From DaveV: "Luke, it's too late!"

My final post is for another 3D print of a Star Wars character. Star Wars: Legion does not have a model for Luke as he appeared in the original 'Star Wars' movie. I saw that movie with my brother on its release day, and at least a dozen times that summer. By now, I have seen it 50 or 60 times. 

This newly released figure one of three different poses Order66 Miniatures makes for Farmboy Luke. It's a very nice print, with an iconic pose, good anatomy (check out those hands)  and almost completely unnoticeable printing lines. 

I did my usual black priming with Chaos Black, and airbrushed zenithal highlights with Vallejo white. Some acrylics, then oils for blending, especially the flesh tones and various neutrals and greys for the kimono style top. I added a couple of small tears to his top. I changed the colour of Luke's pants and undertunic a bit, and darkened his puttees and boots. Otherwise his legs from hips to toes would all be the same kinda off beige colour.

So, I have now painted versions of Luke Skywalker from all three of the original Star Wars trilogy.

All last year I only painted 12 figures. For this year's challenge, I am now on track to triple my output, LOL! Thanks to Curt and all the minions and fellow participants. This 40mm figure is 7 points, but worth much more to me for the impetus to get out and paint. Cheers!

  

From DaveV: "They're not suits...They're Droids."

 

In Season 2 of the Disney+ television show, 'The Mandalorian', Dark Troopers were introduced as new villains for the Star Wars galactic heroes to overcome. They kidnapped Baby Yoda (Booo!), and helped defend Moff Gideon's light cruiser. These evil mooks were given a comic book origin; this third generation of trooper were no longer armoured humans, but powerful droids.

I wanted to introduce a few of these impressive troopers to our games of Star Wars Legion, but they are not manufactured by Asmodee or Atomic Mass Games. There is a strong community of sculptors and gamers out there, creating rules and figures for as yet unreleased or non-canon characters.

Accordingly, I picked up a couple of suitable 3D printed figure sets online to use as proxies: a 5-figure strong "Authority Dark Droid Squad" and a set that consisted of a "Rescuing Hero Wizard" with "Sliced Droids". For the latter two, one is crushed as if by a giant invisible hand, and the other is sliced in half from head to crotch, showing off its interior machinery. 

[The header photo above shows the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker figure I painted, fighting off a couple of Dark Troopers, as Mando & Baby Yoda (which I purchased for a fundraiser), and Sabine Wren (also my painting) prepare to deal with another.]

These 7 models are nice renders. I don't have a 3D printer, so I ordered resin prints, which had fairly subtle artifacts of printing (those horizontal lines). They are brittle; a couple arrived broken, but the resin broke clean and were easily repairable with super glue.

Studying stills from the show, they are basically black shiny armour with a few metal bits showing at the elbows and knees, with glowing red eyes and 4  lights on their chests. The armour really reflects lights sources.

After undercoating them with Chaos Black I under painted the guns with Vallejo Grey Black and painted the joints with various grey acrylics. I kept the rest simple. I arbitrarily selected a single light source located to their front and slightly to their left sides. I worked up reflections and catch points using indigo and titanium white oil paints. Other amour highlights were slightly rendered with neutral grey oil. I picked out the eyes and chest lights with GW Evil Sunz Scarlet. The sliced up one was further detailed with various orange and yellow acrylics and oils. Groundwork was Golden Garnet Gel (Fine), painted to match the sandy bases of most of my other SWL models. To finish I dirtied up their legs with Vallejo weathering powder, fixed with Vallejo Pigment Binder. 

  

In the game these models are tough, shoot a strong gun, and are fearless, but they are not strong in close combat. Plus, characters with lightsabers will trash them. There's also online social media groups for unofficial game cards.

These were fun to paint and are a menacing addition to my Star Wars Legion collection. 

Seven 40mm or 1/47 scale  figures (they're actually around 45mm tall) come in at 49 points for the Challenge.

Dooku, Count of Serenno - Chamber 1 - DaveV

I decided to enter the Hall of Traps with this entry, Count Dooku. In almost every Star Wars film, at some point the protagonists come face to face with an enemy Force user, lying in wait for them with an ignited lightsaber. 

This ~40mm ("1/47 scale")  model from FFG is a very nice likeness of Sir Christopher Lee, who played the role in Episodes II and III. However, I chose to paint the figure not as Dooku appeared in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but as he appeared when he first left the Jedi Order. This is recounted in the radio play & novelization, Dooku: Jedi Lost, set over 40 years before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Dooku left the Jedi Order to aid his sister when neither the Republic nor the Jedi would help her when her planet was attacked. So, I rendered him as a man in his middle ages instead of old age, armed with his then-signature blue bladed dueling saber.

Keeping the colours minimalist, I airbrushed zenithal highlights onto the figure's head, and airbrushed the lightsaber colours before attaching the right arm. Under painted his face in acrylics to set the contours of his face, then painted it in oils. 

His clothing, boots, and gloves got 3 different tones of black, and I finished with some highlights, shadows, and details in oils.

This figure, plus associated time portal shenanigans, will make for an interesting encounter for players in my nascent Star Wars Legion campaign setting.

27 points, if my math is correct.