Just a couple of things to show. Two models from Reaper Miniatures, a fighter (02860 Harald in the reaper catalogue) and what appears to have been a limited edition charity model, the Wizard of Faith. Both models needed mounting on dungeon floor bases but as tends to be the case with many Reaper models they had integral bases that needed removing. I kept most of the wizard’s base intact though to avoid too much messing around with it. The flagstone floor tiles were just cut from thin plastic sheet and sanded and filed to appear worn.
I took a few pictures of the fighter’s shield as I worked on it to show something of the process. When it comes to heraldic designs for shields I tend to like to cheat and use home made decals. In the following images you can see the design that was required.
With a little manipulation I ended up with a black cut out of the design which I then printed off on clear decal paper. Not having a proper decal printer with white ‘ink’ isn’t too much of a problem as I use the decal as a template to paint over once it’s on the model. That way it looks more natural and you can tidy up what may be a low resolution image. It’s a good way to avoid troublesome freehand.
I should mention that using an ink jet printer to make decals does require the use of a sealant to make sure the ink doesn’t just wash off. I use Microscale Industries Liquid Decal Film. I find it’s best to leave the freshly printed decals to fully dry over night otherwise when applying the decal film (with a brush anyway!) the ink can smear even when apparently touch dry. Two coats of the stuff should ensure everything is covered.
I also use two other Microscale products when applying decals. Micro Set is a setting solution that helps decals adhere and just needs a thin coat applying just prior to positioning the decal. There’s also Micro Sol which is a decal softener that can help decals mould to irregular surfaces. All very useful and cheap and long lasting too.
Anyway, like I say, the decal in this case is just a template to be coloured in and here I gave it a coat of VGC Ghost Grey and highlighted with pure white before finishing off the shield background colour and adding the damage and dirt.
The sword blade took a bit of time to do. It’s supposed to be a frost blade and it took a couple of attempts to figure out how best to do it. I think it’s worked out nicely enough. I had a look online for inspiration and ‘how to’s’ but found most of the examples to be airbrushed. Managed to get the blending right using the old fashioned method though (what are they called…? Oh yeah, paint brushes!).