# Dick Tracy



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I had bought the Polar Lights remake when it first came out, and quickly built the kit. But, then I put it back in the box and never got around to painting it. I finished him up a couple of years ago but never took any pictures. Nice kit. The post is dynamic, yet a bit awkward. The fire escape ladder blocks the figure to a high degree. If I built one again I would cut the ladder hand rails off and swap them left to right so that I could have Tracy swinging off the outside rail and he would not be hidden behind the ladder. It would make the post more dramatic too.










You can see the somwhat awkward nature of the kit pose here. Its hard to get a good look at the figure from the front










I spent a lot of time painting the elaborate base and used a metal pigment rust paint to detail the trash can and fire escape.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Excellent rust job!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Deej,

Sweet job, although I question Tracy's taste in ties and socks - maybe Tess was off visiting her mother that day - ? I appreciate the issue with the fire escape handrail. But if I read your post aright, swapping the inner and outer ones would lead to and even more dramatic pose, with Tracy's right foot curled up as it hangs in empty space. Or do you have a solution for that?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

If you have the figure swinging off of the outside rail, it will look like he is in mid air. his right foot is fine as is his left. The idea is that he would be leaping/swinging off the escape towards an unseen foe. If you had to reposition the feet its easy since they are separate parts anyway. 

The flash makes some of the colors off like the socks are more or less the same dark grey as parts of the windows. But the comic colors were bright to start with.


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## rhinooctopus (May 22, 2011)

WOW!
AWESOME RUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phil K


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

EXCELLENT rust and brickwork!

BTW, did I see someone once do this kit as the Green Hornet, or did I imagine it? Or that Eisner character?

I don't know if they're comparable scale but since I did not grow up with Dick Tracy, I'd try the original Aurora Spiderman on this. Not sure it'd work...


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## Rondo (Jul 23, 2010)

Gotta agree on the metal work. Superb. The rust and the peeling paint. You see those real rust products used a lot but they usually look a little off. Yours looks real. Would be a great ad for the product.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Another great build DJ. As everyone else said, the rust and detailing is excellent. Do you have a good setup now for airbrushing that you couldn't setup in an apartment?


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## The Batman (Mar 21, 2000)

frankenstyrene said:


> BTW, did I see someone once do this kit as the Green Hornet, or did I imagine it? Or that Eisner character?


I'm sure that more than ONE modeler has made that conversion. Here's a couple that I found:

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=22271

http://www.flickr.com/photos/treaspaulsbsmt/5526240158/

- GJS


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

The rust on everything looks as real as I've ever seen rust...love the brickwork too!
Denis


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## armymedic80 (Aug 11, 2010)

Wow that's great how you realistically rusted out that ladder and garbage can. I've seen this model built many times but this is the best I've seen. That's a 5 star built-up and paint job. You really do wonderful work.


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## Kitzillastein58 (Jan 27, 2009)

Fantastic Job! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## starduster (Feb 12, 2006)

Great job on a fascinating comic book character, thanks for sharing. Karl


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks a lot guys. I struggle with comic characters... do you paint them in bold solid colors like a comic book? Or shade and detail them like a "regular" figure? I did a bit of both here.

The rust paint I used was pretty good. I forget the brand, but it came from Michaels. You paint an item a base color, then paint on this grey, thick, somewhat gritty, iron oxide paint. When thoroughly dry, you brush on a liquid rusting medium. That makes the iron paint rust. I think I rubbed it down for a more "in scale" look. Its not great for doing fine detail work but for big, simple areas, its great. 

Fortunately this was all done by hand and no airbrush work was needed. In my house I have a nice model room coming together and I will have an airbrush spray booth.

This is the muffler for the prototype of the Tiger Tank, also done with the same stuff


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

That's just outstanding work on the muffler, and the Tracy kit. I think the pose modification you suggest could work very well, especially if the arms could be opened a little. Even if not, it would add a lot to the dynamism--if that's a word....


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

djnick66 said:


> Thanks a lot guys. I struggle with comic characters... do you paint them in bold solid colors like a comic book? Or shade and detail them like a "regular" figure?


Either way is valid, deej. Come to think of it, _any_ way you want to build _your_ models is valid. But the comic book colors you used on the figure contratsted with the realism with which you rendered the base and were confusing to my eye.

BTW, the Green Hornet conversion is another project I started, based on somebody's posts on this forum. Drat you people! I've got enough ideas of my own to model without you all inspiring me as well.


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

You've done a superb job David!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
I really like the way you've done the base. Blows mine out of the water....
Very cool!

Chris.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

If you can remember the brand of that rust stuff, I'd be much appreciative. Best rust we've ever seen? I guess because it's _real_ rust! I have a lot of projects to rust. I'd still like to do a dio of Ironman in a lonely field, rusted solid--Tin Man style. That stuff would be perfect!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I want to use the rust paint on Robby for a "War of the Robots" Lost in Space diorama using the Polar Lights Robot and Dr. Smith kit. I envision Smith and Robot finding Robby all rusted and covered in vines...

I bought the paint at Michael's a couple years back. It was in their patina/finish section along with stuff like Rub N Buff, Gold Leaf, etc. It is a boxed set of two bottles of liquid; the oxide base and rusting agent. It might be this stuff... http://modernoptions.com/ 

I have the bottles but they are packed away still from my move. 

There are some issues I get when painting comic figures - like Batman traditionally has no pupils just white eyes. And Dick Tracy's eyes are traditionally drawn as just a black squinty line. Sometimes those details translate poorly onto a 3D painted model (to me). When I did my Hulk kit I painted him in bold, solid, glossy colors.


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

Anyone post photos from Resintopia yet?


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## ilan benita (May 7, 2008)

Excellent I loved rust job!:thumbsup::wave:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> I want to use the rust paint on Robby for a "War of the Robots" Lost in Space diorama using the Polar Lights Robot and Dr. Smith kit. I envision Smith and Robot finding Robby all rusted and covered in vines...
> 
> I bought the paint at Michael's a couple years back. It was in their patina/finish section along with stuff like Rub N Buff, Gold Leaf, etc. It is a boxed set of two bottles of liquid; the oxide base and rusting agent. It might be this stuff... http://modernoptions.com/
> 
> ...


Awesome. And I'm stealing the vine idea!!!

:wave:


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## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

That's a very cool bit of kit customizing; kudos! :thumbsup: Can't recall where I saw it but I think someone converted the GH into The Shadow.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Night-Owl said:


> Can't recall where I saw it but I think someone converted the GH into The Shadow.


I think you meant Dick Tracy into the Shadow. One conversion I found was by bizzrobrian: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=277245&highlight=the+shadow. Great - more ideas...*sigh*


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

> _dynamism--if that's a word...._


I think that's a good strategery............


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I just watched the opening sequence from "War of the Robots"

http://www.hulu.com/watch/139/

Cool diorama idea!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Yeah..._Robby_ flying down the fire escape - thanks for the idea, KD!


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## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

Very, very nice......and grungy!
Love it!


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## Bobman (Jan 21, 2001)

Very nice work on the rust and the figure too. Love it.

Hey Mark - Here's another conversion idea for you: The Watchmen's Rorschach. The trenchcoat would be the _hard _part tho.
Bob


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Bobman said:


> ...Here's another conversion idea for you: The Watchmen's Rorschach...


More ideas...STOP!!!!


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