OK, so finally some pics of my progress. As I've said, I'm nibbling around the edges of the build while my brain chews on my next move with the figure proper.

You all remember the chest. Here it is with the top nearly complete. I used 1/16" x 3/16" basswood strips and cut them to length using a Northwest Chopper.

I finished the top, sanded it smooth and evened up the edges with sides, and stained the whole thing with Minwax Ipswich pine. To represent iron bands, I super glued .010" styrene strip around the base and top of the chest and the base of the chest lid. I also ran two strips over the lid front to back.

Once the bands were on, I drilled holes for large rivets with a micro-bit chucked in a pin vise. The rivets are dollhouse cabinet pull-knobs. I super glued the hinges in place then drilled pilot holes for the screws. Last, I punched rivet holes in the lid's bands with a sewing needle. Then I dipped the needle in white glue and dabbed little rivet heads over each hole.

 The key plate is from the same set as the door pulls I used for the large rivets. Where the bands overlap, I used Tamiya extra thin plastic cement. It melts the plastic and make it pliable. I was able to make the plastic look like worked metal, I think.

Here's the back of the treasure chest. 

Here's a better shot of the white-glue rivet heads. I wasn't worried about getting them perfect, since they'd have been smacked in hot and I figured they'd be a little disfigured from the process. With painting highlights, I'll be able to fool the eye a if I want to clean them up a bit.

Next, I'll mask off the wood and paint the the bands, but that won't happen until I start painting everything. The last thing that will have to happen is handles on the sides. I have some narrow leather strap that I think I'll use for those.

Eagle90

So, here is another question...this may be better suited for the Sci-Fi threads, but thought I'd start here.  The kit has what they are calling a "Deuterium Flux Orientation Sensor" that goes into Mr. Scott's hand. 

Possibly this thingy?

Wow!  What great work you all are doing.  Man, you all know how to do figures!  I'm learning, and you can tell!    But I am having a great time building Mr. Scott.  Seriously thinking of getting the other kits to have them all!

So, here is another question...this may be better suited for the Sci-Fi threads, but thought I'd start here.  The kit has what they are calling a "Deuterium Flux Orientation Sensor" that goes into Mr. Scott's hand.  I have googled it and can not find a pic of one anywhere.  Anyone know the colors and such fo rthis tool?   There is no color reference in the instructions either.  I am so close to finishing this and I'm working on the base and this tool and ran into a road block when I realized I had no idea what to paint it!  Thanks in advance for any help!

Eagle90

GM, that deep sea diver is gonna look cool.  I noticed the putty work, also green stuff or Squadron brand?

Tim - liking that sword.  I almost built Red's dagger the same way, just the pommel and handle were separate.

------------------------------------------------

Some of my weekend was spent on face details and overall flesh tones.  Her hair for now is just filled in with a solid red and a brown wash to better gauge her skin colour.  Still have a problem to solve with the eyes - size does not match.  I've tried once already, so hope the third try will do it.  I'm just too stubborn to use some sort of magnification at the workbench.

regards,

Jack

Good morning, everyone!

Hope you had a productive weekend. I did get a bit accomplished ... I have to edit video today. Then I'll get back to you guys with some pics.

BUMP- to kick GB back to the front page...

GM: That is a very nicely done figure! I'm looking forward to seeing how he paints up.

Tim: Nice pig-sticker! Good to hear how your education prepared you for your current job too!

Coming along nicely, GMorrison! 

More on Conan's sword:

I cut it out with a hobby knife. I moved the blade to the big handle to give me something more to hang on to.

I refined and shaped the blade with sandpaper and cut out the cross-guard. I drilled the cross-guard out with a pin vise and then refined the hole with a sharp hobby knife.

The cross-guard fits! 

I kinda wanna go find a couple of grade-school math teachers who got on my case about doodling swords and building mini-crossbows in class and tell them, "See? I wasn't wasting my time. Yours, maybe. But not mine."

GMorrison

Gamera

James Doohan had medium brown eyes, and a bit of trivia was missing the tip of one finger- I forget which one. Doohan, a Canadian, went ashore on D-Day and had the tip shot off- which he joked 'I gave Hitler the finger'. Oddly on the show with the whole idea that everyone in the future is perfect they used someone else's hand or had him curl his fingers under the palm in most of the shots showing him operating the transporter or other close ups of his hands.

Middle finger on the right, and the whole finger. 

He wasn't a Scot either- I should know. But we'll give him a pass on that accent- it made me smile.

Thanks G for the info.  See, I'm learning about more than just modeling here!  Great stuff, thanks again!

Eagle90

Hey gamera, not a correction, just an added trivia detail.

Nemo is a rough kit. Not bad, and the only game in town, but really coarse.

So I'm pretty much through the Green Stuff stage. three solid nights and next mornings filling seams, bubbles, and back on eac at least twice or three times. In the mean time cutting down pour ridges with coarse sanding sticks.

I have to say that the artist who sculptured the legs/ torso head did a great job. It just has a natural kind of slouch and flat footed diver look. I really like it.

All of those fasteners on the helmet and breastplate are badly molded. On the real thing (snark!) they are these helix/ hurricane kind of wing nuts. So I'll make those.

The tank/ regulator backpack that came with the kit is a piece of junk. I am thinking a two day job just to make a new one. More on all of this later.

Hey GM, thanks for the correction!

Gamera

James Doohan had medium brown eyes, and a bit of trivia was missing the tip of one finger- I forget which one. Doohan, a Canadian, went ashore on D-Day and had the tip shot off- which he joked 'I gave Hitler the finger'. Oddly on the show with the whole idea that everyone in the future is perfect they used someone else's hand or had him curl his fingers under the palm in most of the shots showing him operating the transporter or other close ups of his hands.

Middle finger on the right, and the whole finger. 

He wasn't a Scot either- I should know. But we'll give him a pass on that accent- it made me smile.

shiv, that's some challenge you have set yourself there.

Eagle, Scotty is looking good. Looks like you have some great advice there, I am taking notes myself.

Tim, I see what you mean about the hair. Looking forward to seeing how you paint that.

And some great advice on painting skin you guys. The biggest I have done is 1/35th but I have never been happy with my results and its one of the things I really want to work on.

This is why I love GB's.

Hey Jack, thanks for the links! I think I said before I'm more used to small figures so this is kinda new to me and I didn't want to tell Eagle too much in case I was wrong.

Tim: Coming along nicely!

Lucky I didn't have to fool around with hair much on my figure!

Hey Tim!  Thanks!  You know, I have had a blast doing this build, and am learning tons of stuff!  The folks here on FSM forum have been awesome!  Like I told Jack, it may not turn out to be the best figure done, but I'm learning and have a great time!  As a matter of fact, I'm eying the other kits to eventually have a complete set of the crew!

Thanks everyone!

Eagle90

jgeratic

Scotty is looking really good there, Eagle.  

Gamera has offered good advice on the fingernails and eyes.

If you want a bit more detail, you've got excellent reference material right in front of you, you're own hands.  If you look, generally the nails are more pinkish and slightly lighter in colour.  You might notice a bit of a lighter crescent shape near the skin at the base end.  If you add that, make sure it is a subtle shift in colour.  Some other generalities:

- the palm side is slightly lighter

- the finger tips and knuckles/joints can do with a very slight redder tone

- veins, draw them in from a mixture of your skin tone and a grey/blue, then add some highlights with lighter skintone

EARS

- this one can easily be enhanced with a light application of a red/brown wash, the ear hole itself can be made slightly darker

- pick out some highlights such as the ear lobe, and the section just in front of the ear hole, and the top of the ear - just don't dry bush the whole thing in one swipe, at this scale it just won't look good

LIPS - they can basically be viewed as two planes.  You've got a good start with the dark separation line.  Next, the upper lip faces away from a light source, so it should be darker.  The lower lip is the opposite, and is exposed to light, so make it lighter and a bit more richer in colour.  Can also add a highlight here.

EYES - I always prefer using an offwhite as the base, mixed from skintone and blue.  This allows to put a highlight afterwards, and white itself is just too stark.  Add a spot of pinkish red on the inside corners, as well as a line along the lower eye lid.  A light red wash over the completed eye, (but before you add the white highlight in the iris/pupil) also does wonders.

---------------------------------------------------------

I think I've linked this before, maybe not this thread, but here's an excellent toot on painting eyes;

http://www.planetfigure.com/articles/eye_tutorial-mark_benette/eye-tutorial.html

Recently found this step by step for painting faces, and also includes the hands.  The author interestingly starts off with a black primer base...

http://lifeminiatures.kr/140178056263

From the main page, click the 'step by step' link, followed by the helmet wearing German w/white eyes.

regards,

Jack

Hey Jack,

Wow!  I got a free lesson on figures!  Thanks so much.  That is some really good stuff that I wouldn't think about never have done a figure before.  Great links too!  It may not turn out to be the best figure, but you know what....I'm having a blast doing it!  Thanks again Jack!

Eagle90

Gents,

FSM has ravaged by sickness this week. Aaron's been out all week; I missed Monday, and I'm trying to hang tough. Mark's been in and out, as has Matt. So, we're limping along. However, it means that I'll have to postpone vlog until such a time as I can drag Aaron into the office and at least mumble something, not matter how unintelligible. 

That said, Eagle, I can't agree more with Jack. He's offered some excellent advice and a nice tutorial. One thing I would caution (and it probably matters more if you decide to go on to build other figures): Skin-tone formulas are not strict rules and should be adjusted for your particular figure. For instance, the German soldier's skin would not work for Conan--it's too pale and cold. But the underlying process is sound.

Jack, I too use black primer, especially on 30mm and 54mm figs. I also do a combo (which I plan to do with Conan). I'll cover the entire figure in black primer then come through and spray gray primer, but only from directly overhead. This helps me see the "noon" light source for the figure and even acts as a bit of pre-shading. I know of some figure modelers who prefer red auto primer, which is something I've never tried. The thinking is, from what I understand, that the auto primer highlights imperfections really well and allows for better refinement of the model.

I've made his hair lay more naturally over his shoulders and have started to improve the Conan's fur kilt. I've also marked the belt for removal. I'm debating the media I'll use for the replacement belt. I made a proof of concept model of a single-hoop sword belt out of .010" plastic strip and a snippet of a paper clip I bent into a 1/4" diameter loop. I knotted it in a typical Medieval knot and it works. However, I'm not particularly enamored with how the plastic lays along the model. And the belt's tail jumps all over the place. I tried tape, but the results were poor. I'm considering metal foil. However, for scale purposes, I'm going to have to fold it a few times. So, I'm nibbling around the model as I contemplate my next major move. Once the Dremel tool hits the model, there's no going back.

Speaking of swords, here's the template traced. All I have to do is cut it out. I'm going to make a second one just in case the first sword sucks.

Belit's face ...

... and working on the hair.

Scotty is looking really good there, Eagle.  

Gamera has offered good advice on the fingernails and eyes.

If you want a bit more detail, you've got excellent reference material right in front of you, you're own hands.  If you look, generally the nails are more pinkish and slightly lighter in colour.  You might notice a bit of a lighter crescent shape near the skin at the base end.  If you add that, make sure it is a subtle shift in colour.  Some other generalities:

- the palm side is slightly lighter

- the finger tips and knuckles/joints can do with a very slight redder tone

- veins, draw them in from a mixture of your skin tone and a grey/blue, then add some highlights with lighter skintone

EARS

- this one can easily be enhanced with a light application of a red/brown wash, the ear hole itself can be made slightly darker

- pick out some highlights such as the ear lobe, and the section just in front of the ear hole, and the top of the ear - just don't dry bush the whole thing in one swipe, at this scale it just won't look good

LIPS - they can basically be viewed as two planes.  You've got a good start with the dark separation line.  Next, the upper lip faces away from a light source, so it should be darker.  The lower lip is the opposite, and is exposed to light, so make it lighter and a bit more richer in colour.  Can also add a highlight here.

EYES - I always prefer using an offwhite as the base, mixed from skintone and blue.  This allows to put a highlight afterwards, and white itself is just too stark.  Add a spot of pinkish red on the inside corners, as well as a line along the lower eye lid.  A light red wash over the completed eye, (but before you add the white highlight in the iris/pupil) also does wonders.

---------------------------------------------------------

I think I've linked this before, maybe not this thread, but here's an excellent toot on painting eyes;

http://www.planetfigure.com/articles/eye_tutorial-mark_benette/eye-tutorial.html

Recently found this step by step for painting faces, and also includes the hands.  The author interestingly starts off with a black primer base...

http://lifeminiatures.kr/140178056263

From the main page, click the 'step by step' link, followed by the helmet wearing German w/white eyes.

regards,

Jack

Gamera, thanks so much for the great intel!  I did not know ANY of that!

I'm going to try the ivory/white mix tonight.  And I think I will concentrate on the eyes now.  With my shaky hands, I probably will color outside the lines!    Couldn't stay in the lines as a kid coloring in color books either!  

Thanks again for the info!  It is most useful!

Eagle90

Shiv: Looks good! I agree that you have your work cut out for you though if you're going to do each and every line on his costume. Probably the best way would be to do a little each day rather than trying to do the whole thing in a couple of sessions IMHO.

Eagle: Looks good too! Great job on the face and the uniform looks good esp the red shirt.

James Doohan had medium brown eyes, and a bit of trivia was missing the tip of one finger- I forget which one. Doohan, a Canadian, went ashore on D-Day and had the tip shot off- which he joked 'I gave Hitler the finger'. Oddly on the show with the whole idea that everyone in the future is perfect they used someone else's hand or had him curl his fingers under the palm in most of the shots showing him operating the transporter or other close ups of his hands.

Personally I'd paint the fingernails ivory or 50% skintone and 50% white or so mixed to your personal taste. I'd do the eyes before I did much work on the face, so if you do colour outside the lines you can go back with your skin tone and cut them back down in size.

Hey everyone.  Haven't forgotten about the GB.  Lots of "life" stuff going on, but had some time last night to do some more on Mr. Scott.  This has been such a fun build!  Major fit issues, but nothing that can't be overcome.  I did the gold lacing on the shirt and black collar.  The gold went on over the red a lot better than I though it would.  Also , did some work on the head.  Now remember, this is my first ever figure, so it is a little rough.  I read up on and watched a few YouTube vids on figures, so I tried a couple of "techniques" I saw and read about.  I took the finest brush I have and put a VERY thin line of black on the mouth.  I also did some "shading" on the skin.  Using very slightly darker and lighter shades of the Tamiya Flesh, I experimented on the hands first, then tried a little on the face.  Not sure the pics show it off well, but I was surprised by the difference it made.  The hair was pretty easy to do (I know,one eyebrow has a holiday on it!).  I laid some white for the eyes and then realized I have no clue if Mr. Scott's eyes are blue or brown?!    I'll have to research that.

Anyway, it is almost there!  I do have a couple of questions for you figure experts out there:

1.  Any other suggestions for the flesh tones?

2.  What about the fingernails?  What do you do for them?

3.  Ears.  Would some shading on the ears mess things up?

4.  Any pointers on the eyes before I do them?

5.  Why is his hands so freakishly big! 

Thanks in advance for any help.

So here he is:

hey Shive- whoa!

This is certainly taking it up a notch or two.  That is going to be a lot of work if you are going to cut in the smaller widths after applying the longer lengths in the opposite direction - or are you just going overlap the lines?

I can see Bob's suggestion looking really cool, if you can keep the translucent look of the fishing line.

regards,

Jack

Shivinigh-Spidy is looking good-I like the idea of going with the black suit.  Just a thought on the silver ribbing-maybe look at some very thin fishing line or jewerly thread from a hobby shop?  Might be easier to work with than plastic.

Getting settled in and think I may get started on the Green Goblin soon-will post pics as soon as I start.

Great work by everyone-I'm amazed at the quality of work on kits that are far less than perfect

decided to paint spidey the way his costume looked in the third movie. Black with light grey lines. Using strip styrene to give the lines the raised look like it was in the movie.

this is from the movie

and here I am using the strips

have a feeling that I may have bit off more than I can chew

Can't wait to see...

So it turns out that there's a guy named Regan http://www.vulcaniasubmarine.com/  who makes Nemo suits, in Hawaii. His online catalogue includes a blog of the movie, the props plus of course all of the stuff he builds.

I think the suit will be shiny grey rubber, the helmet and other gear is brass, copper and dull grey metal, and the web straps and boots are kind of a olive drab/ khaki super heavy fabric.

Tim, I like the idea of a bell jar. That'll make him look mysterious!

Bish

Conan is looking good. When you say the hair, I take it you mean painting it.

I haven't gotten to painting yet. More shaping and sculpting Green Stuff. I've fixed the hair where it hangs along Conan's shoulders and attached it to his head. Now he looks like Conan -- sort of. Belit's head had an extra hair piece that needed to be attached and made to look more natural. Now it does, I think.  I was going to post pics before I left the office, but I figured you boys were getting a bit tired of the "here's more of Tim's tiny steps toward some vague goal" entries. However, I will get you some pics tomorrow. And if Aaron and I are healthy, a new vlog on Friday--YAY!

jgeratic

Gamera, Bish - thanks!

Yes, the armour discs are actual metal.  Plan is to leave them unpainted, hoping it won't end up looking too tacky.

As pictured above, I got the idea when I remembered one of my ankle weights had torn open.  The inside is filled with little round bits, about four or five different sizes.  So they are hand picked, and individually placed in position.   Vallejo flat base was used as an adhesive, brushing on a section at a time.

regards,

Jack

Metal bits?  What metal bits?

Jack, I see, I had assumed they were part of the kit. I think they look nice and will do the job perfectly.

Tim, thanks, he is rather large. Going to try and get it primed at the weekend. For the base, I am using Mike's article from the July issue as inspiration, doing the same for the big 88.

Conan is looking good. When you say the hair, I take it you mean painting it. Glad that's one think I don't have to worry about, not ready for that yet.

Gamera, thanks, and I am with you on that, nothing looks more like metal tan metal, and I think that's even more important in the scales we are dealing with.

GM, interesting looking kit. I have no idea on how best to finish him, but Tim's idea seems a good one to think about.

GMorrison - I can't wait to see Nemo come together. My gut reaction is not to paint him glossy. Maybe paint him as you normally would, and then make a small case for him out of tinted glass or Plexiglass to give that otherworldly feel when on display? No matter how you finish it, this is gonna be COOL!

In other news, I'm cross-eyed from working on Conan and Belit's hair today. 

Here's the kit box and contents. It's really rough.. Since he's underwater, would it make sense to make him glossy?