Andromedan Hunter: Bones 4 Chronoscope Figure

      Over the past few weeks I have worked on the "Andromedan Hunter" figure from the Bones 4 Chronoscope Expansion, as a change of pace from doing the Dwarves last time.  

     I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then trimmed the figure's integral base a little, and glued the figure to a 1" brown-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then affixed the figure to the top of a pill bottle with some blue-tac.    

     I decided to go a little color craz on this one, and I wanted to try doing her skin with one of the Folk Art Color Shift Paints.  So, I painted her body with a base coat of Reaper MSP Bones "Dungeon Slime", and when dry, I went over it with Folk Art Color Shift "Green Flash". 

     Next, I gave her skin a thinned coat of Citadel Contrast "Creed Camo" to act as a wash.  It was not as effective at doing this as the purpose-designed Citadel Shades.  So, I went back and reapplied some to various spots to add a little more shadow.  I then painted her hair with Reaper MSP Bones "Heraldic Red"., and her clothing, bracers, shinguards/shoes, pouch, and holster with Reaper MSP "Auburn Shade".  After that, I painted her rifle with Reaper MSP "Spruce Green", and her hair tie, as well as the pompoms on the back of her shoes, with Reaper MSP Monarch Purple. 

     I then painted the "U" shaped parts of her top, the front piece of her little bottom, and her bracers, with  Ceramcoat "Metallic Copper".  After that, I painted the metal parts of her rifle and pistol with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".   I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave her hair, clothing, and accessories, a wash of Citadel Shade "Reikland Fleshshade"; and then her rifle, hair tie, and shin pompoms a wash with Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil". 

     When the washes were dry, I painted her eyes (I used Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow" for the "whites"), and then highlighted her skin with a mix of the base "Green Flash" and some Reaper MSP "Sophie Silver".  After that, I highlighted her hair with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Pure Pumpkin".   

     Next, I highlighted her clothing and accessories with a mix of the base "Auburn Shadow", and some Americana "Shading Flesh".  I then highlighted her hair tie and shin pompoms with Anita's "Violet", and followed with highlighting the guns with Folk Art "Hunter Green", and a little Americana "Sea Breeze".  After that, I highlighted the metal parts of her clothing with the base "Metallic Copper", some Reaper MSP "Rose Gold", and a little pf the "Sophie Silver". Finally, I highlighted the metal on the guns with Ceramcoat "Metallic Bronze", and some DecoArt Dazzling Metallics "Bright Brass".   Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  

      I let the figure and base dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.   Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's "Dullcote". 

     Well, I had fun using some wild colors on her, and I don't think she looks half bad.  Unfortunately, any effect from the color shift paint was lost between the Contrast Paint wash, the non-color shift highlights, and the final Matt Varnish and Dullcote.  

Floating Disc Spell Effect: Bones 5 Figure

      Well, last week I lost track of what week it was and posted a figure thinking it was the third Monday of the month, when in fact it was only the second Monday.  So I thought I'd do up a quick figure this week to get us back on the proper schedule.  At this point, I had painted all the Bones 5 Spell Effects that I got with my Kickstarter except the floating disc from the Core Set Spell Effects set.  So I thought I'd tackle that one for today.

           I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then glued the figure to 1" grey-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky Glue.  I then glued the Floating Disc into onto a pill bottle with a couple drops of white glue.

 I began by painting the figure completely with Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  When the varnish was dry,  I carefully painted the inscriptions on the disc with thinned Americana "Snow White". Thinned to help it flow into the lines and letters better.  I had some vague idea of trying to make the designs and letters look glowing.

     I then painted the disc with Citadel Contrast "Gryph-Hound Orange", and when dry, I painted the vapors under it with Citadel Contrast "Aethermatic Blue".  I had hoped the areas I had painted white would look brighter somehow, but I hadn't thought it through, and the Contrast paint just pooled in the inscribed recesses of the deigns and letters on the disc and ended up covering up the white and looking just plain orange like the rest of the disc.   So I set out to repaint the designs,   this time with thinned Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow".  When the "Daffodil Yellow" was dry, I went over it with some more of the thinned "Snow White". 

    Next, I painted the stonework base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  When dry, I gave the base a  wash with Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil". I let the "Nuln Oil" dry, and then drybrushed the base with, first, Folk Art "Gray Green" , and then, secondly, some Americana "Dove Grey".      

      The next day I gave all the piece a complete coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish. 

     Well, I can't say I got any glowing effect.  Trying to do light effects on the translucent figures has always been challenging.  Still, it doesn't look bad; it's just a good serviceable figure.

Boran Bronzebeard (B): Bones 5 Figure

      This week I finished up the second of the two "Boran Bronzebeard" figures I have. He is one of the Dwarf warrior models from the two The Dwarf King's Crypt Encounter Sets that I got through the Bones 5 Kickstarter.  Between the two sets, I have 12 of the Dwarf warriors (2 each of the 6 that came in each set.  

        I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  

      I decided I would do them up as a unit for use in various wargames, so I wanted to do one of the figures up as a distinct leader, and one up as a distinct assistant leader.  So, I needed to make some conversions to the figures to make them more distinct.  

      For the one that would be the leader, I decided I would swap out his axe for a war-hammer, since all the other warriors are axe-armed, it would make him more unique.  For the second figure, I decided to take the spare axe I now had, and put it in his left hand so he would be dual-wielding. 

        The first version, the leader is posted here: Boran Bronzebeard (A).   This is the second, assistant leader, figure.   I stuck him  on a pill bottle with a bit of blue-tac to start.

       I began painting by giving all the chainmail armor a coat of Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I drybrushed it with Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Grey".  I then went over it lightly with a drybrush of Reaper MSP "Polished Silver".  Next I painted his face, arms, and hands with Americana "Shading flesh", and his tunic with Crafter's Acrylic "Bright Blue".

     Next, I painted his cape with Americana "Zinc" and the fur on his cape with Americana "Asphaltum".  After that, I did his shoes, belt and pouch with Reaper MSP "Noir Wanut Brown".

     Then I painted his boot tops with Americana "Terra Cotta, and then I did the parts I planned to eventually paint metallic gold, with Accent "Mustard Seed".  I followed this with painting his beard with Americana  "Grey Sky", his axe handles with Reaper MSP "Turkey Brown", the axe heads and handle bases with the "Zinc", and the soles of his boots with the "Black". 

       I then painted the beard holders with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze"; and then did the axe heads and the handle bases with Reaper MSP "Honed Steel".  After that, I painted the bracelets, with the "Gunmetal Grey" that I had used earlier on the chainmail. 

     I let the figure dry for a while, and then gave his face, arms, and hands a coat of Citadel Shade "Reikland Fleshshade".   I let that dry, and then gave the rest of the figure a coat of Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil". 

      I let all the washes dry for a while, and then began on the highlighting.  First I painted his eyes, and then highlighted his skin with the base "Shading Flesh", mixed with "Reaper MSP "Rosy Highlight". I then highlighted his beard with first the base "Grey Sky" and then Americana "Snow White".

     Next, I highlighted his tunic with the base "Bright Blue", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".  I then highlighted his cape with the base "Zinc", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  After that, I highlighted his boot tops with the base "Terra Cotta", and highlighted the boots, belt and pouch with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown" . 

     I then highlighted the fur on the cap with the base "Asphaltum", and some Americana "Mississippi Mud", and then did the highlights on the axe handles with some Reaper MSP "Shield Brown".  After that, I highlighted his beard rings with some Folk Art Metallic "Pure Gold", and some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold". I wrapped up the painting by highlighting the axes with the "Polished Silver", and the bracelets with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".

      I let the figure dry overnight and the next day I gave him a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Then when the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to glue some sand onto the bases.  When this was dry I  painted it with Citadel Contrast "Wyldwood".  When that was dry,  I drybrushed the sand with Americana "Neutral Grey", and then a bit of Folk Art "Barn Wood".  Due to the weather, I was not able to give the figure a final spray varnish.

Dwarf Queen and King Crypts: Bones 5 Quick Conversion Project.

      I didn't get to finish painting any figures this week, as Real Life intervened.  But, I was able to work on a simple conversion figure over the weekend.  

      As I've mentioned in my previous two posts, I purchased a pair of the Bones 5 The Dwarf King's Crypt Encounter set as I wanted pairs of a number of the set's scenery items, as well as a bunch of the Dwarf Zombies and Dwarf Fighters.

     One of the scenery items I was most looking forward to having a pair of, was the tomb; as I wanted to convert one to be the tombs to be for a Dwarf Queen, to go along with the Dwarf King's tomb.

     First thing I would need was a suitable Bones Female Dwarf figure to use as the tomb cover's carving; as I did not trust my ability to sculpt one from scratch.   I was not sure what figure to use, as so many of the ones I had, or looked at in the online store, were posed somewhat dynamically.  Then, as fate would have it, I came across one of the Gwyddis, Dwarf Valkyrie figures, and realized it was perfect.  Her pose is terribly static and two-dimensional, but it was perfect for what I needed.

The Gwyddis, Dwarf Valkyrie figure next to the tomb cover.

     First thing I did was cut the Dwarf King off of the tomb cover.  Bones Black is a very hard substance to cut, unlike Original Bones; so in order to do this, I let the tomb cover sit in a pot of boiling water for 4 minutes to get soft.  I then quickly pulled it out and carefully sliced the King off of it.  Next, I worked on the Gwyddis figure, which, being Original Bones, didn't need any pre-cutting treatment.  First I removed her backpack by twisting and pulling it off.  I then cut her base off, then her arms just below the shoulders.  After that, I carefully sliced down through the back of her head and skirt, trying my best to keep the blade straight and perpendicular to her orientation, so that she would lie flat on the tomb cover.  I then did a trial fit, and realized she was a little too tall to fit within the boundaries of the cover, so I carefully sliced a couple millimeters off the bottom of her skirt to make her shorter.

     While I was working on the tomb cover, I also drilled through it and the tomb base to insert a couple rare earth magnets, to keep the lid in place when the tomb was being stored or transported.  I then superglued the magnets in place.

     My next step was to superglue Gwyddis in place on the tomb cover. Once the glue was set, I worked on trimming and arranging her arms, and when I was satisfied, I glued them in place as well.

     Once the glue was set, I used 2-part epoxy (greenstuff) to fill in the gaps in the tomb, as well as the gaps between her repositioned arms and her shoulders, and some of the gaps between her arms and her body to help it look more like a solid carving. I also used the greenstuff to level off the hole where I glued the magnet n the lid.

     And here's the finished result, with the King and Queen side-by-side.     I'm really pleased with how this turned out.  It's not perfect, but when all painted up as weathered stone it should look just fine.

     Hopefully next week we will be back to normal and I can complete the last two Dwarf Zombies from this set.  See you all then. 

Stained Glass Knight: Bones 5 Figure

      This past week I painted a pair of the "Stained Glass Knights" from the Bones 5 Core Set.  The Core came with one of these figures, and I thought it was such a fun figure I ordered an extra Constructs set to get a second one.   

     I prepped the figures in the usual way, soaking them in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying them.  I then glued the figures to 1" green-primed metal washers with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of white glue each.   

          To begin, I gave both figures complete coats of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  When this coat was dry, I picked out some details on the armor and painted them with Citadel Contrast "Snakebite Leather", front and back.  I then painted the rest of the armor with Citadel Contrast "Space Wolves Grey", both front and back.  With the arms behind the shields, I just painted the backs since the fronts were covered by the shields.

     Next, I painted both the sword blades with Citadel Contrast "Basilicanum Grey", both front and back. I then painted the shield on the left knight with Citadel Contrast "Talassar Blue", and Citadel Contrast "Blood Angels Red"; and on the right night with Citadel Contrast "Creed Camo", and Citadel Contrast "Iyanden Yellow".  On the shields, I painted the front, and the parts of the back that were'd covered by the armored arm. After that, I painted the faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh".

     I then painted all the lines between the panes with Ceramcoat "Black".  When dry, I went over them again using Accent "Princely Pewter".   After that, I painted the bases with Americana "Neutral Grey", and when dry, gave them a drybrush with Folk Art "Platinum Grey". 

      I let the figures dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figures with Testor's Dullcote".  

    I'm really pleased with how these turned out, and am impressed with how the Contrast paint works on these translucent/clear minis.  I'm looking forward to experimenting with some of the other translucent figures from Bones 5. 

 

Malvernis Soldier: Bones 4 Chronoscope Figure

        This week I painted the "Malvernis Soldier" from the Bones 4 Chronoscope Expansion.  Like the Rach Soldier I did earlier, I have no idea what the official CAV faction colors are, so I did what I found pleasing.

      I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then trimmed the figure's integral base a little, and glued the figure to a 1" green-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.    

     I began by painting the face and hands with a mix of Pathfinder MSP "Medusa Green" and Reaper MSP "Olive Skin".  I then painted the outfit with Crafter's Acrylic "Navy Blue"; and the boots, belts, straps, and pouches with Americana "Zinc".

     Next, because I found I had been painting all my Sci-Fi weaponry black and wanted a change, painted the gun with Pathfinder MSP "Urgathea Red".  A red gun; why not! :)   I then painted the hair with Apple Barrel "Apple Black Green".  When everything had time to dry I gave the skin a coat of Citadel "Reikland Fleshshade" wash; and when that was dry, I gave the outfit and gun a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

     When the washes were dry, I painted the eyes, and then highlighted the skin with a mix of the base "Medusa Green" and "Olive Skin".  I then mixed Reaper MSP "Olive Highlight" with the "Medusa Green" for lighter skin highlights.  After that, I highlighted the hair with Americana "Forest Green", and then did the outfit highlights with Reaper MSP "Ultramarine Blue".

     I decided the hair highlights weren't bright enough, so I added some Americana "Festive Green" to lighten them up a little.  I then highlighted the boots, belts, straps and pouches with the base "Zinc", and then mixed in a little Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".   After that, I highlighted the gun with the base "Urgathea Red", then mixed in some Reaper MSP" Fresh Blood" for lighter highlights.  Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  

      I let the figure and base dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.   Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's "Dullcote". 

    I'm happy with the figure, and I like the splash of color the gun provides.  I only gave this a quick spray of the Dullcote, as I held the figure just out the door, becuase it was very humid out.  I can see now that it as not enough, or I didn't shake the can well enough, as it's still very shiny.  I will have to respray it when the humidity lowers.

   In other news, I received my Bones 5 shipping notification!  So next Monday's post will be a Bones 5 show and tell.  If you have anything from Bones 5 you want to see, and I ordered it, I will happily post a photo of it.  Let me know in the comments here.

My Consolidated List of Purchases:

1)Core                                                  

2) Brinewind Expansion                                                                                     

3) Dark Depths Expansion x2

4) Chronoscope Expansion

5) Dungeon Dwellers Expansion X2                                

6) Brinewind Extras

7) Dwarf King Crypt X2

8) Catfolk 

9) Catapult x2

10) War Mammoth

11) Trebuchet

12) Balista

13) Henchmen

14) Boulderkin

15) Zombies

16) Elves                                                   

17) Gem Dragon

18) Charnel Pit      

19) Armory

20)Foerster’s Favorites Paint

21)Fan Favorites

22)Townsfolk

23)Shadow of Ravenhome

24) Constructs set

25) Mandupar Pass

26) Shadow Dragon

27) Boulderkin, 2 sets

Female Android: Bones 4 Chronoscope Figure

    This past week I continued painting Sci-Fi for Stargrave, and painted the "Female Android" from the Bones 4 Chronoscope Expansion.  I think this figure is a pretty close match for the iconic robot "Maria" in the classic 1927 film "Metropolis".

  I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then trimmed the figure's integral base a little, and glued the figure to a 1" green-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.           

      I knew I wanted to paint it in the silver tones of the figure's movie counterpart, so I began by giving it a base coat of Ceramcoat "White".   When dry, I gave the figure a coat of Citadel Contrast "Black Templar". 

     I let the Contrast paint dry, and then drybrushed the figure with, first, Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", and then Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".

     Next, I did lighter highlights with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow", and then some specific highlights with Reaper MSP "Sophie Silver".  After that I painted the eyes, using Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue", and adde Americana "Snow White" highlights.  Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  

      I let the figure and base dry overnight and the next day I gave them both a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.   Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's "Dullcote". 

    This was a quick paint, and I'm really pleased with the results.  Also like how the Contrast paint worked as a base for metallic drybrushing.  It should be good for knights as well.

Space Henchman: Bones 4 Chronoscope Figure

      This past week I painted the "Space Henchman" from the Bones 4 Chronoscope Expansion.  I thought he would be a good all-purpose crewman or rabble for Stargrave.

      I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish-soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying it.  I then trimmed the figure's integral base a little, and glued the figure to a 1" brown-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then placed the figure in my painting grip.        

     There was something about this figure that made me think "potato", so that was the skin color I picked for him.  So I began by picking a nice potato color for his skin, and painted it with Reaper MSP "Shield Brown".  After that, I painted his shirt with Folk Art "Dove Grey", and his pants with Ceramcoat "Denim Blue".

     Next, I painted his boots with Americana "Charcoal Grey", his belts with  Raper MSP "Drow Elf Skin", and his gun and bracelets with Ceramcoat "Black".

     I then painted his teeth with Americana "Antique White", and his bracelets and buckles with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey".   I let everything dry for a while, and then gave his head and arms a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When that was dry, I have all his clothing and accessories a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash. 

     When the washes were dry, I highlighted his teeth with Americana "Bleached Sand:, and then painted his eyes, using Crafter's Acrylic "Daffodil Yellow" for the "whites".   I then highlighted his skin with a mix of the base "Sheld Brown" and some Ceramcoat "Territorial Beige".  Next, I highlighted his shirt, first with th base "Dove Grey", and then with Americana "Snow White".   After that, I highlighted his pants with a mix of the base "Denim BLue", and some Crafter's Acrylic "Cool Blue".

      I then highlighted his boots with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and his gun with Apple Barrel "Apple Scotch Blue".   After that, I highlighted his belts with Reaper MSP "Dark Elf Highlight", and his bracelets and buckles with  Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  Lastly, I painted the base with Americana "Neutral Grey".  

      I let the figure and base dry overnight and the next day I gave them both a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.   Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's "Dullcote". 

     I'm happy with this guy.  He really looks the part of a Henchman I think.  I couldn't help but start referring to him as "Spuds MacKenzie" as I was painting him [an 80's name reference the older readers will recognize :) ], and I think that name may stick when he joins my crew.