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When I first started miniatures gaming, my first game was the classic Space Crusade. That game will forever have warm feelings from me.

However, I soon started converting minis from the set, and using their bits in other conversions and I found that I really wanted to play Space Crusade, but didn't have any of the parts that I'd need.

So I went to my "bits box"- which is quite extensive these days, with parts catalogued- and found that I could pull a full Space Crusade force out of it.

For painting, I've decided to create tributes to forces that I've painted in the past- some for clients, others for myself. None of them will match those forces too closely, as I'll be creating a new take on them.

Here's the first squad I finished: Salamanders
















I painted up my first unit as Salamanders as a tribute to the Salamanders forces I painted over the years (they'll be 'counts as' Imperial Fists for the most part). This version of the Salamanders doesn't quite match any of the other color schemes for Sallies that I've done, and it was nice to have a slightly new take on them.




And here are the Gretchin.

I had considered quite a few options for my Gretchin- I have quite a few goblins from various companies I could easily convert. I also have some of the older plastic gretchin minis- but I felt that the pose was too standard.

In the end, I decided to take old metal Snotlings, and arm them with missile weapons. I really fell that this works for their lowly status.

Here they are:

Very nice!

Love the flames, and that green is spot on wow.

Those Gretchin look like Gremlins. That's cool!

I love that you did the flames the "right" way. Too often, they're dark on bottom and bright on top. It's an artistic (and sometimes accidental) change that some people prefer. I like it the 'realistic' way, though.

Eric

Yeah, the dark on the hottest point (usually bottom) flames was something that I make sure to do with any actual fire on a mini. When it is painted flame (like on the shoulder pads) it is a bit more up in the air.

Back in the '90s and before, everyone painted flames totally wrong (it just feels natural to paint everything with darker shading, you know?). There were a few painters (Victoria Haley among them) who let us know we were all doing it wrong. At this point, it gets a little over corrected, but mostly people do it right.