03/10/2020

Interlude: Out-of-time (as usual) Secret Santa

 Just as this shitty year goes by, we all need some good news from time to time. So my regular group of partners in crime decided to recover a lost tradition, the Secret Santa event -Lockdown Edition 2020 (You can have a look at 2016 and 2017 editions on the links).

You know, as sky is the limit, each one of us has done a quite different thing from the others -and that's what gives this event its true value.

Speaking for myself, this year I took this old, worn out HeroQuest Wizard:

Seen better days, uh?

I converted him into this:

The same, yet not the same

And splashed some colour on it:

My pics are so awful that it looks like he's wearing sunglasses

It would have been cool, but take my word, there are no sunglasses

When my pal got the mini he took this other pic:

He still got this HeroQuest mini before the HeroQuest 25 anniversary

This year I received a total surprise. The pal who had to paint something for me didn't really feel comfortable with his painting skills. Of course this isn't about showing off or any kind of quality standards, but just to get some tiny gift for a friend. However, he chose not to lick any paint on any model -and that's perfectly OK if you don't feel like it.

I'm derailing. I got this out-of-scale awesome Gundam:

RX-79

Totally articulated and with different options

Pretty customizable

Dammit, I didn't know it was a Sith!

This is a first time for me. Of course I've seen this kind of Gundams before, but have never got myself into the Gunpla world. I find the model impressive, fully articulated and with such a graceful mobility. I'm not sure if I should paint it (it scares the hell out of me, with all those tiny, movable pieces!) or just add the decals. Well, while I make a decision, let me show the other works from the rest of the blokes involved:


Tastefully retro Trooper

Well, this is an inside joke. The guy who received it is a miniature hoarder, we all affectionately call him 'Smaug' or simply 'the dragon'. So this is a dragon alongside his collection of minis on the shelves!

A better view of this piece of genius

Another exception. The author designed and printed it, the receiver will paint it

I love this one so much I've asked about who makes this -I need one!

Wow. The whole composition is pure love

Used to over the top minis, I love the style of this one

A fresh view on Saim Hann

Scary!

We already moved onto COVID-20. Just in case

Well, it was a fruitful lockdown! As any group event, it's taken some more time than expected, but the effort has surely paid off. I hope we don't have to repeat it for a second lockdown, but just for fun :P

20 comments:

  1. Ahh! Excellent stuff full od awesome minis!

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    1. Thanks! There are some really nice minis indeed!

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  2. Lovely collective effort!
    Best Iain

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    1. It's been fun! Given that the only requirement is to enjoy whatever you are going to give away, everything is fine!

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  3. Nice bunch of stuff!
    I really like the HQ wizard - brings back some warm memories.
    Also dig Moonraker's space trooper - just reminded I have blister of those and still looking for some idea what to do with them... 🤔😉

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    1. I had that wizard wandering through boxes for years, so this was quite the perfect occasion to do something with that mini :)
      Ohhh, be careful, you never know when you are going to start a new project... :D

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  4. You have been busy! The dragon and the retro trooper are my favs.

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    1. That dragon is pure genius. I mean, the guy did each and every scale one by one :S
      These events are always fun, even if they spread through the calendar for months and months :)

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  5. Any fun collaborative miniature exchange between friends is a great idea in my view. I love that you are doing this with your gaming buddies, and it's great to see the variety of different figures that have been gifted. I love your wizard - really great transformation, and that beautifully patterned robe is exquisite!

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    1. These things are definitely great. We don't get to see each other that often (specially this year!) so these little gestures have some added value. It's fun to see what other people do, and this mix of styles put together on the same project :)

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  6. Such a lovely idea and it's heartwarming to see how much effort some of your mates spend on their gift.
    Your model is a great take on the classic wizard, a brilliant modification and very nice Suber style paintjob.

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    1. Right, it's definitely kind of touching! Speaking on my behalf it's fun to delve into someone else's projects and find out what kind of mini would fit in any of them. On the other hand, receiving a gift is like Christmas Day out of calendar. The scary thing is that these days I've spent too much time watching Gundam tutorials and stuff on Youtube!!

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    2. Hahaha, I recently started playing a Gundam skirmish game at the local club and subsequently bought a few Zakus myself. Gunpla is something I hadn't ever done before and suddenly I find myself immersed in it. Not too different from your situation I guess.
      https://donkusgaming.wordpress.com/category/mobile-suit-gundam-skirmish-2/

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    3. I'm so scared of opening that link...

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  7. *grit joerb* (ancient internet times meme)

    Me encanta, sobretodo la foto que la luz natural oscurece la cara con sombras.

    Que nivel, Maribel (el autocorrector ha puesto OK BOOMER en lugar de completar Maribel) muy bien integrada la faena masillástica!

    El ago de HQ tiene un señor paquete. Ya sabemos dónde guarda EL BOTÍN.😚

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    1. ¡JAJAJA! ¡Ta escondío!
      Me ha gustado retocar esta mini. Es muy hierática y tus opciones son limitadas, pero se pueden hacer cosas. Me quedo sobre todo con que he aprendido a hacer capuchas. Cuando haya hecho 200 me saldrán bien y todo.

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  8. What a great bunch! That wizard conversion is great: it seems almost blasphemous to convert HQ minis but with the hand missing and all, there was absolutely no reason not to, and the result was fantastic, even if he's not wearing sunglasses :D

    The collector dragon is hilarious too. All it needs are a spouse dragon saying "why don't you stick to ONE display case?" and baby dragons being sternly told not to touch mommy's/daddy's little men ;)

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    1. Hahaha! I love the dragon idea, I'll tell the guy :D
      I inherited the wizard in that state, so it was clear that I had to work on him; I believe I may have another damaged wizard somewhere, I should look for him...

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  9. An impressive body of work from you and your friends, for sure. Also from personal experience ... painting individual pieces of Gundam are a pain in the behind, but the final achievement is worth it ... for me anyway ;) :)

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    1. I've been visiting your blog again looking for inspiration about the Gundam, but it really scares the hell out of me!! :D :D

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