20 Leagues Under My Belt - The Curse of Apshai

Back in the day I loved the various Apshai adventure games. Even though they never came back in any new form, the memory of Egyptian themed dungeon crawls has never left me.

The various Mummy movies with all their bugs, mummy minions and such were a good example of this and I so, I decided to do this new conversion off another Reaper Bones miniature.

This miniatures represents a tomb guardian who has been cursed by the insect god, Apshai...

My apologies for the blurry back shot. Holding a camera while holding the miniature in the light was a bit tricky. No matter how i shot this figure while it was sitting down, I couldn't capture it well. I also noticed a horrible mold line too late. But when the figure is on the table, it's hardly noticeable, so I didn't bother going back and correcting it.

Here is a list of what was done to the original figure...

1) Reshaped in green stuff the jaw to make it stretched and crooked, adding to the torment of the scarabs pouring forth. The tongue you see is the original jaw line.

2) In addition to the scarabs on the body, several are sculpted erupting from the flesh of this mummy.

3) The abdomen was re-sculpted to show undulating bulges, hinting that this creature is a husk full of scarab beetles. 

4) There are a few lumps added to the surface indicating scarabs moving under the skin.

Enjoy!

-Eli

20 Leagues Under My Belt - The Indomitable Thag

In the jungle, something stirred - first just a rumble, then a thunder. Suddenly, the trees seemed to burst from within sending foliage and splintered wood flying in a shower of organic shrapnel. Beasts cried out, whooping and howling their dismay as they fled in every direction and into the air. What burst from the trees left us stunned. 

Our terror seized us, holding us in an icy grip, even as we clutched our rifles much to the detriment of our porters. The towering, scaly colossus, allowed them no quarter, tossing them about with wide sweeps of the tree trunk it now wielded as a weapon. Their rag doll bodies sailed in great arcs as the heavy feet of the mammoth denizen of this deep, hidden land lay eyes on us and set us as its next victims...

Thag is a monstrosity that haunts the deep, fern-carpeted jungles of the primordial Hollow Earth. He preys on all who would follow upon his terror, wearing their bones and gorging on their flesh. He will represent another potential Terror in my Pulp Alley games set in the lost world of my Hollow Earth.

He began life as a Reaper Bones miniature, a Swamp Troll I believe. I had no need for such a miniature and as I was still in the sculpting mood after finishing the Devourer in the Dark, I was inspired by the plates on his back and a conversation with Alex Bates of Forge of Ice to convert him into a sort of humanoid stegosaurus. The name Thag was suggested by Alex, who informed me that the spiked tail of a stegosaurus was called a "thagomizer", a term I had not heard before. Thag it was.

The named fit my idea for the creature who I decided would hail back to the old Marvel Monsters. This collection of giant fiends were always depicted in bright colors with almost unapologetic, goofy monstrosity. Thag would be colored around an orange pallet. I added a touch of accent by giving him a blue tongue and mouth that was inspired  by a Skink lizard.

20 Leagues Under My Belt - Devourer In the Dark

"But Eli, this is just one creature!"

Yes, I realize that this is not a league in the classic sense, but in Pulp Alley there are special rules for what are called Terrors. Terrors are a single model that is powerful enough to take on one or more other leagues. A single terror will often fill the same space on a roster as an entire league. The rules for Terrors also state that the Terror itself is the only permanent member of the league it represents. They may summon creatures and allies, cultists and such if they have the resources to do so, but they are flying solo for the most part.

The Devourer in the Dark is my first Terror. A creature feared by many and not entirely of this world, it hunts sightless, capturing its prey with it tentacles and gulping them down in it wide, toothy maw. It can also squirt a noxious venom, incapacitating its prey. Knobby, scaly hide protects it from harm and its grasping claws allow it to climb the most sheer of surfaces. Most disgusting of all are the undulating, taught blisters that protrude from its back. Some say this is where it traps the souls of its victims, keeping their torment within itself for eternity.

The Devourer in the Dark (Part One)

THE BUILD

I have been wanting something big, nasty, and Lovcraftian in my collection. Unfortunately, much of what I really like is either beyond my current budget or, in many cases, not released yet (Kickstarters). So, I have enlisted my own sculpting/converting skills to bring something to the collection.

Take one cheap, plastic frog, apply green stuff..and...

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I blocked out the details in a quick-curing, horrid smelling putty. It only takes about 5 minutes or so to set, smells like burning hair, but allows me to set the basic forms so I can get on to the fun stuff. You also see some of the early details here, including the fleshy mass in the mouth that I later decided to get rid of.

Here you see the basic form and shape put together. I really should have put the tongue/tentacles and teeth in later, but I have a habit of growing inpatient on conversions and put it all together. This will come back to haunt me when it comes time to paint.

The next step was to blend the putty work into the original frog toy. I applied thin layers of putty over the green putty, except in areas where I wanted the smooth texture to remain. The primary tool for this process was a .05mm mechanical pencil tip with the lead pulled out. This makes a nice, find pock marking. In some areas I used the hollow end of a plastic stir stick (the red kind) for slightly large pocks. Where the patches came together, I pushed them into one another with the tip of my sculpting tool to hide the edges. There were also a few details I enhanced at this time, such as evening out the sensory lobes (top of the head) and the venom sacks (cheeks).

Once all the details had hardened and I was satisfied with the blending, I shot the whole thing in a even spray of black and a spritzing of grey. I find that this always makes a conversion or scratchbuild look better as it unifies the various details. The grey will serves as my basic pallet for what I want as a gaunt, sickly color scheme fitting a Lovecraftian terror.

The next step is to get painting, which I should be able to accomplish over the next couple of days.

-Eli

20 Leagues Under My Belt - Zakaar and The Moonstone Guardians

Hailing from mist-shrouded jungle in some hidden land beneath the Earth, comes the orphaned Atlantean boy Zakaar, his adopted mother Nabba "The Ghost Killer", the Trog Brothers - Roku and Doba, and M'wapi - the undying vengeful warrior prince of the Gtungi Worms.

This league was created from spare figures floating around my collection when I first picked up Pulp Alley. I really like the chemistry of this band of outcasts. They really feel like something out of an old pulp comic series. Zakaar is a miniature from Alternative Armies. Nabba is a Primaeval Designs saber-toothed cat. The Trog Brothers are converted Black Tree Viking Berserkers. M'wapi is a converted Games Workshop metal skink.

Zakaar is the leader. The orphaned son of one of the last remaining populations of Atlanteans in the Hollow Earth, he was found by the spectral sabertooth, Nabba - known to those in the jungle as The Ghost Killer. Zakaar wields great power drawn from the energies of the Moonstone, a relic of ancient Atlantis and a piece of the great crystal that once powered the island city-state (which he has unceremoniously turned into a club). Nabba is no mere albino, her fur casting an eerie glow, like moonlight and her eyes radiating the same blue energies as Zakaar's and the Moonstone.

Roku and Doba are "evolved" trogs, meaning they are roughly the equivalent of Neanderthals. Their advanced intellects drew the mistrust of their more bestial kin who drove them into exile where they were rescued, by Zakaar, from the jaws of Tokor the Terrible, a vicious, scarred, tyrannosaurus colored black as night. Ever since, they have joined The Boy Atlantean in his endeavors to defend the folk of the Hollow Earth.

When Kro-ak the Swamp God enslaved the Gtungi Worms and bent them to his evil will, M'wapi and the other tribal leaders and heroes fought valiantly to try to defend their people. Alas, they were no match for the evil of the bloodthirsty frog demon and all fell before him. M'wapi's fallen body was secreted away by what remained of his clan and buried in a hidden tomb like the warrior prince he was, but his rest would not be long.

In his adventures, Zakaar happened upon the tomb of the fallen Gtungi prince, the energies of the Moonstone stirring something in the angry dead warrior. M'wapi woke in a frenzy, thinking his tomb desecrated and a battle between he and Zakaar ensued. If not for the silent whispering of the Moonstone and the clarity it granted to M'wapi, their tale might have ended there. Instead, M'wapi found common ground with the Moonstone Guardians and joined the band. Still, his unliving nature distances him from his more vitalized companions and all will admit that there is something "off" about the G'tungi warrior.

Conversion Fun

A quick post today to show off what can be accomplished with simple conversions of existing figures. In this case, I'll use examples of my own sculpts that are available through the SHM line at 15mm.co.uk. Each of these miniatures was sculpted by me, then cast in metal and then subsequently converted and recast, creating new figures, sometimes with very substantial differences.

Vergans

The Vergans are a plant-based species I created as a one-off and then later as a set of conversions representing a space-faring crew of Vergans utilizing acquired, non-native equipment. This helps them blend into existing space gaming settings.

Original Vergan Sculpt

The Vergan Free Traders were some of the more substantial conversions I have done. while the basic figure remained the same, I added gear, packs and even weapons and instruments to the figures. After adding the additional equipment was added, I then added tentacles to handle them. Curiously, the nature of theb ase sculpt allowed me to make slight changes in the orientation in the "poses" without actually having to change the head or body position. The multiple eyes on the head meant that I just needed t chance what direction the equipment pointed and hung change the direction the figure was posed toward.

Vergan Free Traders

Burgansians

The Burgansians were an attempt to incorporate a piece of substantial tech into the sculpt. In the case of these aliens, this took the form a floating chair. This allowed me to work with seated poses and in the initial sculpt, this was a rather relaxed, confident pose. I saw him as a sort of fixer or contact.

Original Sculpt

In the subsequent sculpt (and an upcoming one as well), I modified the pose, altered the face and even added to the hover chair. I also added a secondary character to the sculpt that could be anything from a pet, or perhaps even a juvenile Burgansian. A little added costuming, also changes the nature of this figure and he could easily pass for some sort of noble, ambassador, or maybe just another fixer.

    

Burgansian Conversion

Calamite to Varlish

The third example presented here is a case of a conversion from one species to an entirely new species. the original Calamite was a distinctly aquatic looking species dressed in a simple robe with a few charms and trinkets.

Calamite Preacher

The Varlish was converted directly over the top of the Calamite sculpt. This meant a bit of bulking up but, like a good tattoo cover-up, I used the original lines of the Calamite to guide where I added to the putty and the final shape of the Varlish took form. Much of the change occurred around the face where I retained the conical shape of the Calamite head, but broadened it into a menacing set of eyes and an odd, overbite mouth. The arms were extended a bit to conceal the original alien arms which were changed into sleeves to accommodate new hands. I then added more finery to the chest to show the change in "occupation" from preacher to envoy.

Varlish Envoy

I love doing these sorts of conversions and I used to do them just for personal use, but this way others get to share in my madness.

Take care,

-Eli

One Pose - Many Characters

One of the neat perks of submitting miniatures to 15mm.co.uk's SHM miniatures line is getting multiple casts of the figures you have created. This has left me with quite a few extras of the aliens I sculpted for them and given me a great opportunity to convert some these extras into new and interesting characters suitable for use in games like Blasters & Bulkheads.

To get on a soap box for a moment, there has often been criticism of miniatures ranges for not providing enough options for miniatures gamers. This is true in some cases and complete bunk in others. Regardless of how many poses a particular line offers, I think these following pictures will demonstrate how the same basic figure can be used to create a range of interesting and useful characters.

In the above pictures you will see several characters built off of the basic Vergan (far left) sculpt I did for 15mm.co.uk. This tentacled fellow seems an unlikely miniatures for a range of characters which is exactly why I decided to work with him first. To the right of the basic alien are. from left to right, The Commander, heavy weapon, trooper, laborer, and musician. None of these of these required more than basic putty pushing skills and a little time.

The weapon-armed Vergans presented the most extensive conversions, but that is because I also made their guns. Basic weapon forms were affixed to the miniatures and then given added detail and limb extensions to make it all come together. Ammo packs, straps and equipment harnesses were added using a number of simple shapes and basic pouch-making techniques. The Commander was done with similar techniques to achieve his extensive utility harness. The laborer, had the drum pinned to his chest with basic drilling and pinning techniques and then his tentacles extended so they looked to be lifting/holding the cargo. The musician was achieved by a basic putty shape that was allowed to harden before details were added.

The Horansi aliens are another one that really captures my imagination. With their long arms they offer a number of opportunities for limb rearrangements though all of the merchant satchels, backs, packs and pouches on the original figure did pose a challenge for prospective conversions. The three figures above show three levels of putty work.

The alien on the far left above, was converted from simple merchant, festooned with baggage to a more technical looking character by covering over his cluttered mess with more orderly looking tool packs and a backpack (unseen). The above middle alien is a companion to the Vergan musician and was given a curious alien cross between a tuba, oboe and bagpipe. Arm adjustments and more advanced putty work, including a wire structure for the instrument were used for the musician. The Horansi to the right above is a rather extensive conversion featuring the addition of a young Horansi at its feet, a new hand, a cloak/shawl, and a staff. And interesting note about all the above aliens is that I have done nothing to change the posture of their main bodies but they all seem to be standing in different ways. This was accomplished more by how they were mounted on the base and the clever propping this way or that by the putty under their feet.

Another simple technique, besides the application of putty techniques is to set your figures up in little vignettes that paint them in a different light. The top Horansi is stock from the mold and placed amid a collection of precast Peter Pig weapons/supply cache pieces from their Vietnam range. The lower alien, besides his new hat and cape (he's a styling merchant) has only had a simple limb adjustment and has been placed amid more of the same sort of cache bits, in this case munitions and weapons crates. Placed in a spaceport or market scene, they would add a touch of character to any game.

And remember, the force will be with you...always.

-Eli



Simple Scifi Conversions

Head swaps and weapons mods have been the bog standard way of making the old into the new since as long as I've been into miniatures. This also applies to putty work in a lot of cases.

The figures below began life as some of Eureka miniatures' excellent Science Fiction World War 2 Germans. I cut their heads off and replaced them with round blobs of putty. Once this cured I applied some green stuff and pushed into into a sort of goggle-eyed, fishy face. The effect of a lip was purely accidental and really is just the end result of pushing the putty down over the substructure, but it worked.

The only other thing I did was cut the obvious magazines off of the guns which gave them more of scifi look.

I think the overall effect is pretty nice.

Thanks for reading,

-Eli



Conversions of Mine Painted by Another

A little while back, I auctioned off some of my old converted Warzone Cybertronic figures. The guy who bought them was cool enough to contact me on TMP and let me know that he liked the conversions and decided to keep them that way and had started to finish the project that I started. This was most gratifying.

He was even kind enough to a link to some pictures of some of the first ones completed.





Pretty cool, huh!?

-Eli

Reinforcements Arrived

The miniatures hobby is not dead at ISLP. In fact I continue to support ongoing projects as well as new ones. Among some of the more recent arrivals are the above three boxes of AT-43 TacArms that will be joining forces with my other TacArms miniatures after being converted to 15mm combat walkers. You may recall these walkers from a post done ages ago  where I talked about these conversions, but I've included a quick reference pic just the same.

I have also received several plastic Wargames Factory Saxons which I am converting for use as Vikings. These are receiving some green stuff hair and beard enhancements to make them look a little more Scandinavian and less Anglo-Saxon. I would have ordered actual Viking figs, but they were horribly back-ordered. To help with their conversion, I also picked up a lot of 40 round shields on EBay.

Fun stuff to work on.

-Eli

15mm K'hiff Cavalry

One of my favorite alien races in miniature are Denizens old 25mm K'hiff figures. If you are not familiar they are a canid race that looked like robed greyhounds and who were armed with advanced weaponry. They fill the same niche as the Aslan and Vargr of Traveller and other such humanoid animals aliens, but being spindly and long-snouted they worked stood out. Unfortunately they never made the jump to 15mm.

I had some 15mm Minifigs Arabs of some sort laying about. Like most Minifigs miniatures they are solid, simple casting, but are older and all in the same pose. These figures were advancing with sword raised and rifle at their side. Not much use to me, but I figured I might be able to morph them into some passable K'hiff.

The first ones that I did are four conversions based on the soft plastic, prepainted models of the Destrachan from the Dungeons & Dragons collectible miniatures game. For the beasts themselves I made them more menacing by cutting the floppy ears off of them, and sculpting on eyes and wicked beaks. To these I added some horn/spikes at the shoulder.

 

The rider were a bit more work. I cut a few of the Arab miniatures off at the legs and set to doing some extensive putty work sculpting saddles, saddle gear, new arms, lower bodies, legs, and even weapons on the two with the heavy rifles. The canine faces ended up a bit less like the original K'hiff but they work well enough and I've got them down pretty much after doing a dozen or so.

These figures were kept decidedly neutral as far as tech level as I hope to be able to use them in VSF, post-apocalyptic and sci-fi games. I think they turned out pretty well, though the finish on the putty isn't the best in some places. It shows up worse on camera than the actual figure but I may go back and try to smooth out or fill some of the more outstanding bit.

 Enjoy!

-Eli