Gilthoniel A Elbereth!

The models for the "Sam did not Wait" booknook have been primed, painted and LED installed.

Phial of Galadriel

The Samwise figure is carrying the Phial of Galadriel and it is about the same size as a mico LED, so it was removed.

 before

bulb clipped away

example LED placement

Priming

The models were primed first with a cheap flat black spray paint (Home Depot Quick Color) then dusted with Games Workshop Corax White primer leaving contrast in the recesses.

Painting

I used mostly Army Painter (AP) speed paints for the figures and I was able to paint them very quickly.

Frodo

• webs = AP Speed Paint Pallid Bone
• skin  = AP Speed Paint Crusader Skin
• hair bits = AP Speed Paint Hardened Leather

Then Games Workshop (GW) Agrax Earth Shade (earth tone wash) was applied used to the entire model.  This was very fast!

Shelob

• face & thorax = AP Speed Hardened Leather
• abdomen and legs = AP Speed Paint Gravelord Grey (2 drops) Hardened Leather (1 drop)
• mouth and eyes = AP Speed Paint Blood Red

Then Games Workshop (GW) Agrax Earth Shade (earth tone wash) was applied used to the entire model.  This process was very fast considering the size of the model!

Samwise

This was a longer painting project which started out looking "okay" and finished "better."

• skin  = AP Speed Paint Crusader Skin -> this came out horrible and was touched up with traditional acrylic paints from GW for skin color. 
• hair, backpack, leather straps and bags = AP Speed Paint Hardened Leather
• shirt = AP Speed Paint Pallid Bone
• pants and pots & pans = AP Speed Paint Gravelord Grey
• Sting = based in a custom mixed light blue then light coat of Vallejo Silver
• cloak = GW Elysian Green brightened by a white paint. 

GW Agrax Earth Shade was applied to most of the model.  But the face did not take this well.  The feet look dirty, but the face no longer read the as the right color.

This issue was compounded by my errors in two failed attempts to super glue the LED in place. A good bit of the paint was pulled off by handling the model, and the super glue running too far away.  So I had to custom mix most of the colors to touch up the model.

Since the model is going inside a dynamically lit booknook, we really do not need to spend much time on the minis (or even pain the back sides!).  But Sam is likely to be right at the entrance to the nook so apart from the far side of his face, I wanted him to look "good."  I am happy where he ended-up under my magnifying glass, but he does not stand-up well to a camera.

you will never see this side

(final wire placement is by the foot and almost invisible) 

LED Completed

The base of the booknook will be two layers of Dollar Tree Readi-Board foam core.  So I mounted Samwise into a piece of this foam and bent the pin in the front foot, and the wires from the back.

I use these micro LEDs which I get from Amazon which can be bought in different quantities and color combinations.  As a single purchase, they are expensive if you are building just one booknook but if you have several projects planned they are quite reasonable.

The white LED is a cold white and works well for star light.