Friday, April 17, 2015

Mini of the Week 4-17-15



Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.




Untold Honor by Raffaele Pica 

This is such a dynamic and engaging piece, it takes your eyes a few minutes to absorb all of the details. When I first looked at this the River Troll caught my eye immediately. The paint job on it is just great. It really conveys a kind of fishy look to his skin, plus all the grim and slobber on it really bring it to life. That's not even mentioning the subtle conversion work done on it. There's nothing to fancy, just some reposing to put him into a running pose and a few trinkets on his strap. I really like how he is gripping the hammer, with one hand not fully around it yet. Another little detail you might miss is the chain flailing out from his manacle. It's subtle, but helps reinforce the movement of the model. The same goes for the splashing water around his one foot. 

Next I noticed the Dwarf, who looks to be none other then Gotrek! I'm assuming this guy is almost 100% scratch built. The musculature on him is spot on and really make Gotrek look like a brawler. It's a nice change from the usual some what pudgy look dwarfs have. This is a Slayer who has taken down more monsters then most Slayers see in their lifetimes and should look the part. The skin tone is fantastic and has all the right tones in the right places. These subcutaneous tones are what really make a model look alive. That just means the reds and other colors that show through from beneath your skin since it is somewhat translucent. The tattoos also have the same quality, appearing as if the ink is below the top level of skin, like they would be in real life. 

I haven't even mentioned his pose, which is stellar. I still can't figure out how he is attached to the diorama. Last, but not least, is the environment itself. It has just enough detail to appear convincing as a real locale and also be interesting, but without overpowering the models. This is an important balance to get right. I really love when underground scene like this also show the surface level, even though it's not needed. It just really make it seem like a cross section of a scene. There are also plenty of little details for you to find scattered around it, from the roots of the tree, to the skeleton propped up against it, to the crow perched nearby. This is also key to a diorama like this, scatter little easter eggs all around that reward your viewer for taking a closer look.

All in all this is a fantastic diorama with plenty of movement, detail and a top notch paint job to boot.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Putty and Paint and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

What do you think of this model? If you have any models or have seen any around the web that you feel deserve to be the Mini of the Week feel free to send them to me at tylerm@mengelminiatures.com with the title "Mini of the Week" and a brief description of how you painted it or a link to where you found it. There is also a dedicated board on the Mengel Miniatures Forum for Mini of the Week where you can discuss past entries or post of minis you think are deserving of the title.


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