Benihana's Long-winded WIP (Skaven and Random)

[Benihana]

It's high time I posted, and perhaps that will help me get things moving. A bit about myself: I'm 28 and living in central California. I was in the Navy on the East coast for 6 years, got out and wasted a year or so on World of Warcraft, and have since been working toward a Mechanical Engineering degree. I originally had the idea that making WoW minis would be fun, perhaps with sets of weapons and armor that the customer would select depending on their character, but have long since abandoned the idea. My first mini purchase was a dwarven command set for reference, which I still have around here somewhere (last edition I believe). I have a few projects on my plate, the largest, my Skaven army which I have been slowly collecting, which is in various forms of bare plastic to painted metal (but will all be stripped), and is mostly only missing some Stormvermin, Jezzails, and custom units I'm planning.

I chose this next mini because I loved the sculpt for some reason, with the exception of the face. Her head is too large, her eyes are too high, and her face is too round. I'm going to attempt to correct that (I've already shaved the metal a bit) but I'm not totally certain how to proceed. I'm worried I may have to lop it off and craft her a new one. I've decided to paint her in Protectorate of Menoth style, because I like the colors, and if I played WM in the future I could perhaps use her somehow? The base is constructed from gears from a toy robot (which had a disappointingly low number of gears - I've tried to find broken watches but thrift stores seem to want way too much for them). The small gear has a pin going through which lines up with the base in the back, as does the screw gear on the left. The Menoth symbol isn't as rough in person, but I'll still probably try to clean it up a bit. She will sit a few mm lower once I drill the gear she's standing on, and cut her slotta to fit, or pin her in.


IMG_0002 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0007 by benihana, on Flickr

Here are some ideas for the paint scheme and freehand detail. The shoulder trim, elbow and wristpad, and perhaps boots will be gold with dark relief. The shoulderpads, perhaps arms will be Menoth red. The cloak is white (with perhaps gold trim), and the chainmail and mace (once straightened) will be dull silver metal. The nameplate looking things on the shoulderpads are a bit odd to me, I wasn't sure what to do with them.


IMG_0018 by benihana, on Flickr

This is another figure I couldn't resist after the first time I saw it. I'm not planning to do much, if any, conversion work on the figure, except fix her miscast scabard (I've already shaved it down). The old style radio/phonograph is meant to have a sort of steampunk-ish feel (without being overly steampunk), to fit with her guitar. It ended up a bit larger than intended, and seems to dwarf her, so I might redo it (and give the speaker part more curvature). I tried having it come out of the top, but it looks better curved around the back (currently stuck on with clay). The amp part will sit on claw style supports, and I may add a few cables going to her guitar. She'll also sit flush with the base –I may add some kind of stage.


IMG_0012 by benihana, on Flickr

Next up is Skaven. For now I'm only giving a teaser. These are not going to be used as shields or bases... but they are about the same size as a large shield. I don't like how the third one turned out, so I may redo or come up with something different. The first one needs trim, and the second will look better when painted.


IMG_0016 by benihana, on Flickr

These are custom shields which are much larger than the current Skaven clanrat shields (about 3 or 4 would fit on one of mine). They are meant to be tower shields, though I plan to make some other more rectangular tower shields. The "S" shield is the first of 6... (think "parade" if that's not enough of a hint).


IMG_0017 by benihana, on Flickr

For fun I'm including photos of my first crafted mini. It was made with super sculpey and was before I owned many tools (or rather, before I owned clay shapers, since that's most of what I use now). It is an unfinished Tier 5 priest from WoW ( http://static.wowhead.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/63659.jpg ), and stands about 25mm. When I photographed it, I forgot the staff's top section and bottom are connect by energy thingy, and my original intent was to have the bottom part secured to the base, and the top held by the priest (but aligned with the bottom, a few mm above). If I decided to finish this project, I would certainly redo it using green stuff, magicsculpt, and current tools (super sculpey is just too rough and granular).


IMG_0020 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0026 by benihana, on Flickr

And finally, from the same era, a stormtrooper helmet that was meant for a Star Wars project which involved making Micro Machine scale (true 20mm I think?) figurines, but better and with more poses. It didn't photograph well, there's a bit more detail and it's not as rough. Still, I'm including it for fun, I probably won't finish, and if I do I will most likely redo everything. I would definitely like to have ranks of hundreds of stormtroopers one of these days though...


IMG_0022 by benihana, on Flickr

Comments and criticism [bold]very[/bold] welcome (except the last two, you're welcome to comment but I'll just smile and nod if you critique). I'll do my best to keep posting and keep this WIP interesting.

I do have a few questions for you all. I replaced my unmentionable-crap-quality-retail-store-soldering iron with what I'm pretty sure is a decent one from Micro Mark. I'm trying to weld some armatures together, but it doesn't seem to be working. I understand I'm supposed to heat the metal so that it melts the solder (instead of melting the solder directly and trying to add it to the metal), but the metal doesn't get hot enough. When I do get the solder to stay, the joint is very weak. Am I perhaps using the wrong kind of metal, solder, or soldering iron? Should I just switch to brown stuff or the like? I thought the solder would be strong and give a realistic weld look where left exposed.

Any suggestions on a Skaven abomination? I probably won't field it, but I'd like to build one. I absolutely hate the official model, and I'm not a fan of most of the customs people have done (Jabba or Jabba-on-wheels). So far, my best ideas are a giant rat ogre with steam tank plates for shin-guards, and perhaps a giant (custom) censer, or a giant naked mole (Warpstone mutated of course), or perhaps hijacking Leon Brachwurster's Mechanical Menagerie, because it looks both awesome and plenty Skaven-y (I'd modify the wings a bit of course, perhaps make them tattered leather or something to explain why it can't fly).

Eventually I plan to get either a set of Warriors of Chaos, or a hero that uses those shields, because I like the look. I'm also planning to do a unit of Quar from Zombiesmith, and I'm always on the lookout for interesting models and more ratsssssssss >

 

[Benihana]

Alright, here's something completely different that I've been working on, which has revealed to me that I either need LOTS of practice, or should just have someone else paint my stuff. I've painted a few minis, and when I say few, I literally mean few. I was unsure what these minis were from, but have since identified them as Reaper (and they seem to be available still, so I don't need to worry about ruining something rare!). I modified the villager (with the hood on) to look like the other, so they could be used in a D&D campaign.

Things I am painfully aware of now (so you don't need to mention them ):
The green stuff needed a bit more smoothing work
My press mold for the shield was not sharp enough
The added chainmail looks awful
Don't trust someone else's primer, especially on metal
Fill gaps! (see the unhooded man's right arm, parts of his beard, and left eye)
Actually the unhooded man is all around a pretty shoddy cast, so I should have done some work on his head first
Both maces turned out poorly, and needed more detail/sharpness
I tried to go for a worn leather look, with cracks, but I don't think I succeeded
No NMM was used, I'm going to start with the basics
The color scheme was way too warm - red and yellow, what was I thinking?

It's a long list, I'm sure there's more. I have a bit more work (the bases, skin, possibly a little freehand trim on the cloaks) to do on both until I'm "done," after which I will probably move on rather than trying to invest more time. I do mean to trim broccoli bases in the future, as the attempt to simply blend it with green stuff didn't work as well as hoped.

Without further ado (CC very welcome!):


IMG_0028 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0032 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0035 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0038 by benihana, on Flickr

 

[marjedi]

Looks ok so far, although the dude on the rights face looks half melted or something, his eyes are crooked

 

[Benihana]

Looks ok so far, although the dude on the rights face looks half melted or something, his eyes are crooked

That is quite accurate. :/ I tried to fix it with paint, but it may be past fixable. Gouge his eye out completely?

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Benihana]

Ugh. Help? Specifically trying to work on the face, but any and all comments are welcome.

Are my brushes simply too large? Paint too thick (seems hard to get paint where you want it if the paint is too thin). Are the models simply not good enough (e.g. the melted face). I've been using a craptastic 0000 brush, and finally broke out my W&N Sable series 7 0 that I had been saving for when I knew what I was doing, and now I want to buy an entire crate of them and never look back. I tried to treat it gently, but I'm sure it's already considered "worn out" by many.

I think the rocks turned out decent, I base coated them with a Mars-red color and let it show through in spots, to look like slate. The grass/dirt/pitted-unrealistic-land is dark green, and I may add flock, or try to turn it into dirt. Looks a lot like moss I guess...

So should I keep on it, or work on something different? Is it worth trying to freehand the cloaks like I mentioned?
(The guy on the right's nose is broken, I may push it back to straighten it)

IMG_0044 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0046 by benihana, on Flickr

 

[kathrynloch]

Hi Beni!

Well, just like imperfections in primer or that seam that you didn't see while prepping become totally obvious when you hit it with paint, any problems with the sculpt are going to pop. You're not going to hide or fix anything with paint.

It appears as if you're trying to work on two different things at the same time and problems with both are interfering. While I know you want to paint your conversions, grab a mini that is a very nice sculpt, with no problems and just paint it. That way, you can just look at your painting and spot the mistakes there and work on correcting them. On conversions, just sculpt and convert don't worry about painting them yet. Once they are completed with the sculpting, set them down for a couple of days. Put them where you can't look at them. Then a few days later, pull them out and see what you can see. You'll be surprised how putting something away for a short time allows you to come back to it with a fresh eye.

But keep the two projects separate at first that way you can more easily see how to fix one thing or the other.

Having the appropriate brush helps tremendously. Having the paint the right consistency is important too. You want it thin but not so thin it runs and you don't have control of it. Do you wipe your brush on a paper towel after you load it? I paint on top of paper towels and they have paint brush marks all over them because I load the brush, take a swipe to remove excess paint, then I hit the mini.

Keep up the great work!

 

[marjedi]

What the Queen said...plus make or buy a wetpalette, it makes life alot easier

 

[kathrynloch]

What the Queen said...plus make or buy a wetpalette, it makes life alot easier

lol! I'm not the Queen, I'm the Alchemist.

 

[marjedi]

Uhoh....so thats why im growing a tail since i started posting here, you have spiked my water lol

 

[Benihana]

It appears as if you're trying to work on two different things at the same time and problems with both are interfering. While I know you want to paint your conversions, grab a mini that is a very nice sculpt, with no problems and just paint it. That way, you can just look at your painting and spot the mistakes there and work on correcting them. On conversions, just sculpt and convert don't worry about painting them yet. Once they are completed with the sculpting, set them down for a couple of days. Put them where you can't look at them. Then a few days later, pull them out and see what you can see. You'll be surprised how putting something away for a short time allows you to come back to it with a fresh eye.

If only it was two things... >< I've got another dozen projects that I haven't even posted, but all of them sculpting/customing rather than painting. I painted a little pirate (it was pretty much brown, tan, and white, oh and more brown), and a terribly Space Marine (tan, red and white... I'm starting to see a pattern here!), so these are my first really "complete" painted minis!

My problem is that I can't seem to grab a mini and just paint it. As in with my bard with the guitar, I can't bring myself to just drop her on a plain base, paint and flock it, I've got to build my own base. ><

I will indeed follow this advice! I do think the minis I picked to paint first were not the greatest. Hindsight...

Having the appropriate brush helps tremendously. Having the paint the right consistency is important too. You want it thin but not so thin it runs and you don't have control of it. Do you wipe your brush on a paper towel after you load it? I paint on top of paper towels and they have paint brush marks all over them because I load the brush, take a swipe to remove excess paint, then I hit the mini.

I have this terrible problem where I jab the brush at times (especially when rinsing), rather than wiping/brushing. Of course this is due to the paint being too thick, but it seems like I have no control over the paint when it's too thin. I'll work on moving toward thinner, and applying less at a time? I usually either run it on my palette, or dab it on a paper towel, depending on how much I'm trying to apply.

On the note of paint, I've been using my heavy body acrylic, and I'm beginning to wonder if the pigment is just not as fine as model paint. I'm using it for a few reasons, partially because I have plenty of it, and don't want to buy $100+ worth of paint. I also don't like the idea of having pre-mixed colors (P3 Skull bone white... or whatever), but I guess I could just buy the primaries and secondaries and do that even with model paint.

So ya, probably need to water it down even more. The ratios I hear seem absurd, so I'll have to make baby steps...

Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the comments and encouragements! I'll just keep at it.

Edit: I DO have a few metallic colors for using until I learn proper NMM. And a few inks that I picked up, but I haven't really been using them. Seems like they overpower hand painted stuff (and are for quick tabletop jobs).

 

[Benihana]

What the Queen said...plus make or buy a wetpalette, it makes life alot easier

I made a wet palette a while back, but it got moldy due to negligence I think. I made a new one last night, so we'll see how it goes. The bummer part is that it's not white (since it's wet and semi-transparent), and I've had white palette ingrained in my head. Also I have to put enough paint down that I don't run out of a crucial color. ><

Thanks again for the comments!

 

[cassar]

some nice conversion work, maybe im too old getting but i cant figure out how you lot sculpt and paint stuff that size Lol.

 

[johnynoi]

I'm having the same problem too with applying the paint to the model too but getting better at thinning the paint and wiping it off, it does make applying it easier! Theres a lot to be said for a good brush too, I use Rosemary & co brushes now and for less than £4 their series 33 brushes are fantastic! With a good daily clean and not getting paint stuck in the ferrule they are lasting over a year! I think good brush care has had a dramatic effect on my painting! My girlfriend thought I was nuts when I asked for her conditioner to use on my brushes!

When you say heavy acrylics, are they more art acrylics? I found proper model paint to be far easier to use than anything else, especially in lighter colours. Then again I remember 18 years ago using humbrol aircraft paints on my models, never a good look!

 

[kathrynloch]

On the note of paint, I've been using my heavy body acrylic, and I'm beginning to wonder if the pigment is just not as fine as model paint. I'm using it for a few reasons, partially because I have plenty of it, and don't want to buy $100+ worth of paint. I also don't like the idea of having pre-mixed colors (P3 Skull bone white... or whatever), but I guess I could just buy the primaries and secondaries and do that even with model paint.

So ya, probably need to water it down even more. The ratios I hear seem absurd, so I'll have to make baby steps...



Thanks for the comments and encouragements! I'll just keep at it.

Edit: I DO have a few metallic colors for using until I learn proper NMM. And a few inks that I picked up, but I haven't really been using them. Seems like they overpower hand painted stuff (and are for quick tabletop jobs).

I have some heavy body acrylic too and yes, you need to thin it a lot more than regular paint. Remember, it's designed for impasto techniques and stuff like that. Big thick chunky stuffs - so the more you thin it, the better off you'll be. If you can grab some acrylic retarder or flow improver, that will probably help the situation. Those will thin the paints without reducing strength or opacity.

Some inks you need to really water down and it helps if you add something like Future floor polish or even a spot or two of liquid dish soap. I have a Winsor & Newton Peat Brown ink that I can use full strength, but if I were to try to do that with their the Black Ink - hah! It's darker than my black paint! I really have to water that one down.

I have a lot of "non-hobby" paints and as I mix colors, I put them in empty paint pots - I add acrylic retarder or a flow medium to the mix and paint directly from that pot. I think if you try something like that with the heavy body acrylics it will work better for you. But when you open the pot again, you must add new water at the very least because they thicken up from just standing around.

 

[Benihana]

I'll reply to the comments tomorrow, save for the "impasto" comment. I was aware acrylic was pretty thick, but just thought people chose it over oil for texture because it dries so much faster. We used it in class because it's cheap, doesn't require ventilation, and does a better job of explaining color theory than watercolor. I was aware it was painfully thick compared to mini paint. :/

So I'm gonna treat you all to a mini-tutorial. Mini because it doesn't seem like it needs an actual article-tutorial, not because it's about miniatures (though it is!).

So I wanted to recreate GW rope, and my first attempt using green stuff was okay, but was tedious and difficult without something to push into (click on photos if you need a better look):


rope1 by benihana, on Flickr
(that does actually look better, since you're looking at macro)

My next attempt simply involved twisting two strands of 22 gauge florist wire. Too thick, and very uneven (unlike rope):


rope2 by benihana, on Flickr

So I switched to 28 gauge, but that wasn't much better:


rope3 by benihana, on Flickr

And here's 28 gauge, but 3 strands instead of 2. I think GW uses 3 or 4. Looking pretty good, but still a bit uneven, and definitely still tedious:


rope4 by benihana, on Flickr

Here I tried a different approach. Wrap a core of 22 ga with a strand of 28 ga. Looked okay... if I was looking for a power cable. Good alternative if you don't have any and don't want to wait:

rope5 by benihana, on Flickr

Same thing, but two strands instead of 1. Looks pretty much the same. I thought it would have a steeper angle. If you want multistrand rope (instead of braided), you might consider this technique with 3 or 4, maybe more, strands. It also looks decent as a weapon wrap, though flat straps would probably be better:


rope6 by benihana, on Flickr

So here's what I finally did, and what worked. You're going to need 2 clamp-y things. I used a pair of vice-grips and a pair of wire cutters, but 2 c-clamps should even work. If they can clamp down without you (as is the case for vise-grips or c-clamps), all the better.

Then you just twist! The photo is of 22 ga., 2 strand, which matched the bit I was using for reference most closely (though again, probably 3 or 4 strand is what they use).

You're going to want to pick a direction, and stick with it. Otherwise if you have to put it down, and come back, you might twist the wrong way and ruin it. e.g. I'm left handed, so if I am refilling my cup and someone else's, I always carry my cup in my left hand to remember. Or go by lefty-loosy, righty-tighty. Just be consistent.

The other thing you need to do is apply tension. The wire should be tight enough that it is straight. May be a no-brainer, but worth the trouble. So pull, and twist:


rope7 by benihana, on Flickr

End result:


rope8 by benihana, on Flickr

Reference (zoomed in more than the others):


rope9 by benihana, on Flickr

To fulfill your curiousity, this is what it will be used on. You can see remnants of the green-stuffed rope that will be replaced by metal rope. Also, the rear rat ogre is currently lifting the yoke more than the front one, so all the weight is getting dumped on him (the point is that I just put the components together for a visual, they are by no means close to how they will be when it is done):


ropePurpose by benihana, on Flickr

Regards, hope you can use the results of some of my mistakes for interesting projects!

Edit: I'm doing this because I think Skaven should be practical for going underground, and a massive siege tower style bell tower with wagon wheels is in no way practical. My rat ogre yoke can go through tunnels and sewers!

 

[kathrynloch]

I'll reply to the comments tomorrow, save for the "impasto" comment. I was aware acrylic was pretty thick, but just thought people chose it over oil for texture because it dries so much faster. We used it in class because it's cheap, doesn't require ventilation, and does a better job of explaining color theory than watercolor. I was aware it was painfully thick compared to mini paint. :/

Cool tutorial! Nice job with the rope and bell.

As far as I am aware, companies only "recently" began marketing heavy body acrylics - as in the past couple of years or so. There are basically two kinds now, heavy body acrylics for impasta and that type of techniques, which it sounds like you have and soft body acrylics which are thinner and made for regular painting. Both of those links go to Dick Blick which describes the difference between the two. Mini painting acrylics are just soft body acrylics. Most made by hobby companies have a high pigment value but you can find good quality soft body acrylics in art supply stores that also have good pigment values. Liquitex and Americana are two brands that are good. Apple Barrel is a craft acrylic that has a low pigment value but can be useful with certain colors and situations.

The heavy body acrylics are perfectly usable you just need to to thin them more than the soft body and as I said, use of a flow medium helps tremendously. The more water you add to paint, the more it looses adherence strength and opacity. Adding flow mediums in conjunction with water prevents that.

So there ya go.

 

[Benihana]

some nice conversion work, maybe im too old getting but i cant figure out how you lot sculpt and paint stuff that size Lol.

Most of my sculpting, I have found, just takes place in steps. I learned the hard way, that there's no way to sculpt, say, a coat lapel, AND the buttons on the lapel at the same time. I still usually try to do too much, like that entire segment of green stuff rope. Whenever my green stuff runs out, I'll be switching products.

Theres a lot to be said for a good brush too, I use Rosemary & co brushes now and for less than £4 their series 33 brushes are fantastic! With a good daily clean and not getting paint stuck in the ferrule they are lasting over a year!

I'll order one next go-around, thanks for the recommendation! Are you pretty good about strokes? My biggest problem is usually ruining them that way, they end up frayed and only good for mixing or dry brushing. ><

If you can grab some acrylic retarder or flow improver, that will probably help the situation. Those will thin the paints without reducing strength or opacity.

How funny, I picked up a bottle and was debating buying it the day before you posted this, but talked myself out of it. Went back and bought a bottle of retarder, as they were out of flow improver! (School just starting perhaps?). You mentioned both, so hopefully the one will do just as good as the other.

So far I've had good results! Actually, ended up putting my finger into a pool of paint on my palette which under other conditions should have been dry. >< Also, I use Liquitex primarily. Had a bad experience with Utrecht (somewhat local possibly?), but the guy that worked there convinced me to give them another try, and they have a very good return policy, so it's hard to beat.

Picked up two new colors as well! That Diox purple is by far the most powerful paint I've got in my palette. Turns everything dark very quickly. I was looking to expand my palette upward, since most of my current paint gets pale (loses color faster than value), and ended up settling on these two. Probably do the opposing troops to the red/white ones I posted in purple/black.

IMG_0066 by benihana, on Flickr

I'm a bit surprised that rope tutorial actually worked out... considering the condition I was in that evening... Here are the results, I plan to add bells to the bottom of some of the ropes, maybe something sticking up just a little from the top of the yoke. Also may pull the "rope" and try to wrap it tighter. Balsa can be a pain, and so weak, so I've switched to Basswood (but not before I did this). Holds detail so much better without splintering all to hell. (The shoulder-pad closest to the camera is supposed to look that way, like leather, and should look much better once painted *crossmyfingers*).

IMG_0069 by benihana, on Flickr

And here's the Admiral's base, with as much as I'm going to do before painting I think. I've got other bits, but I don't think I'll be able to paint it entirely if I glue them down now. Not a lot of work there. Could use advice as to the direction the Menoth symbol should point. Straight up? Or at an angle like the gears have been turning (since it's supposed to sorta look like that).

IMG_0070 by benihana, on Flickr

Also picked up more PP bases so I could build one for my bard. I think I'll do a stage, as overused as that is, it just makes sense.

I tried to strip a base I made for my Imperial Officer (same scale as the stormtrooper helm), but it turns out I just painted the fired super sculpey directly, and it won't strip? Using brake fluid, it doesn't work amazingly well on plastic and metal, but well enough. Maybe just re-coat it and paint over it? It was painted in an era where I didn't understand I needed to mix the paint prior to laying it down (so it's basically black and white instead of black, gray, and white).

So not a lot to update on, but more over the weekend hopefully. Thinking I may forget about Skaven for a bit and do a more manageable Merc Pirate unit with some Reaper minis and the PP bases I have. Basically I'm very scatterbrained and have got too many ideas bouncing around!

If you ever need an idea for a diorama, just let me know.

 

[kathrynloch]

Cool Beni! Glad to hear you picked up the retarder. While it's technically not the same, it will do the job you need it to do. As for the sculpey base, if you painted on it directly, the only way you're getting it off is with sanding and elbow grease. I really don't like brake fluid as a stripper - it's brake fluid not paint stripper. I use Dawn Power Dissolver but I don't know if you can get it where you're at. If not, just paint over it.

 

[Benihana]

I use Dawn Power Dissolver but I don't know if you can get it where you're at.

I'm sure I can, or something similar. I also tried 409, but either it's weaker, or just not the same as Simple Green (which others have suggested). Guess I need to stop trying to make do, and get the proper tools of the trade!

I've been pretty busy, thus both the lack of forum activity, and the low productivity. On a positive note, I did finally pick up pin-vise bits and some tufts (or whatever those little grass bundles are called), so some of my projects can move forward. On a negative note (well, as far as mini work goes) school starts very soon.

I took the advice to try a better sculpt, and thin way more. Unfortunately GW plastic models probably don't qualify, but they were a step up from what I had been working on. I missed a mold line or two, some spots are a little rough, and the swordman's face is pretty bad, but I'm sure I'll get better at spotting these things early the more I practice.

Overall I'm a little frustrated and disappointed. I feel like the results I spent hours on could be done with a little basecoat, wash, and drybushing. I try to avoid edge highlighting and black shadows, but sometimes they seem unavoidable to get decent results. I also went a little too light on some of the skin, so I'm gonna have to fix that (especially the hands).

Plan is to do black leather (think Sisters of Battle?), with maybe light leather for the boots, straps, and hat? I might need to include white, as the purple is pretty dark and the black will only be darker. I also crafted the halberdier's helmet since he had a skullcap kinda thing that I didn't like. I probably should have gone all out and done a standard pikeman's helm (bigger around). /shrug Also, if you ever need a realistic spider web effect, just leave your mini outside my apartment for a few minutes (I'm pretty sure it wasn't glue strings). On the plus side, they keep flying bugs down, which I absolutely detest.


IMG_0073 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0081 by benihana, on Flickr


IMG_0082 by benihana, on Flickr

Also, speaking of horses (wait... what?), while I have your attention: My niece loves painting, and she wants to "paint my soldiers with me," but I was thinking... she loves horses and recently pegasuses, and perhaps I could find her one to paint, that was a bit larger. They play with toy horses (probably collector's items, but they're beat all to hell), so I'm thinking worst case I'll just sand and prime one of those, though they seem a bit big. I've looked around, but no one makes a cheap snap-together horse or pegasus, which would be ideal. The lady at a game store today recommended a 1:32 horse (I think?), but I decided to hold out. She also mentioned a 9 inch high horse, but it's rearing and looks very fragile.

Any suggestions?

 

[Benihana]

And I think I can still thin my paint... a lot. I also missed an intermediate tint, so the very lightest tint is somewhat abrupt.