Tuesday 9 May 2017

Bakemono

So with our Table Top Gaming club up and running at school and the Bushido board starting to take shape we were enjoying learning the rules with the Tengu Descension and Prefecture of Ryu Starter Sets.  Both these clans have impressive qualities to them and the models really were lovely, but I started to think about getting my own faction in play.  Now I think it is fair to say that I am not a good wargamer insomuch that I lack patience and will often charge in, committing my troops to engagements that they clearly have no chance of winning in a bid to get things moving.  So when it came to choosing my own faction, I was looking for something mischievous, something that didn’t necessarily play by the rules – enter the Savage Wave!
A cursory look on the GCT Studio's website told me all I needed to know, goblin like beasts that flooded around a big bruiser of a monster, surely that would work for me?   Quoting directly from the company’s website:

They take the form of evil creatures of myth and folklore. From where they come or why, no-one knows, but one thing is for certain, the wave crushes everything in its path. The Oni and Bakemono demon-creatures that make up the bulk of the Savage Wave appear bent on the destruction of humankind and all that is holy, but they are not mindless – as many opponents have found out at great pain, the Savage Wave is cunning and organized, and it operates according to its own weird and unknowable logic.

With the starter duly ordered and unpacked, my heart sank!  I had had some experience with pinning and fixing small pieces with my Penguin Crew from ‘Knight Models’, but staring at me from the remnants of the packaging were a multitude of small parts, I just didn’t know where to start, let alone comprehend pinning such small individual pieces together.
A chance conversation with Mike ‘The Dark Templar’ Reynolds saw me invest in some superglue gel and start to think about where the stress points were going to be for each model.  By gluing not just where each limb attached to the body, but considering allowing the limbs to rest on other parts of the body, I could increase the number of contact points and possibly negate the need for pinning altogether; at least that was the theory.  To add to my woes I had decided that I wanted the bases to be a little special, in this case a forest theme, and had ordered up some ‘Fenris Games’ resin bases.  Of course this meant more cutting and pinning, I really am a glutton for punishment!  Having procrastinated for a good while, I finally got around to starting and was pleasantly surprised at how well they went together.  The starter set came with enough pieces to make six Bakemono either Archers, Bushi, Spearmen or Beaters.  I had decided not to use the Bushi parts, which with hindsight might be a mistake, but I suppose that I could always add some more in due course.
So safely constructed and primed it was time for a lick of paint and now with built miniature in front of me, I couldn’t fail to notice a striking similarity to the protagonists of the 1984 film, ‘Gremlins’.  Now channelling my inner Spike, I tried to mimic some of the colouring in my own little band.  I imagined that the Bakemono weren’t particularly fashion conscious and so went for muted, sombre colours as if from the earth.  So with a little gore and poison tipped arrows they were done.
How have they fared?  Well the Bakemono are weak, but their strength lies in numbers and having the ability to 'Summon from the Shadows' or move around unencumbered in the dark is definitely good fun.  What they need, of course, is a powerful ally and this is where my Oni comes into his own, but more of that in a later post.

SaveSave

64 comments:

  1. Nasty little beasties. A very nice realisation of the evil "Goblin" like critters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Clint, they are certainly not cute.

      Delete
  2. Exellent work, indeed gremlins flashback;)

    looking forward to see their big friend:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just couldn't help myself Michael! Big chap hopefully posted by the end of the week.

      Delete
  3. Definitely flashbacks to Gremlins from these boys - nice work Michael :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. You appear to have go them wet and fed them after midnight. They look great

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fantastic... Gremlins! Really great work Michael!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Excellent work there Micheal!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely work there Michael!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Multi-part minis make me very nervous!! That said these do look superb!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Excellent painting!
    Great skin tones and the bases turned out very good too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderfully creepy and mischievous. Love em!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Millsy their mischievous nature was certainly part of the appeal to me.

      Delete
  11. love 'em, those little gremlin boys get mowed down in waves but no worries just summon some more!!

    I do love to bat a Bakemono about :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Andy, I think that I have been far too protective of them in our opening games and needed to treat them much more as a horde.

      Delete
  12. Worth all the effort you put into them as they look fantastic! My favorite are the ones with the mustaches!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Brian, I was surprised just how much detail was packed into their tiny little frames.

      Delete
  13. Nice bunch of little blighters!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice job, sir. I pretty sure I had a Bakemono sleeping under my bed at nights when I was in my yoot. It would snore loudly, wake me up, and make want to go to the bathroom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jay, judging by your description I must have one sleeping under my bed at the moment! :)

      Delete
  15. Lovely work Michael. They do have a passing resemblance to the Gremlins from the film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mark, glad it is not just me that thought so.

      Delete
  16. They look so cute! Well, it's better that they are few in number I suppose...But they look so cute when only 4 or 5...Excellent job! Be careful though, they can reproduce at an exponential speed according to the magazine "Cute or dangerous pets"...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Phil, hoping that the reproduce quickly on the battlefield too.

      Delete
  17. Nice work! So hard to pick a faction for Bushido, because they all have excellent models...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is very true Christopher, I thought that these might work as light relief given the other big hitting factions that the chaps had already selected.

      Delete
  18. Those look brill!!

    One of my favourate memories from last year was running my 'tabletop gaming club'.

    You are going to have a blast!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you and of course the joy of your club was the inspiration behind setting up mine, so thank you again.

      Delete
  19. Really like these Michael, great little faces on them, some of the nicest "gobo's" I've seen.

    Cheers Roger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Roger, ultimately worth the effort, but my goodness they were fiddly.

      Delete
  20. Wonderful work Michael! You've definitely surpassed yourself once again with these little... errr... cuties?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cute might not have been the word I would have used, but thank you nonetheless Nick.

      Delete
  21. Another excellent batch of miniatures & good luck! Now I am curious as to the 'Behemoth' they will swarm with

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Terry, their big friend should be on show by the end of the week.

      Delete
  22. They´re cute! They remind me of the funny Little pigmy thingys in the film "the Mummy Returns"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74HcX-kQ75E

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great shout Paul, I had forgotten about them - I now need to watch that film again.

      Delete
  23. I feel your pain with the multiple insanely small parts with seemingly nugatory contact points.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally I think they should come with a health warning, something like 'putting this model together will seriously raise your blood pressure.'

      Delete
  24. The Bakemono, the bridge and the statues look wonderful. I'm looking forward to see the Oni. Maybe you could post a battle report? Your Table Top Gaming club sounds like lots of fun ...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Superb painting Michael. great work, love those. :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Lots of assembly and pinning spindly little bits together is one of the things I dislike the most with some minis. The rare occasions where multi-part minis come together well are a nice surprise when they happen.

    You did well, in assembling, painting an basing those little guys!

    ReplyDelete
  27. "Lovely" group of ankle-biters - superb renditions and you were right to go with the muted earth colours imo.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh these are great Michael! I love the look of these guys. I can sympathize about the tiny bits. I really like the Infinity figures but "Oh my!" some of them are such a hassle to assemble.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lovely looking little group... You can almost hear them rustling in the bushes...

    ReplyDelete
  30. As most I can totally relate when it comes to the frustration these tiny pieces often cause during, but also after assembly. Transportation in particular becomes a challenge.

    The results are often quite good though, as is also the case with these excellent looking bakemono.
    They are so characterful and yet you tried them together with a unifying colourscheme. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Another stunning job Michael.
    I have to admit I have dumped off projects because the bits looked like that, so well done for persevering, the end result is great.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I am of the Gremlin persuasion as well, they are very similar. You did a great job on them,

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks ever so much, Michael. Da Gobbo's "Bushido" posts had actually caused me to dust my previously primed Bakemono minis off. But now I have ample excuse to return them to my lead pile in order to wait and ensure people have forgotten about your wonderfully painted versions before I post up my paint-jobs ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  34. The finished pieces look fantastic Michael! Those little moustaches are a great touch!

    ReplyDelete
  35. What wonderfully characterful models and an inspired paint-job. I kept looking at these and trying to work out why they looked the 'wrong' colour, until I realised that they reminded me of the Disney character Stich (from Lilo & Stich), so in my mind's eye, I see them as grey. Curse you, Uncle Walt! Imposing your vision on the World!

    ReplyDelete
  36. great job as usual, and very strange subjects!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great looking little force Michael! That Gremlinesque look is amazing

    ReplyDelete
  38. These look fantastic like psycho yoda! I tend to use superglue to join the arms then pva glue to reinforce as pva has some flex in it

    ReplyDelete
  39. What great figures they are - full of character. Fantastic brushwork as usual Sir. And the bridge. It looks fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Stunning work. You really brought out the character of those figures.

    ReplyDelete
  41. They look like a combination of gremlins, yoda as well as stitch in lilo and stitch - all put together in a good way! Beautiful work!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...