Meet Threshold Operatives 4!

Hello,

I've finished remaining three EM4 gangsters/dunwich detectives I had. I have decided to show two as Threshold agents and one as an evil henchman (but, yet again, it could be any way around, obviously). Reason fully lies in filling the spots in the bestiary :P.

Here, I got an agent with double barreled shotgun (had none until now!) and a priest that I have painted as some kind of professor, spelling spells from a book that shan't be written and shan't be read! Oh my...

So, the double-barreled old chap, jolly good fellow is not really like any of my other agents. Compared to daring youngsters, he is old and has probably seen it all. I could see him as someone who enjoys a shot (or three!) of courage and a pipe before he goes on a hunt. Not hunting foxes this time, however!

Second guy looks a bit like Mel Gibson, doesn't he? Anyways, I have decided not to go the "priest way" and I have painted him in sandy colors. Pretty simple paintjob overall but I quite like it. He could be used as a special agent - spiritualist that you can hire. Or an evil High priest, perhaps? There is no way we could tell he doesn't want to bring lurkers out of space to Earth!

Other than that, they're nice addition to my ever growing pile for a game that (I quote) "only needs a handful of models"!

Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo

Meet Rogue Threshold Agent!

Hello,

third figure from a pack I've shown last time - rogue Threshold (I've found out I've started misspelling the word and am now greatly ashamed :D). This one has a greatcoat on, which is probably what makes him appear so evil I just had to use it for a rogue. As they are all human agents, I could honestly switch them around as much as I'd wish.

In game, you can pick between Rogue Threshold Agent and R.T. Character - both with option of special weapons, not even available to Threshold lists until they manage to get 15 wins and get promoted! So, packing unique prototype weapons, they can be potent enemies!

I've painted mine in your common evil doers colors - black and red. I was thinking about painting inside of the coat blue-greenish color, as I am thinking about using that for my cultists robes. It is a color of the Deep ones. I still went with red, as it simply looks that much better. I have huge difficulties picking the right color for my cultists - blue-green would suit well for Atlantis game setting I'd like to play eventually, but red and black would be easier to paint and would suit nazis well (my ever present wish is to grab a certain movie character, look at the nazis and say "Nazis....I hate these guys!". Eventually!


Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo

Meet Threshold Operatives 3!

Hello,

The two threshold agents I am about to show you are from Artizan's Thrilling Tales range. I bought a pack on Salute, so I could say those are my first painted miniatures after the show! I've painted them few days back, but anyways...I've used two for the agents and third for rouge Threshold agent. It had this evil look about it, so I figured it was supposed to be evil. I have actually played a game with them just yesterday - Rogue threshold agent has stolen Heat ray gun from Threshold Special branch and my (new, as previous' list character died in his 3rd game or so) Threshold group went after him. With my luck, I had an agent killed and evil villain ran away with our prototype weaponry!

Anyways, here they are. I am not too fond of the sculpts...I mean, I like the style but I don't like the miniatures too much...there is just something that doesn't appeal to me. Other than that, very nice figures.

I've picked the pack impulsively, because of the Lewis gunner. I needed (well, wanted) a .30 cal machine gunner and this one wasn't too bad. Again, none of the two appeals me too much, but they were quite fun and easy to paint. The guy on the left had a tommy gun, which I didn't need (I got a tommy gunner + got another one as I bought a policemen pack on Salute :P). He also carries a dynamite (which made this pack even better!), so it was perfect for Strange Aeons. I cut the thompson gun away and sculpted torch. There are rules for torches in game, but I haven't actually use them yet - I just figured it would look fun as he needs something to light those red sticks with! Plus, if I do use torch in a game, I have a miniature to represent it with. I've painted red cross on one of his bags, so he can also be used as a medic. The other guy is nothing special, so I believe no explanations are needed.

As you can see, they have some static grass on the bases. I've bought same color, 2 and 4 mm that I've mixed together and applied to every painted miniature I've shown so far. I will show you the third guy from the pack next time!

Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo

Meet Threshold Operatives 2!

Hello,

a guy that got my attention to Strange Aeons here in Slovenia has contacted me and asked me for a demonstration game. This gave me a slight boost to start painting my miniatures again.  I have found out that my biggest enemy in painting is deciding how to paint stuff.
When I was watching the figures, I've recalled that I saw an episode of Boardwalk Empire on TV few weeks back. I've recalled a striking red suit of the lead actor (Steve Buschemi, to me mostly known as the guy with a "funny face" from Fargo), so what I did was a) watch the series some more for 20s fashion b) got motivated to paint last 3 threshold agents that I own (well, 3 from 6 :D) and above all c) got interested in prohibition and mafia again. I have to admit I have never seen Godfather trilogy completely. Always saw most of it, never all. Now I feel the need to see it again. And to bug Shelldrake with questions about Mad dogs and guns. I had an idea of incorporating prohibition in my Strange Aeons game for quite a while...it is a game of evil cultists and they, much as modern terrorists, need money. Where could you get more than from selling the devils elixir? ;)

Anyways, here are the pictures. All miniatures are from Black Cat Bases:

We got miniatures of a writer whos name always slips out of my mind...Charles Fort, thats the one! He had various options for his right hand. At first I went with a pen, which would be painted as a cigar and I'd sculpt a pile of dynamites at his feet. It didn't glue well enough and as it was too small to drill with my drill, I went for the shotgun. It is a common weapon in Strange Aeons, so it made sense.  Second is a tommy gunner, which is really amazing except for one thing...his tommy gun. It is a model with thinner magazine (instead of drum) and it misses a vertical handgrip. This tommy gun is from 2nd WW, which was bothering me so much that I was considering a conversion. As the miniatures are from some sort of kinda resistant metal, I kept it. It bothers me less now, but I'd still love the drum magazine. Third miniature is one of the two adventurers. Again, his left arm could hold variety of weapons and I went with a civil war sabre, which was used quite a lot in games with my brother. Miniatures, especially left and right most two are really well done. Tommy gunner is older. They all got moldlines I had problems cleaning, but if I'd take more time, it could be done quite easily.  Other weapons choices on the adventurer and Fort are broken bottle, knife, axe, pen, book, pistol , electric hand torch, that lantern I used on first adventurer and a magnifying glass. Might be something else as well.

 I gave Fort the red checked dress, being an educated intellectual, he surely has to other financial incomes but a low wage of a govermental agent, fighting the monsters out of cosmos. He carries a trench broom, weapon so terrifying germans called for a ban during WW1. Also has pocket watch...can't miss on those monster. Mind his black and brown shoes.
Agent that has no name atm (in game I use names from various characters from Lovecraft's stories) picked an "experimental" thompson submachine gun. Compared to the type used by government officials and criminals it holds a smaller magazine and has lost the vertical hand grip, making it easier to conceal (I guess!). He is wearing a long raincoat and a fedora hat, making him blend with the crowd yet look intimidating.
Last in the line is another nameless agent, who is also dressed up to the latest fashion. His ancestor was a well known civil war cavalry commander and our agent has inherited the sabre. It gets hot under fire, so he has untied his raincoat. Looks like a batman if you try hard enough!




Below are some pics of all the team together. I've put Font infront to show you once more how proud I am of his suit :D. Those miniatures were WAY more joy to paint than the first three. And I think the standard has risen, now Lovecraft looks more like some puny baker's apprentice than a secret agent, saving the human kind...and selling his adventures as a fiction to them unaware citizens!

Oh, I might mention that I have booked flight to England in April and will 100% attend Salute this year, so I got to make sure I meet you guys that will be there as well!

Cheers,
Mathyoo

Meet Threshold Operatives 1!

Hello,

my painting mojo is lost for quite a while, proving once again I don't really like painting my miniatures, hehe.

Anyways, after a week or so, I've manged to finish painting three of my Threshold operatives for my Strange Aeons game. I got six of the good guys all together for now and I've painted half. I think painting 2-3 miniatures at a time works best for me.

The three guys are all in my current list for the campaign me and my brother are playing (way less often than I'd like!). The fourth guy will be painted with the next batch. After that, on to the evil lurkers!

Let me start by mentioning I HATE! painting skin. I did two tries on those guys, after I failed in an attempt to paint some eyes for a change. I got Vallejo skin tones pack, so I got all I need, but that skin never comes out the way I'd want it to! I also have problems with picking high light colors, so I tend to simply mix white in it. This makes highlights somewhat invisible on the model...I simply guess one isn't enough!

Anyways, those are about as good as they get and here they are:

 I didn't name them for the eternity, but in the current campaign, they got names from Lovecraft's stories. I represent you (from left to right):

Howard Philips Lovecraft, civilian (that simply refuses to die in a campaign!). As you can see, he carries a haunted book of secrets that one mad arab, Abdul Alhazred has written long time before the events! For his own safety, H.P. is armed with .22 pistol. To keep his sanity, he is accompanied by a cat. In one of his stories, Lovecraft has named  a narrator's cat "Nigger man", which, for obvious reason, won't be used. We can call the little fella "cat" anytime!

John Raymond Legrasse, character. The name comes from a police officer in a "Call of Cthulhu" story. In-game he is armed with dual .45s (one tucked on his right hip, other in his left hand). As awesome as he'd look with actual dual .45s in his hands, I went for lantern. As you've seen so far, that really comes handy in the scale photos. And here, Legrasse is astonished by the book his friend carries.  Or maybe he just likes the cat? I don't know how visible it is, but I did some "effect lightning" on him. I'll give you a closer look below in the post. He is somewhat shiny because my matt varnish appears to be pretty glossy, which really bothers me, to be honest.

Last man from batch is agent-in-game, but a fisherman from appearance, James Woodville. I forgot what story I got his name from, but it doesn't really matter. He is dressed in very dirty yellow overalls (painted glossy, but this gloss seems too matt somehow...those varnishes!). Armed with a bolt-action gun (which is sculpted really simplified), but I play him as if he'd be armed with a bigger calibre, elephant gun. Now that I think of it, I shouldn't paint him and then varnish, but paint his overalls yellow, paint gloss varnish on, then wash it with brown wash to dirty the clothes. You know, mud can't be glossy, even if on glossy clothes!

For the end, close up on some light effects, I didn't want to over do it. Neither I like how the light in the lantern came out...way too firey!

Otherwise, in the hobby, I am trying to restrain myself from buying any more miniatures, as I'm saving for my trip to England in April. I have to paint all my zombies, all my SA miniatures, game all my SA games, start my zombie campaign...will see how long I can restrain myself from getting some dollies for sculpting, Ramshackle's goodies, cultists and probably something I don't need at all! Oh, I do need sculpting tools, actually...I've ordered some in February from Maelstrom games, but they happened to be out of stock at supplier. I got some mails how the tools will be sent "next week" about 2 months ago, but now that store is in liquidation, I think I can say goodbye to the money now. I didn't want a return as I figured that if I'd wait so long, I might as well wait some more...oh well. I did bought a pack of tools for drawing in local store...got 2 useless pointy tools, a stipple brush, useless fan rush and...AND a pointy and flat "rubber shaper", which should prove useful for smoothing my sculpts.  I even found a picture online!



Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo