Frodo's Quest: Frodo Baggins

Yesterday, I finished painting Frodo, and I used him as my first entry for the Modern Fantasy Painting Party at the LAF.

I am already painting my next entry, and as this particular Painting Club runs for 200 entries, I think I should be able to get another couple of minis done before it closes.

He is part of my 'Contrast Paints Trial', and only the skin and metal (and base) were painted using traditional paints.

I now just have to finish one Black Rider, and paint some 3D-printed Smials, and I shall be ready to test run my planned first scenario of Frodo's Quest (I kinda forgot what rules I was going to use, but I remember the general outlines and shall cook something up).

Frodo's Quest: Samwise Gamgee

I have not given up on my 'little' side project, it was just on pause like everything else from last summer until recently.

Sam is now ready to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Rivendell - and beyond!

This mini was painted primarily with Citadel Contrast Paints, although some details were done with normal layering (metal, skin, and the backpack, mainly).

He was varnished, first with Citadel 'Ardcoat, then Humbrol Matt Acrylic Varnish, both brush-on.

As mentioned in my first post about this project, I think that Contast Paints are best suited for plastic minis, but as I started Frodo and Sam this way, I am also going to finish them. Later metal additions to the project will be painted the conventional way, leaving the Contrast Paints for the plastics.

 And here a shot of both the finished minis so far:

Next week I shall probably start finishing in-the-flesh Frodo (I start my five nights work period tomorrow, so I shall not be able to spend much time at the pain(t) station before then).

Frodo's Quest: First Mini 'Finished'

Not much painting to do on this one, but I thought I would show it, anyway.

I expect to have one or two additional finished models (Frodo and Sam in corporeal form) ready within the next week or so (I have a lot to do on the job front the rest of this week, and we are going to Horsens Medieval Festival Friday to Sunday).

I have not yet decided on a rule set to use for the Frodo's Quest campaign, but I think I shall try to design the scenarios in a way that they can be played with whatever ruleset I like - even solo and/or with a GM managing the bad guys.

The first scenario will feature Frodo and Sam trying to sneak away from Hobbiton, while a Black Rider tries to intercept them, and a couple of members of the Silent Watch may interfere. I have it all in my head, I just need to get the minis ready for the table, and some terrain painted up, before I write down the details.

Frodo's Quest: 3D Printed Smials - and then Some!

I have been printing some copies of one of the 'Small Entrances' for Modular Gaming Hills, as well as some hill pieces to go with them, by Terrain4Print on Thingiverse, and I have now prepped and primed the first pieces for painting. I shall need some flower tufts for this, methinks.

I have also slabbed some more Contrast Paint on Frodo and Sam. My experience so far is that this kind of painting is probably best reserved for plastics, as they have fewer small surface imperfections to disrupt the paint - but I shall see this little project through, as the minis are spares I thought I could just as well experiment on.

The rangers are also getting a little attention, now and then, and I have removed the excess sand after taking this photo. I may find time to treat them to a coat of Wraithbone Contrast Undercoat, so that I can try out the effects on that, too.

LotR: Frodo's Quest - Heroes and Villains

I have been doing some work on my 'little' side project each day this week, and of course I have some progress to show for it.

Today, I rebased a couple of them rangers that I need for the first scenario I am planning (I actually considered getting some of the ranger minis done by North Star for Rangers of Shadow Deep, but common sense prevailed, and I went for some of the minis I already own).

I also for the first time rebased a cavalry model onto one of the pill-shaped MDF/washer cavalry bases I have constructed - one of The Nine, searching the Shire for Baggins.

I also cleaned up, based, and primed some spare copies of Frodo and Sam (from the first Fellowship boxed set) that I have from one of the second hand lots I bought years ago.

I primed them white because I am going to paint them with Contrast Paints, to try those out, but I have already realized that some colours will have to be done with traditional paints - especially the skin, as the Contrast Paint skin colours end up way too dark (the photo shows the colours somewhat less dark than they appear in the flesh, so to speak.

I used Darkoath Flesh on Sam, and Guilliman Flesh on Frodo; neither with a satisfactory result. I never the less expect to be able to paint most of both minis with the Contrast Paints, apart from the skin and the metal parts.

I am going to paint Frodo's dagger as normal steel, not glowing blue, as in the movies he did not receive Sting, and the Mithril shirt from Bilbo until meeting him in Rivendell (I cannot recall if Bilbo left him those items in Bag End in the book, I shall have to read the books once more  to brush up on the trivia).

LotR: Frodo's Quest - Invisible Frodo

I dug this out for a little project I have going on.

It is kind of a side project, only requiring a fistful of minis, but I may become the start of a linked series of LotR-mania, only time will tell...

I have no idea what the NIB value would have been on the collectors' market, and I really do not care the slightest - I bought this to game with it, and now I am finally putting it to its intended use!

So, out of the blister it came, and in the meantime, I have begun basing it - at the same time as a set of second hand Fellowship Frodo and Samwise that I also have to get ready for this, for now, little side quest.

I an going to paint them with Citadel Contrast Paints (metal Frodo and Sam, that is), to learn how they behave (the Contrast Paints, that is) - I can always strip and repaint them when I have some 'properly' painted versions ready for the table.

I expect to have an update on this project one of the next days; I have a gaming session tomorrow afternoon, so I am not sure whether I shall have time for reporting any progress, but I plan to apply the kaizen principles to it, so that it does not get bogged down.

I have not yet decided which ruleset to use - I may even go back and apply the actual LotR/Hobbit/Middle-Earth SBG rules with some house rules added, but that is yet to be seen.