# Let's Build The Wolfman!



## MadCap Romanian

Hi Everybody!

Arc Undertaker and I had a wonderful idea. :thumbsup:

Over the next few days, we're going to use this thread to each build an Aurora/Monogram/Luminators/Polar Lights/New Release...The Wolfman Kit and show our step by step progress along the way.

It's a nice way to show how to build this kit and offer ideas as we go along. 

If anyone wants to join in this build with either suggestions, photos, or simply wants to "Build Along" with us, please do! 



So without further ado, let's build.....


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## MadCap Romanian

*Step 1 : Gathering Your Tools.*










The first step in building your model kit is to gather all your tools. 

Here we have a bottle of liquid glue, a wide and narrow brush for applying the glue, three hobby knives with different blades, side cutters for removing the parts off the plastic tree, a sandpaper block with 320 grit sticky-back autobody sandpaper and 3 files in 1/2 round, wide flat fine and narrow flat coarse. Not shown is a tube of model putty for filing in sink holes.


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## MadCap Romanian

*Step 2 : Building The Base Pieces*










Step 1 

These are the three pieces for The Wolfman's base. 

My kit is the Monogram Luminators kit molded in Neon Styrene Plastic. The plastic has a rubber type of texture to it and doesn't clean up well with a knife. The knife blade tends to "Bounce" along the surface. Therefore, I use files and sandpaper to smooth it out. 

There are 3 main pieces to this base : The front croping of rocks with the name plate, the forward 1/2 large rock and the rear 1/2 large rock. The two halves will be glued together to make one large rock.

Step 2










First off, we want to take the rock cropping and file down the sharp edges left behind from when this part was taken out of the mold. This is known as "Flash". 

We also want to file down the burrs left from where the part was attached to the parts tree.

I am doing this with the narrow coarse file.

Step 3










After filing off the flash and burrs, I use the 320 grit sandpaper to remove the scratches left behind by the file.

When you are finished, the edge of the part should feel slightly rounded as opposed to sharp, like when they come off the parts tree.

Step 4










The next step is to remove the locator pins on the glue edge of the large rock. I do this in case the alignment pins are not aligned. It's easier to get the two parts 100% aligned without the pins.

Step 5










After cutting off the pins, use the sandpaper along the glueing edge of both rock pieces to flatten out the glueing edge. This will allow the two pieces to glue tightly together without gaps between the parts. 

Do not worry about removing the flash and burrs at this time. Doing so will result in a valley between the two pieces.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 6










Hold the two pieces of the rock together and then dip the wide glue brush into the glue.

Run the glue along the crack between the two pieces. The glue will run into the crack and wield them together. 

For extra strength, first use the glue on the outside surface of the rock, and then use it again on the inside surface. 

Keep pressure on the rock pieces in order to assure a tight fit. 


Step 7










While the glue is setting, you can move the two pieces into alignment with each other. Using your thumb, feel across the top of the seam line to make sure that the two pieces are in unison with each other. They should feel flat across the face surface. 

You can also judge height differences with your eye. Make sure one side isn't sticking up or out from the other. The two pieces should be flush with each other.

Step 8










Once the glue has set, we can file down the burrs and seam lines, making the rock appear as one piece. 

Take the coarse file and cross file the seam line. 

To cross file, first file down a little of the seam line in a 45 degree angle to the seam line, pushing the file into the higher side, if the alignement is out.

Step 9










Then reverse the 45 degree angle and file the remainder of the seam line. 

The cross sanding will eliminate high and low spots and allow the two pieces to blend into one another.

Remeber to use the sand paper to remove the scratches left behind from the files. Again, cross sand with the sand paper.

Step 10










This picture shows a sink mark left behind from the sides of the locator pins. 

This sink mark is below the cross sanded surface and must be filled with plastic putty. 

Step 11










Using this knife blade as a spreader, scoop off a small ammount of putty and apply it into the sink hole. Spread it wider than the sink hole to allow some room to "Feather" in the putty when we sand down the putty. Otherwise, you will dig out the putty from the hole when it is sanded.

Step 12










This is how wide the putty should be. It covers the hole and a little beyond. 

Allow the putty 12-24 hours (Overnight or more) to dry. This will allow it to set and be ready for sanding.

Once it is dry, sand down the putty with the sand paper using the cross sanding method.


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## roadflea

i for 1 am THANKING YOU VERY MUCH for doing this i have a polar lights 1 on the bench that i have not started yet and will be watching this very close THANKS AGAIN for takeing the time to post this rob


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## mrmurph

As an admirer of your work, I'm really looking forward to this thread. Thanks much!


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## ark undertaker

As I have admired and been inspired by his finished models, I would like to say how much I really appreciate MadCap for being willing to share the hobby and his knowledge with me and for including me in this project. 

I chose the current Revell reissue of the WolfMan.

Even better yet, my 16 yr old son is also jumping in. So now Son of Ark Undertaker is with us too. What a great hobby for a father and his son to share. 

Wouldn't you know that as soon as I/we get ready to start, a model builders worst distraction happens....company visiting from out of town.  

As Madcap has stated, feel free to join in with us as we build the Wolf Man.

Well MadCap is already way ahead of me/us so I guess I/we need to get busy. 

A.U.


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## MadCap Romanian

Well, being as I am the "Teacher" in this thread, ALL of you have to follow what I'm doing. 

Glad everyone is following along. The new camera is a BIG help. In the picture for Step 11, you can even see the cross sanding pattern on the yellow plastic! 

As I was saying to Arc in a PM, I think the Revell styrene plastic will be somewhat better to work with and glue together and clean up than the Luminators plastic is. That neon plastic has slightly different properties and you can't really scrape down the seam lines on it with a hobby knife as your knife will "Bounce" off it, leaving little jagged marks in the plastic. You pretty much have to sand that neon stuff to get it smooth. 

The regular grey styrene of the new kits and the black styrene, if you have the older Monogram glow editions cira 1989, will glue and srape like normal plastic. The Glow plastic is simular to the neon stuff, but I don't have a glow Wolfman for this lesson. 

Anyway, I guess I can get back to it now that the putty has dried!


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 13










Ususally the first coat of putty doesn't always cover the entire sink mark. 

Here we see that after we sanded down the putty that we didn't originally fill it to the end of the sink mark. Check the rest of the piece to see how the other filled putty spots look. Do they need filling in again? They should feel flat from every angle.

In the case of this sink mark, a second coat of putty is needed. This time we will extend it to the end of the sink mark, let it dry and then cross sand it flat.

Step 14










This area of the rock shows the correct way that the filler should look after sanding. Note how the edges "Feather" into the surrounding plastic.

Be careful not to sand too much or you could dig out the putty. This concludes the work on the rocks.

You now have two pieces for your base : the rock cropping and the large rock, which is now one piece. 

Do not glue them together at this point. We will paint the large rock and rock cropping first. This gives the paint a better chance to reach the back side of these rocks than if we painted them as one large piece. 

Your rock base pieces are now ready for paint prepping!


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## MadCap Romanian

*Step 3 : Paint Prep Of The Rock Pieces.*

Step 1










After we have finished roughing out the plastic filler and after we have used sandpaper to clean the seam lines, the kit pieces are full of deep sanding and file scratches. There are also places on the rocks that are smooth and shiney. 

Paint doesn't like to stick to smooth surfaces and paint will also amplify deep scratches.

In order to smooth out the surface of our plastic rock, we will need to sand all the rock parts with a finer sandpaper to give the pieces a unified scratch pattern. 

This new scratch pattern will give the pieces an equil texture and allow a nice grip for the paint to adhere to.

For this purpose, we will use 400 Grit Wet/Dry sandpaper, found in a hardeware store.

Step 2










This photo shows the Dry Sanding method of using Wet/Dry sand paper. 

Simply cut off a piece of sandpaper from the master sheet and start sanding the model. If your sandpaper plugs up with dust, simply wipe it on an old cloth.

Step 3










This is the sanded piece. 

Notice that the once clear and shiney yellow transparent plastic is now foggy. You want a uniform foggy appearence all over the outside surface of this part.

Step 4










Now for the Wet sanding lesson.

We will use the large rock as a demonstration piece. 

Start by taking the following to your sink : the sandpaper, the large rock piece, a lint free hand towel, and a bar of soap. 

Next, turn on the faucet and pour some lukewarm water into the basin. 

Using the same piece of sandpaper from the dry sanding demo, submerge it into the water for a few minutes. 

Sand the large rock with the wet sandpaper and occasionly rub the sandpaper on the bar of soap. This will not only help clean the piece, but will act as a slurry to help move the wet piece of sandpaper across the shiney plastic surface.

When you are finished sanding, wash both this piece and the dry sanded rock cropping to remove any sanding dust and dry them off with the towel.

Step 5










Once the pieces are dry, blow off any little bits of debris that might have been attracted to the piece via static electricity. 

Tape down the pieces to an unimportant cardboard box as shown in the picture above.

You are now ready to paint!


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## ochronosis

Hi madcap,

Great idea  It is always good to see how someone else builds a kit and to pick up some new ideas. The clear photographs make it even better, as you can see clearly what it is that you are doing. I will be following this thread and can't wait to see the finished kit. Keep up the good work.

Simon :thumbsup:


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## MadCap Romanian

*Step 4 : Painting The Rock Pieces.*

Step 1










Now that the parts are ready for painting, we have to choose our colours for our rocks.

Here I have a small selection of Tremclad Rust Proof Enamel Paint. I find that it is safe on styrene plastic. You could also use Testor's Enamel spray paint, or any Acrylic spray paints. 

Since Tremclad is a Canadian made rust proof paint and is primarily avalible in Canada (I don't know if they export), you will need to find a paint that has simular properties to Tremclad. In order to do this, read the First Aid Treatment label before you buy any spray paints.

The paint should only contain acetone, propane, aliphatic naphtha, isobutane and xylene. Stay away from paints with Toluine as an ingredient! Toluine is the same chemicle used in model cement and will attack the plastic. 

I chose to use Flat Black as a base coat and Primer Grey, Recreational White and Colonial Blue as accents. Once done, my rocks should look like Slate.

If you want a different type of rock, use the Primer Grey as a base coat with the Flat Black as a highligh colour. It should look like Granite. 

Check online, in a harware store or even your own backyard for different rock textures. The colours for your rocks are entirely up to you.

Step 2










Here is the first coat of Flat Black. 

I try to cover as much of the rock as possible in the first coat. 

Keep your hand approximatly one hand's length away from the part and spray in a straigh line parrelel to the part. 

Never arc your arm. If you do, you can cause drips and runs in the paint at the center of the part.

If you keep your hand straight and piviot at your wrist when spray painting, you will get a nice, even coat of paint to the part. 

Spray the front side of the parts, then rotate the box and spray the left side, then the back side and finally the right side. After this, spray from the top down. 

Step 3










From a distance four to 5 hand lenghts away from the rocks, I sprayed a light misting of Grey Primer to the rocks. This gives the parts a nice, speckled dusting.

Step 4










Using the Recreationa White and following it with Colonial Blue spray paint, I splattered on some quick puffs of colour.

In order to do this, barely press the spray paint nozzel downward until you can hear the paint hiss out. 

It takes some practice, but it works well, as you can see here. 

If you accidently spray out a little too much of the secondary and latter paint colours on your rocks, simpy take the base colour and spray from four hand lenghts away into the over coloured area. 

Just mist the paint into that zone and cut the colour back to where you want it.

Step 5










Here's the Large Rock. 

I have finished with my spray cans and now I will let the paint dry for 24 hours. 

Once the paint is dry, I can add in the final painting details, such as dry brushing highlights, colour washes and The Wolf Man lettering. 

That part will be coming up next!:wave:

P.S. Now that you've seen the Slate version of this rock, here's the Granite version I built in 1995 : 










Note that the base coat was Primer Grey and the speckles are Flat Black. Many different combinations can be created using different colours in different orders. How about Green Marble, Pink Marble, Slate, Granite, Concrete, Terra Cotta, Sand Stone, Shale or any other types of rock you might be interested. 

As a suggestion, don't choose to paint The Wolfman's fur or pants the same colour as you painted the rock. This will make him stand out more.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 6










Now that the spray paint has dried, we will add some viens onto the rock surfaces using Tamyia Metallic Blue and a pinstriping brush I bought from an art store.

Step 7










Gather your two rock pieces and study how the rocks are formed in the plastic. Think about how you want the veins to look, where they start from, where they end, and how they end.

Open up your paint and dip the long brush hairs into it. Try and eliminate any drips at the end of the brush tip so that you don't start from a blob of paint.

Step 8










On the first pull of the pinstriping brush, I decided to start from the bottom of the large rock. 

Simply contact the tip of the brush with the rock and pull upwards in one direction. When you feel the vein is long enough, pull the brush off. 

You can also curve the pinstriping brush with your fingers when you pull it to make it look like the vein curves.

Step 9










Here's the rock after applying the Metallic Blue Veins. Note how some of them fork out at the ends and others carry on through the rock. If you study real rock, it does the same thing.

Step 10










After the Metallic Blue has dried, open up a bottle of Flat White and Metallic Green and add in some more veins on the smaller rocks. Try to make the rocks look a little different from one another. 

Step 11










Once all the veins have dried, it is time to paint "The WolF Man" letters.

I chose Testor's Model Master Chrome Silver for the letters to keep in harmony with the Wolfman story that silver (Bullets, cane, etc) can kill a werewolf.

Step 12










Here's the entire rock base with the silver letters painted on. 

The final step to finish this display base is to add in a wash of light grey paint. This wash will add a sense of grime and dust to the piece and enhance the realism. 

Step 13










Take time to reflect on your work. This is a close-up of the nameplate prior to the grey wash. I put the base on a small piece of model railroad grass matt to make the rocks stand out.

If you want, you can also add in some scenic grass with Hobby Tack white glue between the cracks of the rocks to make it look like grass is growing there.


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## frankenstyrene

Cool thread, and the silver lettering idea is inspired!

How do you clean the glue brushes?


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## MadCap Romanian

I don't clean them. Actually, I let them harden up and then when I use them again, I just leave them in the glue for a few minutes (Squishing the bristles occasionally on the inside of the bottle) and let the new glue melt out the old glue. Then the brushes are ready again for the next glueing.

I'm glad everyone's liking this thread. Sorry if I'm tearing through my build and posting pics like crazy if you're building the model with me. I'm just use to the "Fast Pace" of building. I've been building non stop since I was 8 years old, now I'm 35. I scraped down so many models that my hands are pratically working at warp speed. Please work at your own pace and referr to the steps and pictures I have posted. 

If you're building the model with me, also feel free to post your progress pics no matter what stage you're at. I'm sure we'd all like to see how your making out.

Also, don't be shy to ask questions in the fourm if you want. I can always stop for a moment and clear things up before moving onwards.


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## roadflea

this thred is GREAT thanks for the posting


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## Cro-Magnon Man

I'm looking forward to how the rocks are going to look and I'll probably use this veining method on rocks in future, thanks for showing.


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## OzyMandias

Thanks for sharing the build. This has timed well for me as I received a parcel from the US today with the Big 4 inside! I was looking over the kits tonight and the plastic is incredibly slick and shiny and talk about flash and pitting!!! 

I'm afraid I've been a bit spoilt by all the recent kits from Moebius and Polar Lights. There is literally hours of prep work ahead on each kit. Believe me I've taken notes about your procedures and will be following not too far behind.


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## MadCap Romanian

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 14










In order to make a wash for the rocks, we need an intermediate colour that's in the rock's natural colour range. 

Here we will be mixing a 35% White and 65% black to make a dark grey. 

Step 15










Here are two paint blobs of white and black sitting on the edge of the parabolic bowl that's at the bottom of a soda pop can. 

Take an old stiff brush and stir the two blobs together.

Step 16










This is the resulting grey. It's still too light, so I added in more black.

Step 17










This is the final grey colour I chose for the wash. Now the next step is to thin this paint down with water to make it flow over the rock surface.

Step 18










This is the watered down colour. It should drip off your brush like water. 

This is @ 75% - 90% water dillution. The choice is yours as to how thin you want to make your wash.

Step 19










Here I am applying the first part of the wash. I will paint the entire rock and rock cropping pieces with this wash so that there isn't a dry spot left. This will help fight against discolouration from the paint if I were only to use it in the cracks.

Step 20










This is the large rock after the wash. You can see how it tends to seporate the rocks colour wise.

It will take @ 24 hours for this watered down paint to dry out enough so that it's safe to the touch.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 21










Here's the rock cropping after the wash. Note how they now look like individual rocks.

Step 22










Here's the rocks from a distance. Note the change in appearence.

Step 23










Here's a final close-up view before we glue the rock cropping and the large rock together.


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## Cro-Magnon Man

All good so far; what are those rocks going to look like at the end?


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## ark undertaker

Hope everyone is enjoying the tread MadCap is doing. I'm still here, just have had some delays in painting because of rain. I plan to have my base finished in the next day or so and will post the pics of my progress.

A.U.


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## hedorah59

Cool technique on the rocks - Thanks for sharing!


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## MadCap Romanian

Cro-Magnon Man said:


> All good so far; what are those rocks going to look like at the end?


Hopefully, like rocks! 

I had a change in colour when the wash dried. It came out darker.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 5 : Glueing The Rocks Together 

Step 1










Now that the wash coat is dry, we need to scrape away the paint on all of the contact surfaces of the rocks. If we do this, the plastic will bond to the plastic and ensure a good glue joint. 

If you don't, then the glue will bond to the paint instead of the plastic, resulting in a poor glue joint which will eventually fall appart.

Step 2










Scrape close to the attachment peg and try to keep away from the outside edge. 

If you scrape too much paint, then you will have to touch up the rock after the glue has dried. This could be tricky as there are a lot of tight areas where the rocks fit together.

Step 3










Here's the finished area. Do the same on the rock at the other end of the base.

Step 4










Here's the scrape points of the large rock. I used this 1/2 round knife blade because the rocks have a slight concave curve to them that the other blade wouldn't have reached.

Step 5










In this photo, I am cleaning the paint out of the holes using a special auger tool my dad made. You can also use a drill or the point of a #11 hobby knife. This is where one of the rats will be located.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 6










Simularily, scrape out the large slots for The Wolfman.

Step 7










Now that the contact surfaces have been scraped clean of paint, use some clamps to pinch the two rocks together. Be careful to align the pieces so that the bottom of the rocks as a unit will be flush with each other. You don't want to accidently glue them so that one rock sits higher than the other.

Step 8










Now that the rocks are aligned, it's time to apply the liquid glue! 

Dip your glue brush in the glue and run it across the seam and down the "slot and key" portion of the rock attachment points.

Step 9










This is another location to put some glue. 

In this photo, I had to do some paint touch up because I overscraped the area. Luckily, this is not visible from the front of the base so touching up with Testor's Flat Black won't be too much of a visual problem.

Now you can set the rocks aside to let the glue dry.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 6 : Finishing The Rock Base

Step 1










While the glue on the rocks is drying, we will take this opportunity to build the final pieces for The Wolfman's rock base. These remaining 3 pieces are the two rats and the skull. 

Use your side cutters to clip the pieces off the plastic parts tree.

Step 2










Here's the 6 pieces that will make the 3 creatures.

Step 3










Just like the Large Rock pieces, we will sand down the contact areas so that they are flat. 

Step 4










Here's the two rats and skull glued together. Now we have to sand down their seam lines. 

Step 5










File off the seam line that runs from the center of the skull around the two glueing surfaces and any other seam lines. Remeber to keep the little pin at the back of the skull because that has to go in the hole on the large rock.

Step 6










Here's the fully compleated rats and skull. It seems like a lot of prep work, but it will be worth it in the end. 

The next step would be to determine how you want to paint these creatures. 

Using a white basecoat for the skull would make it stand out from the black rocks, but what about the rats? These are things you have to consider when you build your model.

Step 7










Just to test their fit with the base, I have located the creatures into their mounting holes. If the parts don't fit in the holes, then you have to enlarge the holes until the parts fit.


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## MadCap Romanian

Anyone still following this?


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## OzyMandias

Heck Yeah MCR!!! Just been a bit busy the last few days too respond. I'm finishing up my 'Bride' build while contemplating all the clean up I have ahead on the new Revell Wolfman. Getting in between those teeth is going to be a pain. I don't want to hijack this thread, but has anybody else found the new Revell kits to be very 'flash' heavy? The instruction sheets kinda suck too...


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## scooke123

Im still watching!!!! Great ideas so far!
Steve


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## roadflea

yep still with you keep em comin


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## MadCap Romanian

Ok...just wondering because this thread almost made it to the dreaded "PAGE 2" during the week. 

Sounds like a problem with the new kit. Seems strange that they'd have to clean the molds when the Luminators kits aren't that bad. Weren't the Luminators the last run before they made these new kits?


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## Zorro

MadCap Romanian said:


> Sounds like a problem with the new kit. Seems strange that they'd have to clean the molds when the Luminators kits aren't that bad. Weren't the Luminators the last run before they made these new kits?


No. There were the Polar Lights reissues of these 4 kits in 1999. They weren't "reverse engineered" but were struck from the original molds in cooperation with R/M.


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## MadCap Romanian

Right! I forgot about those ones. Still, could the molds have degenerated that badly?


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## OzyMandias

I can post some photos of my raw Wolfman if you are interested in seeing the condition. I can start a new thread, rather than hijack yours.


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## frankenstyrene

OzyMandias said:


> I can post some photos of my raw Wolfman if you are interested in seeing the condition. I can start a new thread, rather than hijack yours.


I'm glad you mention this - I've been wanting to ask anyone who has unpainted originals and repops like PLs if they could all post side-by-side comparisons, just to see how much the molds did degrade over time. If you can start a thread on it I'd enjoy it for sure!


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## Cro-Magnon Man

Yes, I'm still watching! And if you find the thread on page 2, it will return to page 1 whenever you post the latest instalment.


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## OzyMandias

frankenstyrene said:


> I'm glad you mention this - I've been wanting to ask anyone who has unpainted originals and repops like PLs if they could all post side-by-side comparisons, just to see how much the molds did degrade over time. If you can start a thread on it I'd enjoy it for sure!


OK, I don't want to hijack this wonderful thread any further so will start a new thread and post shots of the raw kits I have now.

We now return you to your scheduled program...


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## MadCap Romanian

OzzyMandias, I will forgo painting the rats and skull for now and work on The Wolfman just to show you what the Luminators looks like to compair to what you said about the flash problems on your kits.


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## OzyMandias

I'll be very interested to see how you work on him MCR, but don't change tack just because of me please. I am enjoying watching the progress of your build, and you have given some great ideas for varying paint away from the tried and tested drybrushing that I tend to rely on with my work.
I look forward to seeing the next instalment


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## MadCap Romanian

Thanx!

Well, the skull and 2 rats can be painted at the same time as The Wolfman and may need to "Colour Key" off him, so it might be time to set those smaller pieces aside and concentrate on The Wolfman himself.


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## OzyMandias

OK, so I reshuffled my build schedule so I can work along with you MCR. 

I started prepping the parts this afternoon and set about removing flash for starters. I was a bit anxious about the face so I started with that. When I got to the mouth, which I mentioned was almost closed over with flash, I very carefully worked my pointy hobby blade in and around the teeth being careful not to come too close on my first pass. I kept working outwards until I reached the teeth edges. It was only then I realised that his top left fang was gone bar a small stump at the gum-line! 

After I stopped swearing, and I realised that the fang was not there to begin with, I summoned my inner Dental Prosthetist and set to making a false fang for Wolfie. I cut a small sliver of plastic from the sprue that had a pointy end that roughly matched the lines of the other fang. I then sliced (like a roast) a piece from one side so I had a flat, cross section piece, about 1 mm thick and 3 mm long. 

I then placed a small drop of glue inside his mouth at the right place, and using a pair of fine nose tweezers, guided it into place, applying some pressure until the glue started to bind. I double checked the placement and angle from the outside to make sure it still matched the other fang. All good so far.

I'm letting it dry overnight before I gently shape the sides of the fang so it more closely matches the other teeth. The overall shape is as close as I think anyone can get. I showed my Son tonight and asked him to pick the replaced fang and he picked the other side... Result!!!

I've taken a before and after photo which I've added in line with your communal build suggestion, MCR. The replacement still looks larger than the original as I have left some room to reshape it without it getting too small.

I went back to the base to finish off this afternoon roughly following the steps you outlined on page 1 of this thread. Large rock is setting up overnight and I've done some clean-up on his feet and lower legs. I plan on gluing the lower legs and feet together then locating them in the base slots to dry so the angle is right and it minimises gaps at the foot joint. I won't glue the legs together or the fronts on until I have primed and painted his hairy ankles


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## slingshot392

Great build so far and a great thread! This is a really good idea and it would be nice to see more threads like this on different subjects showing a very detailed build and as we each have different techniques and tools that we use.

I end up getting a lot of my sanding sticks and other assorted tools from the women's sections of places like Wal-Mart and Target or drugstores and I'm having some good success with water-soluble primer from the house paint sectionas well as craft paints, still learning.

I have a 1/1000 Enterprise in the painting stage and another one I am trying to remove some screwed up primer as well as a Klingon Bird of Prey that I am slowly painting. I also have a Revell new release Wolfman and the base is ready for primer and the top half and the bottom half are built, now I just need to do some seam filling and filing and it will be ready for primer.

I wasn't sure from your first post if you wanted everyone to post their Wolfman builds in this thread or for each one to start their own? I have a couple photos of my progress and I can put some notes on the pictures as well as type in some information on problem areas either here or in a new thread.


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## OzyMandias

That was what I understood from the first post, but if I'm mistaken, my apologies MCR. I can easily delete my post and make a new thread.


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## slingshot392

Either will be fine with me, but it's up to MedCap since it's his thread. It would be nice to be able to see numerous builds all in one thread so you don't have to go searching for a number of them, hopefully it doesn't get too confusing.

For some models like the PL 1/1000 Enterprise or something that gets built a lot, it maybe could get overwhelming, but I think it still would be nice to be able to compare a number of different techniques all at once.


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## MadCap Romanian

Guys!

Please post YOUR progress here also. It's a "Community Build...with me in the lead! 

OzyMandias...don't delete anything. The advice you give on broken teeth is wonderful and the tooth looks good, although it could be taken down a little, like you mention. However, having the "extra" suggestions helps me becuase I can't always think of certain things and if I didn't run into your "tooth" problem, I probably wouldn't have thought to write a solution for it. ~ Good job!


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## slingshot392

Thanks, I'll get my pics together and post soon.


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## MadCap Romanian

*Now to continue.......*

Step 7 : Building The Wolfman Part 1










Here are all the pieces needed to build The Wolfman. 

There are 3 parts to his head, 8 parts for his chest, back, arms and hands, and 8 parts for his legs and feet. There is also 1 Rope Belt knot.

Part 2










These are the 3 parts for the head. The Face, Mouth Insert and Back of Head.

As you can see, there is some flash in The Wolfman's mouth that needs to be removed.

Part 3










This photo shows another view of the flash in The Wolfman's mouth. 

*Auzie Riddle ~ Name a singer this face looks like.*

Part 4










A well stocked Hobby Shop, Hardware Store and even Dollar Store can get you a nice set of nedel files. These will come in handy for cleaning up the hard to reach flash on these monster kits.

Part 5










If you can guide your knife point carefully, you can remove the flash in The Wolfman's mouth. Just be careful of his pointed teeth. 

Part 6










Here's the face after the flash has been removed. 

*Azzie Answer ~ Put your hands together for Mr. Rolf Harris!*

Part 7










Before we continue, take this opportunity to sand off the flash under his chin. It wil be a lot more difficult when the back of the head is glued on.

Part 8










When I test fitted the back of the head to the front, I found this fit problem behind his ear. As you can see, the ear is round, yet where it is suppose to seat, the shape is square. This square edge must be removed for the two pieces to fit tightly together.


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## MadCap Romanian

Part 9










Here's the head after the square edge was removed. Notice the better fit. Don't glue it together yet. There's still the inside of the mouth to do.

Part 10










The inner mouth piece also suffers from flash. Note which is the tounge side and which isn't.

Part 11










Follow the outer circle of the mouth with the sandpaper to remove the flash. 

Part 12










Here's the inner mouth piece after it has ben glued inside the face. Make sure you glue in the tounge at the bottom of the mouth.

Part 13










This is the inside of the face with the mouth glued in. We are now ready to glue the back of the head to the face.

Part 14










Apply your liquid glue to the seam line between the two pieces.

Part 15










Here's the head glued together. We now have to address the problem of the seam line, which cuts horizontally through follows The Wolfman's vertical hair. 

Part 16










I used an oval shaped pointed needle file to file through the height difference in the valleys of the raised hairs. this will make the depressed surfaces between hairs become even in depth and sides.


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## MadCap Romanian

Part 17










Cross sand the top of the seam line with your sandpaper. This will flatten out the peaks of the hair and make both the front and back of the head feel level with one another.

Part 18










As a final step, make another pass along the seam line with your liquid glue. This should make the head feel like one piece.

Part 19










Use the same needle file you used for the hair to remove the seam line between the fingers. You want to push your file in a semi-circle to the finger's length so as not to flatten out the finger or accidently make them square.

Part 20










Do the same thing for his feet and toes.

Part 21










Here is a flaw with The Luminators Wolfman. This fingernail is a rounded blob of plastic. It will have to be filed to shape in order for it to look like a fingernail.

Part 22










File in the direction of the end of the finger with a coarse file. You want to push it at a slight donward angle to the finger. Be careful not to damage the tip of the finger with the file.

Part 23










Here's the finished fingernail after The Wolfman's manicure. This should put him into The League of Distinquished Monsters.

Part 24










Here's a test fit of The Wolfman's foot with the locator pins still attached. Notice the gap between foot and ankle.


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## MadCap Romanian

Part 25










Cut off the locator tabs. This will allow you to slide down the leg piece into the foot. 

Part 26










I've glued the foot to the end of the leg back and I am now pushing the leg front into the top of the foot. There is still a slight gap at the front of the ankle, but it isn't as bad as before.

Part 27










After the glue has set on all 3 leg pieces, I forced the front of the foot back into the ankle and then ran a brush full of liquid glue across the ankle seam line. I held the foot back until the glue dried. After this, you can glue on the front of the pant leg and let it dry.

Part 28










Once the glue has dried from the leg piece, the next thing to do is to file the two edges at the hips so that they are flat. This will help them seat into the Left side hips. 

Part 29










Using your 1/2 round file, carefully file down the outer and inner pant seam line. You don't want to go too far because on a real pair of pants, this seam is there. You just want to file down this line so that the pant seams are more even with one another. 

Part 30










Once you have finished with both legs, glue them together following the seam line between the glutionous maximus.

Part 31










Next, glue the two chest pieces together and then square up the neck and arms with your sandpaper, remebering to cross sand. This will help the head and neck sit tightly against the plastic.

Part 32










As an alternative to sanding down the seam lines, here I am carefully cutting them down with the knife blade. Follow the seam line as you push the blade through it. This way works best with the Luminators plastic when it is still just a bit soft from the liquid glue.


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## MadCap Romanian

Part 33










Sand down the end of the arm. It will sit down tightly against the chest piece.

Part 34










I am also sanding the ends of the arms where the hands attach. You also want this as flat as possible to ensure a good fit.

After this, remove the rest of the seam lines using the 1/2 round file and sandpaper, finally going over the seam lines again with the liquid glue, just like when we built The Wolfman's head.

Part 35










Push the hand into the slot and run some liquid glue across the parting line. With the glue still wet, push the hand into the end of the arm. This will squish a little bit of the melted plastic out to fill the part line and seat the hand.

Part 36










Finish off The Wolfman by glueing the arms and head on to the chest piece.

Part 37










At this point, we will stop glueing The Wolfman together and begin painting him instead. Since he is in two pieces, seporated at the waist, we can hold these two parts better for painting. 

We will glue him together afterwards.

Now gather up your rats, skull and Wolfman pieces. Also, don't forget to clean up the belt knot and bring it to the paint booth also.:wave:


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## OzyMandias

I'm loving this now MCR I've just been doing everything you have just covered. 
Your Wolfie's fang doesn't look much better than my Wolfie's did. Mine also had the fit problem that you describe behind the ears.
I removed the locating pins from the lower legs and when glued positioned the legs on the stand to try and minimise gaps in the ankles. It's worked very well. More pics coming soon. 
I'll try not to duplicate anything you have already covered.


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## MadCap Romanian

Step 8 : Wolfman Painting Ideas.

Now that The Wolfman is almost ready to paint, it is time to set him aside for a few minutes and think about a few things. 

First of all, your model kit tells a story about The Wolfman. But what is that story? 

In the classic Universal film, and in the upcoming remake, The Wolfman is Larry Talbot who has returned home to England to resume life there and who is bitten by Bela, the Gypsy, who then turns Larry into a Werewolf. 

But perhaps your wolfman is your own story. 

Therefore, ask yourself some questions. 

Who is The Wolfman and why does he wear these ratty pants? Is is because he destroyed them AS The Wolfman, or is it that in Human Form, he's a poor Gypsy that might only own a poor condition pair of pants, with the rope belt, and a shirt that was probably torn appart when he became The Wolfman?

Is this Wolfman Larry or Bela or some other poor soul who now has the mark of the werewolf? It's your story and this story will help you decide what colour to paint your model. 

Search The Web

There are some great references out there to help you pick colours for your model. If you wish to follow the vision of Universal Studios in determining your colour choices, then look to the headless Fritz website for painting ideas. 

http://vampir.headlesshearseman.com/paint.html

If you want to go with "Nature" colours, then look at differnt wolf websites, like this one : http://www.wolfgangartgallery.com/free.html

Also, what about the Skull and rats? 

Rats : http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/rat.html

Skulls : http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=skull&itemsperpage=40&start=80

Also, think of variations...what about a Pirate who became a Wolf Man. What type of pants would he wear? 

What about a Mexican Theme with the skull painted in red with yellow pin stripes? 


There's also a fabulous textures website located here : http://mayang.com/textures/


It's entirely up to you!


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## ark undertaker

*My Base So Far….*

I must apologize for taking so long in getting an update of my progress posted. I have
had several delays over the last week mainly due to rain, which hindered my priming
and basecoating of the base pieces. Also had a family member pass away so I was out 
of town for two days. I really appreciate everyone's patience. 

After priming the parts, I used Tamiya German Grey as a base coat then using sponges
and drybrushing applied various shades of blue-greys and green-greys over the rocks.
I figured that since MadCap was way, way ahead of me that I would go with a simple
paint scheme for everything. I still have to paint the lettering and add the rats and skull.

Now I haven’t built a plastic kit since the early 90’s but I’m please with the results so
far. So, how about all those who have been following the thread post and building with
us post some pics of their progress too. I would enjoy seeing them and am sure MadCap
would too.

Hey MadCap! Look NO SEAMS on the rock cropping!!!!!!


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## otto

Excellent work Ark!


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## MonsterModelMan

MadCap,

I have been away on vacation and just spotted this thread for the first time!
Great job and THANK YOU for sharing ALL the tips and pics of your build.
I just looked at the PL Aurora Wolfman kit I built about 10 years ago and WOW do I need to do another build as I didn't even use putty and the seams and gaps are TERRIBLE! I guess I've learned quite a bit from boards like this and folks like you and need to apply what I've learned...!

Please continue to share these pics and tips!:thumbsup:

MMM


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## MadCap Romanian

Looks excellent Ark!

Would love to see your dry brushing techniques in action!

I'll be away from the web for a little while since my computer got a virus and I'll have to go to a repair shop for it. Both the home and store computer need a cleaning. 

See you hopefully soon!

Trevor

P.S. keep posting your progress!


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## slingshot392

That's a great looking base Ark, I hope I can do as well when I paint mine. I mostly in with a brush now. It would really be helpful if at some point you could do a step-by-step on the technique you used on your base! Even on some scrap of plastic.

That was a nice way you did the lower legs and feet MadCap, I wish I would have seen that before I did mine. Mine were a horrible fit, I got the bottom of the legs to match up but the tops were a lot wider and there's a huge gap at the bottom of the feet. I will point it out on my pictures when I post them.


----------



## Fozzie

Great stuff! I love seeing how others put kits together. I always learn something. Thank you very much for posting.


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## ark undertaker

MadCap, Otto, and SlingShot392…..

Many, Many Thanks!  I really appreciate your comments about my base and how it turned out. I was actually surprised at the results myself.




slingshot392 said:


> That's a great looking base Ark, I hope I can do as well when I paint mine. I mostly in with a brush now. It would really be helpful if at some point you could do a step-by-step on the technique you used on your base! Even on some scrap of plastic.


SlingShot392,

Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far. I don’t own an airbrush, so I used brushes, rattle cans, and a lot of improvised tools for my work on the base. I’ll see what I can put together for you as far as a step-by-step goes. I’m positive your base will be fantastic also; it will probably be better than mine.


----------



## OzyMandias

Great job Ark!. You've got a really good colour mix going on there. The highlights look really sharp.

It's one of the things that I really love about the Aurora figure kits, The surface texture. Drybrushing is an art and it makes the kits come alive.


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## roadflea

GREAT JOB TO ALL SO FAR HEY ARC GREAT JOB ON THE BASE a how 2 would be great also. as i look at my pl wolfman i see i need to start another build as the 1 i started a while ago is lacking much . is there a way to keep this thread in my comp? i wont get to start for a while but would like to refer to ALL the GREAT stuff that is getting covered here ??


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## slingshot392

My base is ready for primer, I didn't run into anything that MadCap didn't point out, the only difference is that I didn't remove the pins first. Mine had a slight gap on one side, I ran a bead of Model Master liquid gel cement and then slid a thin piece of sheet plastic and trimmed it when it was dry. After my base is painted, I will use some Woodland Scenics railroad ballast in course, medium, and fine (I bought the slate gray color and will use that color as my base coat) and I also bought some of their material for making small bits of grass, vines, or for use on trees in late fall colors. I am also going to pick up some early fall colors and possibly summer colors. I will put that in between the cracks in the rocks using small bits of foliage and also making a couple into vines.

Nothing really different on the torso of my Wolfman, I didn't have as much flash on mine as others pointed out, but it is in the trickiest locations. The seams on the torso were mostly pretty tight, there is a slight gap behind one of his ears and under his chin and I will use epoxy putty to fill that area, the working time will give enough time to blend it in to the rest of the fur and should eliminate any sanding. I picked up some Tamiya stuff as my Milliput was bad from age. The hands fit on snugly but there is still a noticeable line (same with the back of the neck, just not as noticeable), some epoxy putty will blend that nicely.

The legs went together fairly well, I didn't have clamped large enough to clamp them so I used tape which didn't hold them really tight so there are some small gaps, I will either use acrylic filler or some epoxy putty there, not bad at all. The lower legs were a really bad fit. The locating pins should be removed as my legs didn't seem to match up when the pins where in place. I lined them up so the bottom of the legs matched up and everything lined up about halfway up the bottom of the lower legs, then the front of the legs got wider than the back of the legs. After trying numerous things, I finally just lined them up as good as they would go and then filed them down when dry, I will file in some fur. The feet were a hideous fit, I would get the front of the feet to line up with the front of the leg (when I tried moving mine up like MadCap did, nothing on the front of the leg would then line up), there is probably at least a 1/8 inch gap at the back of the foot. I will fill that in with some plastic sheet leaving a little space and the final layer will be some epoxy putty and I will carve in some fur before it sets up. (I have looked at hardware stores and places like Wal-Mart at some of their epoxy putty and their stuff sets up extremely fast, sometimes only five or 10 minutes, modeling epoxy putty can give you between three and five hours working time depending on temperature and humidity)

With the left foot in the slot on the base, the right foot was probably between 1/3 and 1/2 of an inch forward of its slot which turned out okay as the ball of his right foot rests on the rock in front of the slot. I just glued a piece of plastic underneath the slot and then filled the slot in with strips of plastic and liquid glue and filed it smooth.

My base is ready for priming and painting, the seams on the Wolfman, rats, and skull need finishing and then they will be ready for priming.


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## OzyMandias

*SitRep 6th August*

Great work everyone! I'm having heaps of fun building with you all.
OK here's a quick update on my Wolfie.

The photos should tell most of the story. I have not done any seam cleanup on the torso as I am waiting for the shoulders to really harden up. I use Revell Contacta cement which I find very effective. I laid it on a bit thicker than I usually do and pushed the arms onto the shoulder one at a time and applied a lot of pressure by hand. The resultant small bead of melted plastic has worked as an excellent gap filler and my seams should be almost invisible by the time I clean up. 

I have left the head in two pieces as I want to paint up the mouth before I put it in place. The dental work is complete and he is now sporting a nice prosthetic upper fang that offsets his lower snaggle fang nicely. Very pleased with that. 

You can see from the shots of the ankles that I had success in minimising the gaps by removing the pins (which I have never done on a kit before) and positioning each leg assembly, minus the front halves of the upper legs on the model kit base with a rubber band around the waist to hold it in position. The ankles dried on the right angle so that each foot fits in place perfectly now I have glued the trousers together. I did keep checking it during the curing process to make sure the parts did not drift before everything set.
The legs went together nicely. I use rubber bands of varying thicknesses for clamps these days. You get a very tight fit that conforms to the shape of the part, just wrap it around multiple times until you get the pressure you want and then you can slide the parts around if you need to.

I've started clean up on the smaller parts and got rid of the seam on the boulder. 

Next stop, putty the pit in his right foot and the small ones pointed out by MCR on the boulder. The wrist joints need a lot of work as he looks like he's wearing a jumper right now...

Once I have finished with the putty and that has dried, I will get to finishing seam cleanup, and rescribe textures where necessary. 

Then onto the undercoat. I'll be using Chaos Black acrylic in a spray can and drybrushing colour for the most part. I find that technique really brings out the detail as Ark Undertaker ably demonstrated on his base already.

Cheers!


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## ark undertaker

OzyMandias, Slingshot & Roadflea

Thanks for the comments guys! 

Looks like all of you are way ahead of me. Really enjoyed the pics you guys posted. Looking great so far! I haven't got started on Wolfie yet. Still trying to get the base wrapped up. Thanks for the heads-up on what I can expect when I start Wolfie himself.

When I get the base all wrapped up and get the pics posted, I'll do my best to give you guys the details of my construction/painting steps for it.

In the meantime, keep it up guys! :thumbsup:

A.U.


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## slingshot392

Yikes, did I ever screw up the bottom of my legs! I tried fitting them like you guys and no matter what, they just didn't want to line up. I guess my Wolfman will just be a little taller! 

First coat of primer is on the base now.


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## OzyMandias

Wow Sling, that's frustrating for you. Can you determine where the problem occurred? At the ankles, or when you glued the two legs together?


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## slingshot392

It was just my fault although I tried moving the front of the legs all over including switching sides, it's almost like the top half of the front parts was flattened somewhat as they were both too wide. The very bottoms needed a lot of cleaning up as well as the molding there was terrible. Lesson learned on this one and I will do a lot more dry fitting when I get to The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I'm going to get the Flintstone girl figures for both the Creature and Robby the robot and my friend in Malta who is good at figures said he will paint them for me. Can't wait.


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## MadCap Romanian

Slingshot, I glued the foot to the back of the leg first. That might eliminate your gap problems.

So far so good though. keep up the work! 

Arc ~ Doing great!

If you have the Frankenstein kit, how about a quick Dry Brushing lession from you using the tombstone piece.


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## OzyMandias

Maybe we can start a communal build for the other kits as well. While I've been waiting for putty to harden on Wolfie, I've been sub-assembling Dracula...
Talking about putty, has anybody ever used 'green stuff' or kneadatite as it's otherwise known on styrene kits?


----------



## MadCap Romanian

OZY...you must be a Warhammer builder!  

I was thinking of using some Greenstuff around Wolfie's arms/wrists so that they don't look so "stepped".

@ Roadflea...just bookmark the page - "Ctrl+D"


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## OzyMandias

Lol yep Trev, I have had my turn at Lord of the Rings actually... I'll be painting my collection well into retirement...

Wolfie's wrists were what was bugging me too. I've used Squadron white and I've started sculpting the fur texture into the putty, but I got to thinking about a bead of green stuff around the wrists and how easy that would have been to sculpt without chipping.

I'll post some pics of the putty work before I undercoat.


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## Auroranut

OzyMandias said:


> Maybe we can start a communal build for the other kits as well. While I've been waiting for putty to harden on Wolfie, I've been sub-assembling Dracula...
> Talking about putty, has anybody ever used 'green stuff' or kneadatite as it's otherwise known on styrene kits?


I personally hate green stuff! It shrinks, stinks, and cracks. It does that for me anyway. The best filler apparently is Aves though it's hard to find here. Al at Access Resource in Redcliffe used to stock it but he closed his doors a while ago (he used to carry my RTV and resin too). Maybe Mad Models and Daft Crafts stock Aves...
I use automotive spot putty on my kits as it takes a bite into the plastic and is IMHO easy to carve and sand. It still stinks, but it's my personal favourite. I used to be a spraypainter so I suppose I'm used to working with it.

Chris.


----------



## slingshot392

I was going to use some epoxy putty to blend in the wrists and some of the other joints since it will give time to shape the fur and hopefully greatly minimize or eliminate sanding.


----------



## slingshot392

OzyMandias said:


> Maybe we can start a communal build for the other kits as well. While I've been waiting for putty to harden on Wolfie, I've been sub-assembling Dracula...
> Talking about putty, has anybody ever used 'green stuff' or kneadatite as it's otherwise known on styrene kits?


I like the idea of the communal builds, keeps different techniques all in one spot and easier to find. I have the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Robby the robot to do next although it will be awhile before I get that far. I will start a communal build on one of those unless someone else does first.

I also have the 1/32 Apollo Command Module and the 1/48Lunar Module in the queue, those would be good candidates as well. I've been trying to figure out how to get a realistic gold foil and the bottom of the module.


----------



## MadCap Romanian

AuroraNut said:


> I personally hate green stuff! It shrinks, stinks, and cracks.


I don't think it's the same Greenstuff. This is the stuff sold by The Games Workshop. It's a plastic dough that is like an A+B epoxie. One side is yellow and the other is blue. You blend the two together and it turns "Green". Because of this, Warhammer people reffer to it as "Greenstuff". It's simular to Aves in that you can form it, etc. You can use water on it and it sets when it dries out, which is usually overnight. But before it dries, you can poke your knife into it, etc, and sculpt your figure, etc. Once it's dry though, it's done.

Squadron Green Putty and White Putty is the problamatic stuff you might be thinking of. It's a laquer based product that will continue to shrink until it cracks up and falls off. It's awful!

@ Slingshot and the rest : 

If we do more of these builds, I would suggest starting with the Dracula, Frankenstein and Mummy figures as these are the most current and redily avalible on the market at this time. After that, we can continue with other kits from other companies. ~ Just my idea.


----------



## OzyMandias

Yes it's the two part yellow/blue ribbon I am talking about. The thought came to me while I was puttying up the ankles and wrists on Wolfie. I have used squadron white, which I find is ok for thin fills, but woeful when a wider or deeper space needs to be filled, due to the ongoing shrinkage.

The fur texture on Wolfie is problematic around the wrists, and I thought the flexibility of the greenstuff might work for a better finish.


----------



## roadflea

THANKS MADCAP for the tip on how to save the page


----------



## MadCap Romanian

You're Welcome!


----------



## ark undertaker

MadCap Romanian said:


> Arc ~ Doing great!
> 
> If you have the Frankenstein kit, how about a quick Dry Brushing lession from you using the tombstone piece.


Thanks my friend!

Seems quite a few have also commented on the drybrushing I do. I am honored that you guys like it so well. MadCap, thanks for the suggestion. I've been trying to figure out how to come up a spare part to demo with ever since 
Slingshot asked me about a step-by-step. I do have the Franky kit and will begin tonight putting together something for everyone using the tombstone. Might take me a few days but I'll get it posted as quickly as I can.

On another note, I used Squadron Green on some of my parts and got some shrinkage but compensated for it by going over the puttied area with, now don't laugh, white-out correction fluid. After it dried and was sanded, it corrected not only the shrinkage but took the primer and paint well also. Thought I'd pass it along to you all.

Everyone, the kits you are building are looking great. Keep it up! :thumbsup:

A.U.


----------



## slingshot392

ark undertaker said:


> Thanks my friend!
> 
> Seems quite a few have also commented on the drybrushing I do. I am honored that you guys like it so well. MadCap, thanks for the suggestion. I've been trying to figure out how to come up a spare part to demo with ever since
> Slingshot asked me about a step-by-step. I do have the Franky kit and will begin tonight putting together something for everyone using the tombstone. Might take me a few days but I'll get it posted as quickly as I can.
> 
> On another note, I used Squadron Green on some of my parts and got some shrinkage but compensated for it by going over the puttied area with, now don't laugh, white-out correction fluid. After it dried and was sanded, it corrected not only the shrinkage but took the primer and paint well also. Thought I'd pass it along to you all.
> 
> Everyone, the kits you are building are looking great. Keep it up! :thumbsup:
> 
> A.U.


I have heard of the white out before, any problems in sanding it? I have used white glue before but didn't like the way it sanded although I tried to remove as much as possible before it dried. If I use it again, I will add some food coloring to it first so it's a little easier to see to help with sanding. The eyes sure aren't what they were 30 years ago!


----------



## MadCap Romanian

@ Arc ~ Why not start the "Let's Build Frankenstein" Thread and do it simular to this one?


----------



## ark undertaker

MadCap Romanian said:


> @ Arc ~ Why not start the "Let's Build Frankenstein" Thread and do it simular to this one?


MCR,

I love this idea! :roll: I'm in if you're in!

Maybe I better get Wolfie finished first though. I'm running out of room on my workbench 

P.S. Check the PM I sent you.

A.U.


----------



## ark undertaker

slingshot392 said:


> I have heard of the white out before, any problems in sanding it? I have used white glue before but didn't like the way it sanded although I tried to remove as much as possible before it dried. If I use it again, I will add some food coloring to it first so it's a little easier to see to help with sanding. The eyes sure aren't what they were 30 years ago!


Slingshot,

I didn't encounter any problems sanding it. I let it set for about 30 minutes. I did use a very fine (1000 grit) paper that i had left over from a refinishing job on a coffee table I done a few months ago. Have never tried the white glue. Let me know your results with it if you use it again. 

A.U.


----------



## Mark McGovern

slingshot392 said:


> I have heard of the white out before, any problems in sanding it?...


Not too much, but it's really not your best choice for gap filling. White-Out dries too fast to be applied smoothly and is very soft when it sets up; plus, like white glue, it is formulated for use on porous surfaces, not styrene plastic. Putties work best with a heavily textured figure like the Wolf Man because they can stand up to being worked after they've hardened and of course they'll stick better to the plastic.

Good luck!

Mark McG.


----------



## MadCap Romanian

I'm not understanding why Arc didn't use the Tamyia Grey Putty.


----------



## ark undertaker

MadCap Romanian said:


> I'm not understanding why Arc didn't use the Tamyia Grey Putty.


M.C.R. & Mark McG.

Please allow me to explain the white-out statement I made to Slingshot.

When I finished cleaning up the seams on the rock cropping, I did have a spot or two that needed some putty and I did fill these with Tamiya Basic Putty. When I went to the nearest hobby shop for the paint for the basecoat, I found the Squadron Green on sale so I picked up some thinking that it might come in handy sometime. It was at the shop that I was told about the possible shrinkage and using the white-out to compensate for it. If you look at the pictures a few posts back, you’ll notice that I puttied in the attachment holes where the skull and rats attached to the base. Now being a novice at this, I figured that a little putty practice would do me some good. It did shrink a little when it dried so I used the white-out to try to build the area back up. I only used it on the large rock. I hope that I haven’t done something I shouldn’t have by using it and that it doesn’t wind up coming off the part with time. I was just experimenting was all. If this stuff doesn’t need to be used, please everyone forgive my mentioning it to start with and my lack of knowledge about it. 


A.U.


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## slingshot392

Thanks for the information on the white out guys, I will give it a try since it's not that expensive, I am trying a lot of different things since there's so much stuff in the stores that sometimes works and can be a lot cheaper than dedicated modeling stuff.

For filling gaps, I fill with plastic if they are large enough and then use Tamiya putty or some acrylic putty that I have (can't remember the brand off the top of my head). What I was thinking about using the white out for is for seams that are really tight but still slightly visible, I tried using the different putties on them, but they just kind of seem like overkill. I am hoping it will go on thin and light and help blend the tight seam, if that makes sense? Especially in areas that are tough to get to like the fur on the Wolfman's torso, mine was a very tight fit but still slightly visible and I don't want to remove fur with too much sanding.


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## OzyMandias

For the record, Squadron white worked out OK for my Wolfie's wrists. I did have to go back and add a little more on one side as the line where the wrist is wider than the hand started to show as it dried. Second application covered it and when I sanded it down and rescribed the detail it looked pretty good. 

Once I sprayed the undercoat and drybrushed the first colour, one wrist showed up as too smooth so I carved more detail, then repainted it again. I'm happy enough with the result and I think it covers the rather obvious part fit problem. My eyes are no longer drawn to it.

I've taken my last batch of photos, and will post them later today. I'm done guys, what are we building next? :thumbsup:


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## Mark McGovern

ark undertaker said:


> It was at the shop that I was told about the possible shrinkage and using the white-out to compensate for it...


ark,

Not you nor nobody else ever owes me an explanation for why they model the way they do - your unswerving fealty will be enough. :hat:

Seriously, I've heard of using White-Out to fill small blemishes but you'll find the Squadron Green far more useful. Any solvent-based putty will shrink, since it hardens when the solvent evaporates. (That's why you should be careful to cap the tube as soon as you've cut off a slice of putty - it'll dry out inside the tube amazingly fast.) So it's best to fill gaps in relatively thin layers, or use something like super glue to do the bulk of the filling first.

And a two part epoxy putty like AVES Apoxy Sculpt affords you the working time to blend it into the fur texture so there will be less sanding after it hardens.

sling,

Your take on the use of White-Out sounds the most accurate to me. It will only be effective for the lightest of applications. However, if you compare the cost for a bottle versus a tube of putty, I think you'll see that the hobby material still gives you a bigger bang for your buck.

Mark McG.


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## frankenstyrene

You boys are advanced far beyond my paltry skills. I'm all for the idea of using whiteout on a kit; I just can't imagine how you first go about getting one into the typewriter.


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## MadCap Romanian

Big hammer!


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## ark undertaker

*My Base Finished*

Well I finally finished with my base :woohoo: and thought I would share with everyone how it turned out. While by no means a contest winner, I am still pleased with the way it turned out. 










I didn’t care much for the skull that came with the kit so I used the spare skull from my glow Nosferatu kit. The rats were the biggest challange for me but I finally got a look that I liked. Hope everyone enjoys the pic and cant wait to see what you guys have done with yours. Well, on to the Wolf Man!

A.U.


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## hedorah59

Great job on the base - I'm looking forward to seeing your Wolfman!


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## OzyMandias

Ark, that's very nice work. I had some moments with the rats too, and went through some different colours before I was satisfied. Will try and get my photos up today.


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## Auroranut

That's a great job you've done on your base Ark!:thumbsup:
The way you've weathered the skull is excellent! I really looks like weathered bone without being too bleached out. The rats came out well too. 
I can't wait to see what yu do with Wolfie himself!!

Chris.


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## OzyMandias

OK, here we go. Pics of the last stages of work on Wolfie. The first pic shows the parts primed flat black and drybrushed quite heavily with my base colour. I don't cover the primer colour completely, but leave it showing though to add some depth to the overall paint finish. In the second pic, you can see my second colours are only slightly lighter than the base colours, helping to lift the texture that much more. I hit the worn and frayed parts of the jeans a bit more havily with the highlight colour to show the distress on the fabric. The only thing left to do is a touch of clear coat on the eyes and mouth.

One thing I should mention is that I am not making any drastic changes to these kits out of the box. I would like them, as much as possible to have that 60s feel. Come to think of it, maybe I should have spattered the gloss red enamel round a bit  Seriously though, this kit went together very well and the only 'accurising' I could think of would be to change the skull as AU has done. I left mine as is, but ran some flesh wash over the bleached bone to produce some appropriate shadowing on the jawline. I know the eye sockets and nose aren't as they should be, but I like the look as it is.

Comments, criticism, suggestions welcome, but please, no rotten fruit... 

Was a decision made about the next communal build? I'm working on my Nosferatu right now, but happy to step up to bat (pardon the pun) with any of the other Fab 4.

This has been a great experience. I've picked up some helpful tips and had a lot of fun along the way. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Thanks guys!:thumbsup:


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## Auroranut

What the hell am I supposed to do with all these tomatoes?!?:tongue:
Excellent work Bruce!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
The new fang really adds a lot to his look and the paintwork's superb! I like the way you've deseamed, drybrushed and shaded him. Very nice job mate.

Chris.


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## OzyMandias

Thanks Chris, I took a lot more time as some of the seaming was so blindingly obvious. Taking care when fitting the parts was a huge help to a better finish. 
I've got Trevor to thank for the tip about carving off the locating pins otherwise I would have had MAJOR dramas with the lower legs.
Looking at the photos there are some spots I think I could have done some more work with, but overall I'm very pleased with the result


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## ark undertaker

Thanks guys for the very kind remarks. I did put alot of effort into it. Guess that's why it took me so long to get it done.

Ozy, your kit is really fantastic! :thumbsup: Hope I can get my Wolfie to look half as good. Kinda neat I think that our bases turned out so close to each other's.




OzyMandias said:


> One thing I should mention is that I am not making any drastic changes to these kits out of the box. I would like them, as much as possible to have that 60s feel.


This is what I am planning to do also. 



OzyMandias said:


> I know the eye sockets and nose aren't as they should be, but I like the look as it is.


Looks better than mine. I didn't have the courage to attempt the kit's skull.



OzyMandias said:


> Was a decision made about the next communal build? I'm working on my Nosferatu right now, but happy to step up to bat (pardon the pun) with any of the other Fab 4.


Actually, one has been made but that's all I'm going to say. 
Up to MadCap to decide when to spill the beans (or glue, if you prefer) and give out the details.



OzyMandias said:


> This has been a great experience. I've picked up some helpful tips and had a lot of fun along the way. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Thanks guys!:thumbsup:


I can't agree more! I don't know when I have had so much fun!!!!!

A.U.


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## Mark McGovern

OzyMandias said:


> ...Looking at the photos there are some spots I think I could have done some more work with, but overall I'm very pleased with the result


Welcome to the club, Oz. It's when you think you're turning out perfect models all the time that you're in trouble. If you don't believe me, check out any of the "Pro Built" crud that regularly gets hawked on eBay. While you're joining clubs, I'd apply for membership in the League of Extraordinary Modelers* if I were you. Fine job on your Wolfie!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​ 

I hope it's not too late for some of you guys, but a thought occurred to me as I was reading this thread. I haven't had a need to build a Wolf Man here of late, but I do have a Luminators edition in my stash. It seemed to me that a piece of aluminum foil cemented against the inside of the Wolf Man's head shiny side out would be an effective way to take advantage of the otherwise abominable neon plastic. The foil, reflecting through the plastic, would make the eyes shine like those of a real wolf.

I tried doing this and was pleased enough with the result to snap a couple photos of the effect. I threw some paint on Wolfie's face just to isolate the eyes and make the effect more clear. Even if you didn't want to use this effect on his eyes, it could be used to make the letters on the nameplate stand out (backpainting would work there as well).

You'll notice that I painted in the pupils; I did that to illustrate a tip. Bill Lemon, who sculpted most of Aurora's figures, rendered the irises of the eyes as incised lines. If you locate them prior to painting the eyes, you can save yourself a lot of hassle. On this example I used a fine-tipped brush and a little flat black to mark the pupils on the bare neon plastic, otherwise I usually do this with a pencil over the primer coat. Then I'd drill them out with a tiny bit in a pin vise, after which I'd paint the eyeball, followed by the iris (with those little striations in there, if I'm feeling lucky). Finally, a thin wash of flat black applied to the outline of the irises and the drilled pupils would finish the eyes off.

This procedure has saved me hours of gut-wrenching tension as I tried to center the pupils into otherwise nicely painted irises. And if this foil trick will work for the Wolf Man (either, it occurs to me, to illuminate the irises with the ball painted in or vice versa), think how cool the foil-backed eyes will look on Dracula, which was cast in *neon red* styrene.

Have a great weekend, all!

Mark McG.
*I made that up, so don't come after me for the League's web address! :hat:


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## frankenstyrene

"Dracula, which was cast in neon red styrene."

Wow, you must have gotten a rare pop on that one - I've only ever seen him in that greenish-yellow, similar to the Wolfman (Mummy/Kong, pink; Frank/Phantom, orange).

Great builds, guys! I've always disliked the WM kit itself but fine buildups are always pleasing to see.


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## Mark McGovern

*Mea Culpa*



frankenstyrene said:


> Wow, you must have gotten a rare pop on that one - I've only ever seen him in that greenish-yellow...


No frank, what I gotten was the color wrong - that's what I get for having my models in the basement and my computer upstairs.  I suppose one could back paint some red behind the clear styrene, though.

Mark McG.


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## frankenstyrene

I did similar with the LumMummy; put a small, dim LED inside his head. Looks good. But just using tin foil or mylar is a better idea and would be much easier and get much the same effect.

Drac SHOULD have been molded in clear red, that's fo sho.


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## Mark McGovern

frankenstyrene said:


> ...just using tin foil or mylar...would be much easier...


And no worries about batteries or a power outlet at contest time! 

Mark McG.


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## OzyMandias

Mark McGovern said:


> Welcome to the club, Oz. It's when you think you're turning out perfect models all the time that you're in trouble. If you don't believe me, check out any of the "Pro Built" crud that regularly gets hawked on eBay. While you're joining clubs, I'd apply for membership in the League of Extraordinary Modelers* if I were you. Fine job on your Wolfie!
> 
> *snip*
> 
> Mark McG.
> *I made that up, so don't come after me for the League's web address! :hat:


Caught me out on that Mark... Did you know there is really a League? 

Thanks for your comments. :thumbsup:


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## Auroranut

Great idea with Wolfies eyes mark, but wouldn't it look a little like he's in line for a liver transplant?....:wave:

Chris.


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## Mark McGovern

A-nut,

I suppose you have a point, in that Lon Chaney, Jr. was known to hit the sauce a little too hard. I was thinking that the eyes of wolves are frequently yellow, so this foil bit would add some verisimilitude to the model. Now, enough of your jaundiced sense of humor; go look up the meaning of "verisimilitude" for me, will you?

Off you go, there's a good fellow. :dude:

Mark McGee, I wonder how long it will take for him to come back with a crack about Dracula's liver - ?


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## Auroranut

A little bit of realism- if it was a real wolf.....
Maybe Drac's been hitting the sauced?????

Chris.


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## Auroranut

As a wise young girl once said- "So what if I ain't smart? I'm lovely"....

Chris.


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## Auroranut

Count Drunkula.....

Chris.


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## Zombie_61

"I never drink...wine." 

Great thread folks! I've been building styrene kits for 40 years, and I never get tired of seeing step-by-step builds by other modelers; you never know when someone will have a better idea or technique that will save time and yield better results. Please keep the photos and tips coming! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Speaking of which, an alternate idea for the foil-backed eye illumination tip shared by Mark McGovern: 3M makes a reflective tape equivalent to that used on road signs (here in the U.S., anyway; the stuff that reflects the light from your headlights when driving at night and makes the signs "light up"). I've seen this used on car kits in place of headlights and, when light hits the tape from the proper angle, it reflects as bright (or brighter) than LEDs or "grain of wheat" bulbs and requires no internal or external power source.


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## OzyMandias

That's the same gear they coated the Kryptonian Elders outfits with in Superman The Movie. Looks great with light on it, but grey when not lit. It would make for a very interesting effect and I believe it can be purchased in paint form as well as tape.


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## MadCap Romanian

So here's my finished Wolfman from this build. 










And he has his own special thread here : http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=269131

Now hopefully someone close by here in Alberta has built one of these kits and will bring it to the Monster Hobbies Build A Monster Contest in High River, Alberta. 

127 3rd Ave SW
High River, Alberta, Canada

Bring it down in that last week of October and you might just win a trophy.


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## Mitchellmania

Very cool!! Needs a little... GLOW PAINT!!:wave:


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## MadCap Romanian

ThanX...I used up all the glow on my house though.


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## ark undertaker

*My Wolf Man Complete!!!!*

After an extremely long time (almost 3 ½ months), loads of frustrations and countless re-dos, I finally finished my Revell reissue of the Wolf Man and wanted to share the results with everyone. This is the first plastic kit that I’ve tried to build in 18 years. It is by no means a contest winner. I still have a long way to go and lots of skills to hone but I am still very proud of myself for completing the kit and am pleased with the way it turned out.

But before I let you see…..

I want to express my “special thanks” to MCR for agreeing to and including me in this project. Many times throughout my build, I encountered problems and frustrations and at points became so discouraged with my progress and skills that I was ready to give up, thinking that I just never will be able to do plastic kits. But MCR stayed right with me, sharing his knowledge, offering his insight, being extremely patient, and encouraging me all the way. 

Many thanks also to all the others for all the guidance, help and encouragement that was given to me along the way.

My goal in all this was to learn from everyone here how to build a plastic model that I could be proud to display. I wanted to learn the “magic with the plastic” that you guys do. I feel that I not only reached this goal but surpassed it in many ways. I learned so much from all of you all had a lot of fun doing it. Once again, thank you all!

So here’s my Wolf Man…….










Until next build,
A.U.


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## OzyMandias

A.U. He looks fantastic!!! Don't sell yourself short, I see plenty of 'magic' in that plastic.
I like the display plinth under the base too, that's a nice touch. 
Looking forward to seeing some more of your builds.
Cheers
Ozy


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## MadCap Romanian

Looks excelent! Glad i could help out!


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## Rob P.

Bringing this old thread back up out of retirement! Lots of good information provided in a nice photo how to manner, and I read this through when I started back into modeling 2 and half years ago. Much helpful info!  

BTW Mad Cap, did the Frankenstein build mentioned in here ever get going? I have not stumbled upon that one if it did. 

It would be great if we saw more posts similar to this, I'm a bit deep into both of my current ones to start at the beginning, but maybe on the next. 

Rob


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