Mummy Mania - The Finished Tomb King!

The last stages turned into a bit of a slog and there were a couple of dramas involving static grass and a broken lamp but he is finally finished.

Less is more!

Having spent what time I could during the week prepping various scenic elements for my Tomb king base I turned to painting and assembling them at the weekend.

Saturday went like a dream and saw the addition of a major new element to the base that provides some much needed height (notice that I'm not giving too much away here). Its something that I picked up while on holiday in Cyprus this Summer from a place called, appropriately enough, The Tombs of the Kings.

This was a fascinating location packed with tombs where the stone was being eaten away by salt from the nearby sea. I can easily see it being a source of inspiration for a future project.

I finally glued the King onto the base together with the pile of skulls he is resting his foot upon. I always find this stage pretty nerve racking as it just takes one miss step with the superglue and you are in for a world of pain! I made a point of having several glue free practice runs and viewing them from all angles before committing. I then used the garden soil/superglue combination that I'd textured the mummy pit with to cover up the joins. I am really very pleased with how the mini now looks on the base.

Sunday's tasks were a matter of bringing together the finishing touches. I've always planned to incorporate the undead vulture from the Tomb Guard standard into the piece so I set about painting it up. Although the painting went well something felt wrong. However I ignored my doubts and pushed on.

Another new element for the base has come about as a result of some feedback I've received. The initial idea was that the papyrus scroll was quite literally bleeding. In my mind's eye the whole ghastly scene played out thus:

The Tomb King raises his arm brandishing an ancient and bloodstained scroll beneath the desert sun. Unholy words of power escape from the long dead jaws of the ancient tyrant to corrupt the very air. The blood stains change first becoming fresher then glistening as they ooze and seep. When the cursed blood drips down upon the ground beneath the dead rise up.

As you can probably tell I'm not adverse to a little melodrama!

It's a pretty little scene but it's very difficult to convey the supernatural origin of the blood in a static mini! Sure enough the first piece of feedback I had on the bleeding scroll questioned exactly that. On the whole I have to agree but rather than removing the blood as sugested I've decided to provide a source for it within the diorama. The first idea I had was simple and unobtrusive showing a source for the blood with no more than a single drip. Then I had another idea and pursued it with enthusiasm. The result of this burst of 'inspiration' can be seen glistening in the picture below.

Surfice it to say that sanity (and good taste) eventually prevailed and I will not be using this particular element but have instead returned to my rather more elegant first idea. Neither will I be using the vulture as once in position it just didn't work as a part of the whole. These two element were simply wrong for the piece feeling both visually and tonally crude and although this means Sunday's efforts were largely wasted I can't help but feel I've dodged a bullet. That's no mean feat considering that I was the one shooting the metaphorical gun!

Mummy Mania - Painting the Tomb King part 8

A quickie update to announce that, following a very productive weekend, my Tomb King mini is finished. Admittedly its just the mini thats finished not the diorama. I've got a few scenic bits and pieces to paint up for the base (once they arrive in the post) and then I need to pull everything together for the overall composition. 

I just need to pace myself and keep the momentum up without rushing in an effort to get everything finished. The final assembly can really make or break a piece!

Next time I post a picture of this project it will be the finished diorama!

Mummy Mania - Painting the Tomb King part 7

Well, I've painted my last bandage and it didn't come a day too soon! I've had issues with painting the bandages on this Tomb King. Although relatively simple to pain the bandages have been the most frustrating and repetitive part of the project. For me the bandages are such a key element of what makes up a Tomb King that they must look as good as possible because if they don't they'll let the entire mini down. When all is said and done I'm very pleased with the result I've achieve so the time and effort were worth it. Just don't make me paint any more bandages!

I've re worked the blade on the weapon (again) to reintroduce a little of the rust I had on my first try. This time I've given it a more subtle stained/splotchy look by applying a thin layer of clean water to the blade then dotting on diluted orange paint and letting this colour bleed a little into the water. I've gone for a similar approach on the scale armour cloak the mini is wearing as it brings a bit more variety to the overall look without introducing something too new and different to the colour scheme.

This just leaves the back of the collar and the papyrus scroll to paint so I'm finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel!