I Flunk, Therefore I Am.

Hi, All!

Look into my eye...

Work continues on the first of my Flunks this week. The painting of the beast is just about done and I have begun straps, blanket and such as a prelude to adding a full-blown war howdah full of screaming Wutha-F'Kahwi warriors...

Brown undercoat, highlighted up to white, plus first wash of dark green ink.

Highlighted with flesh colour over the green wash.

A yellow wash is applied to the whole body.

The techniques I've used are much the same as for my crocodiles: lots of highlights and ink washes eventually give a really nice finish. Greens and yellows work particularly well for this, and I also chose these colours because I want to give a slightly 'dinosaur' feel to the flunks, and to remove them a little from the elephants they once were...

Red, yellow and black washes are applied to the fan.

This creature is an alpha bull flunk: the head of a herd. So I've been having fun with the fan he wears around his neck, colouring it in a flashy manner to attract females to his harem. As such, he will probably be much brighter than the female and calf I am still sculpting.

The fan, close-up. Blood flushes veins close to the surface of the skin to create a colourful display, used to attract females and intimidate rivals.

As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, I am paying close attention to the eyes, too. There is still a little work to do. In terms of scale, these are actually about the size of a man's head - so it is important that they are detailed well. Otherwise, the final model could look rather lifeless.

A base is added, made from thin MDF and sculpted with DAS and grit. Miliput blanket and straps are sculpted.

Once the painting was largely complete, I began work on the accoutrements. This is all fairly simple stuff so far - Miliput was used to drape a huge blanket over the beast, then straps were added. The buckles are just simple pieces of wire. Soon a castle-like howdah will be added.

Buckles and straps.

The miniatures I ordered (sculpted by my good friends, Alan and Michael Perry) have arrived, so I will be adding the crew to this magnificent beast pretty soon, too!

Tally Ho!

I am also happy to report that the heroic Lord Blandford-Fly is now finished and ready for duty! This fine fellow looks absolutely spiffing in his blue and yellow uniform. And I'm really pleased with the way his horse turned out!

Lord Blanford-Fly... Insanely heroic.

If I have a criticism of this officer model and his lancers (from Empress Miniatures) - and given the beautiful workmanship of riders and horses, it's a very minor criticism - it is that they have no eyes. Instead, Lord Blanford-Fly has two big skeletal holes. Of course, these are partly hidden under the rim of his pith helmet, but one tends to notice blind cavalry officers by their tendency to charge the wrong way. Remember the Light Brigade...?

Ready to take on (almost) anything!

Anyway, I still love these models. Lord Blandford-Fly, I'm sure, will be a regular sight on the battlefields of the Lost Continent. His unit of lancers will not be far behind.

So there you have it - for now.

Soon to appear from my dining-room table: British Hydrothermicopters; more flunks; the warriors of the Wutha-F'Kahwi; British advanced weapons company and more!

Side-by-side... For now...

All the Best!