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52About JDWiker

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Rank
Newbie
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Gender
Male
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Location
Greater Seattle Area
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Interests
Gaming, game design, writing, miniature painting, cooking.
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And here, at last, is the finished version. JD
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Thanks. It looks a lot better with a little distance, I think.
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I've started painting my first Bones mini--Mister Bones, naturally--just to test the theory that they don't need a coat of primer. My plan was to paint one without primer, see how it did, then paint another one with primer. But this went so well that I don't see the need, but I am kicking myself now for not spending more time prepping the mini in other ways (removing flash and such). Fortunately, I have a second Mister Bones ...
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I tried out the buffing block last night, and had moderate success: The block is an inch wide, so it's hard to get it into small spaces. The block's texture is very fine, meaning it takes a lot of buffing to get rid of large amounts of flash (even after using an X-Acto to trim the flash down a bit). Something between a buffing block and a sanding sponge seems to be the ticket. On large, relatively flat areas, however, the buffing block worked fine. I used it on Mister Bones' cloak, and it not only removed the remaining traces of flash, but smoothed out the area overall. So, for trimming/sanding largish areas, I'd recommend X-Acto, then file, then sanding sponge, then *maybe* buffing block. But, for $2.50, it's not a *bad* tool to have in your Bones toolkit. It's just not as versatile as other tools.
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I started painting my first Bones mini last night (Mister Bones, appropriately enough), and I was able to use an X-Acto knife, needle files, and my trusty sanding sponge to fairly good effect, but because the sanding sponge is made for wood or metal, it was a bit crude for the task. Then I remembered these things: http://www.amazon.com/COSM-TRIM-Trim-Buffing-Block/dp/B001TSNGF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377113332&sr=8-1&keywords=trim+buffing+block I went out at lunchtime just now and picked one up at my neighborhood Target for about $2.50, and I'm going to try it out tonight. Has anyone used one of these on plastic minis before? Any suggestions for technique, or warnings about what to expect? Cheers. JD
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Even though I'm likely to jump into Bones #2 with both feet, I have a few suggestions/requests for the fine folks at Reaper: Plastic is best utilized for figures that are too expensive for metal equivalents. (Corollary: Plastic works well when combined with metal, because it's less likely to bend under its own weight—plastic wings on a metal dragon, for example, or a flowing cloak on a vampire.) Plastic is also more cost-effective than metal when it comes to rank-and-file minis. That is, if I need a dozen orcs, I'd rather pay Bones prices for them than Dark Heaven or Warlord prices—and it doesn't much matter if they don't have the full level of detail that a metal miniature does. If I need a "hero" figure—a "named" hero or villain, for example, or a figure that's going to need more detail—I prefer metal, and I don't mind paying metal prices. Smaller minis—the rank-and-file types, or what have you—have to be solid sculpts, by which I mean sculpts without narrow-gauge bits like spears and staves and so forth. That being said: I'm fine with small minis with spears and staves and so forth, IF the mini just has a socket where the item is meant to go, and comes with the spear/staff/sword or whatever as a separate metal piece that can be glued in by the end user.
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In this particular case, I just primed and painted over the original paint. But my *preference* is to strip the mini (using acetone), then reprime it.
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I finally got my camera's macro settings to pay off, and took a few photos of more recent projects. Have a look: Ninja of the Ghost Dragon Clan, doubling as Shinobi (from Strike Force) in my Champions campaign. Not strictly a Reaper figure, but one of my my more recent projects, so I thought it was worth a mention. This is Chronin, from Pulp City--painted as my wife's character from my Champions campaign. (She projects a force field that looks like a glowing suit of samurai armor.) And, again, another not-Reaper mini: a conversion from a HeroClix figure (Saturn Girl), serving as a super-powered paramedic in my Champions campaign. I added cargo pockets and a medical satchel (you can see the strap in this photo).
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Sweet! I'm not normally a fan of this sort of thing, but you've done a great job.
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Various Reaper minis I've painted over the years--with correspondingly varying quality of the photos: My most recent, painted for a Pathfinder adventure: An ettin I painted long, long ago: A cavern worm I painted long ago--which was stolen from my storage locker, along with a bunch of others: Crypt Bats, serving as Desmodu for a D&D game: Gargoyle Lord: A Hydra, also stolen: Oh, and lastly a Dwarf, while it was still a WIP. JD
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I'm running a Champions campaign (mainly for my wife) and have been scouring the web for miniatures that can serve as superheroes and supervillains. Reaper/Chronoscope was one of my first stops, and here's who they all are in my campaign (not all strictly Chronoscope, but still): Ninja of the Ghost Dragon Clan: Shinobi (from Strike Force)--modern ninja Kelly, Corporate Assassin: Hair-Trigger, leader of the teenage criminals "The Dream Girls" (based loosely on the Enforcers, from Spider-Man) Candy, Anime Heroine: Cheerleader, member of the Dream Girls (Fancy Dan) Whitney, Anime Heroine: Ronina, member of the Dream Girls (Montana) Peaches, Biker Girl: Trona, member of the Dream Girls (Ox) Ebony Foxx, Modern Heroine: Sugar, member of the Dream Girls Ape-X: Apex, cyborg ape villain Dryad: Autumn Bloom (based on a COV character) Slade, Cyborg Hero: Auxiliary Jack, cyborg hero Clay Golem: Behemoth (essentially my Hulk) Onyx Overlord: the Black Knight (villain based in UK) Lab Mutant: Mondo and Rondo, the Bully Boys (I have two of them, so they're loosely based on the Mauler Twins from Invincible) Torrent: Calypso (a female Sub-Mariner) ALF-24: Clockwork Kid (based on a COH character) Black Mist: Death Penalty (vigilante; cross between the Shadow and the Punisher) Warlord Kang: Doctor Sin (cross between Doctor Doom and the Mandarin--with his "Seven Deadly Rings" that incite sin) Bonzo the Killer Clown: Funnybones (my version of the Joker) Twister: Gale Force (essentially Vortex from The Elementals) Incredible Woman: Gammazon (She-Hulk/Wonder Woman cross, based on a COH character) Stone Golem: the Golem (hired muscle for criminal leader) Angel of Radiance: Godsend (essentially the Specter, but divinely motivated) Hangin' Judge: Hanging Judge (vigilante with magical weapons) Harpy: Harpy (an ancient curse forces her to punish evil men) Alien Overlord Boss: Headstrong (psychic villain) Devil Girl: Hellion ("the Devil's daughter") Turk, Space Salvager: Hi-Fi (sonic weapons--I'm planning to sculpt a small dish on the end of his gun) Marie, She-Bot: Iron Maiden (armored teen heroine) Nightslip: Killer Queen (vigilante with high-tech gear) Frank Russo: Killshot (assassin who specializes in supers) Jack the Ripper: KIllstreak (theme serial killer who always ups his body count by one with each killing spree) Crystal Golem: King Coal (NYC gang boss with a rocky body and a heat blast) Jungle Lord: Lord of the Urban Jungle (essentially a homeless version of Tarzan) Wereshark: Mako (convicted criminal transformed by experiment) Jeeves: Majordomo (personal bodyguard of major villain) Tool Bot: Assembler, Mk. III (grunts of that same major villain) Brigitte, Naughty Maid: Metal Maid (robot housekeeper-turned-superhero) Ishio, Anime Heroine: Milk Maid (sidekick to gimmick hero Milkman) Yvette, Magician's Assistant: Mysteria (villain with magical cards) Phat Clark, Gang Boss: Mister Big (gang boss from the future) Raptor: Mockingbird (inexperienced superhero) Doctor Voodoo: Papa Sang, Voodoo Lord of New Orleans Cleo, Weretigress: Pantera (from Classic Enemies) Shadow Talon: Predator (the Boba Fett of supervillains) Professor Kraken: Professor Kraken (villain, symbiotically linked with alien squid creature) Inferno: Pyrotica (fire-using villain with "femme fatale" vibe) Sandwoman: Quicksand (villain) Bettie, Space Heroine: Red Hot & Her Cinnamon Gun (minor villain with pepper-spray gun) Mega-Mutant: Ripper (straight out of Classic Enemies--once I get rid of the crossbow) Silver Marksman: Robin Hoodie (anti-corporation vigilante) Harvey, Psycho Killer: Sawbones (torturer for hire for gang bosses) Professor L.T. Froschmeier, Scientist: Senor Science (villain with an "Impedigun") Aysa, Necropolis Solo: Spectre (insubstantial minor villain) Familiar (from Jungle Lord): Spider Monkey (intelligent chimp with "spider powers") Captain Griffon: Mister Magnificent (hero with Superman-like powers) Zenith: RetroRocket (speedster hero, based on COH character) Aina, Valkyrie: Valkyrie (Nordic demi-goddess hero) Sasquatch: Wendigo (superhero from Canada) Cyborg Assassin: SWATbot (essentially RoboCop, based on COH character) Smedley Cloverdash: Time Crunch (time-travelling supervillain, a la Kang the Conqueror) El Diablo, Pro Wrestler: Turnbuckle (minor supervillain) IMEF Marines: USMC "Godbuster Squad" (US Marines trained and equipped to deal with supers) NOVA Corps: VIPER Strike Team (pretty much straight from Champions) Kirby McDowell, Space Privateer: Vita-Man (essentially classic Hourman) Dee Dee, Astro Girl: Vitamin Dee (Vita-Man's spunky teen sidekick) Barak, Rhino Man: White Rhino (villain, South African cursed by a shaman) Krissy, Modern Witch: White Witch (teenaged witch hero) Crosswire: Powerhouse (villainous strongman) Jackhammer: PIledriver (villainous strongman) Xiang Lung: Xiang Shiwan (Tibetan villain--cross between Fu Manchu and Ra's al Ghul) Blood Widow: Zombinatrix (based on a COV character; controls a small army of zombies)
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Noblemen and noblewomen, from the royal family down to lords, ladies, and their retainers. Essentially, "Townsfolk" from better social circles--but the key is to make them largely unarmed (or with sheathed weapons), so they can serve as "courtly bystanders."
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First post, and yes, I'm testing my badge. [EDIT] It works! Soon, I will be invincible!