A funny thing: I wanted to take photos of my miniatures with my DSLR and a large glass lens because I thought they would better represent the finished product as my eyes perceive them. And they do! But this 100mm macro lens is also really very good at photographing dust that the naked eye cannot see, especially on the edges of the models. So these have required basic retouching at a scale I genuinely did not expect. It isn’t egregious, really, maybe three or four spots per guy, but it is nevertheless more than I was prepared for going in.
Anyway, let’s get into the little creeps, eh?
Shoggoth, Call of Cthulhu, RAFM
Daisy got me the Shoggoth for Christmas, after I had bought some of the RAFM Call of Cthulhu line myself the previous fall. What a weird miniature! In a lot of ways, it remains one of the most challenging I’ve done because, well, look at it, what do you do with something like this? It even defied photography. A big issue for me is that the “body” is in two parts, with the “head” portion a sort of tank turret-like medallion. Something about the sculpt, or the casting, accentuates the seam between the pieces in a way the bothers me and you can still see it pretty clearly despite a lot of work on my part to fill it with putty. This thing generally required a lot of putty, which I had never worked with before.
The idea behind the paint job was just to make the final product as gross as possible. Red wash on white paint is pretty gross! This was also a big canvas to practice wet blending for nice gradients. For a piece that boils down to a lot of different experiments happening simultaneously, I think it came out pretty OK!
Prophet of Set (version 3), Dragon Bait
Drako (03-036), Fantasy Adventurers, Ral Partha
Hellios (03-035), Fantasy Adventurers, Ral Partha
When I saw Dragon Bait’s off-brand Thulsa Doom miniature, I couldn’t buy it fast enough. A lovely capturing of the spirit of the film character.
Drako here is a simple paint job, just gunmetal and wash for the most part. Not exciting, maybe, but sometimes simple can be fun and understated. I certainly wouldn’t want to fight this guy. Helios is a mix of paints and techniques. They’re both Tom Meier sculpts that loom large in my imagination in part because they were re-packaged later as part of Ral Partha’s three-stage Anti-Paladin character pack (along with Anti-Paladin, who I painted in 2025). The idea was each miniature represented the same character at different points (and power levels) in their career. I suspect Drako is highest level one with Helios in the middle? Anyway, these three, plus Boarak, form the foundation for my idea of a Champion of Chaos.
Dimensional Shamblers, Call of Cthulhu, RAFM
Ghasts, Call of Cthulhu, RAFM
After the Shoggoth, I prepped a bunch of RAFM Call of Cthulhu miniatures to paint. Several, alas, are still waiting, as is the way of this hobby, but I whipped through the Dimensional Shamblers and Ghasts pretty quickly and remain pleased with the results. These all use Army Speedpaint as basecoat, and then traditional paints and wash to bring out details and highlights.
I had the Shamblers back in the early ’90s and painted them flat brown, which was a disservice to Bob Murch’s sculpt. I never noticed the exposed bones before! I suppose that sort of illustrates that these creatures are not done manifesting their physical forms? They make for cool details, though, and I am still please with the fade on the skulls. I also guess maybe I had Tzeentch on my mind with the color scheme.
I thought the Ghasts looked rather silly before I painted them, and maybe would have skipped them entirely if I didn’t suspect that maybe they are meant to be Dimensional Shamblers too? They…don’t look like what I picture Lovecraft’s Ghasts looking like, which I always thought were much more Ghoul-like. And the stated Shamblers don’t really look like the weird sagging bags of flesh that are described in the game, where these do come closer (Tom Sullivan’s painting from the Petersen’s Guide seems rather midway between the two). Anyway, I love the big-toothed grins and the weird way their eyes sit.
Gug, Call of Cthulhu, RAFM
Another Bob Murch sculpt that seemed too silly to tolerate that, when painted, became a big fave. Just a complete, gigantic doofus, but also incredibly terrifying at the same time. Painting using similar methods as the Ghasts and Shamblers.
Black Dragon II, Dragon of the Month, Grenadier
I look back at this one and genuinely cannot believe I painted it. I worked on it forever, tuning and tuning, to the point that I no longer know what I really did. To the point that I have the Spectral Dragon, the Grenadier knock-off of Tiamat, which includes a black dragon head, and I have been avoiding painting it because I am certain it will come out worse than this one.
Otyugh, Wandering Monster Fun Pack, Dragon Bait
Bulette, Wandering Monster Fun Pack, Dragon Bait
Cockatrice, Wandering Monster Fun Pack, Dragon Bait
These guys are all plastic and came from the same box set. Some of the most fun painting I’ve done to date. These are a mix of Speedpaint and regular paint, and I did a lot of dry brushing for these. The Bulette, I think, is particularly interesting in how the plates are so repetitive and how that really helped me know where the paint was supposed to go, if that makes sense.
Minotaur (717 b), Julie Guthie’s Personalities, Grenadier
This frickin’ guy. Another model I’ve had since the ’90s. Always loved him. But had a devil of a time painting him. He is really quite sloppy, though I like the overall color scheme. The beast’s face was particularly difficult and I messed it up enough times that I stripped and primed it again to start over. But just the face! I don’t love it, but it got to a good enough place and I like him as a reminder that I can do that. I’ve not done such an extreme repair since, but I regularly go back in with primer to fix sloppiness.
Tsathoggua, Call of Cthulhu, RAFM
The capybara of Great Old Ones, far as I’m concerned. Straightforward paint job.
Undead Champions (918 a)
Brain Slayer, Ral Partha
Pig Orc Wizard (DF11), Dragon Bait
Grell, Wandering Monster Fun Pack, Dragon Bait
It was a very pink and purple year, I guess, looking back. The Undead Champion was I think the second miniature I painted and I hated how he came out, so I did it again. Vastly prefer this version, with the dusty highlights and the rust. If I recall correctly, he’s regular paint on black primer.
The Brain Slayer (lol) is a mix of Speedpaint and regular paint on white primer. Next to the Undead Champion, he looks so bright! The gold is Speedpaint and it is I think the first time I used metallic magic paint, and also the last time. Covers like crap, doesn’t wind up being terribly distinct from regular metallics. Not worth it.
Pig Orc Wizard is regular paint on black primer. Lotta blends and highlights on him that I still am sort of fascinated by. He varnished glossy (despite, you know, only using matte varnish), though, and I’ve not been able to get that to come down all the way, which is a bummer.
This Grell is the best miniature sculpt of a Grell I’ve come across, certainly the one who comes across most like the original Russ Nicholson illustrations. He’s plastic and done in regular paint on white primer.
Firbolg, 5th Field
I didn’t want to paint a Firbolg, I wanted to paint a Frost Giant. So, he’s a Frost Giant now. A mix of magic and regular paint, one of the most successful up to this point. His blue skin is way more successful and plausible, I think, than the last non-Frost Giant I painted like a Frost Giant.
Roper (F52), Dragon Bait
An amazing Roper sculpt. Slap/chopped this guy for the most part. One of these days I’ll go back and use spot gloss on his mouth, make him all shiny and drippy. Should do that the Otyugh, too, probably.
To be continued!
