Bailey03's WIP

Zab

New member
its a nice mini but i think you have master the historical arena. I still want to see you do some more fantasy as you really shine there what with all the freedom you have to do literally ANYTHING you can imagine. Also, not that you need it, but stepping outside your wheelhouse will help you grow more - not that i encourage that as then none of us will ever catch up, but still :)
 

Maenas

New member
I also prefer the version without the helmet, it gaves the miniature a more personal look (I've seen lots with the helmet on), specially with that scar on it's mouth.
 

Bailey03

Well-known member
Thanks, guys.

Zab, we'll see what happens. The good thing about this hobby is that there are always new figures to paint. It's also a bit of a bad thing as there are always new distractions! The gladiator is awesome, but it'll be months before I start it (got a project for Ouroborus next, one of their orcs). There may well be something new that's caught my attention by then. I just saw an update from Latorre on facebook. He's got a cool probably 75mm figure that at first I thought was just neat Chaos warrior, but the latest update has him looking more like some post-apoc dude. Would be another cool project I could do instead. I'm also getting a couple sci-fi figures from the Luxumbra kickstarter. So yeah, plenty of distractions coming up in the next few months. :)

I'm almost done with the Dragoon's base. I finished up the column and painted the groundwork. Still need to do some work on the gate. I also want to add some grass on the right side of the base, near the column. Break up the brown of the dirt a bit and also tie it together with the green of the Dragoon's coat.
View attachment 56681View attachment 56682View attachment 56683View attachment 56684
 

Bailey03

Well-known member
Thanks, Guawol and Krule. No more pictures of the Dragoon until after the show this weekend. I'm still rushing to take care of the finishing touches and also put together a presentation for the show (doing a short painting seminar during lunch), so not enough time to stop and take photos!

In the meantime, I thought I'd post a couple figure announcements that might interest people. I just wrote up a review for this new kit from RN Estudio: http://figurementors.com/kit-review-valentina-rn-estudio
It's a 54mm scale anime style figure. While I'm not as into anime as some people, I like the aesthetic and have wanted to do some figures in that style. Seems like most are the 1/8 scale and 1/6 scale garage kits. I haven't found much at the scales I normally paint, so this was something that definitely caught my eye. They've got some other interesting figures too. Their newest one is an orc bust based on World of Warcraft. I'll be doing a review of that too, once it arrives.
View attachment 56735

Another figure that just caught my eye is this 70mm shieldmaiden from Valkiria Miniatures. It's a great looking female sculpt (first image looks like a 3-D render to me, but the second shows the actual cast). Also an unique scene/pose with her painting a shield. Obviously a good opportunity to work on some freehand designs! It's up for pre-order and I just order a copy for myself. There are plenty of viking/barbarian/fantasy figures in that scale, so now I'm looking for someone to pair her with.
View attachment 56736View attachment 56737
If this interests you too, check out their facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/valkiriapoland/

That's all for now. I'll have some more photos to share after this weekend and a brand new project I plan to start on. Going back to fantasy for the next one!
 

MAXXxxx

Well-known member
hmm, rn-estudio.
just yesterday I also found them, went with the mini made by Mariya Panfilova.
They have some good figures, but somehow the proportions / expressions are weird on most.
 

BloodASmedium

[img]http://pnp
Excellent work yet again. After I view your pages I can think of nothing I want to do more than just paint historicals.. You make them (like your fantasy and anything you touch) that enticing...
 

Bailey03

Well-known member
Yeah, I just found them the other week. They have some interesting stuff, though not every piece is a winner. I agree, a couple of their earlier pieces have some odd expressions and more cartoony proportions. But the most of the stuff seems to have improved on those. My only concern with some of their stuff, and I noted this in the review, is that details which looked good on the 3-D render, came out pretty light in the actual 3-D print or the cast. For Valentina, that was the fine detail design on her shirt/vest. Not a major drawback by any means. The overall figure looks great and, when I finally get the time, I'm looking forward to painting her. But I get the feeling it takes a certain amount of experience to know what size details must be in the 3-D render for them to come out well in the actual print and cast versions of the figure. I'd guess about half their box art or a little more is made up from the 3-D renders. They do have a number of pieces where the box art is the actual painted figure, so that's great. But when all I see is the 3-D render, I do worry how well the cast figure will live up to it. For Valentina, it was pretty good (but not perfect). I'll hopefully get the orc bust next week, so that will be another one for me to compare and see how well they did.
 

Bailey03

Well-known member
Ha, well that is truly some fine art. Maybe I'll order a second copy of the figure and can have her restoring the piece instead.
 

MAXXxxx

Well-known member
My only concern with some of their stuff, and I noted this in the review, is that details which looked good on the 3-D render, came out pretty light in the actual 3-D print or the cast. For Valentina, that was the fine detail design on her shirt/vest. Not a major drawback by any means.
Same thing for all companies. I remember an article with Poots about the KD minis that were designed in 3d soft. If they look good on screen they turn out to be soft on details after print.
So to have a good figure, you'd have to over exaggerate every detail until it looks horrible on screen, but prints out nicely.

This is worse as you go down in scales, so very little issue on 1/6 figures, quite a problem on 10-15mm ones.
 

Bailey03

Well-known member
Yup, very true, MAXXxxx. I'm not entirely sure RN Estudio has learned that lesson. Though I also don't know who is doing their 3-D sculpting. Looks like they have a number of different people, judging on the different styles of the figures. So it may be a matter of whether or not the 3-D sculptor is aware of how their work will come across when printed and cast. But, regardless, it should be up to the company making the figures (in this case, RN Estudio) to be in charge of quality control and make sure the 3-D sculpt they commission or purchase is what is needed to make a good figure for painting.

Anyway, all this is just guessing for now. I've seen a very minor issue on Valentina. I've got a copy of their Death Bringer and the detail looks fine. And I should see how the orc bust turned out in the next week or so. I just wanted to be honest about my reservations before I gave everything the company does a thumbs up. :)
 

Maenas

New member
I really think the industry has embarked a bit tad too early on the 3D printing... lots sell it as an improvement whereas the big majority is a downgrade from manually sculpted figurines.

Minor issues I've seen are crispness, with actual miniatures being "soft or bland" when you see an awesome 3D sculpt and major issues include printing lines/levels being casted on the final product or somewhat a one side "slanted" piece. But I think what happens here is a lack of experience on the new materials/machines... so I hope everything will improve even further in the future.
 

Sicks

Active member
I read your review of the the studio model, very good write up, to be honest they came to my attention a few years back when i was looking at alternative fantasy football minis before GW announced they were bringing back blood bowl, they do have some nice kits but I've never bought from them yet.

3d printing has a way to go i think, some companies have done it well in terms of the final product being accurate to the render (guild Ball minis come to mind) but i think sometimes they go overboard on tiny details (again some of the guild Ball minis come to mind) since they can zoom right in and aren't racing against the drying time of whichever putty they are using. Having said that it seems likely that it will be the future of miniatures as people get more used to how to make a good rend that will print and cast well
 

SaintToad

New member
Interesting conversation. I tend to think that in a hobby where we're willing to go to such insane lengths to create something we're proud of, there will always be strong representation of traditional casting methods.
There are some people who will stubbornly always want a piece 'closer to the artist's hand'. Though I'll be open to improvements in 3-D printing capabilities and improved understanding of production methods, I suspect I'm always going to reserve my preference for the work of a human artist (I say that without meaning to denigrate the artistry of a digital designer).
At some point my perspective may change, but absolute perfection has never been my goal as an artist, so I doubt it.
 

TheLost

New member
Damnit David... why did you have to share the Valkiria Miniatures link... I don't need to buy more stuff I can't paint! lol NOW I HAVE TO BUY THIS!!! IT'S 170mm TALL!!! WTF!?!?!?

View attachment 56839
 
Last edited:

Bailey03

Well-known member
Ha, now that is a cool one! I'd love to see him on one of your bases with trees and rocks falling from his hands, like he just picked up some big junks of earth. I think you could definitely have fun integrating him into one of your bases!

I put together some images of the finished Dragoon. I wrapped up the work on the base and then attached and painted the sword. Here's how he turned out
View attachment 56943 View attachment 56944 View attachment 56945 View attachment 56946 View attachment 56947 View attachment 56948

I took him with me to the SCAHMS show this past weekend. I've done plenty of painting this past year, but mostly ended up with partially finished pieces. The fallen angel ended up with a collector, so this was the only finished piece I had to show. Still, he ended up winning me a gold. In addition, I was honored with the clubs Masters Award for this year. Definitely a surprise!
15.jpg
 

AndyG

Active member
Well deserved win your painting has been getting better and better. Lovely work on the figure especially the trousers.
 
Back To Top
Top