The next items from my Clear the Desk painting challenge are done and also celebrating over 20 years of war gaming and 10,000 views of the blog! Thanks to everyone who has surveyed my wares!!
Now, don't jump to conclusions about the paint scheme just yet. These are Denizen Miniatures 25mm Federation Troopers, started in 1995 and finally finished.
Back then I was broke and couldn't afford Games Workshop 28mm Space Marines but I could afford these guys and the Citadel paints - see where this is headed. So I bought these guys and the Ventuarians - again of which I realise I don't have any pics up on this blog - will remedy. Hence the paint scheme.
After finishing most of them in the 90's, about seven years ago I realised I had more Ventuarians then I did Troopers, my OCD (Obsessive Collectors Disorder) kicked in, and I grabbed some reinforcements.
They went out to a commission painter, got prepped, and almost immediately came flying back unfinished - literally chucked across the table, with the grumpy quote "Paint your own xxxxing figures". I do. I have. 😆 But into the desk they went and there they sat, until now.
I was worried about the paint match up after 20 years but was astonished to find some of the paints actually used all those years ago (and they say hoarding doesn't pay dividends!), and more astonishingly, that some were still active and ready to paint.
The Ultramarines blue was from the Citadel paint renaming/bottling in the 2000s and needed a bit of coaxing TLC with some Lahmian Medium, but matched the 90's blue pretty much perfectly.
The Blood Angles red was hardened like plastic but I used it as a palate reference, and it turns out that 90's Blood Angles Red = Evil Sunz Scarlet + Yriel Yellow - little dabs of yellow at a time until satisfied approx. 1YY : 5-10ESS).
Hats off to Citadel (ah come on, don't boo) as the rest of the lads have been painted and occasionally gamed with for over 20 years, without a vanish, and still look freshly painted, and were only very slightly chipped.
There's something to be said about these Denizen figures, I reckon they're still some of the best generic sci fi on the market. I think they've aged better design/figure-wise, than most of the more successful brands.
I also painted up these two behemoths in the 90s, as Dreadnought stand-ins, they scale pretty well. Not sure what code they are or were, but they're from the - still available - Dream Pod Nine, Heavy Gear range.
I also found these sentry guns in the same storage bin as the troopers, pretty chipped up, and touched them up. Not sure, but think they're either Ground Zero Games or Denizen.
Which brings us to the next job in the challenge. A half-completed blister of Games Workshop minis no less and some loose colonials - you can take that one if you like.
