3D Models, Renegade Knights, Gear, and more! BTS #80 (Patreon)

What up, mini painting family?! Lots went on this week, so let's dive in! A while back I showed off a 3D sculpt of a model called "Fayde", a character from a video game I played for over a decade. Recently, Level 52 started to print the 3D model figuring out some of the problems and getting a nice crispy cast. To jog your memory, here's the 3D sculpt:

And here are some initial 3D prints:

I'm very excited to get my hands on this model and make a video about how this video game shaped my young adult life and how video games at large allow people to cultivate friendships across impossible distances all while painting this glorious character. In the same vein as this, I have been going back and forth with David Fernandez (actually the same guy who sculpted Fayde) working on the first wood elf concept. He sent along initially the bust of the character.

This face looks 100% solid, but there were some anatomical details that weren't captured from the original concept art that I was so fond of. After some feedback, we got a lot closer. 

We made some changes to the jawline, the overall angularity of the character's features and more. Then, David surprised me by finishing the whole model essentially!

It was so much work done in such a short span of time. This 3D sculpt is like 90% of the way there. I sent along a bunch of super finnicky feedback that I wanted sorted out, and this is what we ended up with.

I think this is a fairly faithful representation of the concept art. Once it's painted up, it'll look fantastic, I can't wait to get my hands on it! Now, onto the next wood elf! In other news, it's been a long time since I've bought some serious filming equipment, so let's feed my addiction a little bit. I thought it was time that I entered the world of motorized motion. 

This is the rhino motorized slider. Not only is it a massive 42" slider, but it also has the Arc II which is a motorized head with pan, tilt, and slide functions. This means that the chassis can move the camera any length on the slider while panning left to right, and tilting up and down; all of these functions can be keyframed as well allowing me to set up some awesome moves without needing to operate the camera. This can make for some awesome b-roll with cool motion and also some excellent time lapses with motion. I didn't stop there, however, I also bought the focus module which allows for the racking of focus during this motion as well. This is crucial for what I take video of obviously because miniatures are very small so nailing focus on wacky moves like this is critical. Also, there's no reason why you couldn't attach this little focus module to the zoom of your lens and do something cool like a dolly zoom! This is a very expensive piece of kit and I'm so grateful that my wonderful patrons support me in the way they do. Hopefully this adds some fun life and flare to my videos. Lastly, the reason you're all here undoubtedly! I finished the Renegade Knight commission and I've been working on the video yesterday and now until I finish it. 

Finishing this kind of feels like a rite of passage for miniature painting. This model has so much going on: custom stencils, decal work, oil washing, a fun base, and more. The video is going to be an epic one, probably 30-40 minutes long but hopefully the edit stays nice and lean so it's exciting the whole way through. That's all for now, don't forget to PAINT MORE MINIS!