2011 & Beyond...

2011 will be a very busy year for me. I am going to finish several old & new projects.

1) I have to deal with paperwork to legally open BATTLE MINIATURES EMPORIUM.
2) I am going to open BME in Spring, as my Birthday Present.
3) I am going to finally complete my old rules system for 15MM Miniature Skirmish & RPG.
4) I intend to have the TOMORROW BLACK Core Book ready to release in Autumn.
5) I am going to participate in THE WEEKLY ONE FIVE,  on a regular bases.
6) I am going to continue to improve my well being in all aspects of life.

That should be enough for anybody to do...and I fucking welcome these challenges.

Your Goddamn Right...Baby!

To my Brothers out there, I hope you all have a very good year.

Joseph

15MM Tabletop RPG POLL RESULTS

AD&D: 15

CYBERPUNK: 15

GAMMA WORLD: 30

RIFTS: 15

SHADOW RUN: 18

Now that the poll is concluded,  I would like to ask you to help me fill out some of the concepts from each game. Please bare in mind that I will NOT Copy anything from any of these games, but I will do some models that are similar, and convey the general intent of the popular concepts we all love from these RPG Worlds.

For example, many of us (At least 31 people...lol) would like to see 15MM Gamma World Styled Miniatures.
Okay, what type of Miniatures?
The Animal-Humanoid Mutants?
Killer Cyborgs?
Wild Sci-Fi Versions of D&D Character types?
And so on...

What I would like to read from you who participated is: what was your reason for choosing what you voted for?

To help you understand why I included the RPG's I did in the poll, I will tell you what my Answers are to the above question.

AD&D: Classic Characters that transcend genre such as Fighters, Mages, and Rouges. Classic Monsters such as Kobolds, Goblins, Trolls, and Bizarre Mutant Things such as Dangerous Protoplasmic Blobs and Plants.

Cyberpunk: The Matrix Punk-Styled Gangers, Light Cyborgs and High Tech Character Classes.

Gamma World: Mutants of all types, particularly Animal-Humanoids.

Rifts: Super High Tech Nations struggling to rule the new world. Specifically The Coalition, and New German Republic.
Super Powerful Mutants and The Bizarre Aliens. 

Shadow Run: The Sci-Fantasy-Horror combined element, which made classic AD&D and Cyberpunk Characters even more interesting. 

Now that you know more or less what I am thinking about sculpting perhaps you can better answer when I ask you what would you like to see done.

Please feel free to respond here with your Blog I.D. I have the comments feature OPEN (But Moderated).

Joseph

TECH FIGHTER WIP Preview 1

The TECH Nation is a force to be reckoned with for it is their great devices which keep nearly all of The New Kingdoms alive, to varying degrees. "Integral Services" such as maintaining Border Security, Arming Troops, and running the purification processing stations which provide clean air and purified water insure that The Techers Voice is respected in the Meeting Halls of most Repopulated Dominions.

TECH Fighters employ a great verity of equipment and weapons, both Internally and Externally Utilized.

A word on Design. I am sculpting The TECH Nations Characters and Forces with as much Technical Detail as possible. This is a challenge for me because I am more of an Organic Sculptor. It will be a damn hard, but ultimately rewarding task.

I will post Previews of other TECH Nation Characters and an update on The S.E.C. MECH soon.

Joseph

TMP Santa...THANK YOU!

Well I had a surprise today when I visited The Miniatures Page AKA: TMP.

Bill sent me a congratulatory Private Message to inform me that "Someone" had arranged for my Sponsoring Membership there, for a full year.
WOW!
If that kind Brother (or Sister?) would like to contact me I have my email linked here on my Profile page. I would like to send you some of my miniatures in 2011.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, I understand that too.

In any event, again thank you very much...you are one of the Good People in this Little Community.

Take care my friend!

Joseph

MANIC WIDOW WIP Preview 1

"Manic Widows know far more than our Elder Fathers have forgotten, we owe thanks to The Ghost Father that they are insane... for if not,  they would rule all of Mankind."

Manic Widows are The First Born Daughters of Human Females who have been exposed to The HTX-06 Compound, in it's pure and terrible form, and where somehow able to resist the physical mutation which flourishes in Human Males. The Child of such a Rare Mother is gifted of virtually unlimited mental prowess. In time these girls become young women capable of great Benevolence or Dominance. Thus are these women a blessing or a curse to all mankind, for in time they have the power to inspire and protect or discourage and kill entire armies of Lesser Minds.

A Word On Design. There are several types of Manic Widows. I will post more info for each of them, as I work on the sculptures for each class. This sculpture represents the Siren Class, whom can call forth animals and other beast to do their bidding.

Joseph

My Frst Project for THE WEEKLY ONE FIVE

Ray and I are going to sculpt a "Juggers Team" from The Blood Of Heroes.
I was going to do something like this later in the coming year, but since Ray wants to do it now, why not, it is cool.
For more info on The Weekly One Five which begins in just eleven days, you can read the TMP post.

I am going to do nine miniatures for this project. The five Juggers and four supporting figures.
The first support figure is going to be a Game Referee which will likely look very much like the Fat Bad Guy from The Book Of Eli.

In keeping with TW15's guidelines I am going to start working on this figure on January 1 2011. I will complete The Support Figures with a Manager, Ring Girl, and Gear Tech.

I am going to start a Blog for The Weekly One Five on the first.

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 6

I have the basic bridge dry fitted now. I wanted to see it lain out. I am happy with the results of this little dry run. I decided to order larger sheets of Plasticard, as shown in my last Dead Road update. The new 7"x12" Plastic Boards are exactly what I wanted. You can see that the three Plastic Bridge pieces that came with the Rix Kit are nice, but they will not give me the large Overpass structure that I want. I am going to get good use from these pieces however, in another terrain Project, which I will discuss at a later date.

Now that I have laid the bridge out and dry-tested it for size, I can actually build this large structure with confidence that the finished product will do what I want it to do on the Battlefield.

I have started the damage and weathering process on some of my HO (1/87) scale die cast and plastic vehicles.
So far I have simply added bullet hits and other damage to the glass, along with scratches and dents on the bodies.

I decided that I want to add an abandoned house in the woods along the interstate. This will add another element of cover for advancing troops, and also I like the idea of having a house setting quietly in overgrown woodlands. With little skeletons and rusting vehicles, and the vines and other fun details all around. Baby, you sure are sexy...lol.

This house was a very simple little kit to assemble, and so I an not showing the entire process of assembly, which took only about an hour to complete. Now the real work comes, in aging and weathering the structure.

I will post more updates on this project soon.

Joseph

HURATT WAR MAKERS & WAR RATTS WIP Preview 1

"We are the force of our mighty chieftain's will, we kill the wet skins who would drive us from the good root of the filthy sun dirt, we are The War Makers!"

When The War Makers rise from The Under many go forth upon mighty War Ratts. These loyal steeds are alone a great threat, and give their beloved masters even greater speed and ferocity in open battle.

The War Makers, with their great War Ratts are the core of any Chieftains War Party. Mounted War Makers can attack at great speed, and return to a place of relative safety from the Wet Skins guns, almost before their enemies have made good any counter attack.

A Word On Design. I am sculpting The War Makers on Foot and Mounted, so you will have both Ground Troops and Cavalry options for your Huratt War Parties.

I will post more Huratt  Previews as well as updates on Rattak and The Hunters soon.

Joseph

MURGHAST WARIORS WIP Preview 1

The Eastern Waste is home to many enemies of The NAC and TECH. Among these bands of Rebels none are so great as The Baron's Mighty Hordes. After The Last Days, The Death Ash intensified the effects of The M.U.R.G. Virus. Now many generations later, what has evolved in The Blackened Places is nothing less than horrendous.

"Dark Science brought to Mankind many Blessings and Curses... it is we who know them all."

The Murg Virus effects all Mammals. Non-Humanoids simply become mutated wild things driven mad by their terrible hunger. Infected Humans are an actuale new and terrible race.

Murghast are Evil that hunt all Weak Humans, for their Food. Strong Humans are welcomed into The Brotherhood.

Murghast Warriors stand from 4'6" to 8'6" and weigh from 190 to 660 lbs. The Murg maintain a Lethal Hierarchical Society, where in the most  intelligent and physically capable dominate the lower classes. The most organized and feared Murg Plague reigns in The East Waste and is Fathered by The Baron Morghast.

Murghast Warriors are agile, terrifyingly resilient, and extremely powerful. Warriors are very keen on Rigged Tech, and employ a variety of uniquely crafted Ballistic and Martial weapons of their own design. 

A word on Design. I am sculpting unique weapons for this Faction.

 

I will post more Previews of The Murg soon.

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 5

Hail Brothers Of The One Five!

I had a little unpacking adventure and after I dug out a few of my BIG Boxes of Raw Terrain Materials...well...I discovered I needed more goodies...Oops.

I suppose I could just use what I had, which is considerable, but I want The Dead Road to look absolutely realistic, which meant that I had to drop another $60 on this project. Below you can see what I ordered last week.

I have thought about it, and decided to be happy with my beloved Overpass...well...I am going to have to augment the RIX Kit. This was the main reason (along with the Sidewalks) that I purchased the new Plasticard Sheets, and put off working on it for a bit until the new supplies came in. I also discovered during my Closet Dig, that I needed new Plasticard Strips and Corners to finish off the Hotel's False Floors (I use these for the actuale construction process, the details of which I'll share with you later).

Well other than the Skeletons I am sculpting...I have all of the materials I need and can really build these structures now, the way I want them.
The skeletons are important becuase I am going to have areas of high detail all over my terrain, similar to what I am doing for my Miniature Bases.



I will post more on this project, and preview the Skeletons set soon.

Joseph

HURATT HUNTER & SEEKER WIP Preview 1

The Huratt dominate The Under, yet to truly Rule The Dark they know that they must also Walk In Light. There are several Huratt who are brave enough to do this, chief among them are: Path Finders and The Hunters with their Seekers.

Unlike most Huratt, Hunters are not a Dark Science Race, but rather a mutation which evolved after the first generation of Rat-Men (more on this later).

Like all Huratt, Hunters and their loyal Seekers are extremely evil, taking great pleasure in the torments they inflict on their hapless captives. Hunters are a Ranking Class, and can guide and instruct all other Hurrat, with nearly the same authority as Chieftains.They are the Huratt which hunt all Non-Rodent Mammals, especially Feline Manamals and Humans.

 

The average Huratt Hunter stands about 6'9" and weighs around 360lbs. Huratt Hunters maintain several of the laws which govern the Lethal Hierarchical Society of The Huratt. As Long Walkers they (like Path Finders) counsel their mighty Chieftains.

 

Hurrat Hunters are agile for their massive size and extremely powerful. Hunters are very keen on Old & New Tech, and employ a variety of finely crafted Staffs, Claws and Crossbows, along with many Devices of Dominance of their own design. 

A word on Design. I am sculpting Hunter Weapons and Devices of Dominance on separate sprues so that collectors can add fun little details to each of their Huratt Hunter Models...and more captives too (Why am I so Evil?).

I will post more Progress on Rattak and Previews of other Huratt soon.

Joseph

S.E.C. MECH WIP Preview 1

A common danger any Well Traveled Walker expects to encounter when nearing the borders of The Techer or NAC Territories are S.E.C. Mechs. The trick to getting by them is to see them before they see you...



Tech Weaponry comes in many classifications from huge S.E.C. batteries mounted upon the ramparts of fortified instillation's, to tiny devices hidden in a piece of jewelry.

Perhaps the most common of these (with the exception of utilitarian weaponry of course) are S.E.C. Mechs.

Security Enforcement Constructs (S.E.C.s) are designed and manufactured almost exclusively in The Techer Cities. These deadly Mechs are available to anyone with the wits to deal with Techers (and survive) and the cash to pay for them.

A word on Design. I am working on a few weapon options for this S.E.C. Mech Type.

The first is a combo of one Medium Laser and a Mini-Missile Pod. I have designed this sculpture so that it can  be used on the tabletop in Scanning (Turret Down) and Active (Turret Up) mode.

I am going to make a few Mech Tech Weapons for the Techer and NAC Factions. This is just the first type.

Joseph

Inspiration And Determination

Hello Brothers Of The One Five.

Some of you have asked me about what I am doing, for The World of TOMORROW BLACK.
Well, I can answer that simply, in part, by sharing with you some of the art that I have collected over the years.
Here is a little collage of a very few of the paintings I have in my Art Collection.

And one of my own paintings, from about a year ago.

I hope this posting gives you all some idea of what you can expect to see in 15MM Metal in 2011 and beyond.

Please know that I have a lot of Original Concepts of my own, and that I am not attempting to simply Copy any of the Art depicted in the Collage.

I am inspired by these works however, and I intend to pay respectful homage to the great artist which have have helped me grow in my own artistic endeavors over the years.

Note: If any of you are wondering why I have not shown more of my own Original Art in this posting, well...lol...that is becuase I am saving it to go into the Tomorrow Black RPG & Miniature Battles book.

Joseph

The Book of Eli...A Must See Film!

Hello Brothers Of The One Five.


I just watched The Book Of Eli over the Holiday. Believe it or not, I had yet to see this film, because I was waiting for it to come out in an Extended/Special Edition. I knew from seeing the Trailers, that this was going to be a film to own. While it is available on DVD now, I am going to wait a bit longer to buy it in the hope that it does get released in a grander form.
I am an odd fellow in this regard, as I will happily wait for Special Editions of truly great films before I add them to my DVD Collection.
The Book of Eli is a truly great film.
I think it is rather odd,  that I gave in and rented this film, just as I have started to finally work on some of my dearest Terrain Projects, such as The Dead Road.
Needless to say...The Book of Eli (along with The Road) have truly inspired me to do the very best work I can, as I endeavor to build the world of Tomorrow Black, for the 15MM tabletop.

If you have not seen The Book of Eli...I hope you do, because it is a story worth experiencing.

Joseph

GLERTCH WIP Preview 2

Glertchech Warriors are very keen on Tech, and employ a variety of Custom Guns and other Tech Weapons during their frequent Raids into neighboring Humanoid Settlements.



Tech Weaponry most frequently employed by Glertchech Warriors include: Catch Claws, Stupid Sticks, Saw Shields, Razors, and Thumpers.

A word on Design. I am keeping these Glertchech Weapons seperate for now so that I can add them to the Glertch Models when I get going on the Conversion Phase of Production.

I am going to make other weapons for this Faction. This is just the first batch.

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 4

I have The Hotel base model assembled.  I can now concentrate on The Damage and Detail work, which has been started.

I am leaving the back wall off, for now, so that I can work inside, adding false floors for the broken areas of the outer wall.

I am going to add a lot of little details to this model, such as Building Debris, Furniture, and Skeletons (Which I am currently sculpting).



There is still a LOT of work to be done...but it is coming along reasonably well.

Joseph

Happy Holiday & Welcome To New Members Of The Brotherhood.

I hope that everyone who visits WAR ART has a good day, and enjoys the holiday in whatever way pleases them most.

Welcome to these Brothers Of One Five, who have chosen to take this journey with me.

Brutpaul, Mark Mondragon, Spartan 117, Ironmammoth,  RSpears192 and Eli Arndt.

You All Have My Best Regards!

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 3

Now that we have seen The Overpass, here are the supporting structures in this Terrain Drama.
These models balance out The Dead Road Tabletop. I am going to have The Overpass extending across one end of the Game Board. The 24 Hour Convenience Store and Hotel will be on the other end. Between these ruined ghost there will be a dual lane highway, with vehicle hulks, trees, rusting light poles, and other appropriate detritus.

The 24 Hour Convenience Store will be more or less in tack, for good ground cover. The sexy little Modern Gravity Gas Pumps (Oh baby...baby!) and a few long abandoned vehicles will be set in front of the structure, on an overgrown and time worn paved lot.

The Hotel will preserve game balance, more so than the 24 Hour Stop, and make a fine bookend to the Overpass. With this large model in play, opposing forces will each have good high ground to deploy their Long Ranged and/or Heavy Weapons in.

It should be very fun to have ranged boxing matches, so to speak, as heavy weapons lining the overpass trade blows with their enemies firing from the hotel windows and rooftops.

I purchased The Store, The Gas Pumps, and The Hotel, from Hobbylink.

I searched high and low for Modern Gas Pumps, and Hobbylink was the only game in town. They are a solid company.

Well there you have it , other than the road, the vehicles and the skeletons (which I am currently sculpting),  that is pretty much everything. After six months of web-hunting and saving up the fun-money, I have amassed all of the components I need for this Terrain Project.

Now all I have to do is build everything...

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 2

That SEXY Overpass...Lordy Have Mercy!

Ha, ha, ha! This is The Star Of The Show. I have always loved the idea of gaming around a structure that spans the entire width of the table. Not only does it give you high ground and good cover, it looks great on the table IMO.

I built something like this years ago, in my 28MM gaming days, and it was almost cool, but this time I can really DO IT RIGHT. I am going to keep the structure in tack for the most part, because I want to have troops and vehicles able to move across the full length of the expanse.

For Brothers Of The One Five, I can not recommend this rare jewel of a model highly enough. It was designed to be a converters dream. You have to assemble the model in three independent lenghts, and all of the support piers are seperate too.
Assembling this model is going to be a little arduous, but you have great control of how to lay the pieces out. For example, you really could do the broken and half standing bridge arrangement, with segments of the structure on and above the ground. It would be a simple matter of assembling the model in pieces, rather than as a complete structure.

I purchased a pair of these RIX kits, becuase I want to be able to make a large model. This was a little expensive, but you could do well with just a single kit. I got mine from Walthers on sale for about $30 each.

Other Component's for this model include: Double-Arm Tear Drop Lamp, Guardrail, and Concrete K-Rail Barrier.

Now I  own all of these goodies, and I have started to clean up the parts, and dry fit them. It is going to be a job to do this right, but it will be great (I hope) when it is done.

This is where The Fun Starts...

Joseph

THE DEAD ROAD Part 1

After posting three Sculpting Projects this month I think it is time to post about one of my Terrain Projects. I have just started working on a 3x6 Battlefield, which I am calling The Dead Road. 

The concept for this Battlefield is to have a long rectangle area to game where movement will be an important part of the scenarios. For example Search & Return, Pursue & Capture or Seek & Destroy missions would play out well in this environment.

I found myself becoming very inspired to start The Dead Road, while watching The Road last year. This film may of been a disappointment to some Apocalyptic Action Junkies, but for me it did not disappoint, certainly not in the way the film makers presented the atmosphere and look of the world.

I have collected several raw components for this project over the last six months. It was a fun little mission just to find these models. Now I am ready to start working on this Sexy Terrain,  as sort of a little respite from my many Sculpting Projects.



I will post images of the models in their own topic.

Joseph

BARON WIP Preview 1

The Baron Morghast, Father of The Eastern Plague, rules the Wet-Waste and the surrounding plain from York to Texxaz.
"Fear and Honor are great upon his Dreaded Name."

All who have ever fought The Baron's Mighty Hordes, Praise The Whisperer that they yet still breath.



A word on Design. I am sculpting The Baron and nearly all Murghast Models with Unique Weapons. Basically I am treating the models for this range as Characters, due to the way I have developed their history and approach to battle. The chief concern for me with this Faction is that every model look as bizarre and as detailed as possible, which means that I can not simply make a few Basic Weapons and Body Blanks, and then convert up a bunch...not for these Little Meanies...I love them to much for that.

I will post Previews of The Murghast Warriors, with a brief Racial Overview, soon.

Joseph

15MM Tabletop RPG POLL

Which Classic Sci-Fi-Horror Games Would You Most Like To Play On The 15MM Tabletop?

Poll Choices: AD&D, Cyberpunk, Gamma World, Rifts, Shadow Run, Other.

I think that many of you know I am found of RPG, and that I am working to make some 15MM figures to represent some of the Classic Monsters and General Character Types from my favorite games.

I would like to know, what do you want to see done for the 15MM Tabletop?

If the poll does not include your favorite games, please feel welcomed to list them in your response to this topic.

Note: I will not be making exact copies from any game, but I am certainly going to do some very serviceable "Nots" for us to enjoy.

Joseph

Brothers Of The One Five...YOU Are Welcomed Here.

You know I have had a few Blogs: Black Autumn Productions, and Legend And Fiend Entertainment.
They helped me learn a few things about keeping an Internet Diary, so to speak, but ultimately I was not happy with them.
It is said that wise men learn form their mistakes.
It took 3 times for me...
THIS one is it, My Brothers...Welcome to WAR ART.
I have the comments utility set for open...so if you have an idea or question, let's chat about it. 
Keep it REAL My Brothers...it might even be fun.

Joseph

RATTAK WIP Preview 1

Rattak is a Renowned War Maker and Master Path Finder of The Huratt whom rule The Under of York. He is currently making a Long Run, to learn more of his peoples great enemy...

Huratt are a Dark Science Race which all but rule in The Under (more on this later) and in other remote subterranean places.

Huratt are an Evil race that hunt all Non-Rodent Mammals, especially Feline Manamals and Humans, for their Food.

The average Huratt stands about 6'6" and weighs around 260lbs. Huratt maintain a Lethal Hierarchical Society, where in the most  intelligent and physically capable dominate the lower classes.

Hurrat Warriors are terribly agile and extremely powerful. Warriors are very keen on Old Tech, and employ a variety of finely crafted Swords and Crossbows, along with many Sonic Weapons of their own design.  Huratt Raids are considered a tragedy for even well guarded settlements, and for lesser beings these assaults mean utter extinction .

A word on Design. I am sculpting Huratt Weapons and...lol...Tailes, on separate sprues so that collectors can add fun little details to each of their Huratt Warrior Models. For my side of it as the sculptor,  I can use these bits while converting the Master Castings of the Warrior Models,  later in the Conversion Phase of Production.

True Scale: is a close approximation of the Real Size of the Original Sculpture. Basically I re-sized the image until I could hold the 3D model to the screen,  right next to the 2D digital reproduction,  and eye-ball it with the Original work...until it looked right.

I will post more Previews of other Huratt soon.

Joseph

GLERTCH WIP Preview 1

I am currently working on Body Blanks, for several Factions. A Body Blank is an Original Sculpture intended to be Molded and then Master Cast as many times as needed for the project, for the purpose of Converting the Master Castings into several new poses.The reason I do this is so that I can make a group of figures without unnecessarily spending time to do every sculpture from scratch.



This month I am working on, among other things, a Goblinoid race I call The GLERTCH.

Glertches are a Dark Science Race which thrive in The Under (more on this later) and in remote areas, typically squatting on the very boarders of Human Settlements.

Glertches are an Evil race that hunt all Mammals, especially Humans, for their Slave Trade and for Food. The average Glertch is about 3'6" and weighs around 160lbs. Glertch are very Feral, and yet most are at least as intelligent as a capable Human. Glertch are strong despite their diminutive stature. Glertchech Warriors are very keen on Tech, and employ a variety of Custom Guns and other Tech Weapons during their frequent Raids into neighboring Humanoid Settlements.

A word on Design. I am keeping this Body Blank very clean, so that I will be able to add all manner of fun little details to each Master Casting, later. The right arm for this little meanie has been done separately so that I can add a number of fun Glertchech Weapons when I get going on the Conversion Phase of Production.

Note: The Human figure in the above image is used for Scale Reference. This little guy is my Favorite Human model produced by Rebel Minis. Go buy a pack. They are cool...and you need some!

I will be posting a lot more information on The Glertch.

Joseph

Welcome to WAR ART

WAR ART is an adventure in small scale modeling. Here is where I will post Designs, WIP's, and Completed Works of 15MM Sculpting, and HO (1/87th) Scale Modeling. You may find some of my articles helpful, or at least amusing.

WAR ART will become a sort of compendium of Modeling resources as well as a record of my endeavor to create an entire world in miniature.

I hope you enjoy reading my postings, as much as I enjoying sharing them with like minded hobbyist.

Joseph