Throwback Project - Wargames Factory Shock Trooper Test Piece

I recently dug another out of production product out of storage and into the light of my work table. Rather than tackle the whole box, I decided to try a single figure first. I had two goals - gain experience with a multi-piece plastic figure and test the subdued paint scheme I had in mind.

"Shock Troops" is printed in a larger font, so let's go with that.

What this product is actually called is a little confusing. Both "Shock Troops" and "Greatcoat Troopers" are clearly visible on the box. I'm going to refer the product as Shock Troops and this test piece as a Shock Trooper to keep them distinct. The now-defunct Wargame Factory produced the Shock Troops about a decade ago. They fit what I was looking for at the time - a set of fairly generic sci-fi bad guys at a reasonable price.

I couldn't get the arms in quite the pose I wanted, but this works for a test piece.

Assembly didn't go quite as planned. I picked a standing body, a head wearing a gas mask and helmet, a weapon that could be either a rifle or energy weapon, and a left arm to support the weapon held by the right arm. The head was a little awkward - I might file down a couple of spots on the neck and body for a better fit next time. I was able to glue the arms on easily enough, but a lack of recent practice with this kind of multi-piece figure meant that the left arm ended up out of position. It's hovering under the weapon rather than supporting it. Given that getting some experience with this kind of thing was a goal here, I'm not too worried about it.

Next, I glued the figure on to a steel fender washer. It's the same approach I use for Reaper Bones miniatures and for the same reasons. The additional weight and width of the steel washer less prone to going prone on the table. The thin washer also doesn't add too much height to a figure that already has an integral base.

Maybe a little too dark and subdued?

The whole piece - washer and all - got a couple of thin coats of Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Black. It bonds well to plastic and doesn't end up looking glossy.

I brushed Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey over the Krylon. It is a dark grey that works well as a highlight for black. In this case, I left some of the Krylon showing in the recesses as shadows.

A mix of Reaper 09293 Alien Flesh and Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey was brushed on to the uppermost parts of the figure as a final highlight.

I had some black-blue wash that I had mixed for a previous project still around, so I brushed some on to blend the different paint layers together. The wash also brought our a little more detail.

For the goggle lenses, I started with an underlayer of white paint. The bright green is Reaper 09294 Alien Goo followed by Citadel Washes Thraka Green.

The final touch was to add some texturing to blend the integral base and the washer together. Some sand and a mix of PVA glue, brown paint, and water did the job. I lightly brushed on a little sandy colored paint over the sand after it dried to add another layer of color.

Rear view. Not the most detail I've seen on a 28mm scale miniature, but enough to get the point across.

The result might be a little too dark and subdued. On the other hand, these are supposed to be mooks or minions rather than major threats. And the paint scheme goes on fairly quickly and easily. Maybe I'll try something similar next time, but with a camouflage color like brown or green.

Reaper Bones 77055 Anval Thricedamned, Evil Warrior

This is 77055 of Reaper's Bones line - Anval Thricedamned, Evil Warrior. Which may very well be the most edgy name I've yet encountered for a Reaper Miniatures product. Bravo! As with the majority of the Bones miniatures in my collection, this one came to me by way of the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do whenever I finish all the Reaper Bones miniatures I currently own. Their low price and commonality means that I can just pick one out, get it done, and move on to the next thing without feeling much pressure. It's a convenient break between other projects. Of course, running out of Bones figures isn't something that I need to worry about in the near future.

Anval wouldn't look out of place in a gladiatorial arena.

Cleaning
Something that I've been neglecting to mention in recent posts is this step. A good scrubbing with a toothbrush and some warm soap and water removes anything that the figure might have picked up from manufacturing, storage, or handling. This is especially important for plastic or resin, but I do it for metal miniatures too.

Basing
I keep a stack of spray primed steel fender washers around for plastic figures. Gluing the integral base on to a washer keeps it from falling over if the table gets bumped.

Priming
I've gotten into the habit of using a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and craft paint - brown in this case - on Bones material. The mix offers a surface suitable for painting and makes the details easier to see.

Metallic Areas
The armor and metal parts of the axe got a layer of Citadel Colour Codex Grey. Metallic paints don't always coat well, so an underlayer is generally a good idea. Next I completely covered the Codex Grey with Citadel Colour Boltgun Metal. Citadel Colour Mithril Silver was used as a highlight.

Metallic Area Wash
I brushed on a coat of Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade Dark Tone to settle into the recessed details and give the armor and axe a well-used appearance.

Skin
My most recent paint purchase was a more diverse range of colors for skin tones. In this case, I decided to give Reaper 09260 Bronzed Skin a try. It's a nice golden tan rather than the dark tan provided by Reaper 09044 Tanned Skin.

Leather and Wood Areas
I used Reaper 09284 Lonestar Leather for the belt, various straps, back of the boots, and axe handle.

Skin, Leather, and Wood Wash
Deciding between Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade Strong and Soft Tones took awhile. The Strong Tone was a little too dark and the Soft Tone was a little too light for the effect I wanted. I ended up mixing the two. It's something I'll have to keep in mind for future projects.

Basing
I glued a little sand along the edges of the integral base to blend it better with the steel washer. The whole thing - integral base, washer, and sand - got painted with a layer of black followed by a layer of grey.

Anval has a question to axe... I'll get my coat.

I like how this one turned out. Although I'm noticing that I seem to have been on a barbarian kick when painting Bones lately. Maybe I'll dig into some other parts of my Bones collection next time.

Kenko Extension Tube Set - First Impressions

The vagarities of product delivery dates, my weekend schedule, and the appearance of a family emergency allowed me a whole hour to try out the extension tubes from Kenko. This is not a proper review, but my first impressions and how I see using this product for shooting the photos posted on this blog. I'm going to be tossing around some camera jargon like aperture settings due to the nature of this post.

The three extension tubes come attached to each other. It makes storage easier.

I purchased the Kenko Teleplus DG Extension Tube Set as an alternative to buying a macro lens. All lenses have a minimum focusing distance. This means that most lenses won't get close enough to a small object for the subject to take up most of the image without getting too close and producing a blurry image. To put it another way, most lenses work fine when taking a photo of a field of flowers, but a photo of a single flower might get lost in the background or be out of focus. Macro lenses can focus on very close objects, but tend to be expensive. Extension tubes change the minimum focusing distance of an existing lens, allowing the lens to get closer to the subject.

All of these photos were shot with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens using the same settings: f/16, ISO 200. The images were cropped from 3:2 to 4:3 to fit this blog's format, but no other editing took place. All ranges were measured from the focal place mark to the subject.

For these test shots, I used a Reaper Chronoscope 50274 Sarah Blitzer, IMEF Sniper placed on top of a Warsenal Small Shipping Container. There was no particular reason for me to pick these as subjects. They just happened to be within reach in the short time I had to spare.

Lens only, 14 inches.

This shot is typical of the ones I've been taking for this blog for awhile now. It is good for shooting a scene or part of a game in progress. The shot is wide enough to show multiple figures with terrain. It is not suitable for showing off a paint job without cropping. It's not bad. A shot like this is useful for certain things, but I've been looking for a way to get the camera a little closer.

12mm extension tube, 12 inches.

Moving the lens a couple of inches towards the subject makes a significant difference. The figure fills more of the shot. Finer details of the sculpt are more clearly viable. Even the texture of the MDF used in the terrain piece is viable. This extension tube will likely see the most use.

20mm extension tube, 9 inches.

Getting in this close means the figure fills most of the shot. This is the equivalent of a close inspection of a miniature without picking it up. The details are clearly viable. So are any flaws in preparation, assembly, or painting.. I'll use this one when I'm feeling confident about the job I did.

36mm extension tube, 7 inches.

This is a little too close. I wasn't able to get the focus as sharp as I'd like - the auto focus refused to work outside of a narrow range and manual focusing was hit and miss. I'm not sure that I need a shot like this for this blog, but I'll keep playing with this as an option.

At this point, I have a rough idea of what each extension tube does. I'll be getting a better grasp of how to best use them as I shoot photos of upcoming projects for this blog. I'll share those more in-depth thoughts after I feel that I've gotten the hang of them.

The Post Where I Go On About Photography Gear

I'm in the process of trying out my new extension tubes and I'll be posting the results with commentary soon. In the meantime, it occurred to me that I never covered the gear I use for the photos on this blog. My process has evolved over time, so I'll start with the constants. Then I'll go over the camera I ended up phasing out. Finally, my current gear.

The Constants

The Table
When I use the term "tabletop gaming" on this blog, this is usually the table I'm referring to. This well-worn surface has seen plenty of wargames, board games, and role playing games. It provides a steady surface and I can work undisturbed as long as I avoid meal times. The main reason I shoot here is the natural light from the nearby windows. That light is supplemented with overhead lighting. I tend to get the best results when I shoot here during the day.

Skubb Laundry bag with stand from Ikea (white)
I admit that this is a quirky inclusion, but it works as an inexpensive light box, diffuser, and backdrop. Lay it on its side, place a couple of light sources around it, and position the subject inside. The white polyester material diffuses the light, providing even lighting around the subject. Place a strong light source inside the Skubb and it softens the light directed at the subject. I often just stand it up or lay it on its side behind the subject as a backdrop - it's the white background often seen in the photos on this blog. Finally, it folds up for easy storage when I'm not using it.

A quick vignette showing our well-loved gaming surface and the Skubb acting as a backdrop.

In Honorable Retirement

Canon PowerShot A3100IS
My first digital camera that didn't come with a phone attached. I got it around the time I started this blog, so it's elderly in technology terms. Most of the photos on this blog prior to last year were shot with this camera or using whatever phone I happened to own at the time. Both are valid options for anyone starting out, especially given the increasing quality of cameras that manufacturers are incorporating into smart phone designs these days. The only reason I moved past this camera was my desire to get into the settings and lens that a DSLR or mirrorless camera could offer. This camera is currently in storage.


The Current Stuff

Canon EOS Rebel T7i
This is not the best or latest camera, even when I purchased it last year. However, it has all the features I need at a price I could afford. Photography is a side hobby for me at this time. Breaking the bank on something moving up from "vague interest" to "hobby I do on the side of my other hobbies" just doesn't make any sense.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS STM
The kit lens that came with the Rebel is surprisingly good. It is versatile, produces sharp images, and comes with auto focus and image stabilization. I was even able to get pretty close to miniatures and other subjects for macro photography, but I did notice some distortion. It still sees use for the photos I take for this blog when I can't get good results otherwise. A good general purpose lens that I'll be hanging on to for awhile.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Plenty of sources recommended this as the first prime lens when expanding beyond the kit lens. I can see why. I switched to this for most of the photos I take for this blog soon after getting it. I have to shoot from further away than with the kit lens, but using this lens has taught me about the effects of different aperture settings in macro photography. A nice lens at a reasonable price.

Lume Cube Panel Mini
Even with all the natural and artificial light available in my favorite spot, I still need a little extra from time to time. I bought this so I could stop dragging my desk lamp over every time the light wasn't quite right at the kitchen table. This is the first light source that I bought specifically for photography. It came in handy a couple of months ago during the four day blackout in this part of Texas. I also sometimes use it for lighting tasks around the house. Kinda pricey for what it is, but the ability to control the brightness and color temperature have been worth it.

Dinkum Systems ActionPod Pro
This is a camera mount at the end of a flexible arm held in place by a spring clamp. I mount the Rebel on the ActionPod, clamp it on the edge of the table, and adjust the arm until its in the position I need it to be in. Much quicker than dealing with tripod. It's strong enough to hold the Rebel without sagging and doesn't take up much space. More reasonably priced than many of the alternatives.

Hasslefree and Effigy - A Couple of Quick and Fun Photos

Two exploration teams encounter each other on the surface of a barren world.

I had a little fun the other day with these figures, a GW Moonscape Crater terrain piece, and my camera.

The Figures

After finishing all three figures in Hasslefree Miniatures' "Retro Sci-Fi Crew" set, I wanted to see how they went with some other figures using a similar paint scheme. The other figures are from the now defunct Effigy Miniatures' "Havoc Girls" set. I painted them a few years back using the division colors of a later generation of space explorers.

Both sets hit some of the same notes. They are both all woman teams. There's a member posing with her sidearm. Another member is equipped with a portable device, although one is a handheld scanner and the other has an input device on the arm and a display visor. Of course, the influences are different - 1960s for one and anime for the other.

The Havoc Girls set did serve as an Away Team in our Star Trek Adventures campaign. They may return to the table when play resumes. Or I might offer to go old school with the Hasslefree Miniatures set. I'll have to give it some thought.

The Terrain

The GW Moonscape Craters are coming in handy. A surprising number of sci-fi miniatures look better on a barren, blasted landscape. I had my misgivings about them, but they are holding up well.

The Camera

I'm hitting the limits of what I can do with my current camera gear - a Canon Rebel T7i, a kit lens, and a EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. An inexpensive tripod helps, but there is no way I can justify the expense of a macro lens just for taking photos of miniatures. I've got a set of extension tubes on the way - they attach to lens and change their focal length, allowing the lens to get closer to the subject. They might do the trick with the lenses I already own.

But that's enough fun with the camera for now. I've got miniatures to put some paint on.

Star Trek Adventures - Year by Year, Late 2372

This post continues an examination of established canon for the purpose of finding Star Trek Adventures story beats, mission ideas, and other game elements. Posts covering 2371 can be found here and here. A look at early 2372 is here and mid 2372 is here. Canon stardates (when available) and episode titles are provided. The main body of each entry is a summary of events and last part - in italics - are comments for the gamemaster.

Ambassador Troi Visits Deep Space Nine

No stardate given ("The Muse" - DS9)

Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, pregnant with her third child, visits Deep Space Nine. The father of the child, a Tavnian named Jeyal, arrives on the station to claim custody of the child. Lwaxana Troi annuls her marriage with Jeyal with the assistance of Constable Odo, who is able to make a convincing declaration of his love for her during a quickly arranged wedding ceremony. Lwaxana Troi dissolves her marriage to Odo before returning to Betazed.

This places Ambassador Troi in the Bajor Sector around this time. No canon information concerning her whereabouts after this episode or about her third child exists at the time of this writing. This is Majel Barrett Roddenberry's final on-screen appearance in a Star Trek production.


The Maquis Escalate Activities in the DMZ, Eddington Defects

No stardate given ("For the Cause" - DS9)

The Maquis have taken advantage of the Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union to advance their agenda. They are operating with impunity in the DMZ and have constructed several new bases to support expanded operations. There is the real possibility that the Maquis could drive out the Cardassians from the DMZ entirely.

Lieutenant Commander Eddington reveals himself to be a member of the Maquis. He arranges for USS Defiant to be away from Deep Space Nine while he disappears on a Vulcan freighter with twelve class 4 industrial replicators intended for the Cardassian Union. In a related development, Kasidy Yates turns herself in for smuggling supplies to the Maquis. She serves a short prison sentence and is freed in 2373.

At this point, the last thing the Federation wants to see is more instability in the region. Unfortunately, there are few options available. The industrial replicators will likely end up supporting the expansion of Maquis operations in the DMZ. The Cardassians lack the military resources to oppose the Maquis. The Federation is unable to send starships into the DMZ under the terms of the treaty that created it. Starfleet may assign the player characters to infiltrate the DMZ covertly and see what can be done about the Maquis. Recovering or destroying some of the industrial replicators may slow the Maquis down.

Eddington's arc is a handy example of overhauling an element that's not working out. In the specific case of Eddington, DS9 retconned a fairly bland character into a more interesting one. Eddington was introduced as a straight-laced Starfleet professional. He provided a few moments of conflict here and there by not being as willing to bend the rules as the series regulars. He barely had a personality beyond that. After defecting to the Maquis, he became an antagonist that Sisko had a personal stake in capturing. He provided whole episodes of conflict by questioning and rebelling against what the series regulars stood for. If Eddington, Nog, or Rom had continued on the paths they were introduced with, they would all have been minor parts of the story told by DS9. By diverging from those paths, they became more memorable.


First Joint Federation-Dominion Military Operation

Stardate 49904.2 ("To the Death" - DS9)

USS Defiant participates in a joint operation with a small Dominion unit to destroy an Iconian gateway controlled by a group of renegade Jem'Hadar. The mission is a success, despite some friction between the Starfleet crew and Jem'Hadar soldiers.

Starfleet gains more insights on the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta, and the inner workings of the Dominion.

Iconian gateways could be discovered anywhere in the galaxy. Most are likely inoperative, but could be made functional again with the right equipment. A working Iconian gateway is an instant source of conflict. Starfleet is willing to condone destroying an Iconian gateway to keep it out of the control of a hostile group like the Romulan Star Empire or a renegade Jem'Hadar unit. Other interstellar polities are likely to show less restraint in response to an adversary acquiring one.

It might be possible for the discovery of an Iconian gateway to be concealed. Launching an invasion through it would give the game away, but using it to move covert operations teams around could be kept secret for awhile.

Starfleet operating a secret Iconian gateway might be an interesting campaign concept. It could feature teams exploring the worlds accessible beyond the gateway. However, that might end up resembling another sci-fi franchise a little too much.


USS Rio Grande Encounters Dominion Use of Biological Weapon on a Civilian Population in the Gamma Quadrant

No stardate given ("The Quickening" - DS9)

USS Rio Grande receives a distress signal while conducting a bio-survey mission in the Gamma Quadrant. The source of the signal is an automated beacon on a world near Dominion space. The planet - homeworld of the Teplans - was attacked by the Jem'Hadar two centuries prior after the Teplans resisted Dominion rule. Teplan civilization was wiped out and the population was infected with "the blight" - a viral disease. Doctor Bashir remains on the planet to find a cure for the blight after USS Rio Grande moves off to avoid a Jem'Hadar patrol. He learns that the blight is engineered to mutate and accelerate when exposed to the electromagnetic fields generated by modern medical equipment. This causes the deaths of Doctor Bashir's patients. However, he is able to deliver one patient's child prior to her death. In the process, he discovers that an antigen he had administered prevented the unborn child from contracting the blight. The antigen could not cure the existing Teplan population, but would function as a vaccine to eliminate the blight in future generations.

Here we see the Jem'Hadar deploying an engineered biological weapon against a civilian population to deter resistance to Dominion rule. Further Starfleet expeditions to the Gamma Quadrant may encounter similar situations.

In "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" (DS9 7x16), Doctor Bashir gives a lecture on the blight at a joint Federation-Romulan conference on Romulus. Tal Shiar chairman Koval asks about weaponizing the blight further.



USS Defiant Travels to New Founder Homeworld, Klingon Empire Invades the Archanis Sector


Stardate 49962.4 ("Broken Link" - DS9)

The Founders allow USS Defiant to journey to their new homeworld for Constable Odo to join the Great Link. The Great Link passes judgment on Odo for killing another Changeling - he is transformed into a Human. USS Defiant returns to Deep Space Nine without further incident. The coordinates of the new Founder homeworld remains unknown to the Federation - the navigation systems of USS Defiant remained under Dominion control for the duration of the mission.

Chancellor Gowron escalates tensions between the Klingon Empire and Federation by refusing to return captured Cardassian territories and demanding that the Federation withdraw from the Archanis sector. Federation colonies near the Klingon border call for a preemptive strike, but are ignored. A short time later, Gowron announces that a Klingon task force is being deployed to the Archanis sector. Any Federation stations or ships there when the task force arrives will be destroyed. This is effectively a declaration of war.

Starfleet receives intelligence suggesting that Gowron has been replaced by a Founder.

The situation between the Federation and the Klingon Empire escalates to open warfare. Fighting breaks out from the Archanis sector to the Bajor sector. The Klingons have the initiative and the Federation's defenses are only able to slow their advance. However, Klingon forces fail to simply overrun Starfleet and threaten the heart of the Federation as they did in previous conflicts. This may reflect changes in Starfleet tactical doctrine in response to the Battle of Wolf 359.

Hasslefree Miniatures HFSF125 Nurse Layla

This is the third and final figure in the HFSFMP04 "Retro Sci-Fi Crew" set. The other two figures in the set were featured in previous posts - HFSF126 Ensign Shay and HFSF124 CommO Misha. The set appears to be an homage to a certain sci-fi series featuring 1960s fashion in its women's uniforms.

I choose to ignore the title of "Nurse" used in the name of this figure when deciding on a paint scheme. As mentioned in the post covering CommO Misha, I wanted each figure in the "Retro Sci-Fi Crew" set to be wearing a uniform of a different color. Gold seemed like a good choice.

Given the difficulties I had with CommO Misha, I decided on a streamlined approach to painting this figure. The number of paint and wash coats was kept to a minimum. In particular, I decided to skip any attempt to simulate the appearance of black sheer stockings on the legs of this figure.

Basing
This set was an experiment in some new techniques. Texturing the bases before priming and painting seemed to be a good way to simplify my process. However, the lack of detail was not a good trade off for the small amount of time saved. I'll be going back to texturing and painting the base as a final step during future projects.

Primer
White auto body spray primer.

Skin
Formula P3 Menoth White Base is a good under coat for lighter colors. I applied a coat of Reaper 09044 Tanned Skin for the actual skin color. The final coat was Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash, slightly diluted with water.

Uniform
As with the skin, I used Formula P3 Menoth White Base as an under coat. Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold is a good approximation of the gold color I was attempting to replicate. A coat of slightly diluted Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash was the finishing touch.

Hair and Accessories
The hair, boots, and uniform collar were all painted Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey followed by a coat of Secret Weapon W001 Soft Body Black. I felt that simply painting these features black would make the details - such as the hair texture and the zipper tabs on the back of the boots - too difficult to see.

The three figures of the "Retro Sci-Fi Crew" are the first Hasslefree Miniatures products that I've painted. I've owned a few for awhile, but I never felt that my painting skills were up to the level of detail on many of their sculpts. After almost a year of painting consistently, I decided to challenge myself with this set. The high quality of these figures made them a pleasure to work with and I look forward to putting paint on the other Hasslefree Miniatures products in my collection.

Cleaning up Gale Force Nine's Battlefield in a Box: Desert Oasis (BB537)

I pulled this piece out of storage to find that time wasn't kind to it. I put it away in the original packaging - a plastic bag and styrofoam inserts. The styrofoam kept the plastic bag pushed against the piece. As a result, the plastic became stuck to the piece and left behind a sticky residue on parts of the surface.

A simple, but versatile terrain piece.

A little research and some trial and error revealed that warm soap and water was the best approach. My initial attempts with alcohol and Simple Green removed the paint in the out of the way spots I used for testing. It took repeated washings in the sink, but most of the residue came off. Enough of the sticky residue remains to be somewhat noticeable while handing the piece and it is visible on the "water" part of the oasis. The last couple of washings produced no further improvements, so I've hit a dead end with this approach.

In the future, I'm going to avoid storing pieces like this in situations where plastic packaging will be pressed against the surface for long periods. This piece will either get put away with the rest of my terrain in bins or loose in its original box without the bag or foam. I'm also planning on inspecting the rest of the terrain I have stored away for similar effects.

Goldar enjoying a pitstop at a desert oasis.

About the Desert Oasis

There are two versions of this terrain piece - BB537 and BB219. The only difference between the two seems to be the packaging. BB537 came out in 2011 as part of the "essential" Battlefield in a Box line. BB219 appeared in 2017 and was marketed for use in Flames of War. To the best of my knowledge, neither version is currently available from Gale Force Nine.

As with all of Gale Force Nine's Battlefield in a Box pieces, the Desert Oasis is ready to use out of the packaging (as long as you don't put it away and forget about it for a year or two). The earth looks like rocks and sand or dry soil. The water is smooth and blue. I find the palm trees a little unconvincing, but they don't have to be mounted on it. The Desert Oasis also came with a couple of packets of static grass to further enhance its appearance.

The Desert Oasis is a fairly straightforward terrain piece. It is scale agnostic, working fine for 15mm or 28mm figures. Although the name suggests otherwise, the piece can be used on a variety of terrain boards. Mount the palm trees and it works as a tidal pool on a beach. Remove the palm trees and it could be a pond in a wilderness or park.

A GZG survey team takes samples from a desert spring.

Future Plans

I picked up this piece on clearance quite awhile back. It was when I was trying to build up my collection quickly and I didn't a specific purpose in mind when I got it. It would be a shame to throw it away, but the remaining residue is an issue. I may end up filling in the holes used to mount the palm trees and repainting the edges a slightly darker earth color to give the piece a little more utility. The water may also get another coat of paint to cover up the residue. Or I might pour a little clear resin over it to make it look more like water and cover up the residue. I'm still pondering my options at this time.