All kinds of stuff~

*inhales*

First off I would like to get into what I am currently working on. That being my Colette crew for Malifaux. The general idea I have for the crew is to maintain a color palette and not to sway off of it at all. This meaning I will not use any other really vibrant colors, unless for little specks or personal sections on the model, i.e. hair color, etc… I have an idea of what I want to do with the two Coryphée models I have waiting. I will definitely maintain my color palette and attempt to create not only a color, but also a dark/light contrast within each model and amongst both models when put together. I think I can pull off what I have in mind, we will see once I get to painting them. Up next would be the mechanical doves for this crew. The two big and swirly ones are going to be fun and really easy to paint. I have one major issue with the smaller bird. Originally I slapped it on a pile of mechanical scrap and rubbish, in the attempt to make it appear as if it was part of the scrap, just waiting there to be animated. When looking at the model, though, it just doesn’t feel right. I cannot place it. I did try to come up with other ideas, including a bird-cage, which I would still attempt, if I had the skills to properly bend thin metallic rods… Another issue model is going to be the second mannequin. She is just blank in my mind, at the moment. No clue where to begin with that. I will have to think of a way to get those two models worked into the crew properly.

After working on so many models in the Colette crew in succession, I decided to take a small break from the project and try out something new for my Infinity troop. I really enjoy the color scheme I originally came up with. It has all of the cool colors I like and works well, in my opinion. There was, however, always something that bothered me about it. I just could never place my finger on it. Then eventually, it hit me. The thing that was bothering me was the lack of one specific color. Red. These futuristic soldiers are just as nation proud as the current Nipponese, as such. My model did not represent this in any way. No marking or symbol, let alone any variation of the color where void of the model and this, in my opinion took away some of the model’s flare. Since I had an extra Keisetsu model from a blister I got, I figured I would just try out a new color scheme. One that would befit the national pride and also my personal likes in colors for minis. Here’s what I came up with (sorry for super blurry images):

I decided to go for red pants first. It was something I liked but also didn’t really like on my original color scheme. The pants, though looking cool, still lacked any detail. Black is just not an easy color to handle. Red is much easier though. I wanted to have a black or white stripe run along the pants, but I am not so sure I really want to ruin the flow of this model’s M.C. Hammer pants. They look good the way they are, if you ask me. Oddly, this guy’s face strongly reminds me of Shang Tsung from the first Mortal Kombat movie. He’s got that glare just like him.
Next up I will be working on the ‘lower’ parts of his clothing. Blacks and greys will be added to offer some nice and dark contrast to the bright red. After that I will be adding in whites and oranges as well. Not 100% sure where, but I will surely figure something out. This is really just a work in progress and I am trying to figure out where I want to be heading with the model. I do know I will be using some NMM silver on the rifle. Something I really want to practice as well.

Here’s the back side of the model. As you can see, it is fudging blurry. This is driving me insane. I really need to pull my ass out of my head and get myself a decent light box for taking photos of my minis. As Dustin said to me on the Wyrd forums:

‘Loving these man (as I do all of your stuff) but please oh please build a cheap light box.

Gallon milk jug, some scissors, 2 minutes and done.’

Apparently it is really bad. It actually is. Taking these photos is driving me nuts, in a way. Especially I noticed this when I was trying to take photos of this Keisotsu. The issue was that my lamp was blending out the red, thus making it lose its contrast and detail. This is especially maddening, as it looks really kick ass in real life, just on photo, even in the blurry versions, it isn’t as noticeable as it should be. Making a light box will definitely be up on my agenda for my next month’s expenses and projects. It is something that needs to be done as soon as possible.

Another part of this über post will be me blabbering about how freaking awesome some game soundtracks are. I am a major fan of the Silent Hill series, partially because of the great music. Yesterday I picked up the tunes of another game series I really enjoy a lot: Dead Space. I was listening to the soundtracks from all three games all day yesterday and just love most of what came out of the digital MP3s I was only able to purchase as apparently there aren’t any hard copies of the CD available for sale (/minirant). Damn good stuff. Really. The first two CDs are amazing. Literally everything on there helps create an atmosphere and a tension that makes me want to pick up the games and go at them all over again. The third CD, from Dead Space 3, was kind of iffy. It has partially a different composer and doesn’t feel as right as the other two do. It is still pretty good, just nowhere near as great as the two other albums.

On a final note, I got this in the mail today. Makes me so giddy!