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I think he's my favorite of this whole set. He could pass for a heroic fighter in a pinch, but this guy seems to scream "shady thug/mercenary" through and through. As you can see in the side-by-side pic with an unpainted example, the detail on the cape was originally...lacking (it looked like he had a boogie board strapped to his back). I can work with LOW detail, but this cape had NO detail. So, I ended up making a custom cape and was much happier with how it looked. And that's it for the original set of Wildspire townsfolk. Thanks for endulging me during this trip down memory lane. They did do a later version of this set that added about 11 more figures ( kind of a "set 1.5," I guess). I've got that one, so I'll be painting the newer guys at some point.

Hasslefree specializes in characterful badasses, and I thought it good to paint a few of them up like my merc Frank Russo. Meet the Major, Ekaterina, Rowen, Alex, and Tank, along with their previously posted colleagues: In several cases they have been modified or accessorized. My FLGS had some leftover GW Bitz they were kind enough to let me plunder, and between that, a GW scout walker's leftover bitz, and Bombshell tool sprues there were plenty of canisters and accessories to go around. Here is the Major. (Hasslefree designation Major Hoare.) I added the gas tanks and the hose to his weapon. One canister is pyrophoric, the other, an extinguisher. The Major is acutely aware of which is connected at all times. I assume the cigar is a futuristic electronic device, for that would be most unsafe otherwise. Ekaterina appears to be one of Hasslefree's analogues to Black Widow. I added some canisters and a Bombshell machete. Rowen here really sold me on this project. Love that dynamic and confident stroll, and the flippy hairstyle. They are very secure in who they are, even more so with a portable GW missile strapped to their back. Alex has access to guns and grenades but prefers sharp blades. [This mini, unlike his colleagues, comes in like six pieces; pin and glue accordingly.] And of course there is Tank. Tank is not Hasslefree, but rather a leftover GW scout walker pilot. I've posted in the past about diversity in minis, and resolved to follow through on that by giving him a souped-up wheelchair/personal mobility device with some extra bells and whistles. Tank sees your wheelchair-inaccessible stairs and is prepared to turn them into an accessible ramp of smoking rubble. GW parts plus parts from a toy car I found under a refrigerator. And lastly, a repaint of Bombshell's Maelee, to get her in line with the Task Force dress code. Also added a couple pouches and canisters. Together they make a formidable team, good for spacefuture or cyberpunk settings. What sorts of mayhem mightn't they get up to...for the right price, of course?

Messed around with painting the last couple weeks. These are Bones villagers from one of the recent KS. Tried some new color combos, and using the Pathfinder paints for the first time. Was having trouble getting good coverage with a lot of the paints, I ended up needing multiple coats (at least 4 on that brown coat) and going over them with washes and Contrast paints. Good enough for tabletop, IMO.

This is one of Hasslefree's modern adventurers sculpted by the inestimable Kev White. I tend to paint my figures in a sort of bright way (I think. It's very hard for me to see my own art style.). So I thought I would try to do justice to Kev White's dynamic and fairly realistic sculpt by trying to paint it in a more realistic style. I also welcomed the opportunity to paint someone non-caucasian and a modern mercenary type, which my gaming table is somewhat lacking in. (I realized a bit late he would be perfect for playing around with painting tattoos. Perhaps someone else can take up the challenge.) There is no WIP thread, but questions and comments are welcome.

I've no idea if this is one of Hasslefree's originals or one of their tributes to media characters. At any rate, I'm painting her up as a slightly unnerving Russian bodyguard named Petra for a modern-day game. Here's my standard priming: A layer of thinned down Titanium White followed by a wash of thinned-down Burnt Umber. I love all the little details Kevin of Hasslefree puts into his sculpts. I especially love how plausibly backside-kicking his women warriors look. Here are a couple of the in-between states of painting up her skin (which is to say her head, since she's wearing gloves). I'm including them because they're messy, because sometimes people get worried when their painting doesn't look great at each step. Don't ever be worried that things are looking messy! Paint is made to smooth things over. This first image shows a single thin layer of Titanium White mixed with Burnt Sienna sketched in leaving the darkest shadows. This I find is when faces look their creepiest (Ignore the other two figures; they are for other WIPs). This shows some shading developed with thin, translucent layers mixed with more or less Burnt Sienna. Burnt Sienna is a warm orangeish brown which lightens into peachy tones which seem to work for generic white people's skin. There's also some Burnt Umber in the deepest shadows. Here I've washed a little Quinacridone Crimson on her cheeks (very thinned) and lips; slung some buff yellow mixed from Yellow (Iron) Oxide, Burnt Umber, and Titanium White on her hair; and done up pale, slightly staring eyes (Grey mixed from Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, and Titanium White) with a sort of dramatic dark eyeliner I've sometimes seen used by pale blondes. The eyes look a little more disconcerting because I haven't put highlights in. She has no eyebrows because she's so fair. I also primed her guns black. I'm probably going to refine her features a little, especially around the hairline. But she's okay for now. I mixed up a blue for her jumpsuit, which I am trying to imply is shiny spandex. It's a mix of Phthalocyanine Blue, Burnt Umber, and a little Titanium White (more white for the highlights, natch). As with everything here, it's still rough. And there she is, a modern female mercenary begun ...

These are frostgrave soldiers. I like these minis; although they're plastic they have good detail. And each solider is put together using one of the many options available in terms of heads, bodies, arms, and weaponry. Coming up with a viable color palette took me longer than I'd like to admit. Given the rag-tag nature of this band, I wanted to show both variety and cohesion. Still WIP; lots of things to finalize tweak. But I'm relatively happy with the effort. (My favorite thing is the cowboy hat; I used a soft orange with a wash - which made it look like new leather.)

This is a very old miniature, from Games Workshop I think, which I've had sitting on my desk undercoated for years and years. It came in a blister of two versions: this one, and a mounted figure. It was actually the mounted figure I was looking for when I came to finally get around to painting it, but I couldn't find it, so this guy finally got the treatment. It's designed for a plastic slotta-base, which I hate, so I've mounted him on a 22mm washer and built up the ground with GreenStuff. I briefly considered adding some foliage, but that stuff catches the dust like you wouldn't believe, and is impossible to clean properly. So, he gets to stand on bare rock.

This is the second of the plastic soldiers from the Frostgrave Soldiers (SKU FGVP01) that I have finished so far. I have 8 more glued together, out of 40 now.... I bought another box since I really like the kit.

This is one of the plastic soldiers from the Frostgrave Soldiers (SKU FGVP01). This is the only one I have finished painting so far, I have 1 more in progress, and 8 more glued together (out of 20). I really like the kit, and I need to get them all assembled and painted.

Finished this guy a while ago. He is from the Gears of War board game, but will be used as a hired gun in our Necromunda campaigns.

My latest project. Someone got me this little mini for Christmas. I'm not sure how I feel about this brand. They seem to be a little smaller than stuff put out by Reaper. Not hero scale. As you can see next to the penny. All that's left is to wait a few days and add the dull coat. Thanks for looking

I like his belt on his back. You can't really see it here but it's a skull pattern. Either he bought it from Hot Topic or his mom made it for him.

Here is another tabletop-bound mini. He is my Varisian Half-Sylph Grifter/Ninja character for the Pathfinder (I use the term loosely) game we run. He is in the process of trying to find a cure for vampirism after being bitten by an elder vampire lord and coming back as a partially turned vampire. Whoa. Anyway, the idea is tabletop quality, so I didn't kill myself too much on all the buckles. However, I'd like to point out that I used a tip I learned on these very forums to do the studded armor. I used a toothpick! It works great... Without further ado... Lord Cirrus Valens, Fey-Friend

As a change of pace from my fantasy miniature painting and fantasy terrain building; I work in the modern era in areas that deal with modern mercenary models and figures. This is a (Congo Keel Boat). On the river it is known by the common name of (river taxi)...the version depicted here is (23'6") with a draft of (2'4")...used for moving just about anything on the Congo river system. The most famous version of this boat (a longer version) was depicted in the 1951 movie (The African Queen) with Humphrey Bogart. The model is 97% scratch built in the 1/35th scale area and in the " princess " line of such boats that were common from about 1928 to current day on both the Congo and Nile river systems. My figures (in the works currently) are a modern day (5 man) mercenary team using converted pieces/figures from the 1/35th scale U.S. Ranger team produced by (Shanghai/Dragon). The 3% non-scratch built items are all items from my parts box...all lumber used was scale hardwood...As you can see, the cabin section can be removed.