1990s Marine Challenge (aka Teacup Marine)

 Over on Instagram (I'm on tobyfrostauthor if you feel like following me), Darren Latham created a painting challenge: paint a plastic monopose space marine from the 1990s. I'm slightly wary of these kind of things: for one thing, my painting is total bollocks compared to some of the people on instagram. For another, they're not very good models.

I figured that, if I tried to paint my model in a familiar colour scheme, someone else would have done the same thing much better. I decided to paint it in an unusual colour. At random I had the idea of a porcelain scheme, like the colours of an old teacup. It's ridiculous, but it would stand out!

This is the marine before I went to work on it. It's actually a lieutenant from a boxed set. The arm and backpack were separate, but the rest came in one lump.

Ok. Time for some basic colours. I also mounted him on a 32mm base, like most modern marines, and sculpted him a little hill to stand on, so he'd look a bit less stumpy.

At this point I felt that the project was both completely absurd and could actually be kind of cool. I then had a go at his shoulder pad. I decided to paint on a scene such as you might find on an old teapot (expect with 40k themes). Hence we have a spaceship hovering near a cathedral.

I also added some checks on the wrist and a few faint flames on his fist. 

By this time, I'd invested so much energy in painting him that there was no way back. I got on with the rest of him. His face took ages.

Here's a side view:

And another:

Hmm. He seems to have the two-headed Imperial pelican on his other shoulder.

Anyhow, there he is. I want to tidy him up a bit, but he's 90% done. 

If you like Mordheim or Assassin's Creed, check out my Dark Renaissance novels HERE