Mexican Cowboys

Two of the very few models I've painted since I pretty much stopped playing Warmachine a year and a half ago: Santiago and Francisco Ortega, from Malifaux's Guild faction.

Santiago was painted quite a while ago, but I just finished Francisco recently. I'm not happy about how I painted a lot of things on both of them, but I've long since learned that if I keep worrying over every detail I'll never actually finish a mini.

Even though I basically forced myself to finish them just so I can have fully painted minis, I'm not terribly disappointed with the overall result. I did have an issue with the matte varnish, especially on Francisco, and that was rage inducing. The bases are pretty ugly as well, but again, the idea was just to get the models done so I can play.

Despite having bought the models back in May, I've barely played any Malifaux. This is partially my fault, for greatly favouring Infinity over Malifaux when I get chances to play, but also just because we don't have much of a scene for it over here in Ottawa. I know that plenty of people have bought Malifaux, because they're selling over at the LGS, but I don't know where any of these people are.

Anyway, I like both these models, including their rules and fluff. Santiago has those dual pistols, and I've seen what he can do when he gets mad. Francisco is a great character and I'm a little disappointed that they chose him to be the Ortega's low cost model, because he's a total badass in the fluff. I haven't had any success with him yet, but I'm sure I'll eventually get him into melee safely.

Next up on the Malifaux painting block is Papa Loco.

Learning the Basics of Forest Terrain

I realized that the last post about my forest terrain was not very informative. The photo didn't provide any scale and I didn't really talk about the process. Well, I've got a new photo:

PanO Kamau and Auxbot not painted by me.

The original plan was to top off this template with some fuzzy green flock from Penemue, to give it some more character and break it up a little. We've since decided not to do so, meaning the twigs, which I already thought looked kind of awkward, now look extremely bare. I probably won't add twigs in the next template I make, although it was suggested to me to add a large twig to represent a fallen tree trunk.

The reason I didn't have any actual trees on the template to begin with, even though it's supposed to be a forest, is because I've found that trees that are glued to a forest template often get in the way while playing. Perhaps more importantly, terrain left at the LGS often gets worn down pretty hard because a lot of random people will use it, and not everybody cares enough to handle them gently. This means that they'll break off.

My solution is to have separate trees that can be moved if needed, as well as stored separately. These trees are Christmas trees from Dollarama that have had their bases painted brown. Obviously, they look rather out of place but it'll have to do as a cheap solution. Speaking of out of place, after adding the trees on top, I realized that the twigs really do get in the way, so that's another reason to not have them.

As for the process, this is beginner stuff but I feel it's worth mentioning because everybody else just glosses over it. I used Scenics Cement, which is good stuff, but it's very thin.

It's meant to be sprayed, but it's also meant to be brushed on, and this is what nobody talks about. I would actually put on some white glue first, and then brush on the cement while also spreading around the white glue. Because the cement is so thin, the flock/sand/whatever doesn't actually adhere that well to it in one go. Adding in white glue makes it thicker, and of course glue has its own bonding power. I recommend pouring the cement you plan on using into a separate container and brushing from there, because you'll inevitably get some glue in there and possibly also sand or whatever else that didn't adhere properly.

Spraying avoids the messes inherent in brushing, but it also brings some messes of its own. You obviously have less control with a spray bottle, so it wasn't practical for what I was doing. I first put on the sandy path, let that dry, and then added the flock. Spraying for either step would get me cement on places I didn't want it. Spraying can also create a mess simply due to cement dripping.

It is, however, the most logical way to seal your terrain. Despite my problem with the cement's adhering qualities, it's fantastic as a sealer because it keeps the terrain's texture and doesn't create a plastic-like shell. I picked up a small spray bottle at Dollarama in the cosmetics section. It even has a filter at the end of its pipe, which I'm told is key for avoiding clogs with this stuff.

I'm sure I'll learn some more stuff when I work on my next forest terrain template. My plastic sheet better be in by now, because I want to start working on it soon.

Y U NO PHOTOGRAPH

Goddamnit photographing minis is hard.

Check out these crisp photos I took by accident when I was just messing around, fiddling with camera settings, lights, etc, shooting random things. Of course, I couldn't replicate this on stuff I actually wanted to photograph. Note that these pictures have not been edited in any way. Normally, I'd at least have to modify the levels, but nope, that turned out fine too.

For the record, I'm just saying that these photos are crisp by my novice standards. I realize that there's still a long way to go, but if I could regularly get this quality I'd be very happy at this time. =\ And so, my photography journey continues.

Ready Set Go!

I've always loved playing miniature war games, but I've never been much into the hobby aspect. This is most evident in my Infinity collection, where only 5% of my models have any paint on them and I've only ever fully painted up one of them. I've now decided to take the hobby side of wargaming more seriously, and this blog will hopefully serve to motivate me while serving as a record of my progress.

I'll mostly be keeping my posts restricted to my progress with hobby stuff, to keep me on target. This means stuff like painting, terrain, and assembly. I'll also try to take pictures. Currently, my photography is bad but hopefully I'll be able to look back on this and see my photography improve with time.

Also, I have to thank Penemue for causing me to even think about doing a blog. His blog is starting off great, and after seeing the beginning of his Sophotect series, I started thinking about the potential in that sort of thing. So here I am.

To start things off, here's a forest template I've been working on.

 
It's my first ever attempt at something like this, and my first time working with flock (aside from a couple bases). I was approaching this as a learning experience, and it really was. I now have a much better idea of how to use the materials effectively. You might say "how hard could it be, you just spread the glue and slap the flock on", and although that is basically the core of it, when you're starting from zero you make a lot of minor mistakes that dramatically slow down the process.

I know it doesn't look like much, and I'm still not sure if I've sealed it enough to stand up to abuse, but I'm now much more confident about the whole idea. I've ordered a 4'x8' sheet of plastic card from Plastics and Signs, and hope to use part of it as a base for a couple large forest templates. I was expecting it to arrive a week ago, but I'll live.