Monday 18 January 2016

If it bleeds, we can kill it.

Epic Fail?  A title that could so easily have been referring to my contribution for this bonus round as I was totally stumped for ideas when I first read it.  Still unperturbed I took it upon myself to indulge in a bit of web based research only to lose an hour of my life chuckling at the great many de-motivational posters that appear when typing in said title – people can be so cruel, but then again people can be so stupid!    Humour was going to be important in this round, something mildly absurd that it draws a smile over the most cynical of faces.
I considered famous military blunders of which there are many; the Charge of Light Brigade, Little Big Horn and Maginot Line to name but a few.  In the end it came down to using miniatures that I already had and in this case I fell upon the Dogs of War set from 'Rogue Miniatures'.
This seven piece team of exquisitely sculpted mercenaries, armed to the teeth with a vast array of weaponry, bore an uncanny likeness to a certain team of commandos.  A team that was last seen on a mission in an unspecified Central American jungle only to find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial trophy hunter;  I refer, of course, to one of the Austrian Oak’s finer celluloid outings – Predator.  I have to confess that I love this film, probably because I was of a very impressionable age when it received its theatrical release in 1987 and there is one scene, above all, that qualifies it to represent in the epic fail round.
How is it that a crack team of elite Special Forces troops manage to 'unload' vast quantities of ammunition into the jungle and miss everything?  For a full sixty seconds* the team decimate the rain forest faster than a logging company and fail, epically, to bring down their target!
 *I know because I timed it!


"No blood, no bodies... We hit nothing!"
Still not all was lost as a splatter of lurid, green blood on one of few remaining plants in the vicinity suggests that the Predator was now, at least, be sporting a flesh wound! Yes this was cinematic gold and hugely entertaining nonsense, held together with some fine scriptwriting that proffered such memorable lines as,
"I've seen some bad-ass bush before, man, but nothin' like this."

"You lose it here; you're in a world of hurt."

and the immortal,
"Get to da Chopper!"
So my contribution to second round was made up of eight** 28mm miniatures on a scenic base and is intended as a homage rather than an actual representation of the infamous scene; especially as devotees of the film will be quick to point out that it was Blaine, the self proclaimed "god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus", whose untimely end prompts the ensuing 'lead fest', with Sergeant Mac Eliot picking up, "Ol' Painless", a hand-held M134 Minigun, and firing off two hundred rounds - Epic Fail!
**I had considered just painting seven and claiming an additional five points for a 'cloaked' Predator,!
The Predator was an impulse buy from the Predastore, a curious consortium of sculptors commissioned from a central base in Switzerland. The company produce a range of exquisitely sculpted 'hunters'; this one imaginatively dubbed, 'Chasing Hunter' is sculpted by Remy Tremblay. Each miniature is limited in its run and when this number is reached is never cast again. From the outset I was a tad apprehensive as I was venturing into a more exclusive market and unsure as to whether or not I would be able to do justice to the miniature. When it arrived the apprehension rose a notch or two on seeing so many tiny pieces that needed to be assembled.
On a positive note there were a minimal amount of mould lines and where there was any flash it was so paper thin that it disappeared when I washed the model - this was serious stuff! I instantly packed it away and tried to forget just how much I had spent on a single miniature. When I say packed away I mean carelessly threw it into a box with other miniatures, for when I came to assemble it for this project, I was missing some flaying dreadlocks and the beast's mandibles were somewhat denuded!
I managed to fill the gaps in his scalp with greenstuff, but my dentistry skills are clearly not up to scratch, but having tentatively drilled and pinned his wrist I wasn't prepared to chance my arm much further. When it came to painting I was pleasantly surprised how straightforward it was and having established a palate for skin, leather and armour it all rather fell into place much to my relief.
 Finally, then, the jungle which went through several incarnations before I settled on the current offering based again on a 'Warbases' 120mm MDF disc, with smaller discs to aid standing the miniatures on.  The palms, from 'The Model Tree Shop' are slotted into root like holders so that they can be removed and reused, whilst the etched brass tree ferns, available through 'Hasslefree Miniatures', are fixed with little lumps of green stuff.  
From the most unlikely of starting points, I have to say that I am delighted with how the entry progressed and thrilled to have finally tackled some miniatures that have been too long overlooked.  Of course my entry is only one of many and I would urge you to go and see the others here.

92 comments:

  1. This was an AWESOME entry to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, Michael. Your time and effort in preparing, painting and then posting it is inspirational to say the least and will be one I'll be returning to in due course, once I've purchased the minis :-)

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    1. Thank you Simon and I hope that you enjoy the miniatures, once you've picked them up - very easy to prepare. I do enjoy the bonus rounds, but of course have now fallen behind on everything else, not least pulp miniatures.

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  2. Hola Amigo
    en una palabra MAGNIFICO,te as salido con la ejecución de esta escena
    un saludo

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    1. Thank you so much J.D. that is very kind of you.

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  3. YOU ARE A GODDAMN MODELING TYRANNOSAUR!

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    1. Well that certainly brought a smile to my face, thank you.

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  4. Oh my, Michael! Wow - these are super cool! I love the movie and your brushwork brought out every character perfectly. I didn't even know they made sculpts for these guys.

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    1. Thank you so much Dean, I definitely think it helps when you are painting something that evokes such much or fond memories.

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  5. Another cracking entry. Keep it up mate.

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    1. Thank you so much, certainly have a couple more ideas up my sleeve.

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  6. Epically done Michael, I find it quite enthralling all these miniature sets you find from the classics! As soon as I saw them my favorite line popped into my head

    "I ain't got time to bleed" HAHHAAHHA

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    1. "You goy time to duck?" Another fabulous exchange! I do find it difficult to resist such great miniatures, which is probably why I never get anything finished.

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  7. Excellent, truly excellent!

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  8. A beautiful piece of work!

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  9. Classic vignette beautifully executed Michael.
    Don't forget the classic: "I aint got time to bleed" :-)

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    1. Thank you Paul, it certainly was a film built around one liners!

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  10. You are surely a member of the prestigious Fellowship of the Modeling Brotherhood. Excellent work, my friend.

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    1. Now are they the ones with the secret handshake and rolled up trouser leg? Thank you Brother Jay.

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  11. Epic looking entry Michael love it! There was a game for this at one of the shows and i'm sure there are some rules kicking about somewhere.

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    1. Thank you Simon and I would have loved to have seen the game - the rules sound interesting too.

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    2. I can't find it for the life of me. But it was a giant jungle board game with the usual suspects trying to get to a chopper :)

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  12. I think its gonna be hard to beat! Beautiful work once again Sir M!!!

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    1. That's very kind of you Ray, but the competition is pretty fierce in this round.

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  13. Truly stunning michael. You know how much i love 80's movies and tv.....yet i don't have these. Ill need to pick some up from Andy.

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    1. Thank you, but be careful he has a lot of other tempting things!

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  14. Michael brilliant takes me back to hiding away in my room with old Arnie pinned to the back of the door....
    They really don't make them like this any more. :-)
    Cheers
    Stu

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    1. Thank you so much Stuart and they certainly don't! I have just realised that yours is one of the blogs that is no longer showing on my reading list. I must pop over and see what you are up to.

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  15. Yeah! These are great! Lovely work, Sir! Makes me want to watch the movie! I may have to order it...haven't seen it in a long time!

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    1. Thank you as for the film it will never win any Oscars, but still enjoyable rubbish.

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  16. Wonderful vignette and well imagined and executed too.

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    1. Thank you so much, Michał - that is very kind of you.

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  18. "You're one, ugly... motherf@&$er"

    You've excelled yorself, sir. You've these desperadoes and their hunter perfectly!

    Like you, it's one of my all time favourite Arnie offerings along with Total Recall and The Running Man. That was an era that can't be topped even with all the high tech CGI available these days.

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    1. Thank you so much Ben, yes live was simpler in those days, muscles and gratuitous, storybook violence - where did it all go wrong? ;)

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  19. These were great, reminded me very much of the film, which at the time was a cracker

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  20. Another corker mate. You got my vote and I predict another well deserved podium finish for your latest effort...

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    1. That is incredibly kind of you, but there is a lot of very good competition for this one not least of all is your revenge demon!

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  21. Ah, Predator... Not only the start of the franchise, but one of the first movies that allowed wrestlers screen time. Excellent entry, Michael. May have to look at Rogue Miniatures again, as I was only aware of their Blackadder and Brittania figures. ..

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    1. Thank you Jez, you be careful over at Rogue Miniatures, lots of very tempting stuff!

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  22. So very impressive Michael !!! Stunning set-up and paintwork !

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  23. Amazing vignette! And a brilliant choice of subject! Though it might have been an epic win as well, because if they'd managed to shoot up the Predator in the beginning it might have made for a rather dull film :)

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    1. That is a very good point and where would the fun have been then?

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  24. Another stunning diorama with lots of nice details. The painting is top-notch – I'm really fond of the skin tones – and the basing is just fantastic.

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    1. Thank you so much Jonas. I knew that I wanted a jungle style base, but it was very much an add on after the miniatures were painted.

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  25. Another fantastic set of miniatures, top notch execution (unlike the outcome of that scene) I sneaked in, underage, the local flea pit to watch that film. One of Arnie's best.

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  26. Really astounding work, Michael. I'm not sure if you saw my post on the Painting Challenge Facebook group, but my father (a retired model kit builder) is very dismissive of shading and highlighting on model figures. I think I'm going to have to show him this to change his mind!

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    1. Thank you so much Bill and I'd love to know what your father thinks too.

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  27. Very nice sir A. All you really need is a clear resin predator now. Stonking good stuff.

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    1. Thank you Clint and now there's an idea! I have a feeling that you used to be able to get one.

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  28. Superb! A great tribute to a 'classic' film. The Predastore, Predators are great, but I always considered them to be display pieces. Would it stand up to gaming?

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    1. Thank you Mark. This one is based on a slightly larger MDF base (30mm) so there are no overhanging parts, which I thought might help a bit. The resin is also incredibly lightweight and whilst I would never want to drop anything on it, I think it would just 'bounce' on the table if knocked without causing too much damage. Having knocked off the fine detail already there isn't much more that I would worry about.

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  29. excellent work on this timeless classics of action movies. :)

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  30. Fantastic work..... looks like the movie :O

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  31. Most excellent Michael! I don't really like Schwarzenegger as an actor but you've captured/ interpreted the scene perfectly.

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    1. Thank you Nick, he is not everyone's cup of tea, but I just remember this film been such good fun at the time.

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  32. Awesome minis & diorama - & great film! If anyone hasn't seen it, I highly recommend the amusing Predator the Musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlicWUDf5MM

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    1. That is absolutely brilliant thank you for the link!

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    2. Thanks Pawn Cocktail, that´s hilarious!!! :D

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    3. No problem. You've really done the characters justice with your painting, Michael. The voices are spot on in that video, & I love the line "Stop shaving, you don't have a beard!"

      The same people ('legolambs' on YouTube) have also done musicals for other classics, including Conan the Barbarian, Commando, Robocop, Terminator 2, The Running Man, Aliens...

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    4. "Set a trap for the monster, while we still have our skin."

      Classic.

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  33. Great post, Michael, loved to read it. Yes, I guess stupidity and cruelty often go hand in hand.. Congratulations on yet another masterpiece - a fine tribute to one of Arnie´s best movies ever - even though those guys couldn´t hit an elephant in a narrow corridor :) Thanks for sharing!!!Cheers!

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    1. Thank you so much for the great feedback, it is greatly appreciated.

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  34. Your epic fail is an epic success. Outstanding in every respect.

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  35. From concept to execution ... magnificent! They truly are. And as to the elite soldiers failing to hit the target ... now we know where some of the genetic material for A New Hope Stormtroopers came from ;)

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  36. I think this was a magnificent effort Michael!

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  39. Very nice models! I've linked your work in my article about the set: Dogs of War set from Rogue Miniatures

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