Marienburg, Undeadish, etc! (plague)
- Thread starter ZeroTwentythree
- Start date
Fimm McCool
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish
I had no idea there were Fimir lurking in this thread! They look ace.
I had no idea there were Fimir lurking in this thread! They look ace.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Thanks.
I had been listing the most current thing on the title, but got lazy about it. I suppose I should do something to at least indicate there's more than just Empire & undead.
Thanks.
I had been listing the most current thing on the title, but got lazy about it. I suppose I should do something to at least indicate there's more than just Empire & undead.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Looks like resin's back on the table, boys!
After spending too much time and paying more than I had planned, I got it, I did it, and it worked pretty f'ing well. I really needed this boost of confidence.
I figured it would be a hassle trying to mix just a single head worth of resin, so I mixed extra and poured an old mold I had from a casting class I took a while ago. (I had been thinking about using some these as some weird terrain bits, so it won't go to waste.)
Going to make molds of the rest of the heads. I had been wondering if the single piece block mold would work well enough, but it worked beautifully. So I don't think I need to so two-piece molds for these heads at all. I still need to decide whether to do them individually (like this one) or whether to "sprue" them together in one or two group moulds.
I'll mold & cast up some of this first round of heads, but my plan is to still work on refining the sculpting. I also need to get the tails right. I've been experimenting, but I'm really having trouble getting them right. But it's good practice. And I'm eliminating a lot of bad ideas.
Looks like resin's back on the table, boys!
After spending too much time and paying more than I had planned, I got it, I did it, and it worked pretty f'ing well. I really needed this boost of confidence.
I figured it would be a hassle trying to mix just a single head worth of resin, so I mixed extra and poured an old mold I had from a casting class I took a while ago. (I had been thinking about using some these as some weird terrain bits, so it won't go to waste.)
Going to make molds of the rest of the heads. I had been wondering if the single piece block mold would work well enough, but it worked beautifully. So I don't think I need to so two-piece molds for these heads at all. I still need to decide whether to do them individually (like this one) or whether to "sprue" them together in one or two group moulds.
I'll mold & cast up some of this first round of heads, but my plan is to still work on refining the sculpting. I also need to get the tails right. I've been experimenting, but I'm really having trouble getting them right. But it's good practice. And I'm eliminating a lot of bad ideas.
Fimm McCool
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Nah, heads work fine in single part moulds. Bodies can too if you plan 'em well, anything to avoid the headache of a tiny two-part mould! At the price of silicone I'd definitely be wanting more than one head per mould though.
Nah, heads work fine in single part moulds. Bodies can too if you plan 'em well, anything to avoid the headache of a tiny two-part mould! At the price of silicone I'd definitely be wanting more than one head per mould though.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Thanks. Yes, I'm going to try being more efficient with the silicone. I think I'd like to try some different varieties as well. I haven't tried a full two-piece mold yet, but that is coming at some point. Now that I'm learning to cast, I've got some old unfinished sculpting I'd like to complete and try casting.
I made two more molds of Fomorian heads, one with a single head, the other with the better four of the batch that has been sculpted so far.
My initial resin pull the other day must have been beginner's luck, because tonight I had a lot more trouble -- especially with that mold. In fact, it got a bit torn up from trying to retrieve heads from the cavity. I was having problems with bubbles at the small joint between the head and the "funnel" into which I pour the resin. I got better at avoiding this, but what really made the difference on the last two pulls was using a syringe to fill the head with resin.
So here's tonight's haul:
That's 19 good heads, four more that have small bubbles at the back of the head (simple fix,) and five bad heads. Of the five, I could probably reconstruct the back of three heads, or they may become the start of converted variants with some sort of headgear/hood. The other two are unusable for anything.
I'm still working on sculpting some decent tails. But for the moment, I seem to be on the tail fail trail....
I should start thinking about getting my hands on some more Reaper orcs (I only had the one) so I can see if I can sculpt & cast replacement feet, or whether I will have to sculpt them on each individual figure.
Thanks. Yes, I'm going to try being more efficient with the silicone. I think I'd like to try some different varieties as well. I haven't tried a full two-piece mold yet, but that is coming at some point. Now that I'm learning to cast, I've got some old unfinished sculpting I'd like to complete and try casting.
I made two more molds of Fomorian heads, one with a single head, the other with the better four of the batch that has been sculpted so far.
My initial resin pull the other day must have been beginner's luck, because tonight I had a lot more trouble -- especially with that mold. In fact, it got a bit torn up from trying to retrieve heads from the cavity. I was having problems with bubbles at the small joint between the head and the "funnel" into which I pour the resin. I got better at avoiding this, but what really made the difference on the last two pulls was using a syringe to fill the head with resin.
So here's tonight's haul:
That's 19 good heads, four more that have small bubbles at the back of the head (simple fix,) and five bad heads. Of the five, I could probably reconstruct the back of three heads, or they may become the start of converted variants with some sort of headgear/hood. The other two are unusable for anything.
I'm still working on sculpting some decent tails. But for the moment, I seem to be on the tail fail trail....
I should start thinking about getting my hands on some more Reaper orcs (I only had the one) so I can see if I can sculpt & cast replacement feet, or whether I will have to sculpt them on each individual figure.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
After three months, my dwarf light artillery is done...
Not a great phot, unfortunately. And I already know... missed the mold line on the wheel...
After three months, my dwarf light artillery is done...
Not a great phot, unfortunately. And I already know... missed the mold line on the wheel...
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
I was impatient to see what how the cast Fomorian heads look, so I quickly cleaned up and painted one of each head, separately mounted on a bit of wire.
On closer examination, they aren't as cleanly cast as they initially looked. I am doing all of this without a vacuum chamber or pressure pot (for now) so there seem to be some very minor bubbles in both the molds and a few of the castings. Given that this is my first time, and that they are so few and so small, I'm not at all disappointed. I only needed to do a quick bit of cleanup.
Painting them up also revealed some weak spots in the sculpting, which is helpful as I plan on doing more and this will help me recognize where to improve. I doubt I will cast more than a few of heads A & B. Head E looks a bit off -- I think the nasal holes were a bit mismolded or miscast, so I'm going to take a look at whether that needs a small repair before more casting. I'm pretty happy with C, D & F.
Should I share these heads?
When I first started, ac couple of people asked if castings would be available. I've been thinking about that. This is really just a personal project, and the quality of both sculpting and casting is still just an amateur/hobby level, at best -- and I'm still working out the bugs of casting for the first time, too! Besides, it's a niche interest within one corner of a niche hobby. But I'm considering doing a one time evening cast-a-thon, set aside what I need, and then making the remainder available for a small price (to help cover materials, postage, and maybe put a bit towards the phase...) or for trades.
I do plan on sculpting and casting a few more heads. And I'm working on some tails, and eventually I may try some cast feet as replacements for the specific figures I'm using in my project.
What do you think? Any interest? I'd like to get a feel for this before casting a bunch of extra heads. Should I wait until I get some tails cast too? (And feet?)
I was impatient to see what how the cast Fomorian heads look, so I quickly cleaned up and painted one of each head, separately mounted on a bit of wire.
On closer examination, they aren't as cleanly cast as they initially looked. I am doing all of this without a vacuum chamber or pressure pot (for now) so there seem to be some very minor bubbles in both the molds and a few of the castings. Given that this is my first time, and that they are so few and so small, I'm not at all disappointed. I only needed to do a quick bit of cleanup.
Painting them up also revealed some weak spots in the sculpting, which is helpful as I plan on doing more and this will help me recognize where to improve. I doubt I will cast more than a few of heads A & B. Head E looks a bit off -- I think the nasal holes were a bit mismolded or miscast, so I'm going to take a look at whether that needs a small repair before more casting. I'm pretty happy with C, D & F.
Should I share these heads?
When I first started, ac couple of people asked if castings would be available. I've been thinking about that. This is really just a personal project, and the quality of both sculpting and casting is still just an amateur/hobby level, at best -- and I'm still working out the bugs of casting for the first time, too! Besides, it's a niche interest within one corner of a niche hobby. But I'm considering doing a one time evening cast-a-thon, set aside what I need, and then making the remainder available for a small price (to help cover materials, postage, and maybe put a bit towards the phase...) or for trades.
I do plan on sculpting and casting a few more heads. And I'm working on some tails, and eventually I may try some cast feet as replacements for the specific figures I'm using in my project.
What do you think? Any interest? I'd like to get a feel for this before casting a bunch of extra heads. Should I wait until I get some tails cast too? (And feet?)
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
I had planned on at least molding these four heads tonight, but it didn't happen. I definitely like two of them. The other two I'm not sure about. But I will wait to see a few painted. Just did a few final touch-ups & prep for the mold but probably won't pour til tomorrow.
Making progress on tails. These are better, but still not right. Two had textures, but I filed them off because they looked awful. I'll try a few more from scratch. And even more after that, if that's what it takes.
I'm also making some progress on some commission stuff. Both figures (some are for trades) and vinyl toys.
At the beginning of the year, I posted a pic of some of the things I wanted to work on in 2016 and I've made surprising progress! I finished the wights, the beasty skeletons (and more!) and the old dwarf artillery. Now I'm reviewing my plans (especially in light of The Fomorian Sidequest) an reconsidering how I'd like to proceed. The one big thing in my mind is that I really want to play a game of some sort ASAP!
I had planned on at least molding these four heads tonight, but it didn't happen. I definitely like two of them. The other two I'm not sure about. But I will wait to see a few painted. Just did a few final touch-ups & prep for the mold but probably won't pour til tomorrow.
Making progress on tails. These are better, but still not right. Two had textures, but I filed them off because they looked awful. I'll try a few more from scratch. And even more after that, if that's what it takes.
I'm also making some progress on some commission stuff. Both figures (some are for trades) and vinyl toys.
At the beginning of the year, I posted a pic of some of the things I wanted to work on in 2016 and I've made surprising progress! I finished the wights, the beasty skeletons (and more!) and the old dwarf artillery. Now I'm reviewing my plans (especially in light of The Fomorian Sidequest) an reconsidering how I'd like to proceed. The one big thing in my mind is that I really want to play a game of some sort ASAP!
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Over the weekend I made a block mold for those four heads. The next evening I tried a bit of casting and... that didn't go so well. I hit a lot of trouble getting figures out of molds, and the older block mold of four heads tore pretty badly in several places trying to retrieve some of them. I also couldn't seem to keep the syringes clean, and had to use a new one for each set of castings. But I did manage to get three decent sets of the new heads.
I'm learning quite a bit of the subtleties of molding & casting so far -- from both successes and failures. I think that I am ready to move forward, in several ways. I am interested in trying out some of the other varieties of silicone for molds, and I also think that I'm ready to try a two-piece mold!
So here are the new heads....
Again, I like some, but not others. Some small differences in the way I sculpted these. Going to keep G & H, but will cast fewer of I & J. Just small details. Out of the 10 I sculpted, I think 5 or 6 turned out decent.
Haven't had time to work on tails any more. Nor have I purchased any of the orc figures -- which I need in-hand if I plan on sculpting separate feet that will match the existing figures. And I am now out of silicone. I might have to put the Fomorian Plan aside for a bit, until finances allow for those supplies. So I may go back to working on some other stuff for a while.
Over the weekend I made a block mold for those four heads. The next evening I tried a bit of casting and... that didn't go so well. I hit a lot of trouble getting figures out of molds, and the older block mold of four heads tore pretty badly in several places trying to retrieve some of them. I also couldn't seem to keep the syringes clean, and had to use a new one for each set of castings. But I did manage to get three decent sets of the new heads.
I'm learning quite a bit of the subtleties of molding & casting so far -- from both successes and failures. I think that I am ready to move forward, in several ways. I am interested in trying out some of the other varieties of silicone for molds, and I also think that I'm ready to try a two-piece mold!
So here are the new heads....
Again, I like some, but not others. Some small differences in the way I sculpted these. Going to keep G & H, but will cast fewer of I & J. Just small details. Out of the 10 I sculpted, I think 5 or 6 turned out decent.
Haven't had time to work on tails any more. Nor have I purchased any of the orc figures -- which I need in-hand if I plan on sculpting separate feet that will match the existing figures. And I am now out of silicone. I might have to put the Fomorian Plan aside for a bit, until finances allow for those supplies. So I may go back to working on some other stuff for a while.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
I painted a few gobbos in anticipation of using them for my planned (soon, I hope) experiment with a solo skirmish game.
The little guys in the top photo are "Chaos Goblins" from RAFM. Quirky figures, but I like them & wish there were more than this single pack. I like the idea of goblins being a heterogeneous species, so I see no problems mixing styles.
I'm not 100% certain of the pedigree of the armoured guy with a helm to rival his massive sword (how he swings that without snapping his own neck, I don't know...) He's available from Ral Partha Europe, but I got a casting from ZN Games via Noble Knight. Unfortunately this one is resin. I'm trying to Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Resin, but this wasn't the best example. He has a few bubbles, and it took three vigorous scrubs to get primer to adhere to the entire figure -- and even then I'm still hoping that it doesn't rub off. (I'm going to encase him in layers of varnish...)
Quick & dirty paint jobs. Literally. I used multiple black washes, hoping to get a dark & sinister look, and a somewhat oily appearance to the steel.
I painted a few gobbos in anticipation of using them for my planned (soon, I hope) experiment with a solo skirmish game.
The little guys in the top photo are "Chaos Goblins" from RAFM. Quirky figures, but I like them & wish there were more than this single pack. I like the idea of goblins being a heterogeneous species, so I see no problems mixing styles.
I'm not 100% certain of the pedigree of the armoured guy with a helm to rival his massive sword (how he swings that without snapping his own neck, I don't know...) He's available from Ral Partha Europe, but I got a casting from ZN Games via Noble Knight. Unfortunately this one is resin. I'm trying to Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Resin, but this wasn't the best example. He has a few bubbles, and it took three vigorous scrubs to get primer to adhere to the entire figure -- and even then I'm still hoping that it doesn't rub off. (I'm going to encase him in layers of varnish...)
Quick & dirty paint jobs. Literally. I used multiple black washes, hoping to get a dark & sinister look, and a somewhat oily appearance to the steel.
Fimm McCool
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Woohoo! The more Labyrinthy goblins get the better as far as I'm concerned, good job!
Woohoo! The more Labyrinthy goblins get the better as far as I'm concerned, good job!
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Mostly been working on my converted Fomorians/Fimir, and some stuff for other people lately. But I think this qualifies as Oldhammerish.
Not every painted figure is a winner. Thus, I present, the really crappy giant centipede...
Early 80s Ral Partha figure. I was trying to paint it up a bit like one of these...
I also finished & primed this little vulture guy that I've been working on for many years. Mostly my own sculpting, but stealing some Mordheim bits for the top & bottom of the staff/lamp-on-a-stick.
Mostly been working on my converted Fomorians/Fimir, and some stuff for other people lately. But I think this qualifies as Oldhammerish.
Not every painted figure is a winner. Thus, I present, the really crappy giant centipede...
Early 80s Ral Partha figure. I was trying to paint it up a bit like one of these...
I also finished & primed this little vulture guy that I've been working on for many years. Mostly my own sculpting, but stealing some Mordheim bits for the top & bottom of the staff/lamp-on-a-stick.
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
A handful of photos that have appeared elsewhere in the past month or two.
Work in progress shot of the old Marauder giant.
FImm warriors
DIrach and a Fimm
Middlehammer (?) dire wolves to be used with the Undeadish or as moor hounds (with Fimir)
I also received Stuff! In the Mail! "Morrighu," a resin cast of a sculpt from Ross Whitehorn of the Fimir Facebook group. I cleaned her up, took a comparison pic and primed her and... it's a bit of the dreaded "fuzzy primer." Figures it would be on a unique figure like this. I'm going to clean her up & see if I can recover from that. I don't want to strip the figure because I'm not really sure what type of resin this is, nor how various strippers might affect the material. The resin is interesting -- it's slightly soft & flexible, but nothing near Reaper's bones or other "soft plastic" figures. It cleaned up super easy with just a blade, and drilling for pinning the pieces together was also easy. Both the sculpting and the casting on this figure are great. Nice and crisp, very little cleanup. My only (minor) criticism is that I'm not fond of the way the eye appears to be sculpted.
At any rate, here is a pic next to one of my converted Reaper figures, and an oldschool Citadel Fimir Dirach, for scale. Pretty good!
A handful of photos that have appeared elsewhere in the past month or two.
Work in progress shot of the old Marauder giant.
FImm warriors
DIrach and a Fimm
Middlehammer (?) dire wolves to be used with the Undeadish or as moor hounds (with Fimir)
I also received Stuff! In the Mail! "Morrighu," a resin cast of a sculpt from Ross Whitehorn of the Fimir Facebook group. I cleaned her up, took a comparison pic and primed her and... it's a bit of the dreaded "fuzzy primer." Figures it would be on a unique figure like this. I'm going to clean her up & see if I can recover from that. I don't want to strip the figure because I'm not really sure what type of resin this is, nor how various strippers might affect the material. The resin is interesting -- it's slightly soft & flexible, but nothing near Reaper's bones or other "soft plastic" figures. It cleaned up super easy with just a blade, and drilling for pinning the pieces together was also easy. Both the sculpting and the casting on this figure are great. Nice and crisp, very little cleanup. My only (minor) criticism is that I'm not fond of the way the eye appears to be sculpted.
At any rate, here is a pic next to one of my converted Reaper figures, and an oldschool Citadel Fimir Dirach, for scale. Pretty good!
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Not exactly Oldhammer, but part of the giant thing I was doing.... I've more or less finished the Ultraforge giant. I just have to decide how to do his base (and the base on the Marauder giant.)
There's some more late night rambling about the giant and what I'm planning next on my blog.
http://www.zerotwentythree.com/2016/05/ ... -next.html
Not exactly Oldhammer, but part of the giant thing I was doing.... I've more or less finished the Ultraforge giant. I just have to decide how to do his base (and the base on the Marauder giant.)
There's some more late night rambling about the giant and what I'm planning next on my blog.
http://www.zerotwentythree.com/2016/05/ ... -next.html
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
OK, last time I post pics of these same giants - they're finally, completely done!
And one last shot of giant size hierarchy.
On to new stuff!
OK, last time I post pics of these same giants - they're finally, completely done!
And one last shot of giant size hierarchy.
On to new stuff!
MagpieJono
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
That bald giant is a whopper. The Marauder giant is a big fella but he's huge!
That bald giant is a whopper. The Marauder giant is a big fella but he's huge!
ZeroTwentythree
Member
Re: Marienburg vs. the Undeadish (and more!)
Thanks. I'll be painting up that Warploque giant (relatively) soon, too. I just need a break from the big guys for a little bit.
I'm going back to painting some Marienburg stuff -- 4th ed. Empire, and maybe some WotR historical stuff as rural/militia troops. But first, I had to get one more Fomorian/Fimir done.
This is "Morrighu - Fomorian Witch" from Krakon games. Second pic next to a couple of my own previous conversions for scale comparison. A really nice figure. Slightly different style from what will be my elite troops, but I still like the way they look together. Scale & proportions are very similar, etc. In fact, I'm in much less of a hurry to paint up the old Citadel Meargh now -- which is good, since I'm still trying to track down the Meargh head with hair (she came with the more generic head, with no hair.)
Thanks. I'll be painting up that Warploque giant (relatively) soon, too. I just need a break from the big guys for a little bit.
I'm going back to painting some Marienburg stuff -- 4th ed. Empire, and maybe some WotR historical stuff as rural/militia troops. But first, I had to get one more Fomorian/Fimir done.
This is "Morrighu - Fomorian Witch" from Krakon games. Second pic next to a couple of my own previous conversions for scale comparison. A really nice figure. Slightly different style from what will be my elite troops, but I still like the way they look together. Scale & proportions are very similar, etc. In fact, I'm in much less of a hurry to paint up the old Citadel Meargh now -- which is good, since I'm still trying to track down the Meargh head with hair (she came with the more generic head, with no hair.)