Throwback Project - Secret Weapon Tablescapes Rolling Fields Test Tiles

These terrain pieces were part of Secret Weapon Miniatures' Tablescapes Tiles line. Each 12x12 inch tile is made of sturdy injection molded plastic and locks together using clips. I received a box of sixteen tiles as a Kickstarter backer reward several years ago. I choose the Rolling Fields tiles as the ones with the most utility. Uneven natural terrain featuring a dry creek bed works in any number of settings ranging from fantasy to modern to sci-fi. Secret Weapon Miniatures seem to have phased out the Tablescapes Tiles line and the Rolling Fields are no longer available on their website.

The pair of tiles I painted and detailed as test pieces.

I decided to pick out a couple of tiles as test pieces rather than tackle the whole box of sixteen at once. Some of the techniques I used were tested on the Games Workshop Moonscape Craters earlier this year. Using spray paints cut down painting time considerably, even though I ended up waiting for periods of moderate humidity to get the painting done. I also used a post on the Secret Weapon Miniatures blog for inspiration. The techniques I used differed from the ones described in that post, but they were handy as a reference.

Comparison of the top and bottom of the tiles. The underside is unprimed and unpainted, showing the original color of the plastic.

Preparation
There wasn't any flash or mold lines to cut off, so I went directly to the other kind of clean up. A short soak and some scrubbing in warm soap and water did the trick.

Spray Priming/Painting - First Layer
I sprayed Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Black over the upper surface, using two thin coats to get into all the recesses. Experience has taught me that Krylon Camouflage bonds well to plastic, so I was able to skip priming the tile.

Spray Painting - Second Layer
Next was a coat of Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Brown. I wasn't worried about getting it into every nook and cranny. Any black still showing in the recesses would appear to be shading. I could still see the black through the brown in some areas, but I decided against another coat of brown. Since soil is not uniform in color, I felt that such variations made the tiles look more natural.

A trio of warriors make their way over the dusty badlands.

Spray Painting - Final Layer
I used Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki for the last coat of spray paint. It was applied at an angle so that some of the previous coats would still show through, especially in the recesses. Krylon Camouflage produces convincing natural colors - as the name implies - and the finish has little or no gloss.

Detailing
The brush work started as I painted the rocks using FolkArt 2561 Steel Grey. Looking back, the rocks really shouldn't be the same color. The later highlight and wash layers disguise their uniform color, but I might try for more variation for the next batch. Also, I didn't paint every single rock - just picking out the larger ones was enough for me.

A certain landing party explores another arid planet.

Highlight
I drybrushed a little FolkArt 420 Linen over the surface of each tile to bring out some of the raised details and provide more color variation.

Wash
I mixed a wash using FolkArt 231 Real Brown, a little Liquitex Matte Medium, and water. Then I reached for the biggest hobby brush I own to apply it to both tiles. The final step was to wipe off the excess with a sponge. The wash also seems to have settled deeper into the recesses of the flatter tile, resulting in a darker color. The effect isn't too jarring in most lighting conditions, so I'm not concerned enough to try to correct it. There is also some pooling and streaking visible in some areas.

Close up of the two tiles placed together. Note the slight color difference between the two tiles.

Flock and Static Grass
I decided to go light on the greenery for the first pass. It's in keeping with the dry, desolate look I was going for with the paint scheme. Besides, covering up the texturing on the tiles seemed like a bit of a waste to me.

Overall, the paint scheme turned out the way I wanted - suggesting a place where it hasn't rained in awhile. Maybe it's a little too dry. I may go back for another pass with the flock and static grass. If nothing else, it will cover up some parts where I got a little too aggressive with applying the drybrushing or wash. After that, I'll start knocking these out a tiles or two at a time.

TTCombat Ether Drake

This is the Ether Drake produced by TTCombat and based on the critter of the same name from the 4x strategy game Stellaris by Paradox Interactive. It is a backer reward from a Kickstarter that funded in 2019. The model arrived in 2020, making this my fastest turnaround from backing a Kickstarter to tabletop ready so far.

What do hungry space dragons eat?

I backed the Ether Drake for use in our Star Trek Adventures campaign. Star Trek has a long history of spaceborne creatures showing up to contribute to a particular week's plot. The entity represented by the Ether Drake figure was to be distantly linked to the ones represented by the Parasachnid Warriors from Khurasan Miniatures. I planned to use the same paint scheme for both projects to emphasize that link. The whole idea got shelved along with our group's plans for face to face gaming in 2020.

With some resin projects in the pipeline, I decided to pull the Ether Drake out of storage as a test piece. The vast majority of products I've worked on so far have been metal or plastic. I felt that a relatively small resin product like the Ether Drake would give me some experience before taking on a more ambitious project.

All parts before preparation and assembly.

Preparation
There was a fair amount of work involved before assembly - cutting the parts free and removing flash. All parts were cleaned thoroughly with warm soap and water to remove any manufacturing residue.

Assembly
Some parts - the jaw in particular - were a very snug fit, almost not needing glue. The wings needed some fiddling with before I found the proper fit. There were a couple of tiny gaps, but the first coat of paint covered them up entirely.

I guess space dragons eat whatever they want to.

Spray Priming
I wasn't sure what to use to prime resin, so I decided to take a chance on a product that's been reliable so far - Krylon COLORmaxx Paint + Primer in white. A couple of light coats provided good coverage and it appeared to bond well with the surface. I left the model alone until the paint smell went away entirely to be sure. That took about a week.

Base Coat and Highlighting
Duplicating the paint scheme used for the Parasachnid Warriors, I applied two thin layers of Formula P3 Menoth White Base over the entire model. This is a light tan paint that works well under white and bright colors. To simulate overhead lighting, I brushed on a layer of Formula P3 Morrow White to the upper areas of the model.

Wash
Two layers of Citadel Ogryn Flesh Wash were applied to the entire model with some sections receiving an additional layer as needed. I saw no need for a subtle approach for this step. The red-brown wash produced the desired result, but I'm going to have to find a use for what I have left before it dries up in the bottle - one of the downsides of having out of production products in my collection.

Details
I touched up the teeth with a little more Formula P3 Morrow White. The inside of the mouth and area around the teeth got a couple of layers of Citadel Baal Red. I picked out the multiple eyes with Citadel Chaos Black.

Basing
TTCombat provided a clear flight base with the model.

What do space dragons take for indigestion?

Working on this model gives me more confidence with the other resin products I have in my collection. For now, the Ether Drake has a place in my display case while waiting for a tasty looking starship to snack on.

Kickstarter and a New Version of a Thing I Already Own

I'm not as active on Kickstarter as I was years ago. That's a conscious decision. Backer rewards from various long-ago Kickstarters are still cluttering up the place. The Reaper Bones Kickstarters are the worst offenders. My unborn grandchildren might end up inheriting unpainted Bones miniatures at this rate. I have strong disincentives to not back any more Kickstarters unless what is on offer fulfills an existing need. However, I do still check out upcoming Kickstarters from time to time.

This box is taunting me.

That's how I found out about the latest Kickstarter from Bombshell Miniatures - the ISW-71B Scout Ship. Looks great. Scaled to 28-35mm. Might be a little too retro looking to fit seamlessly into every sci-fi setting with space travel, but it's still fairly versatile. Even the interior is modeled.

I would love to support Bombshell Miniatures by backing this Kickstarter. They have never failed to give me quality service in all of my previous dealings with them.

There's just two problems.

I already own the previous version of this product - the ISW-69F Scout Ship. I received it as a reward after backing that Kickstarter in 2013. Looks great. 1/48 scale. A little too retro looking to be a seamless fit for Star Trek or Star Wars, but that wouldn't stop me from putting it on the table. No interior modeling, but it was less than half the price of the new version.

The other problem is that the one I have isn't done.

The resin pieces for the main hull are cleaned up. There's a project folder on my PC with notes on the game plan for assembly and a couple of paint schemes (I need to either figure out how to mix "Electric Mucus" green or just resign myself to painting it silver or gray). I've been considering the pros and cons of mounting it on a base (and finding a base big enough) or letting it stand free on its landing struts (and risk messing up the struts down the line). My goal is to have assembly done when the weather settles down enough to make spray priming and painting practical - April or May.

I just need to finish the Scout Ship I already own. Getting another one doesn't fill a need. I don't even know what I'd do with another one.

Those add-ons for the new Kickstarter look nice, though. And the interior for the new version is sweet.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn - Finale!

Finished!

And I made my Halloween deadline!

Barely.

At least I got done before kids started knocking on the door looking for candy.

It's been awhile since I selected this figure as a $10 add on to the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter. It was delivered with the rest of the backer rewards from that Kickstarter in 2013. I didn't take a brush to it until June of this year.

This project was a real learning experience. My first insight was to stop thinking of it as an enormous miniature and treat it like a terrain piece. It made it easier to divide the work into manageable portions. The layered approach I used for painting the skeleton is going to come in handy for old bones and possibly stone. This was my first attempt at painting a glow effect - something that I look forward to applying to certain future projects.

The plastic used for the tail's end piece is soft enough to flex under the paint, causing some cracking.

Periodically publishing Work In Progress posts helped me with organizing and planning this project. Links are below.

Part 1 - Discussion of the Kaladrax Reborn as a Reaper Miniatures product, the inspiration for the necrotic glow paint scheme, description of the techniques used for painting the base, and testing the paint scheme for the skeleton on two of the legs.

Part 2 - Progress on the other two legs and the tail, the fictional backstory that Reaper created for Kaladrax Reborn, and a few thoughts on how I might use a huge dracolich in a F20 campaign.

Part 3 - Progress on the main body, description of the techniques used for the glow effect, and a look at the brown undercoat used on the skeleton.

Part 4 - Base painting complete, assembly, and planning for the final polishing passes.

There's a face that no adventuring party wants to see.

There's always a little more that could be done with a project like this. A bit more wash. A touch more highlighting. Another polishing pass. But the question has to be asked: "Will the results make the additional effort worthwhile?" Sometimes it does. Other times, diminishing returns rears its ugly head. For Kaladrax Reborn, I've decided that good enough is good enough. It's time to put Kaladrax Reborn into the display case and move on to the next project.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 4

The Halloween deadline I set for this project is only a few days away at the time I'm typing this. Am I gonna make it? Dunno. But I at least have this beast painted and assembled.

I'm gonna need a bigger display case.

Kaladrax Reborn needs a couple more passes before I'm willing to call this project done.

The skeleton needs some touching up. I put a coat of brown wash on parts of the skull, spine, and tail. The wash brought out the details a little bit more, but those areas are now noticeably darker than the rest of the skeleton. The whole skeleton could also use some highlighting. So I'll be brushing on some more light color paint to achieve the look I want.

The glow effect needs work. The body and wings need more bright green and possibly yellow-green highlights to better convey that they are light sources. I might have gone overboard with the green reflections on the skeleton. They'll get toned down a little when I give the skeleton another pass. The green reflections on the base are looking good, though. They also had the effect of bringing down the shine.

Close up of the body. Note the reflected glow on the skeleton and base.

A problem I ran into during the push to finish this project is the flexibility of the plastic in certain areas. I know that the white Bones plastic is fairly soft, but the horns on the skull and the tip of the tail almost flop around. This causes the paint to crack and flake. Kaladrax Reborn might be a "look, but don't touch" display piece due to this issue. Fortunately, I don't need an enormous undead dragon that often in my fantasy dungeoncrawl campaigns!

I've come to realize that these Work In Progress posts have helped me with planning each stage of this project. Writing each post means that I can stop, review my progress, see where I am, and figure out where I need to go. I'm not sure if I would have maintained any momentum without them as a tool.

Hopefully, I'll have enough free time this week to make the final couple of passes before Halloween. I'm also optimistically clearing out space in my display cabinet for this beast. It's my only storage space that's big enough!

Reaper Bones #77041 Harpy

This is another one from Reaper's first Kickstarter - Reaper Miniatures Bones: An Evolution Of Gaming Miniatures. The rewards from that Kickstarter alone amount to a couple hundred figures. I don't expect to be done anytime soon.

Feathers and bat wings? Well, she's a fantasy monster. Forget about biological plausibility, I guess.

One goal I set out for the Reaper Bones Harpy was to experiment with some of the washes I've purchased over the last couple of years. My older stock of washes are either used up or are drying up in their containers. Trying out the newer stuff lets me cycle it in and get used to how it works.

Washer Base

I borrowed a trick from Chris Palmer's All Bones About It and glued the figure to a one inch steel washer. Reaper Bones miniatures are light enough that they tend to fall over easily with the extra weight on the bottom. I spray primed the washer before gluing it to the figure.

Primer/Base Color Coat

FolkArt Tile and Glass Medium mixed with Formula P3 Menoth White Base. A post on Reaper Miniature's forums recommends preparing Bones miniatures with FolkArt Tile and Glass Medium. Formula P3 Menoth White Base works well as an undercoat for lighter colors like white and flesh tones. I tried laying on washes directly over this coat, but the results were so disappointing that I abandoned that approach. Fortunately, mistakes like that can simply be painted over.

Flesh Tones

A coat of Reaper #09047 Fair Skin went over the previous layers. I tried a layer of Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash to bring out the details, but I didn't like how it turned out. It might work better applied over a white coat.

I next applied a layer of Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade. This is the wash sold in dropper bottles, not the dip sold in cans. Many of the washes I've used work by darkening the overall color of the surface and bring out details by flowing into recesses. Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade doesn't coat the way that I'm used to - it flows off raised areas more easily. The result is less of a change to the overall color of the surface it is applied to and more pooling in the recesses. I'm pleased with how it worked on this figure, but I may try diluting it next time to reduce the contrast between the raised and recessed areas.

As a final touch, I used a Silver Metallic Sharpie over certain bits to represent the minimal armor worn in those areas in the fantasy genre.

I like how the sculptor captured the figure in the middle of a banking turn.

Feathers

I'm not sure why this figure is sculpted with bat wings and feathers, but harpies are fantasy creatures and I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. The base color is Reaper #09017 True Blue. I lightly brushed on Reaper #09288 LED Blue over the True Blue, being careful to allow the True Blue to show through in the recesses. This gives the feathers some depth under the brighter color.

Legs and Wings

I used Reaper #09088 Stormy Grey as a base color and a lighter grey for highlighting. A layer of Army Painter Warpaints Dark Tone Quickshade brought out the details. I considered yellow, orange, or tan as more realistic for bird legs, but I felt that the brighter colors might stand out too much from the rest of the figure.

Hair

Reaper #09070 Mahogany Brown is a good color for reddish-brown hair. I applied Army Painter Warpaints Strong Tone Quickshade over it. I considered making the hair the same color as the feathers, but I wanted more variation for the top of the figure.

Cloth

I wanted a relatively bright color to make this detail stand out. Reaper #09004 Fire Red tuned out to be just a little too bright. A layer of Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade brought down the color just enough.

There's always that one mold line that only shows up after painting and photographing.

Basing

Some glue and sand provides texture and a couple of earth tones simulate dry soil.

Closing Notes

I noticed an odd smell when I was using the Army Painter Warpaints Quickshades. It's not an issue that is unique to Army Painter products - some other washes produce a similar odor. Maybe it has something to do with the specific pigments or medium used?

The paint job on this figure turned out darker than I expected, but I'm happy with it. The harpy is a monster - something that will only be on the tabletop as long as the players permit it to be there. Heroes, boss monsters, and other significant figures need to "pop" on the table, but monsters can be subdued in appearance.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 3

Time for an update! Progress has been slow and steady. See Part 1 and Part 2 to see how slow and steady. I'm still hoping to get this project done by Halloween.

Test fit of what's been painted so far.

My goal last month was to get the main body ready for assembly. I decided to go for broke and paint green necrotic glowing effects on the figure. My inspiration for the idea can be seen here. This meant getting the brown and off-white layers down on the skeleton and the green layers on the areas in between. I also made a first pass at the glow effects on the main body.

Test fit (front). Long tail is long.

Getting that bright "glowing" green was a challenge. My research into achieving a glowing effect turned up a couple of essential points. Much of it involves color theory and thinking about how light moves around. The area generating the glow should be the lightest tone used. "Light" in this context meaning as close to white as possible. The areas lit by the glow should shade darker as they get further away from the source. This required multiple layers and several passes to get right.

Close up of the glowing areas. I might need to knock back the glowing effect on the ribs.

The base color for the green glowing areas is Reaper 09294 Alien Goo. I applied a mix of it and FolkArt 869 Glass & Tile Medium directly to the white plastic to act as a primer. Next I drybrushed on some FolkArt 644 Grass Green on the edges of the glowing areas and on the surrounding bones. Unfortunately, this darkened the glowing areas too much. I thinned down some more Alien Goo to lighten the glowing areas, but this turned out to lighten the overall appearance too much. I went back and forth between the Grass Green and Alien Goo until I found a balance that I could live with. Finally, I highlighted the innermost glowing areas with some thinned down Reaper 09287 Neon Yellow. Despite the name, Neon Yellow does contain enough green to blend with the other colors used. This achieved the gradation that I was looking for.

Brown base layer on the head. Reminds me of chocolate. Why did I type that? Now I want a snack. 

I started on the head and wings this month. The skeletal areas received the FolkArt 231 Real Brown / FolkArt 869 Glass & Tile Medium mix used on the rest of the figure. The coverage is uneven, but my main concern is getting the color down to the recesses. The raised areas will be covered up with the off-white I've been using for the bone color. Painting in the green areas are next.

Close up showing a couple of issues. Note the color differences between the pieces and the patchy coverage in some of the recessed areas.

Taking the photos for this post seemed as a good a time to take stock as any. I assembled the painted parts on the base. I once again realized that this thing is going to take an enormous amount of space to display. I also noticed a couple of issues with the paint job. The first was expected - the colors of each piece don't match precisely. This is a consequence of mixing my own paints and doing each piece over a period of time. Some color variation was going to happen. The second was that the brown areas on some of the pieces are looking patchy. I'm not sure what caused it. However, I am planning on applying a wash to the entire figure prior to detailing. The goal is to mask any color variations. It should also fill in the recesses.

Kaladrax Reborn will be on the prowl for adventurers soon enough.

I should have the head and wings painted to the same level as the rest of the figure by the end of September. With a little luck, I may also have the wash layer down. After that are any other corrections, applying the green glow effects on the rest of the figure and base, sealing in the paint job, and deciding where I can store this thing.

The next post in this series will be out in October.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 2

It's been a little over a month since the first post in this series. I haven't gotten as much done on this project as I hoped. Life outside of my hobbies has been more active than I expected. On the upside, slow and steady progress is better than no progress.

The hip and remaining leg pieces.

I was pleased with the color scheme I tested previously, so I'm using the same combination of paints and techniques on the rest of the skeleton. The hip and remaining leg pieces were done within a couple of weeks. I noticed that the initial pair of legs doesn't quite match the color of the later work. There's just a shade of difference - not even enough to really show up on camera - so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm planning on applying a final layer of wash after assembling and highlighting the whole figure. The additional layers of color should cover up any small inconsistencies.

The tail pieces. I estimate that's enough plastic for at least a dozen regular 28mm miniatures.

Next came the incredibly long tail. I wanted to get the lower extremities done while I pondered my options for the rest of the figure. The assembled tail pieces combine to a length of about twenty inches. The only difference in materials or techniques from the leg and hip pieces was the amount of paint/medium mix I had to make. The colors match the second batch of leg and hip pieces, so I've got the formula consistent at this point.

Starting the main body means making a decision - use the green, necrotic glow effect that inspired me to start this project or go with painting the fleshy parts of Kaladrax Reborn as rotting carcass. The necrotic glow is more of a challenge - I've never painted a glow effect on this scale and my past attempts have been hit and miss. The rotting flesh approach should be quicker and easier.

On the other hand, Kaladrax Reborn is going to end up as a centerpiece of my miniatures collection. The piece is going into the display case when completed. The reason is purely practical - I have no other place to store it. Why not go for the more ambitious version? Figuring out how to paint a necrotic glow will expand my skills and come in handy for future projects. Progress may slow even more, but I've got time before my self-imposed deadline of Halloween. Besides, I always have the rotting flesh approach as a backup plan. One of the things about this hobby is that it is forgiving of mistakes. Paint goes over a failed color scheme as easily as it goes over primer.

Kaladrax Reborn's backstory.

As a little bonus content for this post, I noticed that Reaper printed a backstory for the figure on one of the inside flaps of the box. Kaladrax Reborn is basically the boss monster of a vast graveyard full of other undead creatures. Just the kind of thing to use as a highlight for a F20 campaign. Now I'm tempted to use Kaladrax Reborn in my next 13th Age game. The connection to the Lich King is obvious. Maybe Kaladrax Reborn could be the campaign's big bad guy?

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 1

My current big miniature project - Reaper's Kaladrax Reborn. Getting to it has taken awhile. It was a backer reward from the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter. I finally found a paint scheme that inspired me to tackle the challenge. Besides, I want a horror-themed project to finish by Halloween and a giant undead dragon is a solid choice.

Time to awaken a sleeping giant undead dragon?

Kaladrax Reborn is a whole lot of plastic. The base alone is a hefty chunk of whatever formula Reaper used for its early Bones line. Painting it in sections makes it easier to reach everything. It also divides the work into manageable chunks.

That's a whole lot of plastic. I'm gonna need a bigger brush.

I acquired Kaladrax Reborn as a Kickstarter reward from the Reaper Miniatures Bones: An Evolution Of Gaming Miniatures Kickstarter. It was the first of many Kickstarters by Reaper Miniatures and the one that launched Reaper's Bones line. Kaladrax Reborn was a $10 USD add on that later retailed for $75 USD - the price increase reflected the scaling issue that came up during production. Internet rumor suggests that there was a miscommunication between Reaper and the company that was manufacturing the Bones miniatures at the time. The miscommunication resulted in Kaladrax Reborn being made at roughly 200% of the intended scale. Mine showed up on my doorstep back in the summer of 2013. Kaladrax Reborn is out of production at this time.

That's a hefty base. I'm not worried about the figure falling over.

The main obstacle to starting this project - other than simple procrastination - was a lack of inspiration. Most of the color schemes I've seen for this piece looked underwhelming. Black for the undercoat, off-white for the skeleton, red for the fleshy bits, brown and gray for the base - a perfectly functional color scheme for an undead figure, but not rewarding enough to me for the effort. Kaladrax Reborn would become a centerpiece of my collection due to its sheer size. When I finally committed to putting paint on this critter, I wanted something different.

Dry fitting the main body and painted legs on the base.

I found a couple of visually distinct color schemes on Deviantart. The first depicts Kaladrax Reborn imbued with frost magic. As much as I like the blue color scheme, it isn't quite what I wanted. I'll keep the idea in mind if I find myself painting a figure with cold powers, though. The second has Kaladrax Reborn glowing with necrotic energies. It's a familiar color scheme - green is widely used for undead figures - but I never considered applying it to this figure. Maybe I'm not alone in that oversight, since I don't recall seeing it used on any other Kaladrax Reborn projects. I'm not sure if I can execute the green glowing effect with the same level of skill, but I'm giving it a try.

Close up of base with Reaper 02608 Tyden, Barbarian. Note the scale difference when comparing the skulls with Tyden's head.

I approached the hunk of plastic that serves as a base like a terrain piece. The paint scheme is straightforward - a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and black paint as a primer/undercoat layer, gray for most the stone areas, brown for the rock areas, some FolkArt 420 Linen to highlight the raised surfaces, and a dark wash to bring out the details. I was surprised by the number of skulls sculpted on the base - I had to check that I hadn't gotten it mixed up with a GW product somehow. The size of the skulls are a telltale of the scaling issue that Reaper ran into with this figure. They are about twice the size of a human skull at 28mm scale. The wash gives the base a shiny appearance, but the clear sealant I'm planning on spraying on after final assembly should knock it down.

Skeleton color scheme test. Why do I have a sudden craving for chicken wings?

Here are two of Kaladrax Reborn's legs. These attach to the base and support the rest of the figure. I decided to use these to test a color scheme for the rest of the skeleton. They are the lowest parts of the figure other than the base, so any mistakes should be less noticeable. At this time, they just have a layer of FolkArt 420 Linen brushed over a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and Reaper 09199 Russet Brown working as the primer/base layer. I'm putting off a highlight or wash layer until I have more of the figure done.

Hip/rear leg/main body dry fit.

I'd like to get started on the main body piece, but the way the figure fits goes together suggests otherwise. The hip parts block off areas of the main body. I'll paint the hip parts and remaining legs next so they will be ready for fitting after I paint the main body.

Spaceship X from Creative Gamescapes

This is a single set of Spaceship X from Creative Gamescapes. I received it as a Kickstarter award from awhile back. There were delays in getting the product out and communications could have been better. On the other hand, getting it late was better than not getting it at all. That's far more success than some Kickstarters can claim. Bottom line - Creative Gamescapes could have done better, but they ultimately came through for me.

Set with almost all of the pieces - one door was being stripped for repaint.

This set featured in a few previous posts - most notably a description of a Star Trek Adventures encounter and a work in progress post after I decided to have another go at assembling and painting it. Since then, I've sprayed the corridor pieces with a coat of clear sealer. This seems to have solved the silver overspray problem. I also decided that I didn't do as bad a job with two of the doors as I thought. The paint job on the third door didn't come out at all - that one is getting stripped and repainted down the road. Still, the set is in a state where I feel comfortable about writing a review, especially since I've already used it in play.

Door close up. The one with the green keypad is intended to look more worn.

Spaceship X represents the interior of a large spacecraft. The level of detail - floor grating, round bolts, doors with keypads - is sufficient to convey a futuristic industrial appearance. The aesthetic is well suited for a game about exploring a derelict spacecraft inhabited by violently aggressive extraterrestrials, although some might lament the lack of decorative skulls. The rugged industrial look is generic enough for a variety of sci-fi settings. Spaceship X is also handy for representing other sci-fi environments - a built up underground area like a moonbase, a confined industrial area, a supervillian lair, etc.

The scaling of Spaceship X is flexible by design. The corridors work equally well for 15mm or 28mm figures. The keypads on the doors are a little large for 15mm, but the effect is not too jarring.

15mm figure comparison. Maybe tall enough to reach the top row on the keypad?

Assembly is relatively straightforward. The parts did arrive with mold lines, but nothing that a little work with a hobby knife and some sanding couldn't take care of. I made a couple of minor errors when I reassembled the parts due to my misplacing the instructions. Unfortunately, Creative Gamescapes did not respond to my inquiries about getting a replacement instruction sheet and it isn't available for download. The sides and bottom of each corridor segment do lock together, but I don't feel that the fit is snug enough to rely on. I ended up using plastic cement to bond the parts of each corridor segment together permanently. The details on how I assembled and painted my Spaceship X set are presented in a previous WIP post.

Who needs keypads when an anti-armor weapon is available? Just mind the back blast!

Each corridor segment is designed to slot together with the others. Unfortunately, the interlocking tabs and slots don't always fit smoothly. They line up well, but the slots aren't always large enough for the tabs to fit without forcing them together. Priming and painting the pieces has only made the issue worse. However, the fit issue is likely to resolve itself as the interlocking tabs and slots wear down.

Close up of interlocking tabs and slots.

Creative Gamescapes used a sturdy plastic for Spaceship X. I'm more concerned with the paint job and cement bonds than the plastic getting damaged during normal use. A piece did fall on the garage floor while I was preparing the set for priming - it bounced off and wasn't even scuffed or scratched. Durability doesn't seem to be an issue with Spaceship X.

28mm figure comparison. The girls are having an easier time with reaching the door controls.

Spaceship X is an affordable product with limitations. Spaceship X is at its best when its used for assembling tight corridors and claustrophobic rooms that result in intense close-in encounters. A single set of Spaceship X retails around $35 USD before shipping and tax. It provides a variety of corridors arranged on a single level, a couple of small rooms, and an assortment of accessories such as doors - a good value for the price. There are other products on the market featuring multiple levels, more expansive rooms, and a higher level of detailing. Such products allow for more maneuvering and better use of ranged attacks during play. However, those products tend to be correspondingly more expensive and many use less durable materials such as card. Spaceship interiors are a niche market within a niche market - trade offs may be unavoidable. Potential buyers would be best served by carefully evaluating their needs before making a purchase.

I'm satisfied with Spaceship X, but I have concerns about Creative Gamescapes. They demonstrated a lack of good communications during the Kickstarter and when I reached out to them for support. On the other hand, they put out a good product. There were some issues during assembly and with how the tabs fit, but nothing too serious. It looks good and works well on the table.

Space Corridor Terrain WIP

This project is a single Spaceship X set from Creative Gamescape. It's a backer reward from their Kickstarter from awhile back. Going into the ups and downs of that particular Kickstarter will have to wait until I do a proper review.

Makin' progress.

I've been making slow and steady progress on this project for awhile now. There was a setback or two, but things have sped up lately due to the current state of affairs. I'm now at a decision point. Which is as good a time as any to look back and see how things have gone so far.

I originally assembled and painted this set for an encounter in our Star Trek Adventures campaign. Unfortunately, I ran in problems with both the assembly and the paint job.

• The pieces started coming apart from routine handling. The bond from the cyanoacrylate glue I used was brittle and weak.
• The metallic spray paint I used was coming off on my hands. A little research on some online forums revealed that this "overspray" issue was common to that brand.
• The wash I used looked patchy. A wash shouldn't be evenly distributed - after all, the point of a wash is for it to flow into the details. However, the bare spots looked less like weathering and more like the wash mixture broke during application. To be fair, the particular bottle of wash I used is years old.

Starting over looked like a better approach than trying to solve each problem piecemeal. I disassembled the pieces and gave all the parts a long soak in Simple Green to strip off as much of the paint and glue as possible. The parts also got a good scrubbing in soap and water.

I started each step with a couple of test pieces. Overall progress slowed down a bit, but this approach allowed me to evaluate the results and make adjustments as needed. No sense in wasting time going down a blind alley.

Reassembly:
I took the opportunity to file down some molding lines and other imperfections that I neglected earlier. Next I used plastic cement to bond the parts together. The plastic cement resulted in a stronger bond than cyanoacrylate, but left noticeable gaps between some of the parts. Some slightly watered down PVA glue worked as a gap filler and to reinforce the bonds holding the parts together.

Primer and Base Coats:
The same research that turned up the overspray issue also suggested a fix. The spray paint I used was supposed to be an all-in-one primer and paint. The fix is to not rely on that and to go ahead and apply a separate primer layer. The theory is that the metallic spray paint would bond better to a primer than directly on the plastic. Unfortunately, that theory didn't pan out. The metallic paint still came off on my hands. Washing the pieces in soap and water improved things only slightly. I decided to press on in the hopes that I could find a solution later.

Comparison: Base coat only (left), base coat + wash (center), and base coat + wash + detailing (right).

Wash:
I mixed a large batch of dark wash for this project using a formula I found online and stored it in a plastic bottle. This would help to keep the color of the wash consistent over all of the pieces. I repeated a method of applying the wash that worked well for a previous project. Rather than brushing on the wash and leaving it, I used a sponge to wipe away some of the excess. This resulted in even coverage on the flat areas while letting the wash settle into the details. The downward motion I used also helped to simulate weathering - nevermind the notion of "weathering" in space.

After highlighting. Note how the center of the room and corridors are a little brighter in color than the rest.

Highlight:

While my goal for the base coat and wash was an even coat in the flat areas, the pieces were looking a little too uniform at this point. I remedied this by applying a small amount of Craft Smart Premium Wax Metallic Finish with a soft cloth. This method provides a subtle gradation between the darker and lighter areas. I considered drybrushing a silver metallic paint to achieve the same effect, but I wanted to experiment a bit.

Detailing in progress. Note the difference between the gold colored rivets and the plain ones.

Detailing:
At this point, I felt that the pieces needed something to make them more interesting to look at. Coloring the round "rivets" with a Metallic Gold Sharpie gave them a little more detail. I choose a Sharpie over paint for convenience. It was easier for me to grab a Sharpie and color a few rivets in between doing other things than to deal with a bottle of paint and a brush in the same circumstances. I also had a Metallic Silver Sharpie on hand for corrections.

Door closeup.

Doors:
I choose to make the doors visually distinct from the rest of the set. During the first time I tackled this project, I spray painted the door pieces the same metallic color as the walls and they tended to blend in. The first test was in a bright orange color that didn't coat well. That test piece will be stripped, reprimed, and repainted later. The purple spray paint I tried next coated well and stands out from the rest of the set. I used the same wash as the rest of the set to bring out the details. The buttons on the keypads were colored using a Metallic Sapphire Sharpie. I applied some thinned down Reaper LED Blue 09288 to rest of the keypad to simulate the appearance of a backlight. I tried something similar in green on the other side, but it didn't work as well. That side on the doors will be repainted to match the blue keypads later. A Metallic Gold Sharpie was used to pick out a few details. The wear marks where the doors meet and near the keypads were applied with a Metallic Silver Sharpie.

Next Steps:
I'm considering options at this point. There are the issues I mentioned above with the door that I need to fix. The corridor pieces looks good enough for tabletop use and are an improvement over my previous attempt. However, the overspray issue is still a concern - I don't want to be washing silver paint off my hands every time I handle the pieces. I'm considering spraying a seal on the corridor pieces to see if that fixes the problem.

Reaper Bones #77113 Eldritch Demon

Been making some progress on my pile of unpainted miniatures and unfinished terrain projects.

This particular project has spent time on and off my work table since I received it with the rest of the original Reaper Bones Kickstarter's backer rewards. The initial plan was to use this miniature to test a paint scheme to eventually use on its much larger cousin. That fell through when I couldn't find a way to produce a satisfactory green. I tried various combinations of base colors, highlights, and washes over the years. Nothing came out quite right until recently.

The key, it turns out, is Baby Poop.

But more on that later.

Look! He's waving hello! What's that he's saying? "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!"

The Name

"Eldritch Demon" isn't the most accurate name for this friendly fellow. "Eldritch" is fair, given its obvious Lovecraftian inspiration. "Demon" isn't really descriptive of an extraterrestrial being, though. Fortunately, there is a wealth of alternatives:

• Star-Spawn of Cthulhu
• Cthulhi
• Xothian
• Li'l Cthulhu
• Cthulhu Junior
• Baby Cthulhu

The Paint Job

The results of my previous attempts formed a dark green-brown base for me to work with. The original primer/base coat is FolkArt 869 Glass & Tile Medium with a little brown paint. That coat is buried under multiple layers of paint, washes, and failure. Couldn't complain about lack of coverage, though.

I hit the raised areas with FolkArt 527 Forest Moss. Some might question the use of a craft paint, but I had a couple of reasons:

• 527 Forest Moss is a light-to-medium green with a hint of yellow. It provides plenty of contrast with the dark green-brown base, even under a layer of wash.
• It's the one thing that worked well from previous attempts at painting this miniature.
• I'm planning on using craft paints as much as possible on the larger miniatures in my collection. This decision is driven entirely by cost - buying enough hobby paint to coat a Reaper Bones Cthulhu or - if I'm ever insane enough to attempt it – Kaladrax Reborn is well outside of my budget. If 527 Forest Moss works well on this project, it will hopefully work as well on a larger version of this project.

Check out those shoulders! Must be all that time working those wings.

Next came Secret Weapon W008 Baby Poop Wash. I purchased this stuff back on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. This is my first experience using a wash from Secret Weapon. The wash flowed smoothly straight out of the bottle, coating the whole miniature without breaking and setting into the recesses on its own. The finished glaze is glossy enough to suggest wet or slimy flesh on close inspection. The green-brown-orange color was just what I was wanting for a tentacled horror not made of ordinary matter.

The claws and bony spurs are a base of P3 Morrow White and a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone Quickshade.

The tentacles and suckers are a base of Reaper 09183 Cloud Pink and a wash of Secret Weapon Dark Sepia Wash.

The eyes are a base of P3 Morrow White and a wash of Citadel Baal Red that has somehow survived years of storage.

The base was finished in my usual way:

• Paint the integral base brown so none of the Bones white plastic will show through. (The figure was glued on to the round base during assembly.)
• Brush on a layer of watered down PVA glue to the integral and round base.
• Apply sand. Allow glue to dry completely.
• Apply a mix of PVA glue, FolkArt 231 Real Brown, and water to the glued down sand. This further secures the sand to the base surface while coloring it. Allow to dry completely.
• Drybrush FolkArt 420 Linen on the sand layer. This gives the base the appearance of dry earth or wet sand.

I'm pleased at how this project turned out. I'm also happy to be able to put the finished miniature in my display case and move on. It will emerge to menace some player characters soon enough.