Sunday 6 September 2015

Waspquito!

Introduction

So, I'm still trying to clean up my desk to make it usable.  It's been about 2 months now since I've done any painting; the workspace has been just too cluttered (and the piles of assorted stuff were just too precarious!)  I'm making inroads into the mess, but oh, it's a slow and weary business.

Waspquitos

As I've been tidying up, I've uncovered some of my models that were in deep storage.  It's not that I've forgotten that these miniatures exist, but rather than I wasn't sure where they were; they're not figures which I use very often.  Anyway, since I've brought them to light in order to repackage them, I thought that you might be interested to see them.

This is a swarm of 6 Waspquitos.  They're obviously a cross between a mosquito and a wasp and as such they presumably have the worst characteristics of both species.  I imagine that they'll make a highly irritating, high-pitched whining, buzzing sound as they approach.  Then they'll suck all the blood from you whilst threatening to sting if you try to stop them.  They might also transmit malaria or some other interesting tropical disease to your now withered husk.  Oh, they'll probably then get stuck in the jam on your sandwich...

The waspquitos are from Heresy Miniatures, though I don't think they appear in the current catalogue.  I bought mine many years ago, intending to use them initially in a Doctor Who scenario ("The Green Death") and later on in any other games where a swarm of giant, mutant flying pests would make sense (?!).

The miniatures themselves are multi-part, metal models.  From memory, they came as a body, 2 sets of legs and 4 wings.  I felt that the metal wings were too thick and heavy; they didn't look good and would have been difficult to fasten securely to the bodies.  I replaced them with some thin, clear plastic sheet that was cut to the same shape.

The colouring of these critters is straightforward and was derived from examining photos of real life mosquitos and wasps.  The torsos, heads and legs are a very dark reddish-brown (not black), whilst the tails are black and yellow.  Rather than just paint simple bands of colour on the tails, I've tried to follow the pattern from a real species of wasp; this looks much more effective to me.

The wings had simple veins draw on on them with a fine black pen.  They've become somewhat frosted after the models were varnished, but I think this improves them, if anything.

These are (to date) the only flying models where I have painted the upright support rather than leaving it transparent.  The lower half of each support is in the same colour as the dirt, whilst the upper half is a sky blue.  I'm not sure how effective this is, though the supports are relatively well hidden by the bugs' legs anyway.

Conclusion

These models would make an excellent opponent for an adventuring party in a post-apocalyptic, mutated world.  They'd also fit right in to a fantasy setting such as Dungeons and Dragons and I could see them being part of a Victorian "Lost World" or Tarzan game.  I just need to get on and do it, right?

21 comments:

  1. Lovely stuff C6. I think I recall them, as your bit about the wings rings a bell, but I don't think I own any. Yours look wonderful and certainly would look good for a bit of "Sinbad" or "Tarzan" etc. Hope the "Deep Clean" is going well :-)

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    1. Thanks! Yes, I could see them being a localised pest in a swords and sandals quest as well as a Lost World scenario.

      The "deep clean" is nearly done - just a few more things to find new homes for and I might be able to return to using my desk :-) .

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  2. Really nice. I think the wings work well and transparent would be better than metal.

    I hope you find a use for them soon!

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    1. Watched 'The Green Death' this week!

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    2. Thanks, Edwin. I think the originals in "The Green Death" were flies, but really a giant bug is a giant bug...

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  3. Creepy cool! Nice work on the banding on the tails.

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    1. Thanks, Dean. The (tail) colouring was copied off real-life wasps, or at least off pictures of them. Sometimes Nature has the best ideas already :-) .

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  4. If anyone can "get on and do it right "you can. Yes multiple settings and even multiple scales. Yes they could be 28mm or 15mm or even 6mm if you raelly wanted them to be!

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    1. Why, thanks! Yes, these monsters could be used at pretty much any scale, from worrisome pests for a 54mm man to terrifying elephant-killers for 6mm people :-) .

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  5. Lovely job and great call on the wings, they look spot on.

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    1. The metal wings were a very crude part of the kits; not at all what I would have expected when the rest of the models are so well sculpted. Still, my alternatives worked very well!

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  6. I like them a lot and I agree with Michael, you made a good decision to replace the wings with clear plastic. Even the frosting on the plastic has worked to your advantage.

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    1. Thanks, Bryan. Yes, I agree that the somewhat-accidental frosted look works better than I had hoped. The plastic wings are much lighter than metal of course and so shouldn't stress the joints as much.

      Mind you, I've had the original metal wings in my spares box for *years*; I still cannot think what to do with them :-) .

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    1. Thanks, Bob! Not sure about "lovely", though - they could definitely spoil someone's picnic or barbeque!

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  8. They really are horrible in the best of ways. You did well following real-life colouring too, and I can imagine you using them in all sorts of games.

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    1. They might even be a little *too* realistic - I've been tempted to swat them on occasion :-) . Only for a fleeting moment when I've caught sight of one out of the corner of my eye, you understand, but still...

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  9. Lovely models, might be suitable for my Starship Troopers stuff - off to chase Heresy now.
    Thanks for posting.
    Cheers
    Stu

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    1. Glad you like them, Stuart. I don't think that these models are in Heresy's current catalogue, though maybe if you ask them they might be able to cast some specially. Good luck.

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  10. Arrrghhh ... I have a phobia of mosquitoes thanks to the dengue fever I contracted which knocked me out for a month. I was too stubborn to go to the hospital and only relented when I started feeling super dizzy and had double vision on top of the unrelenting high fever. Can't bear to look at them without goosebumps. And I think I caught the 'no painting bug' from you cause I haven't felt like painting the whole week. ;) ^_^

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    1. Aw, no :-( ! I'm really sorry if this has brought back some bad memories. I hope that you have no lasting effects from that illness?

      As for the "no painting" bug, it will pass. I've had it before, but it always disappears in time :-) .

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