I was able to get myself out of the painting funk this week by tackling a surprisingly fun mini. If you’ve ever played Fallout, you probably know a bit about the Protectrons that patrol buildings in the post-apocalypse wasteland. In some places you can hack computer terminals and flip the security robots on and they’ll clear out a lot of the enemies for you which is always fun. For people who don’t know Fallout, I think these robots may be reminiscent of classic robot designs.
There isn’t too much to say about the painting process on this one as it came together pretty smoothly. One thing you might notice is that I’ve surprised myself and decided that I like satin finish on my bases more than matte. I have quite a few Fallout minis painted with matte bases and it looks like I’ll have to slap a little satin varnish on them to make them uniform in the future. I have one more Protectron to paint and so I’ll go for a different color scheme on it to keep it interesting. Modiphius just released some various health and safety personnel themed ones (sheriff, medic, firefighter) so I’ll have to pick those up and paint them too. I am imagining and hoping that these will be fun to play in-game though I don’t have any immediate plans where I can use a robot.
Other than that this week, I decided to do something different and become a Patron of someone whose hobby skills I admire. I did this as much to support them as to learn from them. As part of my $8 a month commitment, I can access and read a lot of tutorials they’ve written. It just so happens that this painter, Oliver Spath, aka Honourguard, is extremely skilled at basing which is an area I always to improve in. Here is a picture or two to show you what I mean.
I’ve got more reading to do but I’m hoping to figure out some kind of display project where I can take some of the techniques I’m learning and apply them. My hope is that this will give me some ways to paint a bit more Lord of the Rings as well. I don’t plan on painting to play the game any longer as many of you know but I would certainly enjoy making some dioramas that look like the one above! I need to do some more brainstorming and/or see a couple of minis I’m interesting in buying come back in stock and then I will probably get started on another display project. I’m going to stay patient until inspiration strikes though as I have plenty of gaming pieces to work on as it is.
Kuribo's Painting 
Nice job on that protectron! Definitely one of my favourite fallout things. I need to experiment with varnishes some more, I’ve been going super flat as it makes taking photos easier but it does look weird in some cases in person.
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Thank you, mate! I’m with you on Protectrons. They’re a lot of fun and they have a lot of personality too. There’s definitely an art to varnishes. Either my tastes have or are changing or I’m getting better with them. I’m not sure which it is to be honest 🙂
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Nice work on the robot and those diorama images are very cool. Looks like plenty could be learnt from that guy. 🙂
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Thanks, mate and we’ll certainly see if I learn anything or not! I figure with your diorama skills, you’ll be as good of a judge as anyone 🙂
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Yep, he’s a beast of the green! Love the Protectron!
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Thank you, mate! Its no necron or battle nun but I do what I can 😉
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Great work as always mate. I won three Protectrons on eBay and am looking forward to getting them painted up although I am unsure how I will use them. I have always loved their retro vibe.
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How did you manage to get three of them? That is impressive! I was thinking they were hard to get because you get two in a box along with three Assaultrons, but maybe not! There are a few tough details on the minis but by and large, they’re easy and fairly quick to paint. I look forward to seeing how you tackle them 🙂
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The seller was selling a bunch of Fallout and Dust 1947 stuff from an unfinished project he started. I lost most of the auction lots but won a couple, including the Protectrons.
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That makes sense and I’m glad you scored a few things you can use from that project!
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Nice work and I look forward to seeing your diorama skills evolve
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Thank you for your kind words as always, mate! I hope I can actually improve. The desire has long been there but the action and follow through has not. We’ll see how I get on this time!
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That faceshield/helmet is excellent!
Those diorama skills should help if you plan to enter your figures in competition again.
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Thank you, Bret! I put a fair bit of time into that part of the mini so I’m glad to hear you think it looks good. I agree that my diorama skills have to improve if I want to push my skills and improve my chances in competitions. Lord of the Rings is the perfect setting to do just that too.
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That robot looks fantastic mate, love the glossy black “mask” and chipped paint. Those are some great looking dioramas as well, looking forward to seeing what you do with your new skills. 🙂
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Thanks, mate! Its always nice to hear the little details I add to a mini catch someone’s eye! 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do too. I think ultimately, this will help with my magnum opus, the Vampire Counts diorama I still have big plans for 😀
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Now that protectron is great, Jeff! 🙂 I really do like it, let’s have more definitely! I agree with Grumpygnome on the retro vibe, looks spot on. And those really are some nice diorama bases (although I’m sure I’ve seen TIM and Pat do some pretty amazing work but maybe best not mention that here)!
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Thank you, John! I was wondering if you would like it because it reminds me of what you’ve been working on lately. And you’re right, TIM and Pat are very skilled at dioramas. I’m still waiting for them to take me on as an apprentice 😀
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Awesome work on the Protrectron. I can hear it starting up and stomping off. I am still not sure which version I prefer in game. I always fire them up if I can … I love them apart from the two in the museum 😉
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Thanks, mate! I will sit there and hack a hard computer for a couple of minutes if it means a Protectron will help me out in clearing whatever building I’m in so I can relate! 🙂
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When you said that you became a patron of someone whose hobby skills you admire my first thought was “but I don’t have a patreon account…..”
LOLOLOL (sigh)😀😀
But seriously I’ve been tempted to become a patron for several things/people but never have as I never really thought it would be worth it or one I started I would never stop. I’ll be interested to hear if you think it was worth the money.
The ol school robot looks great of course. 😀
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Haha, what would you be offering on Patreon? How to write witty blog articles? 😉
Well, I would say that becoming a patron isn’t much different than paying for any streaming service in that you can start and then quit whenever. I don’t know if I’ll keep going with it once he’s finished doing some things I’m interested in but we’ll see what happens. I can certainly try and share some insight into what I gained from it in the future when I’ve digested the content a bit more.
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The robot looks excellent Jeff, and has a real old school vibe to it. Hope the patron account gives the inspiration you’re hoping for, and look forward to seeing what comes from it.
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Thank you, Dave, and welcome back! I think we’ll all see how the patron account works out in the coming weeks as I put some of what I learn into practice (or fail in the process!).
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Nice protectron I do like the colour choice seems to of worked well for you. I hope you get some good ideas on the mini Diorama front, I do think Lord of the Rings is great for that, so many cool scenes you could pick.
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Thank you, mate! These robots come in several colors so I’ll be painting them in some other colors soon enough, I imagine. I completely agree that LOTR is a strong choice if you’re into dioramas. There are tons of minis to choose from as well.
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Oooh, I love the colours you’ve used on the Protrectron — that odd green shade really suits it, and the weathering is spot on! Nicely done!
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Cheers, Matt! I’m glad the colors and rust worked out well on this one 🙂
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I’m not sure about Protrectron’s but from what the others have said it must be grand!!
I would love to offer you an apprenticeship but alas I would feel guilty as even I after all these years couldn’t emulate waterfall mini! bloody brilliant!! Having seen Oliver’s fine work makes me more determined to keep mine small, that is after I finish three piece WWII one in spring.
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Thank you for the kind words and don’t worry, I’m in the same boat. I have a lot to learn yet about dioramas and I need to try new techniques or I’ll never improve. Maybe we can take a similar tact and see where the hobby takes us from here!
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👍🏻🤓.
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Looking good! I’m especially enjoying the contrast between the shininess of the visor / faceplate thing and the grime on the main body.
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Thank you, mate! I hadn’t thought of it but it is funny that their visors rarely, if ever, get damaged. I have to wonder what they’re made out of to be so sturdy!
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Great work on the Protectron! I like the muted and weathered effect that emulates the look of them in the game really very nicely. Thet gent certainly knows how to do basing on those dios! I look forward to seeing what you’re able to achieve!
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That little robot looks really good. Are the reflections on the helmet painted on or naturally occurring? I also enjoy the subtle rust and desaturated green body. Honour Guards stuff is really something inspirational. I love all of his stuff and was thinking of attending one of his live workshops when Corona as finally subsided.
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