Infinity Force Updated.

Now with shiny Hac Tao and Orange Karakuri!

Now for some WIP Green & Purple Japanese geisha automatons.

Incidentally, I've stopped using the light box, since it's a little too good at blocking out direct light and the models come out a little too dark to make out all the details.  I'll have to fix it sometime, replace the tissue papers with some thinner tracing paper, and make sure all the insider is white to reflect light better.  Until then, I'll be doing what I'm doing with these pics, putting them in indirect sunlight (or direct sunlight and using Picasa to cheat myself to victory).

Until we meet again.

New Stuff Day (?)

Apparently it's 'old stuff day' today for bloggers.  I.e. blog necromancy/nostalgia trip.  Bringing some posts that didn't receive as much attention as the should have (with lower follower numbers in the past and all).

Unfortunately, my blog is not exactly 'old', not being even a year old yet, and the number of posts I have put out is also rather small.  So... I'm just gonna show you what I've been working on lately.

First off, my current project - Shinobu Kitsune WIP.

A special character ninja.  Now, my struggle to find a suitable palette choice for the colours of this model led to the first time I actually went on the forums, begging bowl in hand, to ask for advice.  I was told by someone regarding one of my other ninja that black highlighted with grey was too dull and I should use a subtle highlight of the complementing colour. 

Long story short, I tried to make blue with black subtly highlighted red and came out with blue and black unsubtly highlighted orange.  I'm generally quite happy with this, as it does accentuate the cyberpunk anime feel of Infinity, though it does mean that she won't quite fit in with the rest of the ninja, as they are simply *bright colour* and grey-shaded black.

Oh well, she's a named character, she gets perks.

And then some Dark Elf updates:

First, me trying to remember how to paint Black Guard.  The one on the left is a heavily damaged and chipped model I painted about two years ago - the one on the right is one I began painting about a week ago.  I'm keeping the old one close for reference as I try to remember the combination of washes and highlights I used to paint them.

Then some Witch Elves:

Mostly stretching my legs as regards to the skin tone and the hair, which are the two new factors that these models posses in comparison to my existing army.  That and working out where each colour will go and so forth.  These three will accompany the Cauldron, so it's a good place to work out the colour scheme in preparation for when/if I get some proper Witch Elves.

That's pretty much it for today then, au revoir.

Infinity: Ninja

So, many of my photographs from now on may seem different.  That's because of this thing:

Behold my new state-of-the-art high-spec no-expenses-spared MLG awesome-to-the-max (rubbish) Lightbox.

I am very proud of myself, yes I am.

Sarcasm aside, here's what I put in it (and then cheated by running them through Picasa).

First is this here Tango Ninja, I went for a scheme that ended up looking like the bad guy from Tron: Legacy, which isn't necessarily a bad look in my opinion.  In the original studio colour scheme, the Ninja are all in bright Neon green colours - an interesting juxtaposition with their stealth role I thought - so I wanted to have the same kind 'you shouldn't wear orange if you're trying to not be noticed' kind of vibe to them.  The fluff reasons for them being successful in their stealth of course is that they have invisibility fields.  More or less.

The second Ninja is one I got from Maelstrom because Maelstrom (as opposed to Wayland) give clear information on how much stock of model X they currently have - thus when two of the models I ordered from Wayland were out of stock (and given full refund, fair do's) I got them from Maelstrom instead.

Here's the Barbie Sniper:

I have two other Ninja set to paint and a green Oniwaban already done, so, yeah I'm doing Power Rangers.  If Power Rangers were invisible and used lethal force.  They should so do that.

Anyway, many scoff at the mere idea of a sniper ninja, seeing as how the Ninja's high CC skill is entirely wasted as you sit at one end of a fire-lane.  In fairness though, CC is extremely risky even for a vanilla-equipped Ninja, who'd be better off shooting at enemies with a Combi-Rifle.  Shooting lessens the risk of discovery and gives you 3 dice to kill your enemy with instead of CC's 1.

One last 'BBF' shot.

Well, I've got the Hacker Ninja and Shibobu Kitsune left to paint, so I'll get on those sooner or later.  If they'll be next is anyone's guess as I have a hankering to get some LotR rangers and some Khador Warjacks painted and out of the way, so we'll see eh?

Any painting or photography comments, criticism, advice, insults and/or slander welcome and encouraged.  May your fingers remain unstuck of super-glue.

Unboxing Ninjas!

Got me some more Infinity stuff.  Ninjas specifically.  Ordered two from Wayland Games and two from Maelstrom (uneconomical, I know, it just turned out that way).  The Wayland ones arrived today.

This first one is a special character, Oniwaban Shinobu Kitsune. Oniwaban is more of a title meaning 'Gardener' - pertaining to a Ninja chief's knowledge of poisons, but I'm pretty sure her given name means 'Stealth Fox' or something.  Anyway.
     One of the difficulties with Infinity models is the assembly - as they are in True Scale as opposed to GW/PP's more cartoony 'Heroic Scale', the pieces are smaller and more delicate to plonk together.  This is especially true of this lithe female character, and especially true of one of the two arm configurations, which has her posed in the process of drawing a sword i.e. the one I want. A tad typical of my luck I must say.  I also have to stick her head on, because of all that hair.
In-game, she's an Oniwaban - a stealth close combat one-hit-kill assassin with no ranged weapons at all, and ranged weapons are King in Infinity.  Models with high CC usually shoot and waggle their eyebrows at the enemy, daring them to get closer.  Unless they've got stealth, like Ninjas and Oniwaban.  Or smoke grenades. Or both, like Shinobu Kitsune.

The second is a bog standard Ninja, who comes with sword/scabbard arm configuration and a combi-rifle for some reason.  Well, the reason is that he has a combi-rifleis that his basic loadout includes one I suppose, but I have no idea where it would go.  I could glue/strap it to his back, but that would not be aesthetically preferable, and gluing it onto his base seems lazy.  It'll probably be the first addition to my Infinity bits box I suppose.  Nevertheless, I don't see any major difficulties arising to assembling him, past the normal 'small fiddly bits' problem.
In-game, he'll be deployed close to the enemy front lines for harass and killy duties, preferably shooting people off, despite his CC prowess, as closing with an enemy in CC often dispels his greatest defence, the TO: Camouflage (read: invisibility stealth suit).  Close Combat doesn't happen often in Infinity, yet I've gone and chosen the army that literally brings a sword to a gunfight as my starter army.

Sounds fun.

INFINITY

Hi, me again.
 

Finally did something I should have done ages ago.  Moved my paint station to the room I actually spend time in, as opposed to the one that's freezing cold.  The reason I didn't earlier is ... stupid and not worth mentioning actually.  And there were too much paper for Jobseeking on the desk, but they've done me no good so far, so pots of paint might as well go there instead.

So, I actually got something done.  For bleeding once.  Yay!

Behold and despair.

 I finished painting my Japanese Sectorial Army Starter Set.  Which I got early last Summer, and contains a grand total of six (6) models.  Took me about as many months to get round to it, and probably about as many hours per miniature.  Maybe less, I dunno.

Anyway, the hooded fellow up yonder is a Kempeitai - a member of a shadowy unit of Japanese Nationalists who have infiltrated the Yu-Jing Empire (once China but now rules most of the Far East) Army, and fight for Japan's independence from within using sabotage and assassination methods.

Next be the Domaru Butai.  This guy was a pain to assemble.  When I assemble my little plastic Astartes, the trickiest bit is always gluing the arms on.  Because I can't just glue an arm on by itself, it needs to be in the correct position to hold the bolter so the other hand can hold it.  So have I glue them all on at the same time, and make sure they don't slip out of place.  Now imagine something a bit like that with smaller bits and metal/superglue.  Yeah.

Fluffwise - he's a Samurai.  Nuff said.

And saving the best for last, the Oniwaban.  The Ninja Chief.  The Gardener.  Gardener?  Aye, that's what Oniwaban means, apparently.  But not because of his love of Petunias and Rhododendrons, but because of his knowledge of plants and manufacture of poisons.  Personally, I think that this is the most badass miniature I've ever painted, and it's another reason why I love Corvus Belli; for bringing me this 28-mm shard of awesomeness.

 Here's a few more mixed shots.

The entire starter box - finished.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Amigos

 And there we are.  If I had any decent terrain (which I don't), I'd have put them on it.  But, oh well.


Now, if I were to expand and go for the 300-point mark (currently around 150-ish), I'd go for another Domaru, probably drop the Kempeitai, take on some more Keisotsu for orders or possibly, possibly, go for a Ninja with a sniper.  We'll see.

Next on my project list will probably be to finish off my Blazing Sun Flyers/Cruisers, so that's most likely when you'll see me next.  Adios!