ScrapYard Armory

It has been a while but I finally have found the time to pick up my brush and get to work on a new project.  This time around is a Davion reinforced lance made from a Davion Lance Pack I got for a gift ages ago.

I started with the lance pack (which curiously had two Garms) and added in two spare vehicles with accompanying infantry.  I keep a stash of battle armor handy for just such occasions and found a lovely pair of Hauberk Battle Armor to add to the force.  Nothing says good times like a combined arms force ready for a tabletop battle.

The red base of the minis was a three step red drybrush starting with Scarlet Red and Gory Red.  After a wash of black ink Bloody Red finished off the mini with a final highlight.

The black streaks were simple enough.  Black lines were haphazardly painted on each mini and then highlighted with an accompanying streak of grey made from a mix of Black and Dead White.  Gun barrels were drybrushed with Gun Metal.  Missile tips were dotted with white to provide contrasting detail.

The bases were done with Beasty Brown to Plague Brown to a dusting of Dead White.  Some dark mixed flocking spotted the top for good measure.

The two cockpits available to jewel were done in a standard blue pallet that I have used time and time again.  Stormy Blue to Magic Blue to Electric Blue with the smallest Dead White dot to seal the deal.

Decals were from Fighting Pirannha Graphics.

It feels good to have a project completed.  I can’t wait for my next one, which I assure you I am planning right now.  I’d like to keep the brush moving if I can manage.

Clan Wolf in Exile

After a good long wait, I finally got around to finishing up this fantastically converted star of ‘Mechs.  These were sent to me by gamer and friend HassWerks.

The paint scheme is a carbon copy of an earlier Wolf in Exile ‘Mech.  The only major difference in the paint scheme is a different cockpit jeweling color.  In lieu of the faux reflection I did last time, I opted for a yellowish-brown mix that I thought would go well with the red.

Honestly, it is just something different and less striking than blues and reds which are my usual favorites.  It’s always good to experiment with new colors.  Yellow can be tricky, which makes it an ideal opportunity to practice.

Just to recap, here are the details on the paint palate.

The base for the red is Dark Fleshtone.  The highlights involve increasing amounts of Gory Red and Bloody Red mixed into the Dark Fleshtone.  The Grey is a simple Cold Grey to Stonewall Grey to White palate.  Gun barrels are Gun Metal with Silver highlights.  The base is a simple green flock job.

In Progress

Final Shots

Another round of miniatures to add the the ever burgeoning collection of reformed misfits for a friend.

These Word of Blake Militia add to the Shadow Division units painted previously.  The Protectorate Militia form the anvil against which the hammer of the Shadow Divisions pound their enemies.  No Word force is complete without at least a few Militia to swell their ranks.  The white is a bit dirtier than I wanted but it works.  I began with a pure white base.  It may have been better to begin with gray, but what’s done is done.

From there, I washed with black and dry-brushed back up with the white, adding details where I felt appropriate.

Simple execution and ready for the tabletop.  I hope they are well received.

I may be taking a break from Word of Blake and try to finish off some Lyrans next.  I still have quite a backlog to paint my way through.

This miniature is my contribution to the BattleTech Universe Miniature Exchange. What’s a miniature exchange you ask? It’s a simple arrangement where a group of fans get together and paint each other miniatures. Everybody paints a mini for someone else on the list and sends it off.

Besides just good clean fun, it is an opportunity to hone painting skills and give and get critique from someone you don’t know.

Wolves in Exile

This Orion IIC is an attempt at a Wolf in Exile color scheme.  The base for the red is Dark Fleshtone.  The highlights involve increasing amounts of Gory Red and Bloody Red mixed into the Dark Fleshtone.

The Grey is a simple Cold Grey to Stonewall Grey to White palate.

A few GunMetal to Silver highlights are mixed in for good measure on the hip weapon and exposed leg joints.

The base began primed Black which got a heavy drybrush of Beasty Brown followed by lighter drybrushes of Filthy Brown and a Filthy Brown-Dead White mix.  A touch of mixed green flocking finished the miniature.

Something New

New for me on this mini is a special jewel technique.  The effect is an attempt to capture a realistic glare or reflection of the surrounding terrain in the cockpit of the ‘Mech.

To gain some confidence I practiced on a piece of empty spure.  I’m not 100% sold on the result.  I think I need some practice to make it better.  There is a first for everything.

The Green is a shade from Dark Green to Sick Green to Goblin Green to Scrufy Green.  The Blue begins at Night Blue and fades to Magic Blue then Electric Blue.  An attempted fine white line separates the two colors.

I’ll be shipping this little guy out this week to a lucky fan and await what I get in return.  I hope she makes it in one piece and the new owner enjoys it and takes good care of it.

This lance is another addition to a long project for a friend.  They came together rather easily in a few days and I’m happy with the outcome even if it seems a bit bland.  It needs something to help it I think.  Maybe some time spent panel painting would do some good, but for now I am happy to seal these up and call them done.

Red always seems to work really well.  The only other thing I can say was lacking was an opportunity to jewel the cockpit on the Sunder and Hatamoto-Chi.  The Chi is just too small which is excusable.  The Sunder is simply not there.  I can see why this particular ‘Mech has a re-sculpt.  The new version is a definite improvement on this blocky statically posed mess.

Colors used were a Scarlet Red base coat followed by a dark wash.  Gory Red and Bloody Red dry brushes finished the highlights.  There are only a few GunMetal highlights here and there.

The cockpit jewels that are present on the Komodo and Jenner are a standard Stormy Blue, Magic Blue, Electric Blue combo.  Decals from Fighting Pirannha Graphics provide the finishing touch.

Are We Missing Something?

I know!  I was on a roll when I was painting this lance that I didn’t even notice until late that I was all out of hex bases.  So the Hatamoto-Chi is hex-less until I can order up some more.  It also appears from these photos that another coat or two of DullCote is in order.  There is still some shine showing.

These units will join the Shadow Division forces I already have painted and completes a Level II with some battle armor for backup.

All together they are part of a larger project that I started a while ago.  The battle armor were not in the original mass of miniatures I acquired but are an added bonus because I’m taking so long to get it done.

Like the others, these ‘Mechs came together very quickly with heavy dry brushing.  Only a few details are used to help them pop.  I’m sure they will get along nicely with the others and help to terrorize the Inner Sphere in future campaigns.

The 2010 limited edition ‘Mech carries on the tradition of jumping sculpts with the TDR-10M from TRO 3085.  I had originally wanted to get this mini done for the WAMP contest but ran out of time before I could finish.  I just wasn’t happy with the paint job until today.

This ‘Mech will be joining the ranks of my Free Worlds League Militia.  The mini did have some bad mold lines running along the shoulder pads but that was it.  The jumping pose was a bit of a pain to put together although that was expected.

I ended up clipping the foot of the exhaust blast’s base because it would not fit in a standard hex base.  I would think that would be a requirement for minis these days.  A minor gripe on an otherwise gorgeous miniature.

Overall the mini was a joy to paint.  The panel lines were crisp and there was plenty of detail to elaborate on. A great sculpt to paint!

I’m a bit disappointed in my pictures.  I’m afraid that my highlighting efforts on the colored bands ended up being washed out by my camera.  That could very well have been compounded by the fact that I did not have the right lighting available.  The day I took these pictures was very overcast which forced me to reply on spot lighting from desk lamps for illumination.  I’ve always gotten better results when more natural light was available.

Strategic Operations here I come!

It’s been a while coming but I’ve finally gotten around to painting up my first set of WarShips in FWL colors.  Not a bad start, but could be better.  I’ve got a armada worth of microfighters that I need to add to the force but just couldn’t wait to put these ships up.

The base of each ship is Cold Grey with Stonewall Grey highlights.  The purple bands are Hexed Lichen.  There are a few Gunmetal details and the aft thrusters are a common mix of blues.  Very simple paint scheme that is not too hard to put together quickly.  Lets hope the microfighters go well.

The speckled star pattern on the base of each ship was created by dipping a toothbrush in white paint and flicking it.  Quick and easy and looks great to boot.

Every once in a while you just have to brag.

Today is my day.

Everything you see; final price: $97.20

Local gaming store was having a sale and right or not, all of their BattleTech miniatures ended up in the $1 bin.  So I had to buy them.  All of them.

What can I say?  I’m happy while my significant other is mildly annoyed.  I have a lot of painting to do.  Time to get busy!

This lance of Locusts in Black Widow company colors was a commission piece for a fan of the site.  While I am satisfied with the end result, it took me too much time to come through to the end.  I don’t think I will be able to take future commissions until I am more confident in my ability to find the time required to finish a project in a reasonable timeframe.

That said, here is a quick brief on how I got from bare metal to the painted lance you see above.

Construction

These things are tiny!  Lining up the legs was a beast of a task.  I took extra care and spent a few evenings making sure they would be dead on so the upper body of the ‘Mech ended up level.  Nobody likes an oddly leaning miniature.

One of the Locusts I modified to show a more drastic bend in the leg.  I’m not the best modder out there but after a few layers of paint, I am satisfied with the result.  Not ecstatic.  But it will do.  It helps to break up the monotony of the lance.  Variety is the spice of life, on the tabletop and otherwise.

Black Base Color

The Black base was a simple base color and a series of dry brushing steps.  Not much to comment on.  This was the easy part of the paint job.

Black	Cold Grey	Stonewall Grey

Red Highlights

When I first laid paint down on the highlight portions, I used a simple base color and a panel line to accent.  After a day or two to look it over I was very dissatisfied with the result.  The panel line was far too harsh.  I ended up laying down several glazes to smooth the transition.  The difference between high and low is less noticeable but for the small accents they are, I am pleased with the result.  I went just a bit outside my comfort zone for this one.  If I had chosen a more drastic peak-to-mean color palette to start with, the fade would have been fantastic.  At least I think so.  Can’t wait for the next opportunity to try it out.

Gory Red	Scar Red	Bloody Red

Cockpit

I’m very comfortable with a blue jewel for cockpits these days.  The small surface on the side cockpits were a bit of a bear to get into.  Those area have a less gradual fade to them, but the focus is usually going to be on the front facing cockpit panel anyways.

Stormy Blue	Magic Blue	Electric Blue

Details

Details for this lance were limited to gunmetal on the laser ports and decals from Fighting Pirannha Graphics.

Base

The base was made using my standard basing mix and several drybrushing steps.  The extra rock under the modified Locust came from a simple cork.  The drybrushing I gave the underlying terrain came out slightly different when applied to the cork, which worked out well.

Beasty Brown	Filthy Brown	Dead White