I would like to attempt to help reinvigorate the Palace because it is my favorite warhammer site on the web. One of my more brilliant ideas to do so came to me this morning, a miniature exchange! Maybe we could call it March-Mini-Madness, and do it every March and May (for May-Mini-Madness)? This has been wildly successful on other websites I have been a part of.

HOW IT WORKS:

We get 10 or so volunteers that agree to paint one miniature for another palace member. Typically it is a hero or conversion so that it sticks out. Addresses of the participants are submitted along with a picture of their model via pm to the moderator. Then the person in charge of the exchange pairs off the finished models for the exchange, sending via pm the contact information of the exchange partner to each. The two participants then exchange models via mail. After the event is completed we can post our submissions here for everyone to see. Typically the identity of who is doing each miniature is kept a secret while the project is in progress.

#1 Rule: THERE HAS TO BE AN EVEN NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

WHY IT WORKS:

It allows the community to become tighter, nothing like pouring a bit of yourself into another person's army. It allows you to get outside your painting comfort zone as it allows you to paint a figure from a line that you may not own (ie: a Bret player painting a Orc Warboss). It gives you a kick in the butt to paint some figures. All and all this is an extremely fun event.

VARIATIONS:

We could pair off the participants in a number of ways:

Location (to keep shipping costs down)
Army (ensure that bret players recieve a bret out of the exchange)
Paint Quality (subjective pairing based on the quality of the paint job)
and probably more

Personally I vote that when we pledge to be a participant we state what army (or armies) we play. Then after we pledge we pm the moderator volunteering to do a specific person's model based on what army they asked for. Example:

It will be a first come first served basis for example:

HOW LONG:

Typically the events give a month or two to allow participants to complete their submissions, but we could adjust this to whatever the participants need/want.

ANYONE INTERESTED:

I would also be glad to act as moderator or we could nominate someone or have several people serve.

I for one pledge to finish one converted hero within a month for this exchange. I play dwarfs. Anyone else?

That would be my main problem with this. As a rule, we are pretty sparsely spread out over the planet, except for a few particular groups who live near each other, but in that case they all know each other anyway. I'm not so sure this will work, even though it's not a bad idea.

The idea sounds good, but just as Thragka said, I doubt it will work.

Here at the Palace, I don't even know if we still have 10 active users. So finding 10 users willing to join the project will be as close as it gets to impossible.

As for myself, I'm not much of a painter and I don't have a lot of colors. But I'm also too lazy to bother shipping a mini to someone. Or to paint one, for that matter.

Sorry.

I just checked I could send you a one-pound padded package to you anywhere in ireland for $4.10 for 4 week delivery or $17.50 for 10 day delivery all and all not bad for shipping. I know this could be a problem, but I encourage you to try it $5 ain't that much to ship.

Like I said not my idea just my idea to implement it here. It has worked before and it was wildly popular. Hopefully I can drum up the same feeling here.

There are far more than 10 posters who have posted in the last month. You, Thragka, Burro, Benedictus, Tyrion, Burp, Kingtut, Swordsalot, Lord of Nonsensical Crap, DarkLordJim, LordKjarl, Khrangar, Barbarossa, Kael, and Myself to name 15 off the top of my head.

And besides it just has to be an even number of participants; 2 could participate and we have one already, me. Certainly someone besides myself is willing to give this a go?

Apathy kills brother.

Don't be. Not participating is absolutely your prerogative. Just doing what I can to attempt to invigorate these boards again.

If apathy killed, I would have died at least 70 times this week.


Besides, the shipping cost is even higher than I expected. Not to mention the time.

This project could be done at your local GW store, but I'm afraid it's hard to do here at the Palace. Though you might be lucky.

If this does happen to get off the ground, I'm in.

Khrangar

Well if you are willing to participate then this is already off the ground as all you need is two willing participants.

What army do you play? I guessed beastmen by your signature though I saw your Empire General do you now play them?

I'm up for it; keep it simple, single character model on foot, you'll probably need to give it a week or so for people to put their names in.

Yes the basic requirement is a single model on foot though you don't have to feel limited (you could do a mounted model if you wanted). I was planning to give ourselves it a week to find out the interest I am quite pleased with the response thus far. Does anyone oppose to me acting as a moderator? If so I would like to recommend @ztech since he is unwilling to participate and is a frequent poster.

Burp would you like out of this competition a Wood Elf, Orc/Goblin, or either?

I'd be willing to convert, though I'm not so keen on painting right now- I really just want to work on my conversion skills at the moment (I have a lot of bits to go through and sculpting is my favorite part of the hobby).

In short- I pledge one converted hero. I have Dark Elf, Wood Elf, Orc, and Empire bits. I'd be most comfortable converting any form of Elf (High Elf included- I can easily make one of them out of what I have).

I think this is a fantastic idea, and under normal cirucmstances I'd definitley give it a bash with my mediocre painting skills. I won't be able to participate this time round though, with severe money constraints at the moment, and the fact that all my Warhammer stuff is on the wrong side of the planet. Definitley up for it if and/or when a second round opens up.

Cheers,
DLJ

I am sure anyone would be happy receiving one of your one of your greenstuff-fu models. I'll make sure that your exchange partner understands this.

Thanks Dark Lord Jim! The next round should be in May for May-Mini-Madness! And if you play strigoi I want to be your partner I have an excellent Idea for a kick-ass vamp.

Just a note to say that I saw the thread, but have neither time nor any particular inclination. I'll show it to my girlfriend, though, she if she's up for it. She's a better painter than me anyway.

Maybe in a few months, after I've finished the semester and moved interstate...maybe.

Oh! I'll keep watching the thread, though, 'cause I love watching works-in-progress if anyone wants to post the miniature as they go along.

Back to The Latin!

vroom

I'm going to throw a maybe out; I'll need to see how much it'll run me and then see if I have any leftover food money from the last couple months to pay for it.

An excuse to paint is always a good thing, just ask my poor naked Dark Elven Cavalry...

May's still a no-go for me, for the same reasons I mentioned above. Realistically, I wouldn't really be able to participate in something like this til early next year (!!!), cos I've got to do my dissertation for my final year of Uni once I get back from Oz. As soon as my future has been secured upon the completion of that, I'll just about be free enough to waste some time on such frivolities. ^_^

Still think it's an awesome idea. It's just, y'know, circumstances.

Cheers,
DLJ

So right now barring any additional participants it looks like:

Khrangar paints for Rogue-Gladiator
Rogue-Gladiator sculpts for Burp (if you want I could paint this model and send it on to Burp)
Burp paints for Scaly
Scaly paints for Khrangar (or Luc-Arkhame)
(Luc_Arkhame paints for Khrangar)

Sound reasonable?

EDIT:

If you are able to join the exchanges in parenthesis will take effect.

Sign-ups close the 25th.

I'm looking to play Empire. As for beastmen, I'm the admin to the site but haven't played them in years.

Khrangar

I can't wait for this to start I have done some rough drawings of Khrangar's Empire Hero and Luc's Dark Elf Hero since I don't know which I'll be doing. I haven't been this motivated to sculpt in some time.

Sounds cool. (DLJ is'nt a loss, he'd only paint whatever i was, pale blue and purple, anyway! ... hehehe; - the pre-Carnage 'digging' has begun.)

I'd like a Black Orc Character or an Goblin Shaman. My main army 'colours' are red and bleached bone, with dark everything else. (no blues or yellows)

What am I doing for Scaly?

Dwarf Runepriest would be really nice! My dwarfs will be painted similar to this:



But as it is a hero feel free to deviate if you are inspired.

Y'know Burp, I was going to go easy on you at the Carnage. May even have given you a minor defeat as opposed to a massacre. But purple!? Pale blue I can take, but even I don't have such a bad eye for colour that I'd have created such an unholy union.... Consider thyself threatened 'pon the battlefield!

Incidentally, can't wait to see what everyone comes up with, even if I'm not participating. Except for Burp of course, he can't paint for toffee. :P

Cheers,
DLJ

I'm afraid not this time. I have too much stuff coming up from now 'til summer (i.e. exams ARGH) to devote much time to this. Depending upon how succesful this is, though, maybe in a few months.

Heh... a black orc you say? Oh... you'll get a black orc Burp... you'll get a black orc...

*maniacal laughter*

Khranger, I'll take just about anything Elven... I really don't play the game too much, so if you don't have any elven bits, just paint whatever really.

Luckily I do have elven bitz! There's a conversion I've been wanting to do for a while (years) and this'll give me the inscentive to do it!

Khrangar

Luc,

I have decided that if you want to join and we don't get another participant I will just do two figures, one for you and one for Khrangar. I have model sketches for you both and I figure why not? At any rate this allows me to get a jump on Khrangar's model.

I'm trying to think of a sweet and nutty reply, but I can't think of one; I'll chew on it for a bit! :D

OK Scaly, I'll go and look at the Dwarf characters on Games Workshop's website.

Rogue Gladiator, here is how I paint my Black Orcs; they gets the bestest plate armour which they paint dark red with lighter red and black checks here and there. Most metal is rusty and oily look cept for where its been sharpened, nice and spikey shiney. Ther skin is dark green rather than black, red eyes. My bases (for units) I keep simple, just painted and drybrushed flock (though for characters I add battle field debris) the sides of the bas I paint black... Cool, here's my current Blac Orc Boss (although he mostly functions as my Wyvern rider, on foot, when the Wyvern get's slain)

Alright Burp- I'll go ahead and paint your piece as well as sculpting it. Just to give you a heads up, by also painting, it may take me at least a month to complete it (I'm a much faster sculptor than I am a painter). I wanna make something nice for you, so it may be longer, but I'll at least post to let you know that I am in fact progressing. I will probably be doing a fair amount of sculpting since I'm not really in the mood to go looking for metal models to convert, meaning I'll just do more converting... just the way I like it :D

That being said, would you mind if I went at it with an intersting base design? Something I pride myself in is being able to make a figure stand out by the scene I can convey with the base (it's like a blank canvas to me, basically).

Khrangar:

As I don't really have a personal army, just have a field day with the painting. You certainly know what you're doing.

Cheers RG, if its especially lovely I'll send you something as an extra 'thankyou'.

I'm game.

Where shall I insert myself?

Well here is how this will work Luc:

If another player joins this you will paint for him and he will paint for you.

If no other player joins by the 25th I will paint for you and you will paint for me! I don't mind painting two models to get this off the ground and make it a tradition.

Ok, well I have an idea for a dwarf model that might be good, what's your feeling on Oathstones?

To be honest I have never used them, doesn't mean that I will not in the future but I have 4000 points of dwarfs and never used one. I don't like not being able to move. But if I had the model I could see myself giving it the old college try as it were.

If that discouraged you, and I don't want to, I could really use an engineer with no pistols or handguns to crew a bolt thrower.

You dont need even numbers for this, just form us into a circle, and we all paint something for the person on our right hand side... if you can see what I mean.

If burro wants to join i could paint one of his dwarves and he can paint one of my tomb kings. but as far as intercontinental i unfortunately cannot do it. So basically if Burro Boskov (who is currently out of the country) is willing to let KingTut paint a mini of his own then i will gladly let Burro paint one of mine. Sorry again if i got your hopes up Luc. Its just the Egyptian mailing service is absolute pants.

That is true Burp, it would kind of make more sense to go in a wheel...

Scaly -> Khrangar -> Rogue-Gladiator -> Burp -\
^---------------------------------------------------------/

Is what it was before, so shall we just tack new people on to the ends?

Incidentally, does anyone have a dwarf model that they could measure the height of for me? I need to see if this piece I have is on the right scale to fit...

A standard Dwarf warrior is about 2cm tall.

Khrangar

Good Idea, we will wheel the participants so no one has more than one mini. Therefore poeple on the ends should wait to start until the 25th because assingments could change.

So far we have:

Scaly -> Khrangar -> Rogue-Gladiator -> Burp -> Luc \
^----------------------------------------------------------------/

Burro -> Kingtut \
^-------------------/

If that isn't right let me know.

EDIT: Sorry Burp I guess you can't do a mini for me. I was looking forward to it :(, but all and all this is more fair.

Well the sign-ups are officially closed so feel free to begin working on your submission.

Scaly -> Khrangar -> Rogue-Gladiator -> Burp -> Luc \
^----------------------------------------------------------------/

Is the final order.

Some reminders:

Models should be sent no later than 2 months from now (May 25th), models should be completely painted and based at this time.

Models exchanged between people tend to have a lot of effort poured into them as such I feel it would reflect very poorly if someone should sell the miniature created for them on ebay etc. Since it is not truly your work don't sell it.

Additionally credit the other person when asked about the mini since you did not paint it do not take credit for doing so.

Mainly this is supposed to be fun but I have seen the above happen and it leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths, do us all a favor and follow the rules and have fun!

LET THE PAINTING BEGIN

I still need a ok from burro about our exchange
Edit: ok so were not exchanging then. just got a pm from him

Edited above.