Unboxing: Darklands Erainn starter set

Howdy! Today, I'm going to be unboxing the Metal Age version of the Erainn starter host for Darklands. Join in, after the jump!
 

Workspace

In the past, a few people have asked what kind of setup I've got for my painting system. I thought that today I'd take a bit of time and show how I do my hobby/model work.

Shall we see what kind of goodies are inside?

Mierce Miscast Bags: Part 2

Last time Mierce offered Miscast bags, I couldn't resist and ended up picking up a couple. When they recently offered up more of them, how could I resist again? Spoiler alert: I couldn't. Follow the jump for a look at what was in my Norse, Albiann, and Norse Wings bags.

Review: Mierce Miniatures miscast bags

Some time ago, a number of Mierce's Kickstarter backers started clamoring for Mierce to sell their miscast bits, rather than just throwing them away. Mierce started obliging us this year, and I was fortunate enough to grab a couple from their initial run. After the jump, check out what I got out of the first batch, and whether or not I'd buy each one again!

 

Model Showcase: Skrag, Incarnate of the Great Maw

In this post, Ryan takes a gorgeously hideous Kromlech model, reviews it, then sculpts some extra bits on it and paints it up to create a unique Skrag the Slaughterer: Incarnate of the Great Maw.

Making this...

... from this.

Some musings on the Death of Warhammer

In this post, I take a break from my typical painted model pictures to offer a bit of musing on Age of Sigmar, the Indy GT scene, and the future of competitive fantasy wargaming in the US.

Every Mierce Kickstarter Model Ever

AS OF 8/21/15, THIS POST IS NO LONGER BEING KEPT UP TO DATE!

 I have relocated this information to a Page, rather than a blog post, because it's a lot easier to maintain. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST CURRENT UPDATE!

  Someone on one of the Mierce Kickstarter comment pages requested that someone make a single page that has all the sculpts that have been funded in Kickstarter. Since I did something similar for Darklands: First Edition, and have been keeping track of a lot of this data anyway, I figured I'd take a shot at it!

  This post contains (to the best of my knowledge) all the miniatures that Mierce has funded through their Kickstarters. It contains information on more than 500 models (as of May 2015), everything they've funded through Kickstarter since they switched to the Kickstart business model. Since there is just a staggering amount of data on here; please be understanding in the next few weeks as I propogate images and data into it, and let me know if I've missed anything.

  This post was last changed on August 21st, reflecting the August 21st updates.

Balancing the scales in the Darklands

In this post, I take lots and lots of models from Mierce Miniatures, and take pictures of them side-by-side with Games Workshop, Reaper, and Rackham stuff. The goal: see just how amazing Mierce Miniatures truly are!

The picture above has sat here teasing what's about to come for about a week; I'm glad to finally show it off! That poor, diminutive Space Marine has no idea what's in store for him...

One of the most popular posts I've ever done on here was the one where I showed all the Mierce models I had assembled standing next to other things. Well, since that time Mierce has run another Kickstarter, and I've assembled a whole heck of a lot more models! How many more? Well, the overflow went off my paint desk, and I had to use a 6' gaming table to hold them all!

If you want to see how big these beasties are, just follow the jump!

Warhammer US Masters Report

Well, it's been a while since the Masters happened, but because I was so frantically trying to get my army ready for Lone Wolf, I never took the time to share the photos I took from it! Let's correct that now, shall we?

Darklands: First Edition fan-made sculpting progress showcase

Since it was requested on the comments page, here's a list of all the models that were funded during the Darklands: First Edition Kickstarter. As I have time, I will be placing the concept art and most recent sculpt we've seen for each of these, so we can see how they're all progressing!
I haven't had time yet to pull the concept art for each piece, so I'll get to it when I can!

To be explicitly clear: These are not sculpts I've done, and this is more a fan posting that attempts to collate a lot of data into a single location. With a few exceptions, I should have each of these at some point, and will do my best to paint them! None of the work shown here is my own though, except the part where I pasted images into the post.

This post is correct as of Update #83 (8/8/14) and was last updated 8 August 2014 (with Update 83 content and painted models).

Review/Assembly: Angrislaug

Well, I've had a quiet few weeks as I try to get 560 points of Orcs and Goblins painted for the US Master's, and I haven't taken the time to post WiPs as I go. Well, the greenskins are done except for the bases, and I'm ready to get back into the 2014 army! Today, I'm going to start the biggest nasty I'm intending to run: Angrislaug, the Draiggoch of Eryi.

We'll put all these parts together after the break...

Review/assembly: Krull, Servile Lord of Dis

After a week of rest and relaxation in which I didn't do a dang thing modeling-wise, I decided to jump back in with both feet. Following the jump, we'll review the most iconic Darklands model ever, Krull: servile Lord of Dis. Shall we see how awesome this thing is?

Opening the box - Mierce Kickstarter (Norse)

Opening up a box of goodies from Mierce Miniatures, and finding out what's inside, after the break. Spoiler alert: here there be trolls...
 

Opening the box - Mierce Miniatures Kickstarter

When I got home yesterday, to my joy, was a big box from Mierce Miniatures. I've always been a fan of their models - I think they are some of the best in the business - so it immediately became a battle of wills for me to not open the box.

It sat there. I played with my kids. I put my daughter to bed. I looked over at the Vampire Counts models that I really should be painting. I looked at the box again.

Oh, look! Somehow it got opened! I guess now there's nothing left to do but begin to go through it.

Unfortunately, time did not permit me to do anything more than lay the contents out and do a quick inventory. That "anything more" consisted of looking at certain models over and over again, chuckle to myself in a way that alarmed my wife, and think of color schemes.

Each model is individually wrapped in a ziplock bag. For the kickstarter faction army deals, the individual models are also grouped into a larger bag, to keep everything together. The bases are in the bag with the individual models, if they fit (Magnir's didn't), or in the larger bag if part of the factions. The contents of the box were wrapped in bubble wrap, but the box was so full that there wasn't a lot of room for movement. Mierce has chosen to ship the kickstarter stuff without the normal commercial packaging (boxes and blisters). I think it's a great move for a couple of reasons: it deters people from trying to flip the deals on eBay, it makes it much easier to ship (less wasted space than you'd have with blisters or boxes), and it encourages people to put stuff together! I have a ton of Mierce stuff still sitting in the boxes, but the Kickstarter items will probably be unpacked and assembled before I start diving into those boxes, because the models are right in front of me.

I'll do detailed model reviews as I start building them, but the quality on these guys is amazing. The sculpts look fantastic. At least one model looked like it had a ton of resin flashing, but it looked like the paper-thin kind that just wipes off. I saw no broken pieces or warping on the initial inspection, which reassured me as well - resin models don't always hold up well sitting in a metal mailbox in the Texas summer!

Here's a final shot of the contents of this box all spread out and labeled.

I can't wait to start gluing!