1/72 Giant Spiders Construction

I wanted a set of giant spiders to use as nuisance monsters.  I was not wanting really giant bugs, but for my first set some thing about the same size as my giant rats and bats.  I checked a lot of miniature sites and just could not find a set of spiders that would work as 1/72 nuisance monsters.  Every set I found was just way too big.   

I was about to give up and move on when I noticed some charms in the bead section of a craft store, and I wondered if the internet had any spider charms that I might use.  I went to eBay and searched for pewter spider charms and I found these little fellows. 

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I thought a quick snip to remove the loop on its back side and I would have my spiders.  I am still hoping to find a use for the spider webs.  After searching for a while to find the best price I ordered 12 of the little guys.  The charms survived the surgery from take them from jewelry to miniature with no complications.

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The next step was to glue some cork to the washer with PVA/white glue.  I allowed the glue to dry  and then shape it into a piece of rock with an razor blade knife.

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I took a pair of pliers and adjusted the spiders arms to give the models some variety and then glued the spiders to the cork.  The last touch was to add some sand to the bare spots on the washers and I was done.  

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After an about face you get the view from the figures from the other side.  I think that adjusting the arms and placing them in different locations on their respective boulders has taken one figure and given it a lot of variety.

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They are now ready to prime and paint.  I will be showing pictures of the completed colony/swarm/cluster/nest and individual spiders in my next post.  Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2013, All Right Reserved.

1/72 Giant Bats Construction

I purchased a Splintered Light Miniature's Bat Swarm.  A bat swarm comes in six basic pieces: the individual bats, a base, a rod to use as a pole, and three different sizes of bat mounting gadgets (for lack of a better term).  I included a straight pin on the right as I will use them for mounting and to give a rough scale to the pieces.   The set from Splintered Light is designed to make a swarm of bats, but I had different plans for these "creatures of the night".

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I decided to base these bats individually so that I could use them as nuisance monsters with the rest of my 1/72 fantasy figures.  I started by using # 10 washers and filling the empty spaces with pieces of plastic card.  Except for the smaller size washer, it is the same procedure I always use when basing with washers.

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The next step was to glue some cork to the washer with PVA/white glue.  I allowed the glue to dry  and then shape it into a piece of rock with an razor blade knife.

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I then took the individual bat models and glued then to straight pins.  On the underside of each figure was a spot modeled to allow it to be glued to the bat mounting gadgets.  I used those places to super glue the bats to the straight pins.  Luckily the heads of the straight pins were the same size as ends of the bat mounting gadgets so the models required no modification.

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After the glue had dried and the bats were fixed on their new perches,  I bent their wings into various poses so they would appear to be flapping instead of soaring on thermals like buzzards of the night.

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Here is a view of the bats from above so you can see the posing from another angle.

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I finished my models by dipping the straight pins in super glue and inserting it as deeply into the cork base as I thought looked good.  I then added PVA/white glue to tops of the washers and dipped them into sand to make the rocks appear to be surrounded by gravel.  Below you have a a view of the completed bats from the front.

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I have to take a small break and talk about the name of these models, the "Bat Swarm".  I have to say that a group of bats is not called a swarm but a colony.  Except these bats are no ordinary bats, these bats are evil man eating bats that swarm all over you.  I think that in the case of fantasy bats, which exist only to swarm over adventurers and devour them, you would call them a swarm.  Returning back to the models, I give you the last photo of the models - the reverse view.      

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They are now ready to prime and paint.  I will be showing pictures of the completed colony/swarm and individual bats in my next post.  Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2013, All Right Reserved.

1/72 Sci Fi Fantasy Figures Found, and Star Wars to Boot

I had always thought there were only two sets of 1/72 figures designed for science fiction.  Imagine my surprise when I found that Micro Machines Star Wars figures were 1/72 scale figures.  I went from a world where there were only 24 sci fi figures to one with over a hundred.  They are all based on major sci fi movies as well:  Star Wars, Aliens, Starship Troopers, etc.  The figures are pre-paints as well.  The only shame is they are mostly not in production anymore. 

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 I tried out a 30 second figure improvement by hitting two of the figures with Games Workshop Black and Brown Washes.  The third figure from the left got the Black Wash and the fifth from the left got the Brown Wash.

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I then spent about three minutes on each figure to add some paint highlights of orange, grey, and white.  The end results of three and a half minutes of painting speak for themselves.  Figure one is the Black Wash, figure three is the Brown Wash, and figures two and four are untouched pre-painted figures.

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I have about 50 figures ready for the paint table, I just need to find time base them and then it is time for Star Wars fun on the game table.

As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale, as well as the Scale Picture (a scale picture).

Questions and comments are always welcome. Tell me in the comments which figure you like the best:  black wash, brown wash, or pre-painted.  Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2012, All Right Reserved.

1/72 Giant Rats (Nuisance Monsters) Completed

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Name:        Rat Swarm, Rat Swarms

Manufacturer:        Splintered Light Miniatures

Poses:        2 poses, (the single rat figure can be repositioned to give variety)

Figure material:         metal

Ability to Take Paint:        excellent

Pose Quality:        it looks quite rat like and the tail and front leg can be bent to create different poses

Sculpting:        excellent, for such small creatures the detail is well done

Mold Lines:        little to none

Created:        2009ish

These models were fun and easy to paint.  The rat swarm proper has a lot of character, and the single rats can be used as separate models, as I chose to do, or around the swarm model to make it larger and add some variety.  I think these models could be used from 10mm up to 28mm, I mean a giant rat could be anything from a foot long to the size of a small car.  All that is needed for fantasy figures to work well is to match the pictures in your mind.

You cannot go wrong with large numbers of easy to slay monsters to slow down adventurers and maybe give them the creeping crude.  The creeping crude will force them to seek out Cedric the Cleric leading to even more problems and/or adventures.

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As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale.

Next up will be articles on Splintered Lights Giant Bats, the number two batch of different nuisance monsters I have completed.

Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2012, All Right Reserved.

New Case to Carry My Fantasy Figures

I found this large toolbox that has three separate pieces, two large wheels, and a fold up handle to roll everything from game to game.  At only thirty-five dollars a bargain price to move my figures in style.

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As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale.
Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2012, All Right Reserved.

1/72 Giant Rats Construction

I purchased three Splintered Light Miniature's Rat Swarms.  A rat swarm comes in five pieces, a big swarm of rats and 4 single rats to customize the swarm or use how ever you see fit.  I decided to base these single rats individually so that I could use them as nuisance monsters with the rest of my 1/72 fantasy figures. 

I started by using # 10 washers and filling the empty spaces with pieces of plastic card.  Except for the smaller size washer, it is the same  same procedure I always use when basing with washers.

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The next step was to glue some cork to the washer with PVA/white glue.  I allowed the glue to dry  and then shape it into a hill with an razor blade knife.

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I then covered the cork with sanded latex grout(fancy caulk).  I simply smeared on enough to cover the mound and bring the caulk out to the edge of the washer.

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After the caulk had dried, I drilled a small hole in the mound.  The individual rats came with a spike or pin sticking strait down out of their undersides and their tails were designed to be poseable. I put super glue on the pin and the hole on the base.  I then forced the pin into the previously drilled hole.  I then held the figure in place and adjusted the tails to add some character.

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Here is a view of the rats from the other side so that you can see the posing of the tails from the other side.

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They are now ready to prime and paint.  I will be showing pictures of the completed swarm and individual rats in my next post.  Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2012, All Right Reserved.

How to Base Figures with Washers

When it comes to basing for my 1/72 figures, I prefer using washers.  The washers give the finished figures added weight and stability,  The washers also allow for using magnetic tape to store my figures.  The only problem is gluing the vinyl figures to the metal and making them stick.  I solved this problem using Loctite Activator, and plastic card to make a strong bond.

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I use a 3/4 inch circular paper cutter to clip small pieces of plastic card.  I clip the pieces large enough to cover the hole in the center of the washer but not so large it hangs over the edge of the washer.

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I next glue the plastic card in place using super glue.  Once the glue is dry it is time to glue the figures in place.

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I then apply Loctite Activator to the plastic card and the bottom of the figure.  I allow the pieces to dry for at least a minute (that is why the activator pen above has a picture of a red stop hand with 1 minute on it).  I then apply a couple of drops of super glue on the plastic card and then put the figure on top.  As soon as the super glue is dried the figures are ready to finish basing.

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I have taken to using Ceramic Tile Caulk to add texture to my bases.  I use a caulking gun to dispense a glob of the caulk onto some junk mail or other disposable stuff.  I then use a toothpick or old craft knife to trowel the caulk on to the figures base.  This caulk has the texture of normal tile grout, but it is flexible when it is dried since it is made of latex caulk.  I also like the fact that after it has dried for 15 minutes the caulk forms a skin on the surface.  At this point, you can sculpt the surface into any shape you like since the caulk below is still soft.  You can use your finger tips to make it really smooth or a tooth pick to rough it up.  The more I play with it the more I learn new ways to get different effects.

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If I have a slotta figure instead of ones with a flat base, I use the technique pictured above.  I then seal up any remaining gaps with plastic card and apply Ceramic Latex Caulk.

Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2011, All Right Reserved.

How to Prime Plastic Figures

I have tried several methods for priming plastic figures before I settled on this method.  It is not the fastest method I have ever used to prime figures, but since I started using it in 2008, I have had zero flaking or chipping from any of the figures so primed.  It relies on thin coats of flexible paint to prevent chipping and flaking.  I have included copies of the unpainted figures in my photos to compare to the ones being primed.

I start by wash my figures with hot soapy water, rinse them well with hot water, and make sure they are completely dry. I then mist the figures with a light coat of white Rust-oleum Plastic Primer.  The directions say to prepare new plastic by wiping it down with paint thinner, I have never bothered to do this step and it seems to work perfectly without doing it.

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Enlarge the photo below to see how much paint I try to apply.  The most important part of this step is to ensure the spray primer is not applied too thickly.  Rust-oleum Primer if applied too thickly will still flake.  Thin coats are the trick. Once the figure is dry, I take a soft toothbrush and buff the figures gently.  It removes loose paint, smooths out the coat, and tests to make sure the paint that will not rub off or flake.

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I then apply a thin coat of undiluted flat black latex house paint.  I use just a few drops of paint per figure.  I work it out into a thin coat.  I use a cheap paintbrush with medium thickness plastic bristles to apply the paint, the sort of paintbrushes you give kids to do arts and crafts projects.  If you look at the picture below you can see the white spray coating showing through on the figures.  Again, you are trying for a thin coat of paint not complete coverage with this coat.  Once dry, I give it another buffing with the toothbrush.

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I then apply one more thin coat of latex paint.  You can see this thin coat of paint has gotten rid of the white undercoat that was visible.  After drying, I brush down the figure with the toothbrush again.  The figures are now primed and are ready to paint.

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I have one last optional step when priming my figures,  I dry brush the entire figure with white paint to bring out the details to aid me in the rest of the painting progress. After dry, I will take the toothbrush to the figure one more time. 

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The figures are now completely primed and ready to be painted.  At this point, I sometimes use a watered down paint or ink base coat color.  Since that coat is translucent the shading given by the dry brushing shows though and gives nice shading effects with no more work than a normal base coat would take to apply, I will post another how to article later on this technique.

The important thing to remember about my priming technique is it is based on thin coats of paint.  The spray primer bonds to the plastic, and the latex paint forms a coating that grips the spray primer while acting as a flexible skin that can move with the figure if it is bent or flexed.  Thick coats of paint that cannot flex when the figure moves tend to crack and then flake off of the figure.  I have been using this technique since 2008 and have yet to have any figure so painted chip or flake.

Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2011, All Right Reserved.

Project Cave Kraken

Cave Kraken, Watcher in the Water, Cthulhu, or whatever you call it, every one needs a tentacled beasty to lie in wait for unsuspecting adventurers.  I'll start by showing a picture of the completed project.  As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale, as well as the Scale Picture (the scale picture).

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This project was a lot of fun.  It began when I saw a tube of plastic kids toys at Hobby Lobby.  I found a cute pink octopus inside the tube, at least it was cute on the outside, I could sense the evil inside just waiting to be released.  The picture below shows the contents of the tube and the red circle give you a glimpse of how the octopus looked before being converted to the Kraken.

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I took an Exacto knife to the octopus and chopped off all of the tentacles.  I then glued the body to the base.  I took a small bit of tentacle and glued the small loop of tentacle in front of the main body.  Next I  added an armored plate from a GW Tyranid sprue and sculpted the beak.  The beak worked out perfectly, it looked exactly as I pictured it in my head.  I then glued some of the left over tentacles to separate bases and it was ready for the basing.  I sculpted the waves on the bases out of paint-able latex caulk.  I attempted to sculpt some white capping waves as the kraken and his tentacles rose from the depths, and again, I lucked out because the looked exactly as I had hoped.

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I then painted the little beasty various shades of purple and blue for the body, yellows and tans for the beak, light blues for the suckers, and green for the eyes (he just seemed to be the jealous type).  The water was primed black, dry brushed white, and then painted with several different colors of diluted ink to achieve a water effect.  I then touched up the white caps with some white paint.  The last step was to give him a gloss coat of sealant, so he would appear to be wet

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Here is what the cave Kraken looks like on the game board when he rises from the depths of the "Well of Doom".  You know the dwarfs are wondering who ordered calamari  and are hoping they are not on the menu.

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It is amazing what a little time and effort can do with a humble toy.  From cute to killer in nothing flat.

Questions and comments are always welcome.  Thanks for reading...

Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2011, All Right Reserved.