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The figures came out of the cereal box in very good condition. None of them had any really obvious molding lines and the detailing was rather good so not much preparation work was required. |
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I treated the model in two stages since the base was detachable from the main bust (it actually contained a brief outline of the character). So the first thing I did was undercoat the bust using Humbrol Acrylic Matt Grey (5064). I always tend to undercoat in grey because I find it shows up any imperfections and provides a good base for the paint. I decided on Acrylics because I have the most experience in that medium and also because of the short drying time and ease of use. |
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The base colours were applied next. I have always found that in most cases working from the inside to the outside is a good way to apply base colours. By that I mean look at the layers of the model and start with the inner layer first. In this case that happens to be the skin then the inner clothes and finally the robe and belt. Since Darth Maul wears predominantly black the layers of clothes were all done at the same time after I had base coated his face using Humbrol Acrylic Matt Red (5152). The black that I used was Citadel's Chaos Black. I have used Citadel colours for several years and not only like the imaginative names but find that the paints are of a general good standard. |
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After the base colours were dry (not long due to the fact that the acrylics used only have about a minute drying time in warm conditions) I moved onto shading. The black for his robes doesn't require shading but I decided to cover his head using Citadel's Brown Ink. For larger or more detailed models I usuallly mix Red and Black Ink in various quantities to shade red but have been very pleased with the results obtained from shading with this standard brown colour. |
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I then started detailing the entire model. The red used on the head and face was again Humbrol Acrylic, the black on the head was Citadel Chaos Black and the robes were highlighted with a dark blue-grey mix made from Citadel Chaos Black, Humbrol Acrylic Matt Grey and tiny drop of Humbrol Acrylic Gloss Blue (5015). |
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The black and red on the head and face were given a second thin coat to make the colours slightly stronger (the front and back of the model is shown). Notice how I have painted all of his horns red because I thought it would be easier to leave a thin red line at the bottom of each horn (as it was in the film) than it would be to paint the red line in afterwards |
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I then started to work on the highlights again giving the robes another coating using a blue-grey mixture that was just slightly lighter than the first one. The red sections of the face were highlighted using a mix of Humbrol Acrylic Matt Red (5152) and Humbrol Acrylic Matt Pink (5057) being careful not to put too thick a coat on - the source material I had showed Darth Maul with very rich red colouring so I didn't want the model to look too pale in comparison. |
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His horns were then given a covering of Citadel's Bestial Brown being careful not to obliterate the red line at the base of the horn. The whites of the eyes were painted using Humbrol Acrylic Silk White (5130) before giving them a pale wash of the pink used to highlight his face. The model at this stage seemed to come alive for me. The stages where the eyes and other final details are being considered can make or break a model and I have had my fair share of models that I considered to be looking good until the last few stages whereupon my intentions hadn't been realised and I felt ultimately disappointed with them. |
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Just before final detailing I turned my attention to the base. This was actually the last of the ten models in the set that I had painted so I knew how the base was going to look (I have painted all of them the same). I started with a grey undercoat just like with the main model. |
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I then washed it with a thin coat of Chaos Black. I wanted a more or less solid black colour but didn't want to obscure the text on the base so I applied a couple of thin washes until the desired effect was acheived. |
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I
then started to brush diagonal strokes (bottom left to top right) of Humbrol
Acrylic Metallic Aluminium (5056). It was almost a dry-brushing with the
Aluminium as I wanted some of the black to show through each stroke as well as
between them.
The text on the base was then picked out using a mix of Humbrol Red and Citadel's Shining Gold. I think this gives the gold a much richer colour although I tend to use the red-gold mix as an accompaniment to the normal gold rather than as a replacement. |
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With the base complete, the final detailing of the model was commenced. The horns were dry-brushed with Citadel's Orc Brown and then further dry-brushed with Citadel's Bleached Bone. The eyes were finished by painting a red circle as the iris then, when that was dry, painting a smaller circle of Citadel's Sunburst Yellow inside of that and finally a very small black pupil. |
