Hot off the Desk: Wizard of Brimstone Gang (GenCon Project)

Welcome to Shadows of Oz, or Wizard of Brimstone. Take your pick.

Well, not exactly 'hot' off the desk, but that's the naming convention.

First and foremost, a special thanks to the Underdog crew and Dog Might Games for support.

At GenCon2018, I was honored to win the "Brimstone Bounty" category at the Flying Frog Games painting competition. (!!!!)

The category is probably intended for a "squad" of bad guys or heroes from one of the expansion packs, but in recent years people have become a little more creative with their composition and theme.  Back in the winter months, Mrs. Zoxe and I were talking about what she'd like to do for her Ninja Division diorama entry.  She said "Wizard of Oz."

The reference photo, sourced from the internets.

I said, "Huh, I could actually pull that off in Brimstone."  So I raided the Flying Frog Games web store for some duplicates of minis I already own.  Here's the rundown:

• Dorothy - Female Rancher, alternate sculpt resin
• Toto  - Ally Dog Set, resin
• Lion - Night Terror*
• Scarecrow - Wandering Samurai resin
• Tin Man - Targa Guardian Expansion
• Wicked Witch - Hellfire Witch, Limited Edition preview resin

*I truly loved using the Night Terror here, as it's so recognizable as a core set mini.  There are duplicate sprues available from the web store, but I giggled that someone would think that I'd sacrificed my core set for this project.

The next problem was bases.  I needed at least 3 different sizes, and I needed an old school cobblestone to pull off the yellow brick road look.  Tabletop Art (Germany) has some glorious bases, but I had just gotten some Scibor bases stuck in customs for months and months and didn't have the time for that nonsense.  Thankfully, I was able to find what I needed in stock at Noble Knight.

Finally, although I wanted a diorama feel, I really wanted to be able to play the minis in our games after I was done.  So I adapted an idea from another project I did awhile back and added them to a nice plank of bolivian rosewood with pockets for each round base.

I'll stop typing here and let the pictures speak for themselves.

An early mock up. Figures held to bases with plasti-tac. I'm starting to fill the Night Terror's horrible gaps.

The SoB resin sculpts are super detailed but I seriously hate their hard and slippery material choice.

The big boys.  The Targa Guardian is my single most favorite SoB mini.

I managed to find some HO-scale tufts in the color I needed to represent the Poppy Fields from the scene in the movie.

A late WIP shot of the Night Terror's (Lion) base.  I'm using Reaper metallics and ArmyPainter green ink for detail. The result was "ok" but I would do this differently if I were to do it again.

Scarecrow almost done and pinning the crow to his shoulder. I used a TINY safety pin as source material.  Oh, and take a deep breath before you take a pin drill to a 95% complete model.

Night Terror got a coat of primer after the Milliput had cured. The neck is a little rough.  I continued to use Vallejo Plastic Putty to fill low spots and create texture around his neck.

A mostly complete shot of the Lion. Here I'm adjusting highlights around his face.

Toto, complete but not based.  The gray shading was airbrushed, and several layers of various browns were used for his muzzle and feet.  Reaper Black Wash (several coats) in the shadows of his legs.  Really simple, but I consistently got positive comments on him.

Finished Gang - Part 1.  The Tin Man was intentionally really simple. I considered doing more weathering and shading but decided to stay true to the reference picture. Judge's feedback that just a little more shading would have been welcome, point taken. 

Finished Gang - Part 2.  I was really happy with the blends on the Witch's body.  I added the broom from a Reaper miniature that I sacrificed for the cause.

I was so happy that Dorothy didn't turn out cross-eyed.  I experimented with some blends on her gun, boots, and belt and was happy with how they came out.  The shading on her jacket and skirt was mostly zenithal highlighting from the airbrush and just a little work with the hand brush.

Scarecrow with his feathered friends.  The ruby color of his face armor is a color tie - all of the figures (except Toto) have the Ruby color from Dorothy's boots somewhere on them.

To counterbore the base, I bought a series of forstner bits.  When the one for the Tin Man came, I was truly impressed. It came in its own "crate."  When I spooled up the drill press, I swear ground shook and the lights dimmed in the garage.  Apologies for the lazy backlit image.

Finished display base.

And in the case at Gencon.