Judge Death - Groundwork

I am too tired to put the brushes to work today--in fact, I don't see myself slinging any paint in earnest until next weekend. However, there is still the matter of the groundwork to be addressed.

Session 1 of the groundwork is now done, with the base enhancements curing in the oven. I think there is a good chance that Session 2 might be behind me before the eod today. DONE That leaves Session 3 that will hopefully tie everything together before I subject the setting for Hisss Honor to primer.

Stay tuned. . .

14.07.2014 - The groundwork has been primed and permanently attached to the display base. Hopefully it will start getting some paint over the weekend. And with that, all that remains is to wish Un Joyeux Quatorze Juillet à tous mes amis français!

Weekend Update

Prepwork on Tyrion and Judge Death is officially done: both pieces are now in the priming queue. Given that it is month end, I probably will not get them on the painting bench til the weekend. I should be able to start breaking out the paints by next week. . .

It should be noted that Death's "groundwork" is still very much a work in progress, much like Dredd's base was earlier in the year. Unlike Dredd's, however, the completion of Death's base is not slated to coincide with the commencement of the painting of the figure.

Images to follow as soon as the pieces are primed. . .

Judge Death - Prepwork 3: Final Assembly

1210 -- The left arm has been permanently attached, and the no-fill seam finished. 

1347 -- Reanimation of left hand and the pterodactyl's tail is finished.

1543 -- The right arm has been permanently attached and finished.

All that remain now are some final tweaks and a final once-over - or two. . . 

UPDATE. . . Or so I thought. In a pre-final once-over session, I noticed another point-of detail that had been overlooked.

At first glance, Death's buckle is simply a winged, fanged skull. WRONG! Actually, the fanged skull is "framed" by a displayed, mostly skeletal version of the same pterodactyl that comprises the right pauldron. Guess I'm not quite out of the woods yet. . . 
 
FOLLOW-UP. . . The stylized pterodactyl skull has been roughed-in, and is now curing in the oven. DONE!

Judge Death - Prepwork 2a

I am now a little over 50% done with basic clean-up, and it is time to begin delving into the minor mods that I need to execute to have the figure meet my requirements.

First up is the removal of the zipper and the badge chain. The Dark Judges each personalized their "robes of office" to taste: amongst other, more obvious, deviations, Death replaced the zipper of the jumpsuit with lacing/"stitches"; and removed the badge chain altogether. While details such as these might vary according to the artist, the above two are surprisingly consistent throughout, and thus may be taken as canon.

Secondly, I have begun to reanimate the left hand to suit my purposes. This is relatively minor work, but delicate nonetheless.

Stay tuned. . .

UPDATE. . . The head is now permanently attached and both pauldrons have undergone their final fitting. The eyelets for the "stitches" have been tapped and cleaned. NEXT: The stitching. . .

UPDATE (2). . . The "stitches" (MS) are now in place, and curing in the oven. Back to clean-up!

UPDATE (3). . . Didn't get quite as far as I had planned today, but I hadn't factored-in the mods-- or the bit of repair work required by a fragile pterodactyl leg (right pauldron)! This is not a slam on the design OR the casting: just be careful and make sure you know where the legs-and the tail!- are at all times when you are handling the piece. I am anticipating being caught-up by mid-day tomorrow. . . 

Judge Death - Prepwork 2. . .

. . . and the home stretch?

With a long holiday weekend before me, my primary goal is to relocate some pieces from the workbench to the painting bench. I am shooting for three, but I will be satisfied with 2.

One of the pieces is Hisssss Honor Judge Death. With 3 of the 4 Dark Judges now available, I am getting seriously lapped by the good folks at DWC--not that I'm complaining mind you! And in a recent conversation with Rin, I was informed that they have no intention to gear down any time soon. In short, it's a VERY good time to be a miniaturist and a 2000AD fan! 

The main problem with prepping this figure are the extremely faint seam lines! The casting quality is superb, and if one is not extremely cautious, one will miss a seam line!!

So I have my work cut out for me. I am about 30% through the basic clean-up, and by eod tomorrow, I hope to have the figure assembled.

Stay tuned. . .

Judge Death - Prepwork 1

Death has been pegged and mounted on its work base. . . A word of caution: proceed slowly and very carefully with a sharp, preferably new, bit--there is not a lot of freeboard on those legs!

AND. . . he's been fitted to the groundwork--after some further mods to the latter.  

AND. . . the left arm has been tentatively 'fitted' (more at "lined-up") to the torso. Also, all the pieces have been removed from the sprue/s, and the pour blocks and vents removed.

Movin' right along. . . 

Dark World Creations' Judge Death

With the imminent release of Judge Mortis, the time has come to get the Chief [Dark] Justice on the bench. . . the workbench that is.

Judge Death, the seventh release in Dark World Creations' 70mm 2000AD line, was 3-D sculpted by David Richardson. As with Dredd, the figure actually measures ~77mm in ht., and the kit is comprised of 7 exquisitely cast pieces + the logo-ed base. It is arguably a perfect casting: I have found but two minor air bubbles, and these were where one might expect to find them. Nonetheless, I will bake the castings prior to priming to avoid any potential 'surprises' down the road. And I will run a thin "wash" of glazing putty dissolved in MEK over the entire figure, so that the more stubborn--or elusive!--'secrets' are readily revealed.

Death will be mounted on another extensively reworked Kabuki Models’ base, this time their Eagle Steps scenic plinth. I'm about 60% into the remodelling and this could be wrapped-up in fairly short order.

Stay tuned!

I'm not the only one who believes. . .

Death issss awesssome!!!

Kudos and heartfelt congrats to Rin, David, and the team at DWC for being a finalist in the WAMP Awards 2013 - Best Sci-Fi Sculpt category. Voting will be open through 0800 EST (1300 GMT), Friday the 17th, so if you'd like to show your support--and enjoy a great site!--by all means drop by WAMP. Note. . . you will have to register to vote, but it is quick and painless! And while you're at it, vote in the other categories as well! Make your voice heard!!

Thanks to all. . . and thanks to DWC. Much continued success!!!

DWC isss AWESOME!!!!

Well, the gang at Dark World Creations is certainly living up to the Christmas spirit! Their last two releases in their 2000AD line are off the charts!!

First up, their rendition of the Judge who is the poster child for "Beauty can be deadly", the blonde bombshell of MC-1, PSI-Judge Cassandra Anderson:


I already have this stunning piece and a hands-on review will follow soon.

And their Chrissstmas sssurprise, announced but a few hours ago. . .


I can only hope that the rest of Death's companions are not far behind. . .

And last, and least only in stature, their latest addition to the DotA horde, Zombie Kid Joe.

ENJOY!!!

PS--Happy Friday the 13th!

PPS--All of the above are now available from The Red Lancers! (as of 12/23)