“A roll of the die” (week 23)

Week four of “box clearing” month must begin with an apology on my part as the more astute of you will no doubt of noticed there was no week three! This I’m afraid was caused by the fact that I was struck down with a stinking cold last week (the remnants of which continue to hang about!), so that I couldn’t face picking up a paintbrush and slapping about some paint on to some figures. So it wasn’t until last Saturday that the old “coins of fate” were dragged out, once again coming up with two tails so it was out with “Galahads” list again, and on rolling the D30 to determine what I would be painting this week. Up popped twenty one equating to…

Box 21– (6x 15mm Space Pirates)

Another little group that have been hanging about for far longer than I care to remember, these diminutive rogues are by “Irregular Miniatures”, and as with a lot of Irreg’s 15mm stuff are really nearer 20mm, great characterful little sculpts though, I seem to remember that at the time I bought these I also bought a load of the “Star Marines” from the same range and “Dennis” my then opponent of choice bought a load of these (but never painted them!), I only bought one of each sculpt (just because I liked them I guess), and though the Marines were finished in short shift, these have been languishing in a draw ever since. Still that’s the point of the “Random paint generator”, so it was time to add a little colour to their lives.

All six were first based up upon pennies with their bases being “textured in” to the edges of the coins with a little “Tetrion all purpose filler”. Then it was a coat of matt black before they were dry-brushed with chainmail to redefine the detail. Next any leather or wood bits were undercoated with chocolate brown, before they were highlighted in leather or butternut respectively. Next five of the six have either jackets, capes or some form of material garment, so I painted these in, in what I hoped were suitable “pirate’y” shades of red, purple green and blue, highlighted with lighter shades of the same. To add a little contrast to the predominantly silver of their armor I added some details in copper highlighted with some shining gold. Then turning to the standard bearer’s flag I first highlighted the cloth with some dark grey before adding the “Skull and Crossbones” motif in cream before detailing it with white, coffee and more black. The rather large missiles on the missile pack the one chap is sporting were painted coffee then highlighted with white, then the tips of these and all the various bits of pipework around the figures was added in dark red with bright red highlights.

There were some tiny bits of exposed flesh (faces and hands) around and about on some of the figures so these were added next first with a little European flesh then highlights were touched in using the same with a bit of pale flesh added for good measure. That really just left a couple of bits adding like the pants and sashes, and of course the beards on a couple of figures and they were just about done, so it was then out with the “Quickshade” and the next day once it was good and dry I set to on the bases. These were first undercoated in chocolate brown before being dry-brushed in successive coats of terracotta and coffee. I then added a couple of patches of red “florists” sand before they were given a final spraying over with matt varnish.

Now that they are finished I really don’t know what I’m going to do with them, I notice that Irregular don’t have any pictures of them up on their web-site so I might E-mail a set over to Ian to see if they are of any use to him. Still they are great little figs and it’s been a joy getting some paint finally onto them. Well that brings “box clearing” month officially to a close, even though I did only get three weeks in rather than the four I’d planned. Not sure what to do next week, I’ve got a couple of ideas but nothing definite, I’ll have a think and get back to you on what I’ve decided next Saturday, anyway hopefully I’m now back on track, so till next week, Cheers Roger.