Miniature Figurines

  The stallion has received his white coat - rattle-can spray in matt acrylic lacquer and that was the easy part! Once fully hardened I will start on the hard work of detailing him by hand-brushing.

(Note that all images enlarge when clicked)  I am absolutely delighted with the way this 1/16th version of the Felicia figurine has turned out and have no hesitation in thanking MidniteMaker (Tim) for the superb job he did in printing her. All the detail that is found on the 1/10th version is there....every little bit, down to the smallest filigree on the skirt and the finest etching on her left arm. I finished the base in a sort of "industrial" mode....the gears and wheels, pipes and chequer-plate simply sprayed grey and then shaded with a grimy black wash. Even the green paint around the edge has been scuffed to appear worn.  The pedestal is a turned wooden block that I've had floating around for ages and although the resin base of the figure is oval, it still sits within the diameter of the surface of the block. All painting was completed using Vallejo's "Model Air" acrylics, all applied by hand. Although I had purchased an airbrush & compressor, I so...

The 1/16th version of Felicia is slowly being clothed with paint. Over the past week I have finished her skirt/dress and have started on the leather accoutrements....her bodice, belts and leggings, the latter having just received a first wash today. There are a couple of methods I use to age, or give a weather-worn appearance to, clothing. With mini-Felicia, once the first two washes of blue were applied - and had hardened over a few days - I used a soft-bristled toothbrush, and a finger, to apply and gently rub Gumption over the high spots. This has the effect of thinning them and leaving the darker, thicker coats, in the recesses. For the leather a similar method is used but not with Gumption, just with a dry microfibre cloth and this practice adds a low sheen to the surface, simulating polished leather. The leggings will receive the same treatment once the final washes have been completed. Vallejo "Model Air" paints - hand-brushed -  have been used for all the painting of ...

  I have finished the preliminary undercoating using Vallejo Model Air acrylics and am now ready to start the final painting using artist's oil paints. The prime reason behind the decision to use oils is that Eowyn wears a lot of leather, and I have found over time that I can get a more accurate likeness in oils. I think it's because of the natural satin sheen of the oil paint. So I'm letting the figurine sit for several days to ensure that the undercoats are perfectly dry and hard and then I'll start applying the oil-paint finishes. As mentioned in the previous post, the chain-mail was done using the acrylic Rust and Aluminium, so that part is completed. More will follow.  

I am currently applying the undercoat washes to miss Eowyn, and this is being done using Vallejo's "Model Air " acrylics. From what I've been able to learn via images from the movies (and the action model shown in the first of this series) the colours are rather subdued and, I would imagine, hark back to a time when nature provided the dyes used for clothing. There certainly weren't any artificial man-made dyes. So that being said, Eowyn's garb will, apart from the chain-mail, be predominantly earthy colours for the fabrics and brown/red for the leather pieces and belts. My intention is to do the final detailing using artist's oils, in a similar fashion to the method I used for Felicia . Oh....you may also note that she is no longer holding her sword, the result of my clumsiness (again). However, it will stay removed until the last thing so that I reduce the likelihood of dislodging it again! More will follow.   UPDATE: Sunday 27th. August 2023 I have deci...

Eowyn is a character who features in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fictional works and in two of Peter Jackson's movies, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King . In both cases she is played by Miranda Otto, and the 1/6th action figure shown above (by Asmus Toys) is a likeness of that character.   My figurine (above, and following) is from Garfie's Games, an eBay store, is 3-D printed and is in 1/12th scale. Yesterday I finished the cleaning process and then primed the figure, ready to start painting. As per the previous figures featured in this blog, I am using Vallejo's "Model Air" acrylics and the very first thing I did was to give Eowyn a wash of thin black. This has the effect of lightly shading the tiny recesses, clefts and creases in the chain-mail and the coarse-weave under garment. Once thoroughly dry I will start on the colour washes. More to follow as work progresses.

  This figurine was a pleasure to assemble and paint and when completing the job I decided to give her a "wound"....she has scratched her shin, as can be seen in the photo above. Nothing serious and she'll get around to applying a band-aid from the first-aid kit strapped to her right leg. ra The detailing on Hayzel is very fine......I discovered that the first-aid pouches even include zippers! Another miniature has been ordered and this time it's another 1/12 scale item (same size as Felicia - featured in an earlier post) and is a representation of Eowyn, from Lord of the Rings . Her assembly and painting will be featured here.

The title of this post is taken from a pop song from the 1960s, but the spelling was "Hazel", not the Korean-English shown here. "Hayzel" is from the "Girls in Action" series, by ZKPLA (formerly Tori Factory) and is in 1/20th scale. The kit comes with an alternative head - the box-art above shows Hayzel wearing a helmet and visor closed. I chose to go with the full-face with hair version. In addition to the figure's components (torso, head+hair, arms and legs) there is also a rucksack, a fry-pan, a first-aid kit, a pair of sneaker-clad feet and a superb M4 automatic rifle. There were sprue joins to be removed and support pieces in the crook of the elbows and also behind the knees. The sneakers were beautifully moulded, with very high detail for the size. These little items of footwear are only 13mm in length yet have all the features of a pair of full-size sneakers! I used Gunze "Mr. Surfacer 500" to blend the joins where the legs attached to...

Nuts Planet "Advance Guard Heavy Gunner" Certainly a change from what I've done up to this point, this threatening figure is in 1/24th scale and, once again, the casting work is very finely detailed. I have a feeling that these figurines are actually 3D-printed because the same figure can appear in other scales. This one is also available is 1/35th scale and that would be impossible if done using a conventional mould & casting method. The kit comes with most of it in one casting and then there are several separate items to be added, including the impressive multi-barrel chain gun and ammunition feed. There was negligible flash and casting seams to be cleaned up and after a trial assembly I primed the pieces with grey automotive lacquer, let them dry and harden for a day and then undercoated with a wash of Vallejo "Air" black. This gave a good metallic appearance and provided a base on which I then started to detail with washes of dark m...

Vesty completed. The (1/20th scale) young lady member of the militia has been completed and stands on a hand-made clay base. The painting is all acrylic.....no oils in this project.....and I am very pleased with the way the Vallejo "Air" acrylics work when brushed on. I am also delighted with the casting from this manufacturer (ZLPA) because the detail is so fine and crisp, right down to the smallest item. You cannot see the watch face because my camera does not focus down to that macro distance, but the two hands are included in the casting. Incredible in something this size! A pleasure to assemble and paint. I have another from the "Girls In Action" series in 1/20th scale and will feature her here in due course.

"Vesty" - from the Girls In Action series. Here is a 1/20th figure - a nice size to work with and a good compromise between the 1/35th and 1/16th figures from the same studio. In fact, they only have one 1/16th and that is "Cassie" , a figure I've already done and featured here. This one depicts a female para-military and she is shown stretching and yawning and, once again, the detail is very fine. So fine, in fact, that it wasn't after until I had cleaned, primed and undercoated her (as shown here) that I noticed her upper teeth and her tongue had been modelled! That is amazing on a casting of this size. (Photo above taken with a DJI Osmo Pocket camera) . I am so used to the days of white-metal castings from the 1980s that I am still being gobsmacked by what is being achieved today in resins, both 3D-prints and castings. (Photo above taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40) Vesty is currently undergoing preparation for finishing in Vallejo ...