15mm Sci Fi project: Eden- new painted figures 11/11

[CookAndrewB]

CookAndrewB

That long blue-headed fellow and his friends reminded me of something Moebius (Jean Giraud) would have done, had his medium been sculpting:

Dan
PS.  What is that orange colored putty you are using?  How does it compare in tackiness to others, such as Kneadatite (Green Stuff)?

Funny you mention Moebius. I've been reading through the Incal series since Christmas. I have Incal, Before the Incal, and Final Incal. I'm part of the way through Before. Wish I could say the art there was my inspiration, or that I was copying it in some way, but I lack that kind of talent

As for the orange epoxy, it is Apoxie Sculpt. Green stuff is the most tacky of the epoxies I use, and the most elastic. There are things I like it for, and things that Apoxie does better. I also have Pro Create, which is sort of the worst of both worlds. The only advantage with Pro Create is that it sets up super fast. Working time is VERY limited. 30-ish minutes in my experience. You might be able to mush it a bit after that, but it won't do what you want. Similar to Green stuff at the 90 minute mark. It is still a bit workable, but good luck getting any details.

I purchased the Apoxie because I needed (wanted?) a 2-part epoxy that I could use for some larger push molds. Cars in 28mm scale, refrigerators, piles of boxes, etc. It was originally purchased because it was the only thing I could find that could be purchased by the pound. It is quickly becoming one of my favorites though. It sculpts more like clay. You can push it around, but if you grab a piece and pull it breaks and doesn't stretch like silly putty. Details stay pretty crisp. It requires some cure time just to use it. I believe the package says 5 minutes, but I find that 30 minutes is more realistic. So I mix it up and let the ball just stand for 30 minutes before using it. Whether I'm using it for push molds or sculpting, I find this is about the ideal time to start working with it. Before that and the epoxy sticks to the surface of tools. After 30 minutes it doesn't. No water needed to lubricate, though the smallest amount isn't bad. Larger amounts of water seem to make a slurry similar to working with potting clay. Doesn't dissolve the Apoxie, but it makes the surface slimy. Dries just fine afterwards but it is messy to work with. Hopefully that makes some sense.  Apoxie works better in push molds than green stuff, IMO. It takes crisp surface details better. It also dries much harder than green stuff. Very little flex or bend in it after it has set, which takes about 12 hours. In fact, thin pieces will break right off, which is nice for any flashing around the bottom of a push mold.

Overall, I wouldn't want to give either one up. I will say that I prefer Brown stuff to Green stuff, but the two products are pretty darn similar. Apoxie has a permanent home in my sculpting tool drawer. It also comes in maybe 12-20 different colors, and can be purchased in buckets up to 4lbs I believe. I have 1lb of orange and 1lb of brown Apoxie at home. Same stuff, different colors. I'm maybe a 1/3rd of the way through the orange after 3-4 months of pretty constant use. Push molds, especially if I solid fill them, take a lot of epoxy. I typically work with an amount about the size of a golf ball and I can easily work it all before it starts to toughen up. I'd guess the workable time is something like 3 hours or more.

[War Monkey]

Thanks for the information  about  the  epoxies, I don't have the time for sculpting at the moment, but I will give it a try this spring.

[CookAndrewB]

Last update is my Predator hunting lodge. This WIP stuff is pretty rough and ready, but hopefully you get the idea.

So where the block is missing I'm planning to sculpt in some Alien (the movie) style xenomorph tubing etc. Over the large entrance door I want to sculpt an alien skull of some sort.


The cover of the lodge will be metallic banding.


From the side:


Back side (Members only entrance? Catering entrance?) will be a bit more tech and less "native", but I'm thinking that I may carry some of the xenomorph sculpt between the door and the paneling.

Materials for this is just a bundle of different cardboards. Including the main structure, which was a cardboard insert from a new pair of shoes that my wife bought, hence the overall shape of the structure. On the back entrance side I just cut off the toe area and made a wall so that it fit the 4x4" base.

My design idea is to have this continue the idea that the Predators are a bit like the Native American tribes in the US. This lodge would be where they gather to retell stories of hunting glory and go on vision quests... whatever Predators do. I really need to buy some more Predator figures, which is on the to-do list for 2020. Anyway, the colors for this will be much more earth tones (brown/green/grey) and metals. A bit of a departure from the more vivid colors of everything else. The goal is to make it look like something else unrelated to the mining town, yet coexisting with it. Future associated builds will probably include some residence huts of some sort, and maybe some ritual sacrifice altar?

[CookAndrewB]

Finished up a couple new OPFOR figures. No grand backstory or anything. These were just finished up to help clear my lead pile and give Pink Pat some other thugs to call on when missions have more than five baddies. Now I don't need to recycle.

I'm currently on a kick trying out different alien skin tones. This fine lass got some purple skin.


The casting didn't turn out so well on this side of her face. At some point in the future maybe I'll sculpt a tiny mechanical prosthetic eye thing. If she is particularly bad in combat, we can just chalk it up to poor depth perception.


Colors got washed out in the light a bit. Her hair is yellow with lighter yellow highlights but it doesn't show so well.


I believe this is one of Pink Pat's Lieutenants, Purple Paula.


Pink Pat is all about girl power, so only the ladies rise in the ranks. Men are just big dumb muscle for her operations. Expendable.


Again, light caused a lot of this to be a bit washed out, but the armor plates are all this spotted green/tan on light green. I like the effect. A bit silly to have camo over a red shirt, but when she stripped this off of the dead body of its former owner, and it fit, she didn't care much about the practicality of it. It stops blaster rounds, hopefully, that is all Paula cares about.

[War Monkey]

I like em! The colors all look so good, I may have to try painting some of the figure in my lead mountain as aliens with different  skin colors

[CookAndrewB]

I like em! The colors all look so good, I may have to try painting some of the figure in my lead mountain as aliens with different  skin colors

It feels like a nice way to mix things up a bit.

[War Monkey]

Yes, I agree, I have a few figure I think best for them to be aliens.

[CookAndrewB]

A tiny update today (pun intended) as this guy is about 6-7mm tall. Another member of Mr T's retinue. Meet, Tiny-P:


Tiny-P hails from a dwarf planet, or regular sized if you were just born extra small. Tiny's people are what a human might consider emotipaths, which is to say they are able to project emotion as a weapon. This is actually done through highly targeted pheromones emitted through a network of pores on Tiny's body. It isn't magic, it is science, but that doesn't keep people from trying to burn him at the stake... or test to see if he weighs less than a duck. He does, of course, though it is hardly fair because deep space ducks purposefully swallow ultra dense material to help give them a slight gravitational pull to aid in effortless sleep-orbiting. Not like a deep space duck can just find a pond to land in.


By emitting pheromones he can evoke calm, fear, anger, crippling depression, and a wide range of goodwill from "hey, that guy pushed his grocery cart into the cart corral, good for him" all the way up to ravenously amorous desires. Because of this, Tiny-P can make grown men cower, intergalactic super models swoon, and the most stage frightened bladders can empty confidently with a stadium full of onlookers.



Sculpted from a very small amount of leftover epoxy. 5P does have a new psionics module called Mind Bullets, available at DriveThru RPG https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/298563/Mind-Bullets-A-Five-Parsecs-expansion?src=hottest_filtered

[Ockman]

Sweet additions!

[CookAndrewB]

Last figure update for the week.

This is Wendy the modern Gamorrean woman. While her piggish brothers were out making their way in the traditional "guard the gangster" manner, Wendy knew that she could do better. Not only better, but she could do it with style and sophistication. So she grabbed the most sheik midriff shirt she owned, the cutest jacket out of her closet, some super fab retro chain armor, yellow yoga pants that really make her butt look great, and a pair of $900 credit UGH boots, because she is "worth it" and set out to make a name for herself.
 

Being the second largest Gamorglet in her litter, Wendy always got to play with the biggest toys. Her father delighted at the sight of young Wendy stomping around the yard chasing the neighborhood kids with the family axe when she was only two. The two fatalities that day didn't even bother him! I mean, sure he was killing three and four kids a day at her age, but not bad for a girl... right?! As Wendy grew, she realized that axes lacked the finesse that she read about in the pages of Modern Gamorrean Business Woman Magazine. How was she going to break the glass ceiling with an axe? I mean... yes, swing it. That would probably break all kinds of ceilings, thought Wendy. But not with a modern sensibility that thumbed its nose at the male dominated establishment! No, she would need a lady's weapon. Something with grace and elegance like the Blood Shredder 9000XL Slug Whizzer!


Wendy knew that she didn't want to lose her femininity as she entered the workforce, and decided that she would stick with a playful ponytail to help soften her interactions with others, and to allow her to use her feminine wiles when it might give her the upper hand. It didn't even matter to her that it would take seven litres of Bentraxian blood, per week, to keep her hair the firey red that perfectly matched her fierce personality. It was a price she was willing to pay; and besides, the Bentraxians made fair target practice! 


Wendy will Join Pink Pat's growing gang as a heavy. She is proud to work for a strong female boss, and might even consider not ripping pat's spine out to establish dominance until after she has learned how to run her own business from such an inspirational woman role model!

Tonight I'm going to start working on terrain for the upcoming game on Feb 9th-ish.
Terrain needs will be:
1)Wrap up the Predator lodge,
2) Build a Mechanic's workshop
3) Build a garage.

Figures:
1) Find and paint my predator. Damn his cloaking technology! I know he is in that lead pile somewhere!

Other:
1) Scratch build 3 vehicles. Bonus points if I can design it so that I can make a blue stuff mold and press mold some replicas to help fill the table faster with some standardized vehicles. 

[Brummie]

Like your creativity mate, the models are great but their stories are insane  particularly like Tiny P using emotion as a weapon, that is a cool concept.

[War Monkey]

The little guy looks Great! Wendy looks like she's  going to go places!

[Cacique Caribe]

Tiny looks awesome!!!

Dan

[CookAndrewB]

Thanks, guys.

Spent the night doing the sculpt portion of the Predator lodge. Should be wrapped up by the end of the weekend. Truthfully I'm hoping to block colors this evening which will just leave the dry brushing and detail bits for Friday night or Saturday. Saturday I need to build a couple buildings, though I MAY have a WIP started that can suffice for my garage with a minimum amount of additional effort. I'll have to give that some consideration. If that does work out, then I'll probably consider adding a couple new scatter terrain bits in place of the garage build.

[CookAndrewB]

Well.... a bit of a mixed bag of work this weekend. I did make good progress on the Predator Lodge, Did nothing on the mechanic's shop, and the garage is mostly done but it lacks soul. I need to figure something better out to dress it up.

In happier news, the predator has been found! This is Sings With Gobblers, or as his less native friends know him "Sing." Sing is the first member of what will be an entire tribe of Predators who will get their own reservation later in 2020. Sing is seen here with his ceremonial Gobbler Poker, which is a formative weapon in its own rite, but truthfully isn't used often these days. Sing works as a host at the "authentic Predator experience" bar in town, and so he carries this as part of his flair.


This is the start of a ceremonial camo hunting cape. Not nearly as useful as active light bending camouflage that most Predator families have laying around the house, but it speaks to a simpler time when camo was all about patterns and blending in the old fashioned way.


This was a weird little sculpt that I did with some leftover Green stuff. Some kind of cleaning droid that buzzes about town eliminating errant trash and recycling it back to the atom bin for future construction into new matter. Most residents call these the "dirty kiss" based on looking like an old Earth candy, and its cleaning function. Residents of Forebear aren't clever.


The Dirty Kiss next to Sing for scale. Occasionally the Dirty Kiss will stumble across a resident's dirty boot and reclaim it. Thus, when residents of Forebear are seen wandering around town missing shoes (pants, shirts, hair....) it is typically assumed that the Dirty Kiss got them. Mothers warn their children to wash behind their tentacles for fear that the Dirty Kiss will sneak into the child's room and reclaim them.


In truth, there have been fewer than ten fatalities (per month) due to the Dirty Kisses cleaning protocols. No more than three of which (in a given day) have been children, which has caused the makers of the Dirty Kiss to run a positive image campaign entitled "It almost never happens, but aren't we better off with less children when you think of it?" The campaign was oddly popular and spiked a considerable increase in purchases of the Mini-Kiss home cleaner robots, particularly among families with more than six children. The company assumes this was because homes with more children are likely to be dirty, and not because the families were hoping to remove some of the children.