WIP: Seraphon Stegadon

My first model of the year is a Seraphon Stegadon. Shown above is a picture of some detail bits I started painting.

This is an older kit, circa 2015 I believe. The parts fit together ok, but not great. This is especially true of the dino rather than the skink riders or gun platform. I used a generous amount of sprue goo (sprue dissolved in Tamiya extra thin model cement) for much of the construction. This filled the gaps reasonably well - no greenstuff required.

I sometimes lose momentum on larger models like this. So, I decided to try posting my progress as motivation. My hope is that I can look back at these posts to remind me where I started and (hopefully) realize the finish line is in sight.

Necromunda Bases

I'm starting to build a Goliath gang from Necromunda. The industrial bases that come with the kit are really nice. I decided to magnetize these bases in case I'd like to store/display them in a special manner down the road.

I chose a subdued color palette. Here I airbrushed a light grey over black, painted small scratches and rust marks with German camo black/brown, then stippled with a very watered-down mixture of turquoise, and later purple. Once dry, I used enamel washes to create the rust and the darker shadows.

Fun one-day project.

Handles for Painting Miniatures

I've been painting minis for years and, throughout that time, I've always used winebottle corks for handles. They're essentially free (if you enjoy wine) and are a reasonable size to hold your model. But there are a few shortcomings related to their size and shape. They're rather small in diameter which can lead to some fatigue if painting for awhile. Also, you need to saw off one end to assure the model/handle can stand on its own. Even with this easy modification, it's still easy to topple. 

I do think these are minor quibbles and I clearly haven't given it much thought after all this time. That is, until I finally tried something new.

A size 20 cork with 1/4 inch balsa wood strip. 

The old way (which is still fine, especially for small parts).

I've started using a large size 20 cork stopper with a 1/4 inch strip of balsa wood attached to the top. I can easily attach/remove a pinned model, place a model to the side without fear of falling, and my hand no longer aches after a long painting session. 

Another trick is to place a small piece of paper beneath an unpainted model before attaching to the balsa strip. Now I have a handy way to hold a model for spray priming. The paper keeps both my hand and the cork handle clean. Once the model is dry (easily standing on its own), I can just remove it, discard the paper, and re-attach the model. 

Moisture Vaporators

I don't often take pictures during each step of a project, but I thought it might be fun to try it this time. Who knows, I may paint some more moisture vaporators in the future and can look back at this for reference.

1. Prime white.
2. Airbrush a dark grey into the recesses.
3. Airbrush base coat of white, letting grey remain in recesses as a shadow.
4. Using a torn sponge (from discarded packign material), blot scracthes onto model using dark red-brown paint.
5. Apply weathering with a small brush. This includes chips of the same dark red-brown paint used previously, followed by spot washes of sepia ink, and finally black-lining around crevices with a dark grey enamel wash. Paint radar/antenna with silver paints.
6. Attach models to a base (already primed in black) and apply base material.
7. Paint a thin coat of a sand color to base material. Follow by re-applying a second thin coat.

Star Wars Legion B-1 Battledroids

Here's a batch of B-1 Battledroids I painted for Star Wars Legion. I followed Sorastro’s video where he almost exclusively used GW's contrast paints. This was my first time using the paint and it wasn't as easy to use as I imagined.

Here’s what I learned:

• Don’t treat GW’s contrast paints like GW’s shades.
• Unlike shades, contrast paints dry reasonably fast.
• Unlike shades, contrast paints transition to a glossy, sticky phase before they fully cure with a flat finish. If you touch the paint when it’s sticky, it will lift the paint and the spot will appear as nothing more than lightly tinted primer.
• If excess contrast paint is not removed, the final color can be much darker than you intended.

My technique was to first load my brush with water, wipe away the excess on a paper towel, then dip the brush into the paint and coat the model. I then quickly proceeded to wash out brush, load with contrast medium and wipe away the excess on a paper towel, and finally mop-up contrast paint from flat areas and high points on the model.

GW's contrast paints seem like an easy-to-use product for models that appear weathered. I'm not so sure about clean models, though. I have a box of Clone Troopers. Perhaps they'll be good candidates to explore that technique.

Cork Bases

I really do love making bases. It’s a fun little vignette for your figures and you can choose to take as much artistic license as you’d like. You can do so much more than just applying globs of glue and sand.

Here is one of my favorite techniques that looks great yet is easy enough for army building. I start with a ⅛-inch thick sheet of cork from a craft store. Next, I simply tear off bits with my fingers or a tweezer and then attach them to my base. I personally like to use several small pieces for each base and then fill the cracks and crevices with sand and small stones. The end result is a base reminiscent of a scarred landscape like the desert. The best part is that the base is entirely level on top making attachment of the figure absolutely trivial. I tend to pin the model to the base but a dollop of a strong adhesive like epoxy will work, too.

Shown above are a set of bases for my Ork army. I chose muted colors to ensure the model on top will be the central focus. I painted the entire surface Olive Skin from Reaper, followed by Blacked-Brown along on the sides of the cork. I later applied a brown ink wash and drybrushed with Terran Khaki and Yellowed Bone. I stippled a bit of Palomino Gold in there, too, but the effect is somewhat lost under the drybrushing. The edge of the base is Olive Drab.

Holding Miniatures While Painting

Seems like everyone has a different way to hold miniatures while painting. My favorite is attaching a model to a wine bottle cork. I find that holding the miniature is comfortable and that my hands are not fatigued after a painting session.

I start by trimming the ends of the cork square (as best as I can) with a razor saw. A few passes with sandpaper knocks off the loose bits. From here, I can insert a pinned model directly into the cork. For larger models, I glue a piece of balsa between the model and the cork. I like balsa because it's soft enough that you can press a model into the wood and it will take the shape of the model. For adhesive, I found that a hot glue gun like you find at an art store will work great. Use only a small amount of glue so that you can easily remove the model later when your painting is complete.

Hope that helps!

Filling Hollow Bases

I hate hollow bases on miniatures. Honestly, it's a really silly thing to care about. I guess a hollow base just strikes me as cheap and unfinished. From a more practical perspective, however, consider that a filled base provides a stronger foundation when attaching the model via a pin. Since I almost always pin my models, I've gotten into a habit of also filling each and every base.

I've developed a few tricks over the years to accelerate the process, although it's still pretty time consuming. It usually takes about 2 hours from start to finish to complete a batch of 10 to 20 bases. The big time sink is waiting for things to dry. Here's how I recently completed a pile of bases for the game Heavy Gear Blitz! from Dream Pod 9.

I start by covering the slot on the base with masking tape. This reduces the mess in subsequent steps.

Next, I attach the bases to a sheet of paper or cardboard with rolled-up masking tape. With bases facing bottom-side up, I schmear wet plaster onto the bases using a putty knife. After drying 15 minutes in the oven at 200F, I apply a second coat of plaster and repeat the drying.

At this point, there's a good amount of excess dried plaster attached to the sides of the base. I scrape away the excess with a hobby knife and sand the bases flat using sandpaper attached to a flat surface. 220 grit sandpaper works well and removes the plaster very quickly. I wipe away the dust with a towel moistened in isopropyl alcohol (it's fast drying) and re-attach the bases to the sheet of paper with rolled-up masking tape.

I apply a few drops of cyanoacrylate (CA) glue to each base and spread the glue using a piece of scrap sprue bent at a right angle. I do this to ensure that the plaster will not break away from the base. After another 10 min trip to the oven to dry at 200F, I flatten the bases once again with sandpaper (usually something fine like 400 grit), wipe away the dust with alcohol, and call it a day.

Update: 28-Oct-2014

I made a few bases recently using this technique and experienced a problem. After building a miniature and attaching it to the base, I used a hot glue gun to attach the base to a wine bottle cork. Like many hobbyists, I prefer to use a cork as a handle while painting. After all my painting was complete, I tried to pop the base from the cork and I experience a small disaster. Much of the plaster broke free from the base and remained attached to the cork. I suppose it wasn't the end of the world, but it was most definitely a pain to refill the base and sand away plaster now that the model was painted.

Usually hot glue is an acceptable temporary bond. With a gentle twist, the model has previously popped right off of the cork without incident. I believe it failed this time because the bottom of the base was a bit porous. A close inspection of the base suggested that I didn't spread much CA glue across the bottom.

Next time I plan to do a few things different:

Avoid overfilling each base with plaster and instead apply a heavy coat of CA glue.

After the CA glue has cured and the base is sanded smooth, coat the bottom with a gloss sealer.

When attaching the base to the cork, give the hot glue a bit of time to cool and thereby create a weaker bond.

If this experience sounds like a real turn-off for you, the other alternative is to use an epoxy putty rather than plaster and skip the whole CA glue step. I used to do this prior to my switch to plaster but I found it was costly in terms of the amount of epoxy putty I used.

Good luck!

Birds of Prey

I made a little progress this weekend with the miniatures in Star Trek: Fleet Captains. Much like my last batch of models, I painted these guys using a fast technique with a limited palette. The only notable difference was a black ink wash just before drybrushing. I'm not sure that was the best choice since it left the Birds of Prey a bit darker than my D7s. Fortunately, when placed side-by-side all of the ships still appear to be a cohesive force.

That's 7 down and only 17 more models to go. Ugh... this hobby is suppose to be fun, right? :)

Painted 4 minis in 1 day - That's a new record!

Here is my first set of painted models from the board game Star Trek: Fleet Captains. Apologies for the pictures: the white balance is off (the background should be a pale blue).

Since I have a total of 24 miniatures to paint, I decided to try a fast method of washes, drybrushing, and minimal highlighting. Aside from the red/orange engines, my palette was limited to just four colors: Templar Blue, Ashen Blue, Black Green, and Ghost White. After priming, I finished all four models in about 3 hours. For me, that's lightning fast!

I'm pretty happy with the painting results, but I do have mixed feelings about the models themselves. All of the models included with the game arrived assembled and attached to their bases. I was disappointed to see that each has a defect where the plastic was broken/cut/torn from the casting sprue. Also, most parts were misaligned and attached with large gaps. I've tried disassembling a few models, but it's a real chore and can require cutting away plastic (and then rebuilding) simply to make a repair.

So here's my warning to others: fixing the minis in this game will require a lot of effort. While it's not an impossible task, it really is time consuming. But if you're a nerd like me, you'll just persevere ... and probably enjoy it!

My first attempt at painting a mini

I was digging through my old photos and came across the one posted above. I forgot all about this little guy! It's a Chaos Iron Warrior Space Marine from Games Workshop. Now that's a mouthful.

I painted this model way back in 2002 (was it really that long ago?) following my first visit to a local game store. I had just built a plastic model tank and I was looking for some paint. Before long, the hobby supplies were an afterthought as I was now browsing a wall of detailed miniatures. Although I had painted a few Ral Partha minis in high school, I had no idea people still made these things nor that they had become so intricate.

This little guy was repainted about a dozen times until I thought he looked "just right." He's the model that ultimately inspired me to search countless web sites and forums where I learned about tricks & techniques for painting. Lost years ago after we moved, it's fun to see him one more time.

Easy stone bases

Months ago, I was experimenting with basing in greenstuff. My original thread can be found here at 40k Online. Would you believe it's taken me about 6 months to actually paint one of these? Wow - I'm easily distracted!

I specifically made these for use in Incursion, a game which takes place inside a WWII bunker. I knew the common gravel basing technique just wouldn't do, so I came up with the trick of pressing a rock into greenstuff. It's an easy way to create a simple, rocky surface in scale with 28mm miniatures. Painting is a snap, too. Just a base coat of dark grey, dry brushing with light shades of grey, and finally an ink wash to bend it all together.

Here's the finished product using a miniature I painted last week. I wasn't too happy with my painting, but at least the base is an improvement.

Current score on Cool Mini or Not:

Yikes - what is that mess?

While it's not the best picture, this model doesn't look much better in person. Where did I go wrong?

This zombie is from the Weird WWII line of miniatures by West Wind. While I like the quirky subject and the price is great, a number of the models I've purchased have had very soft casting details. As you can see in the picture, the hands were pretty messed up and the face looked like it was melted by a candle. But, a good painter could still get good results. I, on the other hand, totally missed the mark.

So what can I learn? Here are a few things I could have improved:

All of my color choices are poor. While I thought I had a good match for Field Grey, I made the wrong choice for the highlights. Next time I work on a German soldier, I'll more towards grey than a yellow/green. Also, the choice of a greenish shirt beneath the coat was a real miss. Maybe a brown would have been better?

The contrast between skin colors and the coat is too great. The skin was supposed to be a purple/pale green that just fell flat. I assumed that purple and green would compliment the coat, but sadly, it was just wrong. The picture didn't capture the skin colors well but then neither did I!

Beneath a few coats of paint are my mistakes at painting blood stained clothing. Looked goofy, like he fell into a can of red paint! I tried painting some dark browns like dried blood as well, but that looked more like he was eating chocolate ice cream. Needless to say, I applied a coat of paint to hide the entire mess!

Finally, the coat blending is splotchy. This guy could have benefited from more blending. The boots are no better. Honestly, I could see the model wasn't going well but decided to just finish and move on.

While the end results is ok for a simple gaming mini, it's not what I was shooting for. I guess this will just be another piece of fodder in my small army for Incursion. Oh well - there's always next time!

Pathfinder

Caught the painting bug this weekend. After digging around my stash of models, I found a US Pathfinder by Artizan. Something simple, nothing too elaborate... just a miniature where I could practice blending. I've also been striving to increase the contrast in my pallet. Not quite there yet, but I'm starting to see progress. A bit more shadow would have helped.

Uniform colors were primarily from Reaper paints: Olive Drab, Olive Drab Shadow, and Worn Olive Drab. I also used a bit of Worn Olive Drab plus GW's Bubonic Brown for the final highlight.

Overall a nice little mini for anyone building an army of American WWII soldiers.

Itty bitty tanks

I recently picked up a copy of Memoir '44. It's a simple skirmish game with fun little miniatures. While the game components are pretty nice, I decided to paint a few replacements from GHQ.

Here's a shot of the Churchill Mk VII:

Finishing these little guys is a snap. Although there are numerous steps, they're quite easy and lend themselves well to painting models en masse:

Prime with a grey automotive spray.

For the base color, airbrush a 3:1 mix of Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab and XF-59 Desert Yellow.

Highlight by airbrushing Tamiya XF-4 Yellow Green.

Seal with a gloss lacquer.

Spot wash with a 1:1 mix of black and burnt umber enamels.

Lightly drybrush with artists oils. I chose a light khaki color.

Using artists oils, blend black and grey on the muzzles.

Seal again with a gloss lacquer and then flat lacquer.

I also painted the tracks grey and picked out the details using the spot wash. Even though it's hard to see, I wouldn't choose those colors again. Next time, I think I'll substitute a dark brown for the grey and follow-up with a drybrush of orange-brown to imitate rust.

At a scale of 1/285, the tanks are tiny (about 15 mm in length). I suppose you could paint additional details, but it would be a struggle.

A minor quibble of GHQ models is mold seams. On the Churchill, you can see the seams on the turrets and somewhat on the sides just above the wheels. Unfortunately, it's impossible to remove this casting defect without destroying the terrific details. I've observed this to some extent on nearly every GHQ model I've purchased. Honestly, at such a small scale, I don't know how GHQ could minimize it further - just a fact of life I suppose. Once the models are painted, you look past it anyway and forget the seems are even there.

Back to painting

After a long hiatus, I decided to pick up the brush and try my hand at painting once again. Here are a few pictures. Maybe it's not my best work, but I'm happy with the results considering the rusty skills.

The first miniature is a Blood Angels space marine from Games Workshop. To accelerate the process, I base coated the model by airbrushing Tamiya gloss red over white primer. I don't know how much good that did since it still took me a full day to finish the rest of the mini!


Unfortunately, I coated him with a sealer from DecoArt called Triple Thick Gloss Glaze. I thought this might be a fast way to apply a bullet-proof protective coat on a gaming miniature. Although it did the trick, the heavy sealer obscured all the details. Oh well, live and learn.

The marine fired up my inspiration so I decided to paint another model. This time I chose a simple sturm zombie from the game Incursion and primed with a grey automotive spray. I limited my palette to muted colors and tried to focus my efforts on applying a lot of contrast. Here's a shot the paint palette.


Considering the troubles I had encountered with the marine, I fell back to my 'tried and true' approach for sealing: airbrushed coats of Model Master gloss and flat lacquer. Much better!


I have a couple zombies on hand and will probably tackle more of the undead in the future.