What the Hell Are You?

So yeah, these AvP minis.


Kas owns the AvP game from Prodos that was kickstarted a couple of years back, I think it was. I don't think he's played it yet, so I can't really tell you anything about it. It's got everything from the films in it? Although the AvP films are pretty crap, really. Let's go with the old AvP game from 2000, that was pretty decent. It's got everything you'd expect from that.

Plus lots of shiny board sections.

Great models! Very detailed. Bendy resin, though, which makes them a pain to superglue. And worse, not easy to drybrush for fear of snapping bits off. And even worse, terrible on the board, I strongly suspect! Great that they captured the long, threshing tails of the Aliens. But finding a way to do so without them trailing right over any neighbouring square would have been a better idea. The game is actually being rereleased around now, I believe, with single-piece plastic figures instead of these ones, and I can understand why.

Paintwise, I tried to stay relatively canonical with what I was doing. This makes the xenomorphs a fairly simple exercise in black and silver, using gloss Nuln Oil and some freehand silver work to make the floor look like the inside of a colony, seeing as I totally lack the basing bits to do that otherwise.

The Queen is obviously the worst offender for giant tail overlap, but at least she's taller than the other models, which mitigates the problem to a degree.

These Praetorians have it best, I think - the tail is curled round and secured against its own thigh. Stronger, but still looks good - just a shame that it's in three tiny resin sections that were a massive pain to glue.

Awww, they just want a hug.

Predalien. Going to a costume party as the Joker.

The Marines and Predators got alternate bases, mostly to reinforce the idea that they're on different teams. But also because drawing metal sheeting is boring, and I have the attention span of a dragonfly. I wanted to do slick concrete, so I used actual modelling concrete! Doesn't look like concrete on a model, though, it's too rough.

Cows don't look like cows on film.

You'd probably need plaster of paris for that, and there was no way I was pouring that over their feet. Gives them a bit of heft as it is, and leaves them suitable for tabletop as well as board.

Anytime.
Although let's be honest, it was the eighties. Where else would you find a monster wearing a full-body fishnet stocking?

I'm going to cut your name right into him

Predator hounds? Wow. I clearly haven't scraped the sequel barrel hard enough yet.

Have you got time to duck?

You can't see the eyes of the demon, until him come callin'.

It changed colours, like the chameleon.
I had a go at decloaking - it's very hard to paint, basically. I'm not displeased with it, but it never looks quite right. Why can't GW release invisible paint?

I did manage to stick some random bits of 40K plastic on, at least - sprues, spare Tau suit heads, chunks of Dreadnought, whatever looked reasonable. Plus some dried spaghetti as piping, which I haven't done since primary school. Not a great building material, in all honesty. Too sticky and fragile.

Painting Guide: -

• 
  
• Xenomorphs - Chaos Black spraycoat, heavy Leadbelcher drybrush, Nuln Oil Gloss wash, Ironbreaker and Runefang drybrushes, Stormhost Silver on teeth and claws. Same on the bases, but black line work done with the laundry pen
• Marine Armour - Mournfang basecoat. Orkhide Shade splodges with Pallid Wychflesh stripes, then Ironbreaker linework on the edges
• Marine Drabs - Karak Stone and Deathworld Forest splodges, Agrax Earthshade wash and Hiveworld Ash drybrush. Abaddon Black straps, then Skrag Brown holsters and pouches, finished with a little Tyrant Skull
• Predators - Mournfang Brown basecoat again. Rakarth Flesh with an Agrax Earthshade wash, then Rakarth drybrush and Pallid Wychflesh finish. Abaddon Black lightly and carefully drybrushed for the netting. Dryad Bark for straps. Abaddon Black dreadlocks with Wazdakka Red and Balthazar Gold beads. 
• Predator Armour - Ironbreaker with Agrax Earthshade, then Runefang drybrush. 
• Predator Helmets - Karak Stone, Agrax wash, Terminatus Stone drybrush and a touch of Praxeti White. Khorne red and Evil Suns Scarlet eyes. 

You'll have seen them make their gaming debut in the 40K game from last week. Who knows when they'll see their actual home system, though? Probably not before another turgid and thin sequel is released, that's my bet. Which I'll still watch greedily, because I'm an idiot.

"Minus 0.4 metres? That's inside my spleen!"