FU!UK Sculpting Contest Entries: Sets & Dioramas

Judges' Comments:

"Cavegirl Playset, ROTFL! This isn't Barbie! Is it?"

"Fer gosh sakes, get some lights out when taking a picture! Its too dark to see any details, but light enough to see some pretty rough sculpting. Best part of this set is the cookpot and victim."

"Agreed that the cookpot and is perhaps the best sculpted part. Don't know if those are ropes, leaves or hands draped over the sides of the pot though. Best aspect of the other sculpts that I can tell is the hair, which is tricky to do, but even that needs some work. Amusing content though."

"This is funny – There's quite a lot of character in this set despite them being quite crudely sculpted. I wish I could see a better picky."

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Judges' Comments:

"Another funny one. At least one of the girls is fairly decent, but in general the putty work and anatomy is quite rough. Best part about this one is the Bug. Pictures are too out of focus to judge much on detail, but from what I can see its not too crisp. It may be that the pressure of sculpting a whole diorama meant that the individual pieces got rushed slightly."

"A funky set of girls loosely based on the Colonial Marines theme? Great idea. The best figure in this set is the one with the round goggles and the big Vasquez styled gun at her side. I like the alien too, rather like cthulhu minus the wings."

"I just can't really see enough of this one to make a proper comment…too blurry!"

Judges' Comments:

"The best features in these figures is the hair and the smooth surface of the one girl's bat. Otherwise its quite rough again. Lots of holes in the greens and very raw sculpt. Clothing folds are virtually non-existent, plus anatomy and general posing that fail to convince. Like the bugbusters set, this sculptor may have benefitted from spending more time on fewer figures"

"Tips for the sculptor? Work on smoothing out your surfaces."

"Fingerprints visible on nearly every figure especially on the large flat areas like the riot shields. The one girl with the round shield is also falling over."

"Definitely work on smoothness – all those fingerprints. I like the idea of an all woman zombie set though"

Sculptor's Notes: Queen Katerine has an advisor/wizard, Grimble, who holds aloft a magic mirror that can see anywhere in her land, especially with regard to her foes. The mirror as well as being a demonic slave, also functions as an ordinary mirror, so she can adjust armour etc. Just because she is going to war doesn't mean she doesn't want to look good!

By her side is her battle helmet, and it's table, as well as her throne, is home to a host of her venerable gobin ancestral spirits, who advise her and share the secrets of the beyond...

Her pet dragonimp, Nigel, sits atop her throne, he is loyal only to her, and quite often takes potshots at Grimble. They are old adversaries.

The mini diorama is designed to have many configurations. There are two extra pieces of flooring designed for Grimble, that can be attached to the outside of the main floor, with pegs in his feet to allow repositioning if desired elsewhere. The mirror's face is removeable, allowing a plain surface for the ambitious painter. All other pieces can be placed anywhere on the flooring. Grimble is designed to hold the Queen's shield, as well as the mirror. The queen can be removed from her throne if desired.

Judges' Comments:

"Yes! It's a fun set, lots going on, I really like her, even on her own. Faces decently done, sharpness is there, creative and entirely useful as display or for a GM. I'd like to see the throne sides a bit more detailed, but overall, I think this is a sure winner."

"She is sure a pretty little goblin. Great story-telling! The throne, mirror and servant all look fantastic! My only complaints are her majesty herself. It appears the queen's left leg might be shorter than the right and her left arm looks a bit rough at the inside elbow. Legs and arms look tubular and the armor plate could benefit from some engraving detail to emphasize her status. She looks rather plain versus her ornate throne and mirror. Except for these minor points about the queen, I absolutely adore the set!"

"Years after helping my husband paint up a greenskin army, I'm yet burned out on goblins—and I still like this diorama. Would like to see the queen look a bit more regal or imposing, and I'm not sure whether her face would have been better treated in a slightly more exaggerated style (it's rather static compared to all the others) or left as is for the contrast. A well-planned set with a good theme."

"I like this piece. It quite narrative and has some nice attention to detail"

Sculptor's notes: Not taking anything for granted, I took the time to simply ask all of my lady friends what sort of subject each of them would like to see for a miniature. Some had general desires, and some were specific.

A theme that cropped up multiple times was that of the Goddess. Though again, specifics varied. The celtic Goddess of Pagan traditions has as many faces in ancient times as there were languages. Be she known as Bridget, Morrigan, or Danu, the tripple aspects of the Goddess as alternatingly Maiden, Mother, and Crone carried through many of the early European traditions.

The Maiden aspect appeared the most diverse in terms of matronages. The realm of the Maiden ranged from the hearth, to the forge, to war, and politics. The Crone was positioned as the "midwife of death" among other things, and represented the dominant requisite dark side to life. The Mother of course represented fertility, not only of womanhood, but also of the land, and was worshipped in conjunction with the sowing of the fields. The details of the Goddess are as diverse and varied as the cultures that worshipped her. And to this day we still follow many traditions stemming from her worship in our modern lives. I chose not to label this set as any specific Goddess name, and left that up to the individual collector.

On a personal note, I am most pleased with the Mother aspect. It is seldom that we see a figure celebrating childbirth with such loving respect. I decided it was about time. "

Judges' Comments:

"Cool. Like her, all of her. The breasts on the mother seem a bit strange, but definite loving pose that I find appealing. The maiden seems to lack hips and the top part of the dress does nothing for her lines. A deep "v" would have served better than the scoop neckline and follow the line of the belt. Her raised arm seems to have gone way too far over, but I suppose can be repositioned in cast form. Her hair…not fond of the flying look. Basically she's looking a bit too young for the outfit. The crone seems very well done, though the pics are hard to see and too small for the detail to stand out readily. The feet look big and chunky, but I can overlook that and say that I'd buy the set."

"First off we need sharper pictures of this set. The overexposed, blurry photos seem to faintly suggest the detailing is exquisite. I agree that the maiden's pose is forced. Not a big fan of the sword either, especially considering no-one else has weapons. I figure a bird or something a little more benign would have served better in her hand. The crone has a great pose. You can almost hear her nattering at the kids. My favorite part is the Mother, although her breasts look a bit too far apart. Still absolutely lovely. I would buy this set just for the mother, the crone being a bonus and the maiden set aside as perhaps something for a later project."

"I love the idea behind this and although mostly well executed there are a a few things that bother me about these pieces. The hair on the pregnant woman would be a nightmare to paint. The Maiden figure looks way too masculine – where are her hips for pete's sake? The crone looks well done but I agree her feet are huge and the picture isn't good enough to comment further. "

"The Mother is a lovely model, executed with sensitivity and grace—it really captures the protectiveness and abundance of motherhood. I'd buy the set for this model alone. The Maiden is my least favourite - the posture looks strained, the garment details seem unresolved, and there doesn't seem to be enough wind, judging by the garments, for the hair to be flying out as it does. Though the Crone is a more pleasing sculpt, I'd have liked to have seen her depicted less as a conventional hag, given the clear capabilities of the sculptor as shown in the Mother."

Judges' Comments:

"Very nicely done foo dog, good hair and the muscle tone is excellent, and claws look good. The sword seems big and not naturally posed, and it's hard to tell it's a girl at all--but it has wonderful opportunities for painting and few faults in the sculpt for me."

"This one is striking at first, but the upon close inspection, I'd probably ditch the girl and hang on to the Foo-dog. The dog is fabulous! The girl's lips are very prominent and her forehead appears flattened, even though the sculptor put a generous helping of hair to hide it. Her feet appear a bit stumpy, too rounded at the ends. The folds of her clothing are okay, but there needs to be more gathering of folds at the elbows, waist and where the pantaloons tuck into the boots. It looks like very stiff unyielding fabric. For technical qualities this is second best in this category. But the rider doesn't inspire me as much as the mount."

"A wonderfully new and different concept. The Temple Dog is a fun piece—the fur could use some work, but the face is terrific. The priestess's garments and paraphernalia aren't exceptional, but they do suggest the motion and flow for which I think the sculptor was striving. This is another model I'd like to see revisited as the sculptor progresses."

"The stylized look of this piece really appeals to me. Although the sculpt is not perfect I bet this would be lovely to paint. Nice and smooth putty work."