I'm currently the "subject matter expert" on a nightmare project by having been exposed to it the most without going mad.
Thanks. This barbarian is a little rough by my standards, but I follow the same flow I usually have for muscles.
I'll paint all the flesh a red-brown (VMC Saddle Brown) and then sketch out the shapes of the muscles with a medium flesh tone (Citadel Cadian Flesh) then I'll blend between the two with a combination of thinned flesh and a thin application of flesh wash. Then I'll go back to the original traced shapes with the medium flesh mixed with a lighter flesh. Continue to lighten and then mix ivory into the light flesh tone for the most high edges if desired.
I think my best example is Weapon-X:
Uh, whenever you notice something like that- a wizard did it.
Those drop in kits to turn an AR-15 into a .22lr sort of follow the idea.
I think the biggest bottleneck for this concept in private use is the rifle and pistol rounds having to share diameter, and aside from the 5.56 and .22lr, there isn't much common overlap I can think of. 7.62x25mm isn't exactly falling off the shelves.
why aren’t we able to just make it more to our liking?
You are, but you have to figure out how to get it all to work together yourself. That means physically, electrically, and in software. All the things you listed are problems that need to be overcome. If you have the ability, you can do this, but you yourself have to do it or find someone who specializes in such particular work. Most people have neither the skills, time, or patience to do this.
I'm talking about a fan theory, that if true doesn't drastically upend the fundamentals of the fiction it is set in.
Mine is that in the American Dad episode 'Can I Be Frank With You', that Snot's uncle is actually just another Roger persona. He appears suddenly and conveniently to pitch a bizarre scheme, he loves hanging around with teen boys and doing drugs, and the very instant that the plan has a setback he kills himself out of sight of everyone else. That's just Roger in a suit and glasses.
Edit: Ok, so, people are having trouble with the word "inconsequential".
For anyone wondering about the magazine, the Pederson Device would feed .30-18 pistol rounds rather that the Springfield rifle's original rifle rounds.
Keep in mind Freelancer was released after Microsoft acquired Roberts' company, kicked him out of a leadership role, and drastically slashed the scope.
Star Citizen is what happens when there is nobody above Roberts to say no, and now after years plenty of people under him with an interest in keeping the development churning.
I first posted these figures in June 2022 (you can read a lot more about them here). They are basically steampunk power armour troopers to go with my 20mm armies and help convert 19th Century histo…
Much like the French, the Italians are kinda like a footnote in WWII history. And like the French at the start of the conflict they had some of the most robust military equipment. The French had th…
I don’t like super clickbaity content or opinion pieces that engage in a lot of whining or trying to make the reader mad. So let me be clear about my feelings from the beginning, I love Fallo…
Space Troll aka the Terentatek painted by Joseph Bamborough I think hes done an amazing job on this The colour scheme particularly of the base really reminds me of one of the planets from the Star …
It's notable how identifiably the gun on the page is drawn as a KSG. Outside of "gun focused" comics like The Punisher, comicbook guns have a habit of being wonky unidentifiable models.
For something that large and with such largely sculpted details, I'd probably just spray paint over it without stripping.
The paint may end up a little more susceptible to wear than if you strip it, but this is a display piece not a tabletop piece so I imagine it won't get handled nearly as much or as roughly.
It depends on how deep the details are and how much the existing paint is clogging them. If it isn't too much of an issue, then a simple spraypaint reprime on top is acceptable.
If you are looking to strip a mini, it depends on the material of the figure and the paint type. I regularly use Super Clean to strip eBay second hand tabletop figures. It eats any paint I've thrown at it, without damaging molded plastic figures. However if it is a resin figure, the stuff will melt it.
Good tools once you've soaked a figure in your juice of choice are toothpicks and stiff bristle plastic brushes. Sometimes a resoak is needed. Once I've scrubbed a lot of the surface and picked out the details it is usually good. If original paint exists in a super obscure crevice, it shouldn't matter once new primer goes on.
Hypothetical: You are a writer in 1990. 'The Best Of Both Worlds' 2-parter has just finished airing. You have been tapped to be the "Borg Person" in the Star Trek writing room. You are tasked with writing the next Borg episode as well as given the opportunity to create a story bible for future Trek writers to adhere to for the Borg.
Your episode is to be ready for some time through the end of season 4 to the middle of season 5. What do you do with the episode and the Borg? You are not constrained by Borg canon that has been written after BOBW.
Some rules:
You can't not use the Borg. I know some people just want them to be mysterious and not show up again, but to engage with the question you have to write something.
You can't just kill off all the Borg. They must be usable for future writers. If you make them disappear, know it will be undone.
The ideas must be plausibly filmable with the resources of TNG production.
This is 90s TV, so you can do a 2 or maybe even 3-parter but your Borg ideas can't eat the entire show. TNG must still be able to support non-Borg episodes.
I'm personally a fan of the Grimdark Firefight rules as an entry point. This is an offbrand ruleset for a skirmish game (same size of 10ish models as Kill Team) but it suited to using generic 40k minis and less focused on the special operators like Kill Team has been sliding into.
You can build a list on the software and get an idea of what you want. Box contents or used lots are available on eBay for much less than MSRP. Depending on what faction you are interested in, there are various viable 3rd party minis. If you find yourself somebody with a 3D printer, then the world just got even bigger. (I can provide more precise details if you know what factions you are wanting.)
Terrain can easily be whipped up with a little DIY. Craft paint, hot glue, and cardboard to make some walls and simple buildings. You can go nuts from there.
I'm taking a lot of cues from 1970s both media and real life. I didn't specifically use Bucky O'Hare as a reference, but it is similar to the kinds of things I'm using.
I mod a worryingly growing list of communities. Ask away if you have any questions or issues with any of the communities.
I also run the hobby and nerd interest website scratch-that.org.