Fun with Reaper Models

Cameron A Thurston

• 3 min read
Fun with Reaper Models
Our lady, master of dragons, resplendent amidst vibrant cacti on her arid desert mini-diorama base.

I'm excited to introduce the Dragon Summoner, a beautifully sculpted model by Julie Guthrie for Reaper Miniatures, painted up as a captivating mini diorama set in a desert landscape. This project was both fun and challenging, offering a variety of textures to work with—from the arid sands of the base to the intricate details of the Summoner herself. The basing was provided by Epic Basing, adding an extra layer of realism and depth to the scene.

Those cacti can be found at the following links:
Hedgehog Cactus
Bunny Ear Cactus

A Unique Collaboration

This project is particularly special because it marks a unique collaboration with Tom from Flying Monkey Studios. We both painted the same model, the Dragon Summoner, as part of a spin-off of Tom's yearly "Dragon December" feature called "New Year, New Dragon." It was an exciting opportunity to see how different approaches and techniques can bring out distinct characteristics in the same model. You can watch the entire process and see our individual takes on the Dragon Summoner in the following videos:

From Concept to Reality

The Dragon Summoner project was sculpted by the renowned Julie Guthrie for Reaper Miniatures. Julie Guthrie is celebrated for her incredible work, especially her double series for Grenadier: "Fantasy Personalities" and "Fantasy Personalities II". Working on a 54mm scale model provided a delightful challenge and an opportunity to experiment with more detailed painting techniques.

The model as packaged by Reaper. That's a ton of metal!
Some classic offerings from Grenadier.
Check out the detail on this ancient hunk of metal. Guthrie is truly a masterful mini sculptor.

The Final Touch

The Dragon Summoner project has been a rewarding journey, bringing together inspiration, collaboration, and a lot of paint! This model, with its intricate details and dynamic pose, stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and community in the world of miniature painting.

If this video wasn’t quite enough to satisfy your Country Fried Minis appetite, consider supporting the channel by picking up the a fabulous piece of merch from my Threadless store! https://countryfriedminis.threadless.com/

Dive Deeper

If you want to dive deeper into the painting process, check out this series of paintstreams where I detail every step. Furthermore, make sure to check out our Hobby Hangout show every Wednesday at 6:00PM PST!

If you just can't get enough of this project, make sure to dive into the workflow streams where we edited up this fun project together as a community!