Friday 30 December 2016

Coming soon ... painted miniatures and model kits

To complement Shire Works' existing products, we plan to offer customers fully assembled/painted miniatures and scale model kits in the coming months. Here at Shire Works, we understand that not all collectors want to assemble/paint miniatures and model kits. Good news then to those of you who would like to collect figurines and model vehicles as finished end products of display quality.


For now at least, the fully painted/assembled miniatures and model kits will come from our main product lines namely Ax Faction, Knight Models, Nocturna Models as well as from Bandai's Star Wars Plastic Model range. Also for the time being they will not be commissioned works but rather selected pieces chosen by Shire Works.   




Due to the fragility of some of the fully painted/assembled miniatures and model kits, they will be made available only within the Klang Valley on a COD (cash on delivery), for now. However, we do harbour hopes of expanding the availability of these fully painted/assembled miniatures and model kits, outside of the Klang Valley, in the future. Until our next post, here's wishing you a Happy New Year!

Wednesday 21 September 2016

Use a proxy for your favourite characters or go original

Be it sourced from books or movies, memorable characters form a large part of what inspires us miniature painters to recreate them artistically. But there are occasions when the characters we want to paint are just not available in miniature for. That's when we look for proxies or replacement figurines that best capture the spirit of the character we want to recreate in paint form.  They aren't easy to find, but when you do it's a glorious feeling.

Harley Quinn and Katana from the Suicide Squad - characters worthy of a search for proxies to paint


An example of such a proxy hunt revolved around characters from the latest superheroes (or more accurately supervillains) comic book adaptation movie Suicide Squad. More specifically, proxies were being sought for Harley Quinn and Katana [see above]. There were found in the Nocturna Models 80 mm resin figurine collection, namely the Nocturna Models 80 mm Alice (Fairy Tale Girls) and 70 mm Soum, 13 Moons (Malefic Time) [see below]. 

Nocturna Models 80 mm - Alice (Fairy Tale Girls) tin box packaging
Nocturna Models Alice (Fairy Tale Girls) unboxed
Resin miniature parts of Alice, Fairy Tale Girls
Nocturna Models 70 mm - Soum, 13 Moons (Malefic Time) tin box packaging
Nocturna Models Soum, 13 Moons (Malefic Time) unboxed
Resin miniature parts of Soum, 13 moons (Malefic Time)

What made these resin miniatures so suitable as proxies for Harley and Katana? Well, features of the Noctuna Models Alice figurine which lend itself perfectly to a Harley Quinn-Joker themed diorama piece were, in no particular order:
1. A teacup in hand (from a scene in the movie);
2. Pigtail-like hair for Harley's iconic tri-coloured hairstyle;
3. Large leg stockings which can painted to resemble her in-movie ones;
4. Playing cards which offer the opportunity to paint Joker cards; and
5. A large mushroom which can be painted in purplish Joker hues.

The scene that produced a light-bulb moment linking Nocturna Models Alice to Harley Quinn
With Katana it was all about finding a miniature with an Eastern Asian look and a ... well ... katana

Meanwhile for Katana it was more a case of finding a miniature with oriental features who happened to be holding on to a traditional Japanese sword i.e. the character's namesake. Cue the Nocturna Models Soum, 13 Moons figurine from the Malefic Time series. She also had some workable similarities to her DC counterpart which made her a good proxy:
1. Soum's katana which is self explanatory;
2. She's of East Asian ethnicity, also self explanatory; and
3. Round signage offers an opportunity for some Suicide Squad-related freehand painting.

http://shireworks.blogspot.my/p/knight-models.html

But all is not doom and gloom in terms of finding an accurately sculpted superhero miniature to paint. Shire Works carries some of the more iconic Marvel characters from Knight Models some of which are shown below. Pictures courtesy of our resident painter who blogs at http://foureyed-monster.blogspot.my/

Knight Models Logan
Knight Models Spiderman
Knight Models Iron Man
Knight Models The Hulk

Coming back to finding proxies for your miniature painting projects, the following are some miniatures from the Nocturna Models and Ax Faction line which has been used as proxies for a popular book and TV series i.e. Game of Thrones. These miniatures were also painted by out resident painter FourEyedMonster.

Nocturna Models 70 mm Crusader, painted as Ser Gregor Clegane
Back view of the Nocturna Models 70 mm Crusader, painted as Ser Gregor Clegane
Nocturna Models 70 mm Akelarre Enchantment, painted as Daenerys Targaryen
Ax Faction 32 mm Giant Hunter painted as the wilding Ygritte


So don't fret. If you can't find the actual miniature of a character you want to paint, then look for a proxy. If you can, all the better to go original. Either way, remember to have fun!

Monday 9 May 2016

Team Cap or Team Stark? Choose ...

Or better yet, why play favourites when you can have both.

Are you Team Cap or Team Stark? Why not both?

Available from Shire Works are the Marvel Universe miniatures from the Knight Models product line i.e. 1/28th scale metal model kits of Captain America and Iron Man. Comprising a white metal alloy, both miniatures are supplied unpainted and will require assembly.

Knight Models Captain America, 1/28th scale

Both these mainstays of the Marvel Avengers universe come in highly detailed metal parts which can be assembled using super glue. While the the metal miniature can be polished and left as is after assembly, it is highly recommended that hobbyists/modellers paint up the model post-assembly. A fully painted miniature looks best for display purposes.
 
Knight Models Iron Man, 1/28th scale

If you haven't caught the Captain America: Civil War movie yet, what are you waiting for? It's arguably the best Captain America movie to date and well worth the price of admission. And if afterwards, you feel like assembling and painting up old school versions of Captain America and Iron Man, do yourself a favour and get the Knight Models versions of both. For more info, please check out the following product link on Shire Works => http://bit.ly/1P6SNbs 

Monday 29 February 2016

Quick Tips: Bases, oft forgotten pieces of the puzzle

When painting miniatures we tend to spend so much attention on the figure itself that it's easy to overlook the base and give it minimal attention. It's an understandable mistake but one that is also easily overcome with a little bit of patience and thought on details.

An overhead view of the Knight Models Zombie Girl base

In a shout out to the latest season of the Walking Dead, the Knight Models Zombie Girl is a fine example of how some tender loving care to a base can give a figure that extra oomph! Straight out of the box, the base looks fairly unassuming with just a flat road and a pumpkin. But if you pay careful attention to it, you'll start to notice well sculpted details such as fallen autumn leaves, candy bars and wrappers as well as a well textured road and sidewalk. More than enough for any miniature painter to try and work his or her magic on. 

Knight Models Zombie Girl in its original packaging
Knight Models Zombie Girl: individual metal parts
Knight Models Zombie Girl: parts assembled/glued on and then primed

For inspiration, photos of candy bars and fallen autumn leaves (see below) were used as a benchmark reference on how to paint the details on the base. At first glance, the bright, cheery colours might seem to be out of place in a horror piece. But the juxtaposition of the Zombie Girl's pallid, rotting skin tone and the warm colours of a festive Halloween trick-or-treat celebration actually gives a surreal twist to the whole horror diorama.  

Inspiration for an autumn Halloween came in the form of candy bars and fallen maple leaves

To allow greater access to and control over the painting of the minute details, the base was painted separately from the figure i.e. before gluing the Zombie Girl to the base.

Knight Models Zombie Girl base sans pumpkin - sidewalk/road with autumn leaves and candy bars strewn all over
Scale comparison - Knight Models Zombie Girl base next to a 31-mm paperclip
A pumpkin's advice: Have a thick skin and smile

This is how the whole model kit looks when put together and with the paint job completed.

Knight Models Zombie Girl, paint job completed
Low level lighting adds to the eerie atmosphere of the piece
A well painted base adds volumes to the overall piece
Back view of the Knight Models Zombie Girl

The figure shown above has been assembled and painted exclusively for Shire Works. Please note that the Zombie Girl metal model kit is supplied unpainted and requires assembly. For more information on zombie-related models available from Shire Works, please click on the Knight Models product tab in the menu bar above, or on the ad below.

http://shireworks.blogspot.my/p/knight-models.html

Friday 1 January 2016

Happy New Year 2016

Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year!


May you be blessed with peace and happiness in the year ahead.