Not my favorite model by any means but I’m pleased with it on two counts. Firstly, I found the wherewithal to finish it. It had been neglected for a while, unjustly to some extent but my commitment to it waned and other more interesting things took its place. Secondly, and not for the first time, an Azazel monthly challenge spurred me on. It’s not a great piece or a great entry for the January challenge but it’s likely to be the nearest to anything involving scenery that I’m likely to produce this month.
The aim for the base was to try to achieve a little bit of a sand dune type image, nothing to accurate but sufficient to achieve the appearance of an attack on a small island just off of the north-east of the English mainland. Styrofoam (to provide the elevation), garden slate chippings, sand and some static grass tufts and there you have it. Simple and OK but nothing to write home about and now I can focus on the multitude of things which are craving my attention.
Not very often that I paint resin figures but these came out OK. I did find them a little fragile compared to using white metal figures and a little heavy-handedness on my part left me with one or two minor repairs to be made. Something to put down to experience I guess as I would be happy to purchase from this company again albeit that their range is not huge.
Images of the completed diorama below.
TIM
Nicely done mate! I don’t fancy that monk’s chances very much
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Haha, yea I’m not sure that cross would save him.
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Very nice an realistic TIM congratulations !
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Merci!
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Looking great, very effective, as Alex says I don’t rate their chances. Good to see a Viking armed with a spear.
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Thanks. Not sure how accurate the spear is but it’s how the figure came. I guess they must have had them but most often you see them with axes.
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Spears are accurate 👍. You fought with what you could afford. Cheapest option is the spear. Most expensive is the sword. Axe falls between the two. Spears and axes also have different jobs.
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Always learning! Excellent. 🤗
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This came together quite well Dave. I like the upslope grade, subtle but it works to give a lot of depth to the diorama. It tells a story very nicely, makes you wonder what happens next too. Kudos!
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Thanks Mark. As for what happened next I’m pretty sure the monk didn’t make it!
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Very nice! I can imagine the temptation is to use a smaller base with just four figures, but you’ve given it the room it needs to become more dynamic (I’m a bit concerned that I seem to be using a lot more management-speak these days). Like it!
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Thanks John. It’s hard to lose the management speak, even in retirement! 😊
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Nicely done sir. I think that priest is in for a shafting in more ways than one.
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Thank you. As for the priest I think you’re right sunshine.
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Very nice work. I think the fight will be a little one sided….
Cheers,
Pete.
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Thanks Pete, I think you are right!
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Never mind the monk, that peasant had better be about to bust out some serious moves! Poor old monk should have read the memo with more care, he’s come armed for vampires not Vikings.
Anyway, great work here once again, you may not be that enamoured of it but it’s turned out very well.
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Cheers mate. The poor old monk and peasant would have done better to run away to fight another day. To be fare I wasn’t entirely unhappy with it in the end but just lost my way part way through it. I love creativity but I find it such a fine line to maintain discipline when part way through something I get more inspired for something else. I know it can’t just be me otherwise there would never be any entrants under the neglected model challenges! Still got there in the end. 😊
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Nice one Dave, I’ll leave the monk and peasant alone enough has been said about there fate !!,I like your use of the slate, very effective ,I’m having a lot of trouble with the castle surrounds ,the moat and the river weren’t to my liking so I ripped a large section out and have had to fix it so it looks like its should. I felt I might have a go at Azazels challenge but that’s gone out the window now ! .
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Sorry to hear that Pat but if anyone can get it right you can. As for the monthly challenges there be another along next month!
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Ok, I’m rewriting history here and proclaiming that the monk is secretly a martial arts master. The Vikings are in for a good butt-kicking!
As for the diorama, I think my expectations were set too high. I don’t know the history, but figured there might be a tower or wall or something. After a quick reset, I still think it’s good and feels like you captured a 3D frame from a movie still (or slice of time). We can immediately tell the peasant is in trouble and likely, the monk is in next. Would have been interesting if the sculptors had added a touch of fear to his face. It also makes me curious if the scene would have worked just as well with the peasant running off in the other direction? Probably not.
Oh yea, I might have forgotten to say this earlier, but for the pieces that don’t really speak to you…might be worthwhile to tuck them away out of sight for awhile. Then revisit them later, as it could just be whatever is bugging you at the moment. I know there’s a few minis I’ve done that bugged the hell out of me, and then they weren’t so bad later.
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Walls and/or a tower were never part of the plan for this one due to the history of the incident. That said the idea of a tower is appealing for something else at some point. As for the figures not speaking to you, nice way of looking at it.
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But if the monk had built a tower, then maybe he would have won! 😉
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Nice work! Even if I didn’t know my history, my money would be on those Vikings!
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Haha, mine too.
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