Bederken Miniatures

New releases confirmed

2012-01-28T18:49:00.001-08:00

My caster just took away a box of greens that I have had for aaaaaages home from CANCON, heralding imminent new BeDerken releases!
First wave of spell toads, Dwerg burrow guard, dubious treasure chest, zombie dwarf, maze goblin, overconfident halfling, trollkin shaman and a few Dwerg personalities.
I also wrapped up the Lead Adventure mutants,but for a few finishing touches whilst at the show.

Base change

2012-01-28T04:18:00.001-08:00

Okay, today I made a big decision.
I hate slotta tags. I hate making them, and hate basing slotta figures.
That said I hate big metal integral scenic bases!

Bederken will no longer be slotta tag minis. I am switching to a thin, textured minimal integral base designed to let you glue the figure to the base of your choice and texture over them.
The feet are slightly raised to allow a razor saw or tin snips under if you want to use resin bases and also to raise the model above flock, putty or sand texturing.

The figures will all still ship with plastic bases, but now you simply pop superglue under the metal base and place it on the plastic one. No trimming tags, no bending or having to widen the slots. Drop of glue, push down, done!

Low profile mini base fans will be pleased by this change, but I hope to win over small square base rank and file bases as the new bases make it easy to angle your models to rank up in interesting ways.

I am calling them thintegrals ;)

Feel free to comment below!

New release schedule

2012-01-15T16:13:00.001-08:00

Hey folks, work and commissions encroached on my BeDerken sculpting time at the end of 2011, so I had to push back all new releases to this year. Boo. Hiss.

The good news is that 2012 is looking to be filled to the eyeballs with BeDerken kookiness!

It's going to be a big year- seeing the release of our first game- Skulldred Skirmish, along with new ranges such as the eagerly awaited (I am told) spell toads.
The expanding Dwerg line begins in february, so start looking down the back of the sofa for gold pieces.

Those of you hitting CANCON this month will get a chance to grab the new dwerg series 1 in a video collector box... Oooh! Stop by either the Aetherworks or Eureka stands to check out the blister packs too. Tres sexi.
I will have some of the new release greens on display.

Later!

Package pics

2011-10-21T22:48:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick iPhone pic of the BeDerken blisters on sale at MOAB recently at the Eureka and Aetherworks stands. We pretty much sold out on day 3, so big smiles all round.

MOAB

2011-10-02T00:13:00.001-07:00

A bugs been going around Sydney that zonks you out for three or four days. Figures that it would hit me just in time for games day and so no meeting The Perrys and drooling over the golden demon entries. Boo. Hiss.
I barely made it to MOAB today, but did manage to drag most of my mortal remains and some of the new Bederken slim blister packs for their first official outing! I have photos but must trim them down before blogging.
If you pop by tomorrow you still have the chance to grab some prerelease BeDerken spell toads from Aetherworks, as well as a handful of the only Hoglet Limited edition blisters in existence.

The BeDerken skinny blister pack design seemed like a hit- it's over half the width a regular blister, with full color mini picture on one side and the exposed figure on the other - great comments from everyone.

In terms of new releases, I have some corkers heading off to the moulds this week! It's going to be great getting the wheels of BeDerken turning again after such a long break- I am just itching to get some of the figures that have been sculling about on my shelves for months pressed and out the door.

Dubious treasure chest, Boggarts, Rhinoman, spell toads and of course more Dwerg!

Catch ya soon!

Sculpting tool pictures

2011-08-30T06:04:00.001-07:00

Here are those pictures I promised.

This is my 'mantis' - next to a wax 5 for scale. The front blade is sharp enough to cut a wedge into putty for gaps in teeth- the rounded curve can carve long flowing lines in hair- the tip cuts darts - two opposite each other make an eye shape- also good for cutting in stitches.
The hook can be used to drag putty, for opening mouths or opening mouths.

This is my mini thumb- next to the thumb side of a wax 5 for scale. This is designed for making fingernails and gum sockets.
I don't use this much though- maybe a rethink is needed.

These are Victoria Lambs tools- basically a flat spatula, the same again at 90 degrees and a mounted needle.

I have two mounted needles- one superfine tiny one and a bulky one for rounded details- be careful when mounting needles- they can snap and ping around the room at high velocity. Stick some blue tac onto the tip when cutting to avoid this. Wear goggles.

Now my mini oven (well, mini warmer). I may have to make a bigger one later in the year- or stop making so many figures at once.
Again it's just a tin can with a halogen lamp, gaff tape and a protective cork layer cut from a place mat underneath- in case I forget to turn it off I have a ticker timer on the PowerPoint- but the cork protects the table. A fridge magnet strip snaps the door shut.
The cork inside stops the washers getting hot- and protects the figure if it falls over.

(tip: I superglue washers to the base of my corks so they stand up like weebles.)

Here a lead adventure last project mutant gets a tan. It looks really hot but that's just the iPhone camera- really you just want it to warm up the putty- not bake it. This is a regular ikea mini halogen- its the only one they had that runs hot- energy saving lamps are no good for this.

Be careful not to put plastic figures in your oven - I melted a black plastic citadel base down to a puddle with just a lamp.

Hope that helps you get your groove on - post some pics or links to your own face tools!

Sculpting tips: Upgrading equipment

2011-08-29T07:40:00.001-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Victoria Lamb, and picked up a great bunch of tips on sculpting from her.

Victoria has ground down her wax 5 and has some seriously tiny tipped tools for doing details she picked up from gencon.

If you make miniatures, you make tools. Nothing you can buy in art stores comes remotely close to what you need to get seriously into making minis!

I decided to upgrade my tools and workspace to get really serious.
First up, my mini oven.
I had been using a big coffee can with a lamp, but it's fiddly dropping the models in from the top and replacing the lamp. It had to be upgraded.

Today I cut a door, fitted cork heat protection inside and underneath, and cut a heavy tin foil lid to wrap around the lamp. The door was trimmed and hinged with gaff tape (the old theatre credo of "if you can't fix it with gaff- it cant be fixed." came to mind) and I taped on a strip of magnetic material to act as a clasp to hold the door shut. The mini oven is now directly to the left of my sculpting board, and so it takes a moment to pop a figure in to harden. This minor change to my workflow really sped up my session- encouraging me to bake small sections more often- saving smudges and encouraging layering up of details.

Next up was tiny tools. I will post up a pic when I have a chance of the nibs so you can make your own.
I mounted thick paperclips into the tops of old biros using 5 minute epoxy putty. Then I carefully bent and filed down the tips using diamond files. The final pass was with fine wet and dry paper. To make things easier to grab at a glance I trickled bright paint into the hollow of the biro to color code each tip.
The final results make a massive difference! I am stunned at how much better my results are.
The two main tips I made are the mantis (looks like a praying mantis claw- or scythe) and a tiny flat thumb used for poking in arches like fingernails and gums. I feel like I need a little spatula too, so that's on the cards next.

Finally I opened up my sculpting space by building a wooden shelf that holds my current work load and reference figures up off the workspace- and underneath I have all my epoxy putty in easy reach. Much better, and far less claustrophobic and cluttered. I feel more relaxed as I work now.

Another handy tool is my plasticard sheet on a cork handle- I can hold it next to my figure and prepare small details on it before transferring to the model. wish I thought of it months ago.

The right tools and workspace makes a huge difference. I blasted through the my sculpting session tonight!

More figures soon!

Toad preview

2011-08-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some painted prototypes of the forthcoming Ensorcelled Toad range. The actual models will vary, as I have sculpted all the variants using these casts as a base, tweaking things such as eyes and mouths as I go.

Preview toads

I was planning to release these ages ago, but found out just how many of the little darlings fit into a mould. More to a mould = cheaper toads... so good news for you... however I have had to make a lot of variants to fill that space! *Damn*.

Expect all the usual player types- sorcerers, enchanters, rogues, wizards, warriors etc - but be ready for the monsters too!

On the Dwerg front, I am just waiting for some pieces to come back before wave 2 begins to invade. I am getting my slotta tabs made up so I do not have to mess around with the damn things.

Besides, there are a *LOT* of new figures on the way, so I have had to revamp the website entirely too. Be prepared to be amazed at my HTML skillz. If I could ram my tongue any further in my cheek I would do so.

Petard revealed

2011-06-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, as promised, here is a picture of one of the new releases- Dwerg petard master Garn Look Petard and his 'ard pet. A little clean up to go and he and some mates will be off to casting.

Garn Look Petard

Clam shells

2011-06-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yahhh ahahahaha!!! Now I know that technically I promised to show a new release next time I blogged, but I am just so super excited by the arrival of my clamshell packs that I am doing backflips wanting to tell everyone. Yes! BeDerken miniatures will soon be available for gaming retail stores in gorgeous colourful printed clam shell packs!

Now, this probably does not sound like a big thing to you. I know your really here to see if I have finished shooty Dwergs. But for me, it really feels like I have completed my quest. There you go... proper Dave King miniatures in proper packaging on a shelf.

I am surprised at how big a deal it is for me!

Pictures as soon as the slips get back from the printers!

Lead adventure mutants announced, Eureka miniatures

2011-05-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

Currently I am whittling away at ten new mutants for lead adventure miniatures post apocalypse range. Very early pics on the lam forum! Should have them done shortly!

Eureka will also be launching some of my conversions to their existing ranges shortly- a great fun project!

The toads should be ready for wips this week!

Whats on the corks this week Dave?

2011-05-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying myself immensely this week. I love converting, as you may know if you follow my Kingsminis blog, and as a collector of old citadel minis, I rarely have things that I can hack up and change. This week I have been attacking some miniatures for the fine folks at Eureka, sawing off limbs and sculpting on grizzly details onto some great sculpts. I will leave it for them to announce the range, but boy its great to be converting again!

RIBBIT!

A parcel arrived the other day which contained, among other goodies, three big bags of Bederken Toads back from casting! I bet you have been wondering where they have been. No? Oh, can you just pretend you do? Okay then.
So hey, Bederken Toads! Woot! Anyway, I have been merrily adding trappings on to them in the ten minute gaps where my commissions are baking in the mini oven. Rogue/ranger/thief, warrior, wizard, warlock, vampire, cyborg and zombie are all rolling along nicely, and I keep chuckling to myself as I come up with more ideas. Unfortunately I will have to cram them into a single mould for series one, so depending on sales, all the other whacky figures will have to wait.

OGRES!

The first of my retro styled Ogres will be hitting the shop in the next month- first up is an Ogre with ship cannon! 'Fing go boom. Makes lotsa eaties.' Its a one piece casting that just fits on a round base!

NEW DWERG INCOMING

I have a few commissions to go, but after that I will be putting the finishing touches on the first of the new Dwerg releases and they will be off to the moulds! About time sez you. Pass the rum sez I.

NEW WEBSITE

Since there are so many new releases scheduled to be arriving at the same time, the website will be having a bit of a revamp and may be down for a few hours soon. I will let you know when... as before, if your one of the first five in after re-opening, you may even steal yourself a secret bonus limited edition figure months before everyone else gets their sticky paws on 'em. Booty!

BOOZE
If anyone is wanting to send me booze, I like fine malt whiskeys. Nothing under ten years please.

FIFTEEN MILS OF DOOM
Oh yeah, one last thing... got me a new game in the works... name of Stardred. Naturally, figures will be part of that whole experience... just want your opinions... 15mm scale? (more figures for your buck) 30mm scale? (more detail) Or simply 28mm like everyone else? Love to hear your thoughts...

Work in progress shots

2011-05-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

Hi, its been a while hasn't it? What's been happening with you?
I can no longer smell green stuff... its like air around me now. Its trodden into my carpet, its under my nails, its even in my freezer (which stops it curing, you don't eat it.). That may be a bad thing, being immersed in the stuff, but hey, miniatures are worth it.
So I thought I would show some works in progress to show that I am still alive; readers will remember that last thrilling episode I was buried under commissions. Turns out, it did not prove fatal.

First up, we travel to darkest Scotland...

Early Work In Progress. Laird of Loch Nastybeastie

The Laird here is roughed in, awaiting his top coat of green/brown stuff for smooth details and what have you. I like to rough things in to get the energy right and trim them back before surfacing. The skinned bugbear on his back will have more bulk and horns in the final version, and I am going to have a wee crack at some Celtic knotwork on him. In order to get the Scottish influence I have been sculpting him on a diet of Haggis and Bruichladdich with a dash of spring water. My wife hates haggis, but I love the stuff. Unfortunately that means I overdose on it ever time I cook one. As I am now allergic to chocolate, the Deep Fried Mars Bar is no longer part of my inspiration.

And now the biggie... the first glimpse at The Burrow Guard for Dwerg series 2 - these are the variants from series 1 models. Enjoy!


Four of the Burrow Guard.

New releases are coming...

2011-04-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Daves blog of excuses, chapter 10: Where are my sodding toads?

Mutants have eaten them. Well, eaten the time needed to finish the toads. I am currently working on a swarm of commissions at the moment, which should be wrapping up in the coming fortnight, and giving me time to focus back on more Bederken madness. Its been a nice refreshing change from angry little people!

Downside of running a mini business on the side is the real world kinda creeps in. Best thing everyone can do is buy millions of Bederken figures, and keep me at my desk.

Back to the putty...

Bederken dungeon - free printable tiles

2011-02-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick present to all you old school fans. A free printable dungeon floor plan tile set!

Unlike most sets which are based around 1 inch scale, this set uses a more sensible 30mm scale squares- which means dynamically posed miniatures have more room to breathe and you can use modern 30mm lipped based miniatures on it. So less mini contact.

Images are printable at A4 size. You should be able to get a 6x6 square and a 6 x 2 tunnel out of each page. This means modular L, T and X sections are a snap. I use Kwik Grip spray glue to mount them on foam core for home dungeons, and thick card for portable ones- then just run a thick black marker around the edge for a spiffy result. A quick spritz of matte sealer is not a bad idea for protecting the surface too.

Dungeon sheet 1 (plain stone)
Dungeon sheet 2 (soft checks)
Dungeon sheet 3 (Bloody, Filthy)
Dungeon sheet 4 (mossy)
Dungeon sheet 5 (very mossy)
Dungeon sheet 6 (Mossy, Leaf debris)

NEW! Just added stairs...

Dungeon sheet 6 (stair cases and spiral stairs)

Go forth and dungeon bash.

Dave back from holiday

2011-02-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

I just spent a week down the south coast on holiday. Unfortunately I had no mobile phone access- which meant no internet... which was a mixed blessing. Once I dig myself out of this weeks emails I should be responding properly!

If you ordered figures this week, they will be posted off promptly on monday!

Whilst away I actually got a little sculpting done, finishing several figures and knocking out a brand new armoured goblin guard for my dungeon range. I made him using procreate- on a 4:6 black/white ratio... which makes its stickier and firm- which I found excellent for smaller minis, such as 15mm figs.

I also experimented with shortcuts and techniques using instant mold (friendly plastic). Very cool for getting things roughed in by borrowing from my earlier sculpts, though the fine details still need to be worked over. If you think its a solution for copying figures, you will be pretty disappointed though- the pull of the putty means you get rounded features. One solution is to make an ultra thin layer of firm white procreate and once dry fill it in. This makes a sharper cast. As does adding super sculpey to the mix to break the surface tension.

Anyway, very handy for doing B sides of detailed things such as shoulder pads. I can make a rough copy, cast it and place it close by for reference whilst I sculpt the other.

All in all, very handy tool... but its not the messiah I had hoped for!

Thirty odd peices of green.

2011-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

I did a quick clear up of my desk last night and sorted out figures that are up for casting. I was pretty surprised by the result. Wow. It turns out that I have sculpted 33 figures since releasing Bederken Dwerg Series 1- and that does not include commissioned figures or scratch builds for my own collection- that's just for Bederken!

It just goes to show how addictive this craft can be. It was only January last year I had just finished my first ever mini sculpts and nervously posted them a sculpting forum. If you ever had a dream about learning to sculpt your own figures, dive right in. It is frustrating and hard at first, but you get quicker and more confident very quickly. That's fuelled by the awesome power of being able to have ANY MINIATURE YOU LIKE! Very much worth the effort persisting in my book.

Sculpting wise I had a productive day yesterday - for Bederken I finished the sculpts for The BeZooken Dwerg figure (Dwerg with bazooka), two more Dwerg fighters, the DungeonNoob fighter, my first ever Ogre and wrapped up by knocking out a Zombie toad munching on a brain especially for Mr.Saturday.

New Dwerg Shield Sprues, Yale Arse Cannon, Crossbows and blunderbuss's coming along very nicely too.

I cast "turn to a toad" spell on the green stuff.

2011-02-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

Had a fun day sculpting today, and whilst my work was drying in the mini oven I had a crack at a figure I have been wanting to do for a while now... an ensorcelled wizard toad for my Hordes of the things and skulldred games!

Zot! Kiss to revert spell.

I had so much fun sculpting it that I did another, and then... well, another... I then did a 15mm scale one with the leftover putty.
I originally intended to use this scratch built figure for my own personal games, but they made me smile so much I have decided to run with it and send them off to cast. Once I get the masters back, I am then going to customise a bunch of variants for all kinds of ensorcelled adventurers and monsters. Each will have hats, armour, mutations and other gear.

Expect a full range of BeDerken sorcery toads next month!

Ribbit.

Miniature Heroes! Series 2!

2011-02-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Firstly, (as many of you may already know) I am proud to announce that Miniature Heroes will be stocking Bederken miniatures in the UK. Check out the miniature heroes sight at http://www.miniature-heroes.co.uk/ for announcements. I know this is going to make a lot of people very happy!

The first releases of series 2 will be off to the moulds shortly. Since series 2 is shaping up to be much bigger than series 1, I have decided to release them in waves. In fact, as soon as I have enough finished to fill a mould they will be off for casting. Less waiting! Because of this, there will not be a boxed set exclusive mini for series 2- therefore you won't miss out if you start collecting bits for your Dwerg army right away.

First off to casting are some Dwerg warriors to fill your rank and file, plus a spiked ball firing Petard.
Also heading for casting are the first of my Plague Doctors, dubious treasure chest, Kneebite Adventurer and Trollkyn shaman. I have more in the works, but its hush-hush.

I am really looking forward to showing off the new models!

Painted Dwerg

2011-02-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

So I finally got around to painting the whole set of series 1. Yay me! In the good old tradition of 1980s miniatures, I picked crazy individual colours for all of them for this photo session. I want to paint up an army of Dwerg coloured in muted blue, steels and greys, like Ravenhelm is shown here... but that will have to wait for after series 2 is released.

Folks visiting Eurekas stall at CANCON got to have a good look at these up close and personal just recently, as well as one or two of the series 2 figures I had on display.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone paint these... if you head over to chaos dwarf forum, you can see a brilliant paint job by Sjoerdo (here).


Dwerg Series 1 Warband (painted by Dave King)

Crowangle uses grey bodypaint to ambush enemies.

Alaspoor and Hoglet

Cthubar Squiggletips warcry "For the boxed set!"


Blue Vs. Green. My moneys on the smiling one.


Crowangle uses a sword to steal a burrito from a street vendor


Drumble Drums and Double Standards vote team yellow


RinTin Pinhead and Nork Ravenhelm running away from something

Sorcerers cannot decide on a path. Pouch familiar suggests right.


The problem with feeding crows...

Drahg deeply considers a visor for his next helm

Wogwych gets Silence to help her beat up the guy who stole her chainmail bra

Venomous brothers just notice lack of bra

Bederkening CANCON

2011-01-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

Had a blast today at the con, which I spent sculpting at the eureka booth!
Got to meet a few folk from lead adventure forum and chaos dwarfs forum too, which was really good, nice putting faces to people.

Sculpted a zombie convertion for a nepoleonic French troop for the lads and got a handful of dwergs a little Closer to done.
I got to chat to Mike Broadbent a bit too, which is always great for tips. I copied his sculpting block recently and it instantly improved my work, focus and posture. Great. Check his stuff out.

Had a lovely chat with one Lucky chap about classic citadel figures selling on eBay, and I found out he had a chicken dragon- he was stunned by how much they go for- wonder if he will sell it now :)

Through a strange twist of events I got to be on the judging panel for the painting comp- that was fun too. Great stuff.

Next year I will be grabbing a stall and setting up some skulldred games with some live sculpting lessons.

Cancon 2011

2011-01-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Day one of CANCON and I have finally got all of series one painted (to some degree anyway).
Painting with a hangover from my birthday celebrations was a joy.

Drop by the Eureka stall and look for our display case!

I will be floating around the place today and tomorrow, and have a box of sculpting gear and may be doing a bit of sculpting while I am here.

Goodbye 2010 Prices!

2011-01-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

Happy new year and Happy Birthday to me! I am older, but not wiser... and I like it.

So the great news is that I have hit my magic numbers and can now breath a sigh of relief knowing that start up Bederken is safely on its feet. All protection money has been paid up, all witnesses silenced, all animal sacrifices made to the correct beings and now business can roll on into the new year. That has me really proud. Its just brilliant considering Bederken is an export business flogging heavy metal to Europe into a niche market during the financial crisis. Not a recipe for a start up success, but here we are!

What this means, dear reader, is that my magic numbers tell me that I can safely lower the prices on the Dwerg without drying up like a vampire drained squid left in the sun. Check out the shop.

Thanks to all for the support and encouragement. I am currently working through 'second album blues' making sure the next batch lives up to the first. By heck though, I am having a wail of a time converting the first generation into variants!

Cancon is on in a few days, so I will be unable to fill orders until the following Thursday. If your down at the show, drop by the Eureka miniatures stand to see painted demo Dwerg. There is a show deal too!

Other figure news

2010-12-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

So you have seen The Overly Confident Kneebite and Suspect Treasure Chest, which are part of what I loosely calling my Dungeon Noobs range. These are simply some slightly twisted takes on old RPG classic characters, props and monsters and will be right up your darkly lit 5x30 foot corridor if your a slightly twisted old RPG'er. Expect this little lot to creep out after the latest Dwerg are out of the way.

Well, Merry Christmas, I know a few of you lucky buggers got Dwergs for presents!

That's it for me for this year - signing off.

Series 2 news

2010-12-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

Hello, how have you been? You look nice. Have you done something new with your hair?

So my first Christmas rush was a pleasant surprise, with a total sell out of stock filling exactly the numbers of orders I had! Spooky. I am now fully restocked. Go on, buy something... I double dare you.

So, Dwerg collector series 2 is well and truly under way now, with a severe cork shortage in the king household.
Along with sculpting fresh models, I have to say I am having a blast converting a host of variants to the basic troop types, which I suspect means that there will be much more Dwerg releases in 2011 than initially suspected.

Rather than just doing simple head and weapon swaps, this batch is heavily converted- in most cases over fifty percent of the model is changed. Not that I have anything against simple variants- I love spotting them in collections, its just I enjoy converting waaaaay too much and get a little carried away.
This batch are an angrier mob, heavier on the face grilles, rivets and more smooth armour pieces for freehand insignia and blending nuts to juice over.

Heh. That sounds dirty.

Anyway, I have already finished a petard team, the bazooka and one of the rocket loaders and six hand weapon warriors.

Now lets talk shooters.

The shooter Dwerg are all to be sculpted holding the stock and underside of the weapons, ontop of which you can glue the blunderbuss or crossbow topper pieces. You don't have to pin, since the majority of the guns length is supported by the stock. Sure as hell beats trying to bend, pin and glue separate guns into cupped hands.

Because I have to send the generic crossbow and gun parts off to be pre-cast, the shooters will be taking a little longer than rest of series 2. I think therefore I may split series 2 up and do two smaller than initially planned releases in quick succession so you don't have to wait.

New stuff - Suspect Treasure Chest, Trollwych, Halfbite adventurer

2010-12-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

A big hi to all those buying Bederken Dwergs for Christmas! I have had my first christmas rush, and am jolly chuffed by the whole experience. I wish I had made a christmas limited edition now... oh well, next year!

Here is a peek at just some figures that are on my corks right now. Not sure if I will be releasing any of these at this stage- I am still having fun with them! The Kneebite and Suspicious Treasure Chest are from my whimsically planned Dungeon noob starter set. The Trollwych just kinda, popped out one day... not sure where she belongs yet.

Work in progress - Suspect treasure Chest, Trollwych and Kneebite adventurer

If your a fan of my Plague Doctor mini- he is on his way. Unfortunately I have to chop him up a bit before he can be cast, and since I like him, its been a 'put off til later' task! I don't usually like multi-part minis, but in this case, its worth it for that hat and beak. I may even do a couple of head variants while I am at it!

On the Dwerg front, yep- series 2 is in the works. Expect another swarm to hit the shops next year. Should give you time to paint the ones you have!

Limited edition Hoglet Dwarf

2010-11-11T22:24:00.000-08:00


Hoglet - Limited Edition LE_001

My first limited edition figure, 'Hoglet' the grumpy dwarf (and alaspoor his pet skull) has officially been released today... you can grab him from the webstore here!

He first appeared on stunties wiki website a few days ago! Yes, I am officially part of dwarf mini history from here on in. Makes me all emotional and sniffy. Thanks Stunties!

I really enjoyed making and painting this one- he has a lot of smooth areas for blending shading and painting details on. Speaking of which, I am having a blast sculpting a range of hapless adventurers which may turn into a dungeoneer starter set... its a fresh change to step away from Dwergs for a bit, to refresh the creative batteries.

Man its hot in my studio today... I am going to buy an air conditioner. I figure I grew up on a farm with a huge forest on it, so I must be carbon point positive right now. Tell you what, when china industrial giants cut their emissions, so will I.

By the way, all Bederken minis are made, moulded and cast right here in Australia. Ignore the fact that both me and my master caster are both ex-pat English. Aussie made! Anyway I am off to have a cup of tea... with beer in it.

Incoming!

2010-10-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Holy crap on a cracker- I have a mini business!

Bederken miniatures launched far better than I hoped considering the exchange rates are so high at the moment... one lucky Canadian got his order in just seconds after we opened- winning himself a limited edition dwarf for his extremely late night obsessive compulsive clicking of the refresh button.

Limited edition Dwarf? Oh yeah, forgot to mention him... Grumpy Dwerg is a limited edition figure I will be releasing soon. He is limited to one moulding, so when that inevitably breaks, he is gone forever... ever... ever...

Series 2 is going to be a different beast to what I had originally planned, simply to make better use of postage weights to help bring prices down- so instead I am probably aiming for more like an eight figure release with more multi-part options.

Currently on my sculpting table is what may be my next release after grumpy Dwerg... Ye Hapless Adventurer Starter Set. Pics soon.

Bederken Web Store opens today

2010-09-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Derkeness smiles on the new store.

Its time!

WWW.BEDERKEN.COM is opening for business at around 6:00 pm Sydney time (GMT +10:00).

Very excited.

Series 1 in metal

2010-09-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

The first stock of Bederken Dwerg Series 1 is sitting in my office, right now, glaring at me. It's making my floorboards creak, so I simply must sell the lot as soon as possible- for my own sanity and the sake of my neighbour in the flat below's safety*.

*She is quite a nice person, probably, oh- and judging by the angsty emo college rock she plays very, very loudly of late, I am guessing she has probably just broken up with someone special and the last thing she needs is a box of lead miniatures crashing down on her to confuse matters further. Bless.

So depending on a few minor technical kinks I need to iron out with my web host, Bederken minis web store will go live in the next day or two, and you can finally get your hands on these wretched little critters!

Today I am releasing the name of the culprit who will be the limited edition figure... It's Cthubar Squiggletips - a mutant Dwerg sorcerer with his head sunken into his chest and a wicked set of slishing tentacles. Cthubar can only to be found lurking in the series 1 complete deal pack- which includes one of absolutely everything in series 1. Get him before he gets you.


Cthubar Squiggletips

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support. I hope you love painting and playing with them as much as I loved making them. Lots to do... lots to do...

And they are back...

2010-09-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Got a very heavy package today. First test castings of the whole batch and they all came out perfectly!

Production has started. Shop is being constructed!

Countdown has begun.... twelfty... eleventy...

And they are off...

2010-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Finished the shields last night and packaged up the greens. Finally taping down that box was hard- I could polish and tweak these till the cows come home. Actually until the cows evolve and take over the universe in the name of their unimaginable Cthulesque cow gods, grow decadent whilst their cow society crumbles, er, then come home.

Ahem.

Anyway, what I was trying to say is that the figures will be available from the new all new Bederken webstore. If you are on the mailing list, you will get a one off email warning you of the impending release. It is then your mission to try and flood the server with as many orders as possible, crashing the internet, destroying the information technology age and bringing about a new world order where cthulesque star cows rule the earth!

Or, you know, order a couple of figures you like for your collection. Either, or. Its up to you.

Hmm, you know, Cthulu Star Cows would be pretty cool miniatures too...

Plague doctor

2010-08-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Heres one of the figures on my corks right now. Inspired by discussions about plague doctors over at Lead Adventure forum.

Some folks asked me to blog a little about my experience learning how to sculpt minis, so I will try and share with you what comes to mind when I post a new image.

This fellow uses a mix of 1.5:1 blue:yellow kneadatite with a dash of super sculpey. This mix remains workable for quite a while, the sculpey allowing you to blend it into the surface even after 30 minutes drying time, if your doing conversions, you may like to try this out- smoothing GS into plastic and metal is much easier with sculpey in it.
One of the things a lot of tutorials miss out is just how important waiting for the right setting time before doing certain tasks. Patience pays off. Kneadatite (greenstuff) is sticky to begin with, so I found it good to get stick on what will become fine details it in place, then let it cure a while before cutting away excess and detailing. Chainmail is nearly impossible to sculpt in the first ten minutes, but get it on, smooth it down then wait for about half an hour before attacking it with a needle and you will find it easier to form the loops.

For the hat, I have placed a disc in place, then later on I will slice off a sharp edge using a scalpel.

Inside the shoulders is a chunk of milliput around the wire, which I will later drill into to pin the arms. I have found this method more flexable and practical than soldering the armature first. For thin characters I will go the solder route though- I suspect it will be better.

Cloth is a bitch to do in any medium- I work mainly digitally, and found it difficult at first to do material without my shortcuts and tools. After a bit of rethinking and looking at how others do their cloth (Jes Goodwin and Bobby Jackson especially) I think I am getting the hang of it now.

The cloak was rolled onto baking paper after about 40 minutes setting time (my studio is cold, which is a factor), sliced into shape and posed. I use a wax 5 dental tool to sculpt the folds, then polish with a black density clay shaper.

Well, thats all I can think of for now... :)

Series 1 lineup

2010-08-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Bederkenauts- not a great photo, but heres the family...

Series 1 greens, ready for casting

There has been a couple of major changes if you look- hopefully everyone likes them. The drummer now has only two arms- I just didn't like the way the arm sat against the chin, I feel he is more powerful now. I changed the hockey mask on the female to a more classic style of helmet. Dwarvin Wrekks trailing arm has also been raised, so he is now rankable on a small square base- a less interesting pose, but much more practical for this release.
All figures will ship with regular 30mm round bases (as shown), ready for Skulldred, Havoc and Songs of Blades and Heroes skirmish games. You may be pleased to note that down the bottom right are some rankable basic troops too- all these come with interchangable sculpted metal shields.

Thanks all- hope you like them- its been a blast learning how to make them, and I look forward to showing you the all new figures I currently have cooking on my workbench next time!

Dwerg alert

2010-08-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Well folks, some... twenty... er... five minutes ago I finished the last figure for the first series of Bederken's Dwergs to the rock injection that is Queens greatest hits II. It is, indeed, a kind of magic.

The final score. 15 figures and a familiar. My first complete range... and oh look, just in time for Christmas. First Quarter my ass. Clearly do not listen to a word I say.

So lets just let these nasty little buggers dry and off they go to the moulds they go next week.

The minute I find out how much metal they eat and punch it into my abacus, I will know prices for you all- and I will start taking orders.

I am in such a good mood I am off to grab a cup of tea and then I will dive right into some more minis.

Delayed Dwerg

2010-05-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

My CG work life has been rather hectic at the moment and its delayed the last two Dwergs a little more than I hoped.
However dont worry, the project has not stalled, and I will be getting those bad boys to casting soon enough!

Series 2 musings

2010-03-29T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, its me again with another ramble.

I finished up another Dwerg today, so feeling pretty cheerful. Only a few more fiddly bits to go and I have the set ready to roll out.
I am planning series 2 to be a little more structured. The majority of figures in season 1 where freeform- since I never intended to release them I pretty much made anything that sprang to mind. Series 2, however, is a different kettle of red herrings.
So what I have in mind for series 2, and please post comments here if you have any views, is to base the whole set around several personalities- each with their own specific personal retinues and themed troops. Each champion sets the style of figure for the rest of his personal guard- from weapons and armour to symbols and mutations. All the figures in each themed set can optionally be ranked up on small square bases if your a wargamer, and in some I plan to give you front, second and back row options.

The idea being you can either collect the whole set, focus on one theme for your collection or construct an army from across the range.
As with series 1, you can pick up the whole collector range in one go and get a bonus figure, or if army buildings your thing you could grab regiment starter deals containing one champ, his retinue and a rocking block of modular troops. Additional troop rows would be available seperately.

Love to hear your thoughts.

On other figure fronts, I am also planning a second race of figures to follow on after that- something equally as clanky and gibberingly insane!

New picture!

2010-03-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been teasing people a lot recently with the Dwergs, but really its been a case of not having a decent picture to put up. I hope this one will do until a decent one comes along :)

Four more of the figures I am working on for series 1.

Series 1 additions

After cutting my fingers to shreds assembling a unit of multipart metal models recently, and having a neat pile of unassembled multipart models I cannot be bothered to do yet, I decided to tackle mine a little differently for this release. The standard troop types are one peice casts, so are ready right out of the box.
However, if you look at the guy on the right of the picture, you will notice that he has a smooth helmet without horns, and a weapon shaft thick enough to easily accept pinning, that can be snipped off. Therefore he is ready out of the box, but if you desire you snip off a few bits and replace them from the variants on the supplied sprue. Easy.

More soon, as I finish them!

Mission statement

2010-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Huge sculpting session last night. Big revelations.
Two figures in the new range I didn't like, and could not figure out why. It was holding up the sculpting a bit because I just couldnt check them off as done. It was bugging me for weeks. Last night I realised that because they where designed as regular troops, they had no character. I realised that its not what BeDerken minis is about. I attacked them with a scalpel, and it turns out, just simply swapping their limbs and a little license for lunacy and they are back in my good books.
It dawned on me that the reason I started BeDerken was to make things I loved, and regardless of the market size and requests. A figure I do not love has no place in this collection. Many modern figures are little better than mass produced counters for a game. Thats not what I am about, and thats not what my miniatures should be either. So with this revelation comes a mission statement.

BeDerken is to be about the dark little cupboard doors in the imagination, where things dont really make sense, but where you can loose yourself for hours rummaging around. Its about mad puppets and pig sticks, morningstars made from hags teeth and cursed shields that sing dirty lymmerics. Its not about making something that represents 10 x dwarf warriors with +2 armour. Its the other way around.

So now I am having fun again, its back to the putty.

SIGN ME UP FOR DWERGS

2010-03-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

If you would like to be emailed when Bederken Dwergs Series 1 is ready for sale, send me an email at davideking at gmail dot com with the title SIGN ME UP FOR DWERGS. This is a once only mail out, and your email will be removed from the list afterwards. Signing up for the mail out does not reserve you any figures and is not a presale- you dont have to buy them if your on the list.

Bederken Dwerg Series 1 announcements

2010-03-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Series 1 of The Bederken Dwerg collectors range features around 15 models, including those shown, some warriors, a dwerg she-witch and a familliar. One of the figures will be a limited edition that is rewarded to anyone buying the complete series deal pack.

Currently most of the greens are ready to roll out, I am just sculpting up the last four now.

Depending on how popular series 1 is, series 2 will follow on shortly after. This will include a range of new figures and variants, a new limited edition figure and conversion weapon sprues for creating ranks of specific troops.

I also hope to release other characters, creatures and skirmish sets from the Realm of The Bederkener tm

Bederken Dwergs work in progress images

2010-03-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be a good start to blog the images that have so far appeared for the Bederken Dwergs- a range of quirky, anarchic, chaotic and decidedly old school evil dwarf miniature range I am currently working on.

Painted early test castings

Early sculpt work in progress images - all these have since changed subtly

Early sculpt work in progress images - Bederken Dwerg 'Command'

Welcome to Bederken minis blog

2010-03-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Bederken: Middle English - To cast into darkness

This is the official blog for Bederken Miniatures- sculpted by Dave King, a range of old school quirky collectors miniatures. I will be posting work in progress images here, as well as announcing new figures, releases and assembly tips, independant game statistics and other goodness. Stay tuned to this station.