Yep, it’s back to Star Wars again today. Specifically, the pair of Wampas from the Return to Hoth expansion. Following one of my usual traits, these two got selected for painting because they looked easy to do. Because mostly-fur is often quick and easy. As it turned out, it was a bit more work than I expected in getting all of the tones and nuances in there, but still not too difficult.
They were pretty decent models to paint. My only real regret is that I didn’t attempt to reset their warped bases in hot-water before starting, and by the time I realised that they were warped that badly, it was too late to try doing so without risking screwing up the paint to that point. So… I’ll just have to live with it.
For their bases, I tried something completely new. To date, I’ve completely avoided snow bases, because they’re so very specific to one climate, while the dirt and concrete and floor-type bases that I use fit in a little more broadly. I’ve seen some amazing Space Wolf forces with their scenic snow bases fighting on temperate and even desert mats, and it always looks really incongruous which pulls me out of being able to enjoy them quite as easily. The Wampas then, are the first models I’ve ever attempted to use snow basing on.
I wanted to do it “properly”, so set down some Jo Sonja’s acrylic paste, that has been recommended in the past on various forums, but it looked quite plain. I think it’s more useful used sparingly on otherwise-scenic bases for patches of snow. So then I ordered a giant shaker-thing of Woodland Scenics’ Powdered snow. Tried that sprinkled on top of some thinned PVA as powdered snow, but it was ..incredibly underwhelming like that. Finally, I mixed the Woodland Scenics stuff with watered-down PVA and it looked pretty much like thick PVA, but once it dried, it turned out bloody amazing. The photos don’t do it justice as there’s a wet sparkle to the snow, which is also slightly translucent. Now, I get that snow has various states, from powder, to solid, to melty – but for me and on this scale, this method works for my own aesthetics.
Naturally, the Wampas can come in normal and “elite” forms in Imperial Assault. To reflect this and continue to avoid red base rims, I added some blood effects to one of them around the mouth and claws, as well as some blood on the snow. The other one got a bit of extra snow on his body for a minor (almost invisible, even in hand) point of differentiation.
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Whew, am I actually first to comment for once?!
Looks great Azazel, just as I imagine them for the movie. I really like the snow bases, and the fur is excellent as usual. Looks like your diligence in applying the snow effect really paid off
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Yes – but I took 4 days to get around to replying to anything – so it balances out! Thanks for the kind words on the fur and snow!
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These look great! I could also see them getting used for D&D or whatever as Yeti or something.
My technique with the Woodland Scenics snow is to mix a bunch of it with PVA, a little bit of white paint and just a tiny dot of the palest blue I have. Slap that on, and then while it’s still wet, dip it in a bowl of the loose snow to get a layer on top that’s not mixed into the glue. Gives it a little more sparkle.
Also, with those bases, they kind of look like they’re on snowboards 😉
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Depending on how many more snow bases I have to do, I might give that a try! – and literal snowboards made of snow, eh?
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Yeah, it’s not really worth doing unless you’re doing a big batch for a bunch of things at once. I have a couple of Space Wolf packs that have been waiting for ages because they’re just not enough to be worth going through the hassle for a dozen Models, and are going to get done sometime in the next few weeks when I do a big batch for the scenery I’m working on.
Yep! Made of and for snow!
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Yeah. I think there are like three snowtroopers in the Hoth expansion – beyond that I can’t think of any more snow bases in my near future…
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These look great mate. I suspect given your comments that you won’t be doing much in the way of more snow bases but if you do you might want to check this site out. Not cheap but by far and away the best thing around.
http://www.precisioniceandsnow.com/
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That does look good, but at my current rate, I have about 50 lifetimes worth of the Woodland Scenics’ stuff to get through first. Or at least an entire army.
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Good job man, the snow looks great, it also look like they are about to enter couples figure skating🙂
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Seems almost like time for some Robot Chicken-style stop motion, doesn’t it?
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Would love to see that again🤣
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Cool, i really like the idea of sepereting the elite form of monster by giving it a more threatetening paint job. Ill bear thatvin mind when i do do our imperial assault minis.
Its interesting to see you do something with a snow base after i only recently had my first attempt at a snow base myself! Altgough mine was considerably more budget.
Whats your concern with fixing the base? I would have thought that wouldnt effect the rest of the models paint and isnt it all slightly elastic? If you us a heat gun to warm the base from underneath, letting the heat warm through the base i wouldnt expect it to effect the rest of the model.
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Yeah – that sort of minor variation is what I plan to use – that and making subtle notes on bases, such as the Imperial Cog on some of them. I’ll probably do some Stormtroopers with blue 501st markings when it comes to the elites there. I considered painting them black like Black Hole Stormtroopers/Shadow Stormtroopers, but then if they bring out Rogue One style Deathtroopers later – which seem to be the new Canon-variant of the same concept, it’ll mess things up.
As for the base – I tend to use hot water, as it’s more reliable and controllable than the hairdryer (I don’t have a “proper” heat gun from the hardware store). But then I got concerned about it soaking in/getting under the paint and messing up the legs as the feet at thevery least would also need to be immersed.
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I can strongly recommend a heat gun. Not like the big industrial hair dryers. I got mine from an electronic shop. It easily gets hot enough and comes with atachments to narrow the blow of air, fine enough to fix resin mis-casts on things like swords and guns. Its also great for manipulating plasticard and they are reletively inexpensive.
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Yeah, they have them at the local hardware store that’s pretty close by. I might have a look and do my best to not set the house on fire with it!
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You’d have to wait a few months for this, but another option for bases is leaving them out on a nice flat surface somewhere that gets a lot of sun on a hot day. I’ve fixed some warped terrain bases that way out on my balcony.
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Looks cool man. This was my favourite Star Wars toy for a looooong time.
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Thanks IRO. What’s your favourite these days?
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The only thing good to come out of Episode 1. Darth Maul. I’ve got two figures of him. I’ve always been more of a bad guys fan than a good guys fan. It annoyed me at school because I always wanted to be Darth Vader but because my name is Luke I always had to be that smarmy little git.
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Well that does make sense…
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Suitably menacing! Love the blood usage, just right.
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Thank you Mark. I wish it was easier to get tiny droplets with that stuff, but it’s an area where I can still get better (hey… August would work there!)
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That looks frighteningly realistic blood on snow! And brilliant figures to boot!
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Thanks mate – just glad that the snow worked out so well!
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Very nice- the subtle brown shading on the fur is very effective.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Thanks Pete – the actual Wampa is pretty stained when you look at those stills!
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Nice work on the fur mate, and those bases are spot on! The blood-on-snow is particularly nice 🙂
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Thanks Alex. I’m quite pleased with it as a first try.
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