WIP: Games Workshop Space Wolves Fenrisian Wolf Packs cont.

I got to do the finishing touches on the Fenrisian Wolf packs finally!

First, I painted their mouths with VMA Mahogany. I really love this color, it is very versatile.

After that I mixed a little RMS Pure White into the Mahogany and painted their gums and tongues. All that was left was the teeth. I painted them RMS Creamy Ivory and then highlighted with RMS Pure White. Then I decided to do a little extra highlighting on their fur, so I lightly drybrushed with a mix of RMS Chestnut Gold and RMS Golden Highlight.

Bases were next. I painted black around the rims and then mixed up a paste of PVA glue and Woodland Scenics Soft Flake Snow. This I applied with one of my sculpting tools, sticking it on wherever I felt it was needed. Here they are finished:

How to tell recast Forge World miniatures

There are a ton of recast miniatures in circulation, and it seems that most people cannot tell the difference. There just isn’t a lot of information out there about how to tell the difference, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to post about a few things to look for if you suspect you may be dealing with recasts.

1. When purchasing new models on eBay, the models come from Russia or China. Although there certainly can be legitimate Forge World models currently located in these places that the current owner wants to liquidate, most of the time those will be used. These countries have different laws regarding intellectual property, copyright, and counterfeiting, so Forge Word/Games Workshop has been unable to shut these re-casters down.

2. The way the models attach to the sprue could be a clue. As an example, Forge World Chaos Dwarfs come on large triangle sprues.

Here is a recast that appears that the original Forge World model used to make the mould was cut from the large triangle on the bottom of the sprue. This  made the mould have a rough bottom from the cuts. They put a gate on the middle of the original sprue, and then the recast model was cut there causing the white area in the middle.

3. Thin casts is another sign of a re-cast model. This can often be seen in flat areas, faces, arms, and legs.

Here you can see through the wings of the model, and the cast is actually so thin that there are holes beyond what there should be

Although not pictured, the face of the rider on that model had extra thin features. His nose was just a thin line of resin, and his cheeks were malformed.

Here is another example of a thin cast. The shoulders and necks are so thin they have holes in them. This model is actually supposed to have symbols on the inside of the shoulders, but the cast is too thin to preserve them.

Here is a warmachine that is too thin on the bottom.

4. Miscasts beyond the norm are another indicator that the model is a forgery. On this model there is a weird texture on the bottom. You may find weird textures like this on the bottom, inside, etc.

Here is a model missing some details, and other details are much softer than they should be.

This bit has areas where the resin filled what should have been open space. This type of miscast is common on recasts.

This bit has a similar issue.

5. Double mold lines are also a giveaway for counterfeit models. One mould line would be part of the mould from the original, and the other mould line would be from the casting process. They can be next to each other or perpendicular from each other or at other angles, but any particular part of the model should have one mould line running around it, not two.

6. Peculiar packaging is another sign.

Here is true Forge World packaging.

And here is the packaging of one particular set of “Forge World” recasts. Notice how there are ziploc bags inside the mostly unmarked manufacturer sealed bag and a stick on label with writing on it instead of the brand labeling.

Ultimately, the only way for sure to tell if a model is truly Forge World or a recast is for Forge World to test the model. These signs are clues that there may be a problem. Please remember that it is illegal to even possess counterfeit (recast) models. It is illegal to recast for financial gain, as well as for your own personal use. It is illegal to sell or trade them. This violates intellectual property and copyright law. If you suspect you have counterfeit models, you should contact Forge World/Games Workshop legal. They will probably request pictures and contact info for whoever sold or traded them to you. If you have unknowingly purchased counterfeit models on eBay or through PayPal, they may be able to help you with a case against the seller. They may also ask you to send them the models to be tested.

WIP: Reaper Karzoug, Rune Lord of Greed cont.

Next I basecoated everything that was going to be silver with a nice medium grey. After that dried I painted those areas with a layer of VMA Gun Grey. Then I dry-brushed the flames with orange, and glazed the blade with the same orange. The next step for the flames was to dry-brush with VMC Carmine Red. I also used that color on the patterned part of the handle of the staff.

The staff part was then washed with GW Nuln Oil and then highlighted with a mix of VMC Carmine Red and RMS Pure White. The rest of the staff and other silver areas were also washed with GW Nuln Oil.

I painted the eyes with my usual RMS Linen White and RMS Pure Black. I also lined most of the cloth trim with VMC Deep Yellow. The gems on his hands and head were also painted at this point. Last the hair was painted black and highlited grey, and the metal was highlited with Vallejo Metallic Medium.

Here he is finished!

WIP: Reaper Karzoug, Rune Lord of Greed cont.

It’s been about a week since I got to work on this model, but the timeline got moved up a bit so now it’s time to do some serious work!

The first thing I did was use RMS Forest Green and RMS Moth Green to fix the wonky highlights. Then I used RMS Linen White to take the highlights further up and a GW Nuln Oil glaze to deepen the shadows.

Next I took VMC Deep Yellow and VMC Yellow Fluo mixed together to base coat the flames on the staff. I also base-coated the skin RMS Tanned Skin and washed it with RMS Flesh Wash. The skin was then highlighted with RMS Tanned Skin mixed with RMS Linen White.

WIP: Games Workshop Space Wolves Fenrisian Wolf Packs cont.

The eyes on these wolves are teeny tiny. I originally wanted to give them the whole treatment with orange-brown irises and everything, but it just wasn’t practical right now. I’ve seen people do them as though they are glowing with OSL, and maybe I’ll do that on another pack in the future. I do really like that look, but these two packs are going to be a bit more realistic. I also did their noses and the highlights on the noses and eyes. At this point they just need their mouths and bases finished!

 

I’ve had to move up the timeline on Reaper Karzoug Rune Lord of Greed, so the wolves will have to take a break for a day or so.

WIP: Games Workshop Space Wolves Fenrisian Wolf Packs cont.

After the base coat on the bases dried I washed them with black ink.

Then, after that dried, I dry-brushed them with RMS Terran Khaki.

WIP: Games Workshop Space Wolves Fenrisian Wolf Packs cont.

One trick that worked out quite nicely was to have Sherwin Williams mix up a sample can matching GW Calthan Brown. The paint is out of production from GW, but that is not the problem. It is a nice dirt brown, but every manufacturer makes colors that work well as dirt. The problem is that basing can use a lot of paint, especially when you’re painting over glued sand. It is much cheaper to use a matched paint (or really just whatever dirt-brown catches your fancy) from Sherwin Williams, Lowe’s, etc. The paint is at least as durable, and you can get a container the size pictured for about the same cost as 2 pots of GW paint.

 

Bases coated in one coat of matched GW Calthan Brown:

WIP: Games Workshop Space Wolves Fenrisian Wolf Packs cont.

The next step on the wolves was to wash them with a mix of GW Seraphim Sepia and glaze medium. I don’t want the wash to be too dark, and the glaze medium both thins the wash and makes it much easier to control so I don’t end up with pools in obnoxious places.

 

After that dried I used a very thinned RMS Aged Bone to highlight the legs, paws, and faces.

 

Next up are the details on the paws and faces, and then the snow bases!

Upcoming Post: How to tell Forge World recasts from the real thing

Recently someone I know bought what he believed were Forge World Chaos Dwarfs. They were second hand, and he had no reason to believe they were anything other than what the seller claimed they were. As used models they were a little worse for the wear, but still a great deal overall.

Unfortunately, the models turned out to be counterfeit. Now he is having to deal with a PayPal claim and the legal department at Forge World to get this resolved. Selling counterfeit goods, even unknowingly, is a violation of patent, copyright, and trademark laws. There seems to be a lot of Forge World recasting going on out there (especially on eBay), and not a lot of information available about how to spot it.

In the next week or so I plan to post about some of the ways to spot a fake Forge World model and how we determined these in particular were fake (aside from the confirmation from Forge World!).

WIP: Reaper Karzoug, Rune Lord of Greed

I started on a miniature to be used in a D&D group called Karzoug, Rune Lord of Greed. I feel like the highlights have gone a little wonky, so I’ll have to work on them some more the next time I get to work on this model. I do think this is a fun little model though, and I’m looking forward to doing the rest of him.

Here are some WIP shots: