It’s been quite a while since my last post because I haven’t done a huge amount of painting, despite nearly everyone else using their lockdown time productively. I blame Borderlands 3 this time.
Anyway, I haven’t been completely inactive, and have now basically finished Putin:
I’m really happy with how he’s come out, and with the addition of a ‘CENSORED’ plaque, he’ll be all finished up.
Those of you following along on Facebook will remember that I had some issues with his background not being suitably erect, which I resolved with a bit of 0.8mm brass strip (thanks for the idea, Bob!), which should be sturdy enough to keep the very thin plasticard in place. It’s not a pretty solution (I will, of course, improve matters by repainting the back), but it is effective:
Meanwhile, the lack of shows to give me a deadline has sort of pushed me into just doing some fun pieces to try things out. First up is a bust I’ve been playing around with to test some things:
Of particular note is the helmet, which didn’t actually start out intending to be NMM. I was actually trying to do a matte metal, like a lot of worn iron you see around. Of course, one thing led to another, and now it looks like (dodgy) NMM. I suppose it’s good practice.
I’m quite happy with half of the helmet, but the other half needs a bit more light in a few spots. What’s really interesting, is that the two halves actually work quite well independently of each other, they just don’t quite work as a whole. Viz:
The next project I’ve started is a demi-ronde I picked up from Bash Models for the bargain sum of £4 (well, £20, but only because I bought 5 of them). As you might expect for that price, there are a few issues with the casting – lots of bubble holes, uneven back, etc., but nothing beyond an hour or so filling and fixing.
What I’m also doing is changing his shoulder to make it a little more interesting. Originally, it was all tassels, but I think it’s reasonable to have some of the suede/leather of the jacket visible there. There are a few other spots I’ll do a bit more with, too, like evening out his hair on the left.
Finally, you might be wondering what’s up with Lady Gaga. Well, she’s not in my good books at the moment. Aside from repainting the stockings on her legs about five times, I decided to have a poke at her face to give me a break from that. This is when I realised that the original face is basically non-existent. There’s nothing to work with. There’s a gesture at eyes and lips, and other than that, it’s just a swathe of smooth surface, and not really in the right scale.
As a result, I’m now looking for 54mm female heads. I’ve seen a Hornet set that might be useful, and I had also wondered if 32mm heroic heads might work (which would open up a huge range of options), but if you know of anything that could be suitable, do let me know.
Fet Paints 