Topic: The Miniature of the Month – Rhino

[JAK]

I expect you have all seen or heard about the free Miniature of the Month promotion that Games Workshop have been running over the past year or so.

I stopped getting them when I realised that they were just sitting in their boxes and were not getting made. I must admit, however, that I have now made use of many of their parts and I only have one complete figure untouched. 

Now I don’t bother about the Miniature of the Month unless I can see a use for it either towards my Discworld figures or another project…….

or the local GW shop uses it as a subject for a painting competition. A new venture for them. this and their other competitions have been online since Covid.

 And so in August I picked up a Mirefolk Outcast from the Warcry game.

Now someone in GW HQ is either very safety conscious or just doesn’t want people taking the parts to build at home (or more likely put in the Bits-Box) as you are now meant to glue them together in the shop. Many thanks to the junior staff who have let me sneak out a box of parts but the manager has since confirmed that there is some sort of H&S reason it must be built in store.

I had no plan for this figure but realised that his spiked clubs looked like the additions on some Cawdor guns that I had and Necromunda became the theme. His arms were cut and bent to hold the Cawdor guns in a more suitable position, his clubs replacing the original spikes on these guns. I gave him a metal leg, his own (now a deceased enemy’s) is attached to his belt in case he gets peckish. At the same time as I was adding a modified space marine backpack I came across an article on how to model a panzerfaust being fired and wondered if the same method could be used for a jump pack. The only part of the original figure I haven’t used in this model is his face. I reworked the cowl with green stuff and used the spare face from a Sisters of Battle Hospitaller.

[Gankom]

Many thanks to the junior staff who have let me sneak out a box of parts but the manager has since confirmed that there is some sort of H&S reason it must be built in store.

Huh, definitely not a rule that exists here in Canada. They hand out the sprues like candy. Now given, 90% of the time the store prebuilds them and has them in a box already made to hand out. But even then they'll often hand out blank sprues, or just put enough bits in the box to make a guy and pass that out. I've never had to build it in the store.

Models looks AWESOME though, super well done.

[JAK]

The next painting competition the local shop held was ‘The Duel’. It had been set around 6 months before and at the time I’d decided not to enter, but now I had a Necromunda figure and the SquatVotann Miniature of the Month was about to be released.

Not sure if I like the new look Squats, the vehicles are interesting but with most other manufacturers copying the GW 40K styles I find the individuality of all races and factions are beginning to merge.

I built the base in preparation loosely based on the floating rocks on the Grimnyr figure.
I had a week to build the Votann so no WiP photos. Being in a space suit it was quite easy to find lines to cut along to reposition his legs and arms, a few changes were made to his gun and backpack and he was given a shield. For some reason I thought he could do with a Saurus head and a large hole in his chest. The only part not used from the kit was his face mask which I stuck on the base.

The competition was titled ‘The Duel’ and was held in the store rather than online. All the entries were a pair of figures on a suitably sized base to fit the action; except one, which was a large diorama with an underground cavern with spiders and webs. The ground level had a large statue to the rear and in a front corner were two figures fighting – guess what won.





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[JAK]

Then came the local store’s Birthday week and they held a conversion competition as part of the celebrations. Not having any other project on the go I went all necromancy and resurrected the Votann. He was re-animated by having changes made to both arms, a leg, a hand, a foot and his head positions and he was given a few other additions. A grenade, that I missed on the sprue, was just the right size to cover the hole in his chest. I didn’t paint any of the changes so that they could see that he had received other work.

[JAK]

For this I painted the kit bash changes on him. His entry photos were taken on ‘The Duel’ base with the last shot showing him about to get his revenge.

[JAK]

The Miniature of the Month – Halloween

On Halloween weekend the shop ran an in store Halloween themed painting competition.

The free figure earlier in the month was from the Cursed City box set. I chose Torgillius the Chamberlain as he looked perfect for a conversion to a Ramtop’s witch. These are push-fit figures so I made sure the manager saw enough to convince him that I built it in store.

The entry title: - Torgillius, the Chamberlain, ready to go Trick or Treating as a Ramtop’s Witch.

[GamesPoet]

I don't get the "build in store" policy.

Regardless ... more excellent conversions and painting.  When you put pictures of figures up on W-E like these, I often take them all in before making comments. There is usually so much stunning detail that sometimes I miss things until looking another time.  And sometimes another.

I greatly appreciate you coming here and sharing these.  It is wonderful to have these kinds of efforts showing up here, and makes it well worth coming back to the site again and again to see them, thank you.

By the way, using the saurus head on the votan figure is awesome.

 

[JAK]

Hi GP thanks for your comments they are appreciated but I know most people are like me and just view. I can’t remember the last time I commented on anyone’s work, but I do look at them all. I keep a check on the number of views and while people are happy to come and look that's reward enough and I’ll continue to post.

I don't get the "build in store" policy.

When GW started the Miniature of the Month promotion, last year or maybe earlier, you would go to the shop and be given a box of parts, that the staff had cut off the sprue, to take home and in theory build (or do what you like with).

Sometime this year they changed the policy and now you have to cut the parts off the sprue yourself and then build the figure. When the glue has set the staff put it in a box and you can take home.

All very well if you might be likely to build this army at some time but, if like me, you only pick up if the figure has useful parts for other projects you now have to be careful about how well you glue it together. You don’t want the staff member to realise a part is loose and glue all your left loose on purpose joints before boxing it for you.

[JAK]

For this competition I couldn’t really use Torgillius again as (s)he was.  I sculpted the dog’s missing left side, remodelled the rat and fixed the bat to the notice board that once had been fastened to his back. A base with a bit of greenery and (s)he’s taking their animals for a walk.

The entry title:  After a disappointing weekend Trick or Treating as a Ramtop’s Witch, Torgillius takes his animals for a walk in the park.





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As you can probably guess from the title I didn’t win the Halloween competition but at least the judging was a lot fairer this time.

[Zygmund]

Some mightily interesting work here, again!

This Torgillius is a rather odinesque character, methinks. 

-Z

[Zak]

 

[JAK]

The current Miniature of the Month is a Lumineth Realm-Lord – either a Vanari Auralan Sentinel or a Vanari Auralan Warden. When I eventually got to the shop they only had a few Sentinals left but as no one had taken the leader/standard I went with that.

Back home in my bits-box I found a Vanari Auralan Warden who was the Miniature of the Month back in March 2021. I never found a reason to build him and this was why I stopped getting the Miniature of the Month; it was a waste if I had no use for them.

I had been trying to think of how to combine the two but so far there has been no inclination a painting competition, and shop events are now in place to cover past the Xmas Hols. If it doesn’t materialise I’ve no idea what to do with them, but I’ve a couple of hawks, one in flight, that might be useful in the future.




So as things stand I'm sorry but this thread will not be continuing – thank you for viewing - but who knows what the Miniature of the Month will be in December or if the painting competitions will resume?

[JAK]

I’ve been going a little slow this year and not keeping on top of things. Miniatures of the Month have been given out by GW but nothing of interest to me so it wasn’t until the local GW shop put up a painting competition for the Jade Warrior that I took the opportunity to get one. The release of this figure must have been late because they gave the Jakhal figure out the following week, and being told it would also have a competition I got one of those.

I had to build the figures in store, but having two plain figures I couldn’t resist the chance to combine them in some way. They came apart at the joints very easily which surprised me as one had been left for a week so the glue should have set properly. I’ve never used GW’s plastic glue and this experience doesn’t instil any confidence that it is a good produce. Is it that bad, or was I just fortunate that the store had a bad batch?



As for the Competitions they only held the one for the Jade Warrior but having spent time converting them I couldn’t decide which one was going to count as the Jade Warrior so worked on both...



...rather than concentrating on one and finishing that for the event.



Never mind, there is a competition in May for the current Miniature of the Month, an Assault Intercessor. You may see that next month if I get it finished. Again it was built in store, they even showed me the instruction sheet as we had to cut the parts from the usual sprues from the box set. I’m not used to using instructions so it was no surprise when I got home to find I’d forgotten to give him a backpack!

[Rowsdower]

Great job. Very characterful

[JAK]

The GW MotM for April was an Assault Intercessor. The recent MotMs have been sprues of individual models but this month’s figure gave the option from the full 10 man sprues of the boxed kit. I was late going for my freebie so most of the good parts/figures had been taken. The store manager insists that the figure is built in store so I used the instruction sheet to choose a suitable base figure as I also felt it would be unfair on other builders if I just took interesting positioned body parts leaving them wondering why the bits for the figure they were trying to build were missing. The topLH figure was how he left the shop. The flamer arm was the only alternative weapon left but it meant a number of spare bolter arms were left, so I took one of these and a number of accessories, knife, pistol, purity seal, tilting shield to add at home – plus one of the spare chainswords but I forgot to get a backpack.


As said in earlier posts GW’s plastic glue doesn’t seem to work very well and the following day this figure came apart without any trouble or damage. Minor changes were then made to the arms and legs and a combi-weapon created. Other than a strap for the knife the only GS work required was filling a few gaps.



The shops painting competitions on these monthly figures have been a bit hit or miss    both in numbers of entrants and quality of paint jobs and judging. There was a good entry of 11 for this one so I was pleased to have won this month.

I lost his tilting shield on the way home but I found an Empire style one as a replacement (if you blow the picture up to full size you can just make out the face of the owl in flight). As usual his purity seal confirms his allegiance to a Discworld God and hopefully the Necron shield was the last in the bits box.

[GamesPoet]

Fabulous, love it, and congrats on the award!

[Gankom]

Super well done!

[JAK]

My first piece of paint work since June. I got a GW paint handle and that helped a great deal with my hand problem. With the Tory’s decimation of the UK Health Service can’t get to see a GP to work out what the real cause is.

Last month’s Miniature of the Month from GW was the new ‘Empire’; a Steelhelm. It was issued on Armistice/Veterans Day which accounts for the theme of the figure.

As usual the manager said it had to be built in store. My hand was giving a bit of gyp and when I tried to balance the shield under the shield arm I kept dropping the shield so he took pity on me and said I could fit it at home. This allowed me to convert the sword hand to hold the shield and helmet. The shield handle in the other hand became the horn cup’s handle. The legs were modified so that he is standing rather than walking.



The painting can’t have been too bad as it won the store's MoM painting competition, although opposition was limited, due we think, to the adverse weather conditions on the day causing a number of non-attendances.

[Gankom]

That looks fantastic, super well done. And nice to see the converting with the shield!

[GamesPoet]

JAK ... that figure is massively good looking. congrats on such a wonderful conversion.

[Rowsdower]

'All quiet on the Western front' Famous last words

[JAK]

I’ve been slowly working on this month’s GW Miniature of the Month, the Epic Rhino. I had initially thought of a mini-Cyclops for my Apatoa Pahure but having seen Chris’s excellent take on this type of idea had another think.

I found these 1992 pictures of the Commissar's Rhino on an old backup PC and so decided to recreate this long lost 30+ year old model.



As usual I’d had to built in store but my need to paint such smalls hatches & exhausts before fitting meant I didn’t have to fit and as mine was the last rhino on the sprue to be cut off I came away with a selection of these extras. The 4 main parts of the body came apart with ease at home; does GW plastic glue work?



The under-pan part of the Rhino kit ends with the 3 sides of the rear door meaning a simple cut at the hinge and the exit ramp can be modelled open but only an i***t would do this as it then means an interior has to be built and as for the side doors – don’t try it. Fortunately the roof is too thick to attempt to open that hatch.



The modern Epic figures, like all GW products, has suffered with scale creep so the few Epic figures I inherited were too small. After I’d cut the large gun off the open hatch the old Commissar coming out of it doesn’t look too bad though.

[Rowsdower]

Damn good job of painting Yarricks old banner in that scale