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.