Classic Conan

[Cadman]

With my current project ground to a halt while I wait for an international hobby order from Spain to be delivered, I was at a bit of a loose end. I had a look in my stash cupboard and realized I haven't done any fantasy stuff for a while, so decided to build a small vignette featuring this fine upstanding fellow....

 

 

He's a 75mm resin figure from Midnight Miniatures in the UK and I picked him up around two or three years ago -- and promptly forgot all about him, so that situation was to be rectified.

I reckoned I might as well do another figure while I was at it, although the female resin job won't be in the vignette; she's for something else once I get around to it.

As per usual, all the parts were given a good scrub with warm soapy water and then allowed to air dry.

 

 

Then a quick coat of Vallejo primer, and left overnight.

Only the heads were attached at this stage -- which in the case of the female figure was a huge mistake. Oh well....🙄

 

 

Next day, I got some color blocked on, but only after removing the lady's head....

 

 

....and then re-attached the head back on again.

 

 

So here's as far as I got last night.

 

I had anticipated the usual three-handed juggling act and fingers superglued together, trying to get both the arms to line up and connect to the right hand molded onto the sword blade, but managed to surprise myself when they actually went together with no major drama.

The female figure was put to one side for now while I concentrated on getting the Cimmerian Barbarian up to scratch.

 

 

 

So, what's the vignette going to be about then? Well, it's going to be based on Robert E. Howard's original novelette, "Shadows in the Moonlight".

 

 

But only based on it cos I'm not all that keen on the runaway slave character, "Olivia", in the story. She's just a bit too, "Damsel in Distress", so she's going to be replaced by, "Bêlit"; the self-styled Queen of the Black Coast, Captain of the pirate ship Tigress, and the young Conan's first serious squeeze. 

However, I'll certainly be including the fearsome man-eating giant Great Ape that features so prominently in Howard's yarn.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED....

[Cadman]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST....

 

So this morning it was just a case of getting more details done and adding a number of filters to better blend in the color transitions on all those flesh areas.

 

 

 

And dot in the eyes -- an action that's always liable to go wrong, which is why I usually leave it until I'm around the 75% finished point on any figure.

 

 

Another couple of very dilute flesh-colored filters were applied this afternoon, and the color transitions are beginning to blend nicely.

Meanwhile, here's the "Bêlit" figure that I did some time ago.

 

 

And here's the fearsome man-eating giant Great Ape.

 

 

All being well, I reckon I'll get the Conan figure finished tomorrow and then get on with the groundwork for the vignette.

 

 

Conan does need to go up a bit further than these first concept photos. Around 2 inches higher should make his stance look more natural.

And I might swop the positions of Conan and Bêlit.

Dunno, I'll have another mess around when Conan is 100% completed tomorrow.

Once I'm kinda happy with the vignette layout, this thread will then transfer to the diorama section.

 

Cheers

H

[Cadman]

Got a bit more done on the flesh tones this afternoon and Conan is now looking a bit more like the bronzed, black-maned barbarian with smoldering eyes as described by R.E. Howard.

It's strange, cos from some angles it looks like I've overdone the shadows, particularly on his legs, but from other angles they look okay. Could be related to the single light I was shining on the figure when I took the shots. Dunno.

I think just one more flesh-colored filter tomorrow to finally tie in the flesh tones, and pick out a few more details on the helmet, sword and his boots; sort out a few overpaints/underpaints -- and then I'll call him done.

 

 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Absolutley Beautiful work on your Conan. In the mans own words 

“To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.”

[Mitch K]

Superb! You've really got the the feel of Howard's early work. Until the ape rocked up, I was getting a real sense of the first (chronological) story Howard did, "The Thing in the Crypt", where Conan swipes the sword from the thing that wasn't as dead as it looked!

[Cadman]

13 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Absolutley Beautiful work on your Conan. In the mans own words 

“To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.”

 

2 hours ago, Mitch K said:

Superb! You've really got the the feel of Howard's early work. Until the ape rocked up, I was getting a real sense of the first (chronological) story Howard did, "The Thing in the Crypt", where Conan swipes the sword from the thing that wasn't as dead as it looked!

Thanks guys.

Must admit that I'm really enjoying this one. It's been a while since I did a small fantasy project.

[Cadman]

Okay, on with the WIP.

I'm going to call the Conan figure finished. I'm aware the following photos are much the same as those I posted last night, but want to show how the final flesh-color filter worked out earlier today, plus the other small details that were taken care of.

Really happy with the blending of the color transitions now.

 

 

 

 

R.E. Howard's "Shadows in the Moonlight" happens to feature some remarkably life-like statues among the ruins where my favorite barbarian and his companion spend the night after arriving on a seemingly deserted island.

So I had a look around to see what I might use. Thought about some Viking figures, but, naah. They would work if the story included the Vanir or the Æsir, but not in this one -- although that's just given me an idea for a future scenario, as in "The Frost Giant's Daughter". (Now filed away in my overflowing "Idea's Folder".

But I did have three Early-Russian troops that I reckon would fit. They're not too familiar as historical miniatures, so I thought they'll do fine representing some unspecified Hyborian Age warriors that've been turned into bronze statues by some dark Sorcerer -- and I'll get back to him in a minute.   

 

 

They're actually really nice crisply-cast resin figures from a Russian company called "Chronos Miniatures", and it seems almost a shame to paint them up as statues, but needs must. I also have a few excellent resin Mongols and Byzantines from the same company, but they're reserved for yet another future Hyborian Age project -- as opposition for our Cimmerian chum.

Anyway, I kind of half assembled them and then gave them a squirt with black primer.

It's difficult to see in this photo, but I also sprayed on some grey primer from the top to provide some zenithal pre-highlights.

 

 

I gave them a lick of bronze and then finished assembly of each figure. A patina of verdigris was then added to suggest these statues had been exposed to the elements for quite some time.

 

 

 

I'll continue this update in my next post.

 

Cheers

H

Edited July 31, 2018 by Cadman
fixed a comment

[Cadman]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

 

Here's the other two statues.

 

 

 

 

 

The bases don't really slot together, but the figures are obviously meant to be displayed with each other....

 

....And that'll make things easier when it comes to blending them in with the vignette base.

 

 

So, although the scenario is not strictly speaking going to depict Howard's story, it will include many of the elements he spun his tale around, and that's just about all the characters I'm going to use now done -- except a major divergence from the script....

 

 

That white metal kit on the right is going to be Conan's recurring adversary -- the Dark Sorcerer, "Thoth Amon", and I'll make a start on him tomorrow morning.

 

Cheers

H