Custom Rock Wall: Scratch Built & Painted!

So I decided that for Baldur2, I needed a rock wall. And if I'm gonna do this right - getting back into Circle - I can't have some chincy paper cut out or piece of foam core, but a proper, to-scale, legally-sized rock wall. I had bought some Super Sculpey a while back when I was going to attempt to make Cassius' personal Celestial Fulcrum. The concept didn't pan out and was frankly a little too ambitious for the money invested in the model (if I screwed up) and the time it would require to finish (since I have only limited hobby time and a lot of armies; see sidebar to the right if you don't believe me). So I broke out the Sculpey and got to work...

First, I cut a 4" x 0.75" piece of 1mm sheet styrene to serve as the legal-sized base (per both Prime Mk2 and Primal Mk2). I then started making the rock wall. I wanted it vertical, of course, but layered from the side - to look like it was rising up from the ground as the Stonesoul cast his spell. So, first I made a long central wall of rocks, leaving space on either side. I used sculpting tools to create flat surfaces, ledges, and striations my fingers couldn't manage. Then, remembering how much Super Sculpey stinks when you bake it, I opted to boil it. Worked like a charm! About two minutes in boiling water and it was set solid. Then I added another row of rocks to one side, following the same procedure and covering up areas I didn't feel looked that great in the first row. Boiled that side (only one minute this time) and then did the same to side two (boiled closer to two minutes here). Then I did some gap filling with liquid green stuff and Gorilla Glue (the styrene had come away from the rocks here and there), carved some starker facets around the surfaces, and filed areas to be sharper. The result was three rough rows of nicely-faceted rocks making a game-legal wall.

My inspiration to paint comes in fits and starts, to be sure. In fact, I haven't painted much of anything this year, and nothing since I moved in February. As inspiration would have it, before priming, I had showed my wife this flesh- and green-colored rock wall, and she said, "I think I'd like to see it when you get it painted." Well, that planted the seed. So I set about priming the rock wall. I also primed my Fulcrum and Baldur2 while I was at it, using my trusty Duplicolor Sandable Black automotive primer. I love this stuff! Can't recommend it enough. I was especially struck with how smoothly it goes on after months of not using it. I've been using some cheap Wal-mart gray primer to mass-prime my Dark Elves (it's good stuff, too, just a little trickier - can't be beat for the price when you have so many models to prime).

After the wall was dry I went about painting it, following the scheme I had developed almost four years ago for my Circle constructs. I figure the wall should match, right? For you readers, I followed my own blog post on painting my Woldwarden, since he represented the most recent iteration of the scheme. Within an hour or so, I had it complete. However, I wasn't totally happy with it...

So, I texted a picture or two to my friend Ray. He's a talented and extremely prolific painter who sends me pics all the time, asking for advice on the use and placement of colors. I figured I may as well get him to return the favor. He agreed that it looked good, but needed a little something else. He immediately advised that I should add a light highlight of GW Rotten Flesh. Well, I conveniently had the VGC equivalent called Dead Flesh handy and snatched it up. I had some serious doubts though. This stuff looks pretty green. But Ray assured me it would work, that he'd been reading a bunch of stuff on color theory lately, and knew it would look great. I'll let you decide... here's the before picture, finished up to the point of my other completed Circle constructs.

Then I took a deep breath and went to work with the VGC Dead Flesh. Here's the result, this time with both front and back photos.

Tomorrow, the piece will get my usual layers of Krylon gloss varnish followed by matter varnish. Sorry if the less-than-ideal phone pics make the difference hard to see. But rest assured, in person, the added layer makes this wall really pop! It gives a depth to the over all image I was trying to convey, as well as a sense of scale that wasn't quite present before. It looks more... real... for lack of a better term. It also looks somewhat arcane, like it's truly spell-driven. Ok, I'm a dork, I know - but I can't help but be excited! 

Either way, I feel inspired! I want to paint my Celestial Fulcrum next. If this wall pops, then this method will certainly make that Fulcrum explode, baby!

Let me know what you think! I invited Ray to come check out my blog. If he's reading this, thanks man! I love learning new techniques when I paint. It's a real inspiration and it hasn't happened in a long time.

Coming Full Circle (Orboros)

So for a while, I suspected that it might be time that I part ways with my beloved Circle Orboros. In the last year since I played much Circle, I first picked up Thornfall, then got back into Malifaux, and added not one, but two, armies for Warhammer Fantasy. Something had to give and I figured the time had come to eliminate a faction from my Warmachine-Hordes stable. Just not enough time in my life for so many armies. Cygnar was my first love, so it's hard to part with them. Mercs, by extension, are an extension of Cygnar (sic), so parting with them would be difficult if not impossible. The pigs are my newest Privateer Press army and very self-contained and easy to collect, so Circle seemed the obvious choice. That said, my wife's favorite model of any I own for any game is the Lord of the Feast... how could I reasonably leave the Circle when that means a parting of the ways between my beautiful wife and the Feast Lord? I'm not a jealous guy, so the Lord poses no threat to me. Haha! But 86-ing one of the things my wife loves? Couldn't do it.

But for the last year or so, I've had next to no interest in playing Circle. I've talked to friends about it, all of whom have encouraged me to hold on to my stuff, that I'll regret selling or trading it, and to wait. The flavor of the gum will come back on the bed post overnight. I know - gross thought. But it's something my Dad once told me and it seems to apply. Another way to look at it - absence makes the heart grow fonder (and more delicious if the Lord of the Feast is to be believed).

So, it's finally come around. I've started reading the boards again. Getting interested in some of Circle's new toys. Also, got a small bonus for guest lecturing in a colleague's course, which will help fuel some purchases to get me up to speed on new releases. I've decided, like I did with Cygnar a couple years ago, that I'm focusing in on three warlocks for the time being - two old favorites (because it's a home-coming after all) and one new release (because his original incarnation was one of my very favorites in the Mk1 days). The latter therefore becomes an easy guess - Baldur the Stonesoul. The other two are the dynamic duo who love to hate each other (wait, that can be said for a lot of the Circle warlocks, esp. coupled with one of my choices). That's right - Morvahna the Autumnblade and Kromac the Ravenous.

The lists I've built for these three warlocks will highlight models I've yet to make much use of (purchases right before I took my hiatus from Circle, for example), combined with some of the best Circle has to offer. Also, I'll be playing them in the order presented because I don't own everything yet that I want to use. I've also decided that I'm pushing local players to the 50pts level from here on out. I just enjoy that level of game play with all the new toys - and I think Circle in general shines at that level.

I'll color code a bit, too. Normal text is just that, normal stuff I'm used to using. My faction color of choice - teal, used in much of my painting - will make note of stuff I own but have yet to field (maybe once or twice, if at all). And finally, red will denote stuff I don't yet own. It'll shift over to teal when I finally make the purchases.

So without further ado, here we go!


Baldur the Stonesoul (-5WBpts) Tier 4 - 50pts
^Megalith (11pts)
^Woldguardian (9pts)
^Woldwatcher (4pts)
^Woldwatcher (4pts)
Celestial Fulcrum (9pts)
Druids of Orboros + Overseer (9pts)
Shifting Stones + Stone Keeper (3pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Lord of the Feast (4pts)


Morvahna the Autumnblade (-6WBpts) non-Tier - 50pts
^Megalith (11pts)
^Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
^Gorax (4pts)
Tharn Bloodtrackers Full (8pts)
Wolves of Orboros Full + Officer & Standard (8pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
Reeve Hunter (2pts)
War Wolf (1pts)
War Wolf (1pts)
Wolflord Morraig (5pts)


Kromac the Ravenous (-WB4pts) Tier 4 - 50pts
^Ghetorix (11pts)
^Feral Warpwolf (9pts) (really want a new sculpt to go with this list)
^Gorax (4pts)
Tharn Ravagers + Chieftain (9pts)
Tharn Ravagers + Chieftain (11pts)
Tharn Ravager White Mane (3pts)
Tharn Ravager White Mane (3pts)
Lord of the Feast (4pts)


Three very different styles - brick, spell-slinging shenanigans, and brutal axe-to-face. Considering some changes on the Morvi list, trying to figure out if a Blackclad Wayfarer and Swamp Gobs would help the overall functioning of the list. Otherwise, this gets some great new stuff (for me) on the table - Guardian, Fulcrum, Reeve Hunter with War Wolves, the Groves, and of course Ghetorix!

Please share your thoughts on my lists, or better yet on my journey coming back full circle to Circle. Have you experienced something like this? Did you end up trading/selling the army and later regret it? Or did you hold true and thank your lucky stars that you kept your stuff?

All and all, happy to be back!