Hasslefree Miniatures HFSF202 LT Thoran

This is LT Thoran - a figure is from Hasslefree Miniatures' line of original power armored sci-fi troopers. The line currently contains eight figures, including one of Merys Thoran in an earlier phase of her career. I purchased a couple figures from the line as test pieces. I figured that I could get the rest later if the first ones worked out.

Front view. I'm thinking she looks a little startled.

I mulled over possible paint schemes for awhile before deciding on dark red for the armor. Grey has been done better than I can manage. I was concerned that the figure's details might get a little lost with a metallic paint. The blood red armor is inspired by the color scheme I used for Commander Shepherd during my Mass Effect play-through.

Cleaning
Starting with a good scrubbing with a brush and warm soap and water removes any manufacturing residue.

Basing
I glued the tab of the miniature into the slot of a Reaper 30mm round plastic base, leaving space between the bottom of the figure's feet and the base. This prevents the figure's nicely sculpted boots from getting buried by the sand I use for texturing the base in a later step.

Priming
Having run out of auto body primer, I used Krylon Krylon COLORmaxx Paint + Primer in Matte Deep Gray.

Underlayer
I've gotten poor results from painting skin tones and red directly over grey primer. This time, I experimented with a coat of Formula P3 Menoth White Base over the entire figure. It provides a good base for skin tones and I hoped it would do the same for the red armor.

Skin
Reaper 09047 Fair Skin works reliably to produce pale skin, especially over a coat of brown or Formula P3 Menoth White Base. A coat of Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash brought out the figure's facial features.

Side view. I had to straighten the rifle a little before priming, but that's not unexpected for a metal miniature.

Hair
I purchased a bottle of Reaper 09257 Blond Hair recently and decided to give it a try. It's lighter than the Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold I usually use, which might have been a better choice for this figure. I applied a layer of Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash to slightly darken the color and accentuate the hair texture.

Armor
The base color for the armor is Reaper 09278 Gory Red. Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood was used as highlight.

Weapon and Armor Details
I used Citadel Codex Grey for the weapon, armor joints, boot soles, and helmet visor. The neutral color contrasts with the red armor without standing out too much.

Weapon and Armor Wash
Next came a coat of Secret Weapon W001 Soft Body Black Wash over the armor and accessories. This darkened the reds and greys as well as bringing out the details.

Basing
Not everyone likes sand - it's coarse and rough and gets everywhere - but it works well to texture a base with a mix of glue, FolkArt 231 Real Brown paint, and water to hold it in place. I forgot to tape the bottom of the base to keep the sand mix from flowing around the hole between the tab and slot. That resulted in a gap appearing in the sand texturing. I resolved the issue by gluing a small rock over the gap. I brushed a little FolkArt 420 Linen over the sand to simulate the appearance of dry or sandy soil.

Rear view.

This is the fourth Hasslefree miniature I've completed and I had a fun time with all of them. They are detailed enough to be challenging, but not intimidating for my current skill level. I'm looking forward to beginning the next one!