Topic: Clonehead's Custom Figures reloaded

[Clonehead]

Well, I got the detail painting done on the Pond's figure and all that remained was to mix up some flesh tone to make the Rex head that I used, to look bald. Funny thing, all the time I spent mixing the dark red color for Pond's, Fox's, and the two Coruacant guard's graphics and all the time, I had a bottle of model master rust in my paint inventory that matched it perfectly. I didn't discover it until I started painting the ground work for Pond's Ryloth diorama. Figures.

Well I mixed a skin tone one shade lighter than the Pond figure's skin tone. That way, I could leave the negative parts of the face" inner ear, laugh lines, etc" unpainted leaving the slightly darker stock color and adding more depth to those areas.

I will be ready to show some final reveal pics of Ponds as soon as I get the border of his Ryloth diorama stained.

After that, I will move back to the contest mando and see what I can do to bring him more twards completion. Remember folks, as soon as I wrap up that contest mando, I will reveal the details of the contest so If you are not a registered shipyards member and wish to compete for the mando, you had better register now.

[Clonehead]

I Have some final reveal shots of the Ponds figure and his diorama, here. There are more shots of this project in my diorama thread.

[Clonehead]

Gotta love shooting pic in the sunlight.
See the cat behind the storm door, wondering why I won't let her out?

[Clonehead]

More outside shots. I am posting more shots over in my diorama thread.

[Clonehead]

Well, I touched up the spots I missed on the Ponds figure and replaced the applicable shots in his auction. "sheesh, I guess I am a perfectionist as accused"

Now, back to the contest mando figure...............
In the first two shots, I have started some of the detail painting to his alternate helmet but have a ways to go, there and I also have to make the two planned additions to that helmet that I had mentioned earlier in this thread.

In the second two shots, I am working on his time  consuming camo scheme and like the look of the yellow camo by itself but feel that the dark brown outline brings the camo to a more realistic looking scale and adds more detail which is an attribute that Tamer knows that I strive for.

I will work on this figure thoughout the day but I don't know if I will finish him, today.

Remember, as soon as I finish this guy, I will reveal the details to the upcoming contest where registered members can compete to win him and his diorama. If all goes well, I plan on starting this contest in the next day or two.

[Clonehead]

Is a LAAT bigger than the standard gunship or about the same size?
 What was your idea about using the standard size gunship, Alex?


I've got a few update shots on the contest mando's half done camo scheme, here.  As I mentioned, I am throwing some camo details on his jet-pack, as well. I still need to paint the little cape the same color as his undercoverings and then, camo that, also.

[Clonehead]

I had told Tamer that I had done a few sketches while on break in the car, the other day, of conceptual designs of some of the interior elements that I might create for our Heavy gun platform walker project that is looming in the near future.
  He is about as curious as usual about these sketches and I told him that I would post them, tonight.
Keep in mind that these are just thumbnail sketches and arn't as refined as the sketches that I posted back on page 32.
In usual artists fashion, my handwriting is less than pretty so good luck reading the captions.
  If we are to go ahead with the walker that opens up to reveal the gun-plan, I wanted to mount some simulated hydraulic rams to open and close the panels with and their pumps with conduit leading to a control panel somewhere. This pump control panel may serve double duty as a fire control panel, as well. I'm assuming that I will have room for these details as I haven't gotten around to taking Tamer's walker apart to see first hand.

[Clonehead]

I have been hard at work on the never ending camo scheme on our contest mando, this morning.
First shot shows that I painted his little cloth cape intermittently with the lighter brown color. I will camo that cape, later.
Second and third shot, Man, this dark outline to the camo takes forever! Keep in mind that I will touch up the corresponding other two colors after I finish this outline. "the lighter brown and the yellow"

[Clonehead]

Nice shot there, Alex. Thanks for the compliment. I've been told that I have patience.

Time for some more contest mando update shots...........

Well, I think that I am at a complete looking point as far as his camo goes. Whew! What a chore that was!
I have carried the one color camo scheme onto this little shoulder cape and I think I will leave it with just the yellow camo to make it appear a little different.

[Clonehead]

I got the dark brown on the jet pack's camo scheme, also.
I did some more detail painting done on the extra helmet but still need to touch up the yellow some more. I haven't started any of the helmet's extra additions, yet. That's next on the list.

[Clonehead]

Needing a little break from the contest mando, I went ahead with my idea of putting an Incinerator trooper's paint scheme on a skinny Clone Wars style figure.

The first two shots show the skinny clone next to the 3-pack's Incinerator trooper for comparison.
In the third shot, I have started putting the graphics on and so far, they don't look too bad considering I haven't touched anything up, yet. I'm using that same rust color which doesn't quite match the factory trooper's color but I think that it will turn out cool. I'll make this one next week's ebay sacrificial clone.

[Clonehead]

Trying to finish up that contest mando's extra helmet, I brought it's detail painting alot closer to completion. I still have some touchups to do in the dark brown color around the visor and on a couple of the exterior detail lines. I may throw some paint on the one large side vent.

[Clonehead]

Now for the first and easiest of the two planned mods for this helmet.
Using the pin-vise, I drilled a hole in the top of the left side vent about 1/8th of an inch deep.
Then, I chose a length of fine gauge craft wire and cut a piece of hollow wire insulation and slipped it over the end of the wire to serve as a grommet. Finally, I glued the piece in place allowing some length of wire to be exposed under the grommet to penetrate the drilled hole in the helmet. I will trim the new antenna shorter and paint it, later.

[Clonehead]

Feeling some momentum with this part of the project, I went ahead and worked on the second mod for the contest mando's extra helmet.
Using an extra resin-cast rangefinder that I had set aside for this project, I drilled a small hole sideways towards the bottom of the rangefinder's mounting extension drilling completely through the piece.
I then switched to a bigger bit "1mm" and drilled a hole almost but not quite through the side of the helmet where the grommet to hold the swing-mounting wire will be located at. "alot of piece to piece comparison was made prior to this to decide on a good location for appearance and clearance of the visor shade of the helmet as the rangefinder traveled through it's swinging arc"
I then test fit the wire insulation by poking it into the hole in the helmet's side. After doing this, I decided to make the hole a bit deeper. Then, I cut a length of the wire insulation to stick out a bit, and placed it into the hole and precision glued around the outside of the grommet where it met and recessed into the helmet. Some care was taken during this step as I want to leave the hollow part of the little grommet to accept the wire that will be attached to the rangefinder stawk.

[Clonehead]

Well, that part worked out ok. Next, I mounted a piece of craft wire into the hole drilled into the rangefinder's stawk to penetrate all the way through but not to pass the back side of the resin stawk. More precision gluing was performed to the backside of the stawk where the wire ended and to the frontside, around where the shaft of the wire penetrated the resin stawk. After the glue on both pieces had dried, I then trimmed the mounting wire shorter and poked it into it's receiving grommet for the first time.
  We are talking about some precision work on some small parts here' folks. I'm glad that the cat decided to leave me alone, this morning.