Alien invasion again ...!

[Admiral Benbow]

Hey Professor, you thought about something like this for your own invasion force?



Just finished selecting and partly undercoating my own space pirates combo of 10 gruesome and hardboiled veterans, but could not wait showing this one. Will start painting soon, and show you the hideous force when finished. I'll use them in one of our Killzone games or give the Alien invasion rules a try.

I really had fun converting the Heresy cyclops and combine some real heavy weapons and arms from the Excalibur line of SF-figures. Undercoated with GW white, colour coat Plaka yellow ochre, and after a days drying time two heavy washes with a dark brown waterbased wood stain. The mini is ready for getting some real paint now, and this method combines both schools of painting: you get the real dark lines for the deepest shadows without having to paint several times over a black undercoat, and all other areas will stay light in colour to enhance the overlaying paint. Why wood stain? It's superior to inks as it stays were you brush it and will not run like ink. My standard painting method now.

Hope you like the mini.

[Mike D. Mc Brice]

What brand of woodstrain are you using?

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Yeah, that's what i thought! I love this conversion, very cool! If i'll get finished the Africa and White Russian projects, than the Aliens will come!!

[knoxville]

wooha! Impressive  

Could you please post some step by step pics? Your painting method sounds very interesting.

[WitchfinderGeneral]

Those guys are looking really mean, great.

Interesting way of doing the shadow.
The first thing I do, after undercoating, is painting all black (and later metallic) parts black as well as doing the outlining. So I also got the advance of brighter colours. And I don't have to fear messing the complete paintwork if I'd mess the outlining. Plus: I don't have to wait a day for the paint drying. ;-]

[KeyanSark]

Very interesting technique! I'll try it out... Please, post pics of the painted miniature when you finish it... I like it very much.

[Admiral Benbow]

First thanks to all for the nice comments. I'm trying to answer some of your questions:

What brand of woodstrain are you using?

I didn't try different brands, but just used the stain we had at home for repainting our antique sitting room table: "Aqua Combi-Clou Lack Lasur wasserverdünnbar, dunkelnußbraun Nr. 7". I fill a small amount into a small plastic bowl and thin it with a little water, about 80% stain, 20% water. Always experimenting sometimes leads to astonishing results ... :mrgreen:

Could you please post some step by step pics? Your painting method sounds very interesting.

Well, of course I could do that, but what would you expect to see? It's really very simple: basecoating white with GW Skull White spray can, drying time 24 hours. Then painting the mini using a big flat brush with Plaka Yellow Ochre, drying time again 24 hours. First stain wash using a big soft brush, drying time 24 hours again. You could start painting the mini here, but usually I paint on a second stain layer to get the recesses very dark. So, I don't think step-by-step photos will make much sense, but maybe I will do a few shots next time and post them here.

Anyway, if you'd like to see more, have a look at my website I've just started. But please don't expect too much, the site is still under construction, many things are missing and the pictures are mostly test shots, so not many finished minis to see.

http://www.mini-universe.de

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Michael, very glad you've managed to build an own homepage    Looking forward to see all the brilliant stuff from your huge collection!!

that's colt gun, scratchbuild? very lovely piece!

[Admiral Benbow]

Hi Alex, will do my best to bring more pictures to my site soon!

Yes, the Colt is indeed completely scratchbuild, only the wheels are Foundry. The Redoubt Colt gun was not available when I needed that gun, bur after seeing it on a show some times later, I was really glad I had build my own piece ... ::

[Lurch]

Thanks Admiral for sharing this technique, I think I will also try it out.

In general I undercoat black but every view month I give white undercoat a chance.
I don't want to belive that's me who is the bad painter.
But instead of practicing I alway search the internet for a technique that makes me a good painter.

So here you gave me an other chance. :wink: