Obi-Wan, Greedo and the Grand Inquisitor: Star Wars Favourites

I just finished painting the miniatures of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Greedo and the Grand Inquisitor -- the latest release for Star Wars Imperial Assault. I particularly enjoyed painting this trio not only because they are some of my favourite characters, but also because their appearance is a sign that Fantasy Flight Games is steering their Star Wars gaming juggernaut into the right direction.

Let's start with Greedo, the bounty hunter that Han Solo peremptorily shoots at the beginning of A New Hope. But Greedo is so much more than that -- for Star Wars grognards like myself, Greedo symbolizes everything that went wrong with the franchise during George Lucas' second infancy. In 1997 George famously altered the scene with Greedo to show that he tried to shoot Han before Han shot him. This change was meant to recast Han as good-hearted from the very beginning of the trilogy but ultimately it waters down his character and flattens the arc spanning Han's journey from rogue to hero.

In designing Greedo for Imperial Assault, Fantasy Flight Games seems to have taken sides in this controversy. His central characteristic is that he is "Slow on the Draw", which gives any of Greedo's targets the opportunity to fire at Greedo first. Even his miniature shows him fumbling to get his blaster out of its holster. This is not Lucas' Greedo 2.0 (fast but with bad aim), but the original 1977 Greedo (slow and dead). Since Disney/Lucasfilm thoroughly vets all these gaming products (there are entries for "Licensing Specialist", "Licensing Manager" and "Lucasfilm Approvals" in the long list of credits for each miniature), I'd like to think that this creative choice is part of a broader trend toward conveniently forgetting the worst of George Lucas' blunders.

Anyway, look at Greedo's big blue eyes. He's like Bambi. Everyone wants to shoot him.

I was also pleased to see that Fantasy Flight Games released a miniature for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The original conception of Imperial Assault was that it would be defined by set time periods. The "core" period is the 3 years between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The downside to such specificity is that it limited the range of miniatures. For example, Ben Kenobi had already shuffled off his mortal coil by this point in the story. So for a long time I despaired of ever seeing a miniature for Space Gandalf.

But with the release of these figure packs, FFG has signaled that it's become more flexible. For my part, I couldn't be more pleased. I'd like to see as wide a range of Star Wars miniatures as possible, and I don't give a toss about time periods.

And then there's the Grand Inquisitor, a character that originated with the animated show Star Wars Rebels. Well, sort of. In my mind, the true Grand Inquisitor is a character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov (1879). In some ways, the characters aren't so different. In the Bros. K., the Grand Inquisitor is a medieval cardinal who, upon discovering that Christ has returned and is preaching to the poor of Seville, has him locked up as hindering the true work of the Church:

He is an old man, almost ninety, tall and erect, with a withered face and sunken eyes, in which there is still a gleam of light...at this moment he is wearing his coarse, old, monk's cassock... He knits his thick gray brows and his eyes gleam with a sinister fire. (Book V, Chapter 5)

He reveals to the imprisoned Messiah that the Church had long ago stopped serving him and was instead serving Satan:

We are not working with Thee, but with him—that is our mystery... We took from him Rome and the sword of Caesar, and proclaimed ourselves sole rulers of the earth, though hitherto we have not been able to complete our work... uniting all in one unanimous and harmonious ant-heap, for the craving for universal unity is the third and last anguish of men. (Book V, Chapter 5)

Don't all Dark Side practitioners begin to sound a like after a while? 

In any case, the release of the Grand Inquisitor is another sign that FFG is expanding its range of Star Wars miniatures from the narrow confines of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. I hope more characters from Star Wars Rebels are on their way! (Cough, cough, Sabine, cough, cough).

So, what we have is a broader range of miniatures and a tendency to maneuver away from the least tasteful excretions of the Star Wars universe. Sounds good to me!

Thanks for stopping by. And you can find my galleries for all the Imperial Assault miniatures here: Rebels... Imperials... and Mercenaries.

More Painted Terrain for Star Wars Imperial Assault

You want more scenery for Imperial Assault? Well, since I've painted 100+ pieces of terrain, let me fill your boots.

One of the things that impressed me as I painted dozens of boxes, containers and consoles is the attention to detail -- both on the part of the designers of Imperial Assault, and by extension, the modelers at CombatZone Scenery. For instance, take the humble supply crate. This staple of the game is always filled with helpful supplies -- medpacks, weapons, or secret intel. Above we see my painted version.

And here we see a screenshot from Star Wars Rebels, with almost the same crate (also filled with helpful supplies). This frame comes from one of the earliest episodes ("Droids in Distress"), which aired only a couple months before Imperial Assault was released in late 2014. Now that's coordination.




This attention to detail is one of the things that makes Imperial Assault (and for that matter, Rebels) enjoyable. Notwithstanding any other faults, they both capture the authentic Star Wars aesthetic -- the wordless power of Tie Fighters in flight, of the shadow cast by a Star Destroyer, or the kindling of a lightsaber. In painting all this terrain, I've been trying to pursue that aesthetic too...

You can see some of this terrain in action in my recent Imperial Assault Battle Reports: The Bantha Strikes Back and A Bantha Too Far (and this last battle report was recently republished by the wargame magazine The Golden D6. So check out that too!)

Thanks for looking!

Oldenhammer in Toronto in Wales

Loyal readers will have noticed that I've been silent for a few weeks. That's because I was in Wales on vacation with Mrs. Oldenhammer plus two of my best friends (two composers from New York). The main purpose of our trip was to walk the coastal path that circles the Isle of Anglesey. However, as usual, I couldn't help but view certain aspects of the journey through the eyes of a wargamer.

My wargaming self first came to life when I was in transit in London before heading out for Wales. We stopped by the Tate Modern and I saw a work of modern art that seemed more like a gaming table than anything else.

This is Untitled (Ghardaïa), 2009 by the French artist Kader Attia (born 1970). It represents a scale model of the ancient city Ghardaïa in the M’zab Valley in Algeria. Interestingly, the "sand" on the table is made out of couscous -- a choice of materials that's both original and delicious. The buildings, on the other hand, seem to be carved from the light foam blocks and hemispheres that you can find in any craft store. 

As a model, it's a pretty simple affair -- I think any modeler worth his salt could have banged together a much more arresting portrayal of this city. But, of course, the Tate doesn't feature wargaming tables. Works like this always make me wish that there was more interchange between the world of hobbyists and the world of "high art". Professional artists like Attia sometimes scrape the surface of miniature painting and model making, but their techniques are generally primitive. And, on the flipside of the coin, truly talented modelers/miniature painters rarely break out into the mainstream art world. Nick Bibby, who started out sculpting for Citadel in the 1980's and is now a celebrated fine artist, is the only exception that memory can dredge. Wouldn't you like to see someone like Jess Rich in an art gallery?

Well, on to Wales! 

Above is the map I drew of our journey while on the plane back to Toronto. It is entirely from memory and therefore insults the actual geography of the island quite a bit. But you can make out the various pubs where we slept and drank: the Liverpool Arms, the Black Lion, the Penrhos Arms, the Prince Llewelyn, et cetera.

Beaumaris Castle

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me was visiting Beaumaris Castle. This was the most castley castle that I've ever seen. Concentric walls? Check. Symmetrical design? Check. Moat? Check. Gatehouse? Check. Perhaps the most striking thing about Beaumaris Castle is that it's built on perfectly level ground, giving it the crisp appearance of a floor-plan or a game of Stronghold. In sum, it looks like the archetypal castle that you saw in drawings but never seemed to find in reality.

A tight fit at Beaumaris

Walking inside the walls of Beaumaris seemed to conjure up every dungeon and castle adventure I've ever played in D&D and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. The one thing that truly struck me is how narrow the passages inside a castle really are. It would be impossible for two men to fight abreast, to maneuver or to even to run. So figure out your marching order!

Another wonderful site was Penmon Priory: a small medieval monastary that seems primed for a game of Saga (Indeed, it was burned by Vikings in 971 ce). 

While exploring the church, I ran across the banner photographed below. To me, it looks like a great inspiration for a battle standard. It's worth noting, however that the Welsh inscription "Undeb Y Mamau" means "Mother's Union". Take that, you Viking Bastards - the mummies are coming for you!

A banner from Penmon Priory

Anglesey is a place of such supernatural beauty that it seems to be a fantasy world unto itself. The vegetation is so lush that it glows green. Standing stones, ruins, towers and ancient churches are everywhere. This visit will fuel my imagination for a long time to come.

Miniature Photography the Oldenhammer Way

In the last couple months I've gotten a couple questions about how I take pictures of my miniatures. For me, learning about miniature photography has been one of the best things about starting this website and participating in our hobby's online community.  In my view, shooting miniatures is as creative an act as painting miniatures, with some hobbyists transforming it into a veritable art form. Some of my favourites include:

• Allison M. at The Painting Agency. Although capable of clean photos with simple backgrounds, Allison also produces stunning dioramas with dramatic backdrops -- these pics really heighten the senses of adventure that's such a big part of his miniatures.
• Orlygg at Realm of Chaos 80's. The grand-daddy of Oldhammer has self consciously emulated the staging of the miniature photography in Warhammer 3rd edition: lots of depth, lots of detail and lots of reindeer moss! It's like he's got a time machine going right back to 1985.
• Carlos at Oldhammer Spain also conjures up the authentic Oldhammer feeling with beautiful mini-dioramas. But Carlos has perfected the close-up, allowing us to appreciate an amazing amount of detail on each miniature.
• Private W. at The Privates Eternal. He is the undisputed master of combining wargames, natural light and natural scenery. His backyard seems like Wonderland to me.
• And then there's Barks at Wargaming with Barks. His comic-book style elevates miniature photography/battle reporting to a new level of pop art. I could stare at his work for hours.

I -- of course -- have a different approach to any of these gentlemen...

And I guess that's the first part of miniature photography: you have to decide what you mean to accomplish. Although I experimented early on with photos that place my miniatures in the context of the games, I realized that what I really wanted was a clean, distinctive and uncluttered look for my photos. I wanted something that mirrored a clean, distinctive and uncluttered blog. My aim is to make the miniature (and the paint job) as "readable" as possible. In this sense, I'm similar (if inferior) to artists like Stro'knor at Quindias Studios or Jinnai at the Realm of Jinnai. Like them, I focus my photography on the miniature itself, not on the flavour of the underlying game.

The Ghoul (1985) from the Talisman Range, sculpted by Aly Morrison

Well, enough about philosophy - let's discuss practicalities. The number one requirement for miniature photography isn't the camera, or the background. You need light. Lots and lots of light. Natural light (outdoors on a slightly overcast day) can produced marvelous effect. I still remember a magic day when I took a series of photos in my backyard of my Wild West town. However, because I wanted more consistency and reliability in my photos, I ultimately opted for indoor photography using a light box. I won't dwell too long on this topic because I've already written about the Foldio Light Box that I use for my shots. Almost 2 years on, I'm still happy with it, although I'm looking forward to the arrival of the new (and larger) model, which will help me take photos of bigger units and "360 degree images".

I also use a Flotone Blue Jay graduated photographic background on all my shots. These backgrounds are huge, poster sized sheets, so obviously you have to cut them up to fit inside your light box. I've also written about this fantastic product, and I will just emphasize that it's incredible how the colour of the background alters the appearance of the miniature. If my miniatures seem brightly coloured (or if they seem to have a strong cel-shaded look), I think at least part of the praise/blame can be laid at the feet of all my lights working in conjunction with the Flotone.

I don't own a camera. All I've ever used is my Samsung Galaxy s. 4 smartphone. So I don't think an expensive camera is necessary. But I have given a terrible amount of time to thinking about tripods, experimenting with half-a-dozen before settling on this cheap tripod and bluetooth shutter control purchased on eBay. The tripod is all important because the position of your camera changes the perception of your miniature.

I like very close shots, which Smartphones pull off with alarming ability. Usually, only about 1-3 inches separate the miniature from the lens. The positive side of close-ups is that you attain a very high resolution to your images. This captures a lot of detail on the figure, right down to individual brush strokes. But there are several downsides: very small flaws in the painting a glaringly obvious. Even specks of dust that are invisible to the naked eye flare on the miniature like stars emerging from the evening sky. And finally, when your lens is that close to the miniature, you have an extremely narrow depth of field (i.e. you have a narrow band where things will be in focus). This means that if a particular miniature is throwing one hand behind him, that hand may not be as sharply in focus as the miniature's face because of the difference in their distance from the lens.

Of course, sometimes a narrow depth of field can produce dramatic effects, like in this photo of my orc baggage train:

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to position the camera. If you want your miniature to look like it will on the gaming table, it's best to shoot them from a higher angle, since this is how the players see them. Personally, I want the viewers to see my miniatures as I see them while I paint them, so I shoot them at a low angle. I also think this adds a sense of life to the miniature, since this is the perspective at which we all view each other in the real world.

For some miniatures, I angle the camera almost below level to make them seem more threatening or heroic, like this shot of Han Solo:

And then there is post-production. In order to achieve a clean, uniform look, I generally crop my photos to a 3x5 ratio. For many shots, I use Photoshop's Photomerge Panorama function to give both the front and back of a miniature in one frame -- this is part of my quest for a highly readable image that other hobbyists can use as a reference tool for their own work. (It took dozens and dozens of hours to create these duplex images when I assembled my galleries of all the Talisman miniatures, so I hope you lot appreciated it!)

For the sake of maintaining a high resolution, it's generally a good idea to let the miniature fill as much of the image as possible. Sometimes however, it can be fun to play with composition. Every once in a while, I enjoy expanding the negative space in the frame in order to accentuate the silhouette of a particularly dynamic miniature. For example, here's Han again, spinning to shoot at someone that the viewer can't see: 

So that's how Oldhammer in Toronto does it. Please share your own photo tips, or feel free to ask any questions in the comments. Cheers! 

Cloud City Blues

Here are all the painted miniatures from The Bespin Gambit boxed set, the latest expansion for Star Wars Imperial Assault: we have the heroes Davith Elso and Murne Rin, plus the Bespin Wing Guard and Ugnaughts. Last week, I posted pictures of all the associated Hero and Villain Packs, like Lando Calrissian. 

Between Lando, Davith, Murne, the Wing Guard and even the Ugnaughts, there are so many variations of blue. I hope it creates a sense of unity for the Bespin miniatures.

On first glance, I wasn't enthused about Murne Rin. She is supposed to be a diplomat of the Ithorian race. The original miniature, however, is an ugly mess of contradictions. Is she an action hero wearing a frilly prom dress? An ambassador brandishing a firearm? I decided to clean up the miniature with a few quick alterations. I cut away her over-sized wizard's staff, and substituted a simple rod of office. Then I ditched her blaster and replaced it with a gesturing hand -- after all, in Imperial Assault Murne's abilities are all about her diplomatic powers, not her sharpshooting. Although her frock is still a little ridiculous, now I'm much happier with the miniature. 

Davith Elso

Davith Elso is a much better designed miniature -- this young Jedi's crouching pose carries tremendous action and personality. It also telegraphs his in-game abilities based on concealment and stealth. I think this is one of the best original sculpts that Imperial Assault has produced. I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays in the game.

I'm a little confused by the Ugnaughts. I'm glad that these little blighters have been included in Bespin because they're a key part of the Bespin vibe. I painted my regular Ugnaughts in the same colour scheme as the old Kenner action figures -- it's my conservative nature.

But I find these Oompa-Loompas aggravating because their main in-game power consists of creating "junk droids" that can be used as distracting fodder. Good and well -- but why is there no miniature for the junk droid? There's a little cardboard marker in the box... but only one, even though there are three Ugnaughts. It feels slapdash.

Regular Ugnaught

Elite Ugnaught

I decided to make my own Junk Droid, using some of the robots from the old range of Galacta miniatures originally sculpted by Heritage Miniatures in the late 1970's and currently produced by Classic Miniatures. I love Galacta and am looking forward to painting more of the models when I get some time. They were an early knock-off of Star Wars, so it's only appropriate to enlist them for Imperial Assault. 

My junk droid is a Security Bot from the "Galactic Rebellion" paint-and-play boxed set.

A Junk Droid with mild dermatitis

Finally, there's the Bespin Wing Guard. Like the Ugnaughts, they are well-sculpted and detailed, and will certainly help to create the atmosphere of Cloud City. I like their understated uniforms, with the gold piping and the red cuffs. Sometimes simple is best -- they were fun and easy to paint.

Bespin Wing Guard Regulars

Elite Bespin Wing Guard

Well, if you want more Imperial Assault, check out these galleries of the complete painted miniatures for...  

The Rebels...
The Imperials...
And the Mercenaries.

Painted Star Wars Miniatures - The Bespin Gambit

Behold painted miniatures of Lando Calrissian, Bossk, Agent Blaise and the ISB Infiltrators. They come from the Ally and Villain packs that were released in conjunction with The Bespin Gambit, the latest expansion for Star Wars Imperial Assault.

"You look absolutely beautiful."

Props to Gary Storkamp, the sculptor of Lando Calrissian. Rather than modernizing Lando, he's preserved several key features of Billy Dean William's character that are thoroughly dated to the 1980's: his high waist, his pirate shirt, and especially his magnificent Jheri Curls. 

But when it came to painting Lando, I had my own challenges. One was to capture the baby blue of his blouse, or the soft caramel of his skin tone. But the most important element of Calrissian's appearance is the lining of his cape. This gold/green paisley is what gives Lando his flare and style. Without capturing the lining, this miniature would be a nullity. So I worked hard to create the impression, if not the replica, of this complex pattern.

The sculptors of Imperial Assault have been methodically ticking off all the staple poses of the villain. We have the Evil Pointing, the Sinister Hand Clasp, and the Karate Chop. Thankfully, we now have Agent Blaise with a classic Fist Shake. Nothing says, "I'll get you one day, you stupid heroes!" more eloquently than vibrating your fist in the air. And we know that Agent Blaise is an old pro, because he knows to take off his helmet before trying this maneuver. How else will the Rebels know that you're grimacing?

I've given Agent Blaise a little grey at the temples. I'm pretty sure that only an age-addled person would opt for a fist shake, rather than using the large sniper rifle he's holding in his other hand.

ISB Infiltrators

Thankfully, Old Man Blaise is accompanied by the ISB Infiltrators. Since the ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) is the Gestapo of the Empire, I tried to make these troopers as Aryan as possible. But it was not clear from Fantasy Flight Game's card art whether these miniatures are supposed to be wearing actual purple armour, or whether they're in the standard whites of the Stormtrooper that's been artistically tinted by dim light. I decided to go for a purple-blue armour -- it seems better suited to their covert operations -- and marks them out as special badasses.

But because I like hedging my bets, I couldn't help myself from kit-bashing some ISB variants. Using Scout Trooper heads and backpacks from some old WotC miniatures, I created a couple elite Infiltrators with traditional white armour and helmets. They're in perfect camouflage for a commando raid on a chessboard or zebra sanctuary!

These scouts join some of my other conversions, like the Mon Calamari Saboteurs, the Aqualish Hired Guns and the Gran Rebel Smuggler.

Finally, there's Bossk. I loved painting this cold-blooded bounty hunter. His palate (yellow, yellow-green and white) is as simple as a flag but completely arresting. He's a perfect encapsulation of the Star Wars aesthetic: simplicity and strangeness in equal parts. But the thing that gives me most pleasure is that sculptor Gary Storkamp resisted the temptation to make Bossk look like he's growling. Instead, he's maintained the disquieting reptilian smile that marked out Bossk during his cameo in The Empire Strikes Back.

Stay tuned for pictures of the rest of the miniatures from The Bespin Gambit in the next few days! And if you've painted any of these miniatures, please let me know in the comments.

Painted Scenery for Star Wars Imperial Assault

I've just painted over 100 pieces of scenery for Star Wars Imperial Assault. And I'm tired. CombatZone Scenery, a company in the UK, produces a beautiful line of terrain tailored for the game. Rendered in heavy casting plaster, the pieces reproduce the 2-dimensional features printed on the map-tiles, as well as other items like control consoles and supply crates.

Terrain is central to achieving an authentic Star Wars feel...  what is Tatooine without the lonely moisture vaporators, or a Rebel base without glowing tactical screens?  So I'm happy that there's a way of bringing these places to life in 3 dimensions. The only problem is the cost in money and time. Buying and shipping all this terrain cost me almost $250 Canadian -- and then it was about 7 weeks of intense painting. That's a long time to spend painting crates and snowbanks.

But, in the end, it's worth it. One of my recurring themes is that Imperial Assault is a game that straddles a borderland between board games and proper war-games. A key difference between these two categories is a board game is ready to play out of the box, but a war-game only becomes playable after a long labour of love: collecting the miniatures, imagining the armies, customizing the models, assembling the terrain, planning, painting and presenting.

I've always wanted a proper Star Wars war-game -- one with broad horizons for the hobbyist in me. I suppose Fantasy Flight Games made their game a little bit too structured and a little bit too easy for my tastes. Well, screw them. I'll keep on finding new ways to make Imperial Assault costly and time-consuming.

Thanks for looking. And don't forget: if you like Imperial Assault, I have galleries of the complete painted miniatures for the Rebels, Imperials and Mercenaries.