Its a special double-stuffed update this week as I’ve had two weeks of painting saved up. It was kind of hard to pick a title since I worked on two different projects. Let’s start with Hellboy though and say our farewell to the frogs. I finished the last four frogs in the box. I tried to mix in some more new colors but other than that, it was just a question of getting these done as quickly as I could while ensuring these are the same quality as the previous ones.
There is plenty more Hellboy that I can paint and you’ll generally see a bit more variety going forward as the Frogs are the only thing that features a lot of repeat sculpts. At this point though, I’m in a great place to be able to really play the game and so I’ll probably focus on that in the coming months to see how much I enjoy the game. The first scenario I played was a nice appetizer and I’m hoping the stuff I haven’t played feels a bit more like an entrée if you don’t know I mean.
The other thing I’ve been working on is my first proper diorama. I’m trying to tell a story with this one and am using the largest base I’ve worked with to do so. I’ve made a fair bit of progress but most of the work I’ve done isn’t worth showing off yet. The one thing I did do was paint up one of the minis I will use in the diorama. Its a sculpt I know fairly well because I painted a number of these about 3-4 years ago.
I have to admit the Warg looks a bit odd without being on a base but since this is for a diorama, it will make more sense sooner than later, hopefully. I actually used a previous warg as inspiration for this one and I tried to improve upon the paint scheme as much as I could. I think you can really see how I’ve gotten better at achieving a higher degree of contrast and also how that improves the look of a mini. Yazneg and his ride don’t look bad at all but I can do quite a bit better now which is satisfying to see.
There will be more diorama updates to come as I get more stuff painted up for it and start to do the base work. Its been a start and stop affair thus far but I don’t have anything gaming-wise that I need to work on so I might as well focus on the diorama as much as I can.
Finally, I just wanted to mention that I’m really enjoying Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power thus far. I’ve only seen the first two episodes and hope to catch the latest episode this weekend at some point. I really wanted the show to be good because right now I’m more interested in LOTR than I have been in Star Wars or Marvel, which, as you all know, I feel like are both oversaturated. I’ve been thinking lately that I will be happier if I step away from Marvel and Star Wars a bit instead of trying to keep up. With that said, I had mixed feelings with the Rings of Power trailers as they didn’t feel like Tolkien enough to me.
And then of course, there is the crazy online backlash the show has been getting before the show even aired. While I generally don’t care what other people think about movies, TV shows, etc. and make up my own mind when I watch something, I’m becoming more and more concerned by what some people are using the internet for. Awhile back, I stumbled across Youtube content where someone was basically spreading misogyny and racism in a fairly mainstream way. I think people like this helped cause the backlash towards Rings of Power and the whole thing is just ugly and makes me fear for the future. That is more political than I intended to be but it has certainly been on my mind as I see this kind of backlash online starting to become more and more prevalent.
Anyway, back to the show itself. Thankfully, the Rings of Power has overcome the ugliness and I feel like the setting and characters are working pretty well. I tried to read The Silmarillion when I was a kid, probably in middle school, and I couldn’t get into it. I may give it another try sometime soon as the setting that the show depicts feels similar to the Silmarillion in a good way. I think I was probably too young for the book and might enjoy it now, especially with how much I like the show.
I really enjoy painting fantasy miniatures as a result of reading Lord of the Rings as a kid. I’ve tried to find other fantasy books that I would like and truthfully, nothing has really ever stacked up to Tolkien’s work. Its not that there are good fantasy books out there, I enjoy what I’ve read of Brandon Sanderson, for example, but nothing has such a well realized world or conveys the excitement of going on an adventure in the same way. So for that reason alone, its nice to see high quality stories being told in the fantasy genre. If nothing else, I think the Rings of Power’s jaw-dropping budget was well-spent as it is visually stunning and very inspiring if you like Peter Jackson’s version of LOTR at all. I’ve been getting diorama ideas and inspirations from the show which is maybe the greatest gift it could give.
Kuribo's Painting 
Excellent finish to your frogs Jeff, great to see there was no dip in quality from start to finish, and the extra work has created a truly epic looking force.
he Warg is awesome, can see the difference between the new and your old one, but there is nothing wrong with the old one either, a perfectly good wargaming miniature, but can see where you display style has developed and improved.
Haven’t watched the new series yet, as I needed to finish a couple of other fantasyt series I had been watching before starting a new one, which should hopefully be in a couple of weeks at the latest.
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Thank you, Dave! I don’t think the old warg looks bad either. I know how I could improve it but I’m still proud of the work I did on it at the same time. I hope you enjoy Rings of Power when you get around to it. If you like fantasy or LOTR then I think there’s a good chance you will.
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Firstly, love all the miniatures, your painting style is inspirational. Secondly, don’t worry about the political bend to your discussions on the “Ring of Power”, for if not now, when do we stand up to those who are bigoted and racist? I couldn’t agree with your statement on the series, and on Tolkien’s works.
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Thank you for the kind words, Eric. For me, it is very gratifying to hear that my work inspires others. I think it is about as high of a compliment as you can receive. That is very true about standing up to bigotry and calling out flawed thinking as well. It is scary to think that some men think women should be a possession and that only white men are good. I can’t believe we have to argue against it but such is life at the moment. I’m glad to hear other people enjoy Tolkien’s work for similar reasons too!
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Sadly, I think we are still in a generational shift when it comes to bigotry, racism and sexism, at least in the western world. Having been born in the mid-1960’s, it’s my generation that is that transition. So for me and my fellow Gen X-er’s, we will probably never see those options stamped out. We can only fight the good fight for the future generations that truly see all men (gender neutral) as equals.
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That is well said and I think you’re right. These old and tired ideas are being dressed up as something new and a solution to the world’s problems. I hope that we’re able to see all men is equal in the future as well. It is a worthy goal worth struggling for.
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That’s a lot of frogs! Really cool to see all of them together, and keen to hear how the game pans out.
The warg looks excellent, look forward to seeing how that plays out too!
I haven’t started watching rings of power yet but as a keen middle earth enthusiast it’s up next on my to watch list. Glad to hear you like it, the negative voices tend to drown everything out these days so it’s nice to have some positive opinions going in!
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Thanks, mate! I’m curious to see how Hellboy is since I’ve spent a fair bit of time and money on it… Hopefully it is worth it in the end!
I don’t think you’ll have to wait too long to see more of the diorama either. I hope that you enjoy the show when you get around to it. I’m just relieved that it is of a high quality and deserving of the Lord of the Rings name. I didn’t want to see a show like Book of Boba Fett get made but for Lord of the Rings this time, if you know what I mean.
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That is nice frog army! Really nice shot of all them together.
My “problem” is that I read the hobbit and the LOTR trilogy first and that got me into fantasy where everything else I read just seemed to be deritive. I did enjoy Terry Brook’s Shannara series until it became a paid by the paragraph series.
I liked the first two episodes of Ring of Power but the jury is still out on how the series will go, but I will be going along on the journey.
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Thank you for the kind words and the late night comment as well!
Yes, I was the same way. Lord of the Rings and Magic cards were my two main sources of fantasy as a child. I’ve given stuff like The Wheel of Time a try and while it isn’t bad, it is very derivative and I’d rather just read LOTR again instead.
The third episode was very good like the second episode. I think Rings of Power is not only a great prequel so far (unlike a very famous Sci-Fi trilogy we all know) and is managing to be its own thing within Tolkien’s universe but without copying what was done in the past. I just hope the quality stays this high throughout the show.
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Watched the 3rd episode as well and why I have a few quibbles with it (don’t want to usurp the moniker of another blogger we follow) I enjoyed it as well.
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I’m glad to hear you liked it too. The show isn’t perfect (very few are) but overall, it is off to a promising start. It feels like a good time to be a LOTR fan!
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Great work on all the minis and delighted to see you have taken on a diorama. Looking forward to seeing how that one develops. 🤗
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Thank you, mate and I’m hopeful the diorama will turn out well but if nothing else, I’m sure I’ll learn some things along the way! 🙂
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Well done on getting the frogs finished and starting the diorama! All look really good I think! 🙂 I’m enjoying The Rings of Power – I miss out on a lot of series but since I’m an Amazon Prime member it’s nice to be able to watch it. I don’t follow on-line stuff and just take these things as I find them! Life has taught me that there will always be people out there that take great delight in stirring up trouble at every opportunity! I’m looking forward to seeing more Hellboy stuff from you as well!
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Thanks, John! And I’m glad you’re watching the show along with the rest of us too. It can be good fun to be part of a group of people watching something. There is a lot of negativity out there and that’s always been a problem with the internet but I think it is getting more sinister as time goes on sadly. With that said, I certainly have some Hellboy sculpts that fit in your interests so I look forward to painting them and seeing what you think!
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No surprise to me that your work looks even better in that group shot of the Hellboy Frogs. Brilliant!
And while I can see more contrast on your new Warg the improvement is subtle to my eye. At the same time it highlights (haha) the fact that I really need to improve my drybrushing on fur. Your painting is inspirational to me and your advice is always appreciated. I thank you heartily for it.
I suspect you will enjoy Episode 3. It picks up the pace and adds some surprising gore which Mrs. GG was not a fan of but that I thought useful to illustrate the ugliness of combat. Too much violence is portrayed as entirely too sterile. I know it is a delicate balance as I do not want to see everything turn into slasher gore porn but at the same time violence and what it does tongue human body is ugly. I want people to see that on one hand but not become numb to it on the other. I know, I know… that is a lot to ask.
As for the politics surrounding the show… the discussion I am involved in in DakkaDakka about Rings of Power is truly disappointing. It very much illustrates there is a definite current of contemporary conservative white male supremacy fighting to hold on to its power.
I enjoy having had the Rings of Power challenge some of my previous views on Tolkien’s Middle Earth and my subsequent research allowing to me to come to terms with it. Such as Galadriel having been a swordslinging warrior at one time, Pre-Shire Hobbits and the skin tone/hair styles of various characters. My fondness for Tolkien’s world has been increased rather than diminished ad to me that really is the test for any show. Some like Picard and Discovery have failed. For me, although I know many disagree with me, the Witcher tv series passed that test.
As it stands now Mrs. GG and I are giddy with excitement waiting for next Friday so we can pick up where we left off in Middle Earth! And yes, this show definitely inspires me to want to build and paint things for gaming!
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Thanks for the kind words on the painting and I can see what you mean on the warg being subtly different. This is why it is helpful to get feedback from people of all skills and perspectives, I find. Just so you know, I didn’t drybrush either warg that I showed in this post and I just layered highlights on the fur to get the effect you see. The reason I did this is the fur is pretty fine on the top of the Warg and I don’t know if drybrushing would work well with it or not. Drybrushing would be perfect for the LOTR wargs which have thicker clumps of fur that should be easy to pick out with a drybrush.
The violence in Episode 3 straddled the line of LOTR and GoT, I thought. I didn’t mind it but I wouldn’t want to see a lot more of it in a given episode either. I think Episode 3 kept up the momentum of Episode 2 and I’m excited to see more of this season. Elendil is a great character too. Very likable and someone you want to learn more about it as well.
You’re absolutely right about the real reason for the politics around the show. The people badmouthing the show are trying to disguise their views and give them legitimacy by saying that Tolkien wouldn’t have approved of anything in the Rings of Power but nobody really knows what he would think. It is just white male supremacy ruining everything it touches, as per usual.
I enjoy Rings of Power for the same reason you describe. I also think that it occupies a space that is wide open for fresh ideas which is giving the show a lot more freedom. Star Wars is often too slavishly devoted to recreating what was great in the past instead of trying to tell new stories and I think Rings of Power shows how you can stay fairly true to source material but still put a fresh and interesting spin on it which is encourage since we live in the age of reboots.
I’m excited for Episode 4 too and I think Rings of Power shows that we need some epic statues to use in terrain and dioramas. Numenor, for example, just looks amazing with those statues!
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I thought you might not have drybrushed the fur, hence the “highlight” joke. However I am not as meticulous a painter as you so the thought of me highlighting Warg fur is…beyond the scope of my painting goals. But I do like looking at your work with envy.
As for Rings of Power, it always pleases me to hear when our thoughts run alike. It helps me feel like I am not alone in my views.
Disney does seem to be doing better with new characters rather than the “classic” characters. I would also rather see more of the Galaxy fleshed out to make it more immersive. The trailer for season 3 of the Mandalorian has me wondering what we will end up getting. And of course my opinion on Andor is a lot more optimistic following the recent behind the scenes special Disney released. I am now much more keen to learn more about Cassian Andor, despite not liking the character very much in Rogue One.
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Thank you for the kind words and I try to be transparent about what techniques I use because I find there are some wrong ideas that float around the internet about what it takes to paint something well. I also want everyone to know that what I do is achievable with practice and dedication too. I’m thankful you and others enjoy seeing and reading about whatever I’m up to too.
I will have to watch the trailer for Mandalorian. I didn’t know it was released somehow. It is the only ongoing Star Wars show that I’m invested in and would like to see more of though I sometimes have mixed feelings about some of the episodes at the same time. Cassian Andor is something I’m open to watching if it is good. All of the Rogue One characters are not fleshed out all that much by the movie so there is plenty of room to show him in action and fill in his character. I just hope Disney is able to do that well this time. I’m still not fully recovered from the Book of Boba Fett, I’m afraid.
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I understand your feelings from Boba Fett, I feel the same. May the Force be with us!
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Great work getting the frogs done, that is a nice force of them you have now.
The Warg is great and you can really see how you have improved over the previous. I am very interested in what you plan for it!
And glad to hear you like the Ring of Power not seen it yet myself and was thinking is it worth a watch. I had also heard some of the backlash the show got, such a shame that people still think that way.
I did want to point you at a book series that might be worth a read and that is the Magician series by Ramond E Fiest great epic fantasy in my humble opinion.
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Thank you, mate! I’m excited to make some progress on the diorama but also trying to stay patient and make sure I’m doing my best work. Its a tough balance to achieve.
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of Fiest but I have not read any of his books. I will have to give it a go since I’m in fantasy mood as of late. Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
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Oooh, yes, I can recommend The Magician series as well, although it’s a very long time since I read the books! Good shout, Lord Commander!
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Cheers, John. I will definitely give it a look! 🙂
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The pic of the army of frogs is very RIBBITING. Glad you got those all done so you can HOP over to another project like an excellent diorama.
I’ve watched the first half of the first episode of ROP before getting distracted by stuff like family and work so haven’t caught up yet. I liked it so far. 😀
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Haha, well done and thank you for the kind words. For what its worth, the first episode is the slowest of the first three released thus far so if you can get through it and have the time, I think you’ll like what follows even better 🙂
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Great Frog painting, it must feel great to see them finished.
I totally agree with Eric about standing up to bigotry – if not on your own blog then where else? I have seen worrying trends of poor reviews of shows being circulated seemingly driven by racism and misogyny. It needs us all to stand up to this behaviour lest our silence is tacitly seen as acceptance.
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It is great to reach a milestone and know that I will be painting something new in the future.
I think sometimes I worry that I will attract negative comments by being political (even if I delete them without ever letting them display on this website) but you and Eric are right. If that happens so be it because people speaking out against racism and misogyny is much more important right now. I appreciate your insights and opinions, as always, mate! 🙂
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Wow mate! thats a lot to read!!you certainly got a great response! I have always loved the frogs and I was just wondering how tall they are?, as for the Wargs they are bloody brilliant.
Racism is an amazing thing to me, as I was brought up with our indigenous folk and about eighty percent of my mates are folk of colour along with my best mate( best man at my wedding) We have certainly seen big changes over here in the last forty years and I have to say for the better. Having said that we still have a lot more work to do.
I listen to one of your fellow countrymen s pod cast and have to laugh when he signs of with! ” Oh and if you come across a racist , punch him in the face”, not that I feel he is into violence.
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Thanks, Pat! The frogs are 32 mm scale so a bit bigger than what you usually work on but not so much so that you couldn’t handle them. Thanks for the kind words on the wargs as well!
I agree very much on that we’ve made progress but there is still a long way to go. The US has a very complicated history with racism where we make progress and then take steps back. We’re in a phase where some people want us to go back to a time that I think and hope will never happen again but it seems more like a possibility than I’ve ever seen. Rome wasn’t built in a day and racism will take many more days to solve, I reckon. I just hope we see more progress made in our lifetimes!
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Wow they are big boys😳, I am doing a series using the Dark Alliance Cyclops guys that are 20 mm but are supposed to still be 1/72 scale which I feel is my limit, so I will just have to enjoy seeing yours 🤓.
You right about your history of racism and how long it will take to weed it out .
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Nice to see all the frogs together there; you’ve done a great job on them.
The Warg looks tremendous. I like the blending on the face, very nice, and great choice of colours.
Yet to watch LOTR, it’s on my list, unfortunately it’s a long list, so I’ll probably not get around to it until this time next year… if I’m lucky!
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Thank you, mate! I’m glad everything looks good to your discerning eyes 😀 There is too much to watch and to play these days and not enough time I’m afraid. It seems like we have to pick a lane or specialty or two and stick with that because there just isn’t enough time for everything unfortunately.
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Congratulations on finishing your froggies! They look great and the group shot is enough to send the most hardened adventurer running in terror LOL!
I can totally see how your painting’s improved over time. The newer Warg is superb, the shading and highlighting on its face is just wonderful. I’ve yet to watch the new LoTR show but it’s on my list!
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Thanks, Matt! I would say those frogs could make Indiana Jones think twice 🙂 I appreciate your kind words on the warg too. It isn’t the most technically challenging thing to paint which makes me all the more glad that I can point to some progression in my abilities.
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Wow, lots going on here. First up,
congrats on the frogs! Second,
I can definitely see a marked difference in the wargs.
Some great improvement in your style! Lastly, the political environ does seem quite bleak. I stay off of social media just for that reason. I have my views, but it sometimes feels like both sides have just gone off the deep end. The most recent one I can recall was the release of the Eternals. I liked the movie, but it got blasted early on because it contained scenes with gay characters in it. So the religious right tried to trash it. I’m guessing the same thing is happening with Rings of Power. Probably because of a Black Elf? I admit it seemed a little weird to me at first, as all we have seen in stories and movies for the longest time is Caucasian Elves. But the character is interesting, so I’m okay with it. As for the show, we’re enjoying it quite a bit. I actually liked it better than the last Game of Thrones episode. There are some interesting storylines going on in Rings, and I look forward to seeing where they go with it. I’m not a diehard LotR fan though, so any small things they get wrong along the way, aren’t going to bug me. I’m just enjoying it for what it is and having a great time! 😃
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Thanks, mate! I’m with you on social media. I have it but I don’t really engage with anybody on it and don’t pay much attention to what other people are doing either. And yes, we can’t have black people in Tolkien’s world is one of the big reasons why certain people are trying to ruin it for anyone they can. I know what you mean about it being a bit jarring but it doesn’t bother me at all. I think I have more difficulty with historical things like Hamilton or the Bridgertons (which I don’t really watch but I have to humor my wife from time-to-time) where people are recast to a different ethnicity. It isn’t offensive or upsetting, its just a bit jarring and harder to suspend disbelief.
I am glad you’re enjoying Rings of Power too. I haven’t read Tolkien in a decade or more even though I am a big fan. I reckon if you can enjoy the Peter Jackson films after reading the books, then you can handle Rings of Power because it wasn’t like those were completely faithful to the books either!
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Totally agree on that last part. Honestly though people revere the Jackson films they had quite a few flaws, not just with faithfulness.
People need to accept that nothing is perfect, especially when you’re working on something as huge as movies or tv series. So yes, I enjoy the movies but also really enjoying the tv series too.
With the Black elf, that’s sad. For me, I think if there was some explanation at the front that he was from a different land or something, it wouldn’t have been as jarring. Then again, should they really have to explain why there is an Elf of a different skin color? No, not really and when I think about it, it just seems even more silly. It’s a large fantasy realm and there’s a good chance that there will be some racial diversity there as well. I’m more curious about what his role will be as this story plays out anyways.
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Agreed on all points, mate! I think many people aren’t going to really worry about a black elf and for all we know, maybe they exist in some of the new lands that Rings of Power is exploring. Either way, it isn’t really hurting anybody except those choosing to take offense and make a big deal over it which is ultimately their loss because the show is worth watching.
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SO worth watching. I went from “ok, this is good” for the first couple episodes to really looking forward to it each week.
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Same here. It might be that I’m of a certain age but I’ve always struggled with watching something weekly so I have to really like a show to want to keep up with a weekly release schedule and so far I’m doing that enthusiastically for Rings of Power.
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Yea, I’m a bit surprised that we’ve been able to keep up with the three shows we’re watching weekly right now (Rings of Power, She-Hulk, and Game of Thrones). I thought we might get mixed up watching Thrones and Rings at the same time, but we’ve actually been managing really well. Usually we’re just watching one show at a time, after it’s done so we can watch an episode each night.
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Super job on those frogs mate (and well done for sticking the course, if there’s one thing I’m being reminded of with a lot of my current projects it’s how challenging batch-painting can be). Have we seen the big troll-frog in the back row before? He looks like the kind of guy I’d recognise if I’d seen him before but I can’t place him. Looks awesome anyway!
Cracking job on that warg too, can’t wait to see this diorama come together.
I know what you mean about wondering how “political” to make posts, it’s something I often think about when writing my own blog. On the one hand I want to put a personal spin on things, to show a bit of myself – even if only in the abstract – and say something interesting and hopefully thought provoking rather than just posting photos of my models. On the other hand I think that there are a lot of big, dramatic events going on in the world right now, people are often having to deal with the fallout of those events in a very personal way as lives and businesses are being pulled apart, and at the same time online discourse is becoming very extreme with both ends of the political spectrum attacking each other in increasingly aggressive and unpleasant ways. I know people come to miniatures and other hobbies to get a break from these stresses, and so it becomes a fine line to walk between saying something interesting and topical, and putting people off by drawing attention to the latest hot-topic online row.
Anyway, onto the Rings of Power! I’ve not seen it yet and honestly I was going to give it a miss, you’re actually the first person who I either know in real life or know over the internet, who’s seen it and had anything good to say about it. Your positive review makes me wonder if I shouldn’t give it a look though, I like to make up my own mind about things. I think a big part of the problem has been the antagonistic way Amazon has treated their potential viewers (not something unique to Amazon mind). I’m not someone who thinks that Tolkien’s work is perfect and above criticism but there’s no denying that a lot of people do see it that way and so between how well-loved the books and films were, and then the rather more complicated response to the Hobbit films, the fact that this was essentially a fan-written story based on Tolkien’s writings rather than an adaptation of one of his novels, comments from the studio about wanting to echo Game of Thrones and so on, there was always going to be a lot of potential reasons any individual viewer might not like it. Instead the studio seems to have said “This is perfect, and if you don’t love absolutely everything about it then you’re a racist”. To me that’s just too cynical to stomach. The aim seems to be to stir up lots of controversy, and paint any bad reviews in a harsh light before they’ve even been written. By doing that they just draw attention to the actual racists out there, whilst exposing any critic who dares to point out flaws to mobbing from the angry woke brigade.
None of that really has anything to do with the content of the show though, but it does cast a bit of a pall over it and leaves people predisposed to dislike it before they’ve seen any of it. I just want to be able to enjoy a good fantasy show on it’s own merits rather than discover that by watching or not watching it I’m taking part in a political act.
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Thanks for the kind words, mate! Its true that batch painting takes a certain kind of willpower and persistence. And yeah, the big frog guy was done a couple of months ago if I had to guess but who’s keeping track. Certainly not me! 🙂
I agree with you on politics. If you’re going to mention things that are controversial, it probably should be done with a light touch and its worth thinking about what is really worth discussing and what isn’t. I think the main reason I spoke up here is that in some ways, this isn’t even really political. People who are motivated to not like a show because of their racist or misogynistic ideas have a bad mindset that we as a society need to discredit because it is not beneficial for that kind of thinking to fester. My hope is that in the future, there is no need to talk about such nonsense at all!
I didn’t really delve into what the actors and studio said before Rings of Power came out but I think its fair to say they could have handled that better. They basically fueled trolls to try and tear the show down even though they hadn’t seen it. While on one hand, it is brave of the studio to be so confident, I’m not sure they needed to talk up their show as much as they did. The one thing I will say about the show is that I thought it would be mediocre fan fiction that didn’t feel true to Tolkien’s vision but I find that it rings true to what I remember of The Silmarillion much more than expected. What I like is that the show is not just a rehash of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit and the world and characters are very different than what we’ve seen before. Star Wars, in particular, has been relying too much on trying to copy what has worked in the past instead of trying something new and it has been very detrimental to the franchise, I think. That is probably why it is so refreshing to see Rings of Power do well and have fresh ideas and a cool new setting. I think you should give the first two episodes a shot and if you don’t like it then you can pretty safely assume Rings of Power isn’t for you.
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