Sin - Prepwork: Intermezzo 1

To wrap-up the weekend, I decided to go ahead and peg the figure. This will be a one-peg minia- ture, as the second peg (the rear/left boot) would not provide additional support of any signifi- cance, and things could go "south" in the blink of an eye--literally. That being said, I would not 
be averse to drilling through the boot's toe box, and subsequently refinishing, if I felt it would serve a purpose.

And I went ahead and started to modify the holster. First step is simply extending the length of the holster: this was done with MS.

Finally, I glued the assembled groundwork to the display base. While this is a major deviation from the norm for me, final positioning of the figure and any attendant tweaks must be done with the groundwork in place.

Not a bad weekend, all things considered. . .

Sin - Prepwork IV : The Groundwork

Given the subject, the futuristic "diamond plate" texture of the kit groundwork is quite apropos. The dimensions of the smallish rectangular plinth, however, are somewhat of challenge to inte- grate in a square "frame". So I have spent the last hour customizing a piece of square brass tubing and a section of brass strip to unilaterally extend the short sections of the rectangle. 

I should know by morning if I succeeded--or not. 

FOLLOW-UP 14.09.2014 - DONE!

Sin - Prepwork III : The Head

With Phase 1 of fitting the head to the neck being finalized, it is now time to turn our attention to the head. I began by removing the hair bun, and then proceeded with reducing the nose and "tex- turing" the right half of the face: the face is now about 50% done. For the time being, that will be it insofar as re-sculpting the face is concerned as I am awaiting the arrival of some hopefully-enlightening references.  

But before putting the head pieces aside, I slightly hollowed the hat to accommodate the forth- coming convex amplification of the cranium and elimination of the flat-on-flat keyed join. 

More to follow. . .  

FOLLOW-UP . . . The cranium has been amplified (MS) and the hat fitted. So far, so good. . .

UPDATE 20.09.2014 - The face/head is now all -but-done!

Sin - Prepwork II

The weekend is finally here, and it was time to vent some of the agita of the week. .  .

The legs are now well-over 80% cleaned-up and just about ready for assembly. The sash-end has been pretty much cleaned-up, though it still requires a bit of additional finishing. The sash was the only piece to manifest advanced mold deterioration, hardly surprising given the undercuts.

Finally, the neck opening was reamed, and the head pegged: the neck stump is now curing.

More to follow. . .

Sin - Prepwork I

Let the game begin. . . !

As I am wont to do, I first examined each and every piece carefully, noting the molding seam lines, surface aberrations and venting pips. I then dry-fit all the pieces, further noting where the joins will require additional work in order to minimize--and/or eliminate--the use of filler. As I noted in the review, there is very little work to be done beyond the norm.

Feeling an acceptable degree of familiarity with the figure, it was time to break out the grinding burrs! I first began with the holster, as I wanted to familiarize myself with the hardness and com- position of the alloy used. Secondly, I wanted the holster in the kit to accommodate her tricked- out pistol. Since the holster is noticeably smaller (suggesting the presence of a second firearm), I merely ground-out the back and bottom edges of the holster. I will further modify/detail the hol- ster (e.g., lengthen, etc.) later in the course of prepping the figure. 

With the holster behind me, it was time to tackle the "elephant in the box": the greatcoat tails
(2 pieces). As noted earlier, these are inordinately thick by design. There is obviously a painting workaround this design concession, if the boxart is any indication; but I have never been inclined to make silk purses out of sows' ears. So a little over 30 minutes later, the greatcoat tails are now ready for final finishing.

A most encouraging start!

Sinthea Schmidt (fka Diane Tianseen)

I was surfin' some manufacturers' sites the other day, when I ran across Diane Tianseen on Scale 75's website. This is their fifth offering in their Fallen Frontiers range, and was released earlier this year in May. 

Designed by Adrian Prado and sculpted by Alfonso Prieto, the 75mm kit is comprised of 13 exquisitely cast white-metal pieces (+ plinth). I can say with nary a reservation that this is the best white-metal casting I have seen come out of Spain in longer than I care to remember! My only criticism is that the trailing edges of the greatcoat tails (2 pieces) are inordinately thick. I can certainly understand why they chose to take this approach, but be prepared to spend some time with file or grinder to thin these out--if you are so inclined. 'Nuff said.

So what prompted me to get a futuristic, Nazi-esque Kriegerfräulein? Glad you asked! Sin (née Sinthea Schmidt) is one of my favorite Marvel supervillains. I won't bore you with the details--suffice it to say that she is the daughter of none other than Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull!

As for what is to come. . . stay tuned!

Thanos - Prepwork (4a): Infinity Gauntlet, phase 1

It's been a rough couple of weeks, and any accumulated momentum was at a critically low ebb. So I decided to simply park myself at the bench and not move until I had something to show for the time--and effort!--spent.

That "something" was the first phase of the Infinity Gauntlet. As of this writing, the settings for the gems have all been roughed-in, as has the metallic trim of the gauntlet's cuff. While still remaining to be finished, I am quite pleased with the overall look; to say nothing of the relative ease of the process!

As to the assembly of the "Titan", I have decided to wait until all the enhancements on the gaunt- lets and boots are done before finalizing assembly: it is simply more manageable this way--and less likely to result in any unforeseen damage to the castings: remember, these are cast in a lead alloy and are comparatively 'soft'.

2014 Status Report -- pre-Fall Update

The revised 2015 show line-up (in addition to a limited selection of last year's 'finalists'):

• Judge Death (DWC, 70mm)
• Tyrion Lannister (Castle Miniatures, 150mm bust)
• "Baby Steps" - Zombie Kid Joe (DWC, 70mm)

The first two are obviously done (or nearly so), and the "Kid" is well-underway. But what of the rest of the projects? Well, as of this writing, these are the most likely candidates. . .

• "Moondirge" (Mierce Miniatures/BaneBeasts, ???)
• Sin (Scale 75, 75mm)
  
• "Mean Machine" Angel (DWC, 70mm)
• "The Mad Titan" - Thanos (Eaglemoss, 90+mm)

As always, subject--but less likely--to change. . .

Joe -- Painting (3): The Head/Face

The traumatized areas on the exposed flesh--especially the head, were undercoated in order to give me a better sense of the facial/cranial landscape, etc.. . .

Once dry, I began "shadow-washing" the wounds with oils, as well as applying a very controlled grisaille over the face with Raw Umber. 

Movin' right along. . .

Joe -- Painting (2): The Eyes

As indicated in my previous posting, I am taking my lead from last year's Jessica project. To wit, the irises are now blocked-in using acrylics. Once dry (I put the figure in the oven to make sure all acrylic applications were thoroughly dry), I went back and applied the conjunctivitis with light washes of Cadmium-Barium Red-Deep (oils).

A good start!

Joe -- Painting (1): Intro & UC'ing

This is a challenging palette to say the least--if only because of the dimensions of our canvas. Though a stand-alone piece, it must remain true not only to the scale, but what it intends to represent.

So what would a normal 'kid' in early childhood wear? Obviously, these parameters provide a vir- tually open palette! Keeping it 'real", I opted for a pair of khaki shorts with cargo pockets, and a dark, achromatic T-shirt: the latter will serve as the canvas for a promo t-shirt of a very popular TV show. 

Finally, the shoes. I confirmed with Rin that these were intended to represent a pair of children's K-Swiss strap's. While all the details are present--more or less depending on the model, these will be the most challenging aspect of this project, and will more than likely evince some artistic license. . . 

The figure is now undercoated, including the eyes and teeth--but not the shoes! As with Jessica, eyes and teeth will be multi-layered, multi-session applications.

More to follow. . . !

Zombie Kid Joe - Intermezzo: Bench Transfer

Another hot, humid day that left me with no desire to paint. So I took care of some things around the house, and completed the research and the prepwork on Zombie Kid Joe. Joe is now primed and settling-in to his new digs on the painting hutch. . . 

The groundwork is still very much a design-in-progress, but the foundational elements have been squared away. In the next few days, I will take inventory of my wood supply, and see what I need to realize my vision of this piece. . . 

Stay tuned!

Notable Acquisitions August 2014

KITS  
Dark World Creations Judge Dredd on the Lawmaster Mk.I (LE100; 70mm, David Richardson)
Dragon Iron Man 3 "Battlefield Collection" #1 [4-pack] (1/24; ???) 
Tamiya JGSDF Motorcycle Reconnaissance Set (1/35, ???)