Hi All
I thought I would post these up as I have finally finished the first batch of my old 3rd Ed. plastics, which I have been working on for a while, in snatches. I have one of the old 'Mechs' boxes and managed to snag a couple of the old plastech minis off ebay to make a reinforced company of 4 lances.
Apologies for the poor quality photos. I only have my cellphone camera, and these were usually taken late at night on the kitchen table (when I get any painting time), in artificial light, and usually I was tired.
Cleanup and prep has been a bitch so far, with some quite large miscasts and distortions (like the Battlemaster’s back, which was entirely sunken in), big air bubbles leaving gaps that had to be filled, and the obligatory mountain of flash common to victims of 80’s plastic molding technology. For anyone who hasn’t dealt with this kind of plastic before, sanding is difficult as the plastic ‘threads’. I resorted to my jet-lighter to flash-burn the little threads away and smooth out the surfaces prior to priming. Care has to be taken, if you try this, to only make short passes over the mini or the plastic will melt and run due to the high temperatures the jet-lighter can reach, which wouldn't likely be an issue with a standard lighter and a cooler flame. I exploited the jet-lighter to flatten out the underside of the bases, melting the uneven plastic and then pressing it to a flat surface to get a usable base.
I have seen other old plastic mechs which came off the sprue in better condition. I think I was unlucky and just got a poor box. Any of you BT veterans out there who have had to struggle through building and painting these back in the 80's have my sympathies. TLDR: these minis are a labor of love.
The Victor is quite heavily converted, with a rebuilt left arm and reposed right arm and left leg. I brought the shoulders in and made it look a little bit more proportional. Quite a lot of work, but actually a huge improvement. I also added gun barrels to the Wolverine's chin turret. It was a simple thing, but added a lot to the mini. Antennae are just toothbrush bristles, but they are a nice little touch which adds some character and detail. Again, worth the effort.
Once the prep was done, I started with a coat of Krylon plastic bonding primer, which helps paint adhere to the non-stick plastic (I mean, seriously?!) used to cast these minis. I also went for a simple paint scheme which would help cover up some of the casting sins. Paints used are mostly Vallejo, unless otherwise noted. The base color was Stone Grey, and some panels were picked out in Tan Earth. Highlighting and panel lining was also done with mixed Tan Earth or Stone Grey and white, which was quite heavily thinned. The grey areas are German Grey with a Basalt Grey used as a highlight. Gunmetal for the metallic areas highlighted with an old GW chainmail I am trying to use up. Hot Orange as the base for the orange, with Orange Fire highlights. Cockpits were based with GW Regal Blue, another old paint I am trying to use up (although it was going to have been Vallejo Imperial Blue) highlighted, with a little wet blending, up through Ultramarine blue then to Ultramarine and white.
Once painted, the minis were washed with a 70/30 mix of Army Painter Quickshade Dark Tone and mineral spirits. I did try the un-thinned Quickshade over the Wasp, as the first test subject, but found it too dark for my liking. Minis were finally gloss varnished with 2 thin coats of Pledge floor wax and then a brush on Liquitex matte varnish went over that to dull the shine. Cockpits were reglossed using Pledge.
The Quickshade was a bit of an experiment, I thought it would help cover up some of the imperfections in the models, however I actually really liked the effect it left on the minis, and started using it thinned enough to bring out the very fine details, such as the hex paneling on the Battlemaster, which I don't think an acrylic wash would have done without extra effort. The one regret is that I didnt spend more time on the highlighting and a bit more blending, as the Quickshade wash really exposes the color gradient on the orange, for example. On the whole though, I am happy. These would look entirely presentable on any table or game, and I actually enjoyed painting these, despite the difficulties. I am going to start on another batch shortly, and will stick some more pics up once the next batch are done.
Hope you like ‘em.