I am excited to announce my picks for this week’s Miniature Masterpiece top 7 countdown. Every week I scour the Hero Forage public library in order to find the most innovative, heartfelt, and well-designed miniatures.
It really is tough to pick 7 miniatures that stand above the rest. There are a lot of very talented and inventive people displaying their skills in the Hero Forage library. I make the selection based on innovative techniques and/or how effective the designer was in reaching a design goal.
There is a huge variety of options you can choose from on Hero Forage, and there are a lot of people out there pushing every button to the extreme. These weekly contests will showcase their unique approach to designing miniatures on that platform.
There are also designers that take a direct, subtle but detailed approach. They make scenes and creatures that feel like they belong in a campaign or just jumped out of a module. That understated approach to detail brings these creations to life.
Ultimately, this is a fan letter to these designers. We created a countdown for what we consider to be the best, but, frankly, each and every one of these Miniature Masterpieces represents an outstanding example of imagination.
What Dwells Below
By Schiznas
“What Dwells Below” displays a truly creative manipulation of the tools available on the platform. The mind behind this demonic creature manipulated 2 humanoid forms in order to produce this four-legged steed. Because of their innovative use of the platform, Schiznas has made it into this week’s list of best Hero Forage creations.
Aldarron
By Duck O Doom
This Miniature Masterpiece confused me when I first saw it. I couldn’t figure out how they made the Hero Forage miniature so wide. There are limitations to the base model, and how wide you can make them maxes out sooner than what we see here. It turns out that the armored skirting around the waist is a pair of shields. To get this effect, Duck O Doom had to create a miniature with 2 extra arms. He positioned the arms so that they would disappear within the miniature’s body. As a result, the shields appear to be pressed against the torso; a clever way to beef up the build.
Earth Myrmidon
By maniacalmau5-4605
Today’s hero forage masterpiece came from the talented mind of maniacalmau5. This character design perfectly executes its goals. It is direct, straightforward, and could easily be used in any campaign as an enemy combatant. This kind of design makes a game more immersive. This “Earth Myrmidon” could be found in any fantasy video game or book.
Drowner 3
By Eagleeye0890-5811
This sculpture is the 3rd in a series by Eagleeye0890. All the miniatures in the “Drowner” series follow the same theme, aquatic humanoid monster. All three were also designed with the same excellent attention to detail, and the detail is really what makes these creations stand out.
Eagleeye0890 drew from a multitude of Hero Forage features in order to craft this monster. It isn’t just a stock template. What sets this one apart is the expansive use of the various color palettes. If you look closely, you can tell that they used the “decal” feature as well as manipulated the standard color array. Ultimately, the result is an exceptionally detailed design and worthy of the mantle “Masterpiece”.
Drunken Dwarf
By Eagleeye0890-5811
the “Drunken Dwarf” is another conjuration from the mind of Eagleeye0890. Yes, I did have to put 2 of his miniatures on this list. But I think you can see why. The Dwarf’s face, the barmaid’s face, this piece is hilarious!
Aside from the obvious, Eagleeye0890 also put a lot of work into the coloring. A brown stain splatters across the dwarf’s clothes, his cheeks are red and flush showing his inebriation. I could be wrong, but I think the barmaid’s face also has a little extra pink around the cheekbones. Giving the impression that she is wearing makeup.
This isn’t just stock coloration. This took time and imagination.
Fear Not
By Luca Zoqui
I don’t really think I need to say much about this particular miniature, just look at it! This is insane!
It already has over 100 likes in the Hero Forage library. That kind of attention isn’t generated easily, but in this case, it’s well-deserved.
Luca Zoqui definitely used one of the “glitches” that can be found circulating the internet. I’m guessing the “no leg” glitch. But then he takes it a step further and creates something absolutely incredible. There are a ton of wings on this thing. I’m not entirely sure I know how he made so many. The lighting effects and coloring is also astounding. This is unquestionably a Miniature Masterpiece!
Gadeliah The keeper
By Luca Zoqui
Yes, this is another designer that made it on the list twice in a row, and we believe it’s well-deserved.
“The Gadeliah keeper” is going to keep me up at night. This looks like something out of a Guillermo del Toro movie. I had to sit down and dissect this creation in order to figure out how he put this together.
The mastermind behind this miniature used the “no head” glitch as well as the “no legs” glitch on 2 separate figures. He then adjusted their posture and positioning so that the torso of the “no legs” figure and the shoulders of the “no head” figure aligned. Then he went to work finding the clothes that would best match the 2 figures. He used a waistband from the “over clothing” tab to seal the seam between the lower figure and upper figure.
Then Luca got to work adding arms, gear, and coloring. He employed what I consider to be a highly underutilized feature in Hero Forage, the withered face. By choosing that particular face template, he gave this monstrosity a sinister and unsettling look.
I also want to point out the manipulation of the horns so that they protrude out of the eye sockets; that’s just creepy!
I could go on and on about the amazing work and the energy Luca Zoqui had to put into his figurine. The color selection and the decals are all amazing.
And, sweet baby Jesus, the arrangement of the limbs must have taken forever!
Ultimately, I think it’s clear why I chose Luca Zoqui’s “Gadeliah the keeper”
as this week’s number 1 Miniature Masterpiece.
