Nolzurs Paint Kit box
crazmadsci Miniatures, Review

Boneclaw Paint Kit: Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures Review

Two weeks ago I did something in my miniature hobby I’ve never done before. I painted in a public setting, more specifically in my friendly local game store. I decided to join in the festivities of a paint night by painting the Boneclaw from Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures paint kit. These paint kits were made as a way to get the models before they go to mass retail and encourage people to gather show excitement and give people reasons to support their in person stores. Or rather that is at least what i’ve been told. What makes them special is that for $20 you receive a model, two wizkids paint brushes, and 12 paint samples from the Vallejo paint line.

Nolzurs Paint Kit box
Nolzurs Paint Kit box

However due to the last year many of these kits were unused and have been sitting around. So although this model is available for purchase my store just reently had theirpaint night. Slowly the painting nights have been happening and I really needed a night out and opportunity to meet new people. Over the course of the last decade I have known the tabletop gaming community I can count on one hand how many times I’ve spent a substantial amount of time in a store so this was a really big step for me. I still haven’t played in a store in over 10 years, but perhaps this is the year that changes. To put it lightly I was pretty nervous.

The Prep

When preparing for this paint night I had no idea what to expect and if I should come prepared. Would it look ridiculous if I brought my own wet pallet? What about brushes? I did not know if this was a class, an open paint night, or what really to expect. So I actually packed some things in my backpack to pull out what I needed without hopefully looking ridiculous after gauging the room around me. This turned out to be a great plan and know that next time I shouldn’t be so concerned.

What Comes in the Paint Kit?

So what does the kit comes with?

  • A Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures & Base
  • 12 paint samples of Vallejo paints. (Mostly using Vallejo model color)
    • Two paints I believe are washes
  • A paint water cup
  • Two wizkids paint brushes
Nolzurs Paint Kit box opened with contents displayed
Nolzurs Paint Kit box contents
Nolzurs Paint Kit paint colors in paint journal
Nolzurs Paint Kit paint colors

For the price this is an incredible way to see if you were interested in miniature painting and wanted a night to see if they were interested in painting or wanted to try a few paints out. The cost of the Nolzurs Paint Brushes ($10.99 via Miniature Market) and the miniature Boneclaw ($8.99 via Miniature Market) alone cost the same as the entire kit. The only thing missing from the Nolzurs Paint brushes is the dry brush. So having extra paint and more than you need on one model is a great deal.

Nolzurs Paint Brush set
Nolzurs Paint Brush set
Nolzurs Miniatures Boneclaw Miniature
Nolzurs Boneclaw Miniature

Overall the only primary thing I felt like I was missing was some of my mediums or a dropper bottle to help thin down my paint. Also most importantly I wish I had a paint handle to hold the miniature while I paint. I can’t believe how much paint I got on my hand while trying to paint this model. I really loved having my wet palette and was glad I was not the only one who brought some extra tools to paint night.

The Experience

Sitting at my table I got to meet a wide variety of hobbyists. I loved how we significantly ranged in age and experience from two high school siblings painting their first model. Older cosplayers including one who forgot his glasses so chatted instead. And of course someone who 3D prints as well! It was great to share experiences and feelings like everyone at the table was on an equal playing field. I did not get to meet and talk to everyone at the other tables as there were about 3 full tables and a 4th that was there for part of the time.

I realized quickly that I am not a speed painter and paint extremely slowly. That along the fact that I appeared to have chosen two of the worst paints in the collection; Violet and Skin Wash. Violet was not labeled as a wash but is definitely a wash which you can see was a choice for a good portion of the robes and took too long for coverage and in hindsight I should have abandoned the task and picked another color. After painting some of the skin I used the skin wash in attempt to just have a bit in the recesses darkened but instead turned my all of the skin on the model orange. Between attempting to clean up the violet that kept spreading like a plague around my hands and table and attempting to build my ghostly pale skin back up from the poor orange spray tan it received I did not get anywhere close to where I wanted to be with the model. I was also distracted trying to make connections with people and feeling out the community in hopes to find people to play games with in the future. After about two and a half hours I gave up for the night and just enjoyed the company chatting.

I have every “intention” to going back and finishing this model to my personal standard in the future but alas I have too many projects going on. Make sure you follow along the blog to see if I ever get to updating it.

Final paint job of Boneclaw after paint night
“Final Paint” job after paint night.

What Would I do Differently?

There were definitely paints in the paint kit that did not age well in their sample pots and separated pretty significantly. Perhaps if I drop some mixing balls it could give me a better life in the paints provided. I think I will try that next time and bring some to drop in. If I know the model ahead of time I also want to prep with an image or two to gauge what paint scheme I should go with. Trying to decide how I want to paint the model is a pretty slow process to me.

As for the paint kit I definitely think that it is now one of my favorites to suggest as a way to get into the hobby and feel it out. While the paint range would be substantially limited to the colors directed towards the model getting a miniature and two paint brushes is worth the $20 alone.

I also fell in love with two colors from this kit and am currently using it for my Snotlings Bloodbowl team. Once I run out of these samples I absolutely plan on purchasing full bottles of them. Those colors are Dark Prussian Blue and Luftwaffe Unif. WWII. I appreciate the fact that the samples also include the product numbers for easier finding.

Boneclaw Paint kit favorite paints
Boneclaw Paint kit favorite paints

Conclusion

Would I do this again? Absolutely. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to get to know my local game store more. Plus I was surrounded by a bunch of people who are a bad influence and encouraged me to not only buy a second Blood Bowl team but also a start collecting box from Age of Sigmar. I am so excited and definitely plan on trying to play a few games at the store.

Next in line for paint night in March is the Chimera Model! Have you ever used these paint kids what did you think?

Product image of Nolzurs Chimera miniature figure
Chimera Product Image

Past Writings

Pile of miniature figures in pieces
crazmadsci 3D Printing, Miniatures, Tools & Organization

The Shattering Reality of my Miniature Collection

Disaster Strikes

Last weekend a disaster struck. A massive majority of my miniature collection has come crashing to the ground thanks to the adventuresome behavior of my cat, Turtle. You see at the moment my miniatures are being housed in an old bedroom TV cabinet as I am working on “figuring out” an improved method of widespread storage. In reality I have been continuously making it worse by stacking an increasing number of boxes and containers on top of each other just waiting for the day something shakes the whole tower down.

Well that day happened. On Saturday I heard a large CRASH and was terrified it was my curious toddler. I go running and immediately feel two emotions. First I am absolutely relieved to find that no child or animal was hurt. Secondly I felt my heart sink to my stomach as I saw the devastation the laid before me.

Miniatures lay in pieces scattered over the floor as hundreds of models crashed on top of each other, into other boxes or just spread out. The largest damage of which is my painted miniatures of 2021. Over half of all models painted in the last year lay in pieces. 

Pile of miniature figures in pieces
Some batch of models in pieces.
Black cat named Turtle
The culprit! Turtle the Cat

Trying to Piece it Back Together

I then proceeded to spend a large portion of my time to see if I can glue as much of the minis together. While I was trying to piece much of my hardwork of 2021 I had an inner dialogue of problems and perhaps ways I can fix them and should focus on for 2022.

Cutting mat with broken miniatures and superglue to repair the models
The surgical field, to glue models back together.
Frostgrave necromancer model in 6 pieces
Haggatha the Necromancer
Lizardmen miniature in pieces
Lizardman, Lost Adventures Vol 1
Hill giant model in pieces
Hill Giant, Lost Adventures Vol 1

Trying to Solve the Problems

Actually Utilizing My Storage Solutions

“Carrie, why in the world did you wait this long to try to organize your models?”

Voice in my head

You see this is actually ironic because last year I spent a long post series on organizing my collection & hobby space: Storage Wars. I even went as far to develop a new storage tray system for my models (Storage Wars: Part 3 Miniature Storage Trays). Yet in my haste towards the end of the year I did not fully utilize system. The biggest issues that I have is that I have no way to display or store models I’m using that are completed.

Solution: Actually utilize my storage solutions! Take the time to put models away. Find a way to store finished models safely or on display.

Experiment with New Materials

The harsh reality of it is that resin from 3D printing can be extremely brittle. Depending on the material used, duration of cure times, or even staying in storage exposed to UV light can increase this brittleness in your resin models & terrain. Towards the second half of last year I began to use harder resins which are more impact resistant making them more likely to just break rather than shatter. This was definitely noticeable in my Dwarven Frostgrave army printed mostly in 2020 rather than my husband’s necromancer undead army printed later 2021. When the newer models broke I could find most of them to try and glue back together. However some of the original resins used that were basic resins without additives such as ABS-Like or Hard were more likely to shatter rather than break. Let this be a testament on more durable resins being valuable! However in truth and with all the benefits of 3D printing the brittleness of the models definitely is a very strong negative about the 3D printing hobby. I had no reaper bone model damage, metal model damage and very little hard plastic model damage. 

Solution: Prime all printed models to prevent more curing from storage & investigate and start a series of experiments with flexible resin additives to give models more give and capabilities to stay intact.

Begin Cataloging My Collection Again

Last year I started a database of my miniature collection as well as a visual catalog. While it is still a long way to go it is a start. One major downside to this is that in December I sold off a large portion of my collection and did not update my spreadsheet or visual. I need to go back through the list and update the data before I can continue to grow again.

Solution: Update the Spreadsheet, visual catalog and actually track the known vs unknown.

Conclusion

I recognize that finding better systems to account for ever curious toddlers and adventuresome creatures is a much needed thing. I wish I could have shelves to hold the things I love and have spent time on but just do not have the space for it in our home. If you have a precarious pile of models this is my warning to you to make it safer.

How do you keep your hard purchased or crafted items for your tabletop games safe? I keep telling myself that this is the moment where I learn my lesson, but only time will tell.

Happy Hobbying!

Carrie aka crazmadsci the Crazy Mad Scientist

Past Writings

2021 Benchmark Model Showcase Featured Image
crazmadsci Miniatures, Retrospective, Skills

How To Gauge Growth in Miniature Painting

2021 Benchmark Model Dwarf final paint job
2021 Benchmark Model: dwarf final paint job


2021 Benchmark Model Comparison

When working on improving any skill or hobby, oftentimes it is hard to gauge personal growth. You can become so deeply focused in your task that having the capability to step back and gain a larger perspective is difficult. Or in some cases the improvement may be so small or subjective it is hard to determine any improvement at all. This can lead to frustration, lack of motivation or even burn out.

How can you to solve this problem?

Last January I set out to try to solve this issue. I painted a benchmark miniature figure so that I may judge my improvement over the course of one calendar year. This benchmark was at that time the very best I could do in painting a miniature. I set no time limit and poured myself into it. The primary goal was to test if I could see a before and after of how far I developed as a miniature painter. 

So what is a benchmark?

Something that can be used as a way to judge the quality or level of other, similar things.

Merriam Webster Dictionary

So in this situation I used the same model painted a year apart to test their different quality levels.

Setting the Baseline

Here is an image of the model painted January 2021. If you want to read more about my thoughts about it at the time and painting read the 2021 Benchmark Model.

Painted dwarf miniature figure. Final collage of painted 2021 Benchmark Model
2021 Benchmark Model: Dwarf

So the million dollar question, have I improved a year later?

Have Others Give Their Opinions

Front view 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, left. Right benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2021 Benchmark, Right 2022 Benchmark
Backview of 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, left. Right benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2021 Benchmark, Right 2022 Benchmark

When I finished painting this model last week I will admit to feeling a bit deflated. I attempted to focus on painting the new model using a similar paint scheme in hopes that the comparison should not be influenced over preferred color. However when I placed the paint brush down at the end I was not Wowed. I felt no immediate pride or even noticed any significance in difference of my model. In my mind I could only envision where I wanted to go with the model and yet didn’t have the skill (seeing only the flaws not the victories). I couldn’t step back and admire what I could accomplish in the today.

So I decided to ask for help to take a photo to my friends, family, and fellow members of the painting community. The question was simple. “Which model is the newer one and why?” Could people see my improvement where I could not? Could people actually see the areas in the hobby I desired to improve upon in that year?

The conclusion was simple. Every single person who guessed my old model vs my new model was correct. No matter their background or skill set there was not a single person who guessed was wrong. Even non-painters saw growth.

Here are some of the various pieces of feedback and comments I received from different platforms:

Basing is fancier, the skin is smoother. In general fewer visible brush strokes.

The metal looks more like metal, than “gray”. The skin looks more natural, and less glossy. The basework is more complex. The eyes look more natural too. Overall, just appears to be a higher quality paint job.

Both are better than my painting. They look great, but skin on the right looks way better.

Looks like smoother coats. The eyes are better. Cleaner paint work on the rims of the pauldrons. Just all around more attention to detail on it. Some blending on the cheek bones it looks like

The Consensus

Significant areas of improvement were the base of the model which was vocalized as was fancier, more adventurous, and more complex.

It was also noticeable on my improvement with skin & eyes. The skin did not have a glossy appearance (Nuln Oil has a gloss version by the way). Also the layering of my skin was better. My work at setting a baseline with skin using the Hill Giant last year really paid off here.

Lastly my metallics appeared to be better. Did not appear as a basic gray but had sharper lines and better brush control with edge highlighting.

However there was also a repeated opinion that it appears that I am also making a stylistic change. Moving away from washes in the beard and cloth perhaps took away from the contrast and did not push the highlights as much as I did a year ago. Check out the comments.

I feel like the right one has sharper lines and colors so my instinct is to go with that one being the more recent one, but it almost feels a bit like a stylistic choice between the rougher more blended palette and the sharper more distinct style

This comment also gave some feedback on potential improvements with washes which I absolutely agree with.

Looks to me like the one on the right is the more recent one. The one on the left you used more washes, the one on the right more highlighting. There are things about both that I like. With the washing, I’d say try and go a little less wet, you have a lot of the ‘coffee stains’ where your wash dried to the edges and makes your ‘creases’ a bit of a mess. Less paint on the brush. BTW, a wash that is dabbed on a paper towel till mostly dry is essentially a glaze technique which looks like you did on the right guys face, looks great! One thing I like about the wash is you maintained a lot of contrast. To tighten up your highlights, thin the paint, dab from brush, and do multiple passes if you have to. Overall, I like the composition and I think with just a few tweaks you’ll have some new things to explore.

My husband even agrees that the beard in particular he prefers on the old model than the new one. This is something that I need to go back and work on for sure.

More Detailed Comparision

One thing I absolutely forgot I did when I wrote the 2021 Benchmark write up is I included specific areas of desired growth. Listed below. Lets go through and see which ones I succeeded in.


Aspects of Desired Growth

  • Fur: Can I learn to paint fur better that it could even dictate the type of animal it comes from? Potential area to improve skills and knowledge in drybrushing?
Benchmark comparison of personal growth for painting fur from 2021 to 2022
Left 2022 fur, Right 2021 Fur

No Change. This aspect I consider no growth. They were essentially the same with contrast paint used on the newer model and more drybrushing and colors used on the older model. None scream as a better approach but rather just different approaches.

  • Armor: Methods and ways of painting True Metallics in miniature figures. Can I make armor shine? What are the different types of metals?
1 year growth comparison of painting metal armor on miniature figures 2021 to 2022
Left 2022 metal painting, Right 2021 Metal Painting

Success! This area was commented numerous times as significant areas of improvement. Use off better metallics along with selective use of washes and significant improvements on brush control & edge highlighting shine here.

  • Weapons: How do I make metallics & weapons look more battle worn and dinged?
1 year growth comparison of painting swords on miniature figures 2021 to 2022
Top 2021 sword, Bottom 2022 sword

Fail? (Just Different) I personally think that the weapons look less battle damaged in the new model vs the old. The use of the wash on the sword really helped give more of an aged aesthetic.

  • Skin: Starting completely from scratch. Largest desire is to have growth and variety in skin tone for my miniature collection.
  • Hair: Much like skin I have not put much effort into growing or researching this area in miniature painting.
Side by side comparison of painting faces on miniature figures from 2021 to 2022
Left painted face 2022, Right painted face 2021

Success and Fail. In this aspect my skin and eye are significantly improved but the contrast off the beard was preferred on the old model. I am proud of where I started with skin but want to research hair more.

  • Cloak: Layering and contrast. Can I improve my layering? Make smoother transitions in blending the layers? What methods & techniques work best for me?
Painted cloak comparison of Benchmark 2021 model. Left 2022 cloak and Right 2021 cloak
Left painted cloak 2022, Right painted cloak 2021

Success. Improved blending was definitely an area off focus here. I worked quite a bit last year on glazing and next year hope to grow in wet blending. Also work towards improving those highlights.

Technical aspects I seek to improve upon

  • Improving Brush Control. Success
  • Zenethial Highlighting & Source Lighting, Success
  • Basing. Can I make the miniature tell a story, Success
2021 Benchmark Model standing on slate rock, shield and sword being based before priming.
Model appearance after basing
Picture of 2021 benchmark model sitting in airbrush booth
2021 Benchmark Model Take 2 Primed via Airbrush
picture of finish model look after airbrushing
Airbrushed Primed 2021 Benchmark Model

Adjacent Goals

  • Improve my miniature photography, Success

3D Printing the Figure

  • Can I improve the state of the print itself? Success
  • Methods to improve post process clean up, Success
  • Note I did break a hand/weapon joint and had to use green stuff to clean it up again. Success no breaks

Of all the other areas I wish to grow I definitely feel like I hit improvements on each single one. This is a really good feeling.

Final Photographs

Right side view 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, right. Left benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2022 Benchmark, Right 2021 Benchmark
Back view 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, right. Left benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2022 Benchmark, Right 2021 Benchmark
Side view 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, right. Left benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2022 Benchmark, Right 2021 Benchmark
Front view 2021 Benchmark Model first painted January 2021, right. Left benchmark model painted January 2022 to see personal growth in hobby.
Left 2022 Benchmark, Right 2021 Benchmark

Paints Used

Not only did I improve in some painting skills, I also am happy that I have started a paint journal to keep track of paints used, notes, and thoughts during a project. Sometimes those notes are simple such as here.

Paint Journal for Benchmark Model Cloth and Skin
Benchmark Model Paint Journal
Paint Journal for Benchmark Model Fur, Pouch, Pants, Armor and Weapons
Paint Journal for Benchmark Model Page 2

Conclusion

I am super glad that I took the time to paint this model and do a benchmark test. Although I was disappointed the moment of completing the figure looking back only a few days I am excited about my growth in the hobby. This write up has also been immensely helpful to show me that I am indeed getting better.

One thing I definitely take for granted and need to articulate is the fact that along with improving my painting skill, I have sped up tremendously. While the original model was painted over 5 painting sessions this one was over 2. This is also an area of hobby growth.

I highly recommend a benchmark model if you ever feel like you are stagnant in your hobby or skill growth. This was a fun experiment and I am definitely going to be doing another one for this year and perhaps make it an annual thing. If you want a sneak peak as to what I’m working on make sure you follow me on Instagram.

Have you ever painted a benchmark? Can you see a difference? What should I focus on for the next year?

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. As always happy hobby.

Carrie, crazmadsci the crazy mad scientist.

2021 Benchmark MoDel

Past Writings

crazmadsci Goals, Miniatures

My Not So Lost Adventure – Mega Project Status Update

Group Image of all Miniatures printed so far for the Lost Adventures Volume 1 Kickstarter project.

What’s a Mega Project?

At the beginning of the year, I wrote up a very lengthy list of 2021 Hobby Goals for myself. While this list has been very ambitious there is one category that I have been working diligently on, my “Mega Projects”. I designated 6 mega projects that I wanted to work towards in my 3D printing hobby. The focus of most is to print 100% of the files from a Kickstarter I’ve previously backed.

There are a few exceptions to this rule such as props and such that come along with 3D printable Kickstarters. I only desire to grow my miniature collection, terrain, and buildings and not larger objects. I will perhaps consider going back to those once my kids are interested so they actually “find” an object or one such thing or another. Maybe they would drink real “potion” bottles to heal. Bring role playing into a bit of reality as they grow their understanding of tabletop games and inspire imagination. However, I believe I still have a few more years before we get to that point.

Example of some 3D printable props from Lost Adventures Volume 1. Dwarven Tankard, Wearable Tiara, & Potion Bottles

Why start these mega projects? Why is there a need to print these Kickstarters? I have two main reasons.

Goals

  1. There is nothing worse than buying a bunch of games, models, and terrain but never actually getting it on your table. The primary focus of these mega projects is to have a larger reexamination of my 3D printing model collection. For many 3D printing enthusiasts collecting digital files of sculpts is very similar to a wargamers pile of shame, pile of potential, or pile of opportunity depending on your preferred name. The goal was to convert these digital dreams into reality and therefore represent physical reminders for things to paint. Or turning this digital vault into “Piles of Opportunity”. Absolute worst case scenario I can still play with physical miniatures instead of digital files even if they aren’t painted.
  2. This is the first time in my hobby experience where I am crafting without having a current gaming group. Previously my hobby time was motivated by what I needed for the next session with my hobby group. Now I have free reign to make what ever I desire and potentially craft my sessions around these builds and miniatures instead. I’m excited about the inspiration and creativity that is driving my Dungeon Master mind to come up with new and exciting stories.

This hobby project idea and goal has brought me a ton of joy and excitement in my hobby time and i’ve been falling in love with models and figures I never would have otherwise. I do end up in spurts of mass production which can definitely chew through my hobby budget but I find that it’s worth it.

Since the year is half over it is time to evaluate my progress on one of these projects.

Lost Adventures Volume 1 Kickstarter

Lost Adventures Volume 1 is the second Kickstarter from the now titled company Lost Adventures Co. which focused on almost the perfect essentials kit for starting to 3D print and desire to add models to your table. With a healthy mixture of common monsters, bosses, scatter terrain, buildings, and scenery it is probably my number one recommendation for buying files. As a Kickstarter from 2019 FDM filament printing was the predominate style of printing miniatures so many sculpts and ALL the terrain and scatter prints absolutely supportless which also makes it useful for any starting 3D printing enthusiast. Also, out of any project I’ve ever backed these are most likely going to be the most used monsters and terrain I’d ever need for my tabletop.

This Kickstarter comes with 47 sets of miniatures and 37 sets of builds, terrain, and scatter (sets meaning individual purchasable sets such as “bandits” or “trees’ etc). Lost Adventures Volume 1 is my largest Kickstarter ambition of the year. I have decided to not print the supplemental props that could go with the encounters that come as well. The goal is 100% printing for functional tabletop pieces.

This Kickstarter I’ve been working tirelessly on for most of the year so far. I have printed several of the terrain and scatter pieces in the past as a test printer for the Lost Adventures Co. but I have yet to print the models in my own time. I have always known that I wanted the complete set for this Kickstarter but have set it aside for one reason or another. Now it is time to dust off the cob webs and knock it out of the park.

My Current Progress

I started to dive into this project at the Beginning of March full throttle. My primary focus was to work on tackling the miniature portion of this collection and then slowly add the scatter terrain and buildings.

So far in this project I have printed 75% of all the miniature sets, and 13.5% of the terrain and scatter. Combined making it approximately 47% of all individual bundles in the Kickstarter. I don’t think I truly realized how incredibly large this Kickstarter truly is and how much of a deal it was.

The Statistics:


Total Number of Models: approximately 108
Total Print Time: 14 days 18 hours 15 minutes
Total Resin Used: 1808 grams
Total Cost of Resin: $73.49

Original Kickstarter Price: $50.00 (Purchase now for $80.00)
Total Cost to Date: $123.49

Special Note: This calculation only includes the time for “Successful” prints. Failed prints are currently not counted and number provided above is ideal scenario. Total time and Resin usage is actually higher but exact value cannot be calculated at this time.

Total number of different sculptors & creators for models: 28

Note this does not include concept art & other members of the Lost Adventure Co time, only creators who produced a digital sculpt for printing.

Favorite Models to Date

Graveyard Golem- Khaldoth the Corpse Keeper


My absolute favorite model to date is the Graveyard Golem. What makes this sculpt really unique is that this stone golem has risen into creation in the middle of the graveyard. There is so much story packed into this model. On the model you can see coffins, chains, religious symbols, and so much more which was buried directly underneath the tombstones that are above the head of the golem.

Sculpted by James Dorrington this is now an absolute must have in my collection. However I am actually really incredibly nervous about painting and doing this model the justice it deserves.

Hydra Horror – Malgáthez the Devourer

The Hydra Horror will also always have a special place in my heart as it is the first miniature I have successfully magnetized. As a hydra this model has 5 necks with swappable necks to go from a 5 headed beast to a 10 headed monster and any variant inbetween.

Check it out if you want to read more about magnetization.

Sculpted by Artem Bespalov & Deryck Pelligrini.

Honorable Mention

Some of my other favorites in the collection so far are the Fire Giant, Commoners Pack 1, Watcher, Eye Horror and Lizardfolk

Not so Favorite Models

There are a few models that I have made that due to their design either just doing match my personal art style or I just don’t think they are modeled well for tabletop gameplay. With all good things and especially large scale things like this there is bound to be a few.

Lord of Liches Niru the Everlasting

This model would definitely fall in the “Love Hate” category. While I absolutely love the artistic style the design of the model and its super thin joints along with massively heavy spell effect make it absolutely non-ideal for gameplay. I would absolutely recommend that you NOT print the spell effect if you desire this model in tabletop play as it is prone to toppling over and breaking. Which is of course what happened to my figure not even a day after I took the picture.

Sculpted by James Dorrington, which is incredibly interesting because my favorite model the Graveyard Golem is also sculpted by him.

wolves

Also in the category of least favorite models. I do not know why but the fur texture on these wolves is not my ideal sculpting decision. While absolutely functional for tabletop play I admit that it is just not my art style. However that is one of the beautiful things about this Kickstarter because you can see so much variety of what is available in the tabletop space. I definitely think i’ll still paint these guys and practice on different types and colors of fur. Maybe with some color i’ll fall in love with the models.

Sculpted by: Eder Lindorfe

I am also not a big fan of the Storm Giant Seer due to her immense size which is much larger than my other giants from this collection and the hobgoblins. I think the hobgoblins are just too “bearman” like instead of a goblinoid but again personal preference.

What Next?

Well considering I have so much still to print especially in the terrain and scatter categories I am going to start working on that and writing the print logs for models printed before the site existed. At the moment I am taking a break from printing the miniatures but still plan on knocking the collection out before the end of the year.

I intend to work on updating and improving upon some of my other mega projects set aside for the year and will be writing status updates for those in the weeks to come.

If you want to see more of what I made and printed check out the complete list of the 108 miniatures below. Each photograph and Description will take you to their corresponding print logs which talk about my experiences, troubles, print settings, and more pictures of that collection.

Also feel free to check out the Lost Adventures Volume 1 Project Page for an entire list of all the models in the collection.

Complete List of Prints to Date

Lizardfolk
Skeletons
Variety of Bases
Giant Spider
Fang the Dire Wolf
Zombies
Adult Green Guardian
Graveyard Golem
Ghouls
Carnivorous Plant
Cultists
Heros Set 2
Hill Giant Tyrant – Ogi Skullcrusher
Storm Giant Seer – Ylva the Bastion
Mages
Ettin
Bears
Ghosts
Heros Set 1
Graveyard Mimics
Hydra Horror – Malgathez the Devourer
Wolves
Bandit Gang
Hobgoblins
BugBears
Lord of Liches Niru the Everlasting
Eye Horror (Nothic)
Royal Guards
Watcher
Commoners Pack 2
Fire Giant Conqueror – Ignus Ashborn
Royal Guard Captain – Imani Kingsguard
Town Guards
Commoners Pack 1
Lost AdVentures Volume 1
crazmadsci Miniatures

2021 Benchmark Model

For 2021, I decided to paint a “Benchmark” of my skill growth for the year. The goal is to see the before and after of how I have developed as a painter. This year I decided to paint a model from the Hold my Dwarf kickstarter set. This duel wielding swordsman, from the Solider Set 5 collection, contains several aspects on what I really want to focus and improve upon on for the year. The areas of desired growth and questions I ask myself are listed below.

At the end of the year I will print another version of the model and paint a new model and talk about my personal growth. I am interested and excited to see where this experiment goes.


Aspects of Desired Growth

  • Fur: Can I learn to paint fur better that it could even dictate the type of animal it comes from? Potential area to improve skills and knowledge in drybrushing?
  • Armor: Methods and ways of painting True Metallics in miniature figures. Can I make armor shine? What are the different types of metals?
  • Weapons: How do I make metallics & weapons look more battle worn and dinged?
  • Skin: Starting completely from scratch. Largest desire is to have growth and variety in skin tone for my miniature collection.
  • Hair: Much like skin I have not put much effort into growing or researching this area in miniature painting.
  • Clock: Layering and contrast. Can I improve my layering? Make smoother transitions in blending the layers? What methods & techniques work best for me?

Technical aspects I seek to improve upon

  • Improving Brush Control
  • Zenethial Highlighting & Source LIghting
  • Basing. Can I make the miniature tell a story

Adjacent Goals

  • Improve my miniature photography.

3D Printing the Figure

  • Can I improve the state of the print itself?
  • Methods to improve post process clean up
  • Note I did break a hand/weapon joint and had to use green stuff to clean it up again

Progress Photographs

Final Photographs

Overall I am happy and satisfied with the display of my skill for this model. I have several things that I am frustrated on such as lack of choice in hair color and knowledge to create better more defined skin. I also would like to learn how to do gems/crystals for the sword hilt. I am really happy with the little detail in the green pouch and have received several comments about the swords being a key point of enjoyment.

One interesting comment which I think could lead to a great study or discussion on personal preference was the feeling of the figure being too “clean” as in not adventure worn enough. Adding dirt and grime to the model could give this dwarf a more warrior feel.

Paints Used

Also apparently as a goal for the year I am going to improve my formatting on documentation of paints used. I mean this is a thread on improvement right?

Continue reading to see how I grew in miniature painting a year later!

2021 Benchmark Model Final Comparison