poster tack.

stuff like this

https://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Tack-Reusable-Ounces/dp/B000BKQDB4

I give you... [sticky tack](Elmer's Poster Tack, Reusable, 2 Ounces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BKQDB4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PhHVzbS0QAD20)

For next time. :)

Here is my list I will put links when I can.

Citadel Shades- also known as washes. I would suggest Nuln Oil as your black wash and Reikland Fleshshade as a brown wash. Example you would black wash the probe droids but I would suggest the brown wash for the wookie.
I find these washes great for new painters because you don’t have to do anything to them. Use them right out of the pot.
http://www.games-workshop.com/en-AU/Citadel-Shade


Also the Citadel base paints that have the metal look to them like lead belcher are excellent for doing highlights on metal surfaces like the blasters or the droids.

For all my normal colors I only use the 1$ acrylic paint from normal craft stores. They work just as well as long as you water them down. You pay more for the special miniature paints and Side by side I did not see the difference in my Minis.

For primer I use white for most things even stuff that will be dark. It is much easier to make something darker. It is harder to lighten up it back up. The washes especially the black wash will darken up the mini as well so it is important for the colors to be brighter than you think they will needed to be.
Some talked about having to do more than one coat and for about half my colors I normally do two coats but the white gives me the freedom to just do one coat if I want it to look lighter. Example I have to paint a mini one time that was wearing jeans. I only applied one coat of blue paint then used the black wash over it. This gave the jeans this faded look and was done much easier than having to do the lighter highlights by hand.

For brushes a size 0 1 and 2 would be a good start. For washing I use a side 3-4 as well since that makes it quicker.

Varnishes there is only one to use Testors Dull coat
http://www.amazon.com/Testor-Corp-1260-Spray-Testors/dp/B0035LOUMU

Ok here are items that are just really nice to have that you may not have thought about

You will need something to put the models on while you are painting them. I use corks and you can get those at a local craft store then you pick your brushes up. You don’t want to be holding on the mini while painting as your figures will pull even some of the dry paint off with enough handling.
Best way to attach them to the corks is poster tack. It is reusable and holds them very secure.
http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Reusable-Adhesive-E1531/dp/B000BKQDB4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420900105&sr=8-3&keywords=poster+tac

For priming I have seen a lot of people use a box to prime the minis and I have done this but I find it sometimes hard to get primer over the bottom of the minis. My solution to that is a yard stick. You are going to get paint all over it so make sure it is not one you ever plan on using as a yard stick again. Use the poster tack to minis to the stick. This allows me to flip the minis over completely to be able to get primer even in the hard to reach spots. I can spray about 12 minis at one time.


Edit wanted to add some examples of my work. These are the first minis I ever painted.
http://s750.photobucket.com/user/mrush007/slideshow/Zombicide%20First%20Batch

Personal suggestion, put packing tape (the thick clear stuff) on the backside of the poster in the corners and maybe a few other places, put a glob of blue sticky tack on the tape, and then mush it up on the wall. The tape on the poster will keep the tack from tearing the poster when you try and take it off.

Although, it would probably be better to take the poster to a copy shop or office (depot/max/whatever) shop and get it laminated. They might have a laminator big enough, call ahead first.

There was another thread about that the other day https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonquest/comments/cm9a2s/this_dqiii_hero_bring_arts_figure_is_awesome/

They also mentioned the hands, and mine has the same problem so it seems to be the line.

And if you think Erdrick is hard to balance, try Alena. Between the hair, hat and cape she's top heavy and all over the place ith weight distribution.

For standing them, some people use tack. It won't let you do anything with them, but it can make the difference.

If the glue itself is her concern you can use "Poster tack" it's removable and leaves no residue.

Response to question block 1

I have yet to play against the AI player ("Alien Player"), and while the Doomsday Weapon scenario is a bit "simple" I find it enjoyable trying to build up and prepare for the onslaught of a superior foe. Then gain, I like the theme and simple play of Ogre (so glad I got the pocket edition when it was $2.95; I can't see paying for a deluxified version of this, but I do know back in the day people did buy minis and those did look pretty awesome).

Close Encounters adds in a challenge against Space Amoebas plus revises the alien AI. Better yet (for me), it adds in a cooperative mode and a way to play that aren't "kill another player".

I haven't even punched my Replicators expansion yet, so I can't comment on it. Nice hex tiles are included through.

 

I do want to note that there are ways to speed up the play of Space Empires: 4X:

• Quick Start in a competitive game is where set out the board where each player has a home territory and home territory tokens, then flip and reveal them all rather than explore and all colonies are set to a full 5 population.
  
• Low Maintenance is where cost to maintain fleets is halved
  
• Instant Technology Upgrade is where all ships get the tech when developed rather than having to upgrade (reduces bookkeeping thus making it play more like its predecessor game, Stellar Conquest).
  
• Short Game uses "earn 3 Colony Points" to win in addition to "destroy an enemy homeworld". Players build a full (5 point) colony in deep space for 1 Colony Point OR destroy an enemy colony (not damage) for 1 Colony Point.
  
• Play Simultaneously encourages players to do things at the same time rather than sequentially when it doesn't involve potential conflict. Everyone builds at the same time, everyone moves at the same time, etc. Of course, you all need to know the game and trust one another to play this way.
  
  The point is you could probably get a fast multiplayer game in, and then as the group gets faster you can start dropping some of these to experience the fuller flavor of the game.
  
   
  
  Concerning the P500, there are some staple games that GMT will always print. Men of Iron: Volume I failed at P500 and wasn't printed due to costs, but is now back in a tri-pack. Twilight Struggle will always be reprinted despite the P500 number because it will eventually sell (and has made enough to justify keeping a stock on hand). Space Empires: 4X products are between the two, but on the side of "reprint it as it will sell."
  
   
  
  

  Response to question block 2
  

  
  The game board is 21" x 28.75", so it should fit in the 35.5" x 25.5" size - but it may shift around. Solution? Buy some poster tack and tear off little pieces. If you aren't leaving it set up for months, this should clean off nicely. Since you aren't hiding your units from an opponent, they can all be face up with the number indicator next to them (though you might run out of space if you develop large fleets - but then use post it notes and make fleet boards to track... Close Encounters comes with 3 fleets, which is disappointing as Stellar Conquest had 15 fleet counters - so maybe make your own counters).
  
   
  
  Rather than setting up the board with exploration tokens, get some draw bags and draw as you explore (maybe put a cube or a piece of poster tack on unexplored spaces to mark them... or a piece of post-it note). I like one for each player homeworld color plus one in black for deep space counters. This speeds setup/teardown for me.
  
  Also, get some GMT counter trays to sort/store all those counters and use the tray divider template. I have 4 player trays with all their ships and 1/4 of the number counters on the top two rows divided up into thirds, and this fits the first two expansions in. On the lower half I have full sized bins for all the other counters (MS pipelines, colony ships, homeworld counters, fleets, etc). It works very nicely, but I'll probably have to subdivide a couple more bins once I punch Replicators. The great thing about the trays is they have lids that are fully removable, so quick setup and and quick teardown.
  
   
  
  With these tricks, I think you should be able to setup, store, restore, and then tear down the game pretty efficiently without too many problems - but still take photos just in case.
  
  **
  
  

  EDIT: Solo Scenarios
  

  
  Okay, did a read over the rulebooks to break down the solitaire games.
  
  Solitaire Scenario #1 & #2: Doomsday Machine (**Base Game)
  
  Small or large map. Build up your colonies & defenses to face off against 3 waves of increasingly tougher Doomsday Machines. Basic tutorial on how to build up defenses in light of a statistically superior foe, but won't teach you how to get aggressive and win the game normally.
  
  Solitaire Scenario #3: Base Game Alien Player(s)
  
  Face off against 2-3 alien players. These aliens get CP in a few different categories (defenses, tech, fleet), where fleet CP are not spent until you either move to attack their homeworld or encounter one of their fleets. There are two types of fleets: regular and raider (cloaking). It gives you more of a sense of what it is like to go out an attack while defending yourself against other players, but you don't get to see the same stacks as you would in a multiplayer game.
  
  Solitaire Scenario #4: Space Amoebas (Close Encounters)
  
  Three different giant space amoebas have appeared in deep space. While expanding, you need to research science technology so you can eventually build space vessels (no counters provided, use mine sweepers counters instead). Then you have to go out and survey the amoebas, earning 10 research points to determine how you can attack them. Finally, you build a fleet and go wipe them out. Oh, all the while the amoebas will be dividing and slowly taking over more and more hexes. You can build mines and move them into a hex where the amoebas are to stop the spread that turn, but then there is a chance they will learn to attack the mines and become immune to them.
  
  Your goal is to save your civilization from this encroaching threat. Difficulty determines how soon they start spreading. This is the opposite of the Doomsday Machine scenarios, so you are instead focuses on learning how to build an offensive fleet and how to take the battle to an enemy.
  
  Solitaire Scenario #5: Close Encounters Alien Player(s)
  
  This uses a base game like system but adds in a bunch of extra rules from close encounters, and there are flowcharts to help determine what the alien players does. The aliens now can colonize planets, take over your colonies, build exploration and extermination fleets, might destroy colonies that they can't take with ground troops, get alien artifact cards, and so on.
  
  Solitaire Scenario #6: Close Encounter Alien Player(s) VP game*
  
  Takes the 2 player cooperative variant with a galactic capitol you need to protect and turns it into a solo game. Aliens also now earn VPs, so can also win that way.
  
   
  
  As /u/grey81 said, it isn't quite the real game. You don't have another intelligent human player moving pieces and developing stacks, you don't see them revealing colonies and building MS pipelines, and you don't see the stacks suddenly shift towards you and ask yourself "is it a bluff or an attack fleet - and do I have tech to defend or should I go on the attack first?" However, the basic game even multiplayer is still "survive the onslaught while figuring out how to attack yourself" and isn't that much different from the Solitaire Scenarios (especially the Close Encounters alien player ones).
  
  Either way, as a solo player I think Replicators isn't too useful to get beyond having some neat components. No solitaire scenarios officially made for it, and I'm not sure you could use the content in it too effectively for a solitaire scenario. Unfortunately, multiplayer solitaire wouldn't work well for this game due to hidden information and a bluffing element... so you'll need to decide if it fits your style. (I personally am glad they have an objective based solitaire mode vs "get your best score" type play you see in Agricola or Subdivision* - but others love that style and hate this battle oriented style of victory.)

https://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Tack-Reusable-Ounces/dp/B000BKQDB4

Related, I got Elmer's Poster Tack and it works well for me. Not sure what the difference is other than being blue.

These are what I've been using for my marvel legends and black series figures.

http://www.marauderinc.com/mobile/Category.aspx?id=1836

I also use blue tack

Elmer's Poster Tack Reusable Adhesive, 2 Ounces, (E1531) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BKQDB4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_d011xb98MDCE3

I haven't used this yet, but a friend recommended poster tack to block off non straight lines link

There's all different kinds of brands of it, but this is the stuff you want. http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Reusable-Adhesive-E1531/dp/B000BKQDB4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376087075&sr=8-2&keywords=poster+tac

Nice job! Try to keep the camera in focus (how blurry or clear the images is and what range it is clear at) and the set stable though.
When I started I had this same issue, but it's a super easy fix.

Get some poster tack http://www.amazon.ca/Elmers-Poster-Reusable-Adhesive-E1531/dp/B000BKQDB4 like this, roll it into small balls and stick it under objects you don't want moving, such as the stationary car I use this on my videos all the time for background objects and under the feet of figures to keep their feet from sliding.

With the focus issue, all you need to do is turn off auto focus, your camera is trying to focus on the car which makes it out of focus for a few seconds while you're taking the picture. All you gotta do is make it so that its on manual focus or MF so that it doesn't attempt to change the focus in the middle of the shots.

Good luck and Happy Animating!

Gage (HonestHatch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSy1co_9jsUHKu3wO-r3ffg)

I recommend poster tack, a small disk of it under the base can resist those mild table bumps. http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Reusable-Adhesive-E1531/dp/B000BKQDB4 -Q.

This stuff. I use it a lot at work for our safety posters.

http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Poster-Reusable-Adhesive-E1531/dp/B000BKQDB4

(Also, if you do go the spraymount route, I would spray the foam board, not the poster. This way the sticky is on the board and the poster reamains relatively clean.)

I use this Elmer's stuff, I think it's basically the same stuff. Adhesive and insulation!

Amateur tip from a fellow newbie.

Get yourself some poster tack and an old pill bottle. Use the tack to stick the mini to the top of the pill bottle and hold that when you're painting. You'll get less paint on you, and you'll avoid smudging the beautiful work you just did when you turn to the other side. :)

You can fill the pill bottle with pennies or something to give it some heft so it doesn't fall over constantly. :)

There's all kinds of options - you can paint a number onto the base of the monsters if you know you're going to use more than two or three, or you could stick a little numbered flag on the mini with poster tack.