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Who you gonna call? Zatu Bloggers! That’s how it goes right? Well it does around here. Welcome back to Miniatures of the Month, and this month should prove to be a spooky delight. The bloggers have got together to show off a few spooky models they’ve been working on for the Halloween season. It’s often hard to paint ‘scary’ paint schemes, horror is a subtle thing and if you go too hard on the colours you can ruin the effect. But we have some amazingly talented people here at Zatu, so let’s see how our bloggers did…
Horror Selection by Neil Parker
This month, to recognise Halloween, I decided to paint a newly purchased pack of flesh golems from the Nolzurs range for fantasy roleplaying. I then added some other previously painted miniatures to create a horror selection. In addition to two ghouls, I added a lich and mummy lord from another Nolzurs pack.
The paints I used were mostly from Citadel, namely, Kislev flesh, Eldar flesh and Reikland flesh shade. For the flesh golems, I started with a plan to create two distinct figures each depicting varied skin colours to portray these constructs as having been built using random body parts and whatever was available. I like this, it gives them a bit of character and adds to the monstrous impression.
So, I started with light shades then added a darker shade to different body parts. Then I added the inkwash to add details and darken patches, then added some highlights especially to the lighter flesh areas.
With respect to the other figures, the ghouls were straightforward, adding layers of lighter flesh colours, then inkwash as with the golems, then I added a shade of grey with hints of blue to give a rotten look.
The mummy lord was painted in similar fashion giving the impression of old, decaying bandages, but there were details I could pick out representing jewellery and bejewelled items. The mummy lord looks a little thin and small compared to other mummies I have, but then it’s got this distinctive look and gaseous cloud behind it depicting its ability to materialise from the air.
Finally, the lich is something I painted some time ago with the mummy lord and it looks menacing enough, despite not enough detail in some areas. For painting a choose a simple, but regal purple and using Citadel’s Druchii violet shade on top.
Undead and constructs make great monsters, so It’s nice to have a growing collection.
Crashed Sentinel (Marvel Crisis Protocol) by Sam de Smith
This month I've been painting the Crashed Sentinel terrain kit from Atomic Mass for Marvel Crisis Protocol, in an attempt to be ready for the new core box. The kit comes with a ruined building (S4), Sign (S3), Car (S2) with choice of beam or Sentinel arm - I went with the beam, so I can use it on other game boards comfortably, and added the arm to the base of the sign - and a Sentinel head (S1). It's a really good set of scatter for a reasonable price - you can also easily leave the beam and arm off and keep them aside as extra S1 pieces.
Painting was primed bone, as I wanted all the colours to really pop in a 4-Color Comic way. The Sentinel parts are done using Vallejo Game Color Warlord Purple, which is a lovely paint but needs several layers to get a good depth of colour, then VJ Squid Pink for highlights. The armour is VJGC Turquoise, applied and then wiped off with a quick thumb dragged across the raised edges - a quick and easy weathered armour solution. Eyes and chest were hit with a dab of yellow ink, nothing more.
Concrete was washed GW seraphim sepia, then VJGC Wolf Grey, whilst the was rubble hit with Nuln oil then drybrushed Vallejo Deck Tan (any gaps filled first with GW Technical Astrogranite); exposed metalwork was painted Army Painter Speed Paint Dark Wood and drybrushed VJ Neutral Gray (a neat trick for metal, and you could easily add a hit of flame orange for some rust - I also did the cabling on the sentinel this way). Yellows were simply Averland Sunset, sepia wash and a Deck Tan Highlight, whilst the reds were VJ Heavy Dark red with a bit of Flat Flesh for highlight (always a good bet, avoids pinkness). Windows on the building were Ultramarine with a pure white simply wet blended in a squiggle across them. Broken glass on the car just Nightshade over the primer, drybrushed Wolf Grey - on the building, it's over Ultramarine instead, but the principle is the same.
Of course, the big thing with this was the graffiti. I love to add tags to my buildings for extra realism (because superheroes are SO realistic, after all...), but I am RUBBISH at drawing, so here's a few tips. On the sign, the tags are freehand. A stylised version of my handle often appears as a tag, just done in the thin black - I use brushed VJ Model Air Black. Similarly, Miles's Spider tag is done in Model Air Scarlet, which I allow to naturally run for a realistic drip.
The other tags are printed! There's a huge array of graffiti out there, so I colour print and then paint over to colour match (though I will often exaggerate colours further). I use PVA to stick them on, and I would suggest layering two or three over one another for realism - these things are competitively cluttered, usually. It's a good idea to paint the edges to hide the thickness, and black lining is an easy way to achieve this. It's good manners to leave the original artist's tag visible if you can, as well! So, why not give it a try on your own?
Nagash (Age Of Sigmar) by Stu West
Given that it is spooky season it is only fitting that I choose Nagash as my model of the month. Warhammer Age of Sigmar’s self-made god of Death is one of the largest models in my collection but he was lots of fun to put together and paint. As you can see, I don’t mind stripping away what I think are unnecessary or fiddly embellishments or features when assembling a miniature (these are great to keep in a bits box and can really help with later conversions). I travel to a lot of tournaments so Nagash had to be able to pack up small and be portable or he wouldn’t be useful outside my house.
For this build I magnetised an acrylic rod at both ends and I set magnets under Nagash’s cloak and within the base. I used a leftover piece of Warcry terrain to give stability to the rod and to emphasise the scale of the model as he seemingly soars above it. There’s a satisfying ‘snap’ when I move the rod into place and Nagash really looks the part on the battlefield wherever I choose to take him. In removing the swirling ghosts and spellbooks, plus the book from his hand, I wanted it to make my Nagash look more manoeuvrable and combat-ready. He’s no slouch in a fight after all!
I intentionally used the same limited palette of colours and shades as my ‘Arkhan the Black’ model and his associated Null Myriad Bonereaper army. Furthermore, I chose the generic basing scheme that I have used throughout all of my Death Armies over the past ten years. When you have an extensive collection, or if you think it is likely that you will be adding to a force over time, my advice is to keep everything as simple and replicable as possible. Death armies feature a lot of models and it is especially important to keep things simple with any horde army or it’s easy to lose interest or be overwhelmed with what’s sitting on your painting table.
Aboleth (D&D) by Melissa King
Our D&D adventuring party are currently battling through the labyrinth of puzzles, riddles and creatures that is Mishra’s Tower (part of a home-brew campaign, DM’d by my partner). Between us, we take it in turns to paint and base miniatures for his sessions, and this time it was my turn to bring this dungeon’s monster to life - the Aboleth. Aboleth are lawful evil aberrations, who resemble bizarre eels, with mouths of serrated, jawless teeth. They depend on a slimy mucus which covers their body to be able to survive, even in the water they inhabit.
Knowing that this creature would be found within a deep pool of dark, navy-black water, I wanted to create an Aboleth that was built up of hues of blue and aquamarine, dulled down with a wash. I also wanted to focus on deep, pupil-less eyes, but I wanted to make them draw the attention of the table.
I started with filing the mold lines and filling any gaps with a modelling paste, before priming the model with Citadel Chaos Black primer, followed with a zenithal highlight of The Army Painter Uniform Grey. I then chose the main colour palette for the body of the model, which I would mix in different quantities to build up the different tonal layers. The colours I chose were:
- Citadel Kantor Blue
- Citadel Thousand Sons Blue
- Citadel Baharroth Blue
- Citadel Eshin Grey
- Citadel Dawnstone
- Vallejo White
- Vallejo Matt Black
As I wanted the overall skin of the Aboleth to read blue, but muted, I mixed very little white in with my blues to lighten them. Instead, I would mix them with either the Eshin Grey or Dawnstone, depending on the shade I wanted.
From all our time watching Miniac and Ninjon on Youtube, I alway follow their pattern of applying thin layers and building them up gradually, over multiple coats. I started off with covering the whole model with two thin layers of the Kantor Blue. For the Aboleth’s underbelly, I then mixed one part Eshin Grey to three parts Kantor Blue, to mute the blue tones.
For the main Aboleth body, I built up from the Kantor Blue base, by applying thin layers of Kantor Blue mixed with Thousand Sons Blue. I then moved to Thousand Sons Blue mixed Dawnstone, followed by highlights of Thousand Sons Blue mixed with Baharroth Blue. I then dulled the model with a gentle wash of Citadel Nuln Oil (a house favourite !). The highest areas on the model (my imagined light source was from above the model, from the right) were then re-highlighted with the Thousand Sons Blue mixed with Baharroth Blue, adding more of the Baharroth blue until I was happy with the level of highlights.
The Aboleth’s mouth was painted with Citadel Screamer Pink, with Citadel Ushabti Bone for its multiple rows of teeth. To make the teeth look bloodied, I added small flecks of Citadel Blood For The Blood God technical paint.
His dark, pupil-less, unfeeling eyes - Vallejo Matt Black.
For his base, I mixed Vallejo Water Texture with a dark blue ink and a small amount of Thousand Sons Blue. I then applied the mixture by pressing the mix onto the base and lifting my brush upwards quickly, to lift the water texture into points. I then brushed the support with some of the leftover mix.
Finally, I touched his eyes with a small amount of the Water Texture paste without any ink, allowing it to dry clear and shiny. And there you have it! My beautiful Aboleth was table ready! Although his uniform body was often difficult to paint, I enjoyed the challenge of trying to create texture and life on an otherwise smooth and uniform model.
Cleric Beast (Bloodborne: The Board Game) by Callum Price
Man oh man am I a sucker for something gorgeously gruesome. Lovingly loathsome… horribly… handsome? I love the fine details on a truly grim model and the level of quality associated with it. It’s not just about it looking good, it’s got to incentivise fear and make me really worried about taking on these beasties. For my choice of the month, and in the spirit of Halloween, I’ve gone with Bloodborne The Board Game’s Cleric Beast.
This model is based wholeheartedly on the PlayStation game’s original concept and beautifully reflects both the original’s theme and vibe. The model lends itself excellently to both the amateur and experienced painter, too. Be it just shadows and highlights or a whole deep paint job covering every strand of fur.
There is the limitation of creativity when personalising this beast, of course. Those true to the franchise will find it hard to avoid the set palette, however the caveat there is that there’s no risk of error or a poor choice of colour.
Overall, this beauty is one of the main reasons I love the table presence of this beauty. It oozes theme and sits as a piece of revolting art in board game form. Painted or not, it’s gorgeous, grizzly and great on the table!