Updated w/better photos.

Well, I just finished it up and here's some pix. A friend of mine, who's a proper photographer, is going to take some decent photos and I'll put them up in this place when they become available. But, in the meantime, take a look and let me know what you think. I'm still open to refining it, so if anyone has any suggestions, please say so. And, once again, my sincere thanks for all the nice things everyone has said.

Holy crap, Alex! That's a masterpiece! :thumbsup:

And just how the hell are you gonna refine that?!? As James rightly stated, it's a masterpiece!! Fantastic work Alex. It's comp quality plus!!
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Chris.:)

Looks like an award winner to me!

Can someone else possibly outdo this paint job.This is the type of finish job you would like to see of this kit on the back side of the kit box.:thumbsup:

Excellent work!!!

Thank you very much, everyone. I realized this morning that the pix I drunkenly put up last night were not the best, so I re-posted what are, I hope, slightly better ones.

Again, I so appreciate all the nice comments.

Wow!!!

Awesome work!!!

Huzz

Words fail me. Alex - you say this kit is the first you've done in years but you obviously possess some mad skills. How did you get them?

Alex,

GREAT work on this AWESOME kit! This is the best build-up/paintjob I have seen so far on this kit!

Truelly wonderful work, Alex!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

MMM

'Tis a thing of beauty.
I really admire that jaw-dropping work on the coat and the wood floor.

:thumbsup:Thats the best ive seen, fantastic work on the beakers and flasks,
And the coat and everything FANTASTIC.:thumbsup:

Thanks once more to everyone. I'm overwhelmed by the great response.

Zorro, I guess the answer would be osmosis. I work in a special effects shop, not one that does models, but we do creature effects. Suits and prosthetics and stuff like that. I don't do much artistically, since I work in the mold department, but I have molded and cast and assembled a lot of design maquettes, which taught me a lot about being careful and precise. And then having seen lots of great paint jobs and all-around creative work being done, I suppose I've just been taking that all in and storing away techniques and ideas. So, that and a lot of luck. Plus I should mention my friend Tim who is the main painter where I work and was incredibly generous as far as letting me use his supplies and giving me tons of tips and encouragement. And discouragement, where needed.

Again, I appreciate very much the kind words.

A sweet piece of modeling.
Love the authentic looking labels, handprint, even the blue flame for the bunsen burner.
Thanks for making it look so good!

A sweet piece of modeling.
Love the authentic looking labels, handprint, even the blue flame for the bunsen burner.
Thanks for making it look so good!

The bunsen burner....Jeez! You noticed that?! Thank YOU Chris for saying so. Deeply appreciated. Like I said before, the kit itself was so inspiring. I just tried to do it justice.

Wow! Amazing work!

Well, what can be said that hasn't aready been stated???

Mate that is just a flamin beauty and I can only bow to your brilliance and talent. Top Job :thumbsup:

Wow...

amazing work!

How did you paint the texture on the coat???

Could it be that spray-on stone finsh paint or something similar?

Huzz

Did anyone else notice the hat?

It actually looks like felt! :eek:

Outstanding work.

Rob
Iwata Padawan

Very nice.......the best one so far.

Buzz

Could it be that spray-on stone finsh paint or something similar?


How did you paint the texture on the coat???

Thank you. I used "Faux Fabric" paint from Scale Motorsport:

http://store.scalemotorsport.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SM&Category_Code=PAINT

First hitting it with the 'Velvet Gray', then dusting it with Black, then another light coat of the Gray. It took two attempts to get the look I wanted, but the paint is pretty cool. It comes out sort of thick, so you get a slight pebbly texture. For the lapels on the overcoat, I masked everything off and hit that with just the Black Faux Fabric spray.

Thanks again for the kind words.

Did anyone else notice the hat? It actually looks like felt! :eek:
Rob
Iwata Padawan

I really appreciate your saying so. I was shooting for that look. Originally I was going to make the hat leather looking, like the shoes, but then I read a passage from the book that mentioned his 'felt hat', and did what I could towards that end. On the other hand, when I painted the overcoat, the whole time I was thinking "Wool", and everyone who's seen it has said basically "Hey, a tweed jacket".... Oh, uh, yeah..... 'Tweed' is what I meant to do, absolutely!... So I'm glad the felt effect came through.

Alex

The more I look, the better it gets, Alex! Wow!

I have never posted before but have been hanging around at times. That is a fantastic job. I only hope mine even looks half as good when I get a chance to build it. Thanks for the info on the paints, something to add to my list of items to buy. I need to retire today rather than 2 years from now. Moebius has made retirement even nicer to look forward to.

Outstanding paint job Alex! :thumbsup: Excellent detail work.

Alex,

Can you explain to me how you got the wood texture to the top of the table. Did you etch lines into it to simulate the wood splits?
I have been looking at all the build-ups so far and everyone has had a different approach.

Tell me how you did this part if you please...

thx,
MMM

Really outstanding job all the way around on it!

I's a stunning piece of work! The fabric of his coat..amazing

Simply stunning.

Steve

I don't know why I bother. Simply FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!

Nicely done!

Alex,

Can you explain to me how you got the wood texture to the top of the table. Did you etch lines into it to simulate the wood splits?
I have been looking at all the build-ups so far and everyone has had a different approach.

Tell me how you did this part if you please...

thx,
MMM

Thanks for taking a look, and thanks to everyone recently who's said such nice things. This thread had moved so far down the list that I didn't expect to see any more comments on it.

Anyway, the table top... I sanded it lightly, then mixed up some auto body filler (Not Bondo, but this really fine stuff who's name escapes me). I smeared that across the surface, then just as the filler was starting to set, I scribed 'wood grain' lines into it with a pointy sculpting tool. It looks pretty rotten at first, all lumpy and irregular, but then I carefully sanded down the surface with a wood block and some 120 grit, and I got a flat table top with wood grain. It's easy, but the timing of dragging the tool thru the semi-setting filler is tricky. I would try it on some disposable surface first, just to get the hang of it. Naturally, my first time test turned out much better than when I did it for real, but what's done is done. I think I also took a small file and and an X-acto and added some lines and nicks to the outer edge.

Thanks again for the kind words, everyone.

AD-L

Beautiful job!:)

Thanks for taking a look, and thanks to everyone recently who's said such nice things. This thread had moved so far down the list that I didn't expect to see any more comments on it.

Anyway, the table top... I sanded it lightly, then mixed up some auto body filler (Not Bondo, but this really fine stuff who's name escapes me). I smeared that across the surface, then just as the filler was starting to set, I scribed 'wood grain' lines into it with a pointy sculpting tool. It looks pretty rotten at first, all lumpy and irregular, but then I carefully sanded down the surface with a wood block and some 120 grit, and I got a flat table top with wood grain. It's easy, but the timing of dragging the tool thru the semi-setting filler is tricky. I would try it on some disposable surface first, just to get the hang of it. Naturally, my first time test turned out much better than when I did it for real, but what's done is done. I think I also took a small file and and an X-acto and added some lines and nicks to the outer edge.

Thanks again for the kind words, everyone.

AD-L

Beautiful explaination! That was what I was thinking you did...it is a subtle difference that really looks great on your kit as compared to others!

Thanks AD-L!

MMM

Beautiful work there, friend - truly stellar - :thumbsup: -your attention to detail is remarkable.

Incredible work down to the hat on the rug!!

All I can say is, once more, a sincere thank-you to everyone for the response to the kit. I am really humbled and overwhelmed, and I truly appreciate it.

Alex. But you guys can call me Brent.

Very, very nice work on this one :)

I was going to post a new topic, but since this one conveniently ended up on the front page again, I'll just say it here: At the suggestion of my friend Russ I took my IM model to the "Monster Palooza" convention in Burbank and entered it into AFM's model contest. I placed first in the "Classic Horror" category! I was thrilled and very pleased, but mostly surprised, as there were some terrific model and garage-kit entries. I came away with a 1st place certificate and a Moebius 'Big Frankie" kit. Anyway, I say this not to brag, though I am, but to say a hearty "Thank You!" to everyone here who gave me so much encouragement and praise. I would literally have not had the moxie to enter the kit in the first place if it wasn't for all the responses I'd gotten on this site. So thanks everyone for your feedback. More than ever, it's greatly appreciated.

Brent.

Congratulations, Brent!!!!!
And thanks for making him look so good!

Congratulations, Brent!!!!!
And thanks for making him look so good!

Thank you Chris, but it's the other way 'round. The kit is so inspiring. It's pretty rare when one template can inspire so many different, and equally cool and valid, interpretations. There was actually another IM entered in the "Classic Horror" category, and the way he painted the overcoat made it look like a smoking jacket. It was bright blue and yellow, and while it was an odd choice, it still worked and was really neat. More kits like this, please... It was so fun to work on.

Brent.

Hey, congrats on the award! It's so good to see styrene kits pick-up awards since they sometimes get overshadowed by their resin cousins. How was the show by the way? Good attendance? Lots of models in the contest?

How was the show by the way? Good attendance? Lots of models in the contest?

I had my doubts going in, but it seemed like a lot of people showed up. Not a crazy amount, but it was certainly popular. And just overall it seemed like a really good show. I'd given up on just about all conventions, except for Comic-Con, and even that became a victim of it's own success, and I haven't gone for a few years.

But this was good, and I hope they do it again next year. As for the kits, I believe they said that there were 42 total, dispersed among 6 categories. Some real beauties, too. A 'Pred-Alien' resin kit with a gorgeous paint job, an 'Elvira' kit which (deservedly) won the 'Best Of Show' award.... Really too much to mention.

With any luck, the show and the contest will be back. Bigger and better than ever.

Gongratulations on the win Alex.:woohoo:

What you blokes can do with figures just blows me away. Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but I really love the floor and the rug too. On first glance I could've sworn it was carved from hoop or cypris pine cause you prtty much nailed the colours and grain look. :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Alec.

Holy mother of god... that is awesome!!!
I am about to start modeling again and will work on this one. Can you tell me if you used an airbrush? What brand paint, glue and putty did you use?

Man.... I know mine could never look that good!


Updated w/better photos.

Well, I just finished it up and here's some pix. A friend of mine, who's a proper photographer, is going to take some decent photos and I'll put them up in this place when they become available. But, in the meantime, take a look and let me know what you think. I'm still open to refining it, so if anyone has any suggestions, please say so. And, once again, my sincere thanks for all the nice things everyone has said.

Thank you. I used "Faux Fabric" paint from Scale Motorsport:

http://store.scalemotorsport.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SM&Category_Code=PAINT

First hitting it with the 'Velvet Gray', then dusting it with Black, then another light coat of the Gray. It took two attempts to get the look I wanted, but the paint is pretty cool. It comes out sort of thick, so you get a slight pebbly texture. For the lapels on the overcoat, I masked everything off and hit that with just the Black Faux Fabric spray.

Thanks again for the kind words.

I had to post again... the detail is super. Please explain how you did the carpet and flooring.

Holy mother of god... that is awesome!!!
I am about to start modeling again and will work on this one. Can you tell me if you used an airbrush? What brand paint, glue and putty did you use?

Man.... I know mine could never look that good!

Well, thank you so much for saying so. I did not use an airbrush. This is the first kit I've done in a really long time, and I knew from the few occasions that I have used an airbrush that I would just get into trouble, so I stuck with just different brush painting techniques and some canned spray paint. I see that you already found my post about the Faux Fabric paint, so there's that.

I'm not trying to be evasive, but while I was doing the kit I just kind of made it up as I went along and couldn't easily say exactly what I did. Also, a lot of the paints and techniques were borrowed from my friend Tim Gore. While I did all the actual work, he was invaluable in coaxing me along and giving me tips. And keep in mind it was last November when I did it....

If I remember right, the floor was mostly acrylic paints. Just that, not model paints. That would be true for a lot of it. Acrylic paint to get the colors down, and then going over that with some oil paint to age things. But it varied. For instance, the figure itself (aside from the overcoat) was almost all acrylic paint, while the bookcase was mostly oils. The books were a combination. 'Effects' type stuff, like the metallic look on the goggles, and the green and blue bottles, I did with Tamiya paints. They have a spectacular and almost bewildering selection of paints. Translucent, pearlescent, acrylics, enamels... I think I use at least one from each category.

The rug is easy. I went to a hobby store and asked to look at their doll house rugs, and picked one out. Soaked it in some strong tea to muddy it up, then sanded it a bit to add some wear and tear.

I wish I could be more specific, but believe me, I was just flailing along and trying to not mess up too badly. I can get back to you with info on the glue and putty....

Hope this helps, though I don't know that it did. Sorry...

Brent.