15mm Vietnam Commission

I've been working on a larger 15mm Vietnam Commission for a customer. All figures are Battlefront's/Wargames Illustrated figures. This is the infantry from the order. I am still working on the helicopters.

The US Infantry Airmobile force. 3 Platoons with the HQ platoon. There is a fourth platoon awaiting completion but I'm waiting for replacement figs from Battlefront.

 The company command teams

 The mortars of the HQ section

 The medic team of the HQ section

 The company command team with Moore and Plumley of the HQ section on the left

 The PAVN Horde

 Close-up of the recoiless rifles in the first weapons platoon

 Close-up of the machine guns in the HQ section

 Close-up of the anti air platoon

 Overview of the entire PAVN force.

The figures paint up well but I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the figures. Some were miscast pretty bad and quite a few had the ends of their rifles broken off while in the packaging, especially the M16's on the US figures. That doesn't make me happy considering the price you pay for Battlefront's miniatures. To add insult to injury since the figures were a "limited production" item and are no longer being made it takes forever to find replacement figures for damaged ones. I can only imagine the typical gamer who buys lead and puts it away for a few years then finally gets around to working on a Vietnam project being really frustrated with the condition of the figures and the difficulty in getting replacements.

High Elves and Classic Country

   So, I promised progress.  Well, ummm...I was busy procrastinating.  You know, I needed to watch some CSI, talk to my mom on the phone and Facebook with people.  No, actually I needed to get new bottles of Regal Blue and Enchanted Blue and had to wait until Norm Flam opened today.  There is nothing like brand new canisters of paint.
   I was going to use the Necron Abyss for the blue but I decided it was far too dark and far too purplish.  I think I've used it previously for High Elves but I also know I've been more satisfied with Regal and Enchanted.  Unfortunately, when I went to open the canisters last night they were dry.  Blech.  Why is it when you want something or really need it, it isn't there?  Kinda like that beer I've been wishing for...<<grin>>

   I'm considering some further procrastination...but here's what happens between classic country:

"...but when they turn out the lights she's still a lady to me, because when we get behind closed, when she lets her hair hang low, and she makes me glad...Oh, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors..." 

This is just an initial base coat of Brown with a dry-brush of Light Brown; a base coat of Mithril silver.  No white has been done on the fronts of the horse coat or the taberd on the elf.

 "...mommas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys don't let em get guitars and ride in old trucks...let em be doctors and lawyers and such...cuz they'll never stay home and they're always alone...cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings, little warm puppies and girls of the night..."

This is after all the browns and the silver have been washed with Badab black.

"I've got a good woman at home, who thinks I do no wrong, but sometimes lord she just ain't always around, and you know that's when I fall, and I can't help myself at all, and I get whiskey bent and hell bound..play me some songs about a ramblin' man put a cold one in my hand cause you know i love to hear those guitar sounds..."

Just another image like the one from above...

 "...my heroes have always been cowboys, and they still are today...cowboys are special, with their own brand of misery from bein' alone for too long..."

The white is done in a base of Cel-Vinyl gray 7, then pesudo-Dallimored with gray 1 and white.  You'll see that there are distinct gray creases.  Some people like this and at a distance it looks good.  Up close though, it is a bit too distinct so... 

"...and leather boots are still in style for manly footwear, beads and sandals won't be seen, footballs the roughest thing on campus I'm proud to be an Okey from Muskogee...we still wave old glory down at the court house and white lightnings still the biggest thrill of all..."

...in this photo you'll notice that the creases are subduded a little bit and up close it appears softened.  I achieved this by diluting the white until it's like 2% milk and washing the cloth with it.  I know, I could have used an actual white wash, but I prefer to do it this way.

"...well you wonder why I always dress in black, why you never see bright colors on my back...I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down livin' in the hopeless hungry side of town...well were doing mighty fine I do suppose in our streak of lightening cars and fancy clothes...you'll never see me wear a suit of white...till things are brighter I'm the man in black..."

This image is with the gold drying in preparation for washing with Ogryn flesh; the trim is done in the base coat of Regal blue waiting to dry for highlights of Enchanted and Deep Sky.

 I think it's Legion time...in other words, more procrastination.  Okay, maybe I'll paint for a few more hours, it is kinda early for beer:30.  This is why it's not called Evil Allison's, we'd never get anything done.  :-)

This Week's High Elf Extravaganza! Snow Days Rock!

This is Allison (Evil Bob's wife):
I'm working on an order of High Elves, two Isle of Blood boxes without the Skaven.  I had to ask Bob though because I just paint stuff.  He then said, "Quit bothering me while I'm trying to do math."  <<chuckle>>  I think he hates it when I have snow days (I'm a substitute English teacher) because I drive him crazy.  Anyways...

At the beginning of the week I painted the war griffons with the prince riders and for the past two days I've been fiddling with the Ellyrian Reavers when I've felt like painting and not crocheting.  To forewarn you, I use a mixture of paints: Cel-Vinyls, Reapers, Model Color, Vallejo etc. and I use a number of methods of painting: dry-brushing, damp brushing, pseudo-Dallimore... I kinda go with whatever will be easiest on the model and look appropriate.

As for paint schemes, I decided that I'd pretty much go with the images from White Dwarf; I like them well enough.  However, if you notice, I painted the griffons more of a golden brown coloring instead of the duller wood gray that they are in the White Dwarf.  I have nothing against the paint scheme chosen in WD; I believe they chose it because it really makes the rider stand out from the griffon, I just prefer a brighter eagle overall and I feel that it complements the lion body better <<shrug>>.  In order to get my coloring I chose images of golden and Asian eagles from online; I also admired their patterning.

In order to get similar colors as the image above; but ones that 'pop', are noble and golden like I feel High Elves should appear, I chose from the Cel-Vinyl range: Burnt Umber, dry-brush of Brown, dry-brush of Light Brown and dry-brush of Ocher only on the Light Brown areas.  Finally, there is a Badab black wash over the tips where the Burnt Umber is in order to make it almost black.  The white patches are Polished Bone and highlighted with Stencil.

As for the prince himself, it's pretty much just like the WD.  Burnished gold armor with a Ogryn flesh wash and Mithril silver dry-brushing; Necron abyss cloak with Mordain blue and Deep Sky blue high lighting.  I don't know what colors were used in the WD; but these are what I was using.

Now, for today, I'm onto the Ellyrian Reavers.  I like the scheme in the WD so I'm gonna go with that one.  This is all the farther I am for the moment, sorry.

I think I'm going to keep it simple: The horses are done first in Cel-Vinyl Gray 25, 15 and 5 (dry-brushing the other grays on).  I like the spots on the ones in WD, but I don't feel like doing them; it's a busy model already.  For the brown leathers I'll use Cel-Vinyl Brown with a dry brush of Light Brown and a wash of Badab black.  Metals will be Mithril Silver with Badab black wash; Burnished gold with a wash of Ogryn flesh.  The feathers will probably be Stained ivory, washed with Sepia and dry-brushed with Creamy Ivory.  The red will most likely be Cel-Vinyl Red with a wash of Leviathan purple.  The blues will be the same as for the griffon riders' cloaks.  Lastly, the white in Gray 5, highlighted in Gray 1, highlighted in white, and then washed in a watered down white.
Well, I think it's about time I get back to painting... depending on how far I get the the Reavers perhaps I'll post pics of them later.  BTW, if I misspelled something by way of the paint colors, I apologize, I'm typing quickly so as to get back to painting.  I don't get paid to blather on and type professionally.  ;-)

Painted Acheson Creation/ Primeval Designs Display Figures

Many of our customers know of the long relationship we have we Acheson Creations. Here are some images of display figures we recently completed for the company. Some of these figures have not been put into production yet as he is waiting to have the production moulds completed. They should be released within the next couple of months, I'd think. As can be seen there are several sets of animals being released. 

Black Bears

Male Pronghorn Antelope

Female African Lions

Female Pronghorn Antelope

Gray Wolves

Guard Dogs

Male African Lions

Saurians in Power Armor (An older set updated with new paintjobs and images)

Utahraptor (A feathered version is also done and awaiting paint)

Wild Boars