"An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age." - Painting Challenge Submission #2

Star Wars: Legion does not have a model for Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, as he appeared in the original 'Star Wars' movie. 

Last year I purchased from Order66miniatures on Etsy three different 40mm size prints for that Old Fossil, all 3D sculpted by Madox 3D (Felipe Manivel). (This particular pose seems to be taken from the Star Wars: Rebels episode entitled "Twin Suns", when Ben finally defeated a half-prosthetic Darth Maul.) This year's Painting Challenge prompted me to finally get some paint on this figure.

Ben is a very nice print, with a dynamic pose, good anatomy (check out the face and those hands), and almost completely unnoticeable printing lines. I really like the flowing robes and tassels. I just used some brass wire for the lightsaber blade, instead of the resin one; I have real doubts about the separate resin blade holding up to gaming. I shaped the blade tip with a diamond dust file, which worked a treat on the soft metal.

I did my usual black priming with GW Chaos Black, and airbrushed zenithal highlights with Vallejo Dead White.  Face and hands were under painted in Vallejo acrylics, with details and blending in various artists' oils. 

I do have the book Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, which has nice colour photos of Ben's costume.  I went with lighter values for his shirt, under tunic, and hooded robe, as opposed to the movie colours. Did some detailing with Payne’s Grey and Titanium White oils for the under tunic. Ben's brown robe was finished mostly with a few washes combining GW's Agrax Earthshade and Reikland Fleshade. I weathered his clothing, adding stains and little tears using artists' oils.

I have now painted 5 figures sculpted by Felipe, all taken from the original 'Star Wars' in 1977. Madox has a couple of Patreon pages,  illustrating his interests in both Space Wars and the Seven Years War. 

Scoring: 7 points for a 40mm figure (Darth Vader is over 45mm tall!), plus 20 bonus points for Death Star (Hubris). Hubris, thy name is Obi-wan Kenobi. Hubris to think he could properly train young Anakin, hubris to hold the the Jedi order's myopic worldview, and hubris to try and control the information that he provided to Luke. Plus, the Death Star is the location of Kenobi's final duel with his former padawan. Total = 27 points for this year's Challenge.

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Using Ben Kenobi in Star Wars: Legion

Star Wars: Legion only has rules for Obi-Wan Kenobi as a much younger man, representing him as a Jedi Master and General during the Clone Wars. The character's rules and command cards reflect this. I belong to an unofficial Star Wars Legion Custom Cards group on FB. Member Charlie Soden came up with some interesting cards to use Ben Kenobi during the Galactic Rebellion era, a generation after the events in the Clone Wars. Ben is less of a juggernaut in close combat, moving more slowly and inflicting less raw damage. Ben is still very much a master of defense, and is much more adept at using the Force, including the mysteries of becoming a Force ghost. (Note that there is a slight error in the character card below; Master of the Force: 2 allows the readying of 2 Force powers.)

  

Star Wars Legion Probot and Snowtrooper Squad from Wargames3D

So the Battle of Hoth Star wars Legion project draws near to its close, as I've now received and painted some 3D prints from licensed printer Wargames3D on Etsy - an Imperial probe droid (designed by Skull Forge) and another squad of Snowtroopers (designed by Dark Fire).  

First - the Probot (OK, the "Arakyd Industries Viper Probe Droid"). This is a model that's currently missing from the official SW Legion range, but one that every Legion enthusiast will want in their collection... just a super-cool looking droid.

The model was 3D printed in resin and comes in several parts - the "head", "body", and five "legs". A printed resin support stand is included but I substituted my own clear plastic stand. Please don't mind how it's sitting a bit crooked, that's been fixed in post :-)

Size comparison with a Legion infantry model. Not much work required on the Probot - I drilled two small holes in the top to fit synthetic broom-bristle antennae, and magnetized the head-body join so the head can rotate. Painting consisted of a basecoat of Vallejo Dark Rubber, light drybrush of Leadbelcher, and a Nuln Oil wash, followed by picking out wear points with Mithril Silver. A couple of the lenses were painted Evil Sunz Orange and Corax White, the rest were painted black. The model was sprayed with Testors Dullcote and the lenses hit with 'Ardcoat gloss finish - done. 

Next up was the Snowtrooper squad. This consisted of seven troopers, two of which tote heavy/special weapons, a nice change from the flamethrowers in the official SW Legion squad mix. These are all one-piece models and came ready to paint, with supports and flash all removed - nice. 

I painted them in my standard Hoth Snowtrooper scheme - basically painting the whole model Rakarth Flesh, and hitting the white armour and face shield with Corax and then White Scar. The RF parts were washed with Agrax Earthshade and re-highlighted with RF. Weapons are black, drybrushed with Mechanicus Standard Grey.

Here are the special weapon troopers.

And a couple squaddies with blaster rifles.

Size comparison - official SW Legion trooper on left, Dark Fire 3D print on right.

If I had a criticism of the Dark Fire models it's that they're not as detailed as the official models - note the relative detail on the backpack and blaster holster. It's too bad that DF didn't include some of this detail - particularly considering the price point for the squad - it was more expensive than a box of Snowtroopers from FFG. But I think they'll mix together OK and the differences aren't too noticeable.

So I think that's about it for the Imperial side - I now have four seven-man squads, an E-web blaster, a Probot, a command squad, a K-series security droid, an AT-ST, Veers, and Vader. That should be enough for a game at long last! 
 

SW Legion - Cassian Andor and K-2SO

Cassian Andor and K-2SO - figures from Fantasy Flight Games "Star Wars Legion" range.

Well, there was a slight diversion there, but it did not take long to squeeze another "Star Wars Legion" bit on my painting desk. Here we have Cassian Andor and K-2SO, characters from the excellent "Rogue One" film. These are plastic figures from Fantasy Flight Games' "Star Wars Legion" game. 

"Why can't I have a blaster?"

The Disney sequels for "Star Wars" are awful. I don't mean to dwell on that here - there are many other (better-written) sources for that sort of content online. But I found first one was so vomit-inducing that it caused me to ignore anything "Star Wars" that emerged from the sh*t pit of the Mouse Empire. This stubborn attitude, in turn, caused me to ignore "Rogue One" when it came out in theatres. Wow was that dumb on my part! Years passed, and I finally watched "Rogue One" on TV, and loved the film. So when I finally tilted over into collecting and painting "Star Wars Legion", I was pleased to see a number of characters from the film were already featured in the game's miniature range.  

Very nice sculpts from FFG.

There are different options to equip both Cassian Andor (either pistol or rifle) and K-2SO (either unarmed, or carrying Jinn's blaster). I find this latter option to be nicely on-the-nose, given K-2's complaint about not having a weapon during the movie. I nonetheless decided to leave K-2 unarmed, with the idea that the figure could represent an actual Imperial Security droid, or even K-2 sneaking in as part of a Rebel op. Plus I just like to imagine K-2 complaining to Cassian about not having a weapon.

Ready for deployment on a gaming table...

While we all know how things end for the Rogue One team in that movie, the idea of gaming battles featuring the characters and troops from the film is certainly a motivating one - not only the fateful battle on Scarif, but other "what-if" operations as well. I know a lot of other "Star Wars Legion" players are motivated by the same notions, so my approach is hardly original, but nonetheless it will be fun to paint them up. I'm particularly pleased to have K-2, such a great and fun character. More of the characters from the "Rogue One" film are available from various 3D printing aficionados out there (thanks to Dave V for pointing me in the right direction), so watch for more "Rogue One" content to appear in this space as the winter arrives.

That's all for now - thanks for reading, and happy painting! 

Star Wars Legion Rebel Troopers and Pathfinders - Hoth Style!

Rebel Troopers

So after having painted two units of Rebel Veterans for my Hoth Rebel Alliance crew, I wanted to introduce some variety with some other models. The great thing about the Rebels is that they're somewhat rag-tag, so some differences in uniform and kit are certainly OK. I've tried to minimize any jarring effects by painting these models in a "Hoth palette" (lots of Corax White, Rakarth Flesh, Zandri Dust, Steel Legion Drab, and XV-88) - the reader can be the judge of how well this worked.

Here's the squad leader with a Rebel rifleman.

Gatling blaster trooper and a dude with a grenade launcher (?) of some kind.

Some diversity introduced into the bunch with a Duros trooper.

Backpacks are similar to those included with the Rebel Veterans, that's good.

Rebel Pathfinders

The other unit I just finished was the Rebel Pathfinders, a very thoughtful birthday present from Conscript Dave (thanks Dave!) I enjoyed painting these guys as well, but there are a couple things to note on this box - most notably that there are only six figures in the unit, rather than the standard seven. You do get a variety of weapons here too - a long sniper rifle as well as a heavy blaster (wielded by the alien Bistan, at right) and another strange blaster in the hands of the alien Pao, at far left. These two guys are from Rogue One, of course. 

These are my favourite models from the set - especially the leader, who looks very Hoth-like with his winter hat and goggles.

The leader also sports an interesting set of body armour which I painted in Mournfang and Skrag Brown. The crouching sniper also is so equipped.

Here's the sniper with Pao and Bistan. I like Bistan and his heavy blaster - he's dressed in some sort of spacesuit which I could have researched, I guess, if I weren't so lazy. Anyway it got painted in Steel Legion Drab mostly. Not a huge fan of Pao as the pose is a bit meh, but another heavy weapon of some kind I suppose.

Well there you go - I reckon the Rebels are all set now with 30-some models ready to fight it out on Hoth. Just waiting for one last squad of snowtroopers from a 3D printing operation (and a special surprise addition) to finish off Blizzard Force, then we'll be ready for a game!

SW Legion: Father And Son

The most complicated father-son relationship to be found in a galaxy far, far away...figures from Fantasy Flight Games.

More Star Wars Legion? Of course more Star Wars Legion! Here we have the final two figures from the Fantasy' Flight's "Legion" Core Set - Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. These are plastic 28mm size figures from Fantasy Flight Games. 

Are you choking on something?

I love the pose on Vader...one can instantly imagine the direct "motivation" being provided on the scene...

These characters are pop culture icons - not much I can say about them, other than it's great to have them available for any "Star Wars Legion" games that might happen out here in Northern Ontario.  

Luke, striking a defiant pose...

Trusty blaster on his hip as well, in case the light sabre is not the right tool for the job...but really, when would that be?

The sculpts of these iconic figures are excellent, but they are let down by the crappy bendy plastic that FFG opted to use in the manufacture of the figures. BOTH of the light sabres were quite droopy, and no amount of hot water or other tricks would straighten them out. I did my best to sort things out, but at a certain point, I figured "f*ck it" and just painted them up the best I could. But to be clear, bendy plastic is just the sh*ts when it comes to wargaming miniatures.

Galactic Empire figures from the Star Wars Legion core set.

One other thing you will notice immediately is that there is no OSL-type effect on the Luke and Vader figures. I simply cannot wrap my head around that process, and the odds that I would have managed it even close to properly on these two figures are zero. You can search elsewhere on this blog for figures by Dave and Dallas to see how cool OSL can be when done right...maybe I will try it one day. But for now, plain old colours to represent the light sabres!

Rebel Alliance figures from the Star Wars Legion core set. 

With Vader and Luke finished, I have now managed to complete all of the figures from the Core Set! That is a decent-sized small force for each side of the conflict, already bolstered by Rebel and Imperial Specialists! This will bring a halt to the Star Wars Legion painting run for now, as I move back to some other projects, but I'm sure it won't be too long until more Star Wars figures are under my brush - especially with Curt's next "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge" on the horizon. Thanks for reading!

Star Wars Legion: Imperial Scout Bikes

Imperial Scout Troopers on speeder bikes - here comes fun!

November has arrived, and so has MORE painting for "Star Wars Legion"! Here we have two Imperial Scout Troopers on 74-Z speeder bikes. These are 28mm plastic models from Fantasy Flight Games, and came as part of the Imperial forces in the "Star Wars Legion" core box.

Gun that engine, before the rebel scum escape!

Service in the army of the Galactic Empire has a lot of downsides, but it always seemed to be that the poor Scout Troopers seemed to have a particularly difficult time of things. Sure, riding around on those speeder bikes looks like fun, but things always seem to conclude with some manner of terrible mishap - if some Ewok didn't already steal your ride!

I really like the pose on this figure - plus it is easy to imagine him racing straight into something while not paying attention! Such is the fate of Imperial Scout Troopers!

The Scout Troopers do provide some pretty hilarious moments, too - with the discussions between the two Scouts that kicked off the finale of season one for "The Mandalorian" being a particular high point of hilarity and enjoyment!

Racing to battle!

I had been procrastinating on finishing these models...mounted figures of any sort are always a bit of a pain, and these speeder bike models were particularly tricky. You'll see that one fellow doesn't quite line up exactly with the front of his notched base...that is because I failed to realize the tiny plastic stem actually has a specific alignment to fit into the bottom of the bike, and this realization came only AFTER the super glue took hold. I didn't want to risk breaking the model, so I left well enough alone...

One other challenge, of course, getting the white colour right...I have used an acrylic extender to try and squeeze more life out of my "White Scar" paint, and this did not quite work out - the extender make the paint lumpy, and thus you can see in the photos that the white armour on these fellows has a not-very-smooth texture...I can hear Duncan Rhodes right now in a video, extolling the virtues of "two thin coats"...anyway....

Off to their next maneuver!

Zipping around at high speed on the gaming table will be fun - I certainly enjoyed that aspect of things during my first game of "Star Wars Legion". We knew the Scout Troopers would meet some manner of terrible end, their bikes crashing into something and blowing up - and we were not disappointed! But it is all good fun. These two will surely do their bit to restore order to the galaxy as they maneuver in support of the Imperial Forces on the gaming table in the future. 

Have to share a big "thank you" to Dallas - I really didn't have an idea of the Scout Trooper uniform beyond a very general notion of "white, you know, with black too". Dallas shared some great pictures, which made the painting process much easier.

That's all for now - but more "Legion" painting work should be along any day now...thanks for reading!

Star Wars Legion: Imperial Specialists

Imperial Specialists for Fantasy Flight Games' "Star Wars Legion".

The "Star Wars Legion" buildup continues! This update isn't as cool as Dallas' most recent posting, but progress is still progress...here we have some Imperial Specialists - the counterpoint to the Rebel Specialists I finished a couple of weeks ago. These are 28mm plastic figures from Fantasy Flight Games/Atomic Mass Games/Insert name of whatever a**hole PE fund controls the license.

The contents of the "Specialists" boxes are consistent - up first we have an officer from the Galactic Empire. That pistol she is carrying might have been used to guard a prisoner, fire on a Rebel terrorist, or perhaps to help focus the thinking of an Imperial trooper. She is also reporting something into the ubiquitous "communicators" we see throughout "Star Wars".

Imperial officer, ready to report into her communicator.

She has either just shot, or is just about to shoot, some unfortunate person or thing...

This is a very nice figure - a no-nonsense Imperial Officer, an excellent sculpt in my opinion.

Then we have the communications specialist. Looks like a bit of a hapless job...but then, so many jobs in the armed forces of the Galactic Empire would appear to come with a lot of downsides...again, a nice sculpt. I put some varnish on his helmet...wanted to give this guy the appearance of a rear-area support figure, which would call for more polish in terms of the uniform.

Imperial Communications Specialist.

View of the comms gear on his back.

Then we come to the droids. There is the "medical" droid which...looks like it is not coming to heal you, so much as to harvest one or more organs for recycling. Seems to project just the right "bed side manner" for the Galactic Empire. 

"Medical" droid on the left, and astromech droid on the right.

And what is it with the Galactic Empire? Even the cute astromech droids can look sinister when in service of The Empire - not as scary, perhaps, as the "medical" droid, but still...

As with the Rebel Specialists, these figures all bring specific roles and abilities to the "Star Wars Legion" game, but I am more keen just to have them as general characters, accent pieces or objectives for a Star Wars skirmish game of some kind. That's all for now - Happy Halloween everyone, and stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading!