Hela CMFC - Review and Prepwork I

In July (if memory serves) 2013, Eaglemoss concluded its Classic Marvel Figurine Collection with its 200th issue: Hela. While on my must-get list at the time it was announced, I had had my fill of Eaglemoss by the time it was released, primarily due to the deplorable production quality stan- dards. Of course, 3+ years later, I am scrambling to find one, and I was quite lucky to find one at a moderate mark-up. When one considers that this piece scales-out to 80mm to the eyes, the mark-up price was still eminently reasonable given the market.

Hela is the "best of times" and "meh!". The figure is multi-media comprised of 8 pieces (+ the plinth): 7 of the pieces are cast in white metal (primarily lead), and the cape/neck is cast in resin. The white metal castings and the paint are typical Eaglemoss: "C-" castings, "D-" finishing, and "D" paint-job. Where the piece really shines is the face--and the quality of the resin casting: far from perfect, but overall an "A-". The quality of the resin itself leaves something to be desired, but that can be addressed in the overall pre-prime finishing.

The figure has been stripped and completely disassembled. Now comes the painful task of completing the prepwork that was barely undertaken. I'm certainly in no hurry on this one, which is good as I intend to replace the "antlers" on her cowl with ones made from sheet aluminum. Other than that, most of the prepwork will involve working on the surface finishing of the figure.  

Stay tuned!

UPDATE 30.10.16. . . The figure has been pegged and is now mounted on its workbase. Head has been re-positioned and reattached to the cape . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Lady Deadpool - Prepwork VI: The Swords

As I noted in the Phase IV entry, since the swords--and their scale-thin blades--are cast en-suite with the respective arms, I decided to remove the blades. . . 

So much for the introduction. . . I will say at the outset that I am completely empathetic with any manufacturer that attempts to produce near-scale thickness blades in a relatively heat-unstable medium such as PUR. In this figure, the results are overly wide blades and warpage. Few, if any, of the build-ups I have seen have meaningfully addressed the former; and most have what can only be described as "wobbly" blades. Finally, the blades are longer than the scabbards. 

Since the blades are fragile and obstructive, I decided to remove them. I can now reduce the width of the blades, re-size and reshape them, and make them "true" without having to work around the figure. Or, I can make entirely new blades from plastic or brass!

To date, I have removed the blades; slotted the tsuba; resized the scabbards; and, I have also replaced the tsuka on both swords. The tsuka were too short: technically, if not visually, ade- quate for a short-ish [ko-]wakizashi, but not for anything longer.

More to follow. . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Lady Deadpool - Prepwork V: The Left Arm

The left arm is now permanently attached. . . 

The left arm, relative to the right, is a piece of cake! Clean it thoroughly (watch out for the micro- seam lines!); dry-fit to your satisfaction, making sure you line up the opening for the locating peg on the grenades; and glue!

Movin' right along. . .  

UPDATE 19.10.16. . . The upper arm band has been modelled, and the brace of grenades fitted. 

FOLLOW-UP 20.10.16. . . I have decided not to include the grenades in my interpretation of Lady Deadpool, if only because they disrupt the [visual] flow of the figure.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Luftkrieg 1919

The most exciting releases of 2016. . . !

http://www.luftkrieg1919.com/

Think of a more historically grounded, scale-friendly, aviation-themed version of  Smart Max's Mauser Earth, and you'll be in the ballpark. . . Or, the long overdue precursor of the Luft '46 craze!!!

ENJOY!!!

UPDATE 25.10.16. . . Both of the 1/16th scale figures are now on order!!!  

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Hela: Prep IV - The Head

The main thrusts of this step will be 1) fitting and posing; and 2) the sculpting of Hela's iconic-- and elaborate!--mask/cowl.

The head has been tentatively repositioned and fitted; however, this phase is an approximation by design as the position and the fit of the head will be impacted by the addition of the cowl. In the meantime, I have begun to lay the foundation of the mask itself, being very conscious of how, in the absence of a bare face, this will determine the character of the piece. 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Lady Deadpool - Prepwork VII: Misc.

Tying-off loose ends:

• 10.10.2016 -- Added the right upper-calf band/brace.
• 15.10.2016 -- New circular belt buckle modeled. Added the left wrist band/brace.
• 16.10.2016 -- Added the right wrist band/brace.  

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Lady Deadpool - Prepwork IV: The Right Arm

With the heads essentially all-but-done, it's time to shift my attention to the arms. 

I decided to start with the more difficult of the two: the right. Neither arm is "easy", since the arms and their respective katana are cast as one piece; however, the right arm is more difficult since it is an unsupported arm. . . all the more so since I have eliminated the grenades, which served as a buttressing fixture. 

To get things rolling, I carefully drilled a pair of ~1.5mm d. holes to accommodate the solder peg. I will have to add an upper arm band, which will mask the join, etc.: how I decide to go about this--and when!--will be evaluated in the days to come. . . 

UPDATE 10.10.16. . . The right arm has been permanently attached, and the upper arm band has been modelled. I did decide to remove--and shorten! (more on this in another posting)--the katana blade. I am undecided as to whether I will follow a similar course with the left blade.  

UPDATE 11.10.16. . . The upper arm band has been finished. 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

HCFR Technician - Painting: WRAPPING-UP!

With the blessed day 48 hrs. short of a fortnight away, I am well on the home stretch with the HCFR bust. . . 

While things are drying and settling down for the final push this long weekend, I thought I'd share my experiences with DIY custom decaling--including PAPER-CALS!!!

The Special Ops turnout gear is significantly different than the firefighter's bunker gear, at least in HCFR. One of the distinguishing aspects are the unit/departmental patches: while these provide abundant visual appeal, they are also virtually impossible to render in scale--at least for this ol' dinosaur!  

Enter the custom decal--or in the case of the patches, the PAPER-CAL!!!

Needless to say, you have to create an in-scale digital file of the item you want to reproduce. How you go about this, I will leave in your good hands; however, 1) not having access to vector graphics is not a deal-breaker in most instances; and 2) work at a minimum of 300 dpi.

PAPER-CALS. It is always a good idea to print a trial run on regular paper before committing to the decal paper: this is where you will determine the acceptability of the size, color, and legibility of your creation. HOWEVER. . . in the case of patches, especially silk-screened patches, this is as far as you will need to go!

Decals are great for reproducing painted "insignia"; but lose a significant amount of depth and relief when the item to be reproduced is a cloth patch. SO. . . just use your paper print-out! Sim- ply treat the plain paper exactly as you would the decal paper (see below), use white glue as an adhesive, and you should be good to go!

Back to the decals. . . First and foremost: DO NOT handle decal paper with your bare fingers! The oils on your fingers will cause the ink to “smudge” and “bleed”. I would suggest wiping the printing surface down with a soft clean cloth prior to printing.

Printer settings. Testor’s recommends Plain Paper, “Normal” (360 dpi) print quality. This appa- rently works with some printers and/or inks; but with an Epson Stylus Color 740 Printer, your settings should be: Photo-quality Glossy Paper, “Best” (720 dpi) print quality.

Let dry at least overnight (I let mine dry 18 hrs.; some people swear on a minimum of 24, prefer- ably 48). Then apply the Decal Bonder Spray (many swear by Krylon, but I have zero experience with that product): I would recommend 2 light mist coats, allowing each coat to dry before apply- ing the next; let dry 24 hrs.; and then apply one wet coat. Eh. . . VOILÀ! As to the application, follow the instructions of the decal paper you are using. . . 

In closing, as you might have read elsewhere, there is indeed a quite narrow window where paper, printer, and ink will synergistically work to yield decals that are not only usable, but better (read: more realistic) than their commercial counterparts! For small, specific applications, it is an invalu- able tool with a relatively flat learning curve. ENJOY!!!

UPDATE 08.10.16. . . Bust is permanently mounted on display base. 

UPDATE 10.10.16. . . Bust is DONE! 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003