by Sam and Max
Introduction: I found the flesh moulders to be difficult to paint, which isn't surprising since they're essentially human figures, and human figures are the hardest to paint. If you're new to painting, paint these figures last but before painting the heroes. You should have some high-quality painting brushes and other hobby painting supplies by the time you start painting these. Myself, I've even decided to strip my first paint job, since I missed so many mold lines by not first un-assembling the miniatuers. (When stripping, soak the miniatures in isopropyl alcohol 91% and/or Simple Green for a few days, then scrub off the paint with an old toothbrush. Leaving some primer on the miniature is fine. Wear rubber gloves for comfort.)Tutorials from easiest to hardest:
Zombie painting tutorial: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1148047/painting-tutorial-zo...
Cave Spider painting tutorial:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1150793/painting-tutorial-ca...
Ettin painting tutorial: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1140289/painting-tutorial-et...
Goblin painting tutorial: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1144852/painting-tutorial-go...
Secret Wash appearance directly on primed figures:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1129305/how-to-select-a-wash...
Other pictures from previous attempt at painting the flesh molders:
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/1981113/sam-and-max
Un-Assembly: Most boardgame miniatures come pre-assembled with superglue, making them difficult to remove their mold lines as well as paint. Luckily, the flesh moulders are easy to unassemble. Optionally, warm the miniature in warm water to make it softer to cut. Cut the tab in the stomach with a sharp hobby knife and separate the figure. Cut off the excess tab. The head is also glued, but does not need to be removed. Normally, you would fill in the gap left by this separation with a filler material (putty, greenstuff epoxy), but I think a gap well suits the nature of a flesh moulder!
Mold Lines: Mold lines are the "lines" of excess plastic on the miniature that should be cut off with a hobby knife, and filed off with small files. An engraving pen (under $10 at some craft stores) is a small handheld battery-operated "drill" with an industrial diamond-tipped head that will remove mold lines *much* faster. After removing mold lines, clean the figures in hot soapy water to remove the mold release agent, an oil. If you find mold lines after priming, you can still remove them. You can either spray white primer again, or use clear gesss (about $8 at craft stores) to paint over the plastic to "prime" the model for painting.
Priming and Pre-Shading: To get the paint to stick to the plastic, spray the miniature with primer. Hardware stores sell spray primer, and make sure to purchase primer that says it will bond to plastic. When spraying primer, first clear the nozzle with a quick burst not aimed towards the miniature, then spray in sweeps starting a few inches to the side of the miniature. With pre-shading, first completely prime the miniature black. Then lightly coat it in grey, then white, inspecting the miniature between sprays. You want the raised surfaces to be white, and recesses to be black. The black will give you a head start with shadows on the miniature, and the white areas will make highlights easier. Search on "zenithal priming" for additional techniques.
Cut and pre-shaded
Next: Pre-Washing