A Very Barry Halloween

Poor Barry Allen doesn't quite get the whole cosplay thing. 
 

Lucas Stephano

Here's another miniature for the meta aspect of the 7TV skirmish game: a director overseeing the action. This one really gave me eyestrain. 

Scanning . . .

Here's a quartet of futuristic sensor consoles that you might see in a rebel base or the laboratory of a mad scientist. 

Ye Tan

Here is Ye Tan, a miniature from Pulp Figures. For a change, I feel like I've managed to paint skin that's both smooth and of a realistic complexion. The hair is also decent. The dress, on the other hand, needs a bit of touching up, and maybe a dry brush layer to bring out some highlights. 
 

Bronze Tiger Strikes!

A few days ago I painted this 32mm-scale miniature of Bronze Tiger, one of my favourite characters from the Suicide Squad comics, particularly John Ostrander's incredible run. (Give Ostrander more work, DC!) Finding a good skin tone for Black characters is much easier (for me, at least) than for Asian characters; in this case, a very dark brown works well for the character's dark complexion. The tiger stripe details aren't as fine as I'd like, but at this scale, I give myself points for even attempting the task. 

I also found a much better spot for photographing my minis, with superior lighting. 
 

Bubbly Boucher Birthday

My wee creature turns [REDACTED] today! Happy Birthday, my sweet dove of delight. She wants steak tonight, and steak she shall have! 
 

2260s Cargo Cubes

I received 16 very basic crates as part of a Kickstarter project, and I was initially disappointed by their lack of detail. But then inspiration struck: I painted them in Star Trek uniform colours (including the optional command green). Now they work as Original Series cargo containers (at 28 to 32 mm scale) OR Original Series food cubes (at human scale). Well, technically they're not cubes unless you glue two together . . . 
 

Visitor Willie

Visitor Willie has betrayed his people and humanity, fomenting dissent among a small cadre of violent Terrans who resist Visitor benevolence. Fie on Willie! 
 

Visitor Soldiers

Here's a pair of stalwart Visitor soldiers. They patrol the streets to maintain order and protect humans! 

Visitor Diana

Here's Diana, another friendly Visitor doing her best to make Earth a better place. 

 

Visitor John

 

Here's John, leader of the benevolent Visitors who came to Earth in 1983. John's hair and trademark Visitor sunglasses turned out really well here, and his facial features are pretty crisp, too. 

Umbrella Girl

Here's another of my failed attempts to capture Asian skin tones (or any skin tones, for that matter). In truth, I don't like much of any of my efforts here, aside from the umbrella, which is sort of cute. 
 

Purple Sage

Eyebrows! Braided hair! Mirror Universe primary colours! No barrels! 
 

Megatech Crate Stack

Safety violation! 
 

Why Megatech?

Megatech Cargo

 

Megatech Barrels

Another 12 barrels for my collection! 
 

7TV Cameraman

Here's another Crooked Dice cameraman miniature for the 7TV game. I'm so pleased that I managed to render the 7TV logo on the camera's side! The logo itself is too small to make out with the naked eye (at least my middle-aged naked eyes), so when I saw this photo I was really delighted. 

New Soviet Minicam

In games of 7TV, you're not just playing out a skirmish; you're creating an episode of a television show. Accordingly, Crooked Dice has helpfully provided miniatures for the metagame, including this cameraman with camera. I'm starting to get the hang of how to approach the super-fine details: brace your arms to minimize shaky hands, use your magnifying glass, provide plenty of light, and use the finest brush possible with barely any paint. That's how I managed to paint this guy's sunglasses and headphone straps. 
 

Chalmers Symington

Here's the second of a pair of trappers with canoes I purchased years ago from Pulp Figures of Kelowna. I'm really quite happy with how the face turned out on this one--it was quite a bit of painstaking effort--so I took a photo before giving this fellow his paddle. 

I love Pulp Figures minis, but I really wish this guy's arms were sculpted in a different position so as not to block the face. 

Bat Girl

Man, skin tones are hard. At least that bit of pink makes it look like she has a mouth. 
 

White Shirt Fisticuffs

Another day, another mini with decently painted jeans. The white paint is still too thick and uneven, but on the other hand, it makes the shirt look realistically wrinkled. Skin tone is also pretty decent; I was going for south Asian again. 
 

Axe Millennial

I guess the best thing about this miniature is the faded jeans, and I guess the axe looks okay. Jacket and shirt are mixed bags; you can see where I've "painted outside the lines" on his left shoulder. Skin tone is okay on the hands, not quite as good on the face. He does look vaguely south Asian, which is the ethnicity I was going for; I'm trying to build some diversity into my collection of miniatures. 
 

7TV Reporter

Reporting live from the set of some 7TV production or other is . . . "Reporter." That's what the 7TV rules call him, but I think I'll call him Anvil Stillbulb or Shank McCarthy, something that sounds like it came from the 1970s, like his outfit. 

As for the paint job, I'm glad that I managed to paint in his moustache and eyebrows, and the hair looks all right. Skin still challenges me, though the hands look better than the face. I'm still applying the paint too thickly sometimes when I get frustrated or impatient, but as I've often written before, these close-up photos reveal every flaw; Reporter looks decent when viewed from a normal game-playing distance. 
 

Weird Science Equipment

I made a little lab module by painting some pieces from Pulp Figures and some random bits, then assembling them on a leftover tri-hexagonal base. 
 

Pulp Robots

Tonight I painted a set of three pulp-style robots. These robots are trained to smash your camera! And other things. 
 

A Fresh Coat of Paint

A few years ago, I painted this little ship purple and added some grime and rust to create a post-apocalyptic feel. More recently, I found some little boat doodads at the same scale. So I repainted the model battleship grey and added the doodads; a mooring hook, anchor chain, some light weapons, lights, life preservers, a mounted set of binoculars, and one of those flashing thingees used to signal other ships. 
 

Clown Ornament

 

This, uh, charming bit of business was meant to top off the box van I painted the other day. But I've decided to save it for a more post-apocalyptic vehicle or building. My paint job looks pretty ragged here in close-up, but at an arm's-length distance it looks good enough to serve as a beat-up, well-worn decoration. 

What the Heck Is Frozen Shoulder?

On Tuesday morning, I went in to see my doctor about the stiffness that's been growing in my right arm for the last few weeks. She examined me and determined that I have "frozen shoulder," AKA adhesive capsulitis. I'm in the early stages; currently I can raise my right arm almost to shoulder level, so I can still type--crucial for my job (and this blog). I'm already useless, though, for lifting anything, no matter how light, to shoulder level, let alone above that. Turning left in a vehicle is also tough because the right arm naturally stretches over as you turn the wheel. 

The condition both arises and disappears spontaneously, lasting months or years at a time. But I'm looking into what treatments might be effective other than physio (which I've booked) and simply waiting things out. 

All in all, even with this diagnosis I still feel pretty fortunate. Even if it takes a long time, my shoulder will unfreeze one way or another, and I know I can adapt in the interim. Other people have gotten far worse news from their doctor, so I'm grateful. 
 

Box Van

Here's a 7TV box van from Crooked Dice. I kept this one pretty basic, but added some unused Lego decals for some visual interest. They happened to scale decently, so why not? I'm hoping the spray varnish I just added will help them stay in place. 
 

A Visitor Arrives

Oh look, a visitor! Or rather, a Visitor. Looks like a harmless chap, and not at all a fascistic reptilian alien in human skin . . . 

The Visitor jeeps on V were white, so this model follows suit. I diluted the paint and applied, many, many thin coats, and while it the results look somewhat better than other models I've painted white, there are still some gloopy bits and visible brush strokes. I also messed up the hood a little in a misguided effort to get a little fancy. 

The Visitor himself looks better than my average mini--I'm particularly happy with the face, hair, hands, and the trademark Visitor black ball cap and dark glasses. 
 

Village Information

Should you ever find yourself trapped in The Village, management has generously provided information kiosks at convenient locations around the community. Remember, questions are a burden to others, so use sparingly. 
 

Flying Saucer Crash

This weekend I painted my model of a crashed Zetan saucer for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. I took my time with this one, and I think the results are pretty good.