2 July 2022

Alien nation

Discovering what's available on Etsy must be like discovering crystal meth, only I'm pretty sure that crystal meth is cheaper and less addictive.

I've never been a huge fan of Etsy after looking up a suitable present for a friend several years ago and being blown away by the prices. However, after seeing some very cool-looking sculpts on various Reddit painting subs and discovering the painter had got them from an Etsy store, I decided to pay the site a visit on the off-chance there was something worth picking up.

Turns out that "something worth picking up" was an understatement. The rise of 3D printing has led to an explosion of stores either selling their own miniature designs or ones they've licensed from the original artist. After searching for "28mm sci-fi" I was deluged with figures, spaceships, and terrain, everything from stunning original designs to recognizable pop-culture like Judge Dredd, The Fifth Element and even The Black Hole. It was like being a kid in a sweetshop again, only this time I'm 50 and have a magic piece of plastic that never seems to run out of money. 

Anyway, the group of figures above were the first thing I ordered. I've always been a bit iffy about 3D prints thanks to my experiences with EnderToys and their crappy prints, but these had good reviews and cost a modest $10 including shipping. Two dollars a figure? You can't get a single Plague Marine on Ebay for that!

They were delivered in about five days, and I was very happy with them. The print quality is really good, they took paint wonderfully and there's enough detail on these to make Reaper Bones weep. So, on with the painting. None of these minis have names, so I made some up as I went.

Ghils was the first one to be painted. They were all brush-primed with Vallejo Black Primer as I wasn't 100% sure if it's safe to use spray on the resin. His jacket has panels embossed into it, so I went for a red-and-black look because apparently my brain won't let me do anything else these days. After painting in the black areas with, er, Black, I hit the red bits. I wanted to go darker than my usual red tones, so I started with Burnt Red, highlighted it with Khorne Red, and then gave it a second highlight with Mephiston Red.

His trousers and boots are just Black highlighted with Neutral Grey, and whatever he's carrying under his arm (a futuristic ghetto blaster? a laser gun? the gearbox from a 1981 Austin Allegro?) is Plate Metal and Nuln Oil.

I decided on blue for his skin, starting with Dark Sea Blue and immediately going much lighter with Deep Sky Blue and Sky Blue. The markings are just blobs of Drakenhof Nightshade with dabs of Sky Blue inside them, the same technique I used for Sly Withers back in January.

Sho'Aell was next, and as she/it looks kind of regal I painted her dress Royal Purple with Hexed Lichen highlights and Silver trim. Her skin is just Heavy Orange washed with Casandora Yellow and a touch of Carroburg Crimson and highlighted with Light Orange. 

A touch of Sky Blue for her eyes and she was done, making her by far the easiest one of the group to paint.

Ilqens isn't my favourite of these minis, but he's the reason I like the models so much. He isn't holding a gun, he isn't particularly tough looking or threatening, he's just strolling down the street to McZorgalds for a McLegburger with extra eyes. It was actually refreshing to see a group of sci-fi figures that aren't holding weapons of some sort and are just going about their business.

Anyway, Ilqens' jacket is Lemon Yellow over Averland Sunset, and the fact I went for this colour when a year ago I wouldn't touch yellow is just awesome. His trousers are Chocolate Brown with Bugman's Glow highlights and a wash of Agrax Earthshade.

I wanted an almost reptilian look for his skin, and Black Red, Burnt Red and Cavalry Brown worked really well. 

Kephiks looks like he's striking a pose, as if his neurally-implanted iPhone is playing "Vogue" by Madonna straight into his cerebral cortex. 

After hunting around for another colour, Light Turquoise caught my eye so I used it for his jacket, and highlighted it with Blue-Green. His trousers are fairly boring, being Castellan Green and Loren Forest, and I've just realised his boots look like green wellies. They're Mutation Green highlighted with Golden Olive.

His skin looks great, and really stands out. It's Ghost Grey shaded with Grey Wash and highlighted with Off-White. Kephiks' eyes are Pink.

Misloi is the most mysterious and potentially threatening of the lot. Although she (for some reason I think of this figure as female) isn't armed, that doesn't stop her from looking dangerous.

She has a bit of a jawa look, so I did her robes in Cavalry Brown shaded with Nuln Oil and highlighted with more Cavalry Brown. The belt of grenades/shells/soda cans across her chest is Burnt Umber, Mahogany Brown, Iron Warriors and Agrax Earthshade.

Her backpack, armour and mask are a mix of Chocolate Brown and Black, and I added some Flat Earth for the highlights. For a final touch I lightly drybrushed it all with Bronze and a dab of Polished Gold. 

Her eye/visor is Averland Sunset with a drop of Carroburg Crimson. In a stunning confession, Misloi is to me the best sculpt of the lot, although they're all pretty awesome.

All of them are on integral bases, and usually I hate those. These ones are actually pretty cool, and they're just painted Black and Iron Warriors.

So that's five more aliens, and with Summer of Scenery kicking off... er... yesterday, I'll be starting on the list of sci-fi scenery I've got planned for the next eight weeks. Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment!

A bit of a result

I realised that if there's one thing a sci-fi theme needs, it's robots. I spotted a Reaper Iron Golem while buying more shit some stuff on Amazon, and decided it would work as a chunky android. It's even got a bit of an ABC Warriors look to it. So I chucked it in the basket. Today a package turned up in the mail containing these:

Yep, five Iron Golems. I checked my Amazon orders and I definitely ordered and paid for one (1) Iron Golem. So I don't know what happened, but do I care? Nope.

16 comments:

  1. Damn you, Matt!!! As soon as I read the words Etsy and The Black Hole I was off to the site looking at the figures 'inspired' by my fave Sci-Fi film, and yes, money was exchanged as a result. LOL!!! Great painting on the 3D prints - They look super-stunning imho. Ilqens is by far my fave, the way he's holding himself whilst walking reminds me of the late great Dennis Waterman in Minder. Corking sculpt and terrific paintjob too. Nice grab with the Iron Golems too. I've painted the one by Wizkids from their Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures Dungeons & Dragons range, but do prefer the Reaper one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! And I knew exactly which models you bought before I even emailed you, Simon :-)

      Delete
  2. Excellent work on all Matt, you've added a unique character to each with the painting, now all you need is a Sci-Fi street for them all to be wandering around ! LOL
    Can see a lot of pop culture influence in the sculpts, Ilqens reminds me of ET and Misloi reminds me of the species from Babylon 5, not that's a problem at all.
    Great result on the order, must hav been your day mate ! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dave! They were a lot of fun to paint and the models are so well made for 3D prints. The four extra iron golems did make my day LOL!

      Delete
  3. Wonderful colour choices on all these aloens, gving them all a unique look - quite a tricky thing to achieve imho..
    You obviously ordered "one joblot" of robots" - definite score I'd say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Joe, one thing I do like about painting these aliens is that I can go really wild with colours and skin tones. Makes a change from painting humans :-)

      Delete
  4. Woooow. All the minis look fantastic, but I think you really got the poit with your paintjob, each one of them looks the way it's supposed to look. Wonderful choice of colours and magnificent execution

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Suber! Really kind words, and I appreciate them!

      Delete
  5. John@justneedsvarnishSunday, July 03, 2022

    Those are really nice, Matt! :-) I'm quite happy with 3-D printed tanks but not bought any from Etsy so I'll have a look!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Check it out, John, but be prepared to spend money LOL!

      Delete
  6. Never looked on Etsy, and hopefully never will if this is what happens when you do! Lovely figures mate, and top painting too. I'm trying to buy less not more, so I'll just move along nothing to see here!

    Cheers Roger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Etsy is a bit of a money pit so you'd be better off staying away :-)

      Delete
  7. Two quid is a pretty good deal for a mini of that quality! Etsy is certainly full of overpriced things but I have noticed more and more miniature related stuff there which is cool to see. These sculpts and paint jobs look great and I agree that they make for some great civilians in a Sci-Fi game. I'm not a Sci-Fi expert but the designs do remind me a bit of the Mass Effect video games which is pretty cool. I like the last sculpt which reminds me of some of the aliens that have popped up in Disney Star Wars movies.

    Lastly, it looks like you got one over on Jeff Bezos with those golems! ;) You'll put Amazon out of business if you keep it up, Matt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I doubt I'll make Amazon go bankrupt but it's a nice thought LOL! I was also surprised at how cheap the alien minis were which is why I snapped them up, and for 3D prints they really are good. There's some minor print defects here and there but generally they're unnoticeable once the paint's on.

      Delete
  8. Wow, those are some very cool looking SciFi minis. Very nice score! I like how you've painted them up too. I'd be hard pressed to pick a fave as they are all so great. Maybe Ghils, as he looks a bit like something out of the Legion of Super-Heroes comics. You should order another Iron Golem to see if you get 5 again, haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Faust! The aliens came out looking great, and I daren't order any more Iron Golems in case the company realises they sent me five by mistake LOL!

      Delete