With all that's happened aroiund here lately, I finally got to work on my figures.

The Fire Giant:

The C.A.V. pilot:

It's a begining.

Pat: That looks superb!!! Not sure about the face shield, I'd be afraid I'd screw it up with painting over a clear part. 

Robert: Great job there too on the shirt and tanker's jacket! 

Phan: Love that, the metallic worked out great! I had a Molotow pen but it dried out, guess I need to pick up another. 

G: Whoa that's cool! 

This is the way

Build is coming along nicely.  The Molotow Liquid Chrome pen is a valuable tool for this kit.  Working on the weapons, and then weather the boots a bit.  Drop some pin wash into the nooks and crannies.

Hey Pat, your space trooper came out great! I'll post him first thing in the morning.

Glamdring, the torso has come up an absolute treat! Top work mate.

Real G that thing is soooo cool. Can't wait till it's available in Oz

Dodgy

Hey guys,

Check this out:

https://www.shrunk3d.com/hawaii

I am thinking of getting my model buddies to try this.  But what scale?  1/12 would go great with motorcycle and Star Wars character kits.  The resolution looks pretty good.

PhilliePhan - That chrome really pops on the kit, great idea to go the route of painting it.

Drums - I think the base looks great.  The project is progressing nicely.

PFJN2 - Great job on the Space Force soldier!

As for mine, I am calling the torso done.

I am simplifying the unit patch and gun handle.  I fear ruining them by freehanding the little icon in the middle of the patch, and girlie picture on the handle.  He will just have to settle for an ivory handle.

Hi,

I'm tempted to call my Space Force soldier done for now.  I have temporarily misplaced two small decals, and there may be one or two small spots where I want to touch up the paint, but those can wait.  The only other main thing that I am not sure of right now is whether I should paint or cover the face sheild in Gold or leave it as is.  I am still going back and forth on that, but plan to leave it as is for now.

Pat

Ben and Jarrod that base looks like it's going to work a treat and I love the figure. As far as the GB goes I'm amazed at the response and the variation in subjects. When I first proposed this GB I thought I would be lucky if 3 or 4 responded, now 25 modellers have put their name forward, several who have never attempted a figure before. I'm really blown away.

Dodgy

Wonderful work PhilliePhan! Love your approach with the black base and chrome. The result looks great! I must say I was amazed by the number of parts.

Dodgy

That's a great base Drums. 

I agree this group build is all over the place and it's awesome!

Thanks GAMERA.....

Just a small update, still work to do on the base and figures, but it's moving forward...

WOOD: (Awaiting more stain and clear coat)


FOAM BASE: (Still Work in Progress)


FIGURE SITTING IN BASE: 


I'm still not totally satisfied with it all, but at least my idea has progressed from my head to the model. I still have more detail work on the base to include watercolors and pastels (more earthy colors). Jarrod has shown real patience during the building up of the base because I know his real enjoyment is in the figures. 

Last week we applied clear gloss over the shields and armor then attempted a dark enamel wash. Evidently the clear did not completely coat the metallic because the dirty wash started to bleed into the gold behind the first shield. Today we applied a second coat of gloss and will begin working on the figures again, hopefully tomorrow.

We plan on adding another coat of stain to the wood and then a couple thick clear gloss coats to seal it all in. The final touch will be felt pads beneath the wood base. Hopefully we can wrap this up in our next update....

Ben and Jarrod

That looks awesome Ben, love how you guys are building up the base. 

An astronaut commando, Fury's Brad "War Daddy" Pitt, numerous neat 1/32 and 35 crews, fantasy, then a sci-fi bar scene, and now The Mandalorean... and lets not forget about the creepy spirit coming out of the TV, wow! Keep it coming everyone as this build string is out of this world and the subject matter is as diverse as anything I've seen in any GB. 

It's been some time since our last update. Since then we've been working on the Arado AR196 Seaplane but we can only go so far until the remaining detail items arrive from overseas. Along with the three Spartan figures that we started, Jarrod and I also began working on another figure and completed it while waiting on craft items and our idea to become clearer for the Spartan figure base.

Yes, that's right, another figure too. Just to toss everyone off guard for a moment, here is a sneak peak of the other new figure's base in-progress (this is only four pieces).



As shown in earlier postings, the individual Spartan figures are molded separately and placed on like bases but they do not lock together or even mate up smoothly. Trying to make them link together brings the figures unrealistically too close to one another for the poses they are in. So Jarrod and I wanted to make something that would allow the fit to be more to scale (space for each figure) yet seamless. And since we recently had a couple pine trees chopped down in the yard, we decided to honor one of them by using a slice of the trunk for the figure base. 

I know they would still look a little off just adding them to the wood as they are. Now comes our attempt at trying to make them appear near seamless. We started cutting a base topper from rigid 1/4 inch foam. Next we used it to cut a second layer that would lay flush to the wood base. Then, using the figure bases as patterns, we cut into the second level of foam board around where each base would be posed. Now came the fun part; Jarrod and I began cutting small pieces of foam at multiple angles to try and create a rocky terrain similar to that found on the resin figure bases. Here it is as a work in progress.

Our goal will be to level the wood base, stain, and seal it. The foam stone / rocky base will be painted separately and built up with colors, small sifted rocks and stone from the property and then add some lichen for greenery (like on the resin bases). One the foam is done it will be fixed to the wood base. 

We are not sure if we're going to permenantly fix the figures to the base or allow them to be removable so they can be viewed individually (time will tell). Here is where we ended today, still much more to do with the base leveling, staining, sealing, continued foam build-up, painting, detailing the figures more, etc. 

Till next time... And since I did not make a work-in-progress string for the new figure Jarrod and I created it as a separate posting under the "Figures" subject, check it out!

I should not have to say it, but your feedback is always encouraged.

Ben and Jarrod (DRUMS01)

I'm back and WOW those look awesome guys!!! 

Hoping to start Sadoko-chen sometime early next year. 

Time to begin the Mandalorian. 

Way more parts than I expected!!!

Stickers are supplied instead of decals.  I won't be using those.

I am an aircraft builder.  This is my first figure.  With this kit it is obvious that I will need a different approach.  The kit comes molded in the various colors of the character, but in the end it would look like a GI Joe figure.  So I'll be painting.  I have assembled as many like colored subassemblies as possible.  I'll paint them and then work on final assembly.

Starting with the Beskar Armor.  I picked Alclad Chrome as the Mandalorian is quite shiny compared to say Boba Fett.

Laying down Alclad's gloss black base.  (First time using this base.  Love it!)  

And finally Chroming.  Happy with the finish.  

Thanks for watching!!!

I'm looking forward to this build Phoenix G.

Beautiful work on that jacket Glamdring. It's really starting to come together.

Dodgy

I just googled that line of figures from Masterbox....looks interesting!

I spent a good part of the weekend working the tanker jacket.  I am at the stage of calling enough's enough.

To shake it up, here is the reverse:

Great progress on the builds posted!

I've just started on the Strange Company build.

Working on the 4 armed bartender pulling pieces and cleaning them up.  Lots of detail on these figures.

Ben, Jarrod and Glamdring, superb work on superb figures. Well done all. Ben & Jarrod can you keep us updated on your work to locate the original sculptor?

Dodgy

Those look like two interesting build in the works, I like the look on all the Germans and Spartans!

I have been spending far too much time massaging the Vallejo for the shadows and highlights on the face.  Considering I plan on going for the look in the early parts of the movie when his face was covered with grime...it is mostly going to be covered anyway...

Oh well, part 1 and two after after the hair was painted in.  I included the historically accurate bleached blond highlights worn by Mr Pitt.

I am going to add in eyebrows and let the head sit for a couple days to see what else it needs, but will be moving  on to the uniform now.

Thanks Gamera,

And I believe I found the original manufacturer (in Spain), still working that out. I agree that you really can't argue with the quality as the fine details, poses, and general fit are wonderful. I just feel bad that I bought them when I was ignorant to the pirating issues. So to give credit where it is due...

The concept art was done by Pedro Nunez. The wonderful sculpting was by Hugo Gomez Briones and Jesus Ruiz Lopez while the original figures were painted by Ruben Martinez and Jaime de Garnica. I found them marketed in Spain by Big Child Creatives. As I said, I'm reaching out to them concerning my purchase on AliExpress (now that I know). Perhaps they can connect me to the original manufacturer (?).



On with the build, The figures base coats were completed based on the photos of the originals. 

SKIN: After the darker Vallejo base coat (a mix of dark tan and warm skin tone) I began bringing out lighter shades for the skin using both Vallejo figure paints and Tamiya flesh on the top coat. It was a challenge trying to made the feet look dirty while still blending them to match the rest of the skin tone. My final paint was nothing more than a very light dry brush coating of the Tamiya flesh tone to gradually bring out the skin pigment while still keeping them a little dirty.

UNIFORM: For the material of the uniform I painted it Model Master Flat Signal Red enamel than added a diluted wash to the recessed areas. Even after the wash the Model Master flat Signal Red Enamel was far to glossy. My solution was to dilute a mix of Vallejo Flat Cherry and IJN Hull Red then wash that over the Signal Red and the shading; the transition was remarkable. My last application was a mix of the Cherry Red to the raised / sun exposed portions of the uniform material. 

ARMOR: The gold tone armor was nothing more than a simple application of Molotow Gold marker. I thin it has the extra super fine pigments and curing method to make it look like natural metal (not paint). The spear tips were painted with silver Molotow marker. The remaining belts, slings, straps, and ties were painted various shades of brown and dry brushed with light sand to pick out the raised details. 

BASE: Originally it was dark brown. After lighter shades and progressive dark washes they were dry brushed in Vallejo Dark Earth, MM Flat Brown, Vallejo Desert Sand, and several shades of flat gray. Afterwards Jarrod and I applied some Model Railroad landscape Lychen. Here is one of the bases in the process of painting.



Here is what they look like at this moment. They are fully assembled and waiting for the clear coat over the gold to fully dry. They still need the final details picked out, the skin dulled and final adjustment, etc. I'm also going to make the "V" on the shields then nick and dirty them up afterwards (along with the armor). I'm not sure If Jarrod and I will use watercolor pencils or oils for the final details. 







We are also working on some kind of display base to show all three together. I hope the next update can show the final reveal with better quality photos, we will see. 

Ben and Jarrod

Ben & Jarrod: Looks awesome! Looking forward to seeing him come together. 

Sorry guys, going to be going dark for the next two weeks. Am on holiday/vacation. Brought the laptop but the power supply somehow wasn't in the bag with the laptop- so I've got about an hour's worth of power on the internal battery... 

Wow this is already a spectacular GB. The work here is inspiring. Well Dodgy, I finally made my mind up on what I'm going to build for this GB and it's going to be really spartan.

Not "spartan" as in sparsly, or severely simple and without ornament, but instead "Spartan" (noun) meaning a person from the city of Sparta. And considering one Spartan warrior would be nice, I thought three would be even better! Perhaps some of you might remember the Hoplite figure I built a couple years ago (?). I decided to purchase several figures when I bought the Greek hoplite figure and these three Spartan figures were in that group. 

SPARTAN HISTORY:

Here is a short history about Sparta according to Wikipedia. Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon, while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. Sparta was unique in ancient Greece for its social system and constitution, which were supposedly introduced by the semi-mythical legislator Lycurgus. His laws configured the Spartan society to maximize military proficiency at all costs, focusing all social institutions on military training and physical development. Spartiate men underwent the rigorous agoge training regimen, and Spartan phalanx brigades were widely considered to be among the best in battle.

Around 650 BC, it rose to become the dominant military land-power in ancient Greece. Given its military pre-eminence, Sparta was recognized as the leading force of the unified Greek military during the Greco-Persian Wars, in rivalry with the rising naval power of Athens. Sparta was the principal enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), from which it emerged victorious after the Battle of Aegospotami. Modern Sparta is now the capital of the southern Greek region of Laconia and a center for processing citrus and olives.

FIGURES and MODELING:

It all started years ago when I found an advertisement that turned out to be a web site called AliExpress.com . It is very similar to Ebay except it is based in China. While I knew nothing really of the site, its guarantee along with its use of PayPal made it appear to be safe. After checking it out through on-line sources I found it to be legitimate. The two main things I kept hearing was to check out both the product and the vendor carefully; in this case high feedback with American and European clients. 

The product is made of resin and represent three 75mm or 1/24 - 1/25 Spartan warriors. They arrived in a simple 4x4 cardboard box. Inside the box was two zip-lock type bags with around 45-50 resin parts attached to sprue and resin blocks. There were no instructions, images, paint guides, just the resin in two bags. The quality of the resin was good (very little seam work or flash). There were no pin holes and it had the correct smoothness or texture where needed. Still I found it strange not to have any of the previously mentions documents. 

(SIDE NOTE) After digging a little deeper and through some new friends in the PlanetFigure (modeling) forum I found that many of the figures sold in AliExpress are actually copies of legitimate figures that were sculpted, manufactured, and sold by real model companies. Many of those copied figures did not get permission to produce them and do not compensate the legitimate model manufacturer. While some of the figures are made completely by China, others are pirated copies. I looked for the origins of these figures but cannot locate them through any regular hobby sources. They may be China originals, but they may also be copies. Because of this information I no longer purchase figures through AliExpress. That is my way to better support the hobby and those legitimate people or companies in the modeling industry. 

Back to the figures, after dumping the product out of the bags you could see that each Spartan was molded in several parts. These included the head, upper torso, lower torso, individual arms and legs, capes, and equipment. Initially it was not obvious which parts went to which figure. So to assist me in identifying how the parts are to be paired Jarrod and I copied images from one of the AliExpress modeling vendors sites. Here is how they are suppose to look if built my a skilled figure modeler (not me). 









And here is a photo of some of the parts though much of the build has already begun. In the photo you can see the distorted spear shafts, swords, and spear tips. We will replace the spear shafts with aluminum tubing. Other items like the swords are also bent but we've been able to warm them up and bend them back to a straight position. 





As I mentioned, the mold quality is actually pretty good, with some crisp details.





As Jarrod and I were cleaning the individual parts we found that each part had a unique key and slot assembly (as in the photo above). That helped a great deal in figuring which parts go to each Spartan. With that said, there was still many instances of the product bending or warping. Still with careful removing of the parts, cleaning and gentle reshaping, the parts fell together easily. Here is an example of cleaning out the hand holds designed to hold the spear.



After a long afternoon me and my helper (Jarrod) were able to get the body parts assembled to the point of painting. Normally I clean and then prime my 120mm figures before my initial base coats, but I was a little worried that the numerous layers of paint might obscure many areas of fine molding in 1/25 scale. So in this case we simply washed them good with common dish soap to remove any oils or release agent used when making the molds. Next was to drill a hole into the keyed area where the head will fit to insert a holder which allows hands free painting and subsequent support away from anything else while drying. My thought is the initial base colors will also act as the primer(s). 

Here is a photo of some initial painting. Our method normally starts with the darkest tone of the final color and then lightly layers. This could be darker shading of the base color such as the deep folds within the material, or a dark skin tone and later progressively lighter shades to create a forced perspective of sun and shade on the person, clothing, and equipment. Note the old file we stuck into the torso's neck to hold the figure while painting as stated.



In the photo above, the dark brown looking thing is the base coat for the base of the figure. The wadded up piece is the cape that he will be wearing (see completed figures above). And here is the base coat for the cape, believe it or not that is actually flat insignia red. It's going to definitely need some dull coat to quiet down the color. 



We did continue adding the various base coats on one of the figures as well as some basic shading in the molded cloth-like material. I did that because it would prove difficult working on the recessed areas after adding paint to the raised portions; work from the lower recessed areas to the top raised areas. The arms were left off to make the painting of all components much easier. Check out some of the mold details here.







That's where we are at right now. We hope to be able to show the other figures base coats along with some of the detail painting in the next update. Time now for a steady hand and small brushes (and my good helper - Jarrod).

Ben and Jarrod (DRUMS01)

Very nice looking figures. Beautiful detail.

Dodgy

Oh those are cool GS! Really like th commander in the gas mask. As much as I hate painting faces he's right up my alley! 

Brilliant start Glamdring!

Great start Robert.

Robert: Looks good! It's just a matter of fiddling with it till it looks 'right'. 

Ikar: No worries! 

Sorry about the names of the apes in space.  I read the book back in high school in the 60s and don't remember if they were even given names.