#or kitbash adjacent

[cryptic-forge]

on the one hand i love robots, on the other i'm a very organic sculptor, hate modeling hard surfaces and am not that good at mechanical greebling. so sometimes i have to sit on the floor & play with legos.

i sculpted the face, but otherwise this robot is made of various toy parts, beads, and headphone cords. i used a lot of bionicle bits, because bionicle is just about the only type of robot that is easy to find in thrift stores. i was also able to use bionicle joints for all major points of articulation, and they're a joy with the way they bend in all directions and hold poses. most of this is Illegal Bionicle, though, with a lot of cutting and gluing involved.

[vectornosam]

Crabnova

Built by a group of pre-war mechanics out of scavenged parts from a large battlefield, it’s a miracle it works as well as it does.

Made from leftover parts that came from kits used in kitbashing. Sadly the parts have been repurposed into different builds so thankfully I can’t pose this crustaceon-adjacent anymore, its arms were so floppy…

[vorochi]

Love that this is how I found out the Stormvermin were part of the refresh, lol.

Seems like quite a good kitbash! I might look into doing similar- though I’ve ended up using all my ogor helmets already. Just can’t resist the Skryre-adjacent look on them.

I got a second Skaven half of Skaventide, and I decided to kitbash the second Clawlord on Gnawbeast so that they weren't just clones of each other. What do you think? Did I succeed?

First pic is the conversion. Second is both of them together, and the third is the normal one on its own, for reference. How did I do?

[jancer-lancer]

This is Halfdan Samsson, callsign Skoll, Pilot of Hati, the IPS-N Lancaster.

I've posted Hati previously, but now I've rebuilt Skoll to have Black Thumb, meaning that he can hop out of Hati to fix her and adjacent mechs up. He's also got House Guard, so "adjacent" is extended by a few spaces for him, so I used the Asura from Retrograde (with a tiny bit of kitbashing) in order to give him a cloak of rootlike tentacles that can reach other mechs to fix them up, tying into the manipulators Hati has already and acting as his black thumb shield.

[pluralsword]

Image Description: In front of a sci-fi polityscape back drop are a number of transformers who all have some yellow or yellowish orange in their paint schemes, except for one in sword mode for the reference. From left to right, Cyberverse Deluxe Grimlock holding Dazzlestrike in sword mode with an arm around Earthrise Sunstreaker who is a battle stance with two of T30 Arcee’s blue swords, and in front of them is Kingdom core Rattrap kneeling. To their right is Kingdom Mainframe, Cybertron Swindle, Legacy Jhiaxus holding a Matrix with a Matrix glow blast effect, a deep cuts mini of Optimus Prime painted as Splendid Yellow Convoy... and further is World's Smallest Bumblebee in front of Origins Bumblebee holding the Autobot Enigma aloft, behind whom is WFC Nova Storm with an arm around Jhiaxus. Last on the right is Cyberverse Deluxe Cheetor holding the AllSpark, and Nemesis Strika with an arm around Cheetor and a kitbash of the Mistress of Flame from RID 15 Windblade. End Image description.

Vanguardposting! a treat: the most icebergy and group (trans) sapphic Yellow Order posting we could have imagined from the toys we have. This is the Precursor World show we want. For those who don’t know, the Yellow Order is canonically an all gal group - originally led by Yellow Splendid Convoy - and after a number of convoluted events we don’t want to spoil, the next generation of the Primus Vanguard follows her footsteps, the Yellow Order led by none other than a Jhiaxus.

Suffice to say you could play around with this- different definitions of the word gal, being adjacent or close to galness, maybe becoming a part of the Yellow Order is like assuming a gender role for people across the gender spectrum- and maybe it thus/or also comes with realizations of gender. To go further- into what we like to write, it could be alien assemblage aesthetic ritually iterative free associated community of errant warriors with aesthetic overlap.

We think our small following can recognize that we Greencee coded Grimlock and Sunstreaker which is of course extra cool because Sunstreaker has back stacks, Grimlock is close friends with Arcee in Cyberverse, and Sunstreaker was a gal in Animated’s complete AllSpark almanac- whose art is based on Animated Arcee.

This is the Precursor World show we want.

[titleknown]

“...Some party, huh?”

Well, the only one who attended other than this hasty attempt at a CG Ooky* (Who’s kitbashed model in DAZ was a pain to work with, let me tell you) was @edspear​‘s Vandal, which is... hilarious given how the character was described.

Well, that’s probably what I get for doing the invitation so late. But, Halloween doesn’t stop with Halloween, and I have plans and plan-adjacent things for after Day of the Dead, so watch out for that!

*Quentin is absent for embarassing personal reasons that totally are not erotic-transformation based, no totally not at all.

[loamsome]

1, 4, and 8 for the ask game!

Ooh!

1: sun, moon, or stars?

Ah, stars!!

4: if you could magically get a skilled anonymous writer to write the book of your dreams in a perfectly executed way, what would it be?

Hmm the book of my dreams! I think it would be something fantasy or sci-fi adjacent with a lot of interesting world building! Especially if it's related to the nature of the setting, I just think aliens and magic creatures are interesting :)

8: if you could create something that you knew beforehand you were going to be satisfied with the quality of, what would it be?

Man this is a hard question! I'm the kind of person who will ditch a project if I think I won't be able to finish it in a way I'll end up satisfied with, so there's plenty of half-projects and ideas that I've been floating to choose from. I think if I HAD to choose, I've always wanted to try kitbashing/model making, or maybe making custom little armatures for drawing references

[dndeed]

Critical Role Miniature Rollout: C2E26

With Andrew Harshman

A summary and review of minis used on Critical Role.

A day which will live in infamy, it’s time for Critical Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 2 Episode 26. 

The Characters

Keg SteamForged Games Keg Figure Official Keg Art by @ornerine

Cigarette wielding miniatures are my new favorite thing. Fire up the merrow fight smoke machine! I’m very curious about the production cycle for this figure. It seems like it was done relatively quickly, which is very impressive. This is a fantastic figure! So many great details, the armor, cigarette, and holy symbol/cellphone charm. Just great. If you’ll forgive the nitpick, I wish the miniature’s hair was more accurate. I really dig her doo.

The List

Mats by Mars: Creeping Mold

Mats by Mars: Verdant Fields

Tiny Terrain: Small Tree

Tiny Terrain: Large Tree

Legendary Realms Tall Tree

Legendary Realms Small Tree Stump

Identified Custom Tall Trees

Campaign Coins DEVEN RUE COMPASS ROSE

SteamForged Games Keg Figure

SteamForged Games Trees, Logs, and Stumps

Legendary Realms Wooden Large Open Crate

Icons of the Realms Adventurer’s Camp

Tabletop Props Tent Accessories

Rusty Dragon Inn Dressing: Crate

Legendary Realms Wooden Chest

Legendary Realms Sack Pile

Rusty Dragon Inn Dressing: Cart

Dwarven Forge City Builder Wicked City

HeroForge Custom Miniatures Painted By Iron Tusk Painting

Underdark #30 Ankheg

Deadly Foes #030 Unicorn

Rusty Dragon Inn #025 Riding Horse

Lightfoot Halfing Rogue Epic Level Starter Set

Rusty Dragon Inn #012 Bugbear Mystic

Lost Coast #008 Lamashtu Thug 1

Lost Coast #013 Lamashtu Thug 2

Monster Menagerie 2 #019 Half-Orc Barbarian

Deadly Foes #037 Technic League Captain

Deathknell #25 Voice of Battle

Model Bushes

Foam Elevation Terrain

Possible Custom Wagon

Possible Model Train Boulders

The Terrain

Crisp Vale Thicket Mats by Mars: Creeping Mold Tiny Terrain: Small Tree Tiny Terrain: Large Tree Legendary Realms Tall Tree Legendary Realms Small Tree Stump Custom Tall Trees SteamForged Games Trees, Logs, and Stumps

Most of the terrain components in this episode are familiar to the Critical Role audience, having appeared earlier in the campaign. But I would like to comment on a few, beginning with a model that had me perplexed for some time.

Shout-out Message spell to Redditor calebwidogast for identifying casting Idenify on the previously unidentified tall swamp trees. They are fine looking custom pieces made by Twittoror @RobbieDVO. I especially like how much space these trees take up on the grid. That way you can deploy just a few to the mat and have a significant mechanical effect on the encounter. Beautiful and functional!

This is the Campaign 2 premiere of Mats by Mars: Creeping Mold. As with all Mats by Mars battle maps, this looks very nice. Nice name too, Creeping Mold would make for a good slime monster variant.

Glory Run Road Mats by Mars: Verdant Fields Tiny Terrain: Large Tree SteamForged Games Trees and Foam Elevation Terrain

Matt confirmed the source of the detailed fallen logs seen in this episode as SteamForged Games. Is there any mini they can’t do? Fantastic. The detail on the bark and mushrooms is truly next level. How about a retail release SteamForged, what do you say?

The elevated pieces of Glory Run Road have the appearance of being traditional wargaming crafting foam or some adjacent material. The pieces match the rest of the mat nicely and they are even gridded. Glorious.

Iron Shepherds Caravan  Rusty Dragon Inn #025 Riding Horse Dwarven Forge Wicked City Smuggler’s Wagon Possible Custom Wagon Rusty Dragon Inn Dressing: Cart Legendary Realms Wooden Large Open Crate Icons of the Realms Adventurer’s Camp Accessories  Tabletop Props Tent Accessories Rusty Dragon Inn Dressing: Crate Legendary Realms Wooden Chest and Legendary Realms Sack Pile

The front wagon, back cart, and riding horse were all used way back at the beginning of the campaign. And all the items inside the wagons have shown up throughout campaign 2. Wicked City Smuggler’s Wagon includes two horses, which makes it an ideal, go-to wagon solution. I’ve not seen this model in-person, so I was surprised and happy to learn that its wheels turn (too bad it didn’t keep moving). 

The middle wagon is somewhat of an anomaly. It has the looks of a custom job. I first thought it was a Hirst Arts build. But it lacks any wheel details. With any luck, some light will be shed on this model in the future. 

The Monsters

Ankheg Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures Game Underdark #30 Ankheg

I feel like insect miniatures have a sort of creepy and/or crawly quota they need to meet. And the Ankheg is workin’ overtime! Maximum creepy and maximum crawly factor on this one. Good luck to Wizkids and WOTC if they try to make a new prepaint ankheg, it’s not going to be easy to dethrone this big bad bug.

Riding Horses Deadly Foes #030 Unicorn

I’ve got some bad news for fantasy animal lovers. These horse minis are not actually horses. Someone on the Critical Role staff dehorned two beautiful unicorns! But they did leave their unicorn goatees, how humane. 

I kid of course. This is a perfectly sensible course of action. If you forgive the simplistic paint work, this is a very high quality figure. It has an awesome galloping pose. The sense of movement is really sold by the flowing mane and tail. And of course the goatee. There really are no prepainted horses that have this level of motion. Very smart move to convert these minis.

The Villains

The Iron Shepherds Icons of the Realms Monster Menagerie 2 #019 Half-Orc Barbarian  Pathfinder Battles Lost Coast #013 Lamashtu Thug 2 D&D Miniatures Game Deathknell #25 Voice of Battle

Won Monster Menagerie 2 #019 Half-Orc Barbarian

This is the right way to do a standing pose sculpt. With a worse pose this could have been a massively boring miniature. The body language very effectively conveys potential energy. The positioning and stance all give off this aura of impending action. Perfect for a barbarian on the verge of raging. Don’t get too close though, because barbarians are dangerous, but also because you’ll notice this mini’s unfortunate dirty paint wash.

Thug Lost Coast #013 Lamashtu Thug 2

In Pathfinder, Lamashtu is the goddess of monsters and she has the coolest looking cultists. Who wouldn’t join this cult? The Lamashu cult uniform is like a kitbashed V for Vendetta plus Batsuit. This is another good pose. This figure has so much going for it you forget how rudimentary the paintwork is. 

Thankfully, Paizo blessed us with three separate Lamashtu thug/cult figures. What a treat. And perfect for a home campaign where you are trying to give a group of NPCs a distinct look.

Rusa Deathknell #25 Voice of Battle

The Voice of Battle miniature can be seen in C2E1 and I discussed it previously. It’s a good mini and I’m glad to see it again. If we really want to read into miniature selection, one could theorize that Rusa was present at the circus zombie fight. Maybe the Iron Shepherds having been running a long con, hmmm? No, probably not. 

Prato Lightfoot Halfing Rogue Epic Level Starter Set

So this is an interesting miniature release. When 5E was new, a product called the Icons of the Realms: Starter Set was released. This non-random pack of six minis included everything you needed for a basic adventuring party. Years later, they did a followup release, Icons of the Realms: Epic Level Starter Set with the same character minis, but leveled up. Pretty cool idea. The characters were made to look more powerful. Their poses are more dramatic, there gear is upgraded, and some of the figures have cool translucent spell effects. Neat stuff. Unfortunately, the Lightfoot Halfling Rogue (if you’ll forgive the pun) really got short shrift.

To make this character “epic” all they did was widen his stance and billow out his cloak. What a bizarre choice.

Photos Sourced From minisgallery.com

Like did the rogue forget to level? He even has the same clothes! Are we to believe that he’s just been wearing the same dingy street urchin background items from level 1? The rest of the Starter Set adventuring group is swimmin’ in spells and treasure while the rogue wallows in scrub gear. That’s not fair. What kind of dysfunctional party is this?!

Moving on to the miniature itself, Epic Level Lightfoot Halfling Rogue is a reasonably fine miniature. The pose is fun and animated, the flowing cloak is cool. Free from context it’s pretty good. But really the Epic Level version should have been the original and this figure should have gotten a proper epic treatment.

Dwelma  Rusty Dragon Inn #012 Bugbear Mystic

This half-orc druid is in fact a bugbear mini. This figure is very refreshing. The clothing, the pose, the wartime hair bun. All good stuff and unlike any other mystical monstrous humanoid figure out there. 

Another Thug  Lost Coast #008 Lamashtu Thug 1

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for crossbow miniatures. Combine that with the amazing Lamashtu dress wear and I’m sold! Can’t get enough of this figure. 

Lorenzo  Deadly Foes #037 Technic League Captain

Some more crafty Critical Role production work here, another modified miniature. Lorenzo is a Technic League Captain Pathfinder mini with a polearm weapon swap. The figure has fairly intricate tattoos on it already, so it’s a great match. Factor in the weapon mod and it’s spot on. Except that I believe in-game it was snowing, I should hope that Lorenzo would throw a coat on. Or maybe he just rolls around like this, no shirt regardless of the weather. How obnoxious and arrogant. You know, I’m just gonna come out and say it, call me insensitive if you will, call me impolite if you must, but I gotta say, this Lorenzo guy’s a real jerk.

Closing Remarks

The new studio looks great. I’m very happy with the new miniatures camera. Sure to be an interesting and unique next session, minis-wise and otherwise. 

#criticalroleminiaturerollout