It’s not Tat, it’s Big Bones!

In every Bones kickstarter Reaper makes a few impressively large miniatures as relatively inexpensive add-ons. Narglauth here was a USD 15 add-on in the Bones 4 kickstarter.

One would think that when they had gone to the expense to make moulds for such large minis that they would have the minis for sale after the kickstarter. But no, often they do not have them for sale.

Speculation: The realities of mass production in China is that there is a requirement of ordering minimum quantities of (assumably) several thousand copies of any given casting to even bother with setting up the machines for production. Maybe the big ones are several hundreds. I am not privy to this information.

As far as I understand, the time it takes to switch moulds between different castings is significant in itself, time that could rather be spent actually producing something the factory can get paid for. So the factory requires minimum quantities, or charge substantially extra for the time. This makes casting small runs unviable.

One negative side of massive, blow up kickstarters such as the Bones ones, is that the market might get saturated when is comes to a specific mini or type of minis (at least for a period). A large percentage of the core audience will have filled their need by purchasing inexpensively through the kickstarter campaign itself, and in addition all the flippers put their extras on sale at once, bloating the second hand market for a while.

Because of this market saturation (and being butthurt over being cut out of the initial sales loop) many retail stores refuse to carry kickstarted product at all.

In addition, maybe that particular add-on was not too popular, which in itself probably is a more effective indicator of saleability than any market research.

All in all, this means that many models never get a second printing after the initial production run for the kickstarter fulfilment (which would include some extra quantities to account for faulty items and such).

Also there is the issue of custom retail packaging for larger models needing to be designed and produced, another cost increasing factor.

So the models in question are not released for general retail sale, and are not available to get anywhere outside of second hand market. However, sometimes Reaper has a little remaining stock after the kickstarter period. This usually gets put on Reapers online store until sold out.

All in all, the lack of retail presence after the kickstarter is over and done with is especially noticable with some the larger models.

So also with Narglauth here.

Narglauth (SKU unknown)

from the Bones 4 kickstarter, 2019

Reaper Miniatures
Sculptor unkown (I would guess Chris Lewis based on the style)
Classic Bones PVC (actually a very good material for models of this size. I managed to drop this on the floor, with no ill effects!)

110x80mm 3D printed base

(Sung in the style of Tom Jones’ “Thunderball”):

The very name brings thunder when spoken aloud!  Mumlak!

The ground quakes, breaking sunder at his approach! Mumlak!

The mammoth-man (were-mammoth?) unexpectedly gone giant somewhere between the delivery of the model files and delivery of the physical models from the factory! Mumlak!

The probable reason for the Huge-sized mammoth gaining the illfitting name of “Pygmy Mammoth”! Mumlak!

The love child of those Skyrim Giants and their Mammoth charges!  Muuuuuuuumlaaaaaaaaaak!

…Which begs the question: What is that “Mammoth Cheese”…really?!?

I made it a 90mm 3D printed base. This “mini” was finished August 17th 2020.

44102 Mumlak

from the Lost Valley Expansion

Bones 4 kickstarter, delivered 2019

Reaper Miniatures

Sculpted by Jason Wiebe

Made in Bones Black PVC

90mm bespoke 3D printed base

available from reapermini.com

Naturally, the giants of the Lost Valley are Stone Giants, seeing as the Lost Valley is in the Stone Age.

FeeFie, Fo and Fum the three Stone Giants. I rebased them on 60mm bases.

44084 Stone Giant Carver: (#626)

Gaze upon the face of Jean-Luc there.

44083 Stone Giant Champion: (#625)

You don’t too often get see a giant in a proper action pose, do you?

44085 Stone Giant Guard: (#627)

…and here comes the pitch!

Proper Giant sized.

Scale creep? Compare to the older Bones 2 Stone Giant in the middle here. Tut tut. More than a head taller…

Even so, they still are similar enough to be plausible as a group together. I painted them in similar skin tones with this in mind.

These were finished July 10th, 2020.

44083, 44084, 44085 Stone Giants

Bones 4 kickstarter, delivered 2019

Reaper Miniatures

Sculpted by Jason Wiebe

Made in Bones Black PVC

available from reapermini.com

The second add on tie-in to the Lost Valley: the Thunderfoot Behemoth, for 8 dollars in the kickstarter campaign.

An almost-Triceratops, biggest difference is the crest of horns around the rim of it’s skullplate that the fossil record does not quite support as far as I know.

I went with the same-ish colour for this and the thunderfoot defender sauroid, as they were painted at the same time, and why not?

I ditched the original base and made a 125x100mm for it instead.

Paint big minis with big brushes! I used a 12mm wide make up brush for most of this mini.

On a black undercoat I drybrushed the top half or so with Vallejo Green Brown 70.879 and from the bottom with Vallejo Nocturna Pale Flesh 74.015. I honestly don’t remember the other colors…some reddish brown, an ochre yellow, a bone white and a few others. And when the paint was on, I used CItadel Athonian Camoshade to wash the whole thing, taking care to remove any pooling with a brush. After that was dry, I carefully drybrushed the main colours one more time to lighten them a bit. The horns were done in the pale flesh with the camoshade, and then drybrushed with two different off whites. Details like the eyes, based and done.

Also consider for a bit what kind of environment that promotes the evolution of this kind of size, armour and weaponry in prey animals. This is a twelve ton herbivore. with armour-piercing horns!

in comparison, a heavy modern day Rhino clocks in at 2.2 tons. A triceratops could be more than five times that!

Yeah, it figures it would not have them if it did not need them…T-rexes and Triceratops did live at the same time and the same place…the late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago in what is now North America. This is about 75-80 million years after the jurassic period…so that park has a lie for a name.

A triceratops would be around 3m tall and 9m long, so the Thunderfoot is not far off it would seem. up to 12.000 kilos. That’s a solid “oh HELL no!” on the fluffy scale.

Thunderfoot Behemoth

an add on in the

Bones 4 kickstarter, 2019

Reaper Miniatures

unknown sculptor

Made in Classic Bonesium PVC

probably available from reapermini.com soon

This model was completed the 20th of April.

Not actually a part of the Lost Valley expansion, but a separate add on: The Blacktooth Terror. A thunder lizard so large, he needs to hunker down to get into range of his prey.

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands! If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands! If you’re happy and you know it just you clap your hands to show it…whut? Oh! That makes me so ANGRY! RIP AND TEAR!

Anybody remember Primal Rage? The arcade beat ’em up-game? Where assorted dinosaurs and giant apes went at it proper mortal kombat-style? I do. And I like to find inspiration for my paint schemes in just such ancient, half-forgotten tat. I remember playing this at my local arcade in the days when that was a thing. Later I got it on my Playstation. Yes, the first one. I tried seeing if the game was available anywhere legal these days, but no luck. One would think that this would be a good title for GOG.com or something.

This paint scheme is taken from the Primal Rage character named Diablo. Red all over with black stripes on the back. Evil through and through.  Lots of fire and lava all around.

How I painted it: Black undercoat. Scalecolor Navy Blue all over. When dry, drybrushed almost liberally with Vallejo Nocturna Crimson 74.018, but keeping the brush from being too wet so the blue is visible here and there. Hightlights were then carefully drybrushed with Vallejo Nocturna Lipstick 74.029, as this colour will cover and we don’t want to much coverage in this case. Over this I used Army Painter Dragon Red to make it proper RED. Further hightlights were drybrushed with Army Painter Pure Red and a very light dusting with Army Painter Lava Orange.  The Black bits are done in Vallejo Model Color Black Grey 70.862 with a slight hint of Vallejo Model Color Dark Sea Green 70.868 and Vallejo Model Color Black 70.950.

Details, base and all done in two or three hours. When the model has so excellent texture as this one has, it is almost like it paints itself. Coupled with the most of the model being the same colour, it really does not take all that much time either. The key is to use large, flat brushes.

*sniff* *sniff* hm…I’m sure I brushed my teeth this morning…where is this bad breath coming from?

Blacktooth Terror, a $12 add on for the

Bones 4 kickstarter, 2019

Reaper Miniatures

Unknown sculptor

Made in Bonesium PVC

140x110mm base

will be available from reapermini.com some time in the future

This model was painted the 9th of April.

In my quest to paint all the 163 minis in the Bones 4 Core set, we are nearing the end of the road. This is the very last one.

Last but not least! Or more accurately, Last and the largest by far!

Who am I? I am known as Millstone Shover, Barrel Drinker, Demon Rider and Camel Puncher!  But I am no one when compared to you, O Gauth the Magnificent! Gauth the Golden! Gauth the Tremendous! Gauth the Unassessably Wealthy! Gauth the Mighty! Gauth the Terrible! Gauth the Stupendous! Gauth the Tyrannical! Gauth the Impenetrable! Gauth the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities! Gauth the Does Not Fit In Standard Shelving!

Tommy Too Tall here is about 27cm / over 10 inches tall! I made him a 125mmx100mm base to keep him stable. I had some drooping woes that I have documented in my fixing Droopy The Dragon post back in November of last year.

I can categorically and firmly state that the fixes have ….worked! Gauth has been standing tall and proud these last few months with no sign of any renewed droopage. I experimented with removing the knee-brace for a while, but then he sorta slumped, so I put it back.

Painting: Black undercoat. Scalecolor Navy Blue all over. When dry, I drybrushed the green parts with Citadel Base Waaagh Flesh, Vallejo Game Color Jade Green 72.026, and Jade Green mixed with Scalecolor Hellbound Flesh SFG-16 in two steps.

The Blue parts are done in the Navy Blue drybrushed with Army Painter Crystal Blue and Vallejo Game Color Magic Blue 72.021. This was then mixed with Hellbound Flesh, with pure Hellbound Flesh on the top.

The Yellow parts are Vallejo Model Color Khaki Grey 70.880 with Citadel Layer Iyanden Yellow, with Scalecolor Hykey Yellow (a yellowy bone) on top.

Plus some small details such as eyes, tongue and teeth in other colours I do not remember which paints I used.

So now the task is done! Challenge complete! Achievement unlocked!

But the road goes ever on and on…

#7 Gauth the Dragon

Bones 4 Core set, 2019

Reaper Miniatures

unknown sculptor

Made in Bonesium PVC

125x100mm base.

should be available from reapermini.com some time in the future in Bones.

This was an 18 dollar add on to the Bones 4 campaign, the rather massive Skeletal Dragon. I can’t seem to find the KS update and therefore do not know who sculpted it.

I made a 230x110mm base for it on my 3D printer. It needed to be printed in two parts as it was far to large for my 140x140mm print bed. I glued ot together. gave it a once over with some sandpaper and stuck the bones base to it.

How I painted it:

Black undercoat with white ink zenithal sprayed on. After this was thoroughly dried out, I painted Citadel Skeleton Horde contrast (yes! Contrast paint! It works like a thicker ink or stain!) all over.

When this was thoroughly dry, I drybrushed in varying degree with several bone-type colours, both yellowish and whiteish ending with Reaper Splintered Bone at the very tops.

Details such as horns and claws in gloss black.

Base in Vallejo Earth followed by some tufts and my autumnal flock mix, finised with black rims.

A relatively fast method to do skeletons of all kinds.

We can make our camp in this ancient shelter made from the bones of a beast long dead…yes, that will be very safe indeed.

Skeletal Dragon

From the Bones 4 kickstarter

Reaper Miniatures, 2019

Bonesium PVC

230×110 mm base.

I admit to getting a bit more than just the core set in the Bones 4 kickstarter….but I have decided to paint the entire core set before tackling any of the expansion sets. However, there are also a bunch of add-ons to do. Most of those are rather large… but we start with some mid-sized ones:

These are the “Skeletal Monsters” add on subset. A Chimera, an Owlbear and a Manticore, plus a heap of monster bones / spawn pile scatter terrain piece. Also there is a sprue of different heads to you can convert to other monster skeletons if you like.

I am keeping the sprue of monster skulls in the bitsbox for now.

The wings are in a much more rigid (and presumably more brittle) material than the bodies that seem to be in the much better and less-rubbery-than-earlier Bones 3 material.

Chimera:

I made a 3D printed 70x50mm oval base for this one. These were hollowed out from the top so the miniatures own base fit inside, with some putty to fill them out.

Owlbear:

I made a 50x30mm base for this one.

Manticore:

This one has a 60×35 base.

The bone pile scatter terrain bit.

I have a bone to pick with you guys…

How I painted these:

Black undercoat with white ink zenithal sprayed on. After this was thoroughly dried out, I painted Citadel Skeleton Horde contrast (yes! Contrast paint! It works like a thicker ink or stain!) all over.

When this was thouroughly dry, I drybrushed in varying degree with several bone-type colours, both yellowish and whiteish ending with Reaper Splintered Bone at the very tops.

Details such as horns, beak, teeth, stingers and claws in various black and grey colours I mixed on my pallette.

Base in Vallejo Earth followed by some tufts and my autumnal flock mix, finised with black rims. All of them done from basecoat in an evening including drying times.

Skeletal Monsters

add-on subset from the Bones 4 kickstarter, 2017

Reaper Miniatures

Sculpted by Julie Guthrie

Made in Bonesium PVC

should be available from reapermini.com some time in the future