philowar's figure mods and repaints (update 02/29/12)

[philowar]

Feral Troll

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/feraltroll1.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/feraltroll2.jpg

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Deathstalkers

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/deathstalkers.jpg

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Brunak




http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/brunak.jpg

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Marro Warriors

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/marrowarriors.jpg

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Thorgrim the Viking Champion

Easily one of my favorite sculpts from the ROTV Master Set. I always knew Finn was the better choice, but couldn't help but play Thorgrim. The old viking warrior is not the formidable hero he was in his younger years, but still has a few good battles left in him.


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/thorgrim.jpg

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Eldgrim the Viking Champion

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/eldgrim.jpg

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Migol Ironwill

Another one of my favorite figures. Reminds me of an old school Warhammer or AD&D dwarf.


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/migol.jpg

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Omnicron Snipers

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/snipers.jpg

Great old school robot sculpts, but the original paint job had to go. These guys now remind me of a cross between Rom Space Knight and Fallout 1 guys in power armor.

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Venoc Warlord

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/venoc.jpg

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Kaemon Awa

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/kaemon1.jpg

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Sir Hawthorne

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/hawthorne.jpg

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Sonya & Cyprien Esenwein

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/esenweins.jpg

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Zettian Guards
http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/zettians.jpg

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Alistair MacDirk

As MacDirk is easily one of my favorite Heroscape figures -- probably because of both his power and the fact that he looks like a dead ringer for Robert E. Howard's great Cormac Mac Art -- he was a prime candidate for a touch-up. A bold wash went a long ways for MacDirk.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/macdirk.jpg

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Fallen (?) Knights of Weston, Knight of Weston v2, Sir Denrick, custom Hawthorne

They play exactly the same, though I wanted them to look a lot tougher and grittier than the nice, shiny knights they were. Much inspiration came from John Boorman's Excalibur. I gave them some custom weapons and a lot of black wash.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/antiknights3.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/antiknights2.jpg


And as I had 5 squads of knights to play around with, here are another 2 modded squads along with a modded Sir Denrick and a custom Sir Hawthorne (whom Denrick is fighting in the pic). These figures are great for knight vs knight battles, as the squads can be more easily distinguished.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/knightsv2.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/denrick_vs_hawthorne.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/denrick_and_hawthorne.jpg




A force to be reckoned with!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/denrick_all_knights.jpg

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Taelord, Baron of Hell

A bit scarier, perhaps.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/tae3.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/tae1.jpg


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Concan

I wanted Concan to look more celestial and powerful. I gave him red hair, a wash to make his armor and face look more shadowy and detailed, and yellow eyes to make it look like his eyes are radiating light.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/concan2.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/concan1.jpg

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[scorpiusx]

Nice job. I especially like the knights and Alastair. Though, Taelord may scare some of the people on the site.

[Annerios]

Great stuff Philowar. Definitely a darker take on the HS stuff (literally and figuratively).

The knights with the animal skull themed shields and alternate weapons are one of my favorites. I like how those simple touches turn that squad into something different. You must stage some great knight vs knight battles.

That Taelord looks like the guy described in the bio, not the cherub faced, thong wearing wuss we got. :P

Not to steal your thunder, but that female krav maga mod your girlfriend did rocks. Where is the head from? I like the hair standing on end; it is really creepy and evil looking. :twisted:

[skyknight]

Nicely done, I love repaints. these are really nice...I especially like your Taelord!

[Taelord]

Those are incredible. I love the Sentinals and Alastair. Taelord is cool, but that head doesn't exactly look right on his body. The Knights are amazing, I love Denrick's ponytail. And his Bull shield is really cool. Great job. :up:

[philowar]

Great stuff Philowar. Definitely a darker take on the HS stuff (literally and figuratively).

Thanks. My tastes do run a bit on the dark side, if that's not obvious between this and my post-apocalypse thread as yet. :)


The knights with the animal skull themed shields and alternate weapons are one of my favorites. I like how those simple touches turn that squad into something different. You must stage some great knight vs knight battles.


Perhaps a battle report with some pics is in order.


Not to steal your thunder, but that female krav maga mod your girlfriend did rocks. Where is the head from? I like the hair standing on end; it is really creepy and evil looking. :twisted:

She'll be flattered to hear the compliment. The head comes from a Mage Knight figure. Sadly, I can't remember which one anymore, as it's been a long time since we had the original. It's possible that it was an "elemental," though I can't be sure.

[philowar]

Those are incredible. I love the Sentinals and Alastair. Taelord is cool, but that head doesn't exactly look right on his body. The Knights are amazing, I love Denrick's ponytail. And his Bull shield is really cool. Great job. :up:

Thanks for the compliments. As for Taelord, half the people that have seen him on this site seem to like him, but others don't, saying "his head doesn't look right." I never understood the latter. I mean, he's a demon. He's supposed to look bizarre. As for Denrick, that's supposed to be a horse-hair tail hanging from the back of his helmet. Just clarifying that, as I've had someone else say "I don't like his ponytail." :wink:

[Fuzzie Fuzz]

The Krav Magna scares me... :shock:

[Uprising]

Those are really nice man. I'm really diggin' the washed Sentinels and the Knights. I love the spiked mace and the axe. I think every piece is done really well. :up:

[justjohn]

These look really nice, Phil. Good job.

[insomnimaniac]

Philowar,
The animal shields, did you make them yourself or find them? I think the raised parts are what really make them look much more exciting then the originals.

The weapons are also very authentic looking to the figures. Did they come from something else as well?

Thanks for sharing

[philowar]

Philowar,
The animal shields, did you make them yourself or find them? I think the raised parts are what really make them look much more exciting then the originals.

The weapons are also very authentic looking to the figures. Did they come from something else as well?


All the knights' new parts come from various D&D figures, which are really cheap and great to hack up for Heroscape mods.

[philowar]

...

[philowar]

Hmm, just added a pic and now all the replies are gone. Strange.

[Fallen Templar]

I like, some good stuff here :)

[Annerios]

Hmm, just added a pic and now all the replies are gone. Strange.

You quoted instead of edited. Scroll up! :P

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Philo, MacDirk looks rockin' and even more tough. I should like to try a wash sometime. I've seen wash tutorials around, but I'm still going to ask, what did you use? How do you do it?
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/macdirk.jpg

Your Valguard looks so gritty and tough. Very nice.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/valguard.jpg


Awesome.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/sentinels2.jpg

And these guys! Those crossed out emblem(s) are the best! Such an awesome touch!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/antiknights2.jpg

How did you get your variant weapons? I want some maces and axes!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/knightsv2.jpg

[philowar]

Hmm, just added a pic and now all the replies are gone. Strange.

You quoted instead of edited. Scroll up! :P

Crap. That's what happens with sleep deprivation. What a goof!

[philowar]

Philo, MacDirk looks rockin' and even more tough. I should like to try a wash sometime. I've seen wash tutorials around, but I'm still going to ask, what did you use? How do you do it?


Thanks for the compliments! In terms of washing, I'm usually pretty sloppy at it but somehow it ends up looking good. Just water down some black acrylic paint and start brushing it on with a small brush, getting the wash to gather in all the nooks and crannies of the figure. Don't be afraid to go heavy on it. Like I said, I'm pretty sloppy at it so I just use my thumb to wipe it away from wherever I don't want it to be, like if it's all over a figure's face or what have you. I also often apply a second wash after the first is dry, but that's because I like my figures dark and gritty. With the knights for instance (the ones with the original shields that I dirtied up, not the bull head shield ones) I gooped on a lot of thick black wash over three sessions, wiping it away as I did so with my thumb so they didn't end up with black armor, the stuff that filled in the cracks gobbing up and staying there. Ditto for the sentinels. Some times I didn't use wash on the knights at all: just black paint. I don't know. There's not a good way to explain it. If I could describe my method it's just glob it on and wipe it away and repeat. Best way to try it would be to grab an extra master set figure you have lying around and give it a go.


In terms of the knights' weapons, all of them came from various D&D minis, the common of which are really, really cheap. You can go to the Wizards of the Coast D&D mini gallery and see them all, then check eBay for the prices. Often you can get a bunch for maybe 20-50 cents a piece from the same seller and have shipping combined.

[King's Knight]

Are the silver shields from D&D as well?

[philowar]

Concan

I wanted Concan to look more celestial and powerful. I gave him red hair, a wash to make his armor and face look more shadowy and detailed, and yellow eyes to make it look like his eyes are radiating light.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/concan2.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/concan1.jpg

[philowar]

Are the silver shields from D&D as well?

Yes, all the knights' new pieces are from D&D figures.

[deadeyedan42]

Have you read Drarconis's The fall of Valhalla? because that concan is almost exactly what I imagined when I read the book, but he had black armor. :D

[philowar]

Have you read Drarconis's The fall of Valhalla? because that concan is almost exactly what I imagined when I read the book, but he had black armor. :D

Cool! No, never read that. Looked on Amazon and couldn't find the book either. Is it out of print?

[Uprising]

Have you read Drarconis's The fall of Valhalla? because that concan is almost exactly what I imagined when I read the book, but he had black armor. :D

Cool! No, never read that. Looked on Amazon and couldn't find the book either. Is it out of print? It's a piece of fan fiction someone wrote on here man :lol:

[philowar]

Have you read Drarconis's The fall of Valhalla? because that concan is almost exactly what I imagined when I read the book, but he had black armor. :D

Cool! No, never read that. Looked on Amazon and couldn't find the book either. Is it out of print? It's a piece of fan fiction someone wrote on here man :lol:

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. :) I'll have to find it.

[Homba]

Great stuff.

[philowar]

Great stuff.

Thanks! I'm find that I play certain figures a lot more once I've fixed them up they way I want them to look.

[NecroBlade]

Great stuff....did Homba just make a two word post? :shock:

[HS ~ KNT]

Chompy looks good in red. I think I've already said, (but in case I haven't) I really like these philowar.

I especially like the Flag that Grimnaks got. Mage Knight you say? Will have to look into finding some of that.


(Chompy: Dinosaur
Grimnak: Rider <-- Bleh. )

[philowar]

Some recent work...

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Marro Warriors

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/marrowarriors.jpg

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Thorgrim the Viking Champion

Easily one of my favorite sculpts from the ROTV Master Set. I always knew Finn was the better choice, but couldn't help but play Thorgrim. The old viking warrior is not the formidable hero he was in his younger years, but still has a few good battles left in him.


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/thorgrim.jpg

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Eldgrim the Viking Champion

I'm still convinced he was originally meant to be a dwarf.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/eldgrim.jpg

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Migol Ironwill

Another one of my favorite figures. Reminds me of an old school Warhammer or AD&D dwarf.


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/migol.jpg

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Omnicron Snipers

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/snipers.jpg

Great old school robot sculpts, but the original paint job had to go. These guys now remind me of a cross between Rom Space Knight and Fallout 1 guys in power armor.

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Venoc Warlord

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/venoc.jpg

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Kaemon Awa

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/kaemon1.jpg

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Sir Hawthorne

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/hawthorne.jpg

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Sonya & Cyprien Esenwein

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/esenweins.jpg

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[philowar]

Zettian Guards

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/zettians.jpg

[Ramses800]

Omnicron Snipers

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/snipers.jpg

Great old school robot sculpts, but the original paint job had to go. These guys now remind me of a cross between Rom Space Knight and Fallout 1 guys in power armor.

Beautiful! And couldn´t agree more!

[philowar]

Thanks! Wasn't sure if anyone would see this thread. Haven't been around for about three years and a lot of the old timers I used to know seem to have disappeared. :( Anyhow, even one nice comment is well appreciated!

[philowar]

Brunak

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/brunak.jpg

[Quack188]

Brunak looks amazing. I love all of your repaints. Keep them coming! + Rep!

[philowar]

Brunak looks amazing. I love all of your repaints. Keep them coming! + Rep!


Many thanks. I was pretty happy with how Brunak turned out. My painting skills have gotten a bit better since I first started repainting HS figs a few years ago. Have some more, just gotta take the pics.

[Perdido]

Could you tell us a little more about how you go about creating your repaints? I like the general aesthetic you have going on with what seem to be, um, muted colours? (Like with the Esenweins and Hawthorne, they have a 'dull' red)

Is that just the result of doing washes? Is a basecoat important?

What size/type brushes do you use?

Gotta re-emphasize, I really like your stuff. :)

[philowar]

Thanks, Perdido. I like somber colors and heavy contrast/shadows, though some of my figures may appear a bit more muted than they really are due to poor lighting when I took the pictures. Basecoats are usually a must with prepainted figures, though a lot of times I cheat when doing simple touch ups or washes and don't basecoat them. In either case, make sure you clean the figures prior to working on them to remove any unseen dirt or oils that can interfere with your fresh coat of paint. With D&D minis, I usually just wash them with warm water and a little dish liquid, though Herosape figures I swab down with a Q-tip with a little rubbing alcohol as I don't want to get the stickers on the base wet.

In terms of Hawthorne and the Esenweins, I basecoated them black then drybrushed their red armor (though I first gave Sonja and Cyprien's faces a wash to bring out their features before basecoating).

Brunak was also basecoated black. I then drybrushed him with red, then a little orange, then a little brown I think, then finally some dark yellow for highlights. Thing is, with drybrushing, if you start with one color and then add a second or third, you can get some pretty interesting results. Of course, you want to use a flat and relatively small brush for figures, though a larger brush can be used when drybrushing big pieces like terrain.

Dry brushing, of course, isn't the only option, though I use it a lot for armor or for creatures like trolls and dragons where you're just dealing with a lot of skin and you don't have to worry about pulling off realistic human fleshtones.

With simple Heroscape paint jobs, you can get away with just three brushes: a relatively small and flat one for dry brushing, a relatively small pointed brush for general painting and basecoating, and a super tiny one in case you need to work on any details like eyes, noses, or details on armor.

Hope this helps. A lot of learning how to paint is trial and error though, so don't start on your favorite or expensive to replace figures right off the bat. :)

[Perdido]

That's fantastic stuff, thanks!

I actually bought some D&D minis, as well as some Venoc/Snipers packs to practise on, as there's an abundance of them where I live and I can live with some crap looking VV or Snipers or a badly painted Grimlock.

I've got some D&D Heroscape uncommons and I'd like to touch them up a bit to distinguish them. IE, have a 'Green' Mindflayer and a 'Blue' Mindflayer and so on. Just makes things a little more visually interesting and not have it so that the units all look like clones of each other.

From there, I'm going to try doing some more ambitious projects.

We'll see!

[philowar]

I've got some D&D Heroscape uncommons and I'd like to touch them up a bit to distinguish them. IE, have a 'Green' Mindflayer and a 'Blue' Mindflayer and so on. Just makes things a little more visually interesting and not have it so that the units all look like clones of each other.

That's a great idea for uncommons and it doesn't take much work to make them look different. I thought about having one green Feral Troll and one brown or red one. Same with ogres. It gives you more variety on the battlefield so that your uncommons don't look like clones.

Have fun painting!

[Crypto-Knight]

I love the Thorgrim, the grizzled old veteran look. This is how the figure should have been. Likewise, Taelord is much improved methinks. I often play figures just because they look cool, and yours would have had me getting more use from these guys.

[SuperScapeOnline]

Hey philowar,

Great customs! The Marro look totally awesome and the chromian snipers are vastly improved. All of your repaints are really nice, good job! +Reputation

P.S. How did you paint the Marro guys to look all shadowy?

[philowar]

Hey philowar,

Great customs! The Marro look totally awesome and the chromian snipers are vastly improved. All of your repaints are really nice, good job! +Reputation

P.S. How did you paint the Marro guys to look all shadowy?


Thanks. The Marro Warriors were actually the easiest. I just basecoated the figures (except the guns) black and gave them a light drybrush with white to bring out their skeletal details. The guns I just gave a bit of a wash for more contrast.

[Shedim Kabal]

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/zettians.jpg
Wow.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/snipers.jpg
Wowzers!

I'm going to have to look closer at my repulsors now - there might be some fantastic looking machine under that white and blue...

[philowar]

Feral Troll

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/feraltroll1.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/feraltroll2.jpg
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Deathstalkers

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/philowar/deathstalkers.jpg