Throwback Project - More Wargames Factory Shock Trooper Test Pieces

Back in April 2021, I assembled and painted one of these models to test out a color scheme suitable for the whole box. That test worked well, but I had a couple of other ideas that I wanted to try before I started painting in bulk. Other things caught my attention and, with no immediate need for the figures, I shelved the project.

"It's been almost a year since this blogger made progress on this project?" "Time flies."

I recently pulled the box back out with a few goals in mind:

• Getting more time working on multi-part 28mm scale plastic models. I'm in need of miniatures suitable as "Psychos" for my Five Parsecs From Home campaign. The strongest candidates in my current collection are box of Necromunda Eschers. However, I'm reluctant to start on them without more experience with assembling plastic miniatures.
• Testing out a couple of military color schemes for the Wargames Factory Shock Troopers box. They will all likely end up in my Five Parsecs From Home campaign at some point, so moving forward with this project serves that end as well.
• Developing techniques suitable for speed painting armies. I'm used to painting miniatures individually, but that approach is impractical for groups of thematically related figures. Projects like this, the Reaper Bones Zombies, and the Reaper Bones Nova Corp are helping to build up my experience in that area.

Changing My Choice of Adhesive
I switched from my usual Gorilla Super Glue to plastic cement for this product. This gave me more time to get the arms in the desired position while everything set. I'm planning on using the same stuff on the Eschers based on my experience here. I did use super glue in one area - attaching the models to the metal washers I used as bases.

They seem to be holding together well.

Thoughts on Flame Throwers
I understand that historical soldiers using flame throwers had a lower than average life expectancy in combat. A flame thrower is a relatively short ranged weapon with limited ammunition, requiring the operator to close with the target. The discharge of a flame thrower tends to attract attention and rifle rounds. While the risk of taking a round in the fuel tank is overstated, drawing fire is generally unhealthy. I kept these notions in mind while picking out bits for the model.

Olive Drab Flame Trooper - Assembly
The fuel tank on this particular flame thrower design is tiny. Given the limited ammunition, it made sense to issue this trooper a sidearm. A shotgun would have been my preference, but I made do with one of the holstered pistols in the kit. I also added a water canteen since operating a flame thrower has got to be at least as hot as grilling a meal for the family in Texas on Independence Day. The choice of head was based on which one appeared to offer the best protection from both heat and small arms fire.

Not much ammunition in that tank, I imagine.

Olive Drab Flame Trooper - Paint Scheme
The sight of assembled trooper evoked far away memories of plastic green army men carrying M2 flame throwers battling it out in the back yard. Inspired, I settled on an olive color scheme.

• Primer coat: Krylon Fusion All-In-One Matte Black. Sprayed for full coverage.
• Base coat: Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Olive. Sprayed in a zenithal pattern.
• Highlight layer: Reaper 09177 Camouflage Green. Dry brushed on the upper surfaces.
• Gray areas (weapon, mask, boots): Mix of Citadel Colour Codex Grey with a little Chaos Black.
• Wash coats: Army Painter Dark Tone and Strong Tone Quickshade Inks. Each layer was applied separately and allowed to dry completely before the next.

Khaki NCO - Assembly
Basically, I wanted to use the pointing arm. Pairing it with another arm holding a pistol and a dagger fit the theme of some kinda unit leader. The choice of a head came down to the one wearing a garrison cap and the one with tentacles. I didn't spent long making my decision. Even if I eventually get rid of rest of the box, I'll be keeping the tentacled heads around in my bits collection for as long as they last.

These came from an extra sprue, so I have a box of eighteen to go.

Khaki NCO - Paint Scheme
The steps using spray coats substituted Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki for the Olive, but were otherwise identical to the Olive Drab Flame Trooper. The gray areas used the same mix of Citadel Colour Codex Grey with a little Chaos Black. The wash coats were also used the same products as the Olive Drab Flame Trooper.

• Highlight layer: Reaper 09292 Bathalian Chitin. Dry brushed on the upper surfaces.
• Head: Reaper 09233 Bright Skin. This color is a little too pink to be a realistic skin tone for a human, but works fine in this case.

Basing
The assembled plastic models were glued to one inch steel fender washers before painting. I used the same techniques for texturing the base as I do for Reaper Bones miniatures.

Decisions, decisions.

These turned out well. Which leaves me with a problem. I can't decide which paint scheme to go with for the box! Maybe I can divide up the remaining troopers into teams, each in a different color? I'll have to think it over.

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.