Lead Legionaries: Alien Grays for...well, the heck of it!

3-D printed 'Alien Grays' I painted up kind of on a whim, but probably to sell off (poor blighters)

I bought these 3-D printed Alien Grays last year from JS Wargamer Printing. I didn't really have a need for them. They just looked cool. However, the more I have looked at my Sc-Fi collection, they really don't fit in. I wanted to paint them up, though, so decided to complete and sell them. Yep! I painted something up just to put in a flea market -- or perhaps the consignment store at Origins Game Fair. Of cousre, if I do decide to keep them, they would be excellent for Snarling Badgers game Majestic 13. Or, I could use them for a unit in Space Weirdos. Still, if you want to take the little blighters off my hands before then, let me know...

'Take me to your Leader...' I really like how these guys (gals?) came out - especially their eyes!

Instead of spray painting them black, like I often do with 3-d printed minis, I went with the brush on White Gesso. I scoured photos on the internet for inspiration and decided to go with the classic gray, as in Alien Gray! I briefly considered a green as in Little Green Men, but so many more pictures on the internet are gray, I decided to keep it traditional. Well, as traditional as 3-D printed aliens can be...!

A dozen of these came in a pack with a nice variety and only a handful of repeat poses

I used a medium gray as a base coat for their skin, and then a lighter gray dry brush. I was kind of baffled what to do for their space suits, though. There were few pictures on the internet that really gave me ideas, so in the end, I decided to use something that was shiny and colorful. The metallic Turbo Dork paint, Curacao Blue, looked great on the MDF Sci-Fi building I painted recently, so I went with that. I liked the way the shiny pale blue looks on the skinny little guys. It looks very retro, like the concept of Alien Grays itself!

I used Turbo Dork's metallic Blue Curacao for their space shits, which I think are a nice retro look

For the trim and joints, I went with a dark, blue-green for contrast. I did a medium blue dry brush over those areas just for a little highlight. I also made the circular patch on the space suit the same dark blue-green. I thought about putting an alien looking rune on the patch, but it was so small that I felt the only thing I could handle would be tiny bluish-white dots.

The 3 poses with the helmets on gave me the most pause as I went back and forth how to do them

To keep with the retro theme, I used a combination of copper metallic and Iron Winds Steel for their little rayguns. I gave the weapons a dark metallic red accent, too. Two of the figures weren't holding weapons at all, but instead were examining a human skull. The third was holding a very human looking adjustable wrench. I guess hand tools are universal when it comes to Science-Fiction!

The poses holding the human skulls and poking at them with their finger seemed were fairly comical

Probably the part of the figures that gave me the most pause were the three that head their space suit helmets on over their heads. The face plate was rounded and designed smooth. How to do these? Should I try to paint them as clear with a blurry gray alien head inside? Honestly, I had zero ideas on how to do that. I decided to do them with a metallic reflective face plate. I did ever smaller layers of Iron Wind Steel, Gunmetal Gray, Pewter, and then Silver. The silver was intended to be the brightest part where the light would be reflecting off of it. It looked decent, I thought.

I tried to go 'retro' with their weapons, using a metallic copper and red to fit the vibe

Then I decided to give one of the "Dragonfly Glaze" paints I had bought a try. Supposedly, it gives a "Full Spectrum" color shift over the surface it is painted. I wanted a YouTube video on how to use it, and followed its instructions. After one layer, I saw no speckles or sparkles -- nothing. After two layers, still no effect. I gave it a third layer and the only effect I saw was that it made it more glossy. No color shift. No glittery glaze. Nada. Anyone want a bottle of Folk Art "Full Spectrum" Dragonfly Glaze? I'm 0 for 2 with this paint!

Here's the Alien Gray invasion all together again, posed with almost-completed Sci-Fi scatter

I decided to give them a rocky/gravel like flocking job. First, I glued on 3-4 pieces of black rubble that I bought from Discovery Games at Buckeye Game Fest awhile back. Then I added Woodland Scenics Fine Blended Gray Ballast. I did a black wash over the gray stones, dry brushed the pieces of rubble lighter grays, and added a tiny brownish tuft to each base. To seal the flocking in, I painted it with Liquitex Matte Varnish. Spray coating it was right out with the metallics. I didn't want them dulled down by a matte clear coat.

So, there they are! I am thinking of listing them for $65 (for the 12 figures) in the consignment store. If that sounds like a fair price to you and want them instead, contact me within the next 4 days or so. The deadline to register items for the store is coming soon. What else is on my paint desk? I do have another batch of Viet Cong finished, and another behind it more than halfway through. For the terrain that I plan to take and sell at the Historicon flea market, I have a nice variety. They're progressing well, too, so hopefully I will have pictures of them by the weekend.

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025