Tag / Harriet Tubman

by badsquiddogames

Minis 1-6 are now available to pre-order!

That’s right, you heard it – they’re available – woohoo! It feels so good to be making some solid progress now, it’ll be even more exciting once they’re in your hands. Here are the minis below, and YOU CAN GET THEM HERE. Well, you can pre-order them, they’re nearly ready though (more info below).

Thank you to John Morris and Andrew Taylor for painting these, John is just finishing the last two!

There are two ways to get these, both simple!

What is NOT simple is how I originally set up this project, so the next post will be some FAQs and updates on the project as a whole (all good, just making it easier), but this post will just focus on these six minis.

If you backed the “Ko-Fi”, read this:

Anyone who supported via Ko-Fi to pre fund these minis, firstly – thank you! We wouldn’t be here without you. You will need to check your email, the one you use for Paypal, and there will be an email from me, it might be in junk (silly email providers!). It will have all the information you need to get your minis, mostly a long thanks from me, and a coupon you can exchange via the website. Please do check, as it was [embarrassingly] quite a long time since we set this up, so you may have forgotten, I wouldn’t want anyone paying twice. In a nutshell, you put them in your basket on the website, then add the coupon underneath and it’ll minus your amount. Pretty much just like a Kickstarter Pledge Manager. Any questions or uncertainty please contact me.

If you didn’t back the “Ko-Fi” (or know what that means), read this:

Don’t worry – you too can have the miniatures! Also head to this part of the website and buy as you would anything else. Just note they’re pre orders so won’t ship immediately.

FAQS

Can I order with other things?

You sure can, anything you like! This makes sense especially if you are overseas and want to combine with other items to balance out shipping. As with all pre orders, anything else ordered with community minis will be held and shipped at the same time as them, same as our Kickstarters.

When do we get them?

September.. probably! If not, then October, but I am hopeful.

What are these question mark thingies?

Ah ha! These are minis 7, 8, 9 and 10. I’ve popped them there in case anyone who is certain they’ll have them before they’ve even seen a sketch can pre-order THE NEXT BATCH! They’re aiming to be ready in December.

Do I have a time limit on using my coupon or pre-ordering?

Not…really! Currently, it is absolutely whenever you like, I really wanted people to not be stuck having to get one mini shipped at a time, so it’s built around you popping them in other orders.

There MAY end up being something introduced down the line that would be limited, like perhaps the art cards or the price. For now, especially while we’re in the early stages, it is super chill. If you’re a couponer who was planning on using it much later on, could you reply to the email just to let me know you’ve received it, to alleviate my worry!

Of course I’d love it if you can do it now, as the more interest and minis in hands should boost excitement for the next ones. But no stress.

What happens after the pre-orders?

Once the pre orders are all shipped, the minis will stay in their Community Minis section of the website, as well as be put into relevant categories, and treated as any other mini in the range.

What are you waiting for?

I actually have a bunch of casts ready now! We just need the last two minis to be painted and shipped so I can photograph them, as I want them to come with the painted photo from the get go, as well as the art from the collectable art card that you will also get. That is due around the end of the month, and will be drawn by the excellent Martin Whitmore. Basically an updated sketch of the figure, that includes any changes from concept to sculpt, and will be consistent throughout. Just something to make it extra special.

IMPORTANT

The next blog update will have information on the future of the project, changes, and clarity. I am very aware it’s got very complicated, which is a product of it’s success (woohoo!) so I want to address a few bits and hopefully iron out some creases. I’m in this for the long haul!

Thanks for all your support!

Annie

by badsquiddogames

The First SIX Sculpts

There’s lots to show, I am *SO* Happy with these sculpts. They have actually been moulded already and some have already been painted, so stay tuned for upcoming updates to see that! Today though, we are talking sculpts! Let’s have a look at each of them, shall we. These have all been hand sculpted by the wonderfully talented Alan Marsh.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Hooray, she came out just as the sketch! It looks regal whilst also maintaining some simplicity. I can’t wait to see her with some paint on.

Septimia Zenobia

This has a special place in my heart, I think as she was the first we designed. I noticed that the staff in my sketch was not long enough as I had used a reference picture of a broken statue (doh!) so that’s the only part that needed changing pre-sculpt.

Agnes Randolph

We changed the arm position from the sketch to make it more dynamic, and it really has worked, by making the tippets dangle from the movement, Alan’s sculpting solved the concern of casting them hanging straight down. This looks way better too!

Julie D’Aubigny

La Maupin! We thickened the sword but not enough to look strange or clunky, and that small tab is to be chopped off when you’re prepping the mini, it protects it from bending when being packed and shipped.

Ching Shih

It was pointed out that her sword was in the left hand, so I’ve swapped it to the right hand which would have been more likely & the community confirmed the scabbard was hanging correctly, so only some minor adjustments. I love the hair!

Harriet Tubman

There was a discussion on where her left arm would be as held far back did seem a bit unnatural, so Alan adjusted to this which feels more like she’s walking ahead cautiously. It’s brilliant.

Squee, it’s happening! Stay tuned for pics of them painted, and information on how you can get some or all of these minis. Thank you for supporting this, it’s exciting to see it actually happening,

Annie

by badsquiddogames

Designing Harriet Tubman

Welcome back, the relaunch! I’ve kept the social media updated but not if you only follow here. I hit an absolute brain brick wall with this, and with the running of Bad Squiddo taking up all my time (and then some) it hit the backburner.

BUT! I promised I would get it caught up, so let’s do it.

I am aiming over the next couple of days to have all the designs and briefs sent to the sculptor, and then we can start voting for the next few and breathe life back into this. Thank you for being so patient and understanding.

Who was Harriet Tubman?


Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross), 1822-1913 began life as a slave, and ended life free. Once she had discovered the Underground Railroad – a network of people working to smuggle out slaves and free them, she joined up wholeheartedly. A Christian woman, she felt it was God’s calling, and her supporters eventually began calling her Moses, because of the similarities!

At the age of 15 she suffered a massive whack to the forehead, there are varying accounts of how it happened but it led to a lifetime of issues with narcolepsy and other brain injuries. She often had visions during these blackouts of what she should do next, which led to even more blessed status.

She never lost a passenger, the counts I can find vary between 70 and 300 people during these times. It was said she carried a pistol which was never used, but for potential self defence, and for asserting herself on times there were people wanting to turn back. Harriet would say “Move, or die”. While seeming harsh, this was in fact imperative to the mission and ensured everybody got to their destination safely.

While a short five feet tall, she was strong from the years of manual labour, mentally as well as physically, with childhood bronchitis giving her a low voice which worked well for administering sharp commands.

When civil war broke out, she joined the Union side as a nurse, but Harriet’s skills from delivering all these people became quickly apparent as she was then enlisted as a spy. She led 150 black American troops in the raid on Combahee Ferry, freeing 750 slaves in one go.

Harriet lived a long life and even had surgery on her skull in the later years, opting for no anaesthesia but just to bite on a bullet, like the civil war soldiers. What a badass.

The Miniature Design

With this information, how do we go about making her into a 3cm tall model, that can encapsulate as much of this as possible.

Let’s begin!

The Key recognisable items (not all required) that I noted was a lantern to lead the way – both literally and figuratively, her head wrap, a dress from a photo, her pistol, and funnily enough – chickens. One of her tricks was to have two chickens on a leash, and if she saw someone who may recognise her, she tugged it so the chickens would squawk and give her cover from all the flapping.

So a gun for sure. Some accounts say revolver but it doesn’t massively check out. There is a photo of her caplock pistol from the Civil War, so it seems right to honour that. Even if she didn’t use that prior to the war (part of the enlistment) it has become one of the symbols for her, and as I frequently say, mini making is often more about symbolism than literal duplicates. Also handguns at 28mm are teeny so it won’t make too much difference.

The lantern of lighting the way! It would have been a kerosene lamp around those times, of which there are many different designs but ultimately the same form. The gaps will need filling for casting but I know that Alan (the sculptor) will find a way to make it look great and still be castable. The handle will of course have to be thickened for the same reason. The bag is a standard bag of the time, and will be over the shoulder with other supplies and tools inside.

Pose

I wanted to show Harriet Tubman in a dynamic way, as is she is currently leading an escape. I didn’t want the gun to be too prominent as it would emphasise violence but adding it will make it a very useful miniature for various games and scenarios (also something to bear in mind!). I also had a hankering for the old “foot on rock” trope. We haven’t done that in a while!

So instead of a rock, it’s going to be rubble, perhaps symbolising the impending collapse of slavery, with some broken shackles in there, which she is trampling over.

Some depict her in a coat, others in a shawl, though there are no photos, apart from later in life where she has a beautiful but not practical shawl. I’ve gone for shawl as one of her disguises was an an old lady (before she actually was!) so it’s a reference to that. It will be more jaggy than shown there, but remember these are just very rough sketches for a sculptor who knows me very well indeed!

There is a note with the left arm that the pistol doesn’t need to go back so far, in fact in might look a bit unnatural, so it may end up more forward and closer to the body.

Note on terrible drawing: Especially as I am behind with this, I’m not wasting time honing any drawings for the sculptor – concept art just has to let the next person in the chain know the needs and musts, and this alongside with my notes is enough for Alan, and he’s worked with a lot less before! I think we have a psychic link at this point.

The photos of the gun, dress, Harriet’s face, bag and lantern together with my little playmobil style drawing are enough to piece together a cracking model.

What do you think?

Onto the next bit of research for me…. more coffee! – Annie