has been watching some documentaries lately set in the Western Desert, and was inspired to create this...
I filed and trimmed all the flash and mold lines from the miniature and hex-base. I used a pin vice, and pinned all the joints for added strength.
I slightly reposed this miniature by cutting off the base, and then angling the left leg back to give more of a running pose. (Unfortunately, the pictures I had of the assembly were corrupted, and I was unable to recover them.)
Once I assembled the Mech, I filled the base with epoxy putty and sanded it smooth. Once everything was clean and prepared, I sprayed the miniature with Krylon grey primer.
Once the primer was completely dry, I covered the mini with a coat of Vallejo Sky Grey. I let it dry, and then used a mix of Future Floor Wax, water, and Games Workshop Black Ink to wash the Mech a couple of times.
Next, I went back over the raised panels with a thinned coat of Vallejo Sky Grey, to bring back the color I wanted and keep the recessed areas black and dark grey. Once that was completed, I highlighted a few vents and joints with Vallejo Gunmetal Grey - since I still wanted the mini to represent a Mech, and not just a Tron character. Lastly, I covered the hex-base with Reaper Armor Grey, and then painted a grid using Vallejo Off-White.
At first, I planned on mixing a custom color or doing a highlight over the red panel details, but I found that Vallejo Gory Red - when dry, on my test piece - looked very similar to the color from the example above. I tried a few colors just to make sure I couldn't yield a better result, and was convinced that just the direct application of Gory Red with a bit of Vallejo Glaze Medium added would be my best choice.
I started creating line-and-circuitry-style symbols on the torso, and began working my way down the right leg. Once I was happy with it, I tried to duplicate it on the opposite leg. Using a #7 Kolinsky brush made things much easier to get different line thicknesses.
Once I had finished the entire mini, I went back and touched up errors with the Sky Grey. I jeweled the cockpit in red using a blend of Vallejo Skull White, Gory Red, and Bloody Red. The laser barrels were jeweled using Vallejo Dark Green, Ral Partha Shamrock Green, and Vallejo Skull White. The mini was now ready for its two coats of matte sealant.
