Minor Miniature Mods: Viking Warrior

A Modified Viking

I'm by no means a frequent or skilled miniatures modder, but occasionally I will get a miniature that is almost exactly what I'm looking for except for perhaps its weapon, or I'll get a miniature that is broken or damaged in some way.  That was the case with this one.  I liked the figure, but sadly his axe was so badly bent that my efforts to straighten it resulted in the haft snapping off.  I toyed with the idea of shortening the axe, but finally decided to just go with a sword, as I'm much more of a sword guy anyway.  The base of the figure was also rather narrow and the whole thing was prone to easily tipping, so I decided to work on that as well.  The work was fairly easy, with just some snips and a micro-drill needed to remove the old axe and prepare it for the new sword.  I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the results.  If nothing else, the miniature will be much more stable on the table.  The original miniature is Olaf, Viking Chieftain from Reaper Miniatures, and I'm including a picture here for comparison.  So, what about everyone else?  Do you do frequent major miniatures modifications or just infrequent minor ones like me?  Does anyone have any tips they would like to share?

The original miniature

Evidence that the 1930-31 Miskatonic University Expedition my have been right after all...

Thanks to +William Beegle for pointing this out to me.  It seems that something strange has been found in Antarctica.  Let's hope that they don't find any cube shaped structures.  Perhaps we should consult the Necronomicon...Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!
For anyone who hasn't read At the Mountains of Madness, it can be found here.

A new year and some new paints

For years now, I've mostly used Citadel paints for my miniatures.  I've done this in spite of the fact that they seem to always be changing their colors, or discontinuing my favorite paints at the most inopportune times.  (I'm looking at you Citadel Foundation paints).  But this year, I decided to try something different, so I picked up a set of Vallejo Medieval Colors from Amazon.  The set was a bit pricy at $52.99, but it comes with 16 colors, which makes it cheaper than buying 16 pots of Citadel paints.  I've heard good things about them and am looking forward to trying them out.  Even if I love them though, I expect that I will keep using Citadel washes and technical paints.  What about everyone else?  What are your favorite paints and why?

Happy Birthday Professor Tolkien

Born 125 years ago today.

Miniatures Monday

Front View

 The first Miniatures Monday of 2017 brings us two views of a lantern-jawed warrior.  He sort of reminds me of a  tidier looking Boromir.  I like to think that I'm getting a bit better at painting eyes, but this fellow looks a bit surprised by something.  The miniature is from Reaper Miniatures and is 03512: Ardellen, Ranger.  You can get one of your own for only $7.99.

Rear View

Happy New Year!

Well, 2016 is behind us, and 2017 stretches before us.  Wishing all of you health and happiness in the new year!