Mapper - Metal Elves

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:21 pm

Mapper wrote:

TheTarkLord - nope, toothpicks!

My go to for buildings is using bass wood and toothpicks. The planks of top of the building (and for the planks on my docks) is 1/8 inch by 1/16th, the pilings and supports for the building is 1/8 by 1/8 and the wider planks for the railing and around the top is 1/4 inch by 1/16. I try to keep everything in multiples to make it easier to plan and build. I'm lucky that I have a hobby shop nearby that carries balsa and bass wood for projects.

I use the tool in the picture to cut my wood, basically a razor blade on a lever for straight cuts down - just have to remember to replace the blade to keep it sharp.

For the planks on the side, I use flat toothpicks, cutting off the rounded and narrow end, using the middle part of the toothpick, which I flip to even out the widths.

I like my chopper have worn out two. :sad:

The flat tooth pick is a good tip

Mapper · **Posted:** Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:57 pm

In kinda of a mental block on my laketown houses conversion, I think I know what I want to do, just haven't done it.

I decided to try something else to see if that would get me going again so I took a couple of pieces of mdf; used a hole saw drill bit on one piece, glued it on top of the other, sanded down the sides somewhat and tried the decorative glass I had along with some old LOTR terrain pieces to add on top.

Nothing too fancy, just something I can put on my bookcase and change out pieces depending on what I want to look at.

Might do something similar for infantry battle scenes.

Lothíriel · **Posted:** Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:37 pm

A lovely scene!

Mapper · **Posted:** Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:44 pm

Took my second set of Aspen trees (from grandcentralgems) that I had got from a train show and put them on some bases that I can rearrange around the battle field to add some needed color to boards.

At some point I will probable make a small mdf board to arrange them in a small strand of trees but I have lost access to my work bench as we are having some work done at the house.

I would like to get some more but the trees from grandcentral are rather expensive if you can't get them at a discount at a show, so I am experimenting on making my own.

Mapper · **Posted:** Tue Nov 14, 2017 5:12 pm

Had a hobby productive weekend, seems like the first in awhile.

To get the height and layout I wanted correct for my Dale Barracks, I felt I had to build the platform first. Got the basic layout done and mostly planked until I ran out of bass wood. Will have to find time to get to the hobby store to get the rest I needed.

And because you can never have too many Knights, I had bought four more metal ones off of Ebay. Because the metal ones do not come with shields, had to take some off of extra Minas Tirith warriors I had. Wish that Forge World or GW would make some spruces of just shields and weapons for the different factions in LOTR.

Mapper · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:47 pm

Wanted to try to do a Radagast on a horse so bought an extra one off of Ebay. I felt that Radagast wouldn't use a saddle or bridle on a horse so I used a Wargames Factory horse I had and shaved off all the leather bits. After taking some parts off Radagast with an x-acto, rearranging his right arm and hand and adding other places with green stuff - I think i'm close to being ready where I can paint the figures. I plan to paint both the mounted version as well as the running one at the same time.

GreatKhanArtist · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:47 am

Radagast mtd turned out quite well. I've long wondered why Gamling mounted with banner never came with decals for his banner. I think the reason is licencing restrictions, which is probably why we haven't seen weapons and shields. Even the conversion sprue from back in the day was quite generic.

Great Wulf · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:38 am

Lovely!

Lothíriel · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:24 pm

Great stuff!

slinky · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:40 pm

Nice looking conversion!

Feanorthenoldor · **Joined:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:44 pm **Posts:** 879

Horse choice is perfect. I doubt Radagast would want to ride a horse w/ a saddle

metalface13 · **Joined:** Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:13 pm **Posts:** 101

Very nice!

Mapper · **Posted:** Wed Dec 20, 2017 7:16 pm

Thanks for the compliments and encouragements :-D

Finished painting my Radagasts, had to go back and touch up the first one I did to match hair color, etc. Felt my mounted Radagast came out rather well, might have to try some other conversions I have been thinking about.

Looking at the pictures, I didn't set Radagast correctly on his horse. He isn't glued on, he must have shifted as I moved him. His left leg looks better from the side than it does from the front - not as awkward. Oh well.

GreatKhanArtist · **Posted:** Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:43 am

They look great. Now you just need to find some bunnies to make a sled version. Reaper has some great bunnies, but they are all static.

Funny, I've never thought of Radagast as riding a horse like a normal person. Maybe some other type of animal mount, but a horse just seems too ordinary for him.

Mapper · **Posted:** Thu Jan 04, 2018 7:42 pm

Bought these off of Ebay in June 2016, stripped them of their existing paint and primed them expecting to do them during the winter. A year later .... finally got around to them.

Wanted to keep them dark with non-green bases. At first I had painted the leather reins, etc a leather red/brown but that caused the eye to go to that vs the overall figure so used Stormvermin fur instead. Did want to keep the Eye of Mordor distinct though so kept it red. Used different brands of black paint for the horses and the nazgul as a base color and different greys for highlighting just to help somewhat. The dust/weathering of the cloaks is Steel Legion drab.

The bases use some of the decorative glass shards as rocks with some Stirland Mud and Lustrian Undergrowth paint to break up the grey.

Erunion · **Posted:** Thu Jan 04, 2018 8:38 pm

Lovely! I need to finish mine...

slinky · **Posted:** Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:58 am

Very nice, and a good selection of books too - I love Cornwell's Uhtred series

Lothíriel · **Posted:** Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:20 am

Really great stuff, love seeing such dynamic figures in a display.

Qwertz8 · **Joined:** Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:31 pm **Posts:** 57

Quite a sight to behold, all of the nine mounted! You did a good job making all the different black areas look distinct from each other and interesting.

I also love the modular trees you did, especially the way you always put them in small groups of two or three.

Nevinsrip · **Posted:** Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:41 am

Well done, Map.

Mapper - Metal Elves

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