Whizard Hlavaz

Very nice. The face is quite well done. And his leather hat looks well-worn and oiled. Nice work.

Lovely. Nice piece. Really like the stylized snow. What is that?

Yes. Such is my power. Able to raise and ressurrect long-since dormant or dead threads from the depths of obscurity and lost memory. Fear me, mortals! You bet. Seriously lovely piece. Great work.

I'm actually partial to 14214 -- Ian. I can see putting some flames in his hands as though he's doing a little sympathy. Does anyone know if the sword strapped to the back of 14214 come separate? I'm assuming it does and would rather leave it off.

So I'm totally late to this party but still just wanted to say "wow". Super-duper sweetness. Nice work.

Kate? Hmm? Hmm?

NMM can be dark. I've successfully rendered black NMM. Color doesn't matter. It's the placement of reflections and highlights that's key. Your piece looks like crystal -- as cool as that is -- mainly because every edge is rendered with a highlight and the other surfaces are largely ignored. While edges do reflect more light on metal, you need to pay attention to the placement of highlights on every plane or surface. The scalloped interior of the blade in BI, for instance, needs a lot more attention. The movement from light to shadow across the surface is lost. Your best bet is to have several pieces of metal on your desk while painting and simply copy how they reflect light. Color doesn't matter. Highlight and shadows do. Another tip -- a great many of your brightest highlights will fall next to your darkest shadows or at least a line of shadow. In any event, just keep studying. You'll get it.

Zap-a-Gap brand of cyano super glue works well for most of my 25mm metal needs. You may need to drill and pin, however. In fact, I recommend it. Super glues are often brittle and don't take well to shocking blows like a drop. Pins help add internal stability.

Another sweet piece. Very nice, Derek. Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

Very cool. Thanks, Warlady. Nice recommendations. And yes, maybe Pat will stop blogging and finish already. Here's to hoping. Although, I really like reading his blog, too. Good stuff.

Ah-ha! Very funny! Great job!

Winsor and Newton Series 7 Pointed Rounds all the way (not series 7 miniature -- you want more bristles to hold more paint). Get 'em at Dick Blick. I recommend size 0 and 1 -- again, larger brushes hold more paint while still giving you needle-sharp points. And they taste great!

Very nice work, Andy. She's a difficult miniature --- loads of surfaces. I was just looking at her as a possibility for one of my 'return to painting' pieces, and she spooked me. You did a *very* nice job. I appreciate the textures you've rendered -- on the quiver, for instance. Nice work.

Nice Uncle Sam. Great work with the stripes there. And agree -- the superhero is nice, too. Good job.

Looking good. Some nice depth -- dimension -- to her features. Good job.

Nobody, eh? OK. Piers it is. If you happen to think of anything in the short term, don't be shy and let me know. Thanks.

Absolutely. Put me down, please. If we're fortunate enough to attract more than a couple beyond 6, can you accomodate them? Or is that a hard cap? If so, should we plan another venue as back up?

Good man!

Schedualing the time to actually paint is the hard part. And to this end -- should we start a N.E. Paint Day thread? Hmm? Hmm?

In the great nation of New England? Yes, indeed!!! But to clarify -- I mean to say for those Reaper Peeps in N.E., Keene N.H. is a bit west. We have folks in ME, eastern NH, Boston area, and then south in CT (which would make Keene a bit too north). That's all I meant. Of course, any of you folks from the rest of the U.S. are welcome to come if we have a day. We can put folks up.

I'm interested. And willing to travel wherever. I can always get space @ Toy City in Keene, NH. But that's a bit west for a lot of folks. So anything is good by me.

I carry my competition pieces with me in the cabin. I check any unpainted or in-progress pieces with my luggage (in my luggage). I've never had a problem with TSA but have always been prepared to unpack the figures for inspection. Nobody has ever asked. I pack my comp pieces in foam and acrylic cases. The foam and cases can be had at Michael's. I cut the foam to fit to the proportions of the acrylic case, cut the (most likely) cube of foam in half, then cut a space to the basic shape and dimensions of the miniature, leaving sufficient padding around all sides (plan ahead). I then line this space with soft, polishing cloth; place the mini inside; close it up; and put it all down into the cube -- miniature base toward the bottom of the cube (and sides of foam marked to show which side is up). Often I first place a piece of cardboard, cut to the dimensions of the case, down inside the case. To this I attach a ribbon on the underneath, which I then loop up and out of the case on two sides, creating a sling. This gives me something to hold as I pull the (often snug) foam up and out of the cube when unpacking. And if that ain't control-freak enough for you... Oh, and the less TSA has to ask of you, the less scrutiny they'll give your figs. Have your shoes off ahead of time... don't carry your knife... don't have unbagged liquids/gels over the regulated ounces... etc.

Well, I've been painting miniatures on and off since I was about 10 or 11, which -- for those of you who know how old I am -- is a looooong time. I can't remember specifically when I discovered Reaper miniatures. Or when I bought my first. But I do remember going online one day in 2003 (I had to look at my join date to get the year) to visit the Reaper webpage. I can't remember what prompted me -- either because the blister pack listed a web address or else a search for online vendors produced a link. In any event, I came to the front page, poked around, and thought to myself "Wow, this company needs a forum. I should write to the webmaster and tell him to get off his butt and put one up." So impetuous as always, I clicked on the webmaster's contact link and began to write an e-mail. Only something started tickling me to check to see if there ACTUALLY WAS a forum before I clicked send on the e-mail. Lo and behold... there was. And so I was saved from making a fool of myself to Kit.... on that occasion, at least.

For starters -- If you haven't read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, do so. Now. Seriously, stop reading this thread, go get the book, and read it. Now. You're still reading here... <sigh> I can only lead a horse to water... All that said... if you have read it, what miniature -- Reaper or otherwise -- would you use to represent young Kvothe, specifically while he's at the University? I'm thinking 65006: Piers, Young Mage by Sandra Garrity and add a mandolin, either on his back or propped beside him. Maybe I need a chair to prop it against. Are there any chair miniatures? Obviously, I have a project in mind.

Hm. Very nice. Do you have contest results, yet?