A fan of the extraction shooter ARC Raiders and Dungeons & Dragons had a brilliant idea that led him to combine his two favorite games into a tabletop project: He created a miniature diorama that does not showcase heroic fantasy characters and monsters, but rather ARC-fighting Raiders. MeinMMO editor Caro knew immediately upon seeing this masterpiece that she had to get in touch with this artist.
While scrolling through various gaming communities as I do every day, one morning I came across a piece of art that I simply couldn’t ignore. It not only combined my love for miniatures, but also for ARC Raiders, which I’d only recently started playing.
It’s a miniature diorama in the style of ARC Raiders by the artist Hero_Work_Shop (on Instagram), shared by his friend DestinyNoel98 on Reddit. It depicts a scene in which three Raiders are fighting against a Leaper, with one already down, as indicated by an ascending Raider flare. In another diorama, three more miniatures are facing a bastion.
The images were a huge hit with the community, especially the hand-painted Raider skins and the flare that actually seems to glow.
As for me, I found the projects of the hobby artist impressive and knew: If he already likes ARC Raiders, Dungeons & Dragons, and miniatures, then he’s a guy I really want to talk to. So, I reached out to him and met a deeply friendly and warm person who was willing to answer a few questions about his work.
Once the inspiration is there, there’s no stopping
I asked Hero_Work_Shop how he transitioned from D&D miniatures to ARC Raiders and how he first got into painting miniatures in the first place.
He told me that he’s always been a pretty creative person, with lots of different ideas constantly swirling around in his head. A little over two years ago, he started working with clay and a 3D pen, until he eventually noticed other artists: “I saw that others were better, and I said to myself, ‘I want to do that too!’”
A little over two years ago, my friend, who had absolutely no prior experience, told me he wanted to learn D&D, and I just said, “Great! Let’s do it!” After two sessions, I told him zo give me the two miniatures bought online saying I’ll paint them myself … actually – I’ll buy a 3D printer, even without any experience… And that’s how it all started!
With the help of various content creators specializing in miniature painting, he was able to gradually develop the skill he possesses today. While that required a certain amount of discipline, it wasn’t difficult for him at all. And there was one statement I immediately recognized myself in: “When I’m passionate about something- like games in general – I wallow in these things.“
Miniatures were just the first step, now he creates entire scenes
As someone who loves painting miniatures but finds creating an entire diorama deeply intimidating, I was eager to find out how he went about creating his scenes.
As soon as I saw miniatures inspired by ARC Raiders – as always – I wanted to make them myself! And then it’s all about: Do it yourself!
I took a round piece of cardboard, came up with a little scene by placing the miniatures where I liked them, and little by little added a pebble here, a tuft of grass there, and so on… The most important thing is to use a reference to make it as accurate as possible.
He purchased the miniature files online and printed them himself. To achieve a look that was particularly suited to ARC Raiders, he and his friend went to into the game together to take reference photos of the skins and the environment. The rest he decided based on his intuition.
I was particularly impressed by the Raider Flare he implemented on the downed Raider. Here, you can’t “just” (with very thick quotation marks) paint the miniatures, but really get creative with how you depict them. Hero_Work_Shop is honest though, and admits that he got a little help with the idea:
My friend finally had a flash of genius when he saw the Raider on the floor: I set up a simple circuit with a pulsing light and a battery. The battery is actually inside the flare and is covered with cotton wool.
A project that appeals even to fans who aren’t into the hobby
His proud friend shared the diorama with the ARC Raiders community on Reddit, where it has since been admired by many players:
“Dude, that’s amazing – love to buy something like this tbh,” writes dreamtank. Blue18Lightning also emphasizes: “If I was Embark I’d be grinning from ear to ear with pride, this is absolutely fantastic and there’s so much detail they’ve put in as well, outstanding!”
You can find more projects by Hero_Work_Shop on his Instagram, where he’s open to friendly exchanges and commissions.
In addition to Hero_Work_Shop, I’ve already spoken with another miniature artist who, instead of working on Dungeons & Dragons or ARC Raiders, focused on figures from a different game: he painted Pokémon that look as though they’ve been dropped into the Warhammer universe. His skill was so impressive that I could hardly believe he’d only taken up the hobby less than a year ago: I asked a miniature newbie how he managed to paint such a cool Warhammer Snorlax after only 4 months
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!