Suit of Armor: Bones 5 Figures

     This past week I continued to work on the Bones 5 Core Armory set and painted up a pair of the "Suit of Armor " figures.  I had one from the Core Set, and one from an additional Armory set I had pledged for from the Core break out offerings .  

     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 each of them to a 7/8" grey-primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the figures to a large craft stick with a couple drops of Elmer's glue. 

     I began by painting the figures entirely with Ceramcoat "White".  I let that dry, and then gave both pieces a complete coat of slightly thinned Citadel Contrast "Templar Black".

     When the "Templar Black was dry, I drybrushed them with Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  I then did follow-up drybrush coats with Reaper MSP "Polished Silver", and a lighter final drybrush with Reaper MSP "Sophie Silver"

     Next, I gave the support pole on the back of each figure a coat of Citadel Contrast "Snakebite Leather".  After that, I painted the belt on each one with Crafter's Acrylic "Cinnamon Brown", and the platform each stands on with Ceramcoat "Charcoal".

     I then gave the belts a wash with Citadel Shade "Agrax Earthshade", and the platforms a wash of Citadel Shade "Nuln Oil".  I let those washes dry, and then I highlighted the belts with Americana "Sable Brown", and I did a drybrush highlighting on each platform with Crafter's Acrylic "Storm Cloud Grey".  I also added highlights to the support poles with DecoArt Dazzling Metallics "Bright Brass".  Lastly, I went back and did some spot highlights on some of the rivets with the "Sophie Silver".

     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 happy with how these turned out with a quick paint job on them.  Not perfect, but just right for some nice scenery.

Gingerbread Knight: Christmas 2021 Promo Figure

     The past two week I worked on the Gingerbread Knight, which was a Bones USA promo figure that came in this year's Reaper Christmas Sampler.  With all that was going on with preparation for Christmas, I thought this would be a fast and fun figure to work on.

        I prepped the figure in the usual way, soaking the parts (comes with the left arm as a separate piece) 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 arm to the body using Gorilla superglue gel. Next, I glued the figure to a 1" primed metal washer, using Aleene's Tacky Glue.  I glued the washer to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's School Glue. 

     I tried to take the easy route first and use Citadel Contrast paint for the gingerbread.  So I gave the figure a base coat of Ceramcoat "White"; and when dry, I mixed some Citadel Contrast "Fyreslayer Flesh" and Citadel Contrast "Snakebite Leather" together and painted it on the figure.  When dry, I was sad to see that it came out very mottled.  I had hoped it wouldn't, but knew in the back of my mind that it probably would.  Oh, well; I tried.

     I then started over, painting directly over the Contrast paint, with a mix of Folk Art "Teddy Bear Brown" and a little Accent "Mustard Seed".  When dry, I gave the entire figure a coat of Citadel Shade "Agrax Earhdahde".  I let that dry, and then drybrushed the figure with some Reaper MSP "Ginger Cookie", because I just had to.  :) 

     Next, I painted all the icing decorations, as well as his epaulette and candy cane, with Americana "Snow White"  I let that dry, and then did his eyes and belt with a mix of Reaper MSP "Ultramarine Blue" and  Crafter's Acrylic "Tropical Blue".  Then I painted his mouth a mix of Folk Art "Tomato Red" and Crafter's Acrylic "Tutti Frutti".  After that, I painted his buttons with Crafter's Acrylic "Holiday Green".

     I then painted the stripes on the candy cane and epaulette with some Citadel Contrast "Blood Angels Red" in hopes it would give it a bit of a translucent look. When it was dry, I touched up all the white parts of the icing with Reaper MSP "Peppermint White".  Again, becuase I felt I just had to. :) Lastly I painted the entire base with Americana "Zinc". 

      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 base.  When this was dry I  painted it with Citadel Contrast "Basilicanum Grey".  When that was dry,  I drybrushed the sand withAmericana "Grey Sky".  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figures with Testor's Dullcote".   Afterwards, I went back and painted the epaulette and candy cane with some Americana "DuraClear Gloss" varnish.

     I'm pleased with how this fun figure turned out. It was just the perfect simple sculpt to tackle in the busy weeks leading up to Christmas.

Halloween Knight: Bones 5 Figure, Part 2 (Completed)

    Last week I started work on the "Halloween Knight" from the Bones 5 Core Set.  Given the time of year, I thought I'd take a break from working on the Dwarf King's Crypt, and do one of the Halloween figures that came in Bones 5.  Unfortunately, I didn't get it done on time, so this past week I orked on finishing the figure up.

   Part one of painting this figure can be found here: Part 1.

         Picking up where I left off, I painted parts of the dagger and scabbard with the Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Gray".  I then gave, the cape,  shield, weapons, and hands a coat of the Citadel Contrast "Nuln Oil" wash.  When that was dry, I have the pumpkin head a coat of Citadel "Agrax Earthshade" wash.  When the washes were dry, I highlighted the head with the base "Orange Spice", and some Americana "Tangerine". I then painted the pumpkin's stem with Crafter's Acrylic "Forest Green". 

     Next, I highlighted the stem with a mix of the base "Forest green", and some Americana "Jade Green".  I then painted the interior of the eyes, mouth and nose with Americana "Snow White".  When dry, I applied some Citadel Contrast "Iyanden Yellow" to the eyes, mouth, and nose.  When the "Iyanden Yellow" was dry, I highlighted the center area of the eyes, mouth and nose, with a little Crafter's Acrylic Daffodil Yellow", and then a little of the "Snow White".  I then highlighted the scabbard with some Crafter's Acrylic "Purple Passion", and the hands with the base "Alien Flesh".  After that, I worked on highlighting the cape's lining using the base Pathfinder MSP "Urgathea Red", and some Reaper MSP "Holly Berry". 

      I then highlighted the cape's exterior with the Reaper MSP's Dark Elf Skin triad, "Dark Elf Shadow," "Dark Elf Skin", and "Dark Elf Highlight".  After that, I highlighted the shield straps with Reaper MSP "Dusky Skin".  Next, I highlighted the shield's face with the base Folk Art Color Shift "Purple Flash", and then mixed a little Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver" in to lighten it.  Finally, I picked out some highlights on the armor, sword, and dagger with the Metallic Silver; and then did some highlights on the shield's decoration, as well as the shoulder pads, and the armor's skull and coffin embellishments with some Ceramcoat "Wedding Gold".  I wrapped things up painting the base with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

     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 flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote".   

     I'm really happy with how this figure turned out.  It was a nice break from painting Zombie Dwarves! 

Halloween Knight: Bones 5 Figure, Part 1

     This past week I started work on the "Halloween Knight" from the Bones 5 Core Set.  Given the time of year, I thought I'd take a break from working on the Dwarf King's Crypt, and do one of the Halloween figures that came in Bones 5.  Unfortunately, I didn't get it done on time, so will post the rest of the painting information next Monday.

     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" primed metal washer with some Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then put the figure into my painting grip.       

     To start, I painted all the armor and the sword with Ceramcoat "Black".  When the "Black" was dry, I drybrushed the armor with Reaper MSP "Scorched Metal".  I then drybrushed the shoulder pieces with Folk Art Brushed Metal "Brushed Bronze".  After that, I drybrushed the scale armor skirt with Folk Art Color shift "Black Flash". 

     Next, I painted the lining of the cape with Pathfinder MSP "Urgathea Red", and then the did the hands with Reaper MSP "Alien Flesh".  After that, I painted the back of the shield with Reaper MSP "Nightmare  Black", and used the "Brushed Bronze" to paint the skull on the left of the chest armor and the little coffin on the right, as well as defining the base of the shoulder pieces.  I let everything dry for a while, and then gave the armor and the hands a coat of Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.

     When the "Nuln Oil" was dry, I drybrushed the plate armor with a mix of the base "Scorched Metal, and some Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver".  Next, drybrushed the scale armor with the base "Black Flash" with a little of the "Metallic Silver mixed in as well, and the shoulder pieces with Folk Art Metallics "Pure Gold".  I then used the "Pure Gold to touch up the armor skull and coffin with a regular brush. After that, I painted the outer layer of the cape with Reaper MSP "Coal Black", and then painted the dagger sheath and coffin-lid shield face with Crafter's Acrylic "African Violet". I also painted the pumpkin head with Crafter's Acrylic "Orange Spice". 

     Next, I painted the shield face with Folk Art Color Shift "Purple Flash", and then painted the sword with Folk Art Metallic "Gunmetal Gray".  After that, I painted the design on the shield and parts of the sword hilt with Americana "Antique Gold". 

   And that's where I am now.   I hope to finish it up this week, and have it ready to post on Monday. See you all then.

    Part 2, the completion on the figure, can be found here: Part 2

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. 

 

Maggotcrown Axeman: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

   This past week I painted a set of 4 of the "Maggotcrown Axemen" figures as my final step in building a 12 man unit of the Maggotcrown soldiers from the Dreadmere Expansion.   This completes the unit, and I have included a photo of the whole group together at the end of this post. 

    Here is the painting article for the Swordsmen, and here is the one for the Spearmen.
     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 all 4 figures to 1" brown-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers onto a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's white glue.

     I was very pleased with the results of using Citadel Contrast "Black Templar" paint on the previous 8 Maggotcrown soldiers as the base for drybrushing their armor, instead of my usual solid black basecoat, so I began by giving the Axemen all complete coats of Ceramcoat "White" to act as a base primer coat for the Contrast paint, like I did on the Swordsmen.   I then painted the armor, axe heads, and shield backs and skulls with Citadel Contrast "Black Templar".

  When the "Black Templar was dry, I drybrushed the armor and swords with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", followed with a drybrushing of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and lastly a light drybrush with some Citadel "Mithril Silver".   After that, I painted the tunics with Reaper MSP Pathfinder "Urgathoa Red", and I repainted their chins with the "White".

Next, I painted the tabards, and the eyes on the shield skulls with Ceramcoat "Black"; and then painted the belts, gloves, and shield straps with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  After that, I painted the exposed parts of their faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh", and then did the faces of their shields with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood".  At this point  I went back over the chainmail with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash  to help it pop.    And, while I had the "Nuln Oil" out, I decided I also wanted to define the edges of the tabard, belts, and tunic, a little better, so I traced along the edges where the tabard and belts met the tunic using the wash.

     After that, I painted the inside of the shields with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then painted the skulls on the shields with Americana "Snow White", and then the axe handles with Americana "Charcoal Grey".

     Next, I highlighted the tunics with a mix of the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red". I then highlighted the tabards with Ceramcoat "Charcoal" followed with Americana "Zinc"; and followed that with highlighting the belts and gloves with Citadel "The Fang".  After highlighting those parts, I highlighted the shields using Reaper MSP Holly Berry" and some Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  Lastly,  I did some highlights on the axe handles with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the shoulder skulls and helmets with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow".  I then painted the bases with the "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the Axemen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote". 

    And here's a look at the whole unit.  I'm really happy with how these guys turned out.  They have a nice sinister menace about them; perfect for keeping the peace in some backwater village on orders from the .corrupt ruler. 

Maggotcrown Spearman: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

     This past week I painted a set of 4 of the "Maggotcrown Spearman" figures as my next step in building a 12 man unit of the Maggotcrown soldiers from the Dreadmere Expansion.   I had my original Maggotcrown soldier figures from the Kickstarter, and expanded my unit through trades and direct purchases from Reaper. Last week I painted the four Swordsman figures.
       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 wanted one of the Spearmen to be the Sergeant of the unit;  so I cut the top half of his spear off, drilled out his hand, and then cut down a halberd from one of the Bones 3 weapon sprues and glued it in place into the hole in his hand.  I then glued all 4 figures to 1" brown-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers onto a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's white glue.

    I was very pleased with the results of using Citadel Contrast "Black Templar" paint on the previous four Maggotcrown soldiers as the base for drybrushing their armor, instead of my usual solid black basecoat, so I began by giving the Spearmen all complete coats of Ceramcoat "White" to act as a base primer coat for the Contrast paint, like I did on the Swordsmen.   I then painted the armor and shields with Citadel Contrast "Black Templar".

      When the "Black Templar was dry, I drybrushed the armor and swords with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", followed with a drybrushing of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and lastly a light drybrush with some Citadel "Mithril Silver".   After that, I painted the tunics with Reaper MSP Pathfinder "Urgathoa Red", and I repainted their chins with the "White".

 Next, I painted the tabards, and the eyes on the shield skulls with Ceramcoat "Black"; and then painted the belts, gloves, and shield straps with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  After that, I painted the exposed parts of their faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh", and then did the faces of their shields with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood".  I decided at that point that the chainmail was drybrushed too heavily and had lost its detail, so I went back over it with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  

     While I had the "Nuln Oil" out, I decided I also wanted to define the edges of the tabard, belts, and tunic, a little better, so I traced along the edges where the tabard and belts met the tunic using the wash.  After that, I painted the inside of the shields with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then painted the skulls on the shields with Americana "Snow White", and the spear shafts with Americana "Charcoal Grey".

      Next, I highlighted the tunics with a mix of the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red". I then highlighted the tabards with Ceramcoat "Charcoal" followed with Americana "Zinc"; and followed that with highlighting the belts and gloves with Citadel "The Fang".  After highlighting those parts, I highlighted the shields using Reaper MSP Holly Berry" and some Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  Lastly,  I did some highlights on the spear shafts with Americana "Mississippi Mud", and the shoulder skulls and helmets with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow".  I then painted the bases with the "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the Spearmen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote". 

     Like the Swordsmen, I'm happy with these guys; and now am really looking forward to seeing the completed unit.  Hopefully I will be able to wrap these guys up in the next week or two now that the Holidays are almost upon us, and free painting time will become scarcer. 

Maggotcrown Swordsman: Bones 4 Dreadmere Figure

      This past week I painted a set of 4 of the "Maggotcrown Swordsman" figures as a first step in building a 12 man unit of the Maggotcrown soldiers from the Dreadmere Expansion.   I had my original Maggotcrown soldier figures from the Kickstarter, and expanded my unit through trades and direct purchases from Reaper.

       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 wanted one of the Swordsmen to be the leader of the unit,  so I cut his sword arm at the elbow and repositioned it, and then sculpted him a helmet crest using some greenstuff.  I then glued them all to 1" brown-primed fender washers with Aleene's Tacky glue.  I then glued the washers onto a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's white glue.

     I wanted to try some Citadel Contrast "Black Templar" paint on these as the base for drybrushing their armor, instead of my usual solid black basecoat, so I began by giving them all complete coats of Ceramcoat "White" to act as a base primer coat for the Contrast paint.   I then painted the armor and shields with Citadel Contrast "Black Templar".

     When the "Black Templar was dry, I drybrushed the armor and swords with Folk Art Metallics "Gunmetal Grey", followed with a drybrushing of Ceramcoat "Metallic Silver", and lastly a light drybrush with some Citadel "Mithril Silver".   After that, I painted the tunics with Reaper MSP Pathfinder "Urgathoa Red".

     Next, I painted the tabards, and the eyes on the shield skulls with Ceramcoat "Black"; and then painted the belts, gloves, and shield straps with Reaper MSP "Coal Black".  After that, I painted the exposed parts of their faces with Citadel Contrast "Gulliman Flesh", and then did the faces of their shields, and the leader's crest with Reaper MSP "Fresh Blood".  I decided at that point that the chainmail was drybrushed too heavily and had lost its detail, so I went back over it with some Citadel "Nuln Oil" wash.  

    While I had the "Nuln Oil" out, I decided I also wanted to define the edges of the tabard, belts, and tunic, a little better, so I traced along the edges where the tabard and belts met the tunic using the wash.  After that, I painted the inside of the shields with some Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter".  I then painted the skulls on the shields with Americana "Snow White".

     Next, I highlighted the tunics with a mix of the base "Urgathoa Red" mixed with Reaper MSP Bones "Cinnamon Red". I then highlighted the tabards with Ceramcoat "Charcoal" followed with Americana "Zinc"; and followed that with highlighting the belts, gloves and shield straps with Citadel "The Fang".  After highlighting those parts, I highlighted the shields and the officer's crest using Reaper MSP Holly Berry", and some Reaper MSP "Hearth Fire".  Lastly,  I did some highlights on the shoulder skulls and helmets with Reaper MSP "Sparkling Snow", and then painted the bases with Americana "Mississippi Mud".

     I let the Swordsmen dry overnight and the next day I gave them a coat of Americana "DuraClear Matte" varnish.    Then, when  the varnish was dry, I used some white glue to flock the bases.  Another overnight dry, and I sprayed them with Testor's "Dullcote". 

    I'm really pleased with ow these guys turned out.   Sometimes I really appreciate these nice simple, clean and plain, sculpts and what an ease they are to paint.