Howdy, fellow TMPers!
This report is for the Alpha Painting Contest for round 2. For this round, I chose to use the gladiator model. I liked the gladiator model, but I wanted to do something a little more dynamic than the model as provided.
What I had in mind was to use one of the accessories provided - a severed head - and to do a simple arm conversion, so the figure would be more dynamic and imposing than a standard figure holding a shield. I wanted Gaius the Murmillo to hold the head of his opponent in victory... rather than hold a shield.
I began by carefully cutting the arm, right above the shoulder, with a small handsaw. I then worked the rest of the arm lose by scribing a line along the torso/arm region, where the arm and torso were sculpted together. Once these were separated, I filed away the excess metal on the torso and arm till they were smooth.
I then drilled two holes: one in the arm, and one in the shoulder. Using a brass pin, I began trying out different positions till I got the look I wanted - and then drilled a hole in the hand and severed head, and fitted those up before I glued the arm in place. I used greenstuff to fill in the gaps, and sculpted a new shoulder for the gladiator (and extended the hair into the hand holding the severed head). Under the arm, I sculpted a bit of chain to connect the straps for the greave on the front and back.
I then let it set overnight (till the greenstuff had cured), and primed the model. All was going well and good, till I sprayed the front of the figure... and the primer came out fuzzy.
So, what am I to do?
I had no idea how the cleaning solvent would affect greenstuff, and I really didn't want to experiment with so little time left, so I elected to try a quick fix by sanding the front of the model. It went all right, but I still had some areas that were not smooth. Best I could think to do was cover it up with creative painting techniques or throw in the towel.
So here we go to see what I can do to make you not see what I don't want you to see.