I have been dusting off my old purchases and working on them of late, for the obvious reasons. One of the things I have been working on is a new army for The 9th Age. Going through my figures, I pulled out my three sets of Titan Forge Dire Wolves. The set comes with three models, all in different poses. The models are made out of resin and come with 50x100mm bases. Unlike many companies, Titan Forge packages these miniatures in cardboard boxes (giving a re-usable storage option!).
Each model has multiple parts that need to be glued to together. One has a jaw, another a paw. All have at least one arm/leg and a top mane that must be glued. Generally, most of the pieces fit fine once you trim them well. However, the top mane just does not fit well, no matter how much you trim. As such, you will definitely have to fill it with putty. Fortunately, it is all fur, so not too difficult to blend with some x-acto scoring.
I glued all the models together, filled in the gaps with model putty and scored the putty before it dried. I then glued the models to 50mm square bases, instead of the smaller cavalry bases that came with the kit. I went with the larger bases, as this better fit my intended purpose for the figures in T9A (Monstrous Beasts). Truth be told, there is no way these figures would rank up on the smaller bases, as the models are vary large. Perfect for what I needed though! I then added ballast and rocks to the base for texture and to better affix the models (a couple have relatively small contact points), as the white glue and ballast reinforce the adhesion nicely.
I have a paint scheme I decided on for my Beast Herds army some time ago and decided to try it out on these models (the rest of the army is still in waiting!). The idea was to crank out the army with a simple pallet that would give a uniform look. So I went with a grey to white scheme. Basically, the models would have grey skin and white fur. It is easy to work up and gives somewhat of a different look than one normally sees for such models (I have enough Brown and Black minis already!). So, I started with a medium grey spray and worked that up with washes and highlights and final dry brushing for the fur. I then went back an painted the details like the eyes, noses, claws and mouths. I oped for a black to red set of claws, just to add a little color and interest.
Once I painted all the models, I then worked on the bases. My original thought was to go with snow. However, I was concerned that it would be too much white and I always worry how non-earth tone bases look on standard game boards (which are most often green). Finally, I plan to use these models in two, if not three armies. As such, I decided to go with my normal basing. I think it helps frame the model. Heck, I can always go back and add some light snow if I change my mind sometime in the future!
I am very happy with how the models came out. There size is very impressive! Perfect for many monstrous beast options in T9A or other fantasy games. The detail is very crisp and the price is not bad. They do take a bit of work to fit together and fill in gaps though, so something to be wary about. This last item means that I cannot give them a perfect howl score. So, with that in mind, I will go with four out of five dire wolf howls.
- Manteuffel