Hero Quest Classic by Lawnor
Recommendations: 163
About the Project
I caved and picked up a cheap copy of the original printing of Hero Quest. Time to do the small repairs and get it painted. I am 12 again, but this time I'm armed with a paint brush and I know how to use it!
Related Game: HeroQuest
Related Company: Games Workshop
Related Genre: Fantasy
Related Contest: Spring Clean Hobby Challenge 2025
This Project is Completed
Week 4 Part 3: Yes, There's More
I put some black ink in the eye slots to make them deep and dark. I considered putting in a glow to match the colour of each of the 4 chaos gods, but I like these models as dark and menacing. Bright pink and green eyes felt like they might silly it up a little.
Base coat the bases. I'm keeping them simple. Any decorations would swallow the feet, which are already a little sunken in to those bases.
Drybrush
Wash with Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade. Thanks, Januinevision)
Airbrush base
Airbrush base
Drybrush wood and stone
Wash the stone with more MagiMix (See above)
Wash the wood with a mix of these paints, and water and Medium
Base coat the rat fur
Drybrush
WashWeek 4 Part 4: Are You Starting To See Why I Put Off Updating This Project?
Base coat the rat flesh
Wash the rat flesh. i was going to use my GSW Pecatum Flesh Wash, but it's turned green for some reason. Follow this up with a light drybrush of the base as desired
Pick out the eyes and teeth
Base coat the bark and wood core
Wash with a mix of the above. I think its 3:1:1 Flesh: Armour:Umbral, with added water and medium
Drubrush
The coal was painted black, drybrushed dark grey, and then some Nuln Oil was added to the crevice's to restore depth
Base coat the rope
Wash carefully
Drybrush
Base coat and wash the irons
HighlightWeek 4 Part 5: Almost Done For The Week. Final post, I promise!
Paint the bottle stoppers. The skulls were all painted the same as the Skeletons from earlier
Paint the books leather/lecturn or whatever that is. Possibly both moulded as one.
Base the corner pieces and scales
Wash the gold
Wash the gold with a mix of the 2
Finished Skeletons
Finished Mummies and Zombies
Finished Fimar
Finished Chaos Warriors
Finished Goblins
Finished OrcsWeek 5 Part 1: Less Parts This Week!
Highlight the scales and book corners
Base coat the paper of the book, and on the desk. Don't forget inside the drawer!
Wash the paper
Drybrush the paper
Paint the bookmark ribbon. Smoke is a bit transparent, so let what's showing through do the work for you.
Base coat and highlight the candles
Base coat the gold
Wash the gold
Highlight with Gold, and then edge highlight with Gold mixed with Chrome
Undercoat the shield with Mouldy Ochre (It's got better coverage than other yellows), then base coat with Cygnus Yellow. Finally highlight with Lemon yellow
Base the symbol with Cygnar Blue Base, then highlight with Cygnar Blue Highlight
Base the shield with Skorne Red, the Highlight with Khador Red baseWeek 5 Part 2: That's it for this week
Paint the symbol and the ink wells black. Edge highlight the symbol with dark grey, or P3 Coal Black if you want. I didn't.
Lightly drybrush the ink wells to make them feel metallic
Paint the weapon handles
Drubrush and then wash, and maybe drybrush again, to personal taste
Base coat the feather. I hate painting feathers.
Wash/glaze lightly, possibly twice. Don't flood the area.
Carefully drybrush to restore the texture
Once everything is varnished and the varnish has had plenty of time to set, you can paint the other sides of the chest ends. I did not paint the previously inaccessible parts of the other furniture as they should be out of line of site. Don't forget to varnish these bits too when you're done
A fully painted Hero Quest terrain set.This just leaves me with 6 models to paint: The 4 heroes, the Chaos Sorcerer, and the Gargoyle (Is he technically a tournament legal Bloodthirster? He’s GW. he’s the original design all future Bloodthirsters descend from. he has the right weapons). However, another more urgent project has arrived that I need to get table ready ASAP. I’ll be taking a break from this project for a few weeks at least while I get that ready to play, but I’ll be back as soon as I get ahead on that painting.
Week 6 (Kinda): The Gargoyle
It’s been a little while, but I’m back focusing on Hero Quest. First up is the Gargoyle. Given he’s a GW sculpt, holding the right weapons, and is the original Bloodthirster, would he be tournament legal if I stuck him on the correct base?
Red Daemon Flesh
Base: VGC 72.012 Scarlett Red
Wash: GW Carroburg Crimson
Drybrush: GW Evil Sunz Scarlet
Drybrush: GW Wild Rider Red
Bronze
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Highlight: Darkstar Bronze
Wash: 50/50 water with Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Highlight 2: Darkstar Bronze
Highlight 3: Darkstar Bronze with a little VMC 77.707 Chrome
Paint over the red sections with 1-2 coats to taste of Vallejo ink 72.086 Red Ink. let the gold show through a little. When everything is finished and varnished, come back to these panels with a little gloss varnish.
Red flesh and bronze armour are all doneBlack Cloth & Iron
Base: Vallejo Model Colour German Grey
Highlight: P3 Menoth White Highlight (Ivory)
Wash: Nuln Oil
Drybrush: P3 Pig Iron over the chainmail parts only
Black cloth and ChainmailClaws
Base: Cryx Bane Base
Drybrush, heavier towards the tips: P4 Hammerfall Khaki
Wash: GW Athonian Camoshade all over, but a ring of GW Nuln Oil around the base. Apply both at the same time so they mix
ClawsDark Leather
Base: VMC 302 Dark Rust
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Drybrush: A.Mig-0620 Dark Sand
Mouth
Base: P3 Midlund Flesh
Wash: GW Carroburg Crimson
Lightly Drybrush: P3 Midlud Flesh over the end of the tongue
Base the teeth: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Highlight: P3 Menoth White Base
Highlight: P3 Menoth White Highlight
Eyes
Undercoat with wither Menoth White while you have it out
Base: P3 Heartfire
Pupil: Any Black
I then painted the base the same as the earlier models.
Ten year old me is very happy and excited right now. 46 year old me is almost as happy, but my back hurts and the kids these days are always playing their music too loud.
Week 6: Chaos Sorcerer & Heroes
Bone
Base: P3 Jack Bone
Wash: GW Seraphim Sepia
Wash: Handcraft Tabletop Terrain Wash 267.01 Dunkelschatten (Dark Brwon Grey)
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Highlight
I was aiming for indigo, but I think I landed more in purple. It looks good though, and it’s not the usual purple I’d end up with, so I’m happy enough.
Robes
Base: VMC 70.899 Dark Prussian Blue mixed with Reaper MSP 09022 to taste
Wash: GW Druchii Violet
Highlights: Add progressive amounts of Reaper MSP 09023 Imperial Purple to the base and apply layers. Eventually switch to adding more and more Reaper MSP 09024 Amethyst Purple
I didn’t know what I was doing. I was making it up as I went and just throwing stuff in my well palette to see what happened.
Gold
Base: GW Retributor Gold (My only pot is from issue 1 of that magazine from years ago. I’m finally starting to run low)
Wash: GW Seraphim Sepia
Highlight: VMA: 71.066 Gold
Highlight: VMA: 71.066 Gold with a little VMC 77.707 Chrome
Highlight: VMA: 71.066 Gold with more VMC 77.707 Chrome
My final progress at the end of week 6. I'm busy gaming all weekend so I won't get everything finished before the end of the Spring Cleaning challenge, but I'll be back with another update before then.Week 7: Chaos Sorcerer & Heroes
A short weeks work this week as I’m busy with a tournament all weekend. Otherwise I’d have these last models finished before Monday.
Chaos Sorcerer
Iron
Base: P3 Pig Iron
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Highlight: P3 Pig Iron
Highlight: P3 Pig Iron with a little VMC 77.707 Chrome
Leather
This was done on everyone. I’ll likely have to do more for the others, but I had the paint out so I may as well do what I know needs doing.
Base: P3 Bootstrap Leather
Wash: Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: A-Mig-0620 Dark Sand
Yes, I know I missed the Sorcerer’s pendant cord. I went back and painted that leather last night. That’s him all done, except the base. I’ll do the bases on everyone once they’re all finished otherwise.
Fur
Base: P3 Cryx Bane Highlight
Wash: P3 Thornwood Green mixed with P3 Beast Hide
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Highlight
I’ll go back and paint the straps over the fur of his boots the next time I am painting any other leather.
Tan Elf Trousers
Base: P3 Rucksack Tan
Wash: P3 Gun Corps Brown
Wash: P3 Battlefield Brown to just the darker areas
Drybrush: P3 Rucksack Tan mixed with P3 Menoth White Base
Drybrush: Above mix with added P3 Menoth White Highlight
This stage didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped, but it was an experiment. It’s good enough and will hopefully look better once all the other detail is painted. I wanted red, but I didn’t want it to go too vibrant. It’s done that, at least.
Red Shirt
Base: P3 Skorne Red
Wash: GW Carroburg Crimson
Drybrush AK11079 Burn Orange
And that’s all I’ve had time for this week. They’re a pleasure to paint and are coming together quick and easy. Enough detail to look the part, but not so much I feel it’s making things too complicated or creating too much unnecessary work.
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