painting – Cthulhu Adores Hasselhoff

Reaper Bones Miniatures from a CRAZY generous co-worker!

Author: Cthulhu Hasselhoff \ April 23, 2018 \ Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars: Legion, Star Wars: X-wing \ 0 Comments

I’m not kidding when I say I NEVER imagined that I’d ever pick up miniature-painting as a hobby. I didn’t think I had the patience or the fine motor skills to make it work. And while I always admired others’ craftsmanship, I pretty much knew that was never going to be me.

But then…

I met James at work. I’m pretty much a human divining rod when it comes to discovering people who love Star Wars. From there it wasn’t long before James — a hardcore miniature wargaming guy — turned me onto Star Wars: X-wing.

My ten-year-old and I now LOVE that game. It was also super-appealing to me that the miniatures were already assembled and painted. So, I still had ZERO intention of ever investing in miniatures that I’d have to paint.

But then…

I took my son to Alpha Omega Hobby where we met our future Dungeon Master, Adam. We joined the Adventurers League and my son fell instantly head-over-heels in love with Dungeons & Dragons.

Oh yeah, by the way, Adam isn’t just a great Dungeon Master. He also happens to be an incredibly talented and renowned professional toy painter. That said, I was pretty satisfied with the unpainted Reaper Bones Miniatures I’d purchased for our characters so I still wasn’t really driven to paint anything.

But then…

In a passing conversation at work, James extolled the benefits of washes and dry brushing techniques. On a weekend not far removed from that discussion, my son and I semi-inadvertently took a two-hour painting lesson with Adam. Not long after that, Fantasy Flight Games released Star Wars: Legion.

Well, crap.

I guess I have no more excuses. With the knowledge, experience, and support of James and Adam I feel like I can learn. With the interest of both my kids, I have a wonderful screen-less hobby that we can share.

Speaking of sharing…

In an act of CRAAAAAZY generosity today, James shared a box of Reaper Bones Miniatures for which he had no plans. I’m stoked. The kids are pumped. And now, I suspect, we’re in this hobby for a good long haul. I don’t think any of us is getting “MINI LIFE” tattooed across our knuckles any time soon, but I foresee us painting more weekends than not. And THAT is what inspired this post.

Thank you and a crisp high five, James!

Aaaaaaaaaand theeeeeeen?

NO AND THEN!

Star Wars Legion: Amateur hour painting

Author: Cthulhu Hasselhoff \ April 22, 2018 \ Star Wars: Legion \ 0 Comments

I am a COMPLETE n00b when it comes to painting miniatures. I have literally one lesson under my belt from Small Angry Monster at Alpha Omega Hobby. So bear with me as I share my descent into madness.

Don’t be mad.

If you’re a Star Wars purist, you might get mad that I’m choosing to paint my Star Wars: Legion miniatures with non-traditional color schemes. But make no mistake, there’s a 99.99999% chance that I’m a bigger Star Wars fan than you.

Corran Horn remains one of my all-time favorite characters. I was devastated when they retconned all of Karen Traviss‘ rich Mandalorian history. I’ve voluntarily watched the Star Wars Holiday Special as an adult… twice. I still maintain that Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi was a fun game. Lastly, I’ll pour a hot chocolate out for Quinlan Vos, Cade Skywalker, and Lieutenant Kettch.

Yub yub, commander.

Or be mad, that’s cool, too.

This blog is absolutely for sharing, but it’s as much for me to remember what the heck I did in case I ever want to do it again. So, here’s a quick blow-by-blow account of what I’ve done so far:

Got busy with the Loctite Super Glue to get everything assembled.
Painted the Stormtroopers with Citadel Corax White spray paint.
Mounted the base to the cork of my PK-Pro miniature holder with poster putty.
Used every curse word I knew as I applied black with Sakura Micron Pigma Pens.
Applied Citadel Abbadon Black to the larger black areas.
Blinged up the left shoulder with Citadel Screaming Bell and Citadel Retribution Armour.

I still need to do a dry brush with Citadel Ceramic White; but I’m also REALLY tempted to try with Citadel Longbeard Grey for a little extra contrast. And I’m tempted to go with an even redder metallic paint for the shoulder panel of the armor.

Come back later!

I already have plans for my Rebels and wargaming space, but it’ll take me time (and a bunch of blog posts) to get there. I even have a vague story to support the color-schemes and the terrain which I think I’ll share when I have EVERYTHING put together.. It’ll all eventually make sense… at least to me.