MAKE 100, Savage METAL MINIS for gaming.

When will the next Beestwars campaign launch?
9 months ago – Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 01:36:22 PM

Hi everyone, time for an update on the delayed 2nd Kickstarter

It's been a huge year and the imminent 2nd Kickstarter is now actually imminant. I re-assessed the scope of this Kickstarter earlier this year and decided it had turned into quite a monster! 

So, I made the decision to focus on launching the STL digital files first. The main Benefit of this will get figures into your hands sooner, without the changes and timeframes associated with physical manufacturing and shipping. 

My plan is to use the majority of funds from this digital campaign to expand the range and to produce some of the figures in Metal.  I may have to create a few smaller campaigns dedicated to the specific metal minis after the Digital minis have been delivered.

The Metal won't be forgotten, and your support will enable me to create additional Pewter minis for retail on my website and the Wētā Cave shops. Hopefully a new revenue stream from the Digital minis will actually speed up production as I'll have some income pre-metal release for the new figures.

The other benefits of a Digital release, means that I can launch larger figures and also some terrain, which would be impractical and at a much higher price-point.

So if you have added 3d printing alongside collecting metal and plastic then you are in for a treat. These are some of my most fun sculpts yet and build on my many years experience in the professional collectible and movie mini industry. 

When will I be launching?

 I am almost good to go ( a small selection of the new sculptas are shown below).  I've tested the new figures on printers and have a few little changes to make them easier to print. I think I have settled on a pricing structure. There's a short intro video in the works.

I've also started the set-up for the campaign (which needs to be approved by KS). This is taking longer than last time as there seem to be more steps.  There are additional requirements which I’m working through. Some left-field things which usually takes 4-5 days but currently may take up to 5 weeks.  I wasn't expecting that. I had a great window coming up that fitted in with launch/work/holiday but I'll have to re-access the optimum time to launch so I can deliver files un-interrupted and on time.

It would have been nice for all of us if I could have launched some time ago but stay posted. I'm positive that the next update  will include a launch date. 

All the best, Gary

This is one of the demanding projects that I finished in my day-job.. (with a lot of help from my friends)

  A little video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTXO3CSNRGI 

  https://www.wetanz.com/nz/artists/gary-hunt/masters-collection-salvation-at-mount-doom 

Happy Christmas/ New Year. Progress report on the new KS campaign.
over 1 year ago – Tue, Dec 27, 2022 at 08:55:51 AM

Happy Christmas/New Year everyone, 

I'm still here! I've been frantically busy with Wētā collectibles, sculpting and lots of life stuff. If you've been following me on Instagram or FB you'll know that I went back to the UK and Cyprus, this year, to see family and friends (it's been 6 years since the last visit!). I also went into full-on tourist mode and visited many historical sites, castles, ruins and standing stones etc. It was great. I even made it to Games Workshop, Nottingham and Forgotten Hope (to look at all the old Grenadier models and molds). And my stash of Old school minis (in a cupboard at my mothers house)..

 The minis for the next Kickstarter are mainly finished, some needing a few more details. But I want them all print ready before I launch. 

I finesse the models and add a little more detail when preparing them for the printer. I'll have to do this twice for each model: one set for stl printing and one set for metal manufacture. They both have different ways to split them into their components. The minis for home printing will have fewer parts than the metal minis (on the odd occasion the metal parts may need a little back-filling to ensure they come out of the mold). I will also experiment (where I can) with the orientation of each part to provide the minis with printing supports.

My collaborator, Jon, recently bought an Elagoo Mars pro 2 and it's getting some great results. Great for testing thicknesses, and orientation etc. When I print the masters for the Pewter miniatures I will find a printer that has a little more sharper detail, maybe a Phrozen.

So I'd penciled in a Kickstarter release date (for the end of February.  2023)... but with my busy day-job sculpting encroaching on my spare time I probably will have to push that date out a bit. I really want to make sure the minis are as prepared as possible, so delivery is quicker and smoother.

If you want to check out how the Kickstarter looks at the moment here's a link: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/595101020/1273420200?ref=4hwf79&token=a5454afc

I haven't fixed the pricing yet and shipping may have to be re-assessed as this is still a draft KS.

In fact the minis that are available on my Website will have to increase in price for 2023, sorry.

I'm so eager to get these new figures out there, I have a few more to prep including a stretch goal that will be The Clovis Minotaur lord on throne....

All the best, Gary.

https://www.facebook.com/gary.hunt.353/

https://www.instagram.com/garyhuntminiatures/

https://www.facebook.com/Gary.Hunt.Miniatures/

Donate to Ukraine and download this Dwarf Tusker Stl..
about 2 years ago – Sun, May 01, 2022 at 12:41:52 AM

I've decided to release this digital Dwarf Tusker file to people who are happy to make a donation to the struggling Civilians of Ukraine. You may have done so already.

 But If you are interested, I think rather than sending me the donation it would be best for you to donate directly to your chosen charity (I have used UN Crisis Relief https://crisisrelief.un.org/ukraine-crisis and https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ )

Charity websites will usually give an option to Private Message/share. So PM my FB or Instagram or e-mail me on [email protected] with a screen grab saying you have donated (please delete any personal details that you don't want to share with me). 

Within a few days of receiving your correspondence I will be able to respond with a link for you to download the file. The Dwarf is currently in one piece and I have printed it on a Form 2 printer. I'll also include the Dwarf with print supports and can make adjustments (by removing an arm to make it easier for people to print) if needs be.

Thanks, Gary

A new year. What will 2022 hold for G H minis and Beestwars?
over 2 years ago – Sun, Jan 02, 2022 at 03:44:31 PM

Happy New Year everyone.

I know 2021 has been harder for some than others, lets hope 2022 see's more normality returning. 

Sculpting large collectibles, working from home, lockdowns and kids, gaming and painting minis have kept me busy. Maybe I didn't spend as much time working on my next Kickstarter as I'd hoped to but I think the painting kept me more-or-less sane throughout.

I have been working on new sculpts, prepping a few examples for print, painting a few and taking photos to build the Kickstarter. I'll share a few teasers down below.

One thing that has also delayed me are the rising costs of freight and materials and the difficulty of sending stuff around the world. I'm hoping this will get easier but I'm sure the price of Pewter and shipping won't reduce a lot, we'll see, when the time comes.

More Clovis.

More Dust Devils.

More Hyenamen.

I finished the basilisk and test printed... 

I've been mucking about with some Beestwars flavored bone dice, I'm pretty happy with the way they look after an inkwash. And I 3d printed my first Croc-man.

Northern Barbarians..

3d printed Dwarf Tusker and Shapeshifter.

I've been working on a Minotaur lord on throne. This will have to be an Stl, not sure if I can produce it as a Pewter model.

Forlorn Hope Games bought the old Grenadier U.K. minis from the previous owner and found some of my old figures, some of which have been re-released. https://forlornhopegames.co.uk/

Demon, I've waited over 25 years to paint this!

Evil Monks: I had totally forgotten that I'd sculpted the central figure, glad that Forlorn hope Games found this mini. along with some Barbarians I'd thought were lost forever!

Hopefully I will be able to add these to the KS, The logistics of shipping to destinations needs some thought.

I've become an affiliate of Warsurge, a Minis agnostic gaming app and they have been painting and gaming with my minis, check out their site: https://www.warsurge.com/

 The District 9 boardgame by Weta was manufactured is currently being distributed to backers.

I got my copy and had a few games. It was great to see the quality of plastic used for my minis.

I finished sculpts of and Weta released the Argonath, Saruman on throne, Escape off the road and Lara Croft. https://www.wetanz.com/

I only sculpted the Hobbits for this one.

I Painted and Played a Lot of Hate, Ankh and Bloodborne by Cmon.

Hopefully in the next update I will share a link to my almost ready Kickstarter campaign :)

Hyenaman croc handler w.i.p.

Cheers, keep on gaming and painting, All the best, Gary.

2021 update!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 12:16:11 PM

Sorry for the radio silence so far this year, I have been busy, time has flown by!

Firstly a note on the few remaining Black dragons that didn't get sent out last year because of a mold malfunction at Zombiesmith. Josh sent most of them last week and he is sending a couple of stragglers out in the coming days. Big apologies for the delay.

 Everything else was sent out by October. If by any chance it hasn't arrived please pm me.

As I said above, I've been busy. I haven't given up the day job yet and have also been assembling and ink-washing minis and dragons for the recently opened Weta Unleashed exhibition up in Auckland (see pic below). I also sent samples to a new gaming space (the Dice Goblin) also up in Auckland. I had fun running a "Beestwars" Demo at the Weta Cave gift shop in Wellington.

I've also been making more progress on the next Kickstarter. I decided I needed a race of Dwarves, "Tuskers", and like the Hyenamen they are shape shifters,   morphing into powerful boar/warthog creatures, while of-course,  retaining their beards.

 You'll be able to buy them separately as stls or metal figures or get a pair or a warband for the "Beestwars" game. We'll create stats and special abilities for them.

 They are still a work in progress as I'd like to individualize them and add a few more details etc.

I've also added more details and slightly re-posed the Clovis Decapitator Minotaur.

 A Hyenaman warrior w.i.p. I'll give him different sword.

If you have any photos of the ks minis painted or in a game, I'd love to see them. Share them on FB.... https://www.facebook.com/groups/690873924717480 

or Instagram #garyhuntminiatures  https://www.instagram.com/p/CKnbGqRH97o/

https://www.facebook.com/Gary.Hunt.Miniatures

I'll be back with some more news about the next kickstarter as soon as I can.  Until then, stay well.