32mm grimdark miniatures set in the horrors of the Trench Crusade.
Important note:
* THE PRE-ORDER STORE IS NOW CLOSED
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Tremble heretics, for the Witchburner is here!
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, Feb 07, 2023 at 06:34:15 AM
Greetings everyone! The Cardinal hopes you are all well and ready to undertake the final oaths before your deployment.
Firstly, apologies for not getting an update out sooner. Apart from running this Kickstarter (and sculpting the final stretch goal minis) I am a freelance sculptor by day, and have had quite a bit of commission work to get through. The cost of living crisis is no joke and those bills that keep going up have to be paid! So currently I am working pretty much seven days a week to not only get everything ready for production, but also to keep food in the belly and a roof over our heads. I am sure many can relate.
Anyhoo, enough of that. I've finished the Witchburner General sculpt and Mike has done a lovely digital paint-over! Here he is an all his glory:
Witchburner digitally painted by Mike.
360 of the Witchburner.
The Witchburner is a large fellow as you can see from the scale comparison with a couple of his menials. Here he is mounted on a standard 30mm base.
The Witchburner General is tasked with hunting down and punishing witches. His power and judgments are absolute.
"So heinous are the crimes of witches that they even exceed the sins and the fall of Lucifer's Angels, and if this is true to the witch's guilt, how should it also not be true of their punishments...?"
- Malleus Maleficarum
Next up...
Well next up, of course, we have the Observer sculpt which is now on my desk in the form of some wire shoved into a cork. Mike is just sketching a rear view for me but sculpting will properly begin this week.
Once the Observer is done, I will be re-posing the Communicant anti-tank hunter in ZBrush from the 3D scans provided by Eddie at Zealot Miniatures. Then I will be taking the physical sculpts down to Dorset to hand them over to Eddie for scanning before production begins in earnest! I hope to be able to do this by the end of the month (other work permitting).
Then there is the game...
Game design
Tuomas (yes - Tuomas Pirinen of Mordheim fame, for those who missed the last update) is churning out manuscripts by the bucket load, under the watchful eye of the Cardinal's overseers. We will have some news - along with details of the game - very soon. To go with this, we will be releasing details of an upcoming Trench Crusade mailing list, where you will be able to get all the latest game development updates (and sign-up for notification when the next Kickstarter is due). Naturally, updates will continue here right up until fulfilment of this Kickstarter.
I will leave you with some of Mike's latest art for the project - New Antioch Mechanised Infantry on patrol along the Carcass Front. The remains of vast and ancient war machines can still be found, rusting slowly into the mud...
Cheers!
James
New Antioch Mechanised Infantry
Merry Christmas from the Factory Fortress!
almost 2 years ago
– Sun, Dec 25, 2022 at 11:12:46 PM
Yuletide greetings!
The Cardinal has given us five minutes on the telegraph, so here is a quick Christmas update:
Witchburner General and Observer miniatures are underway (photos in the next update)
3D scan of the Communicant is being cleaned up and re-posed for the alternative poses (image below)
Plus a 'Special Announcement'...
The 3D scan back from Zealot Miniatures (original sculpt on the left, scanned 3D model on the right).
A Special Announcement
The witchburner general stoops as he enters through the small door to my cell. His cold eyes meet mine, but I quickly turn my gaze to the floor. “You may deliver the Special Announcement,” he rasps. Swallowing what little spit remains in my suddenly parched mouth, I turn to the telegraph machine...
It is with immense pleasure that we can today announce that a Trench Crusade skirmish game is currently in development! And we have pulled off something of a coup, managing to recruit (with only a little inquisitorial encouragement) none other than the mighty Tuomas Pirinen as game designer! Yes - the very same Tuomas Pirinen who designed Mordheim and Warhammer Fantasy Battle 6th edition! Exclamation marks!!! More exclamation marks!!!!!*
Ahem. Carefully sealed within his chamber in the highest tower of New Antioch, blessed by the hand of the Red Cardinal himself, Tuomas has been given all the parchment, quills and blood - um, I mean ink - he should require, along with the finest holy dice, carved from the bones of saints martyred in the trenches. Fed the very best gruel, strained from the Cardinal’s leftovers, no less, along with holy watered-down ale (passed through the tiny hatch into his cell thrice daily), our hallowed game designer has all he needs. Blessings of the Holy Bomb upon him. Amen.
We will bring you more news as the game develops, but for now that is all the information we are allowed to share. The witchburner just cleared his throat, and is now staring at me in a way that I find most distressing. In fact, I suddenly find my bowels loosening... Must dash!
+++
We hope this missive finds you all well, and wish every one of you a very Merry Yuletide from our tiny, dank, mouldy and generally unhealthy corner of the factory fortress. Also a jolly Happy & Healthy New Year!
Mike & James
* “Multiple exclamation marks... a sure sign of a diseased mind.” - Terry Pratchett
Venerated leper.
The Trench Pilgrim: Another zealot for the holy war machine
about 2 years ago
– Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 04:24:02 AM
Glad tidings, pilgrims!
His Holiness the Cardinal of Malady is pleased to bless the latest soul to enter the trenches. Consecrating oils applied to his rifle, zeal assured unto death, the Trench Pilgrim marches forth to offer his life in Holy War. My will be done.
Trench pilgrim sculpted by James and digitally painted by Mike.
Original sculpt showing front & rear views.
The Lee Enfield rifle and hands is a separate piece for casting purposes (currently held in place with good old blu tac). The shoulder pads (ailettes I believe is the correct medieval term) are also separate.
Original Trench Pilgrim artwork by Mike.
Next up, the Witchburner General... Updates on him coming soon!
BackerKit Pledge Manager & Late backers
We have had 94% of backers complete the pledge manager now, thank you to everyone in that number! The pledge manager will remain open for now, so if you are in the 6% who have not completed the pledge manager (perhaps you have not received the BackerKit survey email for some reason) then please get in touch as soon as you can. Feel free to drop me a message here on Kickstarter anytime if you are experiencing any problems or have any questions at all.
Also, please help spread the word about the pledge manager for late backers. Whilst it is open, anyone who missed out on the Kickstarter can still join the fun should they wish to please the Red Cardinal with a pre-order! Should they wish to displease him... well, woe betide them.
As mentioned in the last update, we have some exciting news coming soon. Suffice to say, it is something that will delight our pilgrims and no doubt result in many offerings and sacrifices (or indeed sacrificial offerings). Nothing more can be said at this stage, since the Cardinal's withering gaze is never far and we have yet to receive his holy sanction. We value our miserable lives, after all. And our souls.
That being said, feel free to chat amongst yourselves as you speculate what it could possibly involve... ;)
Thanks again for joining us on this pilgrimage!
Witchburner general armature 360.
Sculpting the Trench Pilgrim and Other News
about 2 years ago
– Sat, Oct 22, 2022 at 04:48:14 AM
Good day to you, esteemed pilgrims! I hope you are all well.
Firstly, many apologies for the gap between this update and the last. A lot has been going on here, including that sometimes dastardly thing called 'life' that has an almost gleeful habit of lobbing spanners into the works at will. The Cardinal sent his boys* around and I was most fortunate to come out of that visit with my sanity intact, let alone all of my limbs. Anyhoo, things are looking to be on the up and I am making progress with the Trench Pilgrim miniature (I have also started the Witchburner, but will refrain from adding to him until I have completed the pilgrim).
*I think they were possiblyhuman at some point. They smelt like something out of a Bosch painting.
I've sculpted most of the body and helmet as well and will take some photos very soon. I hope to have him finished next week, at which point I will post an update with pictures of the finished miniature!
3D scanning
I went down to see Eddie at Zealot Miniatures recently and left the Communicant with him for 3D scanning. Eddie has sold me on the idea of scanning the original sculpts as it makes the mastering process a bit quicker, more precise and allows for printed masters that have absolutely zero mould lines (since they weren't made in a master mould). This will ensure that the production moulds will be made using the very best master miniatures possible. Win!
Another bonus is that I am tinkering about in ZBrush with the Communicant scan, refining little imperfections here and there (although not too many - we still want to retain the more naturally organic feel of a traditional sculpt). Having a 3D file also means I can try out some new poses a lot easier than I could by chopping up resin copies. Another win, I feel!
More exciting news coming soon...
I am going to say nothing more on this matter at all, partly because I like the idea of people wondering amongst themselves what it could be, but mainly because I'm a mean, mean man. ;)
I bid you good day!
James
Sculpting the Combat Medic: Part III
about 2 years ago
– Thu, Sep 15, 2022 at 02:57:26 AM
I bring glad tidings in these bleak times - the combat medic is ready for deployment! This nun, trained in the arts of medicine by the finest butchers in the business, specialises in gangrene prevention. She seeks to cure all your ailments with her trusty, rusty (and slightly crusty) bone saw.
"Do not flee, pilgrim! That minor cut on your knee could turn gangrenous. Please, allow me to help you..."
I managed to take some photographs of the various stages, but not as many as I would have liked (once you get in the zone, time flies and, before you know it, you've sculpted several stages beyond where you might have liked to take a photograph for interested pilgrims).
As you can see, compared to the last sculpting update I got a little carried away before I remembered to take another photo! Here I have sculpted the skirt, thigh armour and stomach/chest plate. With the armour, I sculpt the basic shapes, bake the sculpt in the oven and then carve/scrape the armour into hard edges. Once I am happy with the surfaces, I then drill some really tiny holes for the rivets, before rolling up some teeny weeny balls of epoxy putty (ProCreate or green stuff) and poking them into the holes to create rivets. Also in this photo, you can see the first belt running diagonally across her waist - this is also ProCreate and I wait for this one to cure before adding the belt that crosses over it.
Whilst waiting for various bits to cure, I worked on the bone saw and medical pack. In this image, the bone saw is almost finished, whilst the pack is in its most rudimentary form (it will form the core of the piece). For weapons such as this blade, I use 0.8mm copper wire and, using some heavy duty pliers, squeeze the wire to flatten it. I will then bend it to shape and file down the point. Using epoxy putty, I add a very thin layer over the wire to form a bonding surface for Fimo (you may recall in a previous update I mentioned that Fimo, like most polymer clays, has an aversion to metal surfaces and does not stick well - the epoxy putty fixes this nicely). Adding a thin layer of Fimo over the top of the blade, I sculpt the basic shape and then pop it in the oven. Once cured, I can then carve the blade shape and, lastly, add the saw teeth.
Bending the arms into place! You really have to get this just right to achieve the correct amount of tension in the arms once sculpted. You also have to be aware of how the shoulders roll forward and the breasts are squeezed between the upper arms.It ain't easy!
Arms now in place, plus the beginnings of her wimple. You can see I chopped her left 'hand' off, since the hand will be flat across the elbow, and even a thin bit of wire reduces greatly the amount of putty you can put down for the hands. Her hands will be slightly smaller than those of the ammo monk.
And this is the last photo I took before finishing her! Can you spot the rivet that fell out?
Finished and ready to start carving up the wounded!
Next up, the Trench Pilgrim...
Mike has sent me a lovely concept sketch of an alternative pose for the Trench Pilgrim, so I will post an update on that sculpt soon.
