Sam Haven and more stuff!

One of the most challenging yet  rewarding part of my MHI project is trying to find miniatures to fit the well described characters in the novels.  It's kinda fun for me to trawl through various manufacturers websites, looking for that perfect mini to represent a character.

Sam Haven is described as a big, tall, bad ass cowboy.  He's an ex Navy SEAL who has a Texan drawl and penchant for western wear.    When we are first introduced to the big lug in Monster Hunter International, he's the tobacco chewing, profanity laced, shooting instructor.  He wears a walrus mustache and immediately makes me think of Jesse Ventura in Predator.  Unfortunately, there are not a lot of  paramilitary cowboys miniatures out there!


Since I had the Wargames Foundry Gunther already primed and ready to go, I'd figure I'd press him into service.

Business in the front

Party in the Rear

  I added a boonie hat with some greenstuff.  On second thought, I probably should have made it a cowboy hat, but I wanted something to make me think he was an Ex Seal.  I also added the big rodeo
style belt buckle, and painted the MHI Logo on his shoulder.  The Gunther figure has very long hair, but as Haven is described as having a 'mullet', I figured it would work.  To be honest, the sculpt isn't all that great, it's a bit dodgy in spots, but at least now he's painted and officially the first completed member I have of the MHI team.

Douglas Stark makes his first appearance in MHI: Alpha.  At that time, he's the Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Bureau of the MCB.  He's a bald, stocky bull dog of a man, who is more of a cowardly bureaucrat than anything.

Fishmen are coming.

 I decided to use a Hasslefree miniature called 'Costner' to represent good old Doug.  He's a work in progress, so I've added some belly fat and bull dog jowls to complete the look.  We learn in ALPHA that Stark was once a young Navy SEAL that served on a dangerous mission with Sam Haven.

The SEALS were sent to protect and secure a cruise liner attacked by Deep Ones.  The team was quickly overcome by the slimy fishmen, and only two SEALS survived, Haven and Stark.

That's where the two reports diverge, as Starks version has him being the hero and containing the deadly Deep One encounter, and Havens version has Stark hiding in a laundry hamper.  Since Haven's version also included the truth about the MCB coming on board and 'eliminating' survivors, Starks version became the official report.  That led to Haven being drummed out of the service, and Stark became a rising star in the MCB organization.

I'll discuss more of Stark's character (or lack of it) as I progress with the mini.



Last weeks WiP, the Condition, are now finished, and here's the proof.  The cult will grow, but the enforcers for it are ready for action.

We're forming a church softball league

A couple of cool minis I found to help me represent some of the books big hitters were found in the ranks of cheapo HeroClix.

Drax is going to be my basis for Owen Pitt, and the big ugly Tombstone will be the indomitable Agent Franks.  I'll just be adding sunglasses to Tombstone, and try my hand at turning Pitt into something similar to my sketch (from an earlier post) by sculpting body armor.  They'll also get some new paint...It's worth it to try messing with these, as they both cost me less than two bucks from an online store.  Even if I have to scrap them, I'm not going to be out much.  More on these soon.

Cheap cheap cheap!

The Sanctified Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition.

After painting nothing but furry things the last few minis, I thought I'd move onto something without hair...

The Condition, Work in Progress

 In the Monster Hunter International World, cultists can be just as dangerous as the monsters themselves.

In MHI: Vendetta, the second book in the series, we are introduced to the 'main' cult of doom, The Sanctified Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition, better known as The Condition.  They are described as a devious and brutal cult,  one that actually uses magic quite effectively.  The Condition are well funded, well trained, and actively working for the return of the Great Old Ones.

As there seem to be plenty of sects of this cult, I thought I'd try a few of my own.  I've actually had these in the works for some time, but only recently decided to adopt them into my MHI setting.

These cool little minis are from East Riding Miniatures, called the Slicks.  I really dig the oddness of them.  They are just a WiP so far.  If you look back at my Dec 2012 entry, you'll see the same tentacle pattern on the fishmen's cloaks.  I saw this design on a T-shirt and thought it would work great for any cultists I do.

Another miniature that I had in the works for years, is the Star Spawn from Reaper.   I don't think I ever posted any finished pics.  It's a beast to photograph well (as I struggle w/ photos anyhow).

Do these jeans make my butt look evil?

He was painted by just using tons and tons of light colored washes.  I like the pulpy almost plant like quality that gives.  It's time consuming, but kinda cool.

The condition are constantly scheming, infiltrating, and causing general havoc in the world, trying to find a way for ilk like this to enter our dimension.

Whisper sweet nothings to me

I'll post these guys up once I finish them, I think I need to do something with those buckles and maybe something better with those glasses.