Absolutely, feel free to convert, base, add, do whatever you want, as long as you use the contest figure as the base for your work, it is fine.
And as far as painting is concerned, you don\'t have to paint both figures by the due date to get the next mini for free. You only have to paint one of them. Although, we would love to see all of you paint both
The contest minis have been selling well. I think we are close to the end of the first press, and there is no telling how long it will take to get a restock. So if you are wanting to finish the peice before the due date, I would suggest that you don\'t wait too long to order them.