Having been MIA for a couple of years...although I have stayed in touch with what's been going on here...I thought it was time to put in an appearance again
With the current state of world affairs...not to mention the financial standing of so many of us...it was a pleasant surprise to find this bad boy packed away and forgotten.
It comes from Black Sun Miniatures and is titled 'Orc'Rager' sculpted by Joaquin Palacios...with the scale being quoted as 75mm...although it's much closer to 90mm IMHO.
With the casting and detail being first class...I was surprised at the poor quality of the fit...which involved some tricky work with a razor saw and plenty of filler to over come.
Whilst engaged in rectifying the fit issues...I also decided to alter a couple of small details...adding a strap from copper to his axe...and replacing his lower teeth/tusks with a couple of tooth pick ends...which were turned down in the Dremel to make them thinner and more pointed than the two supplied tiny bits of resin.
Another area I felt needed attention was the very deep 'valley' where his spine would be...which i leveled up with liquid putty.
The biggest area of concern was his right arm...it just would not fit tightly to the shoulder/torso...and...unlike the left arm...which is moulded to the torso and split at the elbow area...his right was cast in one piece from the shoulder to the hand and weapon.
This meant that if I joined it to remedy the bad fit...it then made painting very awkward...so my remedy was to cut it at the point where the forearm protection began and...as with the left arm...fix the upper portion to the torso...and correct the fit...which now allowed me much better access to the otherwise obstructed areas.
I will let the pictures illustrate the above comments.....




The white area on the arm is a shim of 1mm plasti card...which is there to replace what the razor saw removed...and also to fit the hollow I created to accept it back onto the lower arm with no visible join.

Ron

to be continued............

With the prep completed...next came a solid coat of black primer...left to gas off for twenty minutes...then several mist coats of matt white primer were applied.
The first three mist coats were applied using the 'zenithal' approach (directly from above)...with the next coats applied from ever decreasing angles...which leaves only the deepest recesses as shadows.
I did it this way because...rather than the generally accepted green skin tone associated with orcs...I want to try something different for this piece
First the bits en masse.....



Next...some shots of the main character.....



I think you can clearly see why I chose to alter the left arm and make the painting much easier.

Ron

to be continued............

The simple act of levelling out the spinal groove makes a huge difference .
The mind of modeller at work
D

nice basic approach

Sometimes one needs to do little chnges to get better access for painting. Looking forward to see the painting process.

Thanks Del...have to say...it just couldn't be left like that...and agree...looks far more natural now.

Cheers Frank...simple is always best.

Thanks Nap...always appreciate your support.

Many thanks for comment...and yes...anything that makes life easier is worth the effort.

As I said earlier...I want to get away from the stereotypical 'green' orc flesh tones and try something different on this one.
In a conversation with Del...he sent me a couple of pics which got me thinking.....



Whilst considering which would work best...taking into account his clothing/armour and weapons etc. ...it struck me that each of the above flesh tones would...to a different degree...clash with those aspects.
For instance...the darker tone would hide his leather and the wood...whilst the lighter flesh would detract from the bone and furs.
The 'war paint' would not be a problem...simply a case of reversing the colours...white on brown and vice versa.
In mixing a tone for my usual 'scrub coat'...and still not committing to either of the above flesh tones...I went for a middle ground...one which would work as the base tone for either.....



Although the hands and weapons look like a different shade was used...this is simply down to thinning the paint back further than on the figure itself.....



The next layer will determine which direction I take with the actual flesh tone.

Ron

to be continued............

That is some serious flesh work ahead, awesome, Ron!

Many thanks Ski...great to hear from ya

Great Kit!!!! Looking forward to your artistry!

Kevin D.