77271-77274.

I think I need to make a low-level module for my players whereby they start in a cave system and each level has a fantastical element of woods made from mushrooms for the green, a swampy damp environment of moss and acid on the next cavern level for the black, a sandy and hot cave system for the blue, and the final level would be lava filled pits with the red dragon as the final battle.

Painting instructions for Red...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Stynylrez green primer (this is awesome on bones)
Step 2: Use Maroon Red on body and wings
Step 3: Use Garnet Red on body and wings as first highlight
Step 4: Use Brilliant Red on body and wings as final highlight
Step 5: Field Grey on underbelly
Step 6: Add a bit of Solid White to Field Grey as highlights on underbelly
Step 7: Use Solid Black for horns and nose
Step 8: Use Solid Blue as highlight on horns and nose
Step 9: Use Solid Black on base
Step 10: Drybrush Concrete Grey on base
Step 11: Drybrush Arctic Grey on base as highlight
Step 12: Drybrush Solid White on base as final highlight

Kickstarter paint total: 104 + 1 Red = 105

Reaper Miniatures Dragon Hatchling Blue - 77271

This is the third bones dragon hatchling out of four.  The first was the green dragon hatchling, the second the black dragon hatchling.  This is the blue dragon hatchling and I have a red yet to paint.

Painting instructions for Blue...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Stynylrez green primer (this is awesome on bones)
Step 2: Use Desert Tan on sand, wings, and underbelly
Step 3: Use Dragon Blue on body and wings
Step 4: Use Devlan Mud to wash sand, wings, and underbelly
Step 5: Add a bit of Solid White to Desert Tan - drybrush on sad, wings, underbelly
Step 6: Add a bit of Solid White to Dragon Blue - highlight body and wings
Step 7: Use Solid Black on base

Kickstarter paint total: 103 + 1 Blue = 104

Reaper Miniatures Shaeress, Dark Elf Queen - 77066

This is an interesting example for those questioning the detail level of the bones material versus the detail available from a metal model.  Many times they're close enough - particularly the bigger the model, but if you compare the bones 77066 with the metal 3361on the Reaper site you can see the intricate detail of the "armor" on this figure - Derek Schubert really knocks it out of the park with his painting of the dark queen.  As the detail just wasn't there on this bones model, I went in a completely different direction of turning the entire outfit into a red dress and going for the pale china doll look instead.  She'll be an evil blood red vampire queen instead.

Painting instructions for Shaeress...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Stynylrez green primer (this is awesome on bones)
Step 2: Use Caucasian Flesh on skin
Step 3: Use Scarlett Red on dress and sleaves
Step 4: Use Beasty Brown on hair
Step 5: Use Maiden Flesh as highlight on skin
Step 6: Use Bloody Red as highlight on dress and sleaves
Step 7: Use Devlan Mud as wash on hair
Step 8: Use Plague Brown as highlight on hair
Step 9: Drybrush Cold Grey on base
Step 10: Drybrush Stonewall Grey on base
Step 11: Drybrush Skull White on base
Step 12: Use Black on base

Kickstarter paint total: 102 + 1 Shaeress = 103

Reaper Miniatures Familiar Pack II - 2399

There are miniatures and then there is tiny.  These guys are really really really tiny.  Normal figures are about 28-32mm heroic scale which is slightly over one inch.  These guys are approximately a half inch and smaller.  To get any sort of "pop" I had to use extreme highlighting.

I needed another winged kobold for a current campaign (I had a couple of the pre-paints from Wizards) which had me digging around in various bags, drawers and boxes.  I figured if I was going to paint one I might as well paint the entire set.  According to Reaper's website, there's a pseudodragon and a bobcat that are part of the blister package but I could not find them.  I probably bought the pack for my daughter fifteen years ago.  I'm sure those two models were painted by her and lost ages ago. 

Reaper Miniatures Altar of Evil - 77139

Those were the original pictures that I was going to show.  But then... I went to Reaper Miniature's website to view the model number and sculptor.  They have two very well painted versions - one using the concept of a red curtain between the pillars and the other using the concept of stained glass between the pillars.  Both very cool ideas!  I figured the red curtains would go extremely well with my idea of having a red cloth on the top of the table. So.....

There is my "new" altar of evil which I absolutely love the added color.  This is going to be extremely inspiring on our upcoming adventure.  Yes, we have an upcoming scenario with the cliche trope of a damsel in distress about to be sacrificed at the altar of evil - but hey, it's classic and it's going to be super awesome with this new piece of terrain.

I put the altar on a two-inch square base and then molded in the one-inch tile markers.  My evil wizard will be on one and I'll have the damsel on the sacrificial cloth as the heroic adventurers come in just in time to save the innocent.  Of course, they'll have battled some ghouls, ghasts, and various skeletal undead to get to the final battle.  It's going to be a great night of fun!

Beyond the crafting, the actual painting was simple.  Reaper's Field Grey is a grey with a touch of green mixed in and that was drybrushed on the altar - a final drybrush was made by adding some Solid White.  The tablecloth and curtains were Vallejo's Scarlett Red with some Bloody Red at the bottom for highlights.  The skulls were Vallejo's Bonewhite with a highlight of Skull White.  The base was a progressive drybrushing of Vallejo's Cold Grey, Stonewall Grey, and Skull White.

Kickstarter paint total: 101 + 1 Altar of Evil = 102

Reaper Miniatures Dragon Hatchling Black - 77273

This one was a bugger to try and photograph - while small, it's long and wide at the same time and I used both a digital camera with macro settings as well as my mobile phone which is an LG-V30 with a decent camera - neither were able to quite capture the miniature appropriately - oh well - it looks cool and it will be great fun for a low-level party of adventurers.  Quite happy with the pit of acid from which it's emerging - just don't tell Aeofel.

This is the second of the four hatchling dragons which came in one of the bones kickstarters.  The green dragon hatchling was done back in November.  I have the red and the blue sitting on my desk all primered up.  So look for those hopefully sometime soon.

Painting instructions for Dragon Hatchling Black...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Stynylrez green primer (this is awesome on bones)
Step 2: Use Solid Black on dragon scales and wings
Step 3: Drybrush Solid Blue on dragon scales and wings
Step 4: Use Solid Blue on dragon underbody from head to tail
Step 5: Use Military Gray to pick out underbody highlights, horn, and talons
Step 6: Use Snow Shadow to pick out underbody, horn, and talons final highlights,
Step 7: Stiple Snow Shadow on top of wings
Step 8: Use Field Grey on base
Step 9: Use Meadow Green on base
Step 10: Use Retro Emerald on base
Step 11: Use Pale Safron sparingly on base
Step 12: Add a bit of Solid White to the Retro Emerald and give tips a bit of final highlight.
Step 13: Wash with a very watered down Retro Emerald

Kickstarter paint total: 100 + 1 White Dragon = 101