Reaper Miniatures Large Earth Elemental - 77185

 

This large earth elemental is supposed to have both arms going forward, but it was more fun/menacing to have the right arm up in the air as if it's going to squash the player character. I love the dinosaur bones and the large gems sticking out from the body - I would have liked to have seen more of these "hidden gems" (pun intended).

This is mostly airbrushed - with various red, brown, tan, and even some gold. It was sitting on the side and I threw different paint on it as I was airbrushing other models. Then I picked out the dinosaur with some bone color and hit the gems with greens. Then some black around the base and called it done.

Kickstarter paint total 209 + 1 Large Earth Elemental = 210

Reaper Miniatures Frost Devil - 77324 or Contrast Paints to the Rescue

 

I have this great idea for tonight's Dungeons and Dragons session and I need four specific miniatures. Three of them are sitting on the painted shelf from other games, but one is sitting in a pile of Bones minis unpainted!

Vallejo Xpress Color paints to the rescue! However, with a new technique I've been hearing about for utilization with contrast paints - something called slapchop which is just the dumbest name ever and every streamer out there has their own version of it. 

Here's the Rick super speedy version - undercoat black, hit the crap out of the model with a white drybrush thinking about your light source. Then use your contrast paints and the black and white undercoat helps to give the darks and lights of the light source - so the paint gives depth in the recesses of the model and the undercoating your highlights and shadows from light.

Not the most beautiful paint job in the world, but certainly serviceable and I completed just in the nick of time with a painted model which is 1000x better than showing up with an unpainted model at the table. Note that I didn't properly base it - just tacked it on with some putty - I'll get it based properly later.

I call that a big win!

Kickstarter paint total 181 + 1 Frost Devil = 182

Reaper Miniatures Attic Whisperer - 60125

 

The Pathfinder Attic Whisperer is one of my favorite monsters.  It was originally in the very first Pathfinder Adventure Path module Burnt Offerings as the beginning of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path.  

A quick hit down history lane... 

Paizo was the sub-contracted publisher of Dragon magazine and Dungeon magazine.  One of Paizo's innovations to Dragon/Dungeon was the concept of the Adventure Path with Shackled City being the first where they would have twelve monthly Dungeon adventures be supported by content in Dragon.  Next was Age of Worms and then Savage Tide.  

In secret, WoTC wanted to go a different direction (4e and online publishing of supported materials meaning no more Dragon/Dungeon magazine). While 3.5e was still strong, they started to kill off their supported vendors and thus they ended their relationship with Paizo.  In order to survive as a publishing company, Paizo came up with an entirely new campaign world Golarion and the Pathfinder Chronicles Adventure Path.  Thus begins Rise of the Runelords which is technically their fourth adventure path concept but the first as a Pathfinder Chronicles Adventure Path and was written in 3.5e (it would be another year before WoTC kills 3.5 for 4e and Pathfinder becoming its own game).

Now for the fun part, although the Attic Whisperer was introduced in Burnt Offerings it wasn't actually used!  It was part of the Pathfinder Bestiary in the back of the module with a note that you could use it as a side adventure at the Turandarok Academy which was a school and orphanage in Sandpoint ran by a retired adventurer.  However, a better use would be in part 2, the Skinsaw Murders has the party in a creepy old mansion - that's where I use the Attic Whisperer.  The Haunted Mansion in 5e's Ghosts of Saltmarsh is another.

As to the mini itself - this is a wonderful sculpt and you get 2 in the package.  It's been a bit over a year since I last painted on metal.

Painting instructions for Attic Whisperer (used Reaper paints)...

Step 1: Undercoat model with black primer (back to metal so I used the spray primer)
Step 2: Use Yellowed Bone on skeletal bits
Step 3: Use Clouded Sea or Meadow Green on clothing
Step 4: Use Black Wash (Vallejo) on clothing
Step 5: Mix Yellowed Bone into either Clouded Sea or Meadow Green for highlights on clothing
Step 6: Use Polished Leather on teddy bear
Step 7: Use Flesh Wash (Vallejo) on skeletal bits
Step 8: Use Dragon Black on base

Reaper Miniatures Chthon - 77228

I have a bunch of the Wizards pre-painted Gricks but I needed one more - I dug through my Kickstarter bones and sure enough there is something which looks dang close.  So I based it - hit it with some paint and now I have a full squad of these wonderful low level monsters - they make it more interesting than just another encounter of goblins/orcs/etc.

Kickstarter paint total: 133 + 1 Chthon/Grick = 134

Reaper Miniatures Barrow Warden 3 - 77348

Nothing fancy here.  Just a quick paint in black, drybrush in gunmetal, add a bit of bone white for the skeleton and we're ready to throw on the table as a baddy for the evening's D&D game.

Kickstarter paint total: 127 + 1 Barrow Warden = 128

Reaper Miniatures Stone Lurker - 77227

Back to the Bones pile... this one is the Stone Lurker which is just a ball of fun to put together and paint.  It's these monster figures where once again the Bones line delivers terrific value - the bigger monster models look great (you can't tell the difference) and it's about a quarter of the price at $3.99 versus $14.49 for the metal version.

I added a bit of smaller stalagmites to the base to show "legs" on the model.

Painting instructions for Stone Lurker (used my Vallejo Game Color)...

Step 1: I'm using Stynylrez primer on the bones models - just slop it on and cover everything - it works great!
Step 2: Use Bronze Flesh on the stalagmite bits
Step 3: Mix Dead White with Bronze Flesh and drybrush on the stalagmite bits
Step 4: Mix more Dead White with Bronze Flesh and drybrush highlights on stalagmite bits
Step 5: Use watered down Scarlett Red and add the final Bronze Flesh highlight as a watered down mix - dab around the creases and the nodules where the tentacles attach to the main stalagmite
Step 6: Use Scarlett Red on the eyeball
Step 7: Use Hot Orange and cover 80% of eyeball
Step 8: Use Gold Yellow and cover 80% of the previous orange
Step 9: Use Black to generate a cat's eye pupil
Step 10: Use Black on base and rock
Step 11: Drybrush Cold Grey on rock
Step 12: Drybrush Stonewall Grey on rock
Step 13: Drybrush Dead White on rock

Kickstarter paint total: 125 + 1 Stone Lurker = 126

Reaper Miniatures Brass Bull - 77256

This is a fantastic sculpt by Bob Olley and Kevin Williams of the "brass bull" - what's historically called a Gorgon in Dungeons and Dragons which many would say misrepresents - the Gorgon in greek mythology is a female with snakes for hair and can turn those who gazed upon her into stone with Medusa being the most famous of the three sisters.  How Gary Gygax made the leap to a bull whose breath turns creatures to stone is a bit of a stretch - the concept is cool, but something other than Gorgon name would have been great.

Bad name or not, this is a really cool model and another great utilization of the bones product line - retails for $5.99 while the metal version is quite the hunk and has a hunky price tag of $18.99.  The size of this model is such that there is little detail loss - in fact, without picking it up it would be extremely difficult to tell the bones from the metal.  These larger monster models is where bones really shines and shows off its value to the gamer.

This was fun and easy to paint - just some metallic drybrushing over a dark blue basecoat - doesn't get easier than that.

Painting instructions for Brass Bull / Gorgon (used my Vallejo Game Color)...

Step 1: I'm using Stynylrez primer on the bones models - just slop it on and cover everything - it works great!
Step 2: Use Night Blue as a basecoat over the entire model
Step 3: Drybrush with Gunmetal Metal
Step 4: Drybrush highlights with Chainmail Silver

This is a bones model out of the kickstarter pile - so up goes the count...

Kickstarter paint total: 120 + 1 Bull = 121

Reaper Miniatures Ankheg - 77230

I had some fun today painting up a squad of Ankhegs.  These were from the Bones line by Reaper and again I can't say enough good things on the value of this mini in Bones.  For $3.99 versus $13.79 for the metal version, you can build an entire squad at a reasonable cost - $16 versus $52 is some significant savings!

I painted these using the same technique with the difference being the undercarriage of the beast.  I wanted to give each one something different for some flavor - one set is purple, one green, one blue, and the other brown.  I also based these on Reaper's round bases that came with one of the Kickstarters.

The Ankheg was sculpted by Kevin Williams and I'm starting to get a liking for what he's done - recently I painted the four small dragons - red, green, blue, black and the two flower pods (death star lillies) as well as the fly demon.

Painting instructions for Ankheg (I went back to my Vallejo Game Colors)...

Step 1: Undercoat model with Charred Brown - gave entire model and base solid coat
Step 2: Drybrush Gory Red
Step 3: Drybrush Bloody Red
Step 4: Drybrush Orange Fire
Step 5: Drybrush Sunburst Yellow
Step 6: Use Black on claws
Step 7: Use Night Blue as highlights on claws
Step 8: Use Night Blue, Magic Blue, Electric Blue on undercarriage
Step 8: Use Scurvy Green, Jade Green, Foul Green on undercarriage
Step 8: Use Beasty Brown, Leather Brown, Plague Brown on undercarriage
Step 8: Use Royal Purple, Warlord Purple, Squid Pink on undercarriage
Step 9: Drybrush Earth on base
Step 10: Drybrush Khaki on base
Step 11: Drybrush Desert Yellow on base
Step 12: Drybrush Bonewhite on base

Kickstarter paint total: 110 + 4 Ankhegs = 114

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 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