From the workbench of Zebraoutrider
Recommendations: 754
About the Project
This blog details my attempts to reduce my own ‘pile of shame’ which is totalling 100s of miniatures that need constructing, basing and painting. The blog will focus on 25mm and 28mm fantasy minis from Reaper, Dark Sword, Diehard, Dunkeldorf, Midlam, Grenadier and ‘Oldhammer’ Citadel Miniatures. I won’t be necessarily logging the preparation of the miniatures, as you can read about WIP on other projects that I have completed, so this blog will focus on the end product of my painting efforts. I don’t use an airbrush, preferring to use blending, dry brushing and washes to get these guys to the table top as playable characters rather than display or competition pieces. My painting style is rather grim-dark and gothic, normally utilising black under coats and with some influence of Blanchitsu to create a ‘dirty’ impression. I paint for pleasure and not for profit. I will be seeking inspiration as I go along from what I see, read and from those I interact with in this great hobby. Hope you enjoy my adventures…
Related Game: Dungeons & Dragons
Related Genre: Fantasy
This Project is Active
The Air Elementalist
The Air Elementalist and his Familiar- Models chosen Diehard Miniatures Zeph the Majestic- Mistral Wizard SKU:HN05 and Mistral Spirit Familiar SKU:HN12 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 40mm lipped round Egyptian base from Scibor. I always feel that a wizard and their familiar really need to be mounted on the same base as if the wizard is killed so his familiar disappears. I painted this chap with a single primary colour of a blue wash over white foundation and for the familiar a red wash over white. I wanted the blue energy from the elements to flow up to his staff as he conjured his air elemental with the channelling of his familiar. 
The Air Elemental - Model chosen Diehard Miniatures Alizeh-Air Elemental SKU:HN16 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 40mm lipped round Egyptian base from Scibor. This is a as resin single miniature but to give it more height I’ve added a shortened flying base strut to lift him off the ground. I wanted him to appear as a grumpy cloud and the blue wash technique along with a similar styled base links him to the Elementalist fairly well. 
The Elementalist’s Apprentice - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures CO2 Wizard Bakarus Potionmaker (Jan 1987) sculpted by Aly Morrison. Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Halodyne base. I added a little drop of superglue to the end of the bottle to represent a liquid running out. The superglue dries cloudy, so again this links to the air elements. His Arabian dress also helps to contextualise the threesome. 
The Master, his mystral cat familiar, the elemental and the apprentice…The Air Elementalist
The Air Elementalist and his Familiar- Models chosen Diehard Miniatures Zeph the Majestic- Mistral Wizard SKU:HN05 and Mistral Spirit Familiar SKU:HN12 sculpted by Tim Prow. Mounted on a 40mm lipped round Egyptian base from Scibor. I always feel that a wizard and their familiar really need to be mounted on the same base as if the wizard is killed so his familiar disappears. I painted this chap with a single primary colour of a blue wash over white foundation and for the familiar a red wash over white. I wanted the blue energy from the elements to flow up to his staff as he conjured his air elemental with the channelling of his familiar. 
Hilary’s Cat
Hilary’s Cat - model chosen Reaper Miniatures Nella Cailean SKU: 60169 Sculpted by Julie Guthrie. This is another give away miniature, but this time to a work colleague who inspires not just me but many colleagues through her continued generosity of spirit and positivity, particularly in the darker times caused by the pandemic. I’ve attempted to capture my friend in her youth along with a favourite cat as her playful companion. The miniatures are mounted on a 50mm round lipped base that I’ve sculpted green stuff on to represent floor boards. I’ve used a Mantic Dungeon Accessory Mirror to provide some background context and to capture her image further in an impressionistic style. 
I’ve used my usual ‘dirty’ blending style using washes over highlighted base layers. To try a different technique, I undercoated the miniatures with Nuln Oil wash and I feel that has helped enhance the rather flat detail on the model. A really enjoyable miniature to paint and going to a great home as a gift of appreciation. I’ve kept the paint pallet simple and wanted to achieve a kind of 1920s Gothic Horror type feel with the main character lighting up the dark world around her.
Just to clarify… the black cat is alive and well! As he’s a little bit ‘invisible’ on the floor boards, I’ve created more feathers to show his interest in the world… The Mercenaries are coming…
‘The Mercenary Captain’ - Model chosen Diehard Miniatures Lord Burkhart- Human Knight SKU: HN01 Sculpted by Tim Prow. The leader of the mercenaries, he has the best armour and weapon and I imagine him to be or a high reputation as a fighter and noble. This miniature came from the first Diehard Kickstarter and again is full of character. 
‘The Mercenary Sergeant’ - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures 1113 Evil Fighter (1991) Sculptor Unknown. A bit of a mystery tracking down the origin of this chap but through Stuff of Legends he appears to be an evil fighter, which I guess fits his sculpt, but for me he’s a Mercenary Sergeant with a shield and some decent chain mail armour to protect him, hence he’s better equipped than his soldier companions… so perhaps he’s a better fighter or simply better at claiming rewards?
‘The Smart Mercenary’ - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures F2 Dogs of War - Cowden (1987) Sculpted by Aly and Trish Morrison. Another of one of my favourite figures of all time and this is the third time I’ve acquired and painted him. He first appeared on a Silver medal awarded diorama I created back in 1988 (but that’s another story). Here he is the polar opposite to Gutbucket and appears to be very proud about his appearance. I’ve used the black, yellow and light green colour scheme to link all four miniatures as a single unit. 
‘The Disheveled Mercenary’ - Model chosen Citadel Miniatures C46 Militia Gutbucket (1987) Sculpted by Aly Morrison. I wanted a contrast to the spic and span Cowden character by offering up his polar opposite in Gutbucket. I imagine he’s a reluctant mercenary, more interested in doing the minimum to achieve potential rewards (especially food!). I’ve given him a black eye using Carroburg Crimson wash. Mounted on a Micro Arts 30mm lipped round Ancients base. 
Snakemen slithering and a Hero to defeat them all…
The Black Snakeman - model chosen Diehard Miniatures - Serpentis-Chaos Snakeman SKU: CSTP02 Sculpted by Tim Prow. Now, whether this chap had a missing tail when sent and I failed to spot it, or if more likely I’ve simply misplaced the tail in my mess that is my workbench, either way I needed to sculpt a new tail. Sculpting is not my strong point (you could say painting isn’t!) so I used a Fenris (I think) 40mm lipped base with an open trap door to give the illusion that the Snakeman has slithered through to guard the treasure. This meant that I could get away with a rudimentary, half-hidden tail. I’m still quite chuffed with my effort and added Reaper Miniatures Sacks and Jars to the base for added dressing. I used a chaos space marine Alpha Legion transfer on the shield and again painted with a pallet to match the other three Snakemen troopers. 
The Green Snakewoman Priestess - model chosen Diehard Miniatures - Seladon the Wrathful-Chaos Sorceress SKU: CS07 Sculpted by Tim Prow. The leader for the Snakemen and what an imposing miniature. I needed to use a little bit of liquid green stuff at the joins, but apart from that it reminds me of the old Ray Harryhausen monsters in the 1970s films so I painted it sympathetically to reflect that ‘rubbery’ look! Mounted on a 50mm Micro Arts Halodyne base.
The Hero - model chosen Citadel Miniatures BC7 Heroic Fighters of the Known World - Gladius (1986) Sculpted by Colin Dixon. Anyone need a hero? An absolute joy to paint and full of character including a golden comb poking out from under his wolf cloak which I guess captured the quirkiness of the designers at Games Workshop at the time. I’ve added a GW (1990 OOP) plastic undead shield with a bone motif to further reflect the barrenness of the desert setting. I think this chap reminds me aptly again of the heroes that went up against Harryhausen’s monsters in those films like Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, etc. Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Troglodyte base.
The Local Guide - model chosen Citadel Miniatures CO4 Thief - Tajah Rajah Throat Slicer (1986) Sculpted by The Perry Twins. Does this guy look like you’d trust your life with? I wanted to create a duplicitous character using basic colours and washes as the pose of the miniature reveals his true intentions. Again an apt model for some Arabian Adventures… Mounted on a 30mm lipped Micro Arts Halodyne base.
These gathering snakes may need more than one hero to defeat them and given the local guide may not be as reliable as first thought, I think our hero will require some backup? Time to look for some more supporting characters… So far, that’s 27 characters painted from a range of manufacturers since Thomas’s inspirational start. ? Still 300+ miniatures to go! ??Hissss… something stirs in the desert
Out of the Diehard Miniatures loose models come a slithering of snake men. These all come from the earlier Kickstarters so again have been gathering dust for a few years. I wanted to give a multi-coloured set of warriors so using internet images of real snakes for inspiration, I set to task…
Blue Snakeman - model chosen Diehard Miniatures Sculpted by Tim Prow Lasharr-Chaos Snakeman SKU: CSTP03. A great mini to start with although with the positioning of the spear, I mounted the Snakeman on a slightly raised 40mm lipped Micro Arts Troglodyte base. 
Yellow Snakeman - model chosen Diehard Miniatures Sculpted by Tim Prow Sythpharius-Chaos Snakeman SKU: CS05. A fairly dynamic pose for this chap swinging a huge halberd. The trickiest bit was actually painting the face as it appears to be licking its lips with a short tongue. As with the other snakemen, play sand has been used on the 40mm base. This time a Mirco Arts Ancients 40mm base was used
White Snakeman - model chosen Diehard Miniatures Sculpted by Tim Prow Two Faced Sanvarr-Chaos Snakeman SKU: CS04 . Probably my favourite of the three because of the two heads, but again a lovely model to paint. I’ve used similar gold armour colouring to link the trio as a unit and the bases are all washed the same colours even though this one is a 40mm lipped round Micro Arts Halodyne base. 
Next up… more from Diehard Miniatures with another Snakeman, but which needs a new tail sculpted and perhaps a leader for the snakemen? Also, I think with a bit more ferreting in my box of loose miniatures, I can find a group of Arabian Adventurers…
If you go down to the beach today…
The Danger from the depths… Model chosen Reaper Miniatures Wereshark SKU: 02890 Sculpted by Jason Wiebe plus Octopus from FAMILIAR PACK VII SKU: 02948 Sculpted by Julie Guthrie. I’ve tried to paint this guy with tiger shark-like pattern for the skin. I’ve also given a good lick of ‘ardcoat to give a glossy, wet finish. Mini is mounted on a 50mm lipped base with bleached kid’s ‘play sand’ mounded up with watered down PVA glue. 
The Opportunist and the box of delights… Model chosen Citadel Miniatures C23 Ogre Thug 1986 Sculptor Jes Goodwin. These minis are so full of character I couldn’t resist mounting this chap as if he is kicking open the treasure chest but setting off a gas trap. The trap has been made using artificial stuffing strands from a pillow. I’ve applied a Dark Angel’s 40K crossed swords transfer as a tattoo along with a ‘KILL!’ Imperial Guard tank transfer as another shoulder tattoo. I’ve used technical stormshield to dull the transfers. The 40mm lipped base is from Fenris (I think?). This is one of my favourite C23 Ogres and many, many moons ago another one of these won me an accolade.
The Castaway - Beware of sunstroke… Model chosen Citadel Miniatures SS6 White Dwarf Personalities - Livingstone the 'ed Hitter 1984 Sculptor unknown (but in the style of Jes Goodwin?) with Reaper Miniatures Flying Ray Fish from FAMILIAR PACK VII SKU: 02948 Sculpted by Julie Guthrie. A pre-slotta character bought when released and cherished ever since waiting for a new paint job and excuse! Ian Livingstone is an absolute legend in the industry as @brennon highlighted in his interview at the recent Games Expo. I wanted to capture that ‘crazy’ persona created by the sculptor by having him chase a flying fish with his baseball bat. I’ve added a chaos space marine shoulder transfer to the bar and an Imperial Guard Aquila transfer to his back as an apt ‘Games Workshop inspired’ tattoo. Mini is mounted on a heavily converted 30mm lipped round Troglodyte base from Micro Arts. A rare and great mini to paint. 
The Beachcomber Detectorist … Model chosen Diehard Miniatures Sigurson Frostthane-Gnome Warcaster SKU: DF02 Sculptor Tim Prow. I have a box load of loose Diehard Miniatures waiting to be painted. This guy comes from the first Kickstarter, so after nearly five years, the wrapping is off and Sigurson is painted up and mounted on a 30mm lipped round Troglodyte base from Micro Arts. My favourite mini from that first KS. 
Whatever the environment and wherever the adventure takes you, there are dangers and challenges lurking! I’m enjoying pacing myself by spending a few hours at a time painting three or four themed minis. This means that reducing the pile of shame doesn’t feel like a chore and I don’t feel I need to rush and so can simply let my creativity surface to produce end products I’d be happy to give away or play with. Next up I think a further dip into the Diehard Miniatures box of loose models from the series of Kickstarter’s…The ‘Up to No Good’, ‘The Bad’ and ‘The Ugly’…
A triumvirate of evil. A male sorcerer accompanied by his faithful and strong bodyguard as well as his apprentice spellcaster. All Reaper Miniatures undercoated black and mounted on 30mm lipped bases. 
The wise one… model chosen Reaper Miniatures LEISYNN, MERCENARIES MAGE SKU: 14060 Sculpted by Tim Prow. One of my all time favourite minis from one of my favourite sculptors - what’s not to like. He’s described as a mercenary mage, but with that snake staff, tome, skull iconography and demeanour, l just think he aligns more to the evil side of things rather than good. Probably Neutral Evil. 
The strong one… model chosen Reaper Miniatures TALARAND, BLACKGUARD SKU: 02789 Sculpted by Tim Prow. Again a great mini with an imposing pose! Reminds me of the bad guys on the original Conan the Barbarian film. Added a Word Bearer 40K shoulder transfer to his tabard. 
The charismatic one… model chosen Reaper Miniatures LAURANA, SORCERESS Sculpted by Dennis Mize SKU: 02621. Another loose mini I picked up second hand and restored. Tried to keep the mascara in the eyes and used blue pen for the tattoos. Added a chaos space marine shoulder pad transfer to the front of skirt. Again a lovely little mini that doesn’t look much until painted and based. 
The truly ugly one… model chosen from the box of loose minis Citadel Miniatures C23 Chaos Ogre Sculptor Jes Goodwin 1985. Another great mini that I’ve been waiting for the excuse to paint and I may loan some of these guys to Thomas’s on going quest as some notable foes to defeat? 
An evil party gets together. Wouldn’t like to meet them down a dark dungeon! ? Next up another sort through the loose figures box for another collection to build. The inspiration continues… Here come the hairy feet…
When creating Thomas’s D&D adventuring group of miniatures, I added a halfling to the team. They good fun to play in a RPG and most minis available are full of character. So I did indeed ferret around in the loose figures box and found a lot of halflings from Citadel Miniatures and Midlam Miniatures and picked a plucky three to join the Dwarf Gladiator, Questing Knight and the Vengeful Bride…
“Tim, Tom and Kevin Proudfoot” 
‘Tim Proudfoot’ - model chosen Citadel Miniatures C11 Halfling Cecil Ogre Slayer (cloaked) 1984 Sculptor Alan Perry. Mounted on a 30mm lipped base and flocked. I love this little guy attempting to emulate the Questing Knight with a saucepan for a helmet and an officer’s cloak. I used a Night Lords Warhammer 40K Shoulder pad transfer on the shield to add a bit of extra character. 
‘Tom Proudfoot’ - model chosen Citadel Miniatures C11 Halfling unnamed variation of Cecil 1984 Sculptor Michael Perry. A cool variation from the Perry Twins with the cloak removed and a cooking pot replacing the saucepan for the helmet. Again a Chaos Space Marine transfer used on the shield but this time an Alpha Legion insignia. 
‘Big Kev’ (Kevin Proudfoot) - model chosen Midlam Miniatures Halfling with Mace Sculpted by Josef Ochmann Model: C1024c Another great mini from Midlam Miniatures and I chose him because his breast plate armour links him to the Tim and Tom the twins pretty well to establish a brotherly threesome. Kevin’s expression is a tad gormless, so perhaps he’s not blessed with a high Intelligence or Wisdom or that he couldn’t find another kitchen pan for a helmet! Great fun painting these three, blending old minis with new ones. 
The Adventurers gather… Next up… I think we need some ‘evil’ options to consider playing? Anyhow, another three miniatures removed from the pile of shame… still 300+ to go! ???The Adventure Continues…
Having received ‘a million thank yous’ from Thomas and an invitation from Rob for myself and my kids to join in a D&D session sometime, I had to think about what characters we might play. Now it’s been eons since I played a RPG and I’ve also learned that it’s difficult to ‘force’ your own kids to do your hobby! RPGs are great for teamwork, problem solving, communication and language vocabulary – some skills of which have limited appeal to my tech-oriented kids! Nonetheless, I always saw RPGs as an opportunity to become something that you aren’t in real life. True escapism. This means that I’ve tended to play non-thinking, ask questions later fighters or self-preservation clerics (walking medi pack!). So, here are a few options I’ve mustered up over the last week as I tap in to that continued inspiration.
The Dwarf Gladiator - model chosen Reaper Miniatures KRAGMARR GIANT SLAYER SKU: 14585 Sculpted by Jason Wiebe. I just like the chain weapon here and dynamic pose. I’ve painted him in brighter colours to reflect his potential alignment towards Neutral Good and aged him to perhaps suggest he is a veteran fighter. If he’s not a gladiator he could be a monk character? 
The Questing Knight (on foot) - model chosen Reaper Miniatures DALTON KRIEG, ADVENTURING KNIGHT SKU: 03418 Sculpted by Todd Harris. I’ve chosen this chap to represent a strong and determined knight on a quest. Again, brighter colours used via a pallet of two shades of blue (Wycombe Wanderers checkered shirt scheme) and enhanced gold and silver platemail. Just also a note on painting… I tend to use a black undercoat followed by thin layering, washes and dry-brushed lighter highlights. 
The Vengeful Bride (Mage) - model chosen Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage with Staff SKU: DSM7312 Sculptor Tom Meier. A very dynamic pose for a magic user and I was inspired to make her a slightly crazy lady due to her hair, with the back story of a disaster at her wedding in which she became a widow and now seeks vengeance on the assassins responsible, hence she is still dressed in her wedding gown. An absolutely lovely miniature to paint. 
Next up… some companions for these three? Let’s have a ferret around the pile of shame which contains miniatures that I’ve started or are loose/unboxed.
Painting Thomas’s D&D Miniatures…
From left to right: Glow, Captain Flameheart, Alvoril and Amber the Cleric. All Reaper Miniatures mounted on 30mm lipped round bases with green stuff used to fill the gaps. Undercoating with Citadel Chaos Black.
Captain James Flameheart… added a plumed hat from a Mordheim militia head and replaced the empty hand with a cutlass also from the Mordheim miniatures. Flocked grass and a gloss varnish to protect during play, and the group’s leader fits the swashbuckler role.
Alvoril Blackthorn… added a pair of daggers from the Mordheim bits to his belt. 
Glow Geldering… although she is a magic user, I focused on the bow as key to matching the miniature to the character and painting her sympathetically to make her younger than perhaps the sculptor had in mind.
Amber Blacksone… no conversion work required. 
Borg Borgensen… I was on a roll so I found an old Citadel Dwarf Giant Slayer and added it to the group for Rob to create an NPC or replacement character if required.
Perry Cranberry… I added a few green stuff dragon eggs for this little chap to find in the long grass. This is a Midlam Miniatures halfling… every D&D quest needs a halfling thief to spot those traps and stealthily grab the gold.
I made a display box for the six miniatures along with a scroll detailing the questing party and the original miniatures that were painted. Thomas didn’t know he was getting the miniatures in just one week and was over the moon, especially as his group now numbers six! This is what it’s all about… spread some joy during these dark times and encourage the next generation to enjoy the hobby that gives so much. Pile of shame reduced by six miniatures… 300+ to go! ??The Inspiration
Inspiration for this project came about from a young footballer that I coach in our local inclusive football group. During lockdown I shared the link from the BBC on the value of role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons to reduce the stress caused by the pandemic and to provide opportunities for social interaction. Young Thomas’s Dad, Rob responded to my share by saying that he was getting Thomas into D&D and when chatting with them at the next football session, I saw the opportunity to reduce my pile of shame and paint up and give away some miniatures that could represent Thomas’s adventuring party. It was just the inspiration I needed to sort out my crates of miniatures and match minis to characters knowing that they would be used in gaming rather than collecting dust in a box…
These are just two large crates of miniatures - mainly from Reaper and Dark Sword. Collected over a number of years and probably could take me years to paint! Rob texted me the description of the four main characters in the current D&D quest and it was over to me to try to match the characters to whatever minis were in the boxes and with some artistic license create the painted representations.
So we have Captain James Flameheart, a Swashbuckler Rogue Pirate. He’s a Human male and is 23 years old. He wields a Cutlass and has Ginger hair. He also has an eye patch over his right eye.
Next we have Amber Brightsone who is a Human female Cleric who worships the sun god Pelor. She’s 30 years old and has black hair. Amber wields a Mace.
Then we have Glow who is a female elf Wizard. She is only 15 years old. She has bright yellow hair. She has an all gold outfit with black leather boots. She carries a longbow.
Finally we have Alvoril Blackthorn, a Shadow Magic Sorcerer. He’s a half elf and is the equivalent of 45 in elf years. He wields 2 daggers and has pale blue skin and deep blue eyes. He wears a black robe with red lining and has silver hair.
