Tuesday, October 7, 2014

El Chupacabra - "Planes"




This fine fellow is El Chupacabra from the "Planes" movie, built with the Zvezda snap-fit kit.



The kit comes with simple solid color plastic components, and stickers to make up for all of the detail. I used those stickers to fashion masks for the wings, and then cut-to-fit masks for the wheels, and did the stripes freehand.

These are the best snap-fit kits I've ever seen, and I highly recommend them to any modeler, even if you don't have a kid that might want to build one.


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Remora Noodle House - WIP

I have spent the past few weeks working on one of the Remora kits from Industria Mechanika, and let me say now that I recommend their kits without reservation. I have several now, and each of them is incredible. 

For this one I'm converting the ship into a flying noodle house, inspired by the movie "Fifth Element." There's a long way to go at this point, but it's all starting to come together. Once the kitchen is built out I'll start in on the heavy weathering. I will also be making polymer clay foods, using dollhouse techniques, that won't involve paint.

This kit represents a real stretch for me, as the polymer clay is new, and I'm not much of a scratch builder. But almost everything in the kitchen will be scratch built. In fact, everything in the photo at this point is - including the unfinished cooler cabinet on the back right. I need to space the shelves so you can see the food, which is why I haven't finished the build.

A lot of the little details, like weathering on the engine, or notes in the wheelhouse, will be fairly hard to see, but I've enjoyed putting them there.

Stay tuned....
 








Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

DAK Officer - FINAL








This was a fun, and reasonably quick paint up of the DAK Officer from Alpine Models. I really love their sculpts, and the quality of their resin is excellent -- something I don't say often about resin.

I look forward to painting more of these.

It was painted largely with P3 acrylics, and weathered with Secret Weapon pigments. The base is made up of natural soil, rocks, and pigments.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

NOCF Charity Models - Marneus Calgar & Honor Guard


I am happy to be participating a bit more directly with the NOCF charity army projects this year -- with a set of painted models, in addition to the support of Secret Weapon Miniatures.

They have posted a WIP page for all of the army builds, so you can see exactly how things are coming together in real time.

I only have good things to say about the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation, and the money they raise for charity. Money raised through the raffle goes directly to the charities, and you get a chance to win your choice of several incredible armies. There are also weekly drawings -- including several Secret Weapon gift vouchers.

Check it out - and then give them your money!

http://novaopenfoundation.org/

Friday, April 11, 2014

NOVA Open Charitable Foundation

I am proud to once again be working with the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation to raise money for charity by raffling off two Warhammer 40k armies, art directed by Dave Taylor, and featuring models from a number of well known painters.

For my part I will be painting Marneus Calgar and Honor Guard for the Ultramarines army.

In addition, Secret Weapon will be providing custom bases for both armies, as well as support for a weekly raffle drawing. From the NOCF press release:


The NOVA Open Charitable Foundation (NOCF) is currently selling tickets for the 2014 charity army raffle season. Visit www.novaopenfoundation.org and join the “Compassionate Force” by taking chances on winning one or more of the amazing armies being offered this year and supporting deserving charities in the process!

NOCF WEEKLY DRAWINGS:
NOCF weekly drawings begin tomorrow (April 12, 2014). This week’s prize is a $25 online gift certificate to Secret Weapon Miniatures. Anyone who has purchased tickets in the raffle before midnight tonight is eligible to win as the winner will be drawn from the pool of raffle ticket holders.

Winner will be announced at www.novaopenfoundation.org tomorrow.

WEEKLY PRIZE ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY:
Remember to check the Foundation website ( www.novaopenfoundation.org ) every Sunday between now and August 17, 2014 to see which of our amazing sponsors is offering a gift certificate for the weekly Saturday drawings!

The NOCF is a non-profit organization operated by a Board of Directors in accordance to charitable organization by-laws. Donations are tax deductible; purchase of raffle tickets is not. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please send them to: novacharities@gmail.com.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Nurgle Gunner - FINISHED

There are still things that I'd like to correct, of course, but overall I'm very happy with how this one came together. I am especially pleased with how smooth I managed to get the blending on the front of his leg armor.





Sunday, February 16, 2014

IPMS Hobby Expo 2014


The first show of the year net me five wins at the IPMS Hobby Expo in Petaluma, CA:

Gold - Dioramas - "Castle in the Sky"
Gold - Automobiles - Landscaping Truck
Silver - Figures, Fantasy - Ruby
Silver - Figures, Historical - Japanese Bust
Bronze - Automobiles - Oldsmobile 442 Junker


The automobiles category was a surprise for me, as I never would have guessed that judges would rank my landscaping truck ahead of my junked 442. I'm certainly not complaining about taking two trophies in a category, but I was certainly surprised by the results. When I got the bronze for the 442 I figured that was it for me -- and when they called me back I had no idea what it could be for.

Let me add that the Hobby Expo was, without question, probably the best single day event I've ever attended. It was very well organized, had an INCREDIBLE showing (easily 300-400+ models!), a lot of displays, and other clubs -- such as the 501st Garrison, Astro Mech makers, and lots of prop builders -- in attendance.

And now... back to the hobby table so I can get some painting updates posted.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Nurgle Gunner - WIP

I took a little break from the Hello Kitty car to work on this converted Nurgle gunner, using the WFB Nurgle Lord body with a new head, and the heavy bolter in place of the axe.

At this point only the armor on his legs is finished, but the rest is coming along nicely. I'm actually going to re-paint the gun in a blue - slightly lighter than the cloth you can see on the back of him.

I also need to do some touch-up where he was dropped on his back. OOPS!

The base was made by Roman Lappat of Massive Voodoo fame, and the ammo belt is from Dragon Forge Design.



Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday Night Jukebox: Lull It By (Greg Brown)


This is one that came up on the Tom Waits station on Pandora - and I've had it playing a lot while I paint recently. Enjoy.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Commission: Hello Kitty Supra GT - Sans Transition


I really didn't like the transition - and so today I re-masked the hood and gave the coat an even coverage of a deeper pink metallic. This also allowed me to paint the rims, so they'll match the paint now. It looks a bit more red in the camera phone pic, but it's actually a salmon pink.



The chair received a pink seat, and a carbon treatment similar to the hood. I'll might do some of that on the interior too... but only if it makes sense at the time. I'm still sorting through the pieces and working out the build/paint plan as this is the first time I've done this kit.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Commission: Hello Kitty Supra GT - Paint Transition

The plan for this one was to fade it from a bright pink, to a dark purple, with the carbon fiber hood. Although I've managed to do this, I'm not entirely sure that I like it at this point. I'm hoping that I'll feel differently about it once the Hello Kitty icons are in place.


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Commission: Hello Kitty Supra GT

I don't take on a lot of commissioned projects these days, but when my friends at Powered Play told me they were releasing a new light rig for car kits, and that they wanted me to do a Hello Kitty themed car for them... well... I just couldn't say no.

Now I haven't painted a pristine vehicle since... I honestly can't remember when. But I love Hello Kitty, I like the people involved, and I was glad for an opportunity to use some techniques that I don't generally get to play with. For instance:


I've known HOW to use a mask to create a carbon fiber effect, but I've never had a reason to try it.

Of course the hood on the kit is part of the body - which means that I now have to mask it off, and hope I don't mess it up, while I'm painting the rest of the car.

And the rest of the car will transition from a dark purple metallic in the front, to a bright metallic pink in the back. Because I can. I'll use masks to put Hello Kitty on the doors, tail, and on the hood.