Pilzenbihr, Defender of the Plains - Philip Esterle (flynn)

Description	:	This is a piece I did for a project with a few people on the Reaper forums, where we were to take this model, and try to mimic the work that Thierry Husser did on it. Thierry is a former painter for Rackham. Along the way, I took a little bit of artistic liscense with it. Particularly in the color of the hair, and the metals used on the blades. A few other places as well. This is now the most time-intensive mini I've done. I think I spent roughly 30 hours on it, which is about twice what I've spent on any single figure before this. I consider it time well spent. The base is probably the weakest part of this mini now, even though I thought it wasn't bad when I started. I think my highlights there are just too widespread. A couple of other angles of this one can be found in my folder here on EO/GT along with both of these shots. Some WIPs and technique/recipe discussions can be found on the Reaper forums at http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9268 Click on the photo for a larger view.

Poll results:
Number 3 overall.
1st Place: 3 votes
2nd Place: 9 votes
3rd Place: 14 votes

From:	Eric Polovich (ThePolo)	(Thu 21 Oct 2004 03:44:09 PM CDT)
Whew, Flynn, very nice. Glad to see this one finished. Love the NMM, but the gold seems a bit brighter than the steel, almost as if there being lit by different sources. I agree on the base, it is a bit plain next to the rest of the mini! Nice and clean, though... great over all!

From:	Scott Baker (Grumbold)	(Thu 21 Oct 2004 07:43:56 PM CDT)
Flynn, Great paintjob! The NMM on the blades is excellent. The skintones are very well done, though the highlighting on his cheekbones seems a bit harsh. Base is plain, but that's fine, it doesn't steal attention away from the mini. Nice work.

From:	molebrain (molebrain)	(Fri 22 Oct 2004 01:59:16 PM CDT)
Really nice piece. I especially like the gold NMM on the chin, though some parts look more bronze-y than gold. The steel parts are nice too. Not so sure about the orange lips, but I like the rest of the skintone. And it looks like the NMM on the sword is coming from two different light sources. With over head light the lighter part would be on top of the blade, it looks kind of inconsistent now. But that's a minor quibble, overall a great piece of work. Molebrain

From:	kevin deming (primeval)	(Sun 24 Oct 2004 01:03:55 AM CDT)
I really like the darker gold nmm on the hilts, and the variety in tones of nmm as well. The beard and topknot are well-done as well. A great piece.

From:	LarryBoos (LarryBoos)	(Sun 24 Oct 2004 10:31:01 AM CDT)
great Job on the skintones! The GNMM looks great on the face but is it GNMM on the hilt of the swords? or is it BNMM (Bronze) %'ve never liked the Rackam Dwarfs, but you did a great job on this one, Bravo!

From:	Ruben Campos (Errex)	(Sun 24 Oct 2004 11:05:40 PM CDT)
Love those blades. The smoothness on this guy is unbelievable. every shade and hue flows nicely into one another, and the expression on the face is priceless. Amazing job.

From:	Mike Pierce (slorak)	(Mon 25 Oct 2004 11:43:29 AM CDT)
This figure looks very clean. I really like the metal work on this figure. It is very convincing. Skintones look a bit plasticy maybe a slightly deeper shadow would work. I don't see any real problems with the base. maybe there are too strong of highlights on the rocky edge and grass but otherwise it looks great!

From:	Michael Stubbs` (LavronYor)	(Mon 25 Oct 2004 09:42:34 PM CDT)
Beautiful paint job. Almost too beautiful. He looks like he needs to go a round with one of Cyril's space marines and get a little dirty. Again, I wish this one came with a demo.

From:	Gary Giles (SirGiles)	(Tue 26 Oct 2004 09:25:02 AM CDT)
Great job! I always enjoy your work. Great use of light, great NMM. IF I ever get this good ... then maybe I'll start to criticize.

From:	Jack Stresing (gonzominiatures)	(Wed 27 Oct 2004 03:19:24 PM CDT)
An inspirational piece. Bravo! -- Jack

From:	Rhonda Bender (Wren)	(Fri 29 Oct 2004 11:15:34 AM CDT)
Wow, wonderful stuff! Really looks like a Rackham paintjob. Even the toe and fingernails look great! This is the best work of yours I remember seeing to date.

From:	Hal M. O'Donnell (Cade)	(Sun 31 Oct 2004 11:22:25 PM CST)
Wow, great job Flynn. I'd say your best piece yet. I love the NMM steel and gold. Great job on the flesh tones as well.