Infinity

Wow. Now there's a girl who knows how to put on a show... I like it!

I just had a thought on this. It's inevitable that people will compare the Dragonlance movie to Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy that just redefined what fantasy movies should be. Sometimes I find myself wondering how Weis and Hickman could even consider allowing their stories to be transformed into such a lower medium as a potentially disappointing Saturday Morning cartoon. However, looking back at said lofty LOTR, I see that it's history in film is not without its disappointing and easily forgotten periods. Does Ralph Bakshi ring a bell? Now, I know there are folks around who swear by Tolkein and LOTR and would NEVER think of ripping on anything that had either of those names attached to it. I, however, am not one of those people. I thought the old Bakshi cartoon movie of LOTR sucked. I hated it right from the beginning, as did many of my friends (not including the loyal-to-a-fault Tolkein fans). However, it occurred to me that the story of LOTR had to make a journey through film, as odd as that sounds, until its real time came. Peter Jackson crowned that legacy, in my opinion, while the Dragonlance story is really just starting out--it's just a newborn in that scheme of things. If the DL story's good enough to endure, then it'll make it through the Saturday Morning cartoon time of its life (which seems to be a necessary step) and make glorious landfall someday on the Island of Epic Film. There will be some other Peter Jackson there, hopefully, to see it through. So, since Ralph Bakshi's not doing this one (he's not, right?), I'll pay my money to take my boys to it and give it a shot. Infinity

I love this figure, and I think your paint job does it justice. I don't mind the flame, and I think your color scheme is pretty cool. Nice job. Infinity

Thanks, Frank. Some intriguing titles to watch for. It could be that my pocketbook will be floating by the end of this year... --Infinity

While I enjoyed the first three novels, I felt in the first two that I was reading a very well-written journal or log of someone's Dungeons and Dragons adventures. In "Autumn Twilight" you could almost hear the dice rolling in the background. They were still well-written, though, and so I picked up the next three (the "Twins" series) and they were awesome! The Raistlin/Fistandantilus paradox still gives me the chills, and Raistlin is at the top of my list of interesting fictional heroes (with Edmund Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo). I'd think that whoever they cast to play Elric of Melnibone would probably be a good start for casting Raistlin (just switch the facial make-up from white to gold, swap the sword for a staff, and throw on a heavy black robe...). Infinity

Chariots. Nefsokar chariots. I was glancing through Casketworks #20, and I was impressed with the number of Neksokar models Reaper has now, especially the mounted and cavalry types. They are tied with the Crusaders at 8 mounted figures. That's fantastic! They just need at least a couple of chariots--one living, and the other undead. Chariots. Nefsokar chariots. --Infinity

Honestly, I think if I had given much thought to it, I would have ended up selfishly depressed at the poor materials I worked with. I made the mushroom houses with the things I had at hand (Michaels craft store is 35 minutes away, and the nearest hobby shop is 40). My presentation is by no means the best way of doing things. I'm actually expecting a few folks here to be laughing in pity at this, my feeble work. Your suggestion is a very good one. Any ball that could be cut in half and carved to fit a more natural, irregular shape could be used. A 3" diameter would make a cool mini-mushroom house, although these babies I made are 12" diameters. Infinity

I like the color scheme you've chosen. I've never seen this particular demon prince character colored this way, and I like it. I agree that a few brighter highlights on head, shoulders, arms, and belly will only make him look better. Very cool. Infinity

Awright, after begging like an annoying little kid in the Sophie Trophy thread, I thought I'd just come and add my wish here. I'll forego the annoying begging, though. How about a Sophie boxed set?! I'm talking about a $35 or $39 jobber that's Cinder-sized. Infinity

A year ago my neighbor's little girl came over into my yard and begged for two full minutes for me to allow her to jump on our trampoline ("pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease...!"). I swore then and there I would never beg anyone for anything in such a groveling, humiliating, annoying manner. Then I saw this sculpt this morning, and I realized it is very much beyond my grasp, and I knew that the only way I could communicate my wishes to obtain one was by futile pleading. So, ahem, start the clock... Please make the Sophie Trophy available for purchase! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!... Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!... Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!... Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!... Annoyed yet?! I think she looks fabulous, with a lot of free-hand space and potential for incredibly detailed highlights and... well, a lot of good, wholesome painting fun. The negative space on the inside of the wings is very striking, and the base is cool. Yeah, she's great. And, having already made a fool of myself and now trying to return to a semblance of rational behavior, I think she's quite a reward for the awesome painters at the Con to get something that just can't be had any other way. However, I agree that a slightly smaller version in pewter (bigger than 72 MM Sophie 1406, though--more like 100 mm) would be a quick sale on my part. (pleasepleaseplease...) Infinity

Hah! THIS has got to be the worst combined case of both "hairy back" and static electricity I've seen. Seriously, though, a little pronounced layering on the buckle won't lose the link to the subtle blue in the eyes. As far as the stripes go, I think the solid light patches of skin are a strength here, juxtaposed with the textures and contrast in the hair and armor, though I agree about the muscles needing a shade more definition. Maybe you'll just have to do another and put stripes on it, now that you've got this scheme down so well... Infinity

Well, there is this guy, Dark Heaven Legends 2709. Maybe instead of sculpting from the ground up you could do a very simple conversion on something like Biff, here, and post the results in the Conversions thread... Infinity

I really, really like these. I'd like to see closer shots of them. I love how the purple goes to gray when I try and take the whole piece in. It's like a subtle "impressionist color theory" in 3-D. Very impressive. Can we get a close-up shot of the smaller three, and another view of the big guy (head-on, maybe)? Dang, I love werewolf-types. They say, "I'm MEAN" so very well... Infinity

It's an interesting take on an erotically charged sculpt. I agree with Enchantra that defining the shadows a bit more and pushing the highlights might make it even "cooler" (no pun intended). And, what about making the grass on the base look dead, frozen, or just "frosted"? On the other hand, maybe she's intruding on warmer territory and her presence just hasn't iced it all yet. Now that I look again, though, the green on the blade does seem to match some of the grass, and sort of ties the piece together. I keep trying to think of what I would have said if THIS chick had shown up in "Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe"... Kids: Dad, she's the villain. You can't root for her. Infinity: Woo-... er,... ah... woo. ahem Infinity

I requested a War Mammoth in the "Minis We'd Like to See" Thread (here), but looking at all of MasterTickles' awesome stuff got me thinking last night. My relationship with sculpture is a little one-sided--I give it the love and attention it craves, but get very little return for it... So, I pulled out the old, drying bit of Sculpey and experimented a bit with it just to see if there's any potential there. Here's what I came up with in all it's baked, tusk-less glory. He's about 65 mm tall, and not really flashy, but with some finely sculpted tusks (wood, maybe?) and some good paint, I'm thinking he could be passable for a normal mammoth. Now, for a truly cool "War Mammoth," I'm afraid the Reaper genie is going to have to "poof!" a real one into existence. Infinity

In all the requests for more female figures, did someone bring up female giantesses? If so, great. If not, well, we've got several hill giants to pick from in the Reaper line, and Frorigh is a great frost giant, and Gunther is a great fire giant. That still leaves a stone giant (taller, thinner, and hairless), a cloud giant (taller than Frorigh and Gunther, robed and wielding a mace), and a storm giant. I've already made my pitch about a storm giant, but giantesses in each category would just be too cool. Right now there is only Frulla, who is really cool but actually too small to be a real effective mate to Frorigh, and then there are all of the 72 mm Sophies that can be purchased sans wings and converted into giantesses (which I've done). But a really cool storm giantess or cloud giantess-... my mouth is watering at the thought... Infinity

Nicely done. Very nicely done, indeed. I love your color choice--at first glance I thought it was meant to be outdoors, then decided it had a definite "dungeon" flavor to it, and finally just accepted it could fit easily and brilliantly into either. Thanks for sharing. Infinity

"Superlative," Frosch. "Superlative." (Yes, I intend to haunt you). I will use this to make a couple of tables for my upcoming game. Thanks. Infinity

Thanks for the link, Mooseyjoe. I agree with alchemist. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Brower (the sculptor), whose vision is certainly original and intimidating. I just remember the Jeff Dee illustration set in the text of C2: Ghost Tower of Inverness. THAT has been my idea of an umber hulk ever since... ...with a little more color, of course. And, while I'm at it, how about a large, carnivorous, prehistoric flightless bird (phororhacos, I think?). Something like that chocobo thing my kids' FF7 guys used to ride around on. I can think of some interesting conversions to make some "flightless-bird cavalry"... Infinity

Impressive! Fun! Inspiring! Infinity

That was exactly, to the letter, my reaction. This is just fantastic. Infinity

Okay, the War Mammoth is still my top request. But I recognize that's a lot to ask, so... I'll request more... An umber hulk would be nice. Maybe even those neogi spider-eel centaur things from Spelljammer. Some "Raistlin-esque" wizards (young, beardless, cowled, caped, staff) would be great. A storm giant, perhaps done somewhat like this guy, but with a huge lightning-bolt-shaped spear in one hand, and possibly a round Greco-Roman shield in the other. Infinity

See, Frosch, THIS is why I used you as a superlative... Infinity

Yep, the centers are 2 inches on this one--that's from the center of each wall across the hall to the center of the adjacent wall. Frosch and Almathea's questions about mushroom houses are answered (hopefully) here. Infinity

This is a follow-up to the "more-info" request made by Frosch and Almathea Toes in this thread . Thanks for expressing interest. While I am sure there is a much better way to do it given time, money, and expertise, here's how I made them ("fast enough and good enough" was my motto). Stuff you need: *1 empty newsprint cylinder (I used about a 4" or 10 cm diameter, but for smaller ones an empty toilet paper roll will do) *lots of cardboard *cardboard cutting tools *stapler *wadded newspaper (or lots of small-sized foam packing--soft is better) *duct tape *painting supplies 1. Cut the cylinder (A) to the desired height--that's TOTAL height of the mushroom house. The cylinder will extend up inside the mushroom's cap, like the diagram shows. 2. Cut a circular piece of cardboard "washer" (B) with the desired diameter of the cap's base ("tall and thin" = small diameter, "short and wide" = large diameter). Then make an "asterisk-cut" in the center of your cardboard washer. The asterisk cut should allow the washer to slip snuggly over the top of the cylinder. The triangular flaps of the asterisk cut should all point toward the future top of the mushroom. 3. Position the washer at your desired height of the cap's base. Higher up means more stem, etc. Duct tape the triangular flaps to the central cylinder. 4. Cut arch-shaped "half-trusses" © from cardboard. Each truss has a small flap or two on it that you will staple to the (B). The shorter and wider your desired mushroom, the more of these half-trusses you're going to want. For the one I made, six was plenty. For a really tall and thin mushroom, somewhere between 0 and 4 will probably work. Don't worry about fixing the half-trusses to the cylinder--you won't need to. 5. Cut another circular piece of cardboard to make the roof of the cap (D). It should have a diameter that is about 80% of the diameter of the washer (B). Cut triangles from the outside edge of this new circle. You might want to practice a few times with a regular piece of paper until you get this part right. The objective here is to get a jagged-edged circle that you can press down on top of the half-trusses © and form a dome shaped cap. Trying to cut different, concave-sided triangles from the circle's edge might help with larger and/or taller mushrooms. Irregular cuts can give the mushroom a more natural, less uniform appearance. 6. Duct tape the cap down over the trusses and to the base, one strip over each pair of trusses. DON'T completely enclose the thing--you need to leave some open slots on the side of the cap's base through which to shove the stuffing in. Sheesh, that was a complicated little sentence... You can staple the duct tape strips to the underside of the washer (B). 7. Stuff the packing material into the space under the dome and keep stuffing until the thing cap holds the desired shape. If you put two much in, the washer (B) might bend, which is probably a bad idea. 8. When the stuffing is done, enclose the open spaces of the cap with vertical strips of duct tape. You can leave one or two of them open at this point if you want to put some windows on the upper story. 9. Cut whatever shape base you want out of cardboard, and make another asterisk cut in it. The diameter of the asterisk cut should be equal to the inside edge of the cylinder. The outer diameter of the base should be at least as big as the diameter of the washer (B), of the mushroom will have a tendency to topple. 10. Put the cardboard base onto the base of the cylinder, aligning the asterisk cut with the center. Cut strips of duct tape and use fix the triangular flaps of the asterisk cut into the center of the cylinder, plus a couple inches, as shown (somewhat) on the picture. Use wadded newspaper to fill the interior of the cylinder all the way to the bottom, which will keep the duct tape in place and keep the base fixed to the cylinder. 11. Trouble spots that I just didn't deal with were the overall flexibility of the thing, which makes it not hold dry paint very well, and the underside of the cap, which I just painted black and left--the players didn't see it, anyway. As far as painting goes, I just primered it in gray, and then black (two coats), trying to get it to be a little more solid and a little less flexible. Then I came up with my own "striking" color scheme for the cap, which was designed to take the viewer's eye away from any seams or folds in the duct tape that might be visible. This pattern involved contrasting white and blue with black and orange (complimentary to blue) in the starlike pattern. I chose a flat black base because I used some very darkly-shaded "Underdark" terrain flats (like the desert ones from this thread) on which to do our gaming in the Vault of the Drow. There were other drow-style buildings next to these so that the cardboard edge didn't show, too. Frankly, the mushroom houses are about four years old now, and it shows. They once looked a lot better, but after being moved from gaming session to gaming session, kept in cold storage boxes in an unheated basement and then a warm office, used as a new and challenging battlefield by my kids with their Heroscape figures, they're looking rather worn. Duct tape remains flexible for a long time, which is not generally a good thing when dealing with painted crafts like this. I really wouldn't mind hearing suggestions about other ways of doing it--I KNOW they're out there, if someone has the time to spend on it. I'm a min-maxer to a fault when it comes to stuff like this... Infinity