Tuesday 30 June 2015

Space slanns are back !


Zaba Krobosh, emissary for the intergalactic Slann committee.

So here we are, I got my set of Colony 87 models on Sunday night and couldn't help but rip the package open to see them in the lead !
Boy I can tell I wasn't disapointed ! Sculpted by Michael Anderson from sketches by Will Beck and under the most excellent supervision of Jon Boyce/Axiom, these models have been released via a massively successful Kickstarter that will grace us with another wave !

When I opened the package, not only did I find a little gift inside in the form of a badge but I also found 6 perfectly well sculpted and cast models.


I prepared the models and based them the morning following and tried to decide which one I was going to paint first...
I thought I'd settle for the 2 nobles to keep in the same mood as my Helmawr gangers but then I decided to opt for a stand alone model and who else than the space frog man to make a start with? He's a frogman which in itself is enough to light a burning desire in any oldschool fan's heart but I'm french and he kinda looked... well to my taste !


Painting wise I nearly considered painting the skin green but quickly let that idea aside to settle for something a bit more eye-catching. I decided an orange skin would look cool and just as I was trying to figure out which colour to paint the clothing, I remembered Axiom's Blood Bowl slanns were orange and blue so it made sense to give a little nod to those (oh and as a man of taste he knew these 2 colours work wonders together...).


I have to say the model almost painted itself and though I tend to use that expression for many sculptors like Bob Olley or Jes Goodwin, this was absolutely true from start to end. As a matter of fact I found the level and quantity of details to be heavily reminiscent of Jes Goodwin but with a whole different take. The quality of the casting was also very pleasant (thanks to a great caster and brand new moulds, the benefit of small releases.


If I'm not mistaken this example might very well be the first painted ever (not that there's such glory to have from that) and as expected Whiskey "speed devil" Priest did manage to paint the very first Colony 87 model ever in no time !

Camilla Weis is investigating on suspicious activities in semi-secret football leagues but her contact doesn't seem to be able (or willing) to tell her anything.

"Zaba Krobosh is an emissary for the intergalactic Slann committee and his missions often lead him in contact to alien diplomats of all sorts from humans to eldars, squats, pisceans or even orks at times.
Operating far away from his motherland doesn't seem to affect Zaba much, not much can affect him as a matter of fact. like all those of his kind, Zaba is always prone to cold blooded responses and he never lost his nerves in any situation so far. His connections on underground extreme football games (he is rumoured to own a team of feral slanns) have helped him gain enough funds to keep the means to maintain his influence in the political spheres."


I know this model sort of jumped right to the top of the paintqueue and I will soon get back to my normal program but I hope you'll agree the model demanded some attention ! On top of that, nailing a model in less than a day was a major motivation blast and who can spare those really ?

37 comments:

  1. These are very cool, especially the chicken with the gun. Where is that model from? Cheers, Karl

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    1. Well thanks a lot ! The chicken is a Bob Olley sculpt made by Interloper miniatures but their site seems down for now. You can se a bit more about hims here :
      http://leadplague.blogspot.fr/2014/06/the-space-rooster.html

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  2. Excellent stuff. these mini really seem to come to life with a paint job. Really like the 'water carrier'.

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    1. They do, I have to say this was one of those models that are just a treat to paint (that makes up for all the ones that feel like a chore). I'm really looking forward to painting the others even though some are earmarked for later projects...

      thanks a lot !

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  3. I can't tell you how delighted I am to see Mr Krobosh painted so beautifully JB! My favourite element is the subtle dappling on his throat. All you need now is a group of braves for his bodyguard :)

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    1. Thanks a lot Jon ! The details on the throat are all here on the sculpt as they are on the lips. The clean and neat details really help the painter here which is a pure delight really.
      Congrats again for gracing us with such an awesome projects (and here's to many others of the sort).

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  4. I must say I loved the ones you havent painted yet!
    But.. You paint like a god, soo I am impressed even by the frog-man wich do look like an old Slann..

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    1. I don't really... I just take photos form far away ^^'.
      I'm really eager to get to the nobles specially and the astropriest as well. I like the other 2 but they're planned for a later bigger project so I'm trying to resist the urge here.
      Thanks for your kind comments !

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    2. The Nobles and the Astropriest look like they could be used in a RPG called Fading Stars. They looks like a blend of Dune and Warhammer 40K.

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    3. Sorry, Fading Suns, got the wrong name!

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    4. I'll have to check that but I do get the dune vive as well which is why those will fit just right amongst the other Rogue trader references.

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  5. Excellent job JB! He is the bees-knees! Only painted mine quick so i wasn't shamed by your gorgeous paint jobs.

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    1. Well that still leaves 4 first places to get ;)

      Cheers Colin.

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  6. Great work! The orange skin is a nice touch and you did a fine job on the pink ;-)

    I'm anxiously waiting for mine to arrive.

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    1. Coming from such a pink lover as yourself, that means a lot ;)
      I hope you get them ASAP, they really are splendid and as I know you loveJes Goodwin's models, you shouldn't be disappointed by those whose style is different but quality s on the same level.

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  7. An excellent paint job on an excellent model :) well done once again Mr Assless, your colour choices are impeccable and your back story is humerous, one could not insist on more without appearing most ungrateful however you also deliver another round of Space Chicken, and I never say no to more chicken... :D

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    1. Meeec, you're gonna make me blush !
      It's all Jon's fault for releasing great models and making me steal his own colour scheme ^^'

      Ummm, chicken.... frogs.... yummy yummy

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  8. Great job. I particularly like the color contrast between the helmet (hat?) and his skin.

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    1. His space Kippa is turquoise and gold like most of the rest of its outfit and in all hinesty I only used Axiom's scheme as a hommage and because it's made out of complementary colours ;)

      Thanks a lot

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  9. Great work! I'm enjoying seeing what others do with these as I wait for mine to arrive.

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    1. Thanks a lot, I have to say I cannot wait to see what others do with them myself, there's nothing like seeing other takes on a same model, like variations on a theme in Music.

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  10. Excellent!

    Warburton

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  11. He turned out damn fine JB!!!

    I love the squinting eye :)

    Could I bug you for a quick tutorial for the skin & the cloak? Coz their just that good!!!

    Well done Mon'Ami :)

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    1. The squinting eye is actually just a plain bionic eye but the weird angle makes it looks otherwise I realise ! ^^'

      Recipe for the flesh is quite simple :

      - PA cadmium red base
      - GW crimson red wash
      - Highlights with cadmium red
      - Highlights with 50/50 cadmium red and GW fire dragon orange
      - Highlights fire dragon orange
      - very fine highlights on the tips with a mix of fire dragon and ushabti bone

      The cloak is not very good looking tbh but the recipe is :
      - PA stone grey base (I use that instead of the old Deneb stone fondation paint)
      - GW sepia wash
      - HIghlights with stone grey
      - Highlights with 50/50 stone grey and white
      - Highlights with 25/75 stone grey and white

      I dilute my paints a lot until I have the consistency of milk (using a wet palette helps) and I do many layers in order to blend them naturally enough.

      Hope it helps my friend ;)

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    2. Thanks JB, much appreciated :)

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  12. This is a particularly good example of your work I reckon JB, the blending is excellent. What blending approach did you use?
    The colour choices are just great too.

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    1. Well thanks a lot , regarding the technique, it's all described in the comment above ;) I take a lot of time because I like to work with very diluted paint layers over saturated bases. I could make my life easier and my work far less bright if i decided at last to work from a white undercoat, building the colours with the glazes I use anyway. I'll come to that point some day, for now it's the way I enjoy painting though I fully taste the limits of it ^^ (in terms of time/result efficiency).

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  13. Wicked cool JB, first I've seen of Colony 87 and they be some sweet minis.

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    1. Well I sure hope they're the first of a long series !

      Thanks ;)

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  14. Ooooo, so beautiful!! Marvellous work there, JB!!
    I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, but this looks highly inspirational!!

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    1. Cheers mate !
      I'm really looking forward to seeing your take on these, I think they'll inspire people as much as I was inspired.

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  15. That is cool =)

    I love the colour of Camilla's robes, awesome.

    Ace

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    1. Cheers !
      The colour for the robe and rest was a commission from my daughter (4 years old then) with the black armour the only part I managed to negociate to my taste...
      Would I have listened to her all the way, I'm pretty sure I would have ended with an inquisitor singing "let it go"... (some will understand the issue here)

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  16. Lovely work and agree on the dappling of the throat :)

    I take it this was a one time offer only? (Here's to the second wave)

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    1. Thanks a lot !
      As far as I know it was yes but I wouldn't want to speak for the creator, all I can say is that I'm looking forward to the next batch given the ideas discussed on the campaign site.

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    2. Thanks for answering that, look forward to this new set indeed. :)

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