Staff Hobby Challenge: STAR WARS: Legion – Special Operations Teams

 

In today’s Staff Hobby Challenge, we’re featuring Star Wars™: Legion Special Operations teams assembled and painted by Creative Director Dallas Kemp, Office Manager Jeremy Button, and Development Manager Will Pagani. Read along to get some insight into their creative process!

 

Dallas Kemp, Creative Director
The Confederacy of Independent Systems

Why did you select the team you painted?
I decided to go with CIS as I have not yet painted B1s!!! I had considered the red black scheme for another B1 related project, but didn’t end up going that direction. This was my shot.

Is this a new army for you or are you expanding one you’re already building?
This is new. I will add more to the CIS force later, but I think this Spec Ops scheme will be specifically for Spec Ops.

Were there any challenges or surprises you faced while you were assembling and painting and how did you surmount them?
I initially wanted to paint the B1s using a sponge, but I quickly realized that the thinness of the droids kinda worked against the process, so I went with a different approach using an airbrush and washes. I think I may revisit the sponge on the B1s at some point. It worked great on the Tactical Droid.

Which miniature or detail are you proudest of and why?
That’s a tough question. The worker droid was fun to build. He is just parts to make something different and unique. But, I love the way the Tactical Droid came out!

What was the biggest takeaway or thing you learned during this project and how has it shaped what you plan to tackle next?
I really wanted to paint fast on this project. So using the sponge helped in that regard. I will surely be trying it again on another project.

 

Jeremy Button, Office Manager
Rebel Scum

Why did you select the team you painted?
I am now, and always will be, Rebel Scum

Is this a new army for you or are you expanding one you’re already building?
It’s not a new army for me, but it’s a new paint scheme, and I haven’t painted any Legion in a little while, so I came in fresh.

Were there any challenges or surprises you faced while you were assembling and painting and how did you surmount them?
I wanted to challenge myself to do camo a little differently this time around. I knew working with pinks, purples, and blues would be a challenge and I’m not sure I entirely surmounted it. I was able to formulate a nice pink that popped well on the camo pants, but I could not get a purple to do the same. I will keep experimenting and revisit this paint scheme when I find a solution. I also wanted to limit myself to one hour per miniature, as I have a tendency to leave things as WIP indefinitely. While I technically accomplished the goal of one hour each, I don’t know that it has convinced me I can call things finished faster now.

Which miniature or detail are you proudest of and why?
It’s hard to say I’m proud of any of these, but I’ll go with the droid. They didn’t get a camo paint job, but they did get a plant on their head, so A for effort (on the droid’s part at the very least).

What was the biggest takeaway or thing you learned during this project and how has it shaped what you plan to tackle next?
I have learned that I just don’t have it in me to speed paint things. I get stuck trying to tweak and adjust. I will never be happy with the work I can produce in an hour. In the future, I will set more realistic goals, like completing a miniature in a single day. Maybe then I can get through my backlog before…*checks watch* 2099.

 

 

Will Pagani, Development Manager
Galactic Army of the Republic

Why did you select the team you painted?
I quite like how Clone Troopers look and I had already completed the ARC Trooper option for Special Operations. I do love how standard Clone Troopers look so this squad is a great way to showcase “normal” rank and file clone troopers and their support options.

Is this a new army for you or are you expanding one you’re already building?
This builds on an army I’ve been working on for quite some time! I decided to do a very non standard paint scheme because I personally like striking color schemes on the table. It really makes the miniatures pop.

Were there any challenges or surprises you faced while you were assembling and painting and how did you surmount them?
I very much like the Phase II armor on Clones so the biggest thing was hunting down a few spare helmets to make sure all my miniatures had that look.

Which miniature or detail are you proudest of and why?
I have recently started adding white detailing to some of the clones armor. I really like how this helps differentiate unit leaders or commanders. It’s been a fun process learning how to free hand paint different markings.

What was the biggest takeaway or thing you learned during this project and how has it shaped what you plan to tackle next?
Even though clones all look the same in their armor you can still get a lot of character with exciting and unique paint schemes. I’m really excited to paint more of the Commanders for my Star Wars: Legion army and see what I can do to make them really stand out!

 

Thanks for reading today’s transmission. Keep up to date with our Staff Hobby Challenges and Features via social media to see more engagement from the team with the hobby.