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My arena and miscellaneous WIP...
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Author:  Guido [ Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

Those fences are kinda great. DonĀ“t mind if I steal the idea for my scenery!

Author:  AGN1964 [ Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

Excellent work here, both on the arena and minis. Inspiring.

What are you using for texture on the bases? It looks thicker/less uniform that glue/sand/dirt combos I've seen. I used to use a very textured premixed filler that looked just like this, but I have not seen it for sale for 20 years!

Author:  Gomez [ Sun Apr 17, 2016 1:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

It's been a while since I posted anything (because it's been a while since I painted or built anything), so I figured I'd toss out some WIP pictures to show some of the process I go through.

First, I totally restarted Marcus Furius.
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I know he appears similar to how he looked last time, but the blending and shadows on his skin are much finer this time around. Also pretty happy with both the red of the skirt and the net in his hand. Next up will be worked on his leather straps and the padding on his arms.

Also got started on Iason.
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He's pretty great in the arena - Intervene is such an awesome skill IMO. Made the totally amateur mistake of gluing his shield in place before painting, which will make things MUCH harder than they needed to be while painting his right arm and chest. His feathers are done, barring a little more red/brown shading to add some depth

And here's both versions of everybody's favorite bull-riding maniac...
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Mostly basecoated, but the mane on his helmet is essentially done. May go back and add a little more white to the tips, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Finally, a piece of terrain I started...
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Yes, that's a CD plus an orange juice lid plus a circle of plastruct. Eventually it will be a sort of dais - I've been looking for an appropriate 54mm model to paint as a statue to go on top, but may leave it empty and us it as a sort of king-of-the-hill objective.

As always, any feedback is appreciated - questions, critique, advice, etc . Thanks for looking!

Author:  AllDeadDave [ Sun Apr 17, 2016 2:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

Inspiring stuff. Love the subtlety of Furius' skin tone. Thanks for the reminder on Iason.

Author:  Gomez [ Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

AllDeadDave wrote:
Inspiring stuff. Love the subtlety of Furius' skin tone. Thanks for the reminder on Iason.

Thanks! I've come a long way in my ability to paint fairly realistic skin tones since I started on my AR minis. I really wanted to do them the justice they deserve so really focused on that area of my painting. They're hardly competition quality but I really like how they've been turning out. Next is to improve my metallics which are still lacking IMO.

Author:  Gomez [ Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

AGN1964 wrote:
Excellent work here, both on the arena and minis. Inspiring.

What are you using for texture on the bases? It looks thicker/less uniform that glue/sand/dirt combos I've seen. I used to use a very textured premixed filler that looked just like this, but I have not seen it for sale for 20 years!

Not sure how I missed this, but there's no secret or anything special about the basing material: I just use fine sand. I think this particular stuff may actually be intended for use in an aquarium but it's just the right train size for use in AR IMO.

Author:  Gomez [ Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

Not enough painting being done in Gomezland due to a drawn-out house remodel and various related tasks, but here is an update anyway!

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Here is the new resin goodness that landed on my doorstep this week... Got everyone built and 90% prepped - just need to slap on some liquid GS (man, that stuff is great for gap-filling) and I should be able to prime these suckers.

My impressions:

1.) RRG seems to have changed the type of resin they're using. My first batch of minis were all a whiter, much more brittle material, but these new pieces are a darker gray and have a lot more give to them. I managed to snap Vargr's and GP's feet right at the ankle just from cutting them off the sprue, but I never even came close with this new stuff.

2.) Euryale is AMAZING: simple assembly, but incredible detail and loads of character. I was not sold on her when she was first announced during the Kickstarter campaign (I poo-pooed the turn to actual mythical creatures, rather than the implication of them [Septimus and Nero as a minotaur, for example]) but I came around eventually and now I'm glad I did. I'm excited to stretch myself a little as a painter and try some cool snakeskin pattern on her. All these minis make me want to keep pushing my limit of "best work", but she provides a fantastic canvas for it.

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3.) Anum was the fiddliest of the bunch to assemble. I was ****ing dreading working with his chains, as I butchered Leo's while I built him, and needless to say, they were indeed a bitch. BUT I got them all in place and I think they'll hold (for awhile at least). Other than that, he's another model with a ton of character - I think I'll do a stylized skull face paint on him to make him even more fierce. The hyena's (he totally needs a name, BTW) lower jaw is a little weird - not sure if I'll try to add to it with a little Greenstuff (my GS skills are decidedly lackluster).

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4.) Hagal! I have to admit - I LOVE his artwork and the idea of a straight-up viking in the arena, but I didn't like his sculpt at all when he was first shown off (everytime I looked at him I thought, "Lorax"). I only got him because he looks like he'll be awesome in actual gameplay and adds a real bruiser to the Z's. That said, I tweaked him a little to match his art a bit more closely: I shaved his receding hairline all the way off to go for the bald/beard/badass biker look and I used the hot water trick to twist his torso and bend his right arm a just a touch. I think it adds a little of the dynamism that his art captures and the sculpt lacks. I think if he matched that artwork a little better out of the box (baggie?) he'd be one of AR's best sculpts BTW - he's loaded with excellent detail and is a super crisp cast.

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5.) Acerbus is a rock solid chunk of resin. Posing him in mid charge was a challenge - I drilled way up into his left front ankle with a bit big enough for my biggest gauge wire, then folded the leftover length and glued it up under his base rather than cut it off. After that, I used a veritable bucket of superglue (and a prop for his back legs) to keep him suspended like that. Fingers crossed that he stays that way. I ended up using the black rhino head, first because everyone else seems to be using the white one and second, it seems to convey a little more viciousness. IMO the white head looks a little like he's thinking, "Ho hum, another day goring bozos in the arena... sigh". Debating whether to add a spear head stabbing into his flank (and broken haft trailing on the sand) for just a touch more savagery.

Looking forward to getting some paint on these (and all my other long delayed AR) minis.

Author:  ripper.mcguirl [ Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

Badass pile of stuff, dude! Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

Author:  zreef [ Sat Jun 04, 2016 1:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

This is really beautiful work! I cannot wait to see more!

Author:  Gomez [ Sat Jun 04, 2016 1:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My arena and miscellaneous WIP...

ripper.mcguirl wrote:
Badass pile of stuff, dude! Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.


Cheers - thanks!

And it's my great shame that it takes me so long to paint things. I just added to the pile too, with this new stuff. My goal is to double my finished AR list this summer. I actually only have four totally completed models, though, so that's no great feat. I should have no problem, as Leo is in progress and Marcus is 90% done...

Speaking of new models, I tried to add a bit of a "story" to Acerbus by adding a spear head broken off in his shoulder, and the broken haft trampled in the dust underfoot.

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(Nothing like primed close-ups to point out EVERY SINGLE mold line and flaw you left on your model, huh?)

Pretty simple addition to give him just a bit more individuality and character.

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