Some of my older readers may remember my prevarications over the last few years. Well no more! It is done.




This big old beastie was brought to you by Heresy Miniatures.

I have just come to the realisation that I haven’t posted any painting pictures this year. Like last year I have joined the Painting Challenge on Facebook
This year is an extra challenge, which I am trying in conjunction with the main challenge. The main challenge is to paint 52 miniatures over the year. The second challenge is to tackle 12 scary models or projects that have been intimidating and that have been put on a back burner.
I will start with the main challenge.
Now to the 12 scary things
What has been holding me up, but I am plugging along with it, is the Heresy Dragon. I have pledged to myself that I will not paint anything else until it is finished. When I have finished it, which will be another week at current progress, I am going to kick back and relax with a couple of tanks that I have been itching to paint. Plus a couple of projects that are half finished.
Every summer my Wife and the Boys drive down to Croatia for a holiday. Well somebody has to stay and tend to the chickens and cats. My chance to have a bit of time to myself and spread out and finish any projects that have been on hold for a while. I was a bit ill with a virus that made me very tired and demotivated so I didn’t do as much as I wanted.
Way back in 2011 I was approaching my redundancy at St. Martins and I used the time wisely. I made a whole load of these.
A plastic base, wire looped and glued into position, sand and PVA applied and primed in black. I didn’t do anything with them until now. This was the base build for some hedges. Following Mel’s videos on his YouTube channel I made a load of foam clump foliage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN16RxVNrvc Then following Luke’s videos on his YouTube channel I hade some flock. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsmD5774MOQhjYBkXqu3Jdw
Using Luke’s videos I purchased some Tacky Glue, I must find somewhere here in Austria that stocks it because the postage was a killer. At my local DIY store I purchased some spray adhesive.
Stage One: paint base brown. Stage Two: drybrush base. Stage Three: apply Tacky Glue to wire and press on clump foliage. Stage Four: spray on adhesive and sprinkle with flock. I didn’t bother photographing these stages as you will get a better idea from the videos.
What I managed to do. There are some still to do but I had run out of clump foliage and the blender used for making it was awaiting a part from the UK.
I must mention that Mel has been hard at work and recently had a Kickstarter to promote a book all about making wargaming terrain. If you missed it, or like me don’t have a form of money that Kickstarter recognises…. you can get on board herehttps://terrain-essentials.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Earlier this week we took a trip across the border (luckily nobody mentioned the war) to visit the Hans-Peter Porsche Traumwerk. A new toy museum in Bavaria.
Link here http://www.hanspeterporsche.com/
This was a really well laid out and beautifully curated museum, and as is typical of Porsche no expense was spared.
Here is my first attempts at a colour scheme. I think I need to step away for a couple of days and re-assess it. The pale colour is a little bluer than it appears here.
Mostly paint particles.
I decided to strike while the iron was hot and try airbrushing the wings. The set up for airbrushing isn’t quite right yet, but a few small tweaks should get it there. More practice is required. Firstly getting the paint to the right consistancy and secondly getting the airflow/needle balance right.
And patience. Take time and build up the paint slowly otherwise it runs.
Most importantly wear a mask.
The leaves on the trees are changing from green to orange. The mountains have had their first snow. Our winter wood has been delivered and safely stored.
And now I have primed the Dragon.
So far I have only used a single action airbrush. Now it’s time to up my game and break out the double-action airbrush for the wings.
I have been prevaricating around the bush about the Dragon. Mainly because I am nervous as it is the biggest model that I will have attempted. I do have bigger in the lead mountain, a Forgeworld Titan, but that model really does put the wind up me. Maybe next year?
I have been doing other things, work avoidance really, glueing together all the laser cut bits that that I have made for my scenery over the year and various DIY and painting jobs around the house.
The Wife and Kids have gone to Croatia for a week so I have the whole place to myself. This is good, the dining room table has been commandeered and all my loose ends from various corners have been spread out and collated. This has tidied up my work areas and reduced clutter.
The weather is far too good to be sat inside painting. So I am sat looking at the hazy mountains all blue in the distance and soaking up the sun. I have set some thermometers to tell me how hot it is. One is telling me it is 57 degrees. Another says 41.4 degrees, it also says it’s raining. And an older more traditional thermometer says 45 degrees. So it’s quite warm.
I haven’t painted for four months.
There has been the Puppet’s War Robot sat on my desk half done for all this time and I think I have been using it as an excuse. So I have packed it away and cleaned the desk away of any other distractions.
It’s arrived at last! And it’s huge! Flippin’ huge!
I am of course talking about the Heresy Dragon. I ordered it before Number Two Son was even thought of.
Andy, the creative genius behind Heresy, has had an absolute nightmare producing this. Originally he thought it would take a couple of months to produce. Since then…
http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=260
Here is a scale shot with a 28mm figure just to give you an idea.
The pity is that now it has to go back into the box for a couple of months until my man-cave is set up in our new house.
Did I say, “New house”? Yes, I did. More on that to come.
If you can’t beat them, join them!
I want to bring back the old classic monsters in resin as it’s so much nicer to have 3 or 4 large chunks of lovely smooth resin to assemble rather than a dozen chunks of hard to put together metal.
To raise the funds for this new project – which will be shipped post-Dragon, in February next year, so don’t panic, Dragon queue, you’re still being sorted out first! – I’ve turned to that Kickstarter that they have now and that everyone seems to love.
Here’s the link, it’s live and you can pledge RIGHT NOW.
The most exciting bit?
The NetherLord Mark 1, spined and winged versions, will be exclusively available as part of this Kickstarter campaign!
Yes, all those of you who have waited years and pestered me about it at every show and buy email, this is your chance, your one chance, to get that model you missed out on a few years back. Not only is it back, but it’s beautiful. None of the problems with assembly that the metal one had, and a lovely smooth surface to paint. Also you don’t need an arm like the Hulk to hold it up to paint! There are a few early bird special offers and one or two very limited reward levels on the campaign. Just go take a look and see what catches your interest.
I’m going to be constantly adding new Large Monsters and Minions and Fallen Ones and Merch and all sorts of wonderful, evil things over the next two weeks. The Kickstarter ends Wednesday the 3rd September.
Even if you don’t want to take part yourself, please tell your friends! This might be the chance to turn things around for Heresy (and if things go really well indeed, maybe even take some time off to concentrate on clearing the dragon queue or get some new staff to help out!). I have such sights to show you, but I need you to help me get them out there!
Go, go, go!
All the best, and good luck!
Andy Foster
Heresy Miniatures Ltd
(sorry, no balloons)
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