Due to these sculpts looking somewhat different to the other Xenomorphs I've pigmented for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge I decided to go with a different palette than the predominantly brown one I've used in the past. Resultantly, whilst the quintet were all still primed in Doom Death Black by "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats", they were then dry-brushed in Cold Corpse Blue before being drowned in Oblivion Black Wash.
I next (re)dry-brushed the miniatures with (more) Cold Corpse Blue, before applying a light highlight of Gravestone Blue across all their raised areas. Finally, to help blend all the different blues together, I enthusiastically showered them in Drakenhof Nightshade. This left me just needing to 'pick out' all the aliens' metal teeth with a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, as well as apply a coat of Doom Death Black across their silky-smooth foreheads.To be honest these sculpts gave me quite a headache to base on account of their sweeping tails making their 'footprint' much more circular than the Cheetah-based variants I've previously housed upon "Citadel" 60mm oval bases. In the end I opted to super-glue each Xenomorph on a 50mm round stand. But even at this size their tails slope over the edge for a significant distance - and doubtless will end up getting broken at some point in the future whilst wargaming. Furthermore, the move has completed exhausted my supply of that particular base just when "Games Workshop" have frustratingly announced that they ("temporarily") have no more in stock online and I have other miniatures waiting to be painted which require that size.Welcome to the Painting Challenge. Here you will find the fabulous, fevered work of miniature painters from around the world. While participants come from every every possible demographic, they have three things in common: they love miniatures, they enjoy a supportive community, and they want to set themselves against the Challenge. This site features the current year's event along with the archives of past Painting Challenges. Enjoy your visit and remember to come back soon.
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
From SimonM: Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors by "Papsikels Miniatures" (25 Points)
Wednesday, 1 March 2023
From SimonM: Various Figures by "Papsikels Miniatures" (50 Points), Crimson Cowl by “Wizkids” (5 Points) & Lady Sarah’s Limousine (20 Points)
Pigmented using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” paint range, the cyborg assassin was undercoated in Doom Death Black, dry-brushed using “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal”, had his T-shirt ‘picked out’ in Cold Corpse Blue and drenched in Oblivion Black Wash. I next applied a little Sir Coates Silver and splash of (more) Oblivion Black Wash to his belt buckle and pistol, before using a combination of Glistening Gold and Battle Mud Wash on the killing machine’s cartridge belt.
The Terminator’s hair and boots were treated to some Cuirass Leather and (more) Battle Mud Wash, and his remaining skin picked out with a little Elven Flesh and watered-down “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade. His exposed exo-skeleton was given a layer of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, before I dotted his robotic eye with a drop of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, to try and break up the all-black colour scheme, I gave his jacket a light dry-brush of more Cuirass Leather and blended this in with some additional Oblivion Black Wash.Sticking with “Papsikels Miniatures”, I have also finished three 32mm Yurneyan Golem Exofist Mask figures using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. Like “Arnie”, these were downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon” and were originally a quartet. However, one of the model’s arms failed to print – probably due to my overloading the build plate.The 55mm tall sculpts are recognisably inspired by Ridley Scott’s 2012 science fiction film “Prometheus” and were predominantly painted using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint” range. They were all primed with a double helping of Gravestone Blue, shaded using Oblivion Black Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Gravestone Blue. This really helped bring out all the partly organic looking details of their survival suits.
However, I thought the “Space Jockeys” looked a little bland so decided to pick out their stomachs, fingers and throats using a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash. This somewhat tied into some of the pictures I have seen of the alien’s costumes for the movies, which appear to have a somewhat silvery/fleshy sheen to them. As a final step I applied Ivory Tusk to their heads, washed these areas with watered-down “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, and dotted their eyes with Doom Death Black.Alongside my (not) Terminator and (not) Engineers I have also pigmented seven more 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures". These could be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I undercoated the figures with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, then gave each killer robot a double-helping of Sir Coates Silver from “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” paint range and a generous splash of Oblivion Black Wash. Each android was then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.
Lastly, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to stand out a little bit from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash to all the firearms and any ammunition feeds they were carrying.
My last figure for this week’s submission was pigmented simply to let me take Lady Sarah’s Limousine from the Super-Heroes studio to the Books studio. It is a 28mm scale pre-painted plastic model of the Crimson Cowl which was produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 091 from their old Marvel “Heroclix” Ultimates range. “The mysterious boss of the Masters of Evil” Justine Hammer’s alter-ego was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley for the April 1997 issue of "Thunderbolts" by "Marvel Comics".Removed from the figure's flying 'clicky' base and super-glued upon a plastic 25mm circular base, the super-villain was treated to a double-coat of “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” Sanguine Scarlet and shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. She was then heavily dry-brushed with (more) Sanguine Scarlet, before having her eye slits spotted with a smidgeon of Skulker Yellow and “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.
Nine x 32mm scale foot figure = 45 Points
One x 28mm scale foot figure = 5 Points
Two x 32mm scale half foot figure = 5 Points
Lady Sarah’s Limousine = 20 Points
Total = 75 Points
Wednesday, 22 February 2023
From SimonM: Proto Keelers + E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures" (40 Points)
Unfortunately, one of the sculpts' hind legs repeatedly misprinted due to the area's pre-built supports failing, so I decided to strengthen the offending limbs by placing a couple of skulls produced by "Encounter Terrain" directly behind them. Both models were then super-glued onto a pair of "Citadel" plastic 40mm circular bases, primed using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey, and shaded with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.
I next gave the two figures a light dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey followed by a lighter dusting of plain White. Disappointingly, disaster struck at this stage with one of the aliens' arms snapping completely off. Luckily, the Water Washable Resin really takes super-glue well, so I was able to reattach the offending limb and continue on my merry way with only a night's delay. In addition, the elbow joint is arguably stronger now than it was before breaking.In order to try and blend the dry-brushing together a bit better I swamped each miniature with a watered-down wash of (more) "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and subsequently picked out the softly-detailed mouths with a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, I decided to bloody the xenomorphs up a bit, as seen in the motion picture, so repeatedly dipped a torn piece of sponge into some diluted "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red, and sporadically dabbed each model with the Contrast Paint. This technique seemed to work rather well, and also allowed me to 'cover over' any mistakes, as well as the aforementioned broken joint.
Alongside my two Proto Keelers I have also pigmented seven 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures". These could be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service, and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I thought these figures would be a good subject with which to try out some more of Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint range. So having primed the figures with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, I gave each killer robot a double-helping of Sir Coates Silver and a generous splash of Oblivion Black Wash.
Each android was then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Finally, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to stand out a little bit from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash to all the firearms and any ammunition feeds they were carrying.Two x 32mm scale foot figure = 10 Points
Five x 32mm scale foot figure = 25 Points
Two x 32mm scale half foot figure = 5 Points
Total = 40 Points
Minion Miles: very sci-fi, very scary - nice!
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
From SimonM: Sauron by "Wizkids" (5 Points) + Super-Hero Bonus (20 Points) + Xeno Brood Sentry by "Papsikels Miniatures" (5 Points)
Clipped from the figure's 'clicky' base and super-glued upon a plastic 25mm circular base, the super-villain was treated to a double-coat of Ethereal Green from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" paint range so as to cover up its previous paint-job, shaded in Battle Mud Wash, and thoroughly dry-brushed with (more) Ethereal Green. I then 'picked out' his tongue using a combination of Sanguine Scarlet and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before dotting in the energy vampire's mesmerising eyes with a smidgeon of "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow over a "Citadel" Abaddon Black base layer.
Finally, I applied two layers of Sorceror's Cloak from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" over Lykos' torn loin-cloth and shaded it with "Citadel" Druchii Violet. To be honest I had originally intended to pigment the garment in yellow, as per the miniature's 'official' paint scheme. But having recently played quite a bit the computer game Marvel Snap, I decided to go with the colour he wears on his digital card.Having previously completed four Green Pass studio tasks (Sci-Fi, 1980's, Casting Couch & World Cinema), I decided to travel back the way I came so as to use Sauron as the perfect piece to bag my first Blue Pass at the Superheroes studio. Sure, the character has been a lifelong foe of the X-Men, but like so many classic villians, he's also been a hero at times - befriending the Lord of the Hidden Jungle, Ka-Zar, and ultimately sacrificing himself (by hurling himself off of a cliff) when he realised what a threat to Humanity he had become.
Alongside Doctor Karl Lykos' alter-ego, I have also pigmented a rather large 32mm scale Xeno Brood Sentry produced by "Papsikels Miniatures". The model can be downloaded for free as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon", and is based upon a species of H.R.Giger's infamous deadly xenomorphs.Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, the monster was super-glued to a "Citadel" 60mm circular base and primed in Doom Death Black by "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats". I next gave the model an enthusiastic dry-brush of Scorched Earth and shaded it with Oblivion Black Wash to help make the creature's base layer look very dark indeed.
I next much more delicately (re)dry-brushed the models with (more) Scorched Earth, before applying a light highlight of Dust Bowl across all the prominent raised areas. Finally, to help better blend this all together, I gave the fearsome fiend an absolute drowning in Battle Mud Wash. This just left me needing to 'pick out' all the alien's metal teeth with a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, as well as apply a coat of Doom Death Black across its forehead and scorpion-like stinger tail.One x 28mm scale foot figure = 5 Points
One x 32mm scale foot figure = 5 Points
Superheroes Studio Bonus = 20 Points
Total = 30 Points
Wednesday, 18 January 2023
From SimonM: Silvia Dela Torres by "Papsikels Miniatures" (5 Points) + The Casting Couch Bonus (20 Points) + Yeti by "Warlord Games" (15 Points)
Having decided to use the sculpt as a test piece for "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" paint range, I took inspiration from the character's appearance in the 2014 survival horror video game developed by Creative Assembly entitled "Alien: Isolation" and primed my (not) Ripley with some Cold Corpse Blue. The model was then shaded using Oblivion Black Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Cold Corpse Blue.
With the main bulk of the figure pigmented, I slowly worked my way up by applying Scorched Earth and Battle Mud Wash to her boots, as well as Doom Death Black to the feisty officer's belt, zipper and wrist-bands. The fastener, buckle, belt studs and tracker device were subsequently 'picked out' using a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash. I also applied a little White Star and a short time later, some Battle Mud Wash to the woman's vest. Finally, I gave all the flesh areas a base layer of Dwarven Skin, treated them to a splash of Flesh Wash, and then highlighted them back up with (more) Dwaren Skin. I also gave her hair a coat of Cuirass Leather and shaded this with Battle Mud Wash.I thought this miniature would be a great way to continue my journey through Challenge Studios, as you can't get a more iconic action hero than Ripley, and this character propelled actress Sigourney Weaver into the spotlight as a movie star. As a result I thought the model would be a suitable submission for the Casting Couch Bonus.Alongside my seventh 3D print by "Papsikels Miniatures" I have also pigmented three metal Yeti which were produced by “Warlord Games” as part of the Nottingham-based company's "special limited-time offer" Doctor Who: Web Of Fear set. Somewhat controversially given away for free with any orders of £75 or more, the blister also contained figures of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and Professor Travers, and was based upon Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln's February 1968 televised story "The Web Of Fear".
48mm in height, the "cuddly but ferocious" models were primed using two coats of Scorched Earth by "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats". They were then drenched in Battle Mud Wash, before being dry-brushed with (more) Scorched Earth. As a final highlight, I gave each of the Great Intelligence's hairy automatons a light dusting of Dust Bowl. Lastly, the monsters' eyes were layered in White Star. treated to a coat of Skulker Yellow, shaded with plenty of Flesh Wash and later brightened with an extra dab of Skulker Yellow.Released alongside several other 'free' "Doctor Who" related sets until "Warlord Games" licence for the BBC science fiction show expired at the end of 2022, these models caused quite some consternation on the "Doctor Who: Exterminate" Facebook page due to so many products being released simultaneously - and each requiring a separate £75 order to acquire them. Personally, considering that the manufacturer wasn't allowed to actually sell them, I'm just pleased to have got my hands on these big fellas, and whilst it's frustrating that I wasn't able to own all the 'new releases' before they disappeared, at least they were made available (for free) for those who wanted them.
32mm scale foot figure = 5 Points
Casting Couch Studio Bonus = 20 Points
3 x 32mm scale foot figures = 15 Points
Total = 40 Points
Wednesday, 11 January 2023
From SimonM: Sardaukar by "Big Mr Tong" (25 Points) + Cheetah Aliens by "Papsikels Miniatures" (30 Points)
Each figure was undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. The super-human soldiers' belts were then 'picked out using a little "Vallejo" Steel Blue, and their firearms with Gunmetal. Finally, each model was entirely 'drowned' in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and the Sardaukar's distinctive green face-visor realised using a combination of "Scalecolor" White Alchemy and the "Citadel" Contrast paint Warp Lightning.
Alongside my second batch of Sardaukar (there is a third one coming to finish off the Emperor's forces) I have also pigmented Six 32mm scale Cheetah Aliens by "Papsikels Miniatures". These can be downloaded for free as part of a six-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" subscription service, and are clearly based upon a species of H.R.Giger's infamous deadly xenomorphs.Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I thought these figures would be a good subject with which to try out Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint range. I was recently lucky enough to be sent the entire range to try out by Trans Atlantis Games, so immediately set to work priming the models with a single coat of Doom Death Black.
Originally, I had thought about making the monsters a dark yellow to try and tie them in being spawned from some hapless big cats. But this seemed to be too great a variance to the predominantly black, oily coloured killers shown on the Silver Screen. Then I spotted a statue of a xenomorph on all fours which H.R. Giger had exhibited at the opening of the Austrian Ars Electronica institute in 2013. The sculpture was a deep, dark brown with a solid black forehead.
Having resultantly been inspired I gave my figures a thorough dry-brush of Scorched Earth and shaded them all with Oblivion Black Wash to help make the layer very dark indeed. I then more delicate (re)dry-brushed the models with (more) Scorched, before applying a light highlight of Dust Bowl across all the prominent raised areas. To help better blend this all together, I finally gave the fiends an absolute drowning in Battle Mud Wash.With the basics finished I set about 'picking out' all the aliens' metal teeth with a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, as well as applied a coat of Doom Death Black across their foreheads. As a final touch I super-glued some skulls I was sent as a freebie by "Encounter Terrain" to some of the "Citadel" 60mm oval bases, and turned them into semi-bloody trophies using a mixture of White Star. Battle Wash Mud and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.
Five x 28mm scale foot figure = 25 Points
Six x 32mm scale foot figure = 30 Points
Total = 55 Points
Minion Miles: why does the phrase "Nuke it from Orbit, its the only way to be sure" keep repeating in my mind? Love the Alien feel
























