The Jomada Booth at Szenario 2014

The Jomada Team will not only attend Szenario 2014 but will of course offer some handy little workshop as well.

Das Jomada Team wird selbstverständlich nicht nur am Szenario 2014 teilnehmen, sondern wird dort natürlich auch einen kleinen Workshop anbieten.

Jomada’s Miniature Accident and Emergency Unit

(Painting and Photography Workshop)

You have some WIP miniatures that didn’t turn out as anticipated? You never get these blood effects to look the way they should? You have started a conversion but can’t get a decent result with Green Stuff. Painting eyes gives you the creeps? Your painting is fine but you can't figure out how to get a decent photo of your miniatures?

Our MA&E Unit will help!

We’ll bring our equipment and share our ideas and techniques with you. We believe in the philosophy of learning-by-doing and will guide you to do this stuff yourself. We could tell you what we would do if we were you but actually it’s the best thing if you directly practice a technique yourself.  

Requirements: 

- Painting Workshop: Just bring the miniature(s) you need some help with. Miniature should be at least primed. Although not mandatory, please bring your own tools, especially brushes and maybe the most important colours (if the miniature is part of an army with a certain colour scheme), if possible. We'll bring our stuff as well but it might help you to work with the tools you're used to.

- Photography-Workshop: Nothing needed, HvM will bring his photo backgrounds and will introduce you to his wizardry. Own miniatures and cameras are of course welcome.

Costs: 

None, but Hobbits are always thirsty and would never refuse a cold beer.

Jomadas Miniaturen-Notaufnahme 

(Bemal- und Photo-Workshop)

Ihr habt da ein paar WIP Minis die nicht so geworden sind, wie ihr euch das vorgestellt habt? Blut-Effekte sehen bei euch nie so aus wie sie sollen? Ihr habt eine Umbau-Arbeit begonnen, scheitert nun aber am Modellieren mit Green Stuff? Augen zu bemalen lässt euch kalte Schauer über den Rücken laufen? Bemalen ist kein Problem aber ihr bekommt einfach keine gescheiten Photos von euren Minis hin?

Unsere Miniaturen-Notaufnahme schafft Abhilfe!

Wir bringen zum Szenario unsere Ausrüstung mit und stehen jederzeit bereit unsere Ideen und Techniken mit euch zu teilen. Gemäß des Grundsatzes "Versuch macht klug" möchten wir euch dabei helfen Probleme selbstständig zu meistern. Wir könnten euch natürlich auch einfach sagen was wir tun würden, wenn wir an eurer Stelle wären, aber am besten ist es immer noch, wenn ihr die Techniken direkt vor Ort mit uns ausprobiert und die Resultate direkt mit nach Hause nehmen könnt.

Vorraussetzungen: 

- Mal-Workshop: Bringt die Figur(-en) mit, bei denen ihr Hilfe braucht. Diese sollten zumindest grundiert sein, damit wir direkt starten können. Es wäre zudem großartig, wenn ihr euer eigenes Werkzeug, insbesondere eigene Pinsel, mitbringt. Eventuell sind auch eure wichtigsten Farben von Vorteil, falls ihr ein spezielles Farbschema wünscht. Dies ist nicht zwingend, kann aber eine Hilfe für euch sein, da ihr mit eurem eigenen Material im Zweifel besser vertraut seid.

- Photo-Workshop: Keine. HvM bringt seine Foto Hintergründe mit und gibt ein bisschen was von seinen Zaubertricks preis. Eigene Figuren und eigenes Kamera-Equipment sind natürlich gerne gesehen.

Kosten: 

Keine. Hobbits würden allerdings niemals ein kühles Blondes ablehnen.

Into the Mirkwood...

We really enjoyed painting a couple of miniatures of the new Hobbit release!
Can't wait to see the movie next week!

Thranduil by MarcK

Palace Guards by HVM

Orcs!

I finished my 4pt warband for SAGA. At least it contains two units of warriors, two units of hearth guards (1x mounted) and the warlord.

The warband includes mostly the old metal Mordor Orcs by GW. Because i like the wargs of the Hobbit range more than the old metal ones, i used them as the only plastic miniatures in that army.


Meine vier Punkte Armee für SAGA ist fertig geworden. Letztendlich besteht sie aus zwei Einheiten Kriegern, zwei Einheiten Hearthguards (1x beritten) und dem Warlord. 

Die Armee besteht größtenteils aus den alten GW Mordor Orks aus Zinn. Da mir die Warge aus dem Hobbit Sortiment allerdings besser gefallen, bilden diese die einzigen Plastik-Minis der Armee.

Trolls & Company Photo Updates

Hi folks!
At first I have to apologize because I haven't any new miniatures to show you. But since I figured out how to get halfway cool and more realistic looking photographs of my miniatures, I am really kneen on that techniques. So I reshooted the dwarvish company and the three trolls. Hope you like the new pictures!

HvM


Hi Leute!
Als erstes muss ich mich entschudigen, dass ich euch leider keine neuen Miniaturen zeigen kann. Aber seitdem ich rausbekommen habe, wie ich einigermaßen coole und realistischere Fotos von meinen Minis mache, bin ich von dieser Technik sehr angetan. Deswegen habe ich nochmal die Zwerge und die drei Trolle neu fotografiert. Ich hoffe die Fotos gefallen euch!

HvM

Tutorial: Easy snow bases/Schneebases

Snow themed miniatures and bases are amongst my favorite of all the different ways of 'decorating' the bases of wargaming miniatures. Unfortunately, the very realistic techniques are often not very suitable for gaming, as the effect is often very fragile. I've experimented with many different products such as baking soda, but also 'snow effects' from various manufactures. Most of the ready-made products were absolutely unrealistic and rather expensive for the crappy results they offered. On the other hand, bicarbonate of soda turned yellow after some months...

I recently stumbled upon a great product, which looks absolutely stunning, is easy to use and wont change its colour: PK-Model-Snow-Powder ! I bought two pots of the stuff, because I plan some big winter themed projects for the future, but I think you could easily base an entire army with just one pot.

The other key element to my way of creating snowy bases, which in my opinion gives great results, is Vallejo Still Water effect. In combination with the snow effect this gives a great finish. But more of this later! 

I decided to do a step-by-step tutorial, showing how I painted the base, the material I used for the vegetation as well as a detailled description of the snow effect itself.

Zum ersten Mal jetzt auch auf Deutsch auf diesem Blog, da wir ja jetzt direkt zur Hauptseite verlinkt sind und uns die deutschsprachige HDR-Community näher ist.

In diesem Artikel versuche ich kurz meine Methode möglichst schönen und realistischen Schnee für die Bases von Tabletop-Figuren darzustellen, zu erklären! Es gibt viele verschiedene Methoden und fertige Produkte von diversen Herstellern, mit denen ich bisher leider nicht zufrieden war...entweder, weil der Effekt am Ende einfach unrealistisch ausgesehen hat (Kokosraspel ;) ) oder sich das Material mit der Zeit verfärbt hat (Kaisernatron). Ich habe ein Produkt entdeckt, das mir persönlich sehr gut gefällt und sehr überzeugende Resultate liefert: PK-Modell-Schnee-Pulver (der Onlineshop ist insgesamt einfach unglaublich-lauter Topmaterial und auch toller Service!). Zusätzlich dazu verwende ich Vallejo Still Water um den Schnee auf die Bases aufzubringen. Ich werde Schritt für Schritt auf die Bemalung, die Begrünung, sowie aufs Anbringen des Schnee-effektes eingehen!

The base was decorated with a few pieces of slate and afterwards sand was glued on. The entire base was sprayed black.

Die Base wurde mit ein paar Schieferstückchen gestaltet und danach klassisch besandet und schwarz grundiert.

The entire base was then heavily drybrushed with Dryad Bark, followed by a slightly lighter drybrush of Baneblade Brown. The rocks were drybrushed with Mechanicus Standard Grey, followed by Neutral Grey (VMC)

Die Base wurde komplett (also auch die Felsen) mit Dryad Bark trockengebürstet und mit Baneblade Brown aufgehellt. Die Felsen wurden anschliessend mit Mechanicus Standard Grey und Neutral Grey (VMC) gebürstet.

Then, the entire base was drybrushed with Iraqi Sand (VMC), followed by a very subtle drybrushing of plain white.Finally the rim of the base was painted with German Grey (VMC) to give it a nice and clean finish.

Die Base wurde komplett mit Iraqi Sand (VMC) trockengebürstet und die hellsten Akzente wurden mit sehr wenig reinem Weiss "gemalt". Hier gibt es eine "Theorie", dass man Felsen nie mit reinem Weiss bürsten soll, um ein möglichst realistisches Resultat zu erhalten, ich kann dies jedoch nicht nachvollziehen.

Am Schluss wurde der Rand mit German Grey bemalt (VMC) um das Gesamtbild abzurunden.

Vegetation is mainly Mininatur grasstufts, especially "early fall" and "late fall", aswell as fine turf by Woodland scenics (Burnt Grass and Earth). I added the fine turf in a few successive layers, using watered down PVA and an old brush. This gives a more realistic appearance of the moss.

Ich habe Gras- und Karstbüschel von Mininatur (Frühherbst und Spätherbst), sowie Fine Turf von Woodland Scenics verwendet um die Base zu begrünen. Hierbei wurde das Fine Turf in mehreren Schichten aufgetragen um ein möglichst realistisches Ergebniss zu erhalten. Ich habe hierfür verdünnten Holzleim verwendet.

Finally to the snow! I mix the snow-powder with a few drops of Vallejo still water. The quantity of still water used determines how your snow looks like afterwards. If you use a lot, it will look like melting mushy snow, whereas a rather "dry" paste will give you a fresher looking snow. The paste will adhere quite well to the base using only the wather effects mixed in with the snow. If however it doesn't really stick, apply a bit of still water onto the base and then add the paste. I use an old brush for this, as it gives nice random patches of snow. After the snow is applied onto the base, I often apply little drops of still water onto the patches of snow and sprinkle them with the snowpowder. The snow will stay nice and glossy after drying, which in my opinion is one of the big advantages of this technique!

Schlussendlich zum Schnee an sich. Ich vermische das Schneepulver mit Vallejo Still water um eine Paste zu erhalten, die ich dann mit einem alten Pinsel auftrage. Durch den Pinsel wird der Schnee in zufälligen Formen aufgetragen, was sehr zum Realismus beiträgt. Je nachdem wieviel Still water man hinzufügt sieht der Schnee entweder frischer (weniger Stillwater) oder matschiger (viel still water) aus. Normalerweise klebt die Pampe ziemlich gut am Base fest, wenn nicht trage ich eine dünne Schicht Stillwater direkt aufs Base auf und setze dann die Schneepampe oben drauf. Der Schnee bleibt auch nach dem Trocken sehr schön glänzend und wirkt leicht durchsichtig.

The final result:

I hope you like his tutorial and maybe give it a try! If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comment section. It would be great if you could tell me if this technique worked for you or not!

Ich hoffe euch gefällt das Tutorial und ich habe alle Schritte verständlich erklärt. Wenn nicht, bzw wenn noch irgendwelche Fragen offen bleiben, könnt ihr gerne hier schreiben oder mir im Forum Feedback geben! Ich würde mich auch sehr über Erfahrungsberichte freuen, sollte sich der ein oder andere dazu entscheiden diese Technik mal auszuprobieren!

Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were Elves once. Taken by the Dark Powers. Tortured, and mutilated. A ruined and terrible form of life. And now... perfected. My fighting Uruk-hai.

I haven't posted much since the beginning of this blog, so it's about time now to show a bit of my work! These Uruk-Hai were originally destined for the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, but after having been introduced by fellow hobbyists to SAGA ( which can be played with LOTR battleboars available here: http://tabletopdeutschland.wordpress.com/category/fantasy/der-herr-der-ringe/) I think I'm rather going to use them for this system. They still have the 'classical' 25mm bases, typical of GW. I am however going to stick with the trend of flat basing that is becoming more and more popular in the german LOTR tabletop scene. I tried some atmospheric shots, rather than showcase, I find that this style ( used by painters such as Frank Becker, 'Tankred' and my fellow blogger HvM) fits the LOTR miniatures particularly well!

As it can be seen of some of the pictures, I converted a lot of miniatures to create new poses but also new characters.


I hope you like it-feel free to leave feedback!

The Defiler and his Wargriders

Orcs!

Unboxing: Radagast the Brown on Sleigh

After seeing the pictures of this new release for the Hobbit range, I was very excited and decided to get this set, which in my opinion counts among the best miniatures that have been realeased for the Hobbit up to date. In this article, I'm going to get a closer look of the contents of this box and say a few words about the quality of the kit, which is as most will know in Finecast.

After opening the cardboard box, you'll find a plastic box (which is usual with these kind of sets) containing all the different pieces needed to assemble the miniature, aswell as a large base (more words on that later!).

The sprues contain various pieces of the sleigh, the rabbits, Radagast (who is also multi-part) and a few scenic elements to fill up the rather larger base: a large boulder which supports the sleigh, a branch/tree trunk and a raven flying off. So far I couldn't find any large issues, which is always good! No parts were missing and there weren't any deformations.

There was a lot of speculation about the base on the forums. On the official pictures it was impossible to see the real size of this base, and due to its shape, some assumed that Radagast's sleigh would come on the Mumakil base, which is extremely large. In fact, this base is the same size as the dragon's base (thanks River Zora over on one-ring.co.uk). I took a picture with a regular 25mm and a 40mm cavalry base as comparison. The ruler will give you the exact length/scale.  Even if it is smaller than the mumakil base, there is a lot of space for the eager hobbyist to create a nice scenic base (e.g. a forest base).

The pictures above show a more detailled view of some of the sprues contained in the box! In general the quality of the cast is good, I found a few issues (mostly airbubbles) on Radagast (especially the nose an the hat unfortunately) and the rabbits. This certainly can be repaired with some Liquid greenstuff or milliput juice, but it's still kinda annoying. Also there is general mould lines and flash, which can easily be removed with a sharp hobby knife and some small grain sandpaper. As stated above, there where no deformations or major faults. However, I find that the sculpt is not as good as it could have been...compared to Radagast and Sebastian released earlier this year, the sculpt lacks detail, especially in the face. While on the foot version the actor's facial features were greatly reproduced, on this version the face seems to lack detail in general. Some of the rabbits look like they were sculpted in a rush. Apart from this, this really is a good miniature, but it takes some skill, a lot of patience and a very sharp knife to assemble this kit. Due to the fragility of finecast, the different parts should be handled with care, because some parts ( the sleigh in particular) are very thin and therefore difficult to repair if anything should break of.

Despite the minor flaws and the rather complex assembly, this is a miniature I'm really looking forward to painting. I will publish further articles concerning assembly&painting!

I hope this review will be helpful for people who are not decided yet wether or not to get this miniature.

Marc

Erebor Captain + Face Tutorial "The HVM-Way"

Many people asked me about how I paint the faces of my miniatures. Are there any secret techniques? Any special colors? I'm always feel kinda bad as soon as i have to disappoint the people on those questions. I use the same colors, brushes, miniatures, techniques as you do :)

But what i can do is to show you my single steps on painting faces once again. My test miniature for that will be the new captain of the Erebor warriors.

Thanks for reading & have fun with painting some faces.

HVM

Tutorial: Goblin Town Bases - Step by Step

Many people asked how I made the Goblin Town bases of my EfGT Goblins. So here's some step by step tutorial. Actually it's just some few basic components that are used:

- Sand (Obviously...^^ You don't need to buy any overpriced hobby retailers. Just go outside and grab some at every opportunity... The more different sources you have, the more you can vary...)

- Balsa wood (Wooden coffee stirrers would work as well, but are slightly to thick for my tastes.)

- Twine (Mine is black, but colour doesn't matter. You'll paint it anyway...)

- Wood glue / super glue

- Efa Plast light (It's an air hardening modelling clay. Any other brand would work as well. You don't have to buy anything superfine or expensive here. It's just to give the bases some structure.)

- Little stones to resemble Misty Mountain rocks (I use some of Rusus' casts (link is in German), because they can easily be cut into any shape needed, but again, anything you can find outside would work as well...)

- Bases (Yeah, sure...^^ I use washers from the hardware store, since I love the little extra weight they give your miniatures and them being a little bit more subtle than the GW-slottas, but again, that's just personal taste.)

I start buy cutting the balsa wood into fine stripes. Don't be too accurate here. Goblin Town is Orc-made. They are not known for their craftsmanship. Just make sure you get the sizes right. If all your planks have the calibre of a tree trunk it just won't look right.

Tie those planks up. Most of the time I only wrap the planks once or twice and use super glue for fixing. Again, you don't have to be too precise here. Safety is not an issue in Goblin Town... They don't believe in handrails... As you can see, the results look quite random. You don't need to recreate actual walkways. It wouldn't work on 25mm bases anyway. It's just to give some rough "Goblin Town"-impression.

Next, I apply small chunks of the Efa Plast to the bases and press the woodwork and the little rocks into it. Use the modelling clay to blend those items with the rest of the base. It will help to make the whole base look more naturally. For the same reason, I don't use the wooden planks on all the bases. Unless you are absolutely certain you will just play the Goblin Town scenarios, they would look misplaced on any other battlefield.

For this type of scenic base you need to remove the plastic base tabs of the miniatures. Make sure you glue them on before you apply the sand. Rough surfaces are tricky...

Building phase is done. I recommend HvM's painting tutorial for the colours, but you don't have to stick to them too slavishly. Goblin Town is huge and there is not only one kind of "Official Misty Mountain Rock TM colour". Slight colour variations help to make your base look more natural. For detailing the base, there are various opportunities I use some few MiniNatur tufts in drab colours or some occasional BUSCH mushrooms... Anything that would grow in or around Goblin Town. Don't overdo it, it's not the Shire, it's just to give the rocky underground some extra detail... If you're into skulls and skeletons you could as well do some press moulds of the debris on the Goblin Town scenery parts. They work pretty well on bases.

Let's hunt some dwarf... I hope this article will be helpful for some of you. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Fin