I decided to experiment with Maegan's tray. I'm seriously having issues figuring out if I like the end result or not, and want to get any feedback you have on the results.

First, the tray by itself:

Next, the tray with my work-in-progress Maegan. Or, more precisely, her battle moose:

And, just for comparison purposes, the same tray with Aliana:

Now, I apologize for the image quality. I'm not the greatest photographer in the world. But, any thoughts on my project?

Somehow it makes Maegan's moose (still no name?! come on, FFG!) look like a towering giant. In the Aliana picture, they feel more like shrubs than miniature trees, but that's probably just a trick of the angle.

I like it. Storing it will obviously be more of a challenge than for simpler trays, but the effect is nice. Funny enough, I like how it looks with Aliana in particular because it becomes so much more believable that she can be an Ambush Predator.

11 hours ago, Budgernaut said:

Somehow it makes Maegan's moose (still no name?! come on, FFG!) look like a towering giant. In the Aliana picture, they feel more like shrubs than miniature trees, but that's probably just a trick of the angle.

N o, it's not a trick of the angle. They tip in just over Aliana (at least the biggest one does, once you get the leaves in place), which is about level with Mr. Moose's back.

Well, moosen are huge IRL... why not a mini too?

but to be on topic, I think it looks decent. When it comes to game play, the trees/shrubs might get in the way.

On 9/4/2018 at 10:55 AM, Parakitor said:

I like it. Storing it will obviously be more of a challenge than for simpler trays, but the effect is nice. Funny enough, I like how it looks with Aliana in particular because it becomes so much more believable that she can be an Ambush Predator.

That seems to be the consensus. Which isn't what I made it for; it was intended for Maegan. But go with what works, I guess. I can use Alania's old base for Maegan, at least for now…

… but I have a spare base from my second Aliana. Which I am now tempted to use for Maegan, only giving this one an 8 inch tree instead of multiple small ones. Someone, please give me a solid reason to not do this, so I can let it drop and die. (She stands 4 inches tall. I should be able to adjust branches so that they don't interfere with either her or the stuff on her sides.)

On 9/4/2018 at 11:57 AM, Aetheriac said:

Well, moosen are huge IRL... why not a mini too?

but to be on topic, I think it looks decent. When it comes to game play, the trees/shrubs might get in the way.

I designed the trees to not stick too far out the sides. One side brushes up against standard infantry just a little, and it's good on all other sides. It won't be as good for units that push the edges of their trays, like Threshers, but then again, Threshers can have problems with any unit.

Can I see a shot with Maegan sitting on the moose in the tray? Something about the moose alone makes the whole sense of scale way off, as if this is for a 10mm wargame or something. I suspect the reason that Aliana looks so natural in there is she herself provides a sense of scale that the big lumbering moose can't.

6 hours ago, Bhelliom said:

Can I see a shot with Maegan sitting on the moose in the tray? Something about the moose alone makes the whole sense of scale way off, as if this is for a 10mm wargame or something. I suspect the reason that Aliana looks so natural in there is she herself provides a sense of scale that the big lumbering moose can't.

Here you go:

And how it fits with some spearmen flanking:

Obviously, it should look better once I get on to painting the rider. But it should be enough to show the scale of the thing.

I'm surprised. With the other figures around, it doesn't look nearly as off as it did before.

14 hours ago, Budgernaut said:

I'm surprised. With the other figures around, it doesn't look nearly as off as it did before.

I agree, it's much better when there are additional figures there.

Final pictures, with a bit of shrubbery in the background as well:

That's very cool, and I'm tempted to follow others' suit in complementing the way it looks on Aliana in particular, to steal that for use representing Ambush Predator on the table. (Oh, oh! And I could carry her second base also to swap out when it's expended!) Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and all. Not that I'm looking to be ready to base my trays any time soon, but you know.

8 minutes ago, kaffis said:

That's very cool, and I'm tempted to follow others' suit in complementing the way it looks on Aliana in particular, to steal that for use representing Ambush Predator on the table. (Oh, oh! And I could carry her second base also to swap out when it's expended!) Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and all. Not that I'm looking to be ready to base my trays any time soon, but you know.

Next time we meet, I'll try to bring along a spare tree sprue or two and a bit of the leaf stuff.

The color bounce from the towel and the light you used makes it kind of hard to give good feedback.

I'd suggest more bulky foliage around the trees/shrubs as their scale is what is throwing the composition off.

Suggestions

- Use a Grey or white towel as a background.

- Try to use a white light coming from the left, right, and behind the camera to cut out the shadows. It will also help to use daylight, or bright white bulbs.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart-60-Watt-Equivalent-Spiral-Non-Dimmable-CFL-Light-Bulb-Daylight-4-Pack-ESBM814450K/205487810