Reaper Virtual Expo has started! Events continue March 6 and 7, 2021. If you aren’t sure what RVE is or why you might be interested, skip down below for more information. (And more information on free paint classes I’m teaching during the event!)
I received the Mega Bundle swag box, and I filmed a video unboxing each of the three RVE swag boxes within it. Some of the items require assembly, I put those together and showed how they work in the video as well.
The Mega Bundle includes three swag boxes, an extra, and bonus with purchase items for purchasing from the Reaper webstore. Soda can for scale.
You can purchase the swag boxes or Mega Bundle currently. Most individual items will go up for sale at some point, but quantities may be limited, particularly for the items that Reaper does not produce in-house (anything other than paint and figures.) Two of the paint sets are packaged in Fast Palette boxes, which are also outside production. Sadie the paint wizard recently said that theFast Palette Cyber boxes may run out. If they do, it is likely the sets would go up for sale again at some future point when they get more packages.
Paint Colour Swatches
I put together a video swatching out all 27 of the RVE paint colours, plus some of the February promo colours. Half of the video was filmed during a live Twitch stream, where I answered questions, and I share some general paint information throughout the process of making the swatches.
I’m including scans of my paint swatches here for the reference of anyone interested. My scanner is pretty true to colour, although of course slight differences may occur due to differences in our screens and so on.
The first is a scan of the 12 colours included in the Reaper Virtual Expo Commemorative set, currently available in the Hobby Box.
These six colours are from the Cyber Gangs box. Each is associated with one of the factions of Reaper Virtual Expo. This set of paints is currently available in the Punk Box.
The next six colours are from the Cyber Metal box. These are metallic paints. The still scan does not capture their shimmer. You would need to check out the video for a more complete look at these. This set is currently available in the Punk set.
The Plasma triad is currently available in the Expo Box, and is a great triad of vivid colours.
Last up are swatches of some of the February sample colours. You cannot order sample colours, they are occasional gifts bestowed on orders made on the Reaper webstore. Usually they are colours from an error in paint mixing, but I suspect these were mixed up special for February. There is a fifth pink colour, and I received a bottle of it, but it was the one casualty of my packages getting stuck in the cold snap the hit the US. You can look at a picture of what a cold-damaged paint looks like to get an idea of the colour. I only lost one out of 58 paints, so exposure to cold isn’t an automatic death sentence for all paint!
NOTE: VDAY 3 is a metallic/shimmer paint also best appreciated in video.
Reaper Virtual Expo
Reaper Virtual Expo is an online event on March 5-7 202 that includes miniature hobby classes, games, panels, painting challenges, and more. The classes include painting, basing, sculpting topics, and others. Even if you’re not a Reaper product fan, you’re likely to find something of interest. I’m going to highlight my classes and the other events I’m participating in, but for check out the Reaper Virtual Expo page for all the information.
All of these events are free and take place online. I hope I’ll see some of you there!
Crow’s Nest Painters’ Panel
When: Saturday, March 6 at 12:30pm to 2:20pm Central time
Where: Reaper Twitch channel
A panel discussion with a number of miniature painters, including Michael Proctor, Aaron Lovejoy, Derek Schubert, Jen Greenwald, and myself. There’s a section to suggest questions in the Reaper Virtual Expo Discord.
The Crow’s Nest sculptors’ panel took place today. Go to minute 3:06:00 in this video to watch that. It will also be uploaded to YouTube at some point. 10 different sculptors participated and answered questions!
Painting Scales
When: Saturday, March 6 from 8pm to 10pm Central
Where: Register to receive the Zoom link
I’ll be running this as a paint along class, though you’re also welcome to just watch and try out the techniques later. I’ll cover methods for painting smaller scales and large plate scales. The figure shown above is the colour scheme I’ll be using in class, but I’ll be using a different snakeman figure with a more open pose so you can see the painting more easily onscreen. My class PDF includes suggestions for alternate figures and paints.
Some of the products I’ll be discussing in my class.
Additives, Mediums, and Texture Pastes – Oh My!
When: Sunday, March 7 from 2pm to 3:30pm Central
Where: Register to receive the Zoom link
In the first half of the class I’ll talk about what additives and mediums are, and why you would add them to your paint. In the second half, I’ll cover products you can use for basing and effects. I’ll be demonstrating and discussing products from Reaper, other miniatures companies, and the art store. You do not need to buy any of these products to participate. Part of the point of the class is to help you figure out what you might want to buy later, if anything. The class PDF includes general information and information on specific products.
There are a ton of other hobby classes being given by fantastic instructors. Topics include painting techniques/colours, weathering, special effects, basing, using an airbrush, and more. You can get the schedule and details on each class over on the class schedule page. The classes take place on Zoom, so you’ll need to register to receive the login details for a class. Also if you check the class Details button, you’ll see if a class has a handout with more information on supplies and so on.
Reaper is recording the classes and will be putting them up on their YouTube channel, though that make take a month or so to happen. If you’re really excited about a particular class I recommend trying to attend live so you can ask questions, and in the very rare event of technical difficulties.
Coming Soon
My apologies to those who aren’t interested in Reaper Virtual Expo or associated items. This should be my last post on the topic for a while! I’m putting the finishing touches on a post about painting Finn Greenwell, and working on some other content for this coming month as well. Thank you for your patience!
Finn Greenwell, adorable leprechaun
Bird with a Brush 