Trophy Hunter Project by ZabaArt


So, it has been quiet here at GreyMountain Reviews for various reasons which I will not go into for fear of it becoming a rant... ha ha....

But today I want to share with you a project which is currently active on Kickstarter.

ZabaArt are running their Trophy hunter campaign which consists of wall mounted Trophies in the shape of the heads of the characters in this campaign.


To accompany the trophies are short story books which are compatible with your favourite RPG rules set.

Lukás the owner of ZabaArt and the creator of all their superbly sculpted and painted miniatures kindly sent me a gift of Tonga so I have decided to do an impromptu review to raise further awareness of the campaign.

So what is the campaign about?

Lukas has created a way to give painters a way to practice their techniques using these large scale figure heads.

The aim is to bring texture into your skill set.

Using videos which accompany each pledge Lukas as well as David Arroba and Alfonso “Banshee” Giraldes will guide you through how these maestros create the masterpieces they produce with the hope that the backers will experiment in many techniques to lift their skill sets a step higher on the ladder of their painting journeys.

Other Artists involved in the project include Fabrizio"Rusto" Russo, Krysztof Kobalczyk, Natalia Oracz, Diego Esteban Perez and Jan Soukup who have all submitted painted versions of the piece which you can see on facebook and the kickstarter campaign.

In each box you will receive the sculpture of your choice with a backing plate cast in terracotta coloured resin as well as a story book which you can integrate into your RPG’s, a sticker with the trophy hunter logo and an Art card from Tomas Duchek with an added bundle of videos accessible via miniatureartacademy.com.



All this for the very reasonable price of €55.00 for the basic pledge.

Considering the time and effort put in by all involved this is not a bad price at all.

If you pledge for 2 the cost goes to €50.00 each, then the 3rd pledge is €145 and that breaks down to just under €49.00 each.

If you choose the 3rd pledge you also gain some exclusive swag which is a keychain of the Lukas Zaba sculpt Charles XII a signed art card also by Lukas and your name forever printed in the story book accompanying your sculptures. You also get extra videos of how Lukas Himself paints the miniatures and further Miniature Art Academy videos.

Another aspect to the project is the RPG concept itself.

You are tasked to find these characters and claim treasure depending on which story you read. I don’t want to give too much away because you need to get involved and find out the details for yourselves.

But the concept of an RPG inside an art project is a very intriguing idea and I hope all the backers take part and enjoy the full experience.

So on to the product itself.

The cast which I received is packed full of detail and texture, Lukas has produced a very cool piece that will indeed be a pleasure to work on whether it is used as an academic bust or a straight up display piece.




There is next to no clean up to do with this piece, give it a scrub with a stiff brush and off you go.

As I said above, this is a short review with focus on awareness of the campaign on Kickstarter.

If you would like to learn from the communities best artists jump on the Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/676096252/trophy-hunter

The Kickstarter funder in just 3 hours and is sitting nicely over 6000 Euros so we are destined to see some epic projects coming from this campaign.

Follow along or join in, either way you will enjoy what you see and most of all have fun while pushing your skill levels and remember to Not Drink The Paint Water.... 


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Have a product you would like us to review? Contact us and we'll be happy to talk.
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Dark Celaeno, Harpy of the Stormwinds from Veiled Lamp

Welcome back to another GreyMountain Review.

Today I am taking a look at the latest release from Veiled Lamp by Sebastian Archer. Dark Celaeno, Harpy of the Stormwinds.

Previously we have looked at the first 2 releases on GMR so I was keen to purchase the latest piece and see what it is like.


Dark Celaeno, Harpy of the Storwinds is a 1/12 scale traditionally sculpted bust, is cast in polyurethane resin and consists of 4 nicely detailed parts. All with a $70 Australian dollars (AUD) price tag.

So to put that in UK Pounds that comes to £37.21 at today’s (15th August 2021) currency levels.

As you can see by the image you also get another art card from Nicolas Amoroso at Stamnos Edition...


So a Bargain indeed.

With the Veiled Lamp brand, Seb has gone for quality throughout.

The boxes are keepers for sure.


As mentioned in previous reviews, if a box is as nice as these ones they are very much part of the experience and can be utilised for many other things, so this is a nice little bonus when purchasing these busts.

Seb has taken what is typically a stereotypical Harpy of Greek mythology and interpreted it in his own way.


Instead of wings as you see in mythological art, Seb had pushed the bird aesthetic into the torso and face to create a much more sinister looking creature.


What I like about this release is the link to the bust has been echoed in the metal tag on the box. Dark Celaeno has bird skull ear rings which is the same as the metal tab. The previous releases had the same synergy too.

The Harpy was said to have been a beautiful maiden that sang to sailors and they devoured them when they crashed upon the rocks around them. This bust is not that.... this bust is a monster in its own right.

The sagging skin looks very creepy framed by feathers and some very uncomfortable looking external vertebrae. Needle like fingers and skull like features make this piece look very sinister indeed.

But what do we see on the finger of the left hand?

Yes a little bird...


Do we see a moment of serenity between a bird like monster and an innocent bird seemingly unafraid of the beast?

Or do we have a monster looking for more jewellery and a snack??

What do you imagine the scene is?

The sculpting that has gone into this piece is amazing. The facial features alone are just so nice with the protruding teeth and pointy nose.


The old saggy body gives that extra gross aesthetic and the spinal protrusions just scream pain. This vulture like creature is just full of character like many of Sebastian’s sculptures and you can see just how much work has gone into it when it is in hand.

The casting quality is quite nice too, I cannot see any major mold lines on the main parts however there is a small one on the bird which I saw when editing the photo, my eyes are getting so old haha...

So ordinarily I would launch into a tirade of disappointment in the castor but on this occasion there is no need. What I can see is simply nothing compared to some other big brands out there.

So to summarise; I can see this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it definitely is mine. With all the textures on this, it will be a painters dream. Especially if you love skin tones. You are going to love this kit as you can literally go wild with your imagination.

Value for money is just right, even with shipping from Australia it was still a very nice deal.

My favourite part of this kit is the face... I keep saying sinister but just look at it... not something ya want to see as ya crawling out of a wrecked ship...

So for me this piece was a pleasure and I hope you guys and gals out there take a chance and pick up a copy.

If you do pick up a copy after reading this review please let us and Seb know where you heard the news. Also, why not give them a like/ follow on social media on Facebook or/ and Instagram.

Thanks for your time to read this and I hope it has been informative.

Please have fun and stay safe in whatever you do and remember Do Not Drink The Paint Water...


Want to support GMR?
Have a product you would like us to review? Contact us and we'll be happy to talk.
If you would like to buy us a coffee or Donate to the running of GMR, anything is greatly appreciated.

The Swordmaster from Black Crow Miniatures

This now marks the fifth outing for a kit from Black Crow Miniatures, and as usual it's a pretty cool one.

The Swordmaster is their most recent release and comes from the sculpting talent of Raúl García Latorre. Hugely fitting choice of sculptor which if you're unaware of why... will be explained further down.


Hoggle bust from BrokenToad and Black Sun Miniatures

Back in May I received my Kickstarter pledge from the extremely popular Jim Henson's Labyrinth & Dark Crystal Collectable Models campaign. Straight away I reviewed the Ludo bust (which you can find here). Now I've decided it's about time I gave the Hoggle bust the same treatment. Especially as more and more pledges are arriving at their new homes.

Traditionally sculpted by Joaquin Palacios who has a reputation for creating high quality sculpted miniatures.


Rosamund bust from FeR Miniatures

It's been a while since I've looked over something new from FeR Miniatures, or Pedro Fernández. Even longer since something new was added to the Women by Pepa Saavedra range. So when Rosamund came up I was obviously not going to say no (and yes... that is being sarcastic).


Slugger and Gunslinger from Ouroboros Miniatures

Welcome back.

This week we hand the reigns over another guest who you may have met at various shows on the Mr Lee's Minis stall. So please welcome...


Hello all.

A new guest reviewer to the GreyMountain Reviews Crew and the first pieces I have the honour to be reviewing are the Ouroborous duo; Slugger and Gunslinger
 


Zema the Mage bust from Signum Games

Welcome back fellow GreyMountaineers.

Today I am looking at a bust that comes from the Signum Games range.

Signum Games is based in the Ukraine and is predominantly a gaming company which has many nice looking pieces but they also have several busts.

As the title suggests I’m looking at Zema the Mage.