A Crash Course In Painting

Skintones
Skintones! Man, I can remember the times when I thought skintones would be
impossible to achieve. I mean all that I had painted up until that time were dinosaur
models and a few creature kits. Don't have to worry about peachy skintones on a
slimy alien! Luckily, I had some experience with an airbrush which I believe to be
an essential tool for good skin tones on a one sixth scale kit. The reason for this is
that the bigger the kit, the more area you have to cover with paint. This leaves
more room for brush marks from a paintbrush and I detest brush marks! An
airbrush can get you those gradual color changes and give your figure some depth.
I use a Testors modelmaster airbrush which is a pretty good airbrush when the tips
are in good shape. I have noticed that after you use a tip, the spray may start to
appear spattered due to imperfections in the tip (or a year's worth of paint
accumulation that you just can't clean up). Some people suggest that you let the
tips soak in water or cleaning solution when not in use. I usually do this when the
tip is so bad that paint will not flow through it. I need to send some of mine back
for repair or replacement because of their unlimited warranty. After you get
proficient with the airbrush and can lay fine lines and get good color gradations,
you should have no problem with skintones.
The only challenge left is getting the color correct. I learned to paint skintones
from David Fisher. His technique was simple and it produced great results. I use
the same formula to paint skin now but every kit is different in some way.
Different paint ratios will yield different results. Plus, I don't want every kit to look
the same! Each one has its own personality.
Now for the colors. I imagine that the brand of paint does not matter but I use
Liquitex. This is because I know they have the colors I need and I know where to
get them. They come in tubes or small bottles of concentrated colors which are
thinner. I think you get more bang for your buck with the tube type paint although
the thinner, concentrated colors are easier to mix and thin down. The three primary
colors for skin are: Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, and White. Other colors can
enhance this mixture. I usually use any type of blue or green to make dead skin.
Red Oxide is used for blush shades and Burnt Umber is used for shadows.
For normal, Caucasian skin, I mix up equal amounts of burnt sienna, raw sienna,
and white. I will usually cut down on the burnt sienna because too much will make
the skin red looking. I mix these three colors up and thin them down with Polly-S
thinner. A trick I use to make sure the paint is thin enough for airbrushing is to tilt
the paint jar and then let the paint run back down. If I can't immediately see
through the paint as it runs back down, it is probably too thick. Paint too thin is

almost always better than paint too thick although you will probably have to put
down 100 coats to get any coverage on the model.
A little bit about primers. I use gray figure primer under all skintones. Call me
crazy, but the gray warms the skin up and dulls it down a tad. This is because the
paint is transparent to some extent. Skintones on a white background tend to be too
gaudy for me. Anime' kits can be an exception.
When I spray the first coat of skintone on a primed figure, the paint will bead up.
Therefore, do not be too heavy-handed with your first coat, because it will bead up
and drip. You do not want drips! In order to speed up the drying time, I always use
a hairdryer. This will dry the paint, but will not cure it, so the paint is dry but it
isn't. Confusing? Just be careful how you handle the kit while you are painting it
because you can rub the paint off. Try to hold the figure by a boot or something
that you know will not be skin-colored. After you get the fig fully covered with
this first coat, it should appear unusually dark. This is normal because you are
working from dark to light. I lighten up my paint mixture with a little white and a
little raw sienna and spray the kit again.
The next step is to spray in the shadows. I get a small bottle and thin Burnt Umber.
I then take some of my skin formula and mix some of that in with it. This will
make the brown color not as harsh and it will tie into the skin color better. I then
crank the airpressure down on my compressor and get a fine line spray out of my
airbrush. I use a big, artists sketchbook to test my airbrush colors on. This way,
you can see exactly what color the paint will look like when sprayed because the
paper is white. You can also practice a few airbrush strokes before actual painting.
I never let the first paint sprayed through the airbrush hit the figure. After testing a
few lines on a piece of paper, I 'draw' in all the shadows. Shadows will not be a big
part of the overall skin color, but play a vital role in creating realism. Try to find all
the creases and folds where you think shadows should be and lightly airbrush in
the shadows. Don't worry if the shadows look too harsh because they will be
covered with many layers of paint yet to come. For a female figure that is pretty
much nude, I shadow under the breasts, lay in a vertical line down the abdomen,
shadow under the ribcage, under the arms, down both sides of each knee, the back
fold of the legs where the leg bends at the knee, underneath each buttock, down the
spine, and sometimes a touch in each eye socket. Occasionally I will shadow where
skin meets clothing to give it greater depth.
After the shadows are complete, go back to your original skin formula and 'mist'
over the entire figure. By 'mist' I mean hold the airbrush back away from the kit
and lightly spray it with paint so that just the mist hits it. This will tone down the
shadows and tie them into the rest of the skin areas. I have noticed that after you do
this, if you want to add shadows again, the shadows look really brown, so you may
have to mist the kit again. You don't want your shadows to overpower the kit.

Ok, now for the highlights! David had a phrase that went something like, 'pretend
your airbrush is a light source' which makes perfect sense. If you sprayed
highlights on the kit in every possible direction, you would loose the realism you
are trying to create. Where shadows fell into the creases and crevices, highlights
will be on all the raised areas. Lighten your skintone mixture once again with more
white and a touch a raw sienna. Now, using the same techniques you did in
shadowing, lightly spray all the raised areas of the kit. For instance, tops of arms,
breasts, cheekbones, bridge of nose, etc... You really can't spray the tops of legs so
to speak, so spray the centers of the calves, and thighs and work your way to the
outer, and inner edges letting the color fade into the darker skintone you already
have down. Then spray straight down the front of the shinbone.
Right about now I will pour some skin color in a separate jar and add some red
oxide to it. I use this shade for the cheeks, nipples, any raised area that needs a
splash of color. Sometimes to get a pinkish skin tone, I will mist this color on the
figure.
The trick in getting the skintone to look right is knowing when to stop painting.
Just about every kit I have done, the skin looks too light. Most of the time it isn't
light enough. Skin changes in appearance when other colors are added - like hair,
clothing, etc... Sometimes the skin will look pasty or reddish. This may be because
you had too much burnt sienna in your original mixture, or you added too much
white in the lightening process. Skin can be warmed up at the very end by misting
on your second darkest skintone mixture. You must be careful not to mist too much
or you will obliterate all the play between the highlights and shadows and end up
with a flat looking kit. For unusual skin tones, mix in other colors. Adding blue
tends to turn the skin a gray color. This can be seen in the picture of the two
Pumpkinhead II's . The one on the right was painted with the standard skin
formula. The one on the left was painted with the skintone mixed with a touch of
blue. A pretty dramatic difference. Any kind of burgundy color makes wonderful
bruises. Look at Chatterer's skin. Burgandy bruises were feathered in here and
there on his head. Sometimes, I will apply washes of darker colors to the face to
really bring out the detail. If I am too heavy handed in the wash process, I just mist
on some skin color to lighten the shadows. I painted Locutus of Borg with the gray
skin tone mixture but I applied washes of blue to give him that deathly blue pallor.
The Unnamable was painted in similar fasion with dark gray washes.
Finally, I seal the kit with Testors flat. This clearcoat adds a slight sheen to the skin
and really makes it look real.

Dark Horse's
designed by Dave Stevens and sculpted by Kent Melton, is a big,
beautiful kit. I want to do a build-up worthy of their incredible achievement.

s I pull the figure from the box, the first thing I notice, other than a

stunningly beautiful body, is that her head looks kind of large. I doubt this
is a caliper-based mistake; the sculpting is just too good in all other
respects. It seems more likely that Jewel Shepherd, the gorgeous live
model for this kit, simply has short legs. At any rate, I would like to fix
this, and since the face is so well sculpted, I consider ways to give the
illusion of a larger body instead.

Game Plan: Sculpting

I decide to lengthen her legs below the knees 5/8 of an inch. (Note, this means
the Art Deco dressing screen will also have to be lengthened.) I'll also raise her
crotch area 1/2 inch. This will give her long, sleek legs and visually add height.
Also, I plan to increase the diameter of her breasts to make her upper body
look larger.
Game Plan: Painting
This piece is designed in an Art Deco style which had signature colors, grays and pastels
mostly. And, since this is a very feminine piece anyway, I decide on a color scheme of soft
grey and pink.

Tooling up
First, I lay out all my stuff, like "Bondo", an auto body filler that
comes with a tube of cream hardener. (The $15 one-gallon can
shown in the photo has built about 15 models.) Also, I lay out a
selection of sand papers. 100 to 40 grit, and an array of files, from
coarse to fine, with various shapes, Cyanoacrylate (super) glue,
an X-acto(TM) saw, which is what I used to saw off her legs, and an X-acto knife outfitted
with a #11 blade.

Modifying the Figure

The 5/8 inch section I add to her legs will have to be extremely strong, so I will pin with very
hard, 3 inch drywall screws. The de-headed screws fit snugly into the holes drilled into the
bottom of the legs, but loosely in the holes at the top part of the legs. This slop allows me to
move the piece around a little bit in order to get the precise alignment. Once I'm sure my
added length looks right, (Left Photo Below) I remove the drywall screws, slather mixed
Bondo all over the threads, re-insert them into the holes, and hold in position until the body
putty sets (about ten minutes). Now, I can start filling in the big gap with batches of Bondo.
(Middle Photo Below) I am surprised how much meat I must add to her calves to make the
added length look natural. (Right Photo Below) I file between each application with a coarse
rat-tail file.

Next comes raising the pelvic area. This is a simple process of excavating
material. I use a variable speed Dremel Moto tool for the big gouging. It
has plenty of power, and outfitted with a toothy metal bit, makes quick
work. But this job does require carefulness. As I start to get close, I
switch to coarse sandpaper and go slowly. The towel's edge will require
redefining as it falls back into her newly located crotch. The pencil line
indicates where her crotch used to be.

Now, for some "Bondo" implants. Note that increasing the diameter of
one breast means the other breast, even though hidden under the towel,
must be altered as well. That done, I pin and putty the arm, and finishsand all worked surfaces down to 220 grit, filling little holes and seams as
I go.

Priming the Figure

Now I'm ready to prime. I first wash the piece thoroughly, dry, and spray light coats. I let the
primer dry, fill any evident pinholes and scratches, re-sand, re-prime, and finish with a 400
grit sanding. It's ready for color now, but I want the primer to dry really well, so l set it aside
to work on the base and screen.
Painting the Base
I begin painting with an easy job - the base. I airbrush it an Art Decoish light grey, protect it with Krylon Crystal Clear, and blow dry.
Then, with my fingers, I smear White acrylic paint all over the
protected surface, pushing it into the grout lines. I let the white dry a
bit, then, wetting a paper towel with airbrush cleaner, I wipe the
surface. This cleans the white paint off the tiles but leaves it in the
grout lines. This process is a super-quick shortcut. I next paint the little
diagonal tiles with a brush using a premixed batch of Deco Pink. Finally, a little brass lacquer
on the bullet casings and I give the entire base a gloss finish with Krylon
Crystal Clear.
The Dressing Screen
I have a special idea in mind for the screens which requires recasting. First, I
lengthen the screens 5/8 inch (to match the 5/8 inch added to her legs) by hotgluing a piece of 1/8 inch thick foamboard to the screen bottoms. I then make
quick waste molds of the two lengthened screens with molding rubber and
plaster, (I go into more depth on the video) and cast into the molds with clear,
pink-tinted resin. See both the original and recast screens.

This whole recasting process takes a full day, but I feel the effort will be well worth it. To
paint the screens, I begin by masking every other decorative section on both sides, with
Maskoid, a liquid rubber frisket (Left Photo Below) After the rubber dries, I simply mist both
sides with white paint, not a lot, just enough to get a frosted glass look. Peeling off the rubber

frisket reveals the clear areas. (Right Photo Below) I seal, and shine up the entire surface,
with Krylon Crystal Clear.

Now, with drafting tape. I mask off the decorative center portion of the
screens and spray the borders with the same light grey as the floor tiles.
Next, is the detailing. I want a leaded glass look, so I need a metallic
silver paint. I use Duplicolor's automotive Chrome bumper retouching
lacquer. It's a spray that dries fast, like Testor's silver. but is more
metallic looking. I spray into the cap of the can and use a small brush to
dip it out. I paint all of the raised areas to get the leaded glass look.

Attaching the Screens

Next, I hold the two screen pieces in position on the base to find the angle that looks best. I
reproduce the obtuse angle I decide upon out of foamboard, and then tape the two screen
sections to this foamboard "jig". I run a bead of glue between the screens and tape the seam
tight giving it about an hour to develop a really strong bond.

Once the two halves are glued up, I prepare them for a good resin-to-resin contact with the
base. I put the screens in position on the base, and trace with a pencil. I score those pencil
lines on the base with an X-acto knife, and scrape off the paint between with a small
screwdriver. I also scrape paint off the bottom of the screens. Before gluing however, I first
drill and glue three pins into the screen. I mark where these pins will hit the floor and drill
receiving holes into the base. I spread glue over the entire bottom edge of the screen and over
the pins and insert into the base. Plumbing with a drafting triangle, I hold until set. Now, back
to the figure.

Flesh Basecoat
I want to spend a little time discussing flesh coloration because I get
so much mail on this subject. First, I never paint skin tones at night.
Artificial light is virtually useless for gauging flesh colors. I always
wait for daylight and let as much indirect sunlight into the studio as
possible. Secondly, I mix my own flesh, because store-bought flesh,
which is usually just a variation on tan, looks as dead as dirt. I mix a
large bottle of a personal recipe, which is a colorful mixture of
orange, pink, brown, yellow and white acrylic airbrush paint. I find
this lively color imbues a statue with life. (see flesh color chart on
opposite page) Getting good flesh is as difficult a color problem as
there is, because each kit makes its own demands. In this case, I
want to show a brand new pink suntan, on a still warm, freshly bathed, fair-skinned girl. This
is a tall order, and I know I can only find this color on the piece by airbrushing layers,
adjusting lighter, darker, pinker, or yellower until I am satisfied I've got just the right look.
By that time, as usual, I will have built up a pebbly surface. I have a way of remedying this
that I discovered almost by accident. Dipping my fingertip into the final color, I rub it in. a
section at a time. with circular motion. As I continue rubbing, the drying acrylic paint begins
to get tacky and sort of wet-sands the high spots, depositing that slurry of dry and wet paint
into the small micro pinholes and depressions. This renders a remarkably smooth almost
glossy finish.

Flesh Modulation
I keep plenty of this final flesh color around in order to mix variations, because skin tones
change on different parts of the body. Crevices, like the spine, and depressions, like the
hollows between the musculature of her legs and stomach, can be airbrushed slightly darker,
raised areas slightly lighter.
Next, I mix a very light creamy color and spray on bikini tan lines. (Left and Middle Photos
Below) When I'm happy with all the various shades of flesh on her body, I protect the work
with a layer of Testor's clear dull coat and wait overnight before I handle the piece again.
I look at the piece again in the fresh morning light and decide to do just one more thing
before starting on the face. I want to indicate that she has just emerged from a warm shower,
so I pinken her shoulders, chest, and thighs slightly. I then mist her buttocks with a darker
rosy pink. This gives her bottom that sort of flushed look, as if still warm from her fresh bath,

or, as my too-perceptive wife kids me, still warm from her fresh "spanking". (Right Photo
Below)

The Face
Now for the face. Before I begin, I decide what I want. Since her pose is languid, I decide a
"sultry" expression will best complement the sensuous body language. As always, I start with
the eyes, beginning with mascara. I first draw a bold, voluptuous black shape, bringing the
paint down low, into the whites of her eyes, bypassing the sculptor's edges. I want that
sleepy, half-closed look. I go heavier on the mascara at the upper outside and thin to a tapered
black line for lower lashes, leaving a line of the fleshy pink between the lower lashes and the
whites of the eyes. (See eye drawing below.)

I fill in dark, red brown eyebrows, and soften the edges with tangerine. For eyeshadow, I start
from the eyelid up using a rich pinkish-brown, feathering it out as it nears the eyebrow. But I
leave her eyelids light. By trapping light between the dark eyeshadow and the jet black
mascara, attention is focused to the droopy lids, enhancing the sultry look. Now, to really
kick off the eye framing, I bring a swipe of this dark eyeshadow a underneath her lower
lashes, giving her eyes a slightly bruised look.
Inside the eyes, I start out with pure white, but soften the corners with a
dab of flesh mixed in. I paint the top third grey since her long eyelashes
would cast a shadow across the whites. I really like the combination of
green eyes with red hair. I'm not sure Jewel Shepherd has this
arrangement, but...it's my model, not hers, so I mix up the brightest
lightest lime green I can make. I draw a green disc letting the top half
disappear behind the semi-shut lids. I outline the iris with darker green to
help make them look reflective. For the pupil, a simple black dot that
touches the upper eyelashes.
To finish the nose, I just drybrush a fuzzy line of lighter flesh color down the bridge to the
tip. For the nostrils, dots of darker flesh, and a teeny, slightly darker line to define the outer
creases of the nostrils.

I have a secret for lipstick - Liquitex Fluorescent Pink. I mix it with normal red, for candycolored lips that practically beg to be kissed. I paint the upper lip and the underneath part of
her bottom lips slightly darker. Here too, I tend to ignore the sculptor's edges, going just a bit
beyond to give them a fuller, more pouty look. Just above her chin, I feather a darker flesh
color. This makes her lips pop out even more.
Remember my preference for fresh lively skin coloration? Well, this may be a bit of a shock,
but I put the Florescent paint into my airbrush and lightly mist the apples of her checks, also
giving a very slight hit to the eyeshadow area. This simple move gives her whole face a really
fresh, lively, ingenue glow.

Hair
Using Maskoid, I brush two rubbery coats over her face, shoulders, breasts,
and towel for protection. While this dries, I mix up a colorful tangerine color
for the hair. (see color chart) I airbrush on a covering basecoat, let dry, and
lightly seal with Testor's clear dull coat. Then, I mix up a watery brick red
wash, adding a few drops of airbrush cleaner to make it flow. Holding the
piece upside down, and twisting, so the drips don't run down the body, I flood the wash all
over the hair with a big brush, letting the color gather in the crevices.
After the wash dries, I dip a Q-tip in airbrush cleaner, and wipe the wash off the high spots,
revealing the tangerine color underneath. Now, I have highly defined dark and light areas, in
fact...a bit too defined. My solution is to mix a darker version of the tangerine and mist all of
the hair. This simultaneously lightens the dark areas and darkens the light areas. Finally. I
remove the rubber Maskoid frisket (Left Photo Below) to reveal a finished head (Right Photo
Below).

With a little of the light reddish-brown hair color, I paint the exposed nipple, lighter on the
top areas, darker on the underside.
To mask around the towel, I consider the rubber Maskoid again, but it's fairly
expensive stuff, and since the towel has a lot of straight lines I opt instead for
drafting tape. Even with drafting tape's minimal adhesive, I press it on my
cotton T-shirt to lessen the tack further; I REALLY don't want tape pulling up
paint. Once masked, I lightly mist the higher edges of the towel with pure
white, letting some of the underneath flesh color peek through the crevices.

Using the Deco pink, I brush two decorative borders for the towel. And while I've got the
pink on the brush, I line some of the crevices. Now, I can remove the tape. While gently
pulling, some places seem to stick a bit. These I blow with a hot air dryer to loosen the glue.
In no time, all the tape is removed.

The figure is near completion now, leaving the easy, fun stuff. I
paint her dainty little slippers with my batch of pink. I mix
some of the darker florescent lipstick color with the pink batch,
for fingernail and toenail polish. With dark flesh, I draw thin
lines to further delineate deep crevices, like between the fingers
and toes, and to help separate the clothing from the flesh.

Gun
For the gun, I apply the Duplicolor chrome bumper spray paint, with a brush.

(dries in 30 seconds) and then line the crevices with black acrylic. For a feminine touch, I
mix a pinkish-white and paint the handgrips to give them a mother-of-pearl look.

Gloss details
I always know the piece is just about done when I get to this next step. I
haul out the Liquitex Gloss Medium, and slather it over her little pink
shoes. Just flood it on, and leave it alone. Even though it goes on milky and
has streaks, it eventually puddles out and dries to a beautiful glassy finish.
I puddle a coat over the mother-of-pearl gun handles, fingernails, and
toenails. I also give her glassy-looking eyes and drippy-wet lips. These small touches never
cease to amaze me. The contrast in surface really makes her come alive.
Attaching the Figure
As with the screen, I scrape away paint from the contact points to get a
strong resin-to-resin bond; the shoes, the floor, under her wrist, and where
her wrist hits the screen. I pin her shoes in three places, with two strong
4D finishing nails, and a large paper clip for the narrow heel. I drill out
receiving holes in the base, glue all contact points, and I push her down,
holding till set. Suddenly....Voila! I'm finished!

You know, everyone comments on host beautiful the 'girl' is in this kit. No doubt about that.
but I'd like to take this opportunity to point out two 'abstract' qualities, which I admire even
more.
One, is the sublime Yin Yang balance between the strong "geometric" lines of the dressing
screen, and the flowing "organic" lines of the figure. This is very deliberate. But even more
astonishing, is that by posing her casually leaning on her Deco counterpart, this rather 'overt'
abstract relationship is framed so completely naturally, as to all but disappear - a tour-deforce of subtlety.
Secondly, this is in essence, a "classical" sculpture, in that it is interesting in all three
dimensions. In fact, as I turn this piece to the side. I find the elegant lines of the legs to be the
kit's best feature. And from behind. the sensuous S-curve of her body is even more
aesthetically pleasing to me than the frontal view. Any way you look at it. this is indeed a
very "Special" kit.

Blood
Creating Realistic Blood on your Kit
I found a way to create the look and flow of real blood
on your kit. It takes a little bit of practice to get
it just right, but one you do you will noticed that it
really brings out the look of the kit in the areas
that where the blood has been applied to.
Materials needed
1 Tube of 2 part epoxy you want the 5minutes
setup kind.You can find this at AC Moore, Home
Depot.
2. Red Blood color paint. Not bright red. Has to be
close to a dark red.
3. A couple of Micro Brushes.
4. A couple of pieces of flat card board.
Before applying the below steps make sure the figure is sealed
properly. Because if you do not like the way things are turning
out you can wipe off the Paint/Epoxy Mixture, within the time
allowed, and not ruin your figures paint job.
Ok first thing is open the glue. Now the glue should contain a
large tube within this large tube will be two smaller tubes. When
both tubes are mixed together they will create the epoxy. There
is a U shape handle that pushes the glue from each of the tubes,
cut this U shape handle down the middle. Doing this will allow
you to squeeze each tube out one at a time. This will also be your
guide in to know how much glue is squeezed out from each tube.
Squeeze of a small amount of glue from the first tube onto the
card board.Mix well the blood red paint in its jar. Pour a couple
drop of the blood red paint into the glue that was just poured
onto the card board.
A little paint goes a long way, no need to cover the glue entirely.
Take one of the micro brushes and mix the paint well. Once
mixed, you are now ready to pour the second tube, now before
we get into pouring the second tube, there is one thing to
remember, time is a factor here.
When they say that the epoxy sets in 5 minutes believe them it
does. Now push the second tube handle down to meet the first
tube handle. This will pour out equal amounts.
Now mix them together until the paint and glue are one.Now take
the micro brush full of the Paint/Epoxy mixture and place it where
you like on the kit. Place the glue mixture in layers, and try to let

the mixture flow the way it would like to, try not to fight it ; You
want to create the look of flowing blood.Remember to watch the
clock.
I find that mixing 2-3 batches achieves the look and effect I like
to create. Let each batch dry for 24-48 hours before applying the
next batch.
For dripping blood effect, you have to pour a large amount in one
area, I recommend doing the pouring close to the 5 minute mark,
this way it will freeze in place, and look like is it gushing from a
wound or creating the effect of a cut and blood dripping down
from the wound on the figure.
Do not touch the glue in its drying state or you will leave finger
prints that will ruin the blood. Try your best not to do this. Trust
me I did it and totally messed it up. Once dry, you will have
created a nice blood effect on your figure.
There is no need to seal the blood, the shine of the epoxy makes
it look wet and realistic, Just like fresh dripping blood from an
open wound.

GENERAL
The use of nail polish remover to clean up cyanoacrylate (crazy glue),
make sure it has Acetone in it.
De-Yellowing Deacls
A Zip lock bag on a window sill for a few days whiles it nice n sunny.
White glue dulcoat
It is a simple mix of about 30/50/20, water-rubbing alcohol-elmers white
glue. It dries fast, level, and leaves a great flat coat behind.
Washing your Kit
Before working on a Resin, Vinyl kit, wash it in soapy hot water using Dawn
liquid soap. This will clean off any mold release agent on the kit. Dry the kit
completely before using a primer on it. If you do not wash your kit first, you
run the risk of having the primer and paint not adhering to the kit, and having
the paint flake off it later.

Using Primer on you kit before you paint

Primer is used to prep the kit for painting. It is strongly recommended to
prime your kit before painting. Your local hobby shop will have a number of
primers to choose from. Note: ( Keep in mine the material of your kit, if you
are working on Plastic and or Vinyl kits make sure the primer is made for
theses types of kit or you run the risk of ruining them by applying the
primer. If you are uncertain test on a scrap piece of material first. Not using
a primer could result in the paint flaking and peeling off your kit. Also the
paint could have problem adhering to the kit.
One Part Putty
One part putty is found in a squeezable tube. The putty is ready to use
straight from the tube. Most popular brand names are Squadron Green,
Tamiya Gray, and Testors Red, also you can find a product called Bondo
which is found at an automotive parts store, it issued on cars as body filler.
Paint thinner can be added to make for a paint like liquid to paint on to the
kit to areas needed. Work time is about 20 minutes or less depending on
the brand used.
Two Part Apoxy Putty
This is used on Resin and Vinyl kits. Two containers will hold the putty A
and B. Mix equal amounts of A and B together very well. Note: only mix a
small amount, as it will go along way. Once completely mixed the putty can
be used for seam lines, air bubbles, and sculpting extra items on your kit.
The use of water will allow you to smooth the putty on your kit. Work time is
usually 1-2 hours. Setup time is 24 hours. There are a number of name
brands on the market, Milliput.

Wet Sand Paper

There a number of grits to choose from, the higher the number the finer the
paper. The best place to find Wet Sand paper is Home Depot or Loews
home improvement stores. Cut the sand paper into a number of workable
strips and dip them into room temp water for about 5-10mintues. This will
allow for the sand paper to absorb the water. The use of Wet Sand paper is
to remove any surface irregularities that might be on your kit, with out
removing a lot of detail from the kit. Also used when putty has been applied
and dried on a kit to smooth out the putty without scratching it.
Air Bubbles and Pin Holes (How to fill them in)
Air Bubbles and Pin Holes can occur on the surface of your kit. This is due
to air being trapping when the resin is poured into the mold. Pin Holes are
the most annoying due to the fact that they are usually small in nature and
hard to fill. I found an easy way to repair these.
Materials needed.
One part putty (Note: See General tip as to what one part putty is). Paint
thinner, Jar, latex gloves, small paint brush (Micro Brushes work the best,
See links page for their website)
Into the jar squeeze a small amount of the one part putty, add a small
amount of the paint thinner, you want to create a liquid like substance out
of the putty. If to thick add a little more of the thinner, the trick here is to
make it almost paint like, so that is can be easily applied to the surface of
your kit. Once mixed well, take your paint ( orMicro) brush and brush the
mixture into the areas where the Air Bubbles and Pin Holes are on the
surface. Wipe off any excess that might occur. Let it dry for about 24 hours
and then use wet sand paper to sand off the excess putty, to a smooth like
surface on the kit.
Removing parts from sprue trees
I noticed that if you bend a part back and forth or twisting to try to remove
the part from the tree, it usually causes the part to have stress and snap in
half, or leave a large amount of unwanted material from the tree. I found
two ways that work great for removing a part the tree.
1 - Using an X-acto knife to carefully cut the part from the tree. Note: Never
hold the knife where the blade is facing toward you when cutting, always
cut away from you.
2 - Use a specially made pair of pliers made for cutting the part from the
tree. I find using the pliers is the best method. It not only frees the part from
the tree but also cuts away a lot of the material as well.
Storing Used Air Brush Tips and related parts
I find that no matter what brand air brush you use, you can bet on one
thing, dried paint will clog the air brush. I found that storing the used tip and

other parts for the airbrush in a 50/50 mixture of alcohol and water will
remove any dried paint and prolong the life of the part.
What is Flash
Flash is the unwanted material connected to any part which makes up the
kit. When a resin part is created in a two part mold, some of the resin could
squeeze out of the mold, this excess called flash is unwanted material
attached to the part.
Flash is found on Resin, Vinyl and Plastic model kits.
Applying a Wash
A wash is nothing more than watering down a paint color to apply to your
base color on the kit.
Washes are applied to highlight the base color and bring it to another level.
Start slowly and build up each level of wash. Sealing your kit first is very
important, if you do not and try to remove any washes that were applied
you run the risk of removing paint as well. Use a Flat, Semi, or Gloss
sealer. This will allow you to wipe off any area of the kit which the wash has
been applied to in error.
Then mix 50% water and 50% alcohol in a clean paint jar. Note: (You can
use Windex, Airbrush solution ETC ,you have to experiment with what
works best for you) Next take the color paint you would like to create the
wash with, pour a little bit of the paint into a clean empty paint jar, next
apply some of the 50 /50 Water alcohol solution that was just created into
the paint jar. Mix well until the water mixture and the paint are mixed well.
You're tying to achieve a water down version of the paint color. You do not
want the paint thick at all here at all.
Than take a small tip paint brush, and apply a small amount of the wash to
your area let dry and apply more as need. Note: (You can mix up other
color washes and apply them to the kit as well to achieve the affect desired
on the kit).
Applying Weathering and or Tones/Highlights on your Kit
Weathering is a process of making you kit look like time or the elements
may have aged it.
You can also apply soft tones and highlights to skin areas on the face and
body as well. You are not limited as to what you can do from this process.
You have to keep in mine to slowly build up this process on your kit, or you
can over do it, causing the look of what you trying to achieve to be less
realistic.
Start by sealing your kit, with a Flat, Semi, or Gloss sealer. This will allow
you to wipe off any areas which has been weathered or highlighted and are
no longer desired, and or any mistake that might take place. If you do not
seal the kit first and apply the weathering or highlights process to it and

then decide you like to remove it, you run the risk of removing paint as
well.
At your local Art Supply store you will find pastel colored chalk like drawing
sticks. They usually come in 2 inch sticks. They will have an assortment of
colors to choose from. Take some dry sand paper and rub the pastel color
stick until a small amount comes off in the form of fine powder on the
sandpaper. This powder will be used to weather or highlight the kit. Note:
(Before you start to apply the power, wear a dusk mask over you nose and
mouth, this will prevent you from breathing in the dust)
Take a flat tip quarter inch brush and apply some of the powder to the end
of the tip. Then gently apply to the area of the kit to be weathered or
highlighted. Repeat until the desired amount of weathering or highlight has
been achieved. Once finished, seal the area that was just weathered or
highlighted, as to lock the weathering in place. Note: (More than one color
can be applied to the area to achieve the affect needed)

HowtoAirbrushPainttoLookLikeChrome

Color combinations help achieve an airbrushed finish that looks like chrome.
Airbrush artists use a air-propelled gun to deliver paint to surfaces ranging from glass to
canvas. By combining colors and proper layering, a skilled airbrush artist can create almost
any look with airbrush paints. One of the trickiest looks to achieve is chrome, but by
combining and building colors carefully, you can airbrush any surface to resemble a chrome
finish.
Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

Airbrush gun
Air compressor
Black paint
Silver paint
White paint

1. 1
Paint a dark base coat onto the area you want to paint chrome. The base should be
dark enough to bleed through the colors you brush over it. The bleed-through is an
important element because it will provide the contrast needed to help replicate the
shiny surface of the chrome.
2. 2

Layer a thin coat of white paint over the black. Don't worry about coloring over all of
the black. Keep your airbrush nozzle about 6 inches from the canvas and apply the
paint with a side-to-side motion, leaving most of the black paint untouched.
3. 3
Paint silver over the layer of black and white. Use a silver paint that has a high-gloss
finish. Aim for a thorough coat of silver. Apply it evenly and over the entire blackand-white foundation. The black base will bleed through as the paint begins to dry,
but not enough to overpower the silver. The effect combined with the shine of the
silver will create gradation and a reflective effect.

How To Create Realistic Teeth

hen it comes to detailing, it's often been said that the eyes make or break a paintjob on
a face. Next in terms of importance are probably the teeth. Whether it's a snarling beast or a
woman with a pleasant smile, you're going to want to do a bit more than slap some white
paint on those choppers. Here are some tricks I've picked up along the way that you may find
helpful.
Begin by basecoating the entire mouth with your gum color. Horizon's pink burgandy is an
excellent choice for most figures. Redish browns or even shades of gray can be used for that
diseased gum look that only comes from years of dipping into the Skoal. Drybrush any gum
textures and follow up with a shading wash if you like. It's easiest to do this coarse work now
before you paint the teeth.
For the lip area surround the gums, I usually prepare a wash of the gum color, and gently
apply it around the mouth. You should end up w/ the darker color at the gums, slowly fading
into the fleshtone as you move out of and around the mouth. Do this even if you'll be
applying makeup to the figure later, because lipstick seldom covers every bit of this area near
the mouth.
Once the gums are finished, you're ready to cut in the teeth. One mistake that beginners make
is to simple paint all the teeth at once. It's important to paint each tooth individually so that
the gums surround each tooth. There should be a crisp, thin, line of pink between each tooth
when you are done. I basecoat my teeth with Polly-S Frost Ivory using an appropriately small
brush and a steady hand.
Now that the teeth are blocked in, your mouth should start to come alive. Still, those teeth
probably don't look quite right, especially if you're working on a monster. I don't think there
have been many official studies, but it's fairly common knowledge that monsters seldom
brush or floss. To simulate this appauling lack of oral hygine, we need to paint in some
plaque!
At this point I prepare a wash of Polly-S Canine Yellow Brown, it's a light Sienna-type color.
I begin by applying the wash around the root of each tooth. Pull the wash up along each
tooth. The result should be a yellowish stain around the base of the tooth that fades as you
near the tip. The tip of the tooth can by either the original ivory color, or more yellowed
depending on your preference and how thickly you have applied the wash. If you find that
you've applied the wash too heavily, you can always drybrush some of the ivory back on the
tooth very lightly.
That's the basic recipe for teeth, and it's applicable to a great many characters and monsters.
All figure kits should have plaque to some extent, well maybe not if you're working on a kit
of Pamela Anderson. Still, some monsters may need a little extra kick to put them over the
top. A buddy of mine who works at a dental lab has had the dubious honor of working on
replacement teeth for zoo specimens. He noted that all of the so-called "blood beasts," lions,
tigers, etc. have an orange cast to their teeth, presumably blood stains that have worked into
the enamel over time. When I'm working on a critter that's diet is somewhat questionable, I'll

finish up the tooth with a very thin wash of orange over the plaque work I've already applied.
The end result is fairly convincing!

So that's it in a nutshell! The same technique for painting individual teeth is equally
applicable for nails. For normal humans, you will want to replace the canine yellow wash
with a wash of fleshtone. The wash should be more uniform over the entire nail, with only the
edge of the nail left in the base ivory color. For talons or claws, you might want to try
following the tooth procedure exactly, even down to the finishing orange wash. Of coarse if
your kit came with a set of Lee Press-on Nails, then this discussion is entirely academic!
One last thing that probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but I will anyway for the benefit of
beginners; you should seal your paintjob on the mouth and nails with a generous gloss
coating. Fingernails tend to have a semi-gloss sheen to them, while the mouth should look
wet when finished. I usually brush in Polly-S gloss coat as a finishing touch on a completed
kit.

GettingStarted
with

ResinKits
hat is a Garage kit? Do you fondly remember all the monsters in your favorite Science
Fiction and Horror movies? Have you ever longed to build a model of the evil aliens from
Invasion of the Saucermen or the creature creations of master animator Ray Harryhausen?
Well, thanks to modern molding and casting materials and a group of industrious individuals
from all corners of the world, there are kits available of more aliens, monsters and creatures
than you may have ever imagined!
Garage Kits were essentially resin castings of sculptures created and molded in the garages or
basements of talented fans of Science Fiction and Horror films. However, in recent years
Garage Kits have gone from being an interesting modeling phenomenon to a full-fledged
industry with companies like Horizon, Screamin' and Geometric producing an astounding
array of subjects in resin and vinyl. Today, the term Garage Kit encompasses everything from
high-quality kits from large manufacturers to the individually produced, very limited edition
resin kits from the guy down the street. Often it will be the individual producer that provides
the more obscure and interesting characters.
I'll be covering the pitfalls and pleasures of those kits produced by amateurs because of their
interest in their subjects, rather than for the money they can make. Although the accuracy or
quality of these kits may be slightly lacking, the challenge and anticipation of crafting that
creature that haunted your childhood dreams can go a long way in overcoming these
distractions. Of course, this will be a "worst case scenario" with many different problems
cropping up in one kit. Most kits are not quite this challenging, but it's best to know
everything you might face and be prepared to correct it.

Kit Preparation
While the large manufacturers of vinyl and resin kits have become experts in quality control,
the small, home based kit producers can offer product that varies widely in quality from
creator to creator and even from kit to kit. It pays to inspect any kit you plan on buying very
carefully, since the quality of the casting will not only affect your final piece, but how much
time you will spend in correcting flaws and details. However, inspection isn't always an
option since many kits are only available by mail. Many garage kits don't come in nice boxes
with interesting art either, they have been known to come in a plastic bag with no instruction
sheet and it's up to you to figure out how all the parts go together. So, a bit of knowledge
about your subject and some modeling knowledge will come in handy.

Cleaning up
The best way to start your project is with a bath. Using a mild soap and warm water, carefully
wash off all parts to eliminate any mold release agent (and there could be quite a bit). Handle
thin, fragile looking parts with extreme care since the resin can be brittle and break easily.
Because of the manual nature of casting garage kits, there can be excessive amounts of flash,

but be careful in removing it. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between what is
flash and what is intended to be detail. This is where knowledge of your subject will serve
you well.

1A. Right out of the box. These are

all the parts for the resin Ymir as they
came. Note the flash on several of
the parts. Depending upon the quality
of the resin used for casting, it can
be brittle, so handle it with care.

1B. Many flaws show up as bubbles

and pinholes which are caused by
air bubbles trapped n the resin
during the curing process. Some
flaws can also be caused by a casting
made from a mold that is deterioration.

1C. Heavy seam lines that occur on

textured areas must be removed
carefully in order to preserve the
surface texture.
Another problem that plagues resin cast garage kits is pinholes. Pinholes are caused by air
bubbles trapped in the resin during the casting process. Depending upon the quality of the
casting and the resin used, there can be an apparently overwhelming number of pinholes to be
filled in a given kit. A favorite method of filling them is to use drops of gap filling super glue.
A simple applicator can be made with a sewing needle and a piece of dowel for a handle.
Using wire cutters, snip the needle's eye in half (be sure to use eye protection since bits of
needle will be flying) and glue the sharp end of the needle into a small hole drilled into a 1/4"
piece of dowel. You will have a "U" shaped applicator that will pick up tiny drops of super
glue and deposit them exactly where you want them. Because the glue hardens after a couple
of applications, the needle eye needs to be scraped clean frequently. This method works best
where there are only a few, larger pinholes to be filled. In a case where there are many small
holes, I prefer to use Squadron White modeling putty that has been diluted 50/50 with lacquer
thinner. By placing a bit of putty into a 35mm film container and adding lacquer thinner in
small amounts, you can reduce the putty to a batter-like consistency and apply it with a brush.
Using the thinned putty can cover larger areas of small flaws quickly. Since the putty is
thinned, it tends to flow into the flaws and it doesn't clog detail as much as using undiluted
putty. You can even smooth out the putty by lightly brushing over it with clear lacquer
thinner, but be careful, lacquer thinner can affect the plastic. Often, if the pinholes are quite
small, a good coat of primer will cover them nicely.

2A. Gap-filling super glue is applied to

larger holes using a needle eye applicator.

2B. An alternative method of hole filling,

using Squadron putty, thinned 50% with lacquer
thinner and applied with a brush. This covers
larger areas of small flaws and doesn't obscure
the detail.

2C. Often, large areas can be lost during

casting due to air pockets in the mold.

2D. Milliput is very useful in restoring

lost areas and rebuilding details.

2E. Smaller details, such as claws and

teeth can be lost in casting as well.

2F. Claws are replaced with Milliput.

2G. Missing teeth have been replaced

with the tips of straight pins.
Air trapped in a resin casting can cause other problems that don't become visible until you
begin to sand rough areas. Bubbles that were below the surface of the resin as it hardened
cause a honeycomb effect beneath the skin of your model. Sanding can often reveal these
flaws which are easily repaired with thinned putty. Many times you can spot these problem
areas before sanding by holding parts up in front of a bright light and looking for thin spots.
If the depth of the flaw is too great, you can clean out the honeycomb with a motor tool and

fill the resulting hole with Milliput A+B epoxy putty. Using Milliput will also give you a
chance to resculpt any surface detail that was lost.
Reference materials play an important part in this pre-assembly stage as well. Although most
garage kits build up into good representations of their subjects, there are often some details
missing. If complete or at least near complete accuracy is important to you, then back issues
of Science Fiction and Monster movie magazines will become an important part of your
modeling reference library.

Assembly
More than with most standard kits, dry fitting parts on a garage kit is essential. You will often
find that surfaces that are supposed to mate, don't exactly match. You will have to sand and
shape mating surfaces to match each other. This is a result of the "non-professional" nature of
the casting process in garage kits. Most casters do their absolute best to deliver an accurate
kit, but every part doesn't always match up. Test fitting and shaping are the best way to assure
proper fit.

3A. Draw an "X" on the mating surface

part to be joined to determine the
center of the surface. Drill locating
hole for pin at the center of the "X".

3B. Holding the part in place, use the overlapping

of the "X" to mark corresponding points on the second
part. Use these points to make a duplicate "X" on

the second part.

3C. Super glue the pin, in this case

a section of a paper clip, into the
hole in the center of the "X".

3D. Locate the pin in the hold drilled in the mating part.

3E. Even after sanding and shaping, gaps can

remain between assembled parts.
Since most mating surfaces are smooth and without male/female locators, pinning parts
together for strength is another important part of assembly. The trick to pinning accurately is
finding the center of both parts in order to locate the pins. After you have shaped both mating
surfaces so they match up to your satisfaction, draw an "X" on the mating surface of one of

the parts. Be sure that the "X" overlaps the mating surface so you can see its outer legs when
the parts are placed together. When you place the two parts together, mark the location of the
legs on the second part. Now you have reference markings to make a second "X" on the
mating surface of the that part. When you drill holes at the center of the two "Xs", the holes
should line up with each other. Using super glue, affix a small piece of wire (a piece of paper
clip works well here) into one hole. After it is dry and secure, test fit again before finally
gluing the part in place.
Of course, super glue is an absolute necessity for assembling any resin kit, but 5 minute
epoxy can come in handy for attaching parts that still have gaps even after all the sanding and
shaping is done. The epoxy helps to fill the gaps from within and provides a strong joint. Any
remaining gaps can be handled with gap filling super glue or model putty. However if the
surface you're filling needs detailing to match surrounding areas, Milliput Epoxy Putty
becomes indispensable. As the two-part putty sets up, you can detail it and blend the edges
into a seamless surface. It also comes in handy for replacing details that have been lost in
casting or filling the larger holes caused by large bubbles in the resin. Milliput is very user
friendly, it is easily worked and smoothed with water and it holds detail well.

4A,4B. Front and back views of assembled Ymir show areas

where Milliput was used to fill gaps and replace lost detail.
Naturally, all these problems won't appear in every kit and as casting materials and
techniques improve, so will the quality of these small-run kits. Once you've assembled your
garage kit, you're ready to move on to the most rewarding part of the process, the painting.

Painting
Resin kits accept nearly any kind of paint you'd use on a styrene kit; enamels, acrylics,
lacquers or oils, or any combination. On the other hand, vinyl kits can be very picky about
paint and it's best to stick with the water-based acrylics since enamels and oils won't fully dry
on a vinyl surface. Once your figure is primed, you can test nearly every painting technique
you know. A monster's surface practically cries out for washes, dry brushing, blending and
shading or any other tricks you can think of. It's all up to you.

4C. The finished, painted creature standing with

reference material xeroxed from books and magazines.
Reference material is important to restoring lost
details and assuring the accuracy of the final piece.

Bases and Dioramas

Although there is a new trend toward including "Aurora" style bases in recent garage kits,
many kits come as "stand alone" figures. Depending upon how much space you have to
display your creations, you may want to create your own base or create a diorama to show off
your creature. Bases can range from a simple stained wooden plaque to a landscaped, themed
base that reflects your creation's environment. Of course, dioramas for these creatures will let
your imagination run wild.

5A. The elements of a simple diorama.

Styrofoam blocks, shaped into columns
with sand paper will be covered with
plaster to duplicate a stone surface.
Airfix multi-pose soldiers used in the
scene help provide scale to the creature
and add detail to the base.

5B. The final piece based on a scene from the

movie 20,000,000 Miles To Earth where the Ymir
smashes the pillars in the Temple of Saturn in
Rome during a confrontation with soldiers.
If you're ready to take the plunge into the world of garage kits, you are now prepared to take
your Science Fiction and Horror dreams and nightmares and build them into a reality.

RESIN
How to get rid of Seam Lines
Seam lines are usually found when joining two parts of a resin kit together.
Example; attaching an arm to the shoulder socket, the seam line will be all
around where the arm it is attached to the shoulder. The seam line will
stand out and make the kit not look realistic. To fix seam lines use a two
part epoxy putty. (Note: See General tip as to what two part epoxy putty is)
Roll out the putty out on a smooth surface into a long very small snake, as
wide as the seam on the kit. Then take this long snake like putty and wrap
it around the seam. Wet the tips of your finger with water and work the
putty into the seam. Work the putty until smooth and the seam line is gone.
Let the putty complete set, which should take about 24 hours. If needed
use wet sand paper to smooth out any ruff edges, reapply as necessary.
How to get rid of Mold Lines
Mold lines are created when a two part mold is used to cast a part. When
the resin is dry you will notice a line around the entire part, where the two
parts of the mold met to cast the part. This will stand out when painting the
kit and make the kit look less realistic. There are two ways that work best to
remove Mold Lines.
1- Take wet sand paper or a fine needle file and slowly remove the line.
(Note See General tips learn more about wet sand paper). This is a really
slow process and a lot of time is required.
2- Use your Dremel and insert a sanding bit. Dremel makes an assortment
of Sanding bits. I recommend testing the sanding bit a piece of resin first
the see if it is the right bit for sanding resin. Slowly turn on the Dremel,
Remember not to fast or you could remove details along with the mold line.
The slower the better, work the mold line until it disappears on the part.
Note: (When using the Dremel always were safety Goggles or Glasses,
and a Mask to cover your mouth and nose from the dust particles from
sanding the part.)
Removing Flash (Unwanted Material) from a Resin Kit
Resin kits could have a lot of unwanted flash on it. Unlike vinyl this process
can be a little bit difficult due the hardness of the resin. I found using the
Dremel works best for the removal of flash from the resin kit. Depending
how much flash there is, you might need to cut it away first than sanded
down until the flash it totally removed.
Materials Needed. .
1. Dremel - Cutting Disk and Sanding Bits
2. Safety Goggles and Mask.
3. Wet Sand Paper.

Using the Cutting Disk on your Dremel cut away the large section of the
flash, Be careful not to cut to close to the part. Note: (Wear your Safety
goggles and Mask before using the Dremel). Once you have cut a large
amount of the material away from the part, switch the cutting disk to the
sanding bit and finish removing the rest of the flash. Use Wet Sand Paper
to smooth out any ruff edges that might have occurred from using the
sanding bit.

Sculpting Female Figures

First, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alfred Wong and I have built models all my life.
I build aircraft and spacecraft in 1/48th scale and figures in 1/6th, and many of my models are entirely
scratch built. I started scratch building figures relatively recently. I have a Fine Arts background and
work as an illustrator, but mostly as a storyboards artist and concept designer on TV shows and
movies. You can visit my website at http:members.home.net/gototalon.
The reason I mentioned my background is to say up front that I don't think it is truly possible to teach
someone exactly how to sculpt a figure. It has to do not just with being blessed with artistic 'talent' but
also with a lifetime of training in drawing figures, studying human proportions and faces, anatomy, etc.
You know, all that artsy-fartsy stuff! What I will try to do in this article is give people pointers and talk
about various techniques and materials.
Materials
I use a variety of materials; for very intricate parts such as faces
and hands I use a specialized modeling compound called "Magic
Sculpt". "Magic Sculpt" is a 2-part epoxy that is GREAT to work
with. It is very malleable with sculpting tools, (I use just simple
plastic sculpting tools you can get from any craft stores.) You work
it dry, and it dries hard in 24 hours and is very smooth and stable,
paints up very well with just about any kind of paint. Unfortunately,
I have to order this stuff from Monsters in Motion in California, (I
cannot find it here in Toronto, Canada). It's fairly pricey since you
don't get much in a package, at least not if you work in 1/6th.
Scale! So, I will often make bulkier things such as torsos and legs
from ordinary plumber's 2-part epoxy putty, which you can get from
any hardware store.
Now, the trick with this stuff is that it hardens very quickly and you
also need to keep it wet to work it. I always just mix up a little at a time and build it up to shape and not
try to get too detailed with it. For detailing I will put a layer of the "Magic Sculpt" on top. But, I have
also done entire figures with the plumber's putty as well, so it is possible once you get proficient with it.
The biggest problem with the plumber's putty is that it is more porous and unstable, causing problems
with painting. You can expect that there will be bubbling from the exposed material after painting,
which you must remove and touch up with super-glue, sand and then touch up with paint again, and
yes - it's a pain! So, I do recommend the plumber's putty be used mainly as a core with the "Magic
Sculpt" as a final layer on top. I have tried sealing the plumber's putty with both white glue and superglue, but it still bubbles with paint.

It is a good idea to make some generic parts, such as hands, fists,

feet and nude torsos as a master that can be cast in resin. I made a
nude torso in plumber's putty, and a set of fists and a face in "Magic
Sculpt" that I have used as masters for resin casting.
Obviously, you can't use the same face or torso for everything but I
have used the same torso for 2 of my figures, and the fists much
more than that. I found that open hands are best made per use, as
the fingers tend to not turn out well in the casting process, being too
fine.

Modeling the Face

At least 80% of a successful figure is getting the face right. If you don't have a good face you can
forget about everything else, no matter how good the rest of the figure is. I ALWAYS start a figure by
finishing the face completely first. Again, there's really no way of teaching someone exactly how to
sculpt a face, you must spend time studying faces and how they are structured in 3-d space. Look at a
face carefully and see where the recesses and high points are. My general approach is this: I work the
basic face shape with the deep recesses for the eyes in one piece, then add the high points: the
cheeks, upper-lip, lower-lip and chin, and build up the forehead as needed; working in the fine details
as I go along. The nose is usually last.

One last thing; a woman's

face is generally much
harder to do as they have
finer features than men, so a
light touch is something one
needs to develop.

Specific Faces
By far the toughest modeling I've ever done has been
modeling the faces of real people. I've done two so far:
EMMA PEEL (Diana Rigg - right) and BUFFY (Sarah
Michelle-Gellar - left).
Again, careful study of their faces' architecture was the
key. Ms. Rigg's face came together pretty smoothly, but
the jury is still out on Ms. Gellar's. My wife, my kids and I
have differing opinions on my success in this matter. I found Ms. Gellar's face VERY difficult to
capture. She has soft features, small chin, with a protruding over-bite and thin lips that was elusive to
capture. I just did my best. Ms. Gellar is also very young, and her face, I've noticed, has changed quite
a bit from the start of her series to present. My next project was FAITH, the series' rogue slayer and
Buffy's arch-nemesis, so brilliantly played by Eliza Dushku.
Torsos
Once again, there's no substitute for long study of the human anatomy. But I can
offer this important tip; it is something called the S-CURVE. The S-CURVE is
defined by the subtle S-shape the human body bends into in ANY and ALL
positions; with the shoulders and hips always pointing in opposing directions. (The
only exception is standing at attention). The bends of the "S" happens at the
shoulders and the hips.
Knowing that the S-CURVE exists will help you avoid stiffness in your figures.
Artists did not discover the S-CURVE until the Renaissance and that is why ancient
sculptures have that stiff, ramrod straight quality.
Hair
Although most hair on figure models is sculpted, I wanted to use REAL texture, especially considering
the scale. I use doll's hair from craft stores, look for hair that is not too fine or too thick. Unbraiding
braided hair will give you nice, wavy hair. You can buy them in basic colors that you can dye with

thinned-down acrylic paint. A lighter shade can also be airbrushed directly onto the finished hair as
highlights. The trick with using "real" hair is actually mounting it on the figure. I use household contactcement, brushed on thickly to the head. Then I work from the part of the hair outwards. (See drawing):

I have to warn you that this is

NOT easy! (DO NOT DO THE
HAIR UNTIL THE FACE IS
COMPLETELY FINISHED AND
PAINTED)! After I get the shape
right and it is trimmed to the
right length and thickness I use
a big brush and brush on a
liberal coat of Tamiya clear
acrylic, this will keep the hair
from flying away and give it a
nice sheen. Also, when laden
with clear "Envirotex" resin the
"real" hair gives a most
convincing 'wet'-look.

Clothing:
I do most clothing with "Magic Sculpt", but I have also used real fabrics,
especially for capes. The best fabrics to use are lycra or spandex, because
they have a very tight weave that works within the scale. Women's tights
and leggings are a good source for materials. (Word of advice: Buy it from
the store, don't just cut up your wife's leggings...*ouch! *) In my
"Sorceress" figure, I wanted to use real fabric to achieve a wet, seethrough look, so I sculpted and painted the figure as a nude, then stretched
lycra over the body and wetted it down with "Envirotex" clear resin, the
effect was tremendous!
Arms and Legs:
I make arms from "Magic Sculpt" but legs from plumber's putty. Use a
coat-hanger wire in the middle to give stiffness. Take care in modeling the
bends realistically. I use a lot of super-glue with Zip-kicker for mounting
limbs and filling. Final filling is done with Squadron Green-putty
Painting
I prefer acrylic paints to oils, but that's just a personal preference. Use
whatever works for you. Because of the scale, I also airbrush a lot, using 3
different shades of most colors. I also use chalk pastels sealed afterwards
with a fine dull coat. Every figure employs a mix of techniques to finish it.
^ Faith
One note of caution: Avoid OVER shading a woman's face and skin,
subtlety is the key here! I've seen too many female faces and skins spoiled
by the heavy-handed shading used for gritty male soldiers.

Sculpting Figures: Part 2 - Mara Jade Skywalker

This is a short follow-up article to "Sculpting Female Figures" which I did for this site a while back. In
this case, I've documented a specific figure sculpt, which some will hopefully find helpful if they want to
embark upon figure sculpting. Again, as with all my figures, the scale is 1/6 and the medium is epoxy
putty.
Mara Jade is probably my favorite sci-fi character, and since my original Mara was one of my very first
sculpts, I knew I could do her more justice as my sculpting skills have improved quite a lot since then.
The first thing I had to do was to carefully remove the
microflorescent tube used for the lightsaber from the original Mara.
I didn't have any more and did not want to fork out for new ones.
The next step was to make a rough core of the figure with
inexpensive plumbers' putty. As I stated in my original article, I use
plumbers' putty for the core of the torso and legs. It is cheap, and
dries rock-hard very fast. Even at this early stage, it is important to
make sure the basic pose and anatomical structure is correct.
Since the plumbers' putty is very hard, it is hard to change
afterwards if something is drastically wrong. Notice that the wire
for the lightsaber lighting is already embedded in the putty,
running from one leg up to one arm.

The next and most important thing to do was the head. The face is
sculpted from the excellent "MagicSculp" putty (I talked about this stuff
from the original article), which is just a fabulous productit really IS
magic! The rest of the head is simple plumbers' putty again. But again, the
shape of the head needs to be right, even though it will be covered with
hair. The "MagicSculp" is then used to coat the torso and legs core, and
the details worked into that top coat. The head is painted and totally
finished separately.

At right, the "kit" of the figure is ready to go. The

right arm, body and legs are in one piece finished
with "MagicSculp", with the head and left arm as
separate attachments. The right arm is part of the
body because it carries the wire for the
lightsaber. Once the parts are painted and
assembled, the lightsaber is made from styrene
tubes, and the "blade" is a dyed styrene tube
fitting over the microflorescent light. The wiring
does require some sacrifices in accuracy as far
as the actual handle of the saber goes, but I feel
the effect of lit blade is worth it, as can be seen in
the pics of the finished figure.

Airbrushing Skin and Stone

I am going to demonstrate airbrushing techniques for getting realistic skin tones, and how to
get a realistic stone effect with an airbrush. I would like to start by thanking artist David
Fisher for his videos, which are great teaching aids. From which the skin tone techniques, that
I am demonstrating, were learned from. I also want beginners to know that these techniques
are not as difficult as they may appear so do not let it intimidate you. Go ahead and give it a
try.

First you are going to need some equipment to get started. You will need your choice of
airbrushes fuse whatever type or brand that you are comfortable with). An air source is also
needed, whether it is canned air an air tank, or a compressor. Your choice of paints and
thinners. (For this article I will be using Liquitex acrylic paints.) Plus something to mix your
colors in, and to mix them with. At this point you should be set to go.
I am going to demonstrate creating a stone affect on Industrial Resin Craft's Wolfman
gargoyle figure. Creating a stone affect is rather easy and I find it a lot of fun. Because there
is no right or wrong way it should look, so you can let your imagination run wild.

I am going to attempt to create a layered sandstone effect on this kit. I started with the primed
figure and base coated the entire kit with a burnt sienna (red brown) color. I had to put on
several light coats to achieve a good even base color. After the base color has had time to dry
I mixed a light sandstone color with raw sienna (yellow brown), white, and a little burnt
umber Chocolate brown). Once the color was mixed to the shade I liked, l thinned it with
water and airbrush thinner to achieve a milky consistency. NOTE: Make sure that the color
is mixed and thinned evenly, because if you have any small clumps of paint it could clog the
airbrush and cause inconsistent spraying.
With this color I started painting
a ringed layer pattern on the
Wolfman. It did not make a
difference what the pattern was,
because no two stones look the
same. This color, being light, will
have to go on in several coats.
Next I mixed this master color
with a little more burnt umber to
create a darker color. With this
color I started by darkening the
edges where the colors meet. I
also started adding darker areas to the ringed layered pattern. My next step was to mix a
straight burnt umber, and using my fine line tip on my airbrush I started adding irregular line
patterns to the figure. This gives the appearance of veins running through the stone. Once I
achieved a pattern that I was satisfied with I allowed it to dry thoroughly and gave it a couple
coats of matte sealant.
To bring out the texture in the stone I applied a glaze to the figure. A glaze was not applied
with the airbrush. This can be done with a paint brush or soft cloth. To mix the glaze, I used
liquitex gel medium and mixed burnt umber with a little black to it. (I want a very dark
brown glaze.) Next I thinned it down with a little water and airbrush thinnec (not too much
because I still wanted it a little thick). I Applied the glaze with a brush working small areas. I
then wiped the excess off with a clean dry cloth. This brought out the recessed areas of the
figure. To finish I allowed it to dry and then sealed it with a couple coats of matte finish. It is
now ready for display.

Creating Realistic Flesh Tones

Next I am going to tell you how to create a realistic flesh
tone. For this demonstration I used John Dennett's Miss

Tokyo '94 bust. First I primed the bust. Next I mixed my master flesh color. To do this I
mixed equal amounts of burnt sienna (red brown), raw sienna (yellow brown), and white until
I got a shade that I was happy with. I then thinned it down with water and airbrush thinner, as
I did with the first kit. (To the consistency of milk.) Next I sprayed the master color on all of
the flesh areas of the figure. This color went on in multiple layers to achieve proper coverage.
Next I took part of the master color (setting the rest aside for later) and added a little white to
it so that I could add highlights. To do so I sprayed along the top of the cheeks, the chin,
shoulders, collar bone, the breasts, and along the ribs and abdomen. This gave very nice
highlights. But I was not done yet. Next I used the color I had for highlights and added a little
red to it, making a rosy flesh tone. With this color I sprayed a little on the cheeks, shoulders,
and under the breasts. To finish the flesh tone, I wanted to bring all the colors together and
tone down the separations a little. So I used my master flesh tone and covered the entire
figure (from a distance of about 10 to 12 inches) with a light mist. Now the skin was finished.
Detailing came later after the kit was dried and sealed.

I hope you have fun with this, I sure did. For more information and techniques on
airbrushing, check into David Fisher's Model Mania video series. Again do not be
intimidated by an airbrush, they are not difficult to use. Send any questions, comments and
suggestions to:

Steel finishes are easy to achieve with glazes and chrome paint. The following
steps outline the process:
1. Basecoat the piece with Rust-oleum Chrome spraypaint.
2. Create the glaze by mixing Liquitex Acrylic Gel Medium, black acrylic
paint, and a touch of Polly-S paint thinner or water. You want the glaze to
be somewhere between thick and runny. The amounts from most to least
are: gel medium, paint, thinner.
3. Have on hand a bunch of damp papertowels. These will be used to wipe the
glaze away. Hard-to-reach areas can be wiped with cotton swabs.
4. Liberly apply the glaze to the piece. As soon as you apply it, wipe it off with
a papertowel. The glaze should remain in the recessed areas.
5. This process will tend to 'dirty' the chrome up and make it look like steel.
Some recessed areas will not be filled with glaze. Touch up these areas with
black paint and a fine-tipped brush.
6. This same technique can be used for gold as well. The gold areas on the
sword below were created by brushing Tamiya clear yellow over the
chrome.

Tools and Materials needed for the

WorkBench
I have found over the years, outside of your local hobby shop you can find
a whole another world of tools and related items to use on your workbench.
I am not stating that you should all together to abandon your local hobby
shop for these places. I totally support my local hobby shops, I am just
adding additional places where to find tools and materials to use. Please
support your local hobby shops, by first going to them for your Kits, Tools
and Materials needs, then visit the places listed below for additional items.
Now that I have that out of the way, now let's start to list what you would
need on the workbench to be productive in building a kit. Now keep in mind
the below list is just a suggestion and not meant to be written in stone, it is
not to discourage or frighten anyone into thinking they need to go out and
buy everything on the list. If you are new to the hobby world, ask questions
and then ask more questions. Research anything before you buy it, either
on this list or on any other list.
Trust me doing your homework will same you Money and a lot of time.
Suggested tools needed on the workbench.
1.
2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

7.
8.
9.

Assortment of Paint Brushes. Tips can Range from 0/5

and higher
Paint, Paint and more Paint. Also primer and sealer, Acrylic
based on the paint and sealer (Water base paints for resin
and vinyl kits)
Air Brush and compressor. Sears has a great one.
Compressor sits on the air tank and fills the tanks up when
it starts to run empty. 8 gallons will be enough.
I use the Aztec Airbrush due to how easy it is to clean and
change paints. I recommend doing some homework before
buying one. Since the prices can run kind of on the high
side.
Dremel, I think this is a must to have on the workbench.
Especially if you are building resin and vinyl figures. You
can find one at Micro-Mark or Home Depot for under
$100.00. Also an assortment of cutting, sanding disks and
drill bits are a must.
Assortment of 1 and 2 part apoxy putties. Used to fill in
seam lines and air bubbles on the kit
Super Glue and a quick drying accelerator agent. Crazy
Glue, Zap-Glue and other gules that are made with
cyanoacrylate are necessary to assembling a kit. Also to
speed up the drying process, use an accelerator such as
Zap-Kicker.
X-acto Knife and blades.
Needle Files and also Wet and Dry Sand Paper.
Lighting, natural lighting, not florescent light because this

type of lighting can cast a blue light over your bench. You
want to buy natural light bulbs.
10. Latex Gloves, will save your hands from glue, paint and
other debris.
11. Safety Goggles - Are a must have if you are sanding
cutting with the Dremel, need to keep your eyes intact.
12. Respirator with charcoal filters Also a must if you are
sanding and cutting with resin, also use when painting
with the airbrush. The dust and paint particles are not good
to breathe in.
As you evolve more into your hobby you will acquire more
and more items to add to the workbench. For now I have
listed the items that I think will be needed to complete a kit.

VINYL
Removing Flash (Unwanted Material) from a Vinyl Kit
On Vinyl kits you will notice a lot of unwanted material called flash. There
is one easy way to remove the material, cut it away, but the trick it to heat
up the vinyl first, which makes the process a whole lot easer. Trying to cut
the hard vinyl material without heating first will be almost impossible. Once
heated you will be able to cut through the vinyl part with any problems.
Materials Needed.
1. Hairdryer.
2. A Sharp X-acto Knife. A number of sharp blades
First take the hairdryer and heat the part that has the unwanted flash
material on it, until its soft and bendable. Note: (When using the hairdryer
be careful not to burn yourself and the part).Only hold the hairdryer for a
couple of minutes on the part until it soft and ready to be cut. Then take
your Sharp X-acto Knife and trim the part, remember to always cut away
from you and not toward you. If the part cools off and becomes hard to cut,
reapply the hairdryer to heat up the part again. Repeat for all parts until all
unwanted material is removed. Change any dull blades for new sharp ones
will help the cutting process.
Filling a Hollow Vinyl Kit
To give your Vinyl Kit more stability you might want to use a filling material
to fill in the hollow parts of the kit. Filling the kit with filler will allow for it to
be more sturdy and easier to hold and paint, making it more like a solid
resin like hardness to the vinyl, without taking away the look and feel of the
vinyl. There are a number of products that will aid you in this, Resin,
Mountains in Minutes, Concrete, Etc.
Resin
I found that Resin can be on the costly side, and also heat up to higher
temperature which could warp of distorts the vinyl.
Concrete
Do not fill Vinyl with Concrete, trust me, not only is it a pain to mix and work
with, but it will weigh the kit down, far beyond what you are looking for. I
filled Horizons' Fantastic 4 Thing with Concrete and totally ruined the kit. I
guess you can say I lived and learned from this experience.
Mountains in Minutes
One method I found most user friendly and cost efficient is Mountains in
Minutes. This product can be found at your local Train and hobby store.
One thing to remember is mix a small amount of this stuff, or else it you can
create an overflow which will look like a volcano erupted. Make sure you
follow the product's directions on mixing it. You have to work fast here,

because this stuff sets up real fast. Once mixed pour it into the hollow
parts, fill as close to the top of the part. Hold the part upright until the
material has set and hardened, which should take a couple of minutes.
Repeat for all hollow parts. Once all parts are filled you will notice the parts
are more stable and as easily bendable or squeezable as they were before
filling then. You can now glue all the parts together to assembly your kit.
Filling vinyl will prolong the life of it over the years, by not allowing it to sag
and melt. Also remember not to expose vinyl to heat or direct sunlight.

GettingStarted
with

VinylKits
o you finally found that Creature of the Black Lagoon model kit that reminds you of the
Aurora kit you built when you were younger. This time you don't want to rush the job by
leaving finger prints in the glue that squashed out of the seams or by gloping on a pint of
green enamel as the paint scheme. But where do you start? The new kit is not even plastic, it's
vinyl. Well, read on to learn the basics that will get you on the road to building and painting
that great kit.

Buying
Since you are just starting out you may want to buy an inexpensive kit that is fairly simple.
Horizon has a good selection of kits in the $25-$45 range. Other companies to look at are
Halcyon, Screamin', Max Factory, and GEOmetric.
Make sure you open the box at the store and check out the kit
before you buy. Find a subject that you like and look for an
interesting pose. Check the surface for imperfections like air
bubbles. Plan out how you would assemble and paint the
model. Look for things like capes that hide part of the surface
and make them hard to get at when painting. The easiest kit is
one that can be completely assembled before painting. The
exception is when the seams are setup so that they are hidden
and you can paint the subassemblies, like head or arms, and
then glue them in place afterwards. You may want to stick to
1/6 scale because there will be a lot less painting involved
than if you choose a 1/4 scale model. Also, look at the part
count since some of the kits can get pretty complex!
The kit shown here is the Horizon Hulk. This is a great starter
kit because it has a great pose, excellent sculpting, few parts, and all the seams are easy to get
to.

Steps
Lets go through a quick overview of the steps from box to display: trim, clean,
pin, fill, glue, putty, prime, paint, and seal. Once you understand the basics of each step you
should be able to turn out a pretty good kit. Next we'll list the supplies you will need to
master the basics: hobby knife, dish soap, tooth brush, plaster, super glue, putty, primer,
acrylic paints, wide flat brush, fine tip brush, paint palette, gloves, cloth, plastic cups.

Trimming

The thing to know about vinyl is that when it is heated up it

gets pretty soft and cuts like butter. If you try to trim your
vinyl kit without heating it up then first lay out all the
different sizes of band-aids, the soap, antibiotic cream, and
program 911 into your phone so you can call by pressing
with your nose. There are two easy ways to heat up vinyl
parts. You can use a blow dryer and heat up the parts exactly
where you want. This works out pretty well because you can just snap
the blow dryer on and reheat a part whenever it starts to cool off. The
bad part is that blow dryers often make a lot of noise. The other method is to heat up some
water and immerse your parts in the water. Really hot tap water should do the trick. Use a
sharp hobby knife and always cut away from all of your body parts. While trimming test fit
your parts while they are still hot so you can pop them in and out of any sockets easily.

Cleaning
When vinyl kits are molded a mold release is
used so that the vinyl won't stick to the mold.
This stuff is still on the vinyl and needs to be
washed off so that the paint will adhere properly
to your model. Dish soap and hot water works
great. Using a tooth brush will ensure that you
clean up all the nooks and crannies that make up
the great detail in your kit. Dry off your model
well after cleaning before going on. After this
point make sure to wear gloves when touching your model. You don't want grease from your
hands on your model. Plastic gloves work, but tend to wear out fairly quickly. Cotton gloves
can be used if you get the kind that won't shed cotton fibers onto your model.

Pinning
To keep your kit stable you may want to pin it to a base.
Adding pins to the feet before painting also allows you to
attach your kit to a board so that you do not have to touch
it's surface during painting. You can use pieces of coat
hanger wire, nails, even screws to make pins. Make a hole
in the feet where you want to place the pins. Stick the pins
far enough into the feet and legs so that they will be well
supported. Then fill the feet with a two part epoxy putty or
glue. When the epoxy has hardened cut a small board and
drill holes for each pin in the appropriate places. This will
create a temporary base that you can mount your kit on
when you are ready to prime and paint. After your kit and
base are painted you can remove the kit from the
temporary wood base, trim the pins to their final length,
and glue them into the holes in the actual base.

If you need to adjust the stance of your figure you should take care of it at the same time as
pinning the feet. Heat can be used to soften the vinyl and bent wire can be inserted into the
legs and over the crotch to hold the legs closer together or farther apart. For more details
checkout Steve Goodrich's notes on this subject.

Filling
There are three reasons to fill your model. The first is to make it more stable so
it won't fall over as easily. The second so that it won't sag or warp later. Third,
it may sound silly, but it really feels more like a sculpture than a toy when it
weighs more. Inexpensive plaster can be poured into the lower part of the body.
Don't put in too much plaster or you will raise the center of gravity and make
the model less stable. To get ready for filling, just glue together enough of your
model so that the plaster can be poured into the lower parts. Make sure the
joints are sealed well with super glue so plaster won't ooze out.
One other way to fill your kit is with Polyfoam. This is a two part mixture
that heats up and expands into a rigid foam. Since it heats up and expands you need to be
careful about warping the vinyl parts. You can use tin foil to line the vent hole so that
none of the foam that expands out of the vent hole contacts the outside of your kit. The
hardended foam is easily trimmed with an X-Acto knife. Make sure you use gloves when
working with liquid Polyfoam and read the warnings on the label.
Yet another method is to scrunch up packing material and stuff it into the kit. Newspaper
or foam packing "peanuts" can be used. Any type of long rod can be used to pack the material
into the deep parts of the model.
One brand of filling material to try is Polyfoam.

Gluing
Vinyl parts are really easy to glue. Just be very careful not to get any extra glue
anywhere, especially on you! At this point you should have trimmed and test fit
all of the parts. This is a good time to use temperature to manipulate the vinyl
into just the shape you want. Heat up the parts that you want to adjust, adjust
their shape, then cool them off with cold water. The parts should retain their
shape after they have been cooled off. When you actually glue the parts a little
heat will let you press the parts together and minimize the seams. You only
need to wet the joints with super glue to get a great bond. For most uses you
want to use super glue and use a "kicker" to instantly harden the glue when you
parts are positioned correctly. Make sure you read the warning labels on the glue and kicker.
If the parts don't fit well even after applying heat then you may want to "stitch" the parts
together. This is done by gluing a small part of the seam, hitting it with kicker, cleaning it up,
and then repeating until you have worked your way around the whole seam.

If you decide to paint some parts before gluing, make sure that you use a hobby knife to trim
down to raw vinyl at the joints where you will be applying the glue. Super glue doesn't work
well on paint.
Small gaps can be filled by letting a small bead of super glue flow into the seam. As it flows
in it should spread out into a nice smooth layer that won't need sanding. Super glues come in
different thicknesses. Thicker glues will be able to fill bigger gaps. If the glued area does
need sanding don't wait too long, the longer you wait the harder the glue gets.
One brand of super glue and kicker to try is Pacer. An alternative glue to try is UHU Bond-All.

Puttying
Some vinyl kits will have medium and large gaps around the glue joints that need
to be filled with putty before painting. Take your time on this step and do a good
job because you can't cover problems up later with paint.
For filling medium sized gaps you can use Squadron White putty, then smooth it
with a Q-Tip dipped in nail polish remover. To get deep into cracks you might
want to try using a putty syringe. If you are careful you may not need to do any
sanding when it it dry. If you do need to sand then finish up by smoothing off the
putty with a very fine sand paper. Or if you are careful you can touch up the area
after it is dried with a Q-Tip dipped in nail polish remover. Squadron has some shrinkage and
takes a while to dry, so don't use it for large gaps.
Large gaps can be filled with Milliput White (for smooth areas) or Experts-Choice (for
rougher areas). Both are two part epoxy putty. Mix equal amounts of the two parts until the
mixture has a uniform color. Press into the large gaps, then with a touch of water on your
gloved finger smooth out the putty. If you do a good job with the water you might not have to
do any sanding. If you do need to sand then start with a medium sand paper and work your
way down to a fine sand paper.
Some brands of putty to try are Milliput, Experts-Choice, Hexcel A&B, Tamiya Polyester, Squadron, and Dr.
Microtools.

Priming
Priming your model will make your base coat cover really well, don't skip this
step! Spraying on a single light coat is all that you need. A light color like white
or light grey seem to work the best for most situations. Dark grey and black can
be used for kits that are mostly dark. Make sure you cover all of the model by
spraying from all angles. Don't forget to spray up from below and down from
above. If you notice any areas that need to be filled better, fix them now. These
problems can't be fixed up by painting. Just spray on a very light coat of primer,
too much will hide details and look bumpy. Let the primer dry for at least 24
hours before painting. That will give it time to shrink up so that you can see all
of the detail and form a good bond with the vinyl.

If you used a primer color other than white then you may want to coat any areas that will
have light tones like flesh, yellow, or red with white paint. This will let the final color show
without any color distortion from the base coat.
Some vinyls may react with some types of primers. The safest thing to do is to spray some
primer on one of the scrap pieces of vinyl that you have left after trimming. Then you can
check to see that the primer dries properly and doesn't cause any surface bumps.
Some brands of primer to try are Floquil, Armory, and Krylon.

Painting
Painting will really make your kit
come to life, so take your time and
watch your back! Painting is a
subject all to itself, so read up on
painting basics and then move on to
sealing your kit.

Sealing
The final step is to seal your great paint job. There are two
reasons for sealing: to keep the paint from lifting and to apply a
final surface texture. You can create a wet surface look by using
gloss coating and a flatter look by using a matte coating.
Some brands of sealer to try are Floquil, Gunze Sangyo, and Krylon.

Washes and Drybrushing: A Weathering Primer

Got a model that youd like to see look really old or beat up? Think
your finished model looks too "off the assembly line"? Well, then
you want to add some sort weathering effects -- ie, you want to
make it look like it's been exposed to the elements, it's
environment, and wear and tear of everyday use. Washes and
drybrushing are two was to add the illusion of such effects using
paint. And they're pretty easy to do.
What Effect Do You Want?
Paint the subassembly or section of the model you're working on
the base color first. Allow the part adequate time to dry. I usually
wait about an hour or two after the paint is dry to the touch to start
handling the part. Next, chose what you want the model to look
like. Do you want worn metal? Would you like the model to look
rusty or dirty? Answer that and proceed accordingly.
Lets say you want the wing of the Bird-of-Prey to look rusty. As
you know, there are paints on the market called "rust". Just one
color rust wont cut it in most cases. In nature, patterns are very
random and unpredictable. Youll also notice that rust isnt always
dark reddish brown. It can be shades of brown and sometimes
orange and green depending on the environmental conditions and
what type of metal is being weathered. So, all that having been
said, Id suggest applying one shade of brown after the other using various methods like washing,
rubbing and dry-brushing. Well get to the nuts and bolts later.
What I recommend first is to apply a little "rust" paint first. Just a
little. Dab some on to the edges of the wing in some places leaving
a few clean spots. Before it completely dries, run the dry brush
over the paint quickly and firmly enough to move the paint around
some making a gradation between the base coat and the rust
color. Now, add other shades of brown in a similar fashion
remembering to randomize the approach. Dont be afraid to be
more liberal with some colors over others. This is your model,
remember. Also, try a wash to make it look like some rust has
seeped into a crack or crevice.
Now, on to metals. Some ships in space, the ones that can go planetside in particular could be subject
to hulls being battered by wind storms or the landing gear gets all scratched up by the ship landing on
a rocky or rough surface. Try to imagine what the metal is underneath the base coat of the model if it
was real. Using the same dry brushing technique you used to apply the rust. Start dry brushing on the
metal on the edges and rims of surfaces that would most be exposed to elements that could wear
away the paint in the real world. When weathering with metals, its important to be less enthusiastic
about exposed and bare metal than you would be about rust, dirt or oil stains. What impacts or
scratches the ship would endure would be very minimal and few and far between given the models
"real life" scale. In other words, less is more when weathering with metals.

Paints
In my experience, flat (matte) paints work best for
doing washes, especially with regards to doing
stains of dirt and rust. Gloss or semi-gloss black
or dark brown could be used to simulate an oil or
transmission fluid leak.
Glossy paint doesn't take well to being dry
brushed. It gets sticky and hard to work with. It's
not impossible to do, just difficult. Flat paint would
be the ideal choice for drybrushing.
The type of paint you use for either technique
should ideally be different than the base coat - for
instance, if you painted the model with an enamel,
you should use an acrylic or oil paint to do the
washes. If you use the same type of paint, the thinner or the paint itself may interact with the base
color and ruin the effect. If you want to use the same types of paint for the weathering as you did for
the base coat, seal the base coat first with a clear coat of another type (for instance, seal an enamel
base coat with a clear acrylic coat before using enamel washes).
I've found that Testors' Acryl is the best to use for both washes and dry brushing. It really applies well
and cleans up nicely. You don't need any special thinner for Acryl either. Plain rubbing alchohol will
work to thin down Acryl enough to wash with. The Acryl Thinner doesn't thin down the paint enough to
do an effective wash with. I used to use Testors' enamels almost excusivley and they do a really nice
job with weathering but the convienience of being able to clean brushes and mishaps with water or
alchohol is more appealing than using stinky solvents.
Hands-on
Ive talked a lot about washes and dry-brushing but what does it all mean and how do you do it? Im
glad you asked!
Dry brushing is using a brush to apply a non-liquid pigment
meduim to enhance raised detail of a scale model. True enough
but what the dont mention is that the non-liquid may once have
been liquid. You only need to make it non-liquid. Take your brush
(not your best one - an old one will do nicely), dab it into the paint
thats pooled in the cap of the paint youre going to use. Dont dip it
into the paint jar itself because the many bristles can suck up too
much paint and cause a mess. Its best if you use a small amount
of paint on the brush on the tip. Now, rub the brush into a piece of
paper a bit moving away from the spot where you put the brush to
the paper until the paint starts to look dry. Thats the indicator of when to start dry-brushing. Quickly
run the brush back and fourth just above the point
where you want the weathering to take place.
Move toward the model slowly still making the
rapid back and fourth motion with the brush. Do
as much or as little of this as you want all the
while checking your progress. Excess paint is
hard to get off one spot on a model.
Washes, when applied correctly and enhance the
sunken or recessed detail of your model. They
can also be used to add stains if you like. First,
you need to chose the color youd like to do a
wash with, thats a given. I like to use the cap of

the paint I chose to mix the wash. From there, I dip my brush into. The bristles hold quite a bit of liquid
and when touched against something, it releases most of that liquid.
To mix a good wash, dont think of a wash as being paint thinned down, think of it as thinner
contaminated by paint. Test the wash on a scrap piece of platic with some greebles (small raised bits)
and see how it looks in an hour. If its too light, add more paint. Too dark? Well, you do the math.
To apply the wash, just touch the tip of the brush against where you want the paint to flow. The contact
of the brush to the surface releases the fluid and lets it drain onto what youre weathering. When
applied to a glossy surface, the wash will tend to run down engraved detail and pool around the edges
of raised detail. Over a flat or matte surface, the wash will spread out and stain the entire area. Both
looks have their uses.
Sometimes, its nice to wipe up the wash solution with a paper towel. Thats to let the paint stay in
recessed parts like panel lines but making the panel itself look more clean (This works best over a
glossy surface).
Again, I cant emphasize the importance of making your weathering job look random. When youre
making something look really old and beat up, dont be afraid to really go to town and be aggressive
with the brush. Use it like a mop sometimes. Youll be surprised at the results.