13 replies to this topic

[zoroaster100]

I started painting miniatures 3 weeks ago after getting excited about the Kickstarter. I did the Reaper Learn to Paint Kits 1 through 3, and after practiced on four other old unpainted metal miniatures I had lying around in a forgotten box for 15+ years. But while waiting for the Bones figures from the Kickstarter, the thing I was actually most excited to try out was ordering some unpainted dungeon dressing/furnishings etc. I love using Dwarven Forge and similar pre-painted scenery for my D&D games and have collected a bunch of it, but always wished I could use some of the cool painted scenery and furnishings from Reaper, Grendel, etc. But since I had never painted anything I felt like there was no point in ordering stuff unless it was pre-painted. Now I'm so excited to be able to buy some of those unpainted things to try my hand at painting them!

These are the first accessories I painted. They are from Mega Miniatures http://freeboardgame...asyscenery.aspx. I tried to apply the lessons I learned from the Reaper Learn to Paint Kits where I could, though some of the stuff was so small and hard to reach that I didn't bother trying to do as much highlighting and shading as I wish I had.

The first one is the Barbarian Throne, which comes with some candelabra I haven't painted yet. The treasure chests are from Mega Miniatures too.

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[zoroaster100]

These are Mega Mininatures book shelves, a potion rack, book stand and podium. The last picture is a book shelf with a wizard's staff strapped to the end of the piece, where I made my first attempt to try to paint a gemstone on the tip of the staff, following a tutorial for painting gems. I'm not sure why the red gem on the staff didn't look quite as gem-like as I hoped, so I guess I need to practice more how to properly paint a gem. I'm excited to try my hand with some Grendel scenery I ordered from ebay soon.

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[smokingwreckage]

Nice work! Nice to see some decent pics of these furniture minis too. Question: what tiles and walls are you using here?

[zoroaster100]

The tiles and walls are Realm of the Ancients, a limited edition set from Dwarven Forge. They came prepainted like that! They are really nice. One of Dwarven Forge's best sets yet, I think.

[Corporea]

great job!!

[CashWiley]

Those shelves remind me of one of my favorite old kits from back in my day:

[ThornDJL7]

Those shelves remind me of one of my favorite old kits from back in my day:

That's because they are those. Megaminis has bought as many grenadier molds as they could find to remake those old minis. They're a local business near me. He has spin casters in his barn out back where he makes them, and when he gets an order he walks out back, and manufacture's them. Your minis essentially come "hot off the press". :P

[zoroaster100]

I ordered a bunch of stuff from them recently. They have a bunch of townfolk and other NPC types which apparently were previously made by Metal Magic. Their miniatures are cast in tin, I think, which makes them pretty soft and possibly delicate (I accidentally broke off the arm off one while trying to clean off a bit of flash), but they are cheap and they have a lot of stuff that is not often covered by other miniature makers. Their sculpts seem to be mostly old style, but there are some cool ones. I bought a bunch of their fantasy scenery, townfolk 1 and 2 sets, royal court set, and some halfling and elven villagers, and it was not that expensive considering the number of minis I bought. I've almost finished painting the scenery/accessories and just started painting some of the NPC types. I figured it would be great practice to start with these cheaper minis, which will also be great to use again and again in my D&D games as NPCs or "backdrop" to town scenes and nobel/royal court scenes and as dungeon dressing.

[Inarah]

That's because they are those. Megaminis has bought as many grenadier molds as they could find to remake those old minis. They're a local business near me. He has spin casters in his barn out back where he makes them, and when he gets an order he walks out back, and manufacture's them. Your minis essentially come "hot off the press". :P

If you look closely you'll see that it's not the Grenadier set. What MegaMinis is selling is the old Metal Magic/Magik line from the late 70's and 80's. It was a European manufacturer. I have a lot of it still in blisters. It's a shame that he's been selling off the molds piecemeal lately. A lot of it is likely to vanish forever now.

MM does have some of the Grenadier molds, of the Personalities line by Julie Guthrie. Mirliton in Italy has some molds too, but the vast bulk of the Grenadier collection is in storage somewhere.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

I ordered a bunch of stuff from them recently. They have a bunch of townfolk and other NPC types which apparently were previously made by Metal Magic. Their miniatures are cast in tin, I think, which makes them pretty soft and possibly delicate (I accidentally broke off the arm off one while trying to clean off a bit of flash), but they are cheap and they have a lot of stuff that is not often covered by other miniature makers. Their sculpts seem to be mostly old style, but there are some cool ones. I bought a bunch of their fantasy scenery, townfolk 1 and 2 sets, royal court set, and some halfling and elven villagers, and it was not that expensive considering the number of minis I bought. I've almost finished painting the scenery/accessories and just started painting some of the NPC types. I figured it would be great practice to start with these cheaper minis, which will also be great to use again and again in my D&D games as NPCs or "backdrop" to town scenes and nobel/royal court scenes and as dungeon dressing.

I've had this problem with the MegaMinis skeletons I bought my son. Sword arms and banner poles keep snapping.

[Brian Swartzmiller]

Love the idea of interior pieces I am planning on using lots of small little details when I build my first village diorama. now all I have is one question besides a tavern/Inn, a blacksmith, an item/potion shop and a wizards place anyone know what else a small fantasy town might have for a group to stock up before heading out any and all ideas are welcome

[smokingwreckage]

Leather goods, for sure.
Somewhere to stock up on foodstuffs.
There might be a joint selling mundane goods like rope, pitons, picks, and general adventuring / prospecting supplies.

[zoroaster100]

Also stables for horses, mules, etc.

[Gailbraithe]

...where I made my first attempt to try to paint a gemstone on the tip of the staff, following a tutorial for painting gems. I'm not sure why the red gem on the staff didn't look quite as gem-like as I hoped, so I guess I need to practice more how to properly paint a gem.

I've painted dozens (possibly hundreds) of gems, following every tutorial I could find, and never once have I gotten it exactly right. Painting a gem to look gemlike is one of the hardest tricks there is, and that is one of those tests of skill that separates us amateurs from the professionals.

So, you know, don't feel bad that you didn't nail it on your first try. :)