Wildcats Armour

It seems the world is conspiring against me finishing my Infinity force.

I finish Pandora, lay out all the Nomad stuff to be painted, and both Wyrd and PSC announce painting contests! Expect a few non-model updates over the next bit, and delay between true model updates. Wyrd is asking us not to show any work until it's finished, so I won't be able to document what I'm painting for the next bit.

That said, Wildcats!

I debated using a more stand-out scheme, before deciding I liked the Prowler one enough to try just them for almost all the units in my force. The first mix on the armour is a mix of "Japanese Tank Crew" (Vallejo 70328) and Leather Brown (70871) at about 50/50, gradually highlighted with the ever useful pale sand. I wanted to do a more muted overall look, making it appear like some kind of advanced ceramic compound. I also had a rule for myself of limiting (or eliminating) all the glowing elements, because that Penny Arcade comic is right!

At first, the armour is a very muted brown, just the straight mix. For these ones I was so thankful for my wet palette letting me do thin gradual highlights of colour. The legs are about half-finished and will likely stay that way until I decide exactly how bright I want to make the red.

After a few layers, you will start to know if you were exactly even with the mix, or had more green or brown. I took some creative liberties on which sections of the boots would have armour plates; I know the default scheme has a few reds, but I figured that any place not covered by the red 'pliable flak armour' (as I am sure it is) would be harder ceramic compound shock plate.

At the same time, I was working on the others. I have all the potentially-covering pieces placed on a bit of model wire to allow me to get under. Infuriatingly, the Nuln Oil wash has a 50/50 chance of going milky, as you can see on his gun. I am going to have to start infusing the wash with Vallejo black to stabilize it...

You can also see on the shoulderpad how the pale sand is starting to show as the primary colour.

The super-thin layers eventually build up to a good slick armour, where I start focusing more on refining edges, and accentuating certain armour sections. This has the downside, though, of meaning the time per coat slows down as I delicately trace each line, and hit each highlight. Thinner coats are critical here!

Odd as it is, I love this pose. The hunched over look of this and the other male Wildcat gives a feel of attempting to sneak down a corridor before spotting the enemy. Sadly, it does make the female stand out somewhat. I think if I ever decide to run a Wildcat hacker, I'll just call her the one.

Originally, I had the arms to these two mixed up. I couldn't figure out why they didn't cleanly line up, but then looked more carefully at the box. This guy's pose is _almost_ shooting at a target in front of him (or is targeting someone ahead and a bit below).

Eventually, I will have the three fully highlighted in the armour, touched up on the pants and boots, and glowing only where a self-respecting soldier would be glowing! Just one single model, a crew, and a duel/diorama away!

For the Love of Light

I am delayed in any updates in part because of work, but also because I'm trying to paint very carefully my first few Infinity soldiers.

I had a bit of a terrifying setback that luckily I noticed before it went critical: the clamp that holds one of my painting lights had split almost to the point of falling off the desk! It's an alligator-clip style hold, but the entire thing is plastic. The pressure of holding it up (a metal spring, connected to a metal lamp) had apparently caused it to fracture right at a critical spot!

Well, the lamp itself is still good, just the clamp that's off. I have a... thing about not throwing out anything that still 'works' until it's truly dead. That left only one option: I had to repair it!

Shockingly, superglue was not strong enough a bond to seal it without further cracking, so I ended up taking more... drastic measures:

With the lamp base thoroughly disintegrated, I had to find a new means of attaching it to my desk. (By the way; it figures the critical part is weak enough to break, but the central section was built tough enough it took great effort to pull it apart!)

I have a bunch of art bulldog clips, which while not quite as strong as the original grab, had the advantage of being present, metal, and similar enough to work.

Rubber bands help to keep it in place, and while it looks like it has an intimidating lean, it's actually strong enough to secure itself! (So far...)

With that done, shortly I hope to have an update of actual painting stuff!

Pandora Crew, together at last

It seems Pandora is photo shy. It's really difficult to get a good one of her! Nevertheless, here she is in all her painted splendour:

Isn't she just so innocently adorable?

The photos mostly had to be amalgams, because either the focus would only be on half of her, or too bright, etc. She was a ton of fun to actually paint though. I got to use techniques I haven't in a while, and really pushed my skin painting.

I knew I had to fancy up her dress when I saw how much flat space was on it. I had to delicately cover up the wisp of smoke/miasma coming off the box, because I knew I wanted to keep its eerie glow even when the model was painted.

Kade's also been finished and photographed now. It's odd; there's a notch under his leg where the teddy is supposed to slot, but I prefered the idea of him having paid attention to it right up until something else caught his eye... something warm, and naive, and vulnerable...

He was also incredibly difficult to paint in a way I'd not experienced previously: With only really skin and diaper to paint, he paints up so fast you feel like you're missing something. I must've looked him over a few times just making sure of that.

Candy of course looks appropriately adorable now. It's amazing how large the bases seem for Candy and Kade, especially being the plain discs.

Aand finally, the entire original crew. I may yet do some painted details on the sorrows and poltergeist, but for the time being, I want to leave them pure creepy plastic. They were the real motivation for clear bases: I may eventually do a scenic base for them with lights buried in, casting a creepy glow up through their base.

And then, one final group-shot to leave you with; Pandora amidst her creations!

Teddy will join them as soon as I can figure out what to do about his eyes.