Reaper "Bones 5" Kickstarter in its Final Days!

   Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Reaper Miniatures' Bones 5 Kickstarter is in it's final few days, and will be ending this Saturday the 2nd!
   There's been a lot of great stuff unlocked and still more to come.
   The big highlight of this project so far has been the almost yard-long Pirate Ship that Reaper will be doing.   The plan is to have it come apart at the deck levels so you will have several decks worth of playable surface.

   One of the expansions I'm most excited for is this Dark Depths one.  Lots of cool critters in it, and some great fodder for making units, which as primarily a wargamer, I'm always looking for.

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    You can check these figures and a lot more out at the Kickstarter main page: Bones 5: Pizza Dungeon!

Dark Dwarves "Irontongue Priest" and "Pounder": Bones 4 Fan Favorite Figures

     This past week I painted a pair of the Dark Dwarf "Irontongue Priest" figures , and a trio of the "Pounder" figures, from the Bones 4 Fan Favorites Expansion.    I wanted to use these for a unit of regular Dwarves, having more gaming use for them that way than painted up as Dark Dwarves; and while they're a little more ragged looking than the average Dwarf, I thought they'd fill the bill of a  unit of normal Dwarves just fine.
     I got a set of 5 of these Dark Dwarves with the Bones 4 Kickstarter, then was lucky enough to pick up 4 more in a trade; then luckily, the free October Bones Black figure from Reaper turned out to be the Dark Dwarf "Pounder" figure, supplying me with the 10th one I would need to make a unit. 
          I planned to use the two "Irontongue Priests" as the command figures for my unit; so I kept one the way it was originally sculpted to be the main leader. For the other, I trimmed down the wings on the helmet, and cut the spike out of the other hand.  I then cut his pointer finger free and bent it out to make him look like he was pointing.
       Next, I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  I then glued them to 1" black-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures in onto tongue depressors.

     I started with the two "Irontongue Priest" figures that I would be using as my command figures, painting them entirely with Ceramcoat "Black".  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the figure with  Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".  I then passed over it with a lighter drybrush of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver"

     Next, I drybrushed the capes on them both; the one with the spike I used Folk Art "Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze", and the other I used Ceramcoat "Copper".  I also used the "Brushed Bronze to paint the helmet wings on the one holding the spike.  After that, I painted their hammers and the spike with Reaper MSP "Aged Pewter".

     I then painted their faces and hands with Americana "Shading Flesh, and did the beard on the lefthand one with the "Black", and the beard on the righthand one with Americana "Light Cinnamon".   Next, I let everything dry for a while, and then gave their faces and hands a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.   When that was dry, I gave the beard on the righthand one a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.

      I let all the washes dry, and then did spot highlights on the armor and weapons with the "Metallic Silver".  I also drybrushed the cape on the lefthand one using some Ceramcoat "14K Gold".  Next, I highlighted their faces and hands with Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh"; and after that highlighted the lefthand one's beard with Crafter's Acrylic "Cloudy Shy", and the righthand one's beard with Americana "Sable Brown".  Lastly, I painted the bases with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".


     I set the two Priests/Leaders aside, and began on the trio of "Pounders"; painting them entirely with the "Black".  When the Black was dry, I drybrushed the figure with the "Gunmetal Grey".  I then passed over it with a lighter drybrush of the "Metallic Silver"

    Next, I painted their tunics with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood", and their faces and hands with the "Shading Flesh".   After that, I painted their pouches with Americana "Raw Umber", and then their hammers with the "Aged Pewter".

     I then painted the beards and eyebrows on the left two with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice", and the beard and eyebrows on the righthand one with some "Light Cinnamon".    Next, I let everything dry for a while, and then gave their faces and hands a coat of  the "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.   When that was dry, I gave the tunics and the beards a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.

  I let all the washes dry,  and then I painted thier eyes, and then highlighted their faces and hands with Crafter's Acrylic "Flesh".  After that, I highlighted the lefthand pair's beard with Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin", and the righthand one's beard with Americana "Sable Brown".  Next, I did highlights on the pouches with the "Light Cinnamon", and highlighted the tunics highlights with Reaper MSp "Holly Berry".  After that, I did spot highlights on the armor and weapons with the "Metallic Silver". Lastly, I painted the bases with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".

  I let all the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote".

     I'm happy with them.  They're simple, but I think they'll make a fine gaming unit.  Now I've got the other five figures of the unit to paint for next week.

Village Mob Woman: Bones 4 Figure

     This past week I painted the Village Mob Woman from the Bones 4 Core Set Townsfolk group.
     I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.
  I forgot to take a starting picture, so here's the illustration from the Kickstarter page.

     I began by painting her head and arms with Reaper MSP "Rosy Skin", and her dress with Accent "Golden Harvest".  I then painted her apron and bonnet with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey", and her corset with Ceramcoat "Black".

     Next, I painted the rolling pin with Americana "Light Cinnamon", the torch with Americana Mississippi Mud" , and her hair with Americana "Asphaltum".   When everything had had a while to dry, I gave her face and arms a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash.  When that was dry, I gave her apron a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash; and when that was dry, I gave her rolling pin and torch a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthsahde wash.  I also applied some Agrax Earthshade" directly into the folds of her dress, but didn't give it an all-over wash.

     When all of the washes were dry, I painted her eyes, and then highlighted her skin with Reaper MSP "Rosy Highlight".  Next, I highlighted her dress with, first, Americana "Moon Yellow",and then Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon".

     Next, I highlighted the apron and cap with, first, Americana "Grey Sky", and then Americana "Snow White".  I then highlighted the corset with Americana "Charcoal", and then a little of the "Charcoal" mixed with some "Grey Sky".  After that, I highlighted the rolling pin with Americana "Sable Brown", and the torch with Americana "Khaki Tan".    I wrapped things up by painting the flame, working from the bottom of the flame to the top using, the "Lemon Chiffon" first, then Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow", followed by Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin", and then Reaper MSP "Blood Red".   Lastly, I painted the entire base with the"Mississippi Mud".
      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. I then used some white glue to glue some fine sand to the base.  When the sand was dry, I painted it with a coat of Americana "Raw Umber". When this was dry, I drybrushed the sand with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", and then with some Folk Art "Butter Pecan"; lastly I drybrushed it with a little of the "Bleached Sand".
      Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".

     A fun and simple little figure.  I'm happy with how she turned out.

Reaper Bones 5 Kickstarter Hits Midway Point with Big Numbers!

     Just wanted to let my readers know the Reaper "Bones 5" Kickstarter has now hit the halfway point with15 days left to run.  It is breaking records from their past Kickstarters, with over $2 million dollars pledged already, and over 15,000 backers signed up!

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      The Core Set already has over 130 figures in it, making the cost per figure less than a dollar!  And there are two great Expansion sets completely unlocked (Dungeon Dwellers and Daimyo) and three more being worked on (Greek Odyssey, Dark Depths, and Brinewind).  Plus lots of cool individual Add-Ons, and new "Encounter" sets!

To find out all the details, go to: Bones 5 Kickstarter.   Get in on these great deals before it's too late!

Hell Hounds: Bones 4 Fan Favorites Figure

     This past week I painted the Hell Hounds from the Bones 4 Fan Favorites Expansion.   When I first saw these, I had the idea that I'd like to get two of the sitting version of the Hound to paint as innocuous statues, perhaps for guarding a gate or doorway, and then use the two standing versions to  paint as their demonic counterparts; that the statues would change into when anyone got too close to what they were guarding.
     I then lucked out and found a second copy of the sitting one in the flea market at our club's gaming convention a couple weeks ago.
       I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  I then glued the two sitting figures to  black-primed 1" fender washer, and the two standing figures to black-primed 1.25" fender washers, all with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures in pairs onto tongue depressors.

     I began by painting the two seated hounds entirely with Americana "Charcoal".  When that was dry, I gave them both a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

     When the wash was dry, I drybrushed them with some Americana "Neutral Grey" mixed with a little of the "Charcoal", and then just the plain "Neutral Grey".  After that, I painted their neck rings with Americana "Asphaltum", and then dabbed them with a little Accent "Golden Oxide".   Lastly, I painted their bases with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
      I let them dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to apply a sand mixture onto their bases.

   I then started work on the standing versions.  I wanted to try a bit of a lava/interior heat effect, and I didn't feature having to hand paint all the teeny tiny cracks sculpted into the hounds, so I thought I'd try it in a bit of short cut way.
     I began by panting them entirely with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red".

          I then drybrushed the hounds with the "Charcoal".

          Next, I drybrushed them with some Ceramcoat "Black".  I then tried an experiment on the left one, and gave it a coat of thinned Iron Wind Metals "Yellow" ink.  That looked really bad, so I then tired hand painting the cracks with Reaper MSP "Golden Glow".  I just wasn't happy. with the results.

     So, I did what I had tried to avoid, and painted all the cracks individually; this time with Americana "Tangerine".  I then painted the crack centers with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Yellow".    I painted the eyes and teeth with the Bright Yellow" as well, and then gave the eyes and teeth all highlights with Apple Barrel "Lemon Chiffon".  After that, I painted their neck rings with Americana "Asphaltum", and then dabbed them with a little Accent "Golden Oxide".   Lastly, I painted their bases with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".,
      I let them dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to apply a sand mixture onto their bases. 
  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed all four hounds with Testor's "Dullcote".

          Well, they won't win any painting awards, but for gaming use I think they turned out okay.  Those cracks in the dogs were just so small to paint properly...

Grave Minions: Bones 3 Figures

     This past week, with it being the first week of October, I was feeling in a Halloween mood so I painted the Grave Minions, originally released as part of the Bones 3 Graveyard Expansion.  I didn't get that expansion but had ordered these guys directly from Reaper once they were released to retail.

       Because these were the white original Bones material, I began by giving them all a wash with some thinned Reaper MSP "Grey Liner" to help me see the details.   When it was dry, I painted  the pants on the lefthand one and the boots on the center one with Americana "Asphaltum".  I then painted  the pants of center one and the coat of the righthand with Vallejo "Brown Violet".  After that I did the boots of the lefthand one and the coat of the center one with Ceramcoat "Black".  I also painted the pants of the righthand one with Americana "Light Cinnamon".

     Next, I painted the lining of the lefthand one's coat with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red", and the coat itself with Crafter's Acrylic "Navy Blue".  I then painted the lining of the center one's coat with Crafter's Acrylic "African Violet", and the lining and collar of the righthand one's coat with Accent "Golden Harvest".   After that, I painted the gravestones with Americana Zinc, the tool handles and rope with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the metal parts of the tools with Americana "Raw Umber".  I followed that with painting the sack, the skull in it, and the lantern, with Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", and then the pumpkin heads with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice"

      I then painted the pumpkin stems with Duncan "Olive", and then gave the heads a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthsahde" wash.  When that was dry, I gave the rest of the bodies a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  After that was dry, I highlighted the pumpkins with, first, a mix of the base "Orange Spice" mixed with a little Americana "Tangerine", and then just the plain "Tangerine.  Next, I painted the insides of the eyes and mouths with Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow", and then added smaller highlights in the centers with Americana "Snow White".

      I then highlighted the coat lining on the left figure with Reaper MSP "Holy Berry", and highlighted the coat itself with Americana "True Blue".  Next, I highlighted the pants on the lefthand one with the Territorial Beige" and did the stitching on the coat with Folk Art "Cloudy Day".  After that, I highlighted the coat lining on the center one with Anita's "Violet", and highlighted the coat with the "Zinc".  I followed that by highlighting the pants with Duncan "Olive", and did the stitching with Americana "Grey Sky".   I then moved on to the righthand one, highlighting the coat lining , and collar with the Daffodil Yellow, and the coat with a some of the "Olive" mixed with a little Aleene's "Dusty Khaki". The pants I highlighted with Americana "Khaki", and the stitching I did with the "Dusty Khaki". 

     Next, I highlighted the axe and shovel handles with Americana "Fawn", and highlighted the sack and the rope with Americana "Khaki".  I then highlighted the skull in the sack with, first, Americana "Antique White", and then a little Americana "Bleached Sand".  After that, I drybrushed the tombstones with some Folk Art Platinum Grey", and then painted the lamp panes with the "Black", and then the lamp itself with Folk Art "Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".  I also, lightly drybrushed the axe head and shovel head with some Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal  Grey".  Lastly, I painted the  bases with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
      I let the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote".

     I really like how this trio turned out!  They're a quirky set of minis, and were fun to paint.

Reaper's Bones 5 Kickstarter Has Record Breaking Launch!

   Just wanted to let everyone know that yesterday Reaper launched their Bones 5 Kickstarter with overwhelming success, reaching a record $1,000,000 in only about 7 hours!  The amount pledged is now passed 1,2000,000 and still going strong.  Also, they have reached the 10,000 backer milestone in the first day as well.

      The Kickstarter runs through November 2nd so there is still plenty of time to get on board with these excellent deals!  To find out more head on over to the Kickstarter page:  Bones 5

      Here is a current look at the Core Set; a great deal at $120, and sure to get even better with a whole month left to go!   There are also a lot of great Add-Ons that have been unlocked as well.
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