Memes in my family don’t have an expiry date – as such, when I was trying to think of a gift to paint up for my brother, who’s had a big year this year, this was the first thing that came to mind. The concept went through a few iterations – at one point I was going to add a halo, or was going to feature a park ranger or a toddler for Harambe to grab, but in the end necessity won out and I had to settle for just adding wings. In a recent haul shared by a friend clearing out their parents’ garage, I got a hold of a ton of bits for kitbashing including the wings from an old Bretonnian pegasus that turned out to be just the right size.

The model I picked for Harambe is one of the Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures’ line, namely the Giant Ape. I was pleasantly surprised by how giant the Giant Ape actually was – this is definitely the kind of thing you could plunk down onto your table as a boss encounter in a D&D campaign or session, perfect for the big guy’s intended use. The wings were attached with green stuff and glue, and while a lot of the fur ended up being drybrushed, I tried to add just a little more definition to things like the teeth, skin, and stones.

All in all I’m very happy with how this one turned out. It’s one of the silliest things I’ve painted in a while and I’m really happy with how the skin tones turned out. Thunderhawk Blue and Russ Grey have definitely become staple colors in my paint kit over time, even if they’re not colors that I usually pair with my space elves or Death Guard. I think if I was going to re-do this I’d add a silly, cheap wire halo but as a fun one-off project and a birthday gift I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome.

(Should be back to posting for a while, too, so lots of fun stuff planned coming down the pipes – MCP, Warhammer 40K, and lots more.)