Dredd takes the Long Walk. . .

 Just saw this on DWC's FB page (posted yesterday). . . 

Judge Dredd takes the Long Walk into the Cursed Earth!!!!!

Judge Dredd in 70mm was our second 2000AD release at Dark World Creations and we are very proud of this figure.

However our production mould for Judge Dredd is no longer serviceable so we will be retiring Judge Dredd in 70mm. We have decided NOT to make another set of production moulds for this figure and to discontinue him instead. So we are casting our last batch of Judge Dredd's so there will be a limited units available!!!

Many thanks
Rin

Needless to say, if you want one, you'd best not tarry. . . 

UPDATE 12.02.2015. . . DWC has but 10 kits left in stock. This means that after these are gone, you will be at the mercy of your retailers' remaining stock and/or the whimsy of eBay.

"JUSTICE": Judge Joseph Dredd--Priming

Dredd is now primed! At least I was able to check-off one of the things on the to-do list in what has turned-out to be pretty much a wash-out of a weekend. . .

There is a remote possibility of being able to get the UC'ing underway before calling it a day, but I am pretty much resigned to not breaking out the acrylics until tomorrow. In the meantime, I will continue working on the display pedestal. . . 

A little under five weeks to go. . . !

FOLLOW-UP. . . The display pedestal is finished! I am going to hold-off priming until next week- end (the long one!) to ensure that I didn't miss anything, but the workbench is pretty much in the rear-view mirror of Dredd's Lawmaster. . . FINALLY!!

Judge Dredd -- Prepwork - Home Stretch

I have just attached the right arm to the torso and dressed the seam, and with that, the torso sub-assembly can be deemed completed! In fact all the sub-assemblies are now pegged to their work-bases, and save for a few minor touch-ups here and there--and the final (I hope!) final once over, the prepwork is effectively done! I think this may very well be primed by the end of next week!!

Does that mean the groundwork is done? Regrettably not. . . but I am closer! General clean-up and resurfacing has been completed, and all that remains is cleaning up and suitably weathering the tedious custom engraving along the base of the plinth.

Almost there!

Judge Dredd -- Prepwork #4

The figure is now in the final finishing stage. There is still quite a few bits and bobs to be reworked (mainly on the left hand), but the end is definitely in sight!

I wish I could say the same for the "groundwork": this is an extensively reworked Kabuki Models’ Eagle Rock Plinth. I would say I am a little over half-way done, but there are a few enhancements that I am considering that will extend the time on the workbench significantly.

More to follow. . . 

Judge Dredd -- Prepwork #3

Clean-up continues to progress quite nicely. The head is the first piece to be completed, and it is now pegged and on its work block awaiting final once-over and priming.

Very little remains to be done as I am effectively in final once-over -- before assembly. One area that will demand my attention in the days ahead are the belt's magazine pouches: upon close inspection,  there were quite a few air bubbles along the edges. While these were filled last week, reduction (of filler) and re-detailing await.

A notable addition was made this evening, and that was the viewfinder of the TTB (through the barrel) sighting system. The digital render shows the full viewfinder (much as we see in the new Judge Anderson release), but the kit provides but a rudimentary eyepiece; thus, the distinctive "knob" of the Lawgiver MK 1 is a must enhancement. This was done with a piece of sprue sand- ed to the appropriate diameter, and superglued in place. Final detailing has yet to be done.

More to follow. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . I was entertaining adding the second, upper magazine to the Lawgiver, but decided that it would be too much of a distraction. Instead, I opted to replace the flimsy resin barrel of the weapon with one made from copper tubing ground-down to size. This relatively simple, albeit nerve-wracking, procedure makes all the difference in the world!

Judge Dredd -- Prepwork #2

The "custom accessory piece" is now done--and attached! 

One of the characteristic weapons of the Judges was the "daystick"--as in "beat the living 'daylights' out of the perp". As I felt the figure was somewhat off-balance with nothing in its left hand, I decided to add a daystick.

I used a piece of ps sprue to carve a daystick. Aside from drilling out the left fist, there is very little additional work to be done save restoring the last two fingers. Nothing could be easier, and the effect is quite dramatic.

Now to get the figure ready for priming. . . 

The Return of Dredd. . .

. . . to my workbench, that is. . .

Admittedly, I am in a bit of a quandary as to what to proceed with next. One thing I do know, however, is that I do not want to lose the momentum generated by Jessica. So rather than wait for what might arrive in the next 2-3 weeks, I decided to revisit a project that was started earlier this year: Dark World Creations' 70mm Judge Dredd.

This evening, I tapped and pegged the legs, and tentatively fitted him to the groundwork. So far so good. . . 

UPDATE 07.11.2013. . . The groundwork has been tentatively fitted - and pegged - to the display pedestal--you will see what I mean shortly. 

UPDATE 08.11.2013. . . The legs have been fitted to the reworked surface of the groundwork. With that being done, I can now focus on pre-prime finishing of the figure, and start to work on a custom accessory piece.

Judge Dredd -- Prepwork

When I acquired this figure, it was with the intention to have it hit the painting bench in short-order. And it looks like it will, 'cause 90% of the prepwork is now behind me.

This post will highlight some of the things learned from this exercise: part cautionary tale, part reflections.

The casting quality as I noted was--IS--excellent. As I mentioned in my review, what is of greater concern is that the assortment--and there were quite a few!!!--of surface-trapped air bubbles could/would be overlooked by the hasty and/or inexperienced modeler. As most of you know, I bake all my resin figures prior to commencing work, and this is a critical step to defuse--or rather detonate!--any potential "bombs" down the road. With this figure, I also ran a thin "wash" of glazing putty dissolved in MEK over the entire figure, so there were no remaining secrets! 

The samples of the figure I saw all had a surface sheen to them, which hinted at the possibility of trapped air. While there were quite a few, it was not an inordinate amount. Still the numbers could have been reduced considerably with the use of talc as a pre-casting mold-prep. It appears that they used a mold release, hence the sheen, but mold release does not necessarily break small bubbles. And I will take this opportunity to underscore the importance of washing all parts in warm, soapy water before applying any paint!

In any event, working the air bubbles gave me time to appreciate--and study!--the design and fit of the pieces.

The fit overall is excellent; but careful examination and diligent dry-fitting will yield all but seam- less joins. The importance of this is underscored by the most important revelation of the process: this figure will be painted by-and-large unassembled! The fit is certainly good enough to warrant such an approach, but I personally do not like to paint like this. Nevertheless, the subtle, fairly deep undercuts resulting from the high tolerance fit virtually demand unassembled painting. Respect the company's efforts on our behalf and you will be amply rewarded!

I could probably have this ready for priming in less than a week, depending on the free-time at my disposal. Realistically, I would say mid-late March.

Stay tuned. . .

Dark World Creations' Judge Dredd

Late last year, it came to my attention that Dark World Creations (UK) had acquired the much- coveted 2000AD license. This is the graphic anthology (read: comics) that gave the world Judge Dredd. 

The first release under the license was Rogue Trooper. Hot on its heels, release #2 gave the fans what they were waiting for: Judge Dredd. 3-D sculpted by David Richardson, the 70mm figure actually measures 77mm in ht., and the kit is comprised of 7 exquisitely cast pieces + the logo-ed base. I picked-up the figure from The Red Lancers at the Show this weekend.

The first thing that struck me was the quality of the castings. Where they perfect? Admittedly not, but what is nowadays? There was your assortment of surface-trapped air bubbles here and there, but certainly nothing to fret over. As a reviewer, what is of greater concern is that these random voids might be overlooked by the hasty or inexperienced modeler! On the other hand, what was really impressive was the high-tolerance, precision interference fit of the pieces! I have never seen anything like this in my many years in the hobby!  

This is an exciting release that has "great stuff to come" written all over it! And I can't wait!!