Posts

Superheroes: Baroque Boy, Brightside, Scrapper, Magefist

Behold the newest team of superheroes! I've recently put together four superheroes (who, granted, could just as easily be supervillains). Inspired by reading through the rules for Masks: A New Generation, which does not use miniatures nor feature any tactical combat, I put together these fine heroes. Also, I made a lot of supervillains last year, and there are only a few painted heroes to keep them in check. Something must be done to balance the scales of JUSTICE!

In the group picture here, they are (from left to right) Baroque Boy, Brightside, Scrapper, and Magefist!

First is Scrapper. She's a cyborg made with parts from the Stargrave Crew II and Mercenaries II boxes. Her head is resin from the Anvil Industry Female Wasteland Heads sprue. The buzzsaw was a hand weapon with a full handle, but I cut off the handle and glued a nice flat part to the obligatory Stargrave wrist-thing (which always makes it look like Stargrave minis have a Fallout-style Pip-Boy). I painted a rough S on the back of the leather jacket. Green and brown aren't really "hero colors," but they offer a nice warm contrast to the metallic robot parts. She could just as easily--or more easily--be used as a villain. Scrapper is definitely my favorite hero of this batch, and her heavy left arm and cybernetics would make her a great mirror/nemesis for Southpaw.

This is Baroque Boy, sidekick to the Renaissance Man. He's based almost entirely on the pun of the Baroque coming after the Renaissance. The miniature is from Reaper's Bones 5 townsfolk line. He's got a red front cape part and a blue back cape? I don't know what these costume parts are called. He also has a dark gray muffin hat and knee-length tunic. With the yellow mask, he has all the primary colors, and the dark gray keeps everything focused on his face and upper body. With his slightly hunched posture, I think Baroque Boy might still be a bit uncomfortable in his role, needing more time in the hero career to really grow into his heroism.

Next is Brightside, a genius gadgeteer with a flamethrower and a drone. Once again, mostly Stargrave parts with a head from the Anvil Industry Female Wasteland Heads sprue. The drone is attached with a magnet, so it can be removed and put on its own flight stand! Her outfit is largely gray, but that makes the black and bright red really pop. Flamethrowers aren't typical hero tools, but there's no rule that says they can't be. Also, when the drone is mounted to her back, she can use it as a jump pack for maneuverability. Fun fact: the drone is actually a tiny-scale spaceship, the European Federation Comète class Interceptor from Brigade Models, which I had lying around from an old spaceship combat game I built up a force for.

Finally, we have a martial artist. Or a magician. Or a magical martial artist? I don't really know. I just wanted to try a purple and blue color scheme. Let's call her Magefist and assume she likes '80s action movies. The body and head are Stargrave II, while the arms are Frostgrave Wizards II. Blue and purple isn't a color that you see much in comics, but there are a few characters like Galactus and the Sentinels that wear it. It's not really a hero color combination. Still, assuming Magefist is calculating and stealthy, the cool colors work pretty well.

There we go. Four young heroes to keep the city safe from the rogue's gallery I've been building up. Speaking of which, I have pages set up for a Supervillain Directory and Superhero Directory, with links available in the left column.

2022 In Review

In 2021, I painted 127 miniatures, and in 2022, I painted 128. That may be a sustainable rate of increase. My 2022 goal was to paint at least 52 miniatures, which I accomplished by May, so I may need to revise my expectations for 2023. Anyway, let's take a gander at what I've completed this year.

  • Superpowers (25)
    • The Racketeer
    • Boomtown
    • The Augur
    • Claire Volante
    • The Draugr
    • The Draugr in Gorva Mechsuit
    • Henchmen (5)
    • Devil Mayfair Model of the Year Nominee
    • White Hat
    • Gingerbread
    • Thugs (4)
    • Redcoat
    • Chosen Men (4)
    • Spectral Sword
    • Lychgate
  • Gunslinger Doc Muldoon
  • Siegtruh, the Mimic Knight Model of the Year Nominee
  • Scifi (6)
    • SAT-R9 Droid
    • Dragonman Bounty Hunter
    • Drone Controller Bounty Hunter
    • Flying Drones (3)
  • Dragonmen (6)
    • Bludgeoners (5)
    • Rifleman
  • Battlemechs (10)
    • Atlas
    • Commando
    • Spider
    • Thug
    • Grasshopper
    • Raven
    • Annihilator
    • Blackjack
    • Orion
    • Catapult
  • Dungeons and Dark Souls (39)
    • Player Characters (6)
      • Purple Florentine
      • Red Greatsword
      • Orange Sword & Shield
      • Yellow Staff
      • Green Crossbow
      • Blue Staff
    • Bosses (2)
      • Colossal Skeleton Model of the Year Nominee
      • Red Dragon
    • Skeletons (28)
      • Commander
      • Hornblower
      • Tetsubōne
      • Spears (7)
      • Archers (7)
      • Sword/Shields (4)
      • Daggers (6)
      • Dinosaur
    • Other (3)
      • Invader
      • Spiked Copper Ball
      • Mimic (Chest)
  • Ashes of Alexandria (13)
    • Coal Sniper
    • Coal LMG (2)
    • Coal RPG
    • Coal Executioner
    • Ash Assault Rifle (2)
    • Ash Shotgun/Axe
    • Ash Pistol
    • Ash Crossbow (2)
    • Ash Sword (2)
  • Mordheim (11)
    • Captain
    • Halberdier Champion Model of the Year Nominee
    • Blunderbuss Marksman
    • Archer Marksman (3)
    • Warrior Mace/Dagger (3)
    • Poppet (Youngblood) 
    • Parasol (Youngblood)
  • 6Gun (4)
    • Green Headset
    • Grey Gaiter
    • Brown Layered
    • Black Helmet
  • Corporate Security (12)
    • Sergeant
    • Agent (3)
    • Gunner
    • Sniper
    • Trooper (5)
    • Hazard Trooper

I basically started and ended the year with supervillains, with a mix of other projects in the middle. "Dungeons and Dark Souls" (which was mainly skeletons) was the largest project, easily so when including the terrain board as well. A lot of the other projects expanded old forces (the Ashes of Alexandria, the Mordheim warband expanding on the Noble Retainers, the Battlemechs, etc.).

This year I've picked the Colossal Skeleton as my Model of the Year. It's a giant, detailed miniature that features a little diorama on the base. There were a few other contenders, but the epic nature of this figure (or figures) made it the clear choice.
 

Mordheim: Youngblood "Parasol"

Here's the second youngblood for my Mordheim Reiklander warband. Like Poppet, Parasol wears a mask and is named after her eccentric accessory. This kitbash takes a body and both arms from the Warlord Games Pike & Shotte Landsknects. The right hand is from the Frostgrave Soldiers sprue while the left hand and umbrella are from the Anvil Industry Secret Service pack. The head, with the weird pigtail/bun things, is from the Stargrave Mercenaries II sprue. I had to do some extensive surgery to get the hands and arms to be pretty much where I wanted; while I'm not as happy with this one as I am with Poppet, she still looks pretty good.

So, aside from Poppet and Parasol now being a pair of supercriminals, they also finish off my Mordheim warband. I did a bit more Mordheim work and put together four warpstone tokens. This picture shows the captain, the two new youngbloods, and the four new tokens.

Mordheim: Youngblood "Poppet"

Another round of possible Mordheim planning led me to build another youngblood for my Reikland mercenary warband. Mordheim has a long history of hand puppets, and when I saw a model with a puppet that someone built recently, I was inspired to put a hand puppet on my latest miniature. This is another extensive kitbash: the body is from the Warlord Games Pike & Shotte Landsknects, both arms (including the puppet) are from the Frostgrave Wizards II sprue, the head is from the Stargrave Troopers box, and the mace is from the Stargrave Mercenaries II sprue. (As an aside, good maces, clubs, and hammers are hard to come by.)

This is a great figure that should really stand out on the table—visually, not in terms of her abilities. Youngbloods are hero characters in Mordheim, but they start off very weak, with skills below even those of basic henchmen.

To stay on theme for the end of the year, Poppet can also be used as a superperson. She has a mask, see? Since this is also the color theme for the Retinue, I think Poppet might find a place there as a jester NPC as well.

Supervillain: Lychgate

White Hat shouldn't have attacked his target in the cemetery.
Technically, this wasn't originally going to be a supervillain, but I have a theme going for the end of the year here, so I'm going to roll with it. An actual lychgate is a covered gate leading into a cemetery, where vigil could be kept on a body until it was buried. This Lychgate is a bit more like a force of nature.

The legend of Lychgate is well known to the locals. Saint Anthony's Cemetery is the largest graveyard in the city, situated on the hills behind the cathedral, just outside the freeway. It was sprawling, even in the 18th century, when bodysnatchers and graverobbers were something of an epidemic. According to the legend, those disturbed spirits interred in St. Anthony's had enough. Ghost stories are common enough in the city, but in this case, it wasn't one ghost or a dozen; the spirit was of the cemetery itself. They say the Lychgate makes no sound—on the contrary, it is known for the utter silence and stillness that its very presence imparts. Appearing from nowhere, it is a creature created to guard those hallowed grounds, seemingly built of gravestones and monuments, with great bronze gates sprouting as wings from its back. Those who would rob the dead of Saint Anthony's face its unyielding wrath; they and any who spill violent blood in the cemetery are interred by the Lychgate among the graves. Not everyone believes the stories, of course, but it's said that criminals especially are a cowardly and superstitious lot. There are whispers that sometimes the Lychgate can be compelled to leave the cemetery, driven by manipulative forces to do their bidding.

The model is a Reaper Bones Graveyard Golem. I really like the figure. It's big and there's a lot of detail, but it can basically just be dry-brushed like stone. It originally had both arms down in a fairly static pose, but I repositioned the left arm to reach forward to make it slightly more dynamic. I originally planned to use this model as a mini-boss in my Dungeons and Dark Souls game, but it wasn't needed (and it wasn't done in time). I like the idea of a cemetery guardian creature, so I'll probably import it into a fantasy RPG campaign at some point.