Assembling and De-Necro-ing the Stygian Barge: Bones 4 Model

     Welcome to a special Thursday blog post!   I was excited to get the Stygian Barge Add-On from the recent Bones 4 Kickstarter, and I was not disappointed in the model when it arrived.  It is a truly beautiful and big ship.

      However, I didn't necessarily want to use the barge in all its Stygian glory; it looked more like a Necromancer's fancy yacht than anything else.  I wanted more of a plain everyday working barge.  I figured a plain barge would have much more game use than one specifically decked out in death-related motifs.  So, the first thing I set about doing was looking over the pieces to see just what removing all the skulls, etc. would involve.  With a little effort it seems like it just might work

All the Barge pieces minus the figurehead pieces and the crew and passengers.

      The first thing I did was to glue the front middle and rear hull sections together using Gorilla Superglue Gel.  I then used coffee stirrers and toothpicks to lay down a new deck and trim in the middle hull section to cover over the bone strewn deck that is molded onto the model. 

    I then cut off the two skull decorations on the front protrusions of the rear deck piece, and replaced them with two round wood beads.  When they were dry, I glued the rear deck and front deck into place.  I then painted the hold interior on the front deck with Ceramcoat "Black".

When the Black was dry I glued the hold cover over it, and then worked on putting together the rope and anchor assembly.  I then glued the barrel assembly to the other side

      After that, I worked on gluing in the rear deck bracers.

    I then began trimming the vertebrate spines off of the rear deck roof, and trimming the skeletons off of the roof supports.

     Next, I glued the rudder into place, and then the mast.  I left the skull on the mast, figuring it looked like some kind of trophy or oddity the crew came across, rather than strictly saying "necromancer's boat". 
     When these ware dry, I glued the roof supports to the deck, setting the roof in place to keep them aligned while the glue set, but not actually gluing the roof.  I don't want to permanently glue the roof until after I have painted the underside.

      After the roof supports were dry, I worked on fixing where the skeletal mermaid figurehead was supposed to go.  I used a bit of bamboo skewer to make a bowsprit, and a little nail in the center of the rope circle to make it look like it was actually hanging from something.

      Lastly, I cut the skulls off of the ends of the railings, and once de-skulled, glued them into place

   And here is the finished boat; ready for painting!   I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and think it will look suitably like a regular workaday barge.  Hopefully I will get it painted in time to use it in our June Ghost Archipelago game.

Cave Sloth: Bones 4 Lost Valley Figure

     This past week, I continued to work on filling out some of the holes in my Ghost Archipelago Bestiary, and painted the Cave Sloth from the Bones 4 Lost Valley Expansion.
     I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking the parts 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. The figure comes with the body and right arm pre-glued, and the left arm and base requiring gluing.

     So I used some Gorilla Superglue Gel to assemble the parts, and I then glued the figure to a black-primed 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue after trimming the base so it would fit. I then placed the figure in my painting grip.

     I began by painting the entire figure with Americana "Charcoal Grey".  When dry, I gave the entire figure a wash with thinned Vallejo Game Ink "Black".

     I then drybrushed the figure using, in sequence: Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige", Americana "Khaki Tan", and Americana "Bleached Sand".  I used the "Bleached Sand" heavier on the face to try to give the figure a more realistic lighter colored Sloth face.

      Next, I mixed some Ceramcoat "Black" with Americana "Bittersweet Chocolate" and painted the area around his eyes, his nose and mouth area, and his claws.  After that, I painted the inside of his mouth with a mix of Apple Barrel "Apple Light Pink" and Folk Art "Milkshake".  I then did his teeth with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White"

     I then applied a wash to the inside of his mouth using Citadel "Agrax Earthshade".  While it was drying, I painted his eyes "Black", and then added colored irises using Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown".  I also painted the insides of his nostrils with the Black".  Next, I highlighted his claws using Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  I went back and added highlights to the exterior of his nostrils with Americana "Dove Grey", and also used this color to do a little further highlighting on his claws. I used some Americana "Snow White" to highlight his eyes.  The inside of his mouth was dry now, so I also used the "Snow White" to highlight his teeth.  Lastly, I painted the entire base with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
       I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Testor's "Dullcote".  When the "Dullcote" was dry, I went back and hit is eyes with a little Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

     I'm really happy with this big fellow.  For a simple figure I think he came out with a nice bit of character.

Giant Bats: Bones 4 Darkreach Figures

     This past week I painted my first figures from the new Bones 4 Kickstarter; the Giant Bats from the Darkreach Expansion.  They aren't the most exciting figures to start with, but they are some of the creatures from the Kickstarter that I've eagerly been waiting for to help complete my Bestiary for our Ghost Archipelago Campaign.  So I picked these, that I had a pressing need for, to start with.
      These figures are the new Bones Black material, and  I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added and then rinsing and drying.   I then glued the one on the tombstone to a 1" fender washer, and the other 2 to 7/8" black-primed fender washers, with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue each.

      I began by painting the all three figures entirely with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I gave the three bats a light drybrushing with Americana "Charcoal Grey", and then drybrushed them with Americana "Asphaltum", concentrating mainly on their bodies and the wing spines.

      I then carefully gave their bodies a light drybrushing with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown".   After that, I mixed a little Folk Art "Barn Wood", and Folk Art "Milkshake", and drybrushed their faces.  Next, I painted the insides of their ears with the "Milkshake", and then painted their mouths with Americana "Shading Flesh".   I then tried to paint their little fangs with Americana "Snow White", and their eyes with Ceramcoat "Bright Red".

      I decided I wanted a little more highlight on the bat bodies, so I gave them a final drybrush with some Americana "Light Cinnamon".  I then worked on the stones they're perched on; drybrushing them first with Americana "Neutral Grey", followed with a drybrush of Folk Art "Platinum Gray".   Lastly, I painted the all 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 Testors "Dullcote".

NOTE: Recently I had been using Winsor & Newton Professional "Matt Varnish", but I have found those Bones figures have since turned tacky; so stopped using it on Bones.

Just noticed I missed the wing on the lefthand one with the matte spray...

     I've always painted bats by painting them Black and then simply drybrushing then some sort  of Grey or Blue-Grey.  This time, I actually Googled "Vampire Bats", and was surprised to see how Brown they actually were, and their faces were mostly bare skin.  So, I thought I'd try something a little different this time, and go for a more brown-colored bat.    In the end, I'm happy with how they turned out, and I think they look a lot better than if I had had just dybrushed them Grey.

The Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter is Here!

  Well, I'm happy to announce that this past week my box from the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter arrived; 22.7 pounds of plastic goodness!  I've spent the last few days going through it all.

Official box inspectors check out the shipment to make sure it is satisfactory! :-D

In the end, this is what I had ordered:

1) Core Set
2) Dreadmere Expansion Set
3) Darkreach Expansion Set
4) Lost Valley Expansion Set
5) Fan Favorites Expansion Set
6) Dragon Turtle Add-On
7) Tree of Despair Add-On
8) Frost Giant Raiders Add-On
9) Mossbeard Add-On
10) Stygian Barge Add-On
11) Skeletal DragonAdd-On
12) Trolls Add-On
13) Extra Snakemen
14) Extra Ape Attack
15) Extra Ghost Pirates   

Upon opening. What magic awaits?!

   This Kickstarter ended up being produced in a a mix of regular Bones (which is now tinted grey-ish) and Reaper's new Bones Black material (which is a slightly darker grey).    These are the Bones Black sets and add-ons:

Sets:
Chronoscope Expansion
Lost Valley Expansion
Dreadmere Expansion
Darkreach Expansion
Fan Favorites Expansion

Add-On:
Trolls
Living Statues Amazons
Living Statues Spartans
Tree of Despair
Baba Yaga’s Hut
Lord of the Jungle
King Cobra
Frost Giant Raiders

All the packages spread out.

    Below is a sampling of a random mix of figures.

Frost Giant Raiders

Dragon Turtle.  It's huge!

Mossbeard.  Another huge model.

From the Lost Valley Expansion; the Tribal Hut and Warchief Mumlak.  The Hut I thought was smaller than expected, while the Warchief is about 50% taller than expected.  

The Stygian Barge Add-On is a monster of a model!   I look forward to working on this though I think I'm going to try and de-necro it to make it look more like just an old barge.

The Herbalist from the Dreadmere Expansion.  Bones have come a long way since the first Kickstarter, and the Bones Black material is amazing. Look a the detail; she has eyelids and brows!  (Plus two adorable wee hedgehogs assisting her...)

Amazing detail on the Dark Elf Queen from the Darkreach Expansion.  

Perhaps my favorite figure; the Pack Turtle from Dreadmere.

A comparison shot of the materials.  The First figure is Original Bones, the second is New Bones from Bones 4, and the third is Bones Black from Bones 4.

As I offered before, if there is any particular model you would like to see, let me know in the comments and I'll try to get it added it to this entry.

Reader Requests:

Dreadmere 413 & 420

Darkreach Deep Gnomes

Fan Favorites Isobael the Bard & Friend.

War Pugs!: Bones 3 Figure

     Well, my Bones 4 Kickstarter order was shipped this past week, but it isn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow; so in the meantime I painted the 3 War Pugs that originally came with the Bones 3 Dwarf King's Companions Optional Add-on Set.  I picked this trio up in an exchange.
    I prepped the figures in the usual way; soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added and then rinsing and drying.   I then glued them to 7/8" black-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of the Elmer's glue each.

     I began by painting two of the pugs with Americana "Bleached Sand", and the third with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I gave the two light colored pugs a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When the wash was dry, I drybrushed the light colored pugs with the "Bleached Sand", and then added highlights with Ceramcoat "White" mixed with a little of the "Bleached Sand".    I painted the third pug Ceramcoat "Black".

     Next, I did a light drybrush on their lower backs of the lighter colored two with a mix of Americana "Cinnamon", and Americana "Asphaltum."   I then painted their muzzles, ears, and eye sockets a mix of the "Black" and "Asphaltum".

     I then painted the inside of the open mouth with a mix of Americana "Shading Flesh" and Crafter's Acrylic "Tutti Frutti".  While it dried, I painted the eyes and noses "Black".    I then gave the open a mouth a wash with some of the "Agrax Earthshade".  While the wash dried, I added "White" highlight dots to the eyes, and Americana "Neutral Grey" highlights to the noses and around the mouths.  After that, I highlighted the tongue with Crafter's Acrylic "Cherry Blossom Pink". 
     It was now time to turn my attention to the black pug.  I drybrushed him with a little Americana "Zinc" and then added more specific highlights with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".
      Lastly, I painted the figures 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 all with Testor's Dullcote".

     I'm really happy with how these little fellas turned out.  Now I need to find an excuse to get them on the table.  :)

   So tomorrow I hope to be swimming in Bones 4 goodness!  I will try to get some unboxing photos up on the blog either this Thursday, or next Monday, time permitting.    Let me know if there's anything particular you would like pictures of; and if I ordered it, I will try to grab some shots.

Vulture Demon: Bones 2 Figure

     This past week I painted the Vulture Demon from the Bones 2 Lesser Demons set.  We're doing a scenario for Ghost Archipelago this month that requires a birdman kind of creature, and this seemed to fit the bill well enough.
       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 1.5" fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and then placed the figure in my painting grip.

      I googled some pictures of real vultures before I bean to give myself an idea of what an actual vulture looked like.   I then began by painting the body and base with Ceramcoat "Black.  When dry, I drybrushed it with Americana "Charcoal Grey", and then with Folk Art "Barn Wood".  I did the Barn Wood" drybrush a little  heavier on the bottom 2/3's of the wings to give those feathers a lighter appearance.  I then painted the head with Reaper MSP "Rosy Shadow", and then feathery collar with Crafter's Acrylic "Light Antique White".

     Next, I painted the front 3/4's of the head with the "Light Antique White", and then painted the tips of the beak and the neck crest feathers with the "Black".  After that, I painted the inside of the mouth with Americana"Shading Flesh", and the talons and claws, as well as the skulls on the base, with Americana "Antique White".

     After everything had a while to dry, I gave the head and feather collar; as well as the talons, claws, and skulls, a wash with Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.   When the wash was dry, I highlighted the skin with Reaper MSP "Rosy Skin", and the inside of the mouth with Apple Barrel "Apple Flesh".    I then drybrushed the neck crest feathers and the tips of the beak with Americana "Zinc".  Next, I drybrushed the collar feathers and highlighted the front of the face with Americana "Snow White", and then painted the eyes "Black" with "Snow White" dots.   I highlighted the talons, claws, and skulls with Americana 'Bleached Sand"; and also used this color to paint the teeth.  Lastly, I painted the entire base with "Americana "Mississippi Mud".
       I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave it a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the base.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed it with Winsor & Newton Professional "Matt Varnish".

     A rather simple figure, but I'm pleased with how it came out.   It looks suitably evil and should fill the roll of a birdman just fine.

     In other news, Reapers Bones 4 shipping to the US should start today (fingers crossed!).  I'm Wave 1, so hopefully will have my box shipped in the next day or two; so I should have some unboxing photos ready for next Monday!