Spidey - Painting: Groundwork (2)

The sidewalk section has been completed. . . at least the foundational colouration has.

This was done entirely in acrylics, using two cool tones and two warm tones. The colours were applied with a stippling/scrubbing action using an essentially dry brush. The overall effect is spot-on, afaic, and will provide an ideal foundation for the rubble and weathering to come.

Stay tuned!

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

Spidey - Painting (3a)--Oils: Blues

Phase 1 of the "Spidey Blues" has just been completed.

Due to the relatively small size of the figure, to say nothing of the awkward engineering, I opted to execute the respective colours in two installments: upper and lower, working my way from top to bottom. 

Today, I began with the upper blues; and things went quite well. Pthalo Blue is, IMO, a perfect match for Spidey Blue, and its responsiveness to white is a dream--which should come as no surprise! I did some preliminary outlining of the blue panels with Ivory Black, and this is equally ideally-suited for the task--especially as Ivory Black is the tonal extreme of the Blue dyes.

I will revisit today's work later this evening and reexamine the highlights, adjusting where required in anticipation of the [upper] leg blues. 

More to follow. . . 

UPDATE 01.10.2018. . . Got to pay your dues if you want to paint the blues. . . (my apologies to Ringo--and George). . . Spidey's blues can now be deemed completed! Surprisingly, the legs were considerably more "challenging" than the torso: while the canvas is more open and acces- sible (which makes sheen more of an issue), the final display position is a factor that one ignores at ones peril. . .

As with the torso, the legs will be revisited later - and over the next 48-72 hours - to refine the fea- thering and punch-up the highlights. . . 

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

Spidey - Painting (2)--UCing

The chromatic adventure has begun!

I ordered a bottle of Vallejo Vermillion (70.909) to uc the "orange-red" portions of Spidey's cos- tume, and I was more-than-just-a-little-concerned about the opacity of the paint. All for naught! It is a rich, opaque, and brilliant colour that will easily cover in one coat--but I suggest applying in two, slightly thinned coats.   

The "red" on Spidey is now mostly done. All that remains in primer is the spider logo on his back, the "cummerbund", and the "plastron" (chest). . . DONE!

More to follow. . . 

UPDATE 26.09.2018. . . With the "orange-reds" completed, I've begun to "block-in" the blues (Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue [70.899]). . . DONE!

NEXT: OILS!

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

Spidey - Painting (1)--Priming

The figure is now primed! 

As with the sidewalk, since this will be a rather hectic week at work, I will begin undercoating as time and circumstances allow. . .

Stay tuned!

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

Spidey - Painting: Groundwork (1)--Priming, etc.

The groundwork has been primed! 

After the primer settled and cured, I went ahead and painted the road/curb section of the ground- work. And after letting that sit for about 30 minutes or so, I decided to go ahead and permanently attach the cab(!). I will be the first to admit that this might have been a bit premature, if not impe- 
tuous, but it will allow me to integrate the cab to its setting in situ.

As this will be a rather hectic week at work, I will begin working on the sidewalk section as time and circumstances allow. . . 

Stay tuned!

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

Spidey - Groundwork (3)

The plastic groundwork has been permanently attached! By the end of the weekend, I should have the cosmetic finishing done. Once I can sign-off on that, I can proceed with the priming and painting . . .

Movin' right along. . .

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

Spidey - Groundwork (2)

OK. . . today, a major hurdle was overcome. . . 

You see, the design of the vignette, is, to put it mildly, incomplete. It was a good preamble. . . but to what? KM's other Spidey offerings--in both scales--are much more contained and effective. This makes you scratch your head and furrow your brow--and that's before you even get to the cab!

Since the Spidey villains are dramatically underrepresented in KM's 70mm line (Green Goblin and Venom), and neither would work given the spatial dynamics of this piece, it was time to put on the thinking cap. . . And what I came up with was the webslinger being confronted by--and evading!-- one of Doc Ock's "tentacles". Otto Octavius and Norman Osborn are Spider-man's arch-enemies, and since the latter would not be a good "fit", the time had come to introduce the former. 

The tentacle is a custom item made from sections of high tin-content lead. There is still quite a bit of final finishing and detailing to be done; BUT, it has been fitted and positioned on the base. In fact, this evening, I got my first sneak preview of the 'assembled' vignette, and to quote John "Hannibal" Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together. . ." 

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

Spidey - Groundwork

To date. . . Base selection. Check. Compositional design. Check. Next. . . groundwork. 

[Re-]Enter MiniArt. I sectioned another piece from set 36003 (last used for Divio "Mad Dog" Juckal), and cut and trimmed it approximately to size. . . instant sidewalk/curb/road! 

Now comes the tricky part. The MiniArt groundwork is vacuum-formed. This means that the "ele-vated" areas need to be buttressed/braced in most instances. Given the relative thinness of the plastic, I prefer a solid substrate, thus I am raising the display surface of the display base using MS. Once that has cured, I will pop-off the groundwork, proceed with the finishing, and once I am satisfied with everything, permanently attach the groundwork to the base before continuing with final finishing.

Getting there. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . The finishing fill of the sidewalk (elevated) portion of the groundwork has been done! This effectively concludes ~85% of the groundwork!! Still loads to be done before I can prime and paint, but the cab should be permanently mounted in a fortnight or so. . . 

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

Spidey - Painting: Cab--Painting (4): Chrome Trim

The only remaining sub-sections to be done are the glass/windows and the chrome trim. And since the former cannot be addressed before the latter, I might as well get the ball rolling. . . 

There is only one way to get a true metallic finish: silver leaf or Bare Metal Foil (BMF). The prob- lem with both of these approaches is the relative sheen within the context of the presentation (i.e., scale effect). Yes, obviously I can tone it down to make it "fit", but why go to the additional expense and effort when a suitable analog can be achieved simply with paint?

I began the chrome travails with the fender trim and the door handle/lock. And my mediums of choice were G-S Mr. Metal Chrome Silver and silver printers' ink. Admittedly, the tonal contrast is not quite there, but the overall effect is more in line with the scale and desired visual flow than metallic tape would provide. . . Once the paint is thoroughly dry and I get a bit deeper into the weathering, I will consider introducing selective "hot-spots"/"catch-lights" with AK Xtreme Metal Chrome.

Stay tuned!

UPDATE 02.10.2018. . . Just tried the AK Xtreme Metal Chrome, and I must say I am rather pleased. I should say from the outset that this is an airbrush-only medium (VERY thin, and essentially non-buffable), but if used judiciously and carefully, can be applied with a brush to a limited area. It allowed me to achieve precisely the effects I was striving for! A word of caution: it is extremely "hot", and should only be used with adequate ventilation. 

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

Spidey - Painting: Cab--Painting (3): Decals

The moment of truth is upon me. . . DECALS!!!

So far, so good. I have applied the checkered stripes on the fender and door; and--something I have inexplicably yet to see on any rendition--the fare rate door sticker (in my example, from 1980). 

Now comes the tricky part: the curved section of the roof stripes--section no.4 of the Checker Roof Kit. While this is a flattened conical section of the straight stripes, I may be over-thinking it as I have seen quite a number of heat(?)-bent applications of the straight stripes. I have already applied the straight section over the driver's window. Once that is completely and absolutely dry, 

I will begin work on the final section. . . DONE!

Whew!!!

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

Spidey - Painting: Cab--Painting (2): Weathering

After a 24 hr. cure, the paint was hard enough to begin serious finishing. I might have "over-scuffed" it a bit, but the cab has a nice, weathered, egg-shell finish that is just about right.

Today, I began the chromatic weathering, starting with the heavy black outlining (acrylics), and the undercoating of the chrome items. So far I am delighted with the finish and the overall effect--and it can only get better! [nb: The weathering will be an ongoing process throughout the life of the project. This is not weathering for the sake of weathering; but, rather, weathering as an inte- grative element of the overall project.]

I am hoping to start printing and playing with the [custom] decals over the weekend. . .

Stay tuned!

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

Spidey - Painting: Cab--Painting (1)

It has been some 45 years since I last airbrushed an over-the-road vehicle: if memory serves, an AMT GMC Astro 95. In fact, it was the last wheeled vehicle I completed before moving on to fig- ures! So it should come as no surprise that I am a little bit trepidatious about the forthcoming watershed step in the project. . . 

After carefully masking the metallic, glass, and rubber areas, to say nothing of thoroughly clean- ing the airbrush, it was time to break out the paint. . .

I settled on Testor's Model Master Automotive enamels. While I will be the first to admit that it is not spot on colour-wise, it is more than close enough, especially given the scale and the area to be covered.

Phase 1 is now behind me. Once the paint is thoroughly dry (cured), I will lightly sand/finish the surface and evaluate whether a second sprayed coat is in order. . . 

FOLLOW-UP. . . While the paint is about 24-48 hrs from being cured, it is dry enough to initiate finishing. And after light wet-sanding and lightly buffing the surface, I am delighted to report that I have achieved a nice scale-finish and--as of this writing--it does not appear that a second coat of paint will be necessary. . . 

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

Spidey - Painting: Cab--Priming

As with Daredevil, this is effectively a 2-piece vignette: Spidey and the Checker cab. And as with Daredevil, the Painting arc will be comprised of two distinct sub-threads. . . 

I want to spend some additional time on the figure tweaking the webbing, etc., so I will launch the painting segment of the project with the cab, which has now been primed. The cab was primed with Stynylrez Black as the base. Once the base coat has cured (24-48 hrs.), I will mask the glass and metallic areas. . .

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

Spidey - Prep: Epilogue

The Spidey project is DONE! But there remains a fair amount of work to be done. . . 

This is one of those projects where paint will be a determinant of the outstanding work that re- mains to be done. So as we advance ever-so-cautiously, we must be fully prepared to continue the prepwork until the vision is realized. Once the cab is painted, and mounted on its display base (which means the groundwork will be completed--or nearly-so), then and only then will the project proceed along normal lines. 

This has been an interesting project. I wouldn't call it "fun", but it has been challenging on all fronts. And as with most, if not all, Knight Models, the end result will be a unique, one-of-a-kind addition to the collection.

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

Spidey - Prep: Cab (7)

This will in all likelihood be the final cab-dedicated posting. The overwhelming majority of the major work has either been completed or is well-underway, so the final steps will be logged date-wise, per usual.

03.09--The windshield trim has been roughed-in. Finishing has commenced. . . 
04.09--The "framework" of the driver-side window is all-but-finished. FOLLOW-UP. . . Save for final detailing and clean-up, the cab is DONE!
08.09--The forearms have been permanently attached to Spidey's torso, the peg holes have been tapped, and Spidey has been fitted to the roof of the cab. Save for final detailing and clean-up, the figure--and the prepwork--are now DONE!

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

Spidey - Prep (6)

I've tapped and pegged the forearms to the torso. This is a bit of tricky undertaking given the con- dition of the molded pegs, the roughness of the casting. . . and the fact that the pegs are not keyed! I will not permanently attach the arms until the clean-up above the waist is completed.

05.09--The mounting "pegs" (18ga. copper wire) of the forearms have been permanently installed.

Finally, the head has been fitted. Once the spider/web emblems are completed, it will be perma- nently attached. DONE

Stay tuned. . . 

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

Spidey - Prep (5)

With the cab all-but-done, it is time to begin work on Spidey. . . 

The first step is assembling the lower half, consisting of 2 pieces. I didn't care for angle of the lower left leg to the knee, so the join was tweaked and the resulting gap filled. Once cured, I carved the area right below the knee to taste. 

I then glued the torso to the legs, and re-contoured the join and lower hips.

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