Mini of the Week 9-4-15

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.

Abaddon by CMDante on Cool Mini or Not

This is one slick looking Abaddon model. I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of the 30k version of Abaddon, mostly due to his face and generally just being a little underwhelmed. He was a very plain model, which seemed to have been the trend when the 30k model line first started. Everything was about simplicity, which is perfectly fine, but it puts a lot of emphasis on the painter then. When the sculpting details are bare it's up to the painter to do the best paint job they can. Here, CMDante has achieved this level of painting and really brought Abaddon to life.

Of course the part of the model that immediately stands out in the face, but I'll come back to that in a second. What I actually want to focus on first is the black of his armor. Black can be incredibly tricky to paint. It can either end up looking grey or looking too black with very little depth. Here he has circumvented that by giving it a slightly blue or teal tint. This allows him to add plenty of shading and depth while still maintaining an overall black appearance. It also complements the reds in the armor and his face perfectly. It's this subtle technique that really shows a mastery over miniature painting techniques. I always say this, usually about conversions, but a lot of the time the best techniques are the ones you barely notice at first because it just fits so well. It just seems natural, and part of the model.

Now I'll come back to the face. Not only in the face itself painted very well, from the skin, to the eyes, his mouth, and his eyebrows, a feature rarely seen on GW models, but the glow is outstanding. This is of course an homage to the classic Adrian Smith illustration of Horus, and fits Abaddon perfectly. The glow is just the perfect amount, not overpowering the rest of the face with loud colors. It reads as being a subtle red glow and still grabs your attention. Everything else on this mini was painted with the same attention to detail and it all works together perfectly, even the fairly simple base. To me this is the perfect example of an understated Space Marine. You don't always need all of the bling and crazy detail for the model to stand out.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Cool Mini or Not 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.