One Year in the Steamworks!

It's hard to believe that it was around Christmas time of last year that I first started working on my steampunk project. At the time I thought I might sculpt a few figures that would go with an idea that I had rattling around for a while. I never expected to still be working on it a year later or for it to have completely taken over my blog. I certainly didn't expect to still be excited about working on it for the foreseeable future.

I was thinking about putting together some pictures of everything that I worked on over the last year but that seemed a little boring. So instead I decided that I'm going to paint up everything that I sculpted over the next month or so. I had been holding off on painting them because I was toying with the idea of making casts of some of them, but the more I pondered it the more I realized I'd rather just sculpt some new versions if I ever need duplicates. So to start off here is the pugilist that I first completed way back here at the end of January last year.

I also wanted to lay out some near term plans beyond that painting project. Other than finishing off a couple of pieces for the Rutger Farmstead the next big project for me is to make a Victorian cityscape. I'm going to start with Coopers Street, sort of a typical mixed use area. I'm planning on some storefronts, row houses, and the cooper's yard/ brewery that lends the area its name. It gives me a starting point to expand downhill into the slums, docks, and warehouse districts or uphill to the government buildings and well-to-do mansions. Hopefully, this will also let me recreate one of the key images that I've had for my whole project, a giant steam robot battling a huge monster in a Dickensian city street as Victorian citizens flee in panic about their feet. I'm excited to see how close I can get!

Taken unawares outside of his usual stomping grounds of Coopers Street, Gordon "Bull" Sweeney gets ready to fight his way out!

Finally, I've grown tired of referring to everything as my steampunk universe. So I've decided to christen my little world The Steamworks. I'm hoping that this year I'll get the chance to describe more of my vision of a Victorian/Steampunk monstrous apocalypse.

Down on the Farm with Fritz

I realized I hadn't taken any shots of the farmstead with figures. That was sort of the whole reason for making it, to give some scale for the miniatures I had finished.

One thing I ran into with the tile board was that the magnets in the trees I made aren't strong enough to grip through the thick vinyl. So I ended up making a few small metal pieces to use as bases for the trees. I did them basically the same way as the board but I picked up some different turf colors to mix in as well.

I'm kinda going around in a circle on the bases with terrain. It just seems faintly ridiculous to make a base for a tree, that was made to not need a base, so it will stand up on the board. I might need to rethink this whole basing thing. While I like the baseless concept, at 1/100 scale I'm not sure how practical it is. I've already used small, partial bases on the buildings I made to protect some of the more fragile parts. I'm thinking something similar would work with the trees as well. I might be able to get away from the thick trunks then and keep it more realistic looking, which was the original goal anyways. I'm gonna keep experimenting but I expect I'll be going with more bases in the future. 

Repurposing Some SciFi

I've been looking around recently and trying to see what's out there miniature-wise that I could incorporate into my collection. Khurasan Miniatures have been putting out a lot of really nice stuff but they are too futuristic to fit in with the rest of what I have. Then I thought maybe I could make some various bits to steampunk them up more. 

In my opinion the nice thing about steampunk is that any scifi concept should be able to fit in with some tweaks. After all it is called Victorian Science Fiction. I'm not just talking about sticking some gears on it, but some more thoughtful changes. The aesthetic is important as well as making modifications for period appropriate materials, power source, and technology. I have some wiggle room in there for my setting since it already includes some fantasy elements.

  

So first up are some of the Riflethings from the Control Battalions. I think they'd fit in great as soldiers in the Cabal, my evil techno-sorcerer faction. They are getting some backpacks, new rifles, and a little bit of resculpting to the legs. For the rifle and backpack I'm going to make one nicely detailed master and cast it so I can easily convert more guys in the future. I want both to be styled similar to the Cryx Warjacks that I will be using as their warmachines.



Riflethings hanging out near my partially completed shed.

 I'm starting with a basic shape made out of styrene. I'll sculpt details over that. I've also cut the knee pads off of the figures (Victorian soldiers had tougher knees I guess) and the back plate off so that the new backpack goes on smoother. Finally I cut most of the rifle away leaving the stock behind. The supporting hand went with the rifle, I'll sculpt on a new one to hold the new rifle.



First steps of the conversion to Cabal Pawns

Post Hiatus

So I've been taking a short break from the hobby recently. Mostly a combination of time constraints from work, other commitments, and a vacation and the requisite catching up with life after a vacation.
The time away did give me an opportunity to refocus on what I want to work on though. I have a short list of projects I want to complete and hopefully I'll be able to show each one as I'm done.

Pre-hiatus I was having a hard time getting anything done mostly because I was feeling too lazy to start working. Generally I work while watching TV after dinner which can sometimes be distracting but to be honest it's either then or never. My current plan is to make sure that every time I'm sitting down to watch something (Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 at the moment) I pick up something to work on. Once I get started it's easier to keep going. It's that initial start that's the most difficult.

In that spirit I was able to finish off this guy.

Malcolm Gosswell always dreamed of winning glory in the skies for Queen and Country. But as you get older you learn that glory rarely pays the bills and while the work might not be as exciting as on a Royal Airship of the Line, the pay with the Moss Hutchinson Shipping Company is a damn sight better. Although with air piracy on the rise Captain Gosswell may very well get some of that excitement after all.

The Prussian Warmachine

Of particular concern to us was the preparedness of the Prussian forces. Why was the the XI Army Korps on maneuvers at that time and ready to cross over to Belgium so quickly? And given the fact that it took a rush effort to equip even a portion of our expeditionary force with proper gas-masks and suits, how was it that the Prussian were so well equipped with gas-masks? One begins to question if the Prussians had some foreknowledge of the events in Liege, or even had a hand in instigating them?
-The Right Honorable Earl of Shaftesbury Lord Ashley

Prussian Infantry from Fusilier Regiment Nr 34.

I've been working on a small Prussian force. The infantry are from Black Hat and are really rather nice. Their kit is nicely detailed. I have some more of these and a squad of clockwork soldiers as well which I'm thinking of painting up in green uniforms as Jaegers, maybe I'll sculpt the characteristic tshakos on them as well. I'll have to take a second look at the figures.

Grand Duke Class Colossus from 31st Division

The Colossus is a war machine Khador heavy war jack. I left the weapon armaments interchangeable with a simple pin system so I can mix and match. If I actually start doing regular gaming with them I'll think about swapping them out with magnetics. Otherwise the other main modification was to cut all of the spikes off of it. I just couldn't see the engineers at Krupp saying " You know what it needs? Some giant spikes on the edges! Those will only weigh a couple of tons each!" I'm not completely satisfied with the paint job, but I've rather run out of steam and ideas for painting him for now. I expect I'll revisit it and put some more weathering and details on it.

Prussian Colossus Grand Duke Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg

I'd like to find something to use as smaller colossi as well. Unfortunately, Khador doesn't have any light warjacks so I'm going to have to look elsewhere or try to convert something. I'm considering some of the mercenary jacks maybe with a rebuilt carapace and one of the spare heads from the Juggernaut I have.

"Grosser Karl" watches as a squad clears a ruined building in the outskirts of Liege.

Jacques

I made this guy to be one of the armed workers in the Walloon Jacquerie but he is equally useful in many other roles. Criminal thug, anarchist, maybe even a disguised operative or detective.

I also picked up a copy of Super Dungeon Explore. The figures are absolutely great and I'm looking forward to painting them. I can also see myself going all out and building full terrain boards to play on. I should probably play the game a couple of times first though before I go too overboard.

I've started a couple more new sculpts and I also want to work on my faces so I'm going to try to sculpt at least one of those each time I get a chance.

"The Next Step for Man"

"Man has always looked to the greater creatures for his inspiration. The nobility of the eagle, the strength of the bear, and the majesty of the lion. But in a time when bears are taught to balance on balls for our amusement, we build machines to soar like the eagle, and we shoot lions for sport, we should instead look to the so called lower creatures for our inspiration.

Man is now the greatest threat to man. Would it not be better to look to an organism that exists peacefully with all others instead of one that preys upon them. The humble fungus lives in perfect harmony with the rest of nature. Should we not try to emulate how it lives in our modern world?"
       - Professor Emil just before being expelled from the Universiteit Gent for experiments against     God and Nature

The intermediary step of the fungoid evolution a horrible human/fungus hybrid.

Another fungoid this time in the early stages of transformation. So far these guys have been really fun to sculpt and I have ideas for several more. I want them all to be different looking as the transformation process is chaotic and no two end up exactly the same. Since they are basically zombie like creatures I'm going to borrow a lot of zombie archetypes from videogames and what not to flesh out their ranks. I already have a big juggernaut guy, need one that blows up, and the fast and deadly female one. Also coming up are the mysterious fungoid slavers, the puppet masters behind the scenes.

NVSF?

Back in the saddle with sculpting having gotten some work done both of the last couple of days. I only really do a little bit each time, like the pants, shirt, or an arm, so it seems like a waste putting up progress shots. But at the same time I would like to document the work. I've noticed some other blogs using a workbench feed, Tiny Solitary Soldiers being one, and I'm thinking about doing something similar. I'd also like to spruce up the design of the blog a bit too and I have a couple of ideas for that. Both plans are dependent on me actually figuring out how to do them on Blogger though.

I've also been thinking about my world background. Inspired both by China Mieville's new book Railsea and the video game Dishonored (neither of which is actually out yet but still look cool from the info that is available so far) I'm considering changing my background to a Neo-Victorian future setting. Everything would stay more or less the same just some name changes like Britain would become Albion, and I'd have to come up with new names and historical events. It has the advantage of freeing me of any historical baggage and also gives an explanation for the steam technology, giant monsters, and whatever else I want to throw in there. My term for the setting is Neo-Victorian Steam Fantasy (NVSF). Of course it also means that I have to throw out any historical personages and events, Charles Babbage, Crimean War, The Indian Mutiny, Lady Alda Lovelace, etc. Part of the fun of steampunk to me is the alternate history aspect so that would be disappointing.

Maybe I'm just over thinking the whole thing and should just do whatever I want and then back fill a reason for it's existence later. I'm going to keep pondering it.

"As under a green sea"

  To begin with the Walloon Jacquerie was only remarkable in the speed and quantity in which the anarchists and workmen assembled and marched on Liège. Although contact was lost with the troops sent to guard the colossi foundries this was not noticed until much later and at first the attention of the Belgium command was focused on dispersing the rioters. This proved more difficult then first expected due to them being remarkably well armed. Nevertheless, the discipline and drill of the Belgium troops soon led to them having the upper-hand and they were shortly hunting down the scattered pockets of die hard revolutionaries. 

  It was at this point that many believe Professor Emil offered his services and research to the desperate hold outs. It is unlikely they understood what exactly he was offering but grasped at any possibility to turn the situation around. As the Belgium troops were storming the last stronghold of the revolutionaries that the spore clouds were first encountered. In the alleyways between the worker's tenements it was described as a "green-yellow fog" and like moving "as under a green sea, small particles darting about like minuscule fish." 

  At first the troops merely coughed and gagged on the spores, but as soon as they made it into the last hideout the source was revealed. The interior of the house was coated in a thick layer of fungus and great mounds pumped out the spores like bellows. Amongst the fungi shambled great heaps that once were men but now had become something else. And even as the figures lurched forward streams of spores blew out from gill like vents along their body. The soldiers did not know it then but soon the spores they inhaled would transform them the same way and much of Liège would resemble those small, mold covered rooms. 
                                                                                                         - A History of the Liège Incident

The first of what will probably be many fungal creatures is done. Here are a few fun fungus facts. Fungus are more closely related to animals than plants. Some of the largest known organisms on earth are fungus colonies. One covers 8.9 square kilometers and is estimated to be 2400 years old. No wonder Professor Emil is so obsessed with fungi!

Scale Comparison

The Cabal

Rough sketch of Cabal Soldier

Next on my cast of players is the Cabal. Right now I'm going to work on two figures for them. The first is a foot soldier. For the time being I'm going to use Cryx warjacks for the Cabal's colossi. In order to tie the soldier to that look I'm going with a skull mask for him. Plus since the Cabal is a secret society within secret societies it lends a bit of masquerade to the figure. He's armed with a ray gun due to the Cabal using a unique blend of mysticism and technology. Plus I haven't made one yet and I want to.

Slenderman

The second is the Slender Man. They serve as observers and hatchetmen for the top ranks of the Cabal. I wanted a pose that would show off their inhuman physiology but not be over the top. I kinda like this look but I'd like to do a more hyper action pose and a more rigid standing pose in the future.

Soldier a little further along

The beginnings of the Slenderman

The Liège Incident

I've decided to try to concentrate on trying to build up the characters to portray a certain event in the history of my steampunk world. I'm going to focus on a fictionalized and greatly altered historical event, the Walloon Jacquerie. In the real world this was a semi spontaneous anarchist/worker's revolt that was put down by Belgium troops in the Liège area in 1886. I'm going to make it a little weirder and use it to introduce several power groups.

Fungoid in Liège

One of the main characters we've already met, Professor Emil. Next up is one of his creations an unholy melding of man and fungus and the final product of the professor's experiment into creating the perfect socialist society.

The sculpt so far.

The Ghug

After working on 15s the monster sized Gug was a nice break. Also the fact that it is all organic and I don't have to worry about straight lines and hard details made it easy to sculpt.

I like the way he came together and I'm happiest with the texture on the skin. I stumbled on it accidentally while working on the torso and ended up redoing the legs afterwards. But in the end it was worth it. I used a square clay shaper to lightly work the texture in and tried to use it to emphasize the underlying shape. Then I came back and added some more random lines kinda crosshatching it. I think it gives a nice elephantine texture.

First encountered at the Siege of Delhi during the Mutiny the creatures known as "Ghug" can as quite a shock to the British troops. This particular creature was called Bhaksaka Gaja which roughly translated to " Eater of Elephants." British troops later came to discover that the creatures were summoned in a bloody ritual at Cawnpore by a sect of Thugee sorcerers. The Ghug were only matched by the steam powered Colossi that the British had been using as mobile siege weapons. The battles between the savage creatures and the clanking giants became a recurring story throughout the Indian Mutiny. 

Professor Emil

This is the first of my more steampunk style guys. I think the more caricature style definitely comes across better at this scale. At least with my current skill level. I used some plastic rod for his cane/pipe and it worked pretty well. I might try making a mold of him so I'm gonna hold off on painting him for a while.

Professor Emil 

While a famed mycologist and vocal socialist Professor Emil is known mostly for his role in the Walloon Jaquerie or as the British call it the Liege Incident. It is still unclear if he undertook his experiments understanding the outcome or was simply insane. The end result of course was carnage and the almost entire destruction of the city of Liege in an effort to eradicate his "Fungoid" creations. 

Gug

I'm not really happy with a setting unless it can feature huge monsters fighting with giant robots. So it was inevitable that I was going to add some creatures to my steampunk setting.

The Gug is a classic if lesser known creature from the Cthulhu mythos. I've always liked the distinctive and very alien arms on them. I wanted the creatures in my setting to have that same bizarre, alien feel without looking too extraterrestrial. More warped and beyond human imagination instead of creature feature or men from Mars.

My designs are strongly influenced by Guy Davis's artwork on BPRD. A must read as far as I'm concerned. And of course by Mike Mignola and Hellboy. My Gug is inspired by the creature that attacks Seattle in the epilogue of the first BPRD: Hell on Earth arc.

Sketch of Gug creature seen in Delhi during the Mutiny. 

Inspector Collins

Overall, out of all my sculpts so far this is the one I'm most satisfied with.

Inspector Patrick Collins has always been the odd man out at the Yard. Promoted from constable after finding the kidnapped Lady Byron, and taking a bullet in the shoulder for his troubles, he has never really been accepted by his comrades. It's no wonder then that he has has been assigned many of the bizarre crimes that have been occurring in London. Certainly not thrilled by the assignments he is too much of a professional to not devote his full capabilities to the so called U cases. 

Mrs. Amelia Pelham

Many distractions and delays later I finally finished the Victorian Lady. I'm happy with her face but hands are still my downfall. I thought I would start adding a small story about each figure that would help breathe some life into both the figures I'm making and the larger world I see them fitting into. Most of this I make up as I'm sculpting. It keeps me interested and motivated to finish them. After all it is easy to stop creating some random sculpt but much harder to finish work on the imperious Mrs. Pelham. 

Wife of Reginald Pelham, owner of Pelham Dry Goods And Mechanicals, Amelia Pelham is one of many middle class women very much involved with the spiritualist scene of London. Here she is hurrying to a seance with the renowned medium Antoli Keerard with little concern for what the neighbors think. And certainly none for what Mr. Pelham thinks.