# Sinbad - WIP



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I started working on the Sinbad kit the other day. Overall, it is really very good. 

The parts are cleanly molded in copper, brown and green plastic. The brown and copper are virtually identical, so that is sort of strange. Other plastic combinations seem to be out there at random.

The fit of the parts ranges from very good to excellent. The torso halves needed just a little sanding down when the glue was dry. No filler was needed here.










The legs needed a little putty but alignment was very good and the seams are minimal, even without filler. But, prominent areas like the tops of the legs, really should be smoothed out, if possible. The boots fit together nicely, and they fit well to the legs. Be careful with the left boot though to make sure it seats properly to the knee.










The halves of the arms actually fit somewhat poorly. Nothing "awful" but you can not get away without using a little putty here. Especially around the wrist/cuff. 










For some of the more difficult seams, like the fingers of the monster hand, I used Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. It can be wiped off while still wet, to leave a thin layer of filler in fine cracks and gaps that would be hard to reach with sandpaper or sanding stick.










Same with some of the little gaps on the large tree root... To me, these tiny gaps and cracks are just as important to fill as the big ones. Filling them in, while time consuming, makes the tree look solid and not "stuck together"


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The base has some nasty gaps. I suppose to make the parts fit in the box it was necessary to break it down into more pieces, but the stone blocks fit poorly to the sandy area. Likewise, the column and stone head fit loosely into deep grooves and sockets. The detailing and composition of the parts is very good, but the main pieces fit very loosely and unrealistically.

You can see here where the sand doesn't touch the stone head at all!










The first step in making the detail parts look less "stuck on" is to brush acrylic glue around the gaps. I use Gator's Grip Glue, which is a tacky, acrylic modelling glue. It is somewhat like White/Craft Glues, which would also work. 



















You can see the Glue here, as well as the reduced seam on the column. I lightly textured the smooth seam area with a Dremel steel cutting ball to match the texture on the rest of the column.










When the Gator's Grip Glue dried and shrank down a little, I went back over the gaps again (now half filled) with solvent-based Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. When this is semi dry I will stipple it with an old plastic paint brush to add a little rough texture to match the sandy parts of the base. Now the stone head, column, block, appear burried in sand and not stuck into holes dug in the sand










THe gaps around the base are really hard to avoid with injection molding but are not hard to fix either!


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I agree with your overall opinion and the base is definitely going to be the most work at the parts joints. I've started painting some of my base parts and now, from reading your post, may have to rethink my approach. I was going to paint most as subassemblies and then attach them and fill in those nasty gaps. But that might not work as good as pre-assembling and just masking off the individual parts for painting. But as you said, the overall kit is very good and really this base issue isn't so much of an issue as just something for a good modeler to figure out. For the weekend modelers or the kids (the few kids who buy plastic kits anymore) those small gaps won't really make a difference.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

It's odd the different colour combinations out there...my base parts are a jade green and the tree parts are sandy yellow.


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Nice WIP djnick66! I appreciate all the detailed photos! :thumbsup:

I haven't cracked mine open yet but it is on the short pile of things to start on soon. what I really would like to see is how to obtain the skin tones that I've seen posted on HT so far...great stuff!

MMM


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I will do some step by step painting pictures as well.

The kit is really cool. The fit is not a huge issue and the base is easy to tinker with. I almost didn't bother with the seam around the stone head since its at the back of the base, but then I figured I would take care of it along with the others. I like to paint the details of the base together anyway. That way I can blend the colors in a bit so it doesn't look like each block, column, stone, etc. was neatly stuck in place. 

I may add some small details... a few vines or ground cover using some florists moss. Sinbad should have an earring too. I can make that from sprue or wire. The fit of the neck to the torso is BAD... thats going to take some work. I was wondering if a little medallion pendent around his neck would hide the gap. Otherwise, that one seam will take some careful puttywork.

The colors are a bit odd. The difference between the brown and copper is so minimal it seems a waste of time. Of course, I am painting the kit anyway... Instead of the multi colors, it might have been interesting to have the sword, genie lamp, etc. chrome or brass plated. I plan on using Alclad for those.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Interesting! My sinbad was molded in copper, sky blue and gold. The base is blue and the monster hand is gold!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Ok some more work (you can tell its a slow day here...)

The neck definitely needs some putty... what an awkward place to sand. 










A second layer of Primer was stippled with an old paint brush to add some texture to the joint between the stone head and the sand base.



















Compare back to how it looked before any filler was added...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

His feet fit fine with the base. Getting the tree located properly is a little tricky. I drilled out the tiny pin on the stone head/hole in the tree so I can add a wire pin. I taped the tree to the base. Glue Sinbad's left boot (the one that goes on the tree) firmly in place on the leg with CA glue. It has very little wiggle room anyway. Glue the left leg with a slow drying glue, test fit in place, and adjust.


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

Excellent work so far Djnick.. i ordered my kit months ago, and im still waiting for it to fall into my hands!.. the base looks magnificant!.. i will keep looking to see what peoples different paint schemes come out like!


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

I've had problems sanding the neck too...it's a pity they didn't mold the bare section of the chest as part of the neck and face.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I need to put up some more picturse now. It wasn't too hard to sand. I used some putty for the seam across the chest and some Liquid Surface Primer to fill in around the collar. Ideally the chest and neck could have been molded together and then inset into the shirt. But, in the end, its not a huge deal. More of an annoyance. The seam on the thumb is harder to remove.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Ok, here we go with some more pictures...

The neck seam works out okay... the gap around the back of the neck is more of an issue than the seam across his chest. I realized the arms didn't fit as well into the vest as they could have. The arm's don't really go into the shoulders, so there are small gaps. Easy to fill... 










In this picture I had taped the tree to the base, but I later CA glued it. Fix the tree to the base so you can test fit the feet/legs.










I glued Sinbad's left foot (the one that goes on the tree) to his leg using CA glue. There is very little wiggle to this joint, so its not really of any use in adjustments. Plus it is easier to adjust one leg than have two wobbly ones. The right foot was glued using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement.










It is easy to test fit the position of the feet to the base. The right foot has a tiny amount of play at the knee, and that is all you need to fix the pose properly. It is easier to test fit the feet/legs without the torso glued in place (just makes the model both heavier and top heavy.











Now the completed figure will actually loosely balance on its feet.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The fun part begins... painting.

For the first bit of painting, I used these two colors:

Vallejo 860 Medium Fleshtone and 815 Basic Skintone










I base coated the skin areas with a layer of 860 Medium Fleshtone. Just squeeze out a big drop of paint, thin it slightly with a drop of tap water, and paint away! The Vallejo paints go on smoothly and cover very well in one thin coat. Do not worry about 100% coverage. The macro photos make the parts look a bit streaky but in real life you don't see any brush marks.

This is the face before a coat of Krylon Flat White Primer...










And after a coat of 860 Medium Fleshtone










The hands get a coat of Medium Fleshtone as well. Stupidly, Monarch molds the part numbers on the palms of the hands and I did not see this until I started painting.










When the base coat is dry, squeeze out a little 815 Basic Skintone and mix a few brudh loads approximately 50-50 with an equal amount of 860 Medium Fleshtone. Thin it slightly too. Now, I do something sort of like a drybrush, but with the brush loaded up with more paint (and thinner paint) than you would normally drybrush with. Work the wet paint mix onto the highlights of the face and hands. You can blend the wet paint in, but work quickly as it dries fast. If you feel the paints dry too fast for you, mix in a drop of Vallejo 597 Slow dry (retarder).



















With just two colors and minimal work, a good bit of the skin tone is actually DONE.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

This is one of my two boxes of Vallejo paints (the red capped bottles are Andrea paints, which are made by Vallejo and are of the same formula). The second box is mostly specific World War II armor paints. This is my figure box...










I took this to help explain what I think people should look for in paints. There are six different flesh shades (top just to the right of the big thinner bottle). In the top right corner are five different yellows, and right below that, six blues, six reds etc. I don't like to look at a couple of models and instantly recognize the builder did three figures using the same five paints. I want my models to have both a variety, and also have the colors I want to use, not the colors I had to use becuase I didn't have the right ones. Yes you can mix colors, BUT in practice its not as easy as it seems. Colors like reds, yellows and blues do not mix very well. Adding white to dark blue does not give you light blue... you get light grey, etc. It's the same with red... it is much easier to buy several reds (orangey red, dark red, purple red, scarlet) than to try to mix them. I did not buy all of these paints at once; rather I got them over a period of about a year. I did buy a lot of the flesh colors and basics up front. Basically when I was painting some Napoleonic figures I bought some blue, red, green colors. Then when I did some World War II stuff, I bought some khaki's, Olive Drab, German Field Grey, etc. A few bottles at a time is easy and the paints last for many years.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Using a TINY amount of Vallejo 818 Red Leather, and 822 German SS Camouflage Black (a very dark brown) I mixed a shadow color for the previously painted skin tones. 










In some areas, this was kept thicker and painted on with a fine brush to outline the fingernails, add definition between the fingers, paint the nostrils, etc. It was also thinned down into a wash and used to outline "softer" features. The nice thing with Vallejo paints is that when you thin them they do not change color or dry into a different color. You can make very subtle translucent washes this way, and build up shadows and highlights with many layers of paint.



















Again, let these colors dry a bit. Now, go back to the 860 Medium Felshtone and 815 Basic Skintone, and do some careful touch up. Do a drybrush, but don't have the brush too dry or empty of paint. I like to apply the paint somewhat wet and blend it in. You can also directly paint highlights (like the top of the nose, ears, knuckles) with this mix.

Here are some more paints. Sinbad's skin is nearly finished.










I painted the eyes with Vallejo 70820 Off White. This is a very handy color. Using some slightly thinned 822 SS Camouflage Black, outline the eyeball carefully. The pupils were painted with a mix of the Black with some skin tone for a greyish shade. The lips were painted with a mix of Humbrol 60 Scarlet, mixed with 815 Basic Skintone. Sometimes people have trouble with lips. Don't add any/much color to the upper lip, and simply paint about 2/3 of the molded lower lip. If you paint the lower lip fully it does not look right. Paint a darker shadow along the lip line. Mix a TOUGH of Scarlet in with the Basic Skintone, thin it a bit, and feather it on the high part of the cheeks for a ruddy look. You can tone it down a bit with more Basic Skintone + Medium Fleshtone. You don't want the face to be too pink, but a slightly ruddy look to the cheeks makes the face more realistic.










Finish the hands with a little drybrushing and touch up too.


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Nice work! Love how the skin tones are turning out!

MMM


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

looking good so far!.. will like to see what the stone on the base is going to be like.. there is so many ideas that pop into my head!..


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The base was spray painted with Tamiya Tire Black, a very dark, nearly black, grey color. The stone head and column cap were airbrushed with a coarse layer of Testors Acryl Verdegris. This is a very useful shade, and I used it also on my Monarch Nosferatu for the skin color. I was not too careful in getting a smooth finish. I wanted the paint a bit speckley to add some texture to the very smooth plastic face. 










The column cap was drybrushed a bit with Verdegris mixed with some white acrylic paint










The face with some drybrushing


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## bizzarobrian (Oct 4, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> His feet fit fine with the base. Getting the tree located properly is a little tricky. I drilled out the tiny pin on the stone head/hole in the tree so I can add a wire pin. I taped the tree to the base. Glue Sinbad's left boot (the one that goes on the tree) firmly in place on the leg with CA glue. It has very little wiggle room anyway. Glue the left leg with a slow drying glue, test fit in place, and adjust.


I had problems with that also.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

I greatly appreciate you taking time to give such detailed explanations! Your discussion of seam filling is very helpful, and the pics are invaluable!
Thanks!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Time to get out some different paints...

Vallejo 889 US Olive Drab, 70820 Off White, 70950 Black, and 801 Brass come into play, along with Vallejo 860 Medium Fleshtone and Humbrol 60 Scarlet.










The column, rocks, blocks and tree were painted with a thin coat of Vallejo 889 US Olive Drab. This is a very dark, brown, shade; more like Burnt Umber than the light Greenish-Khaki Olive that Testors makes. It is a good base shade for wood, stone, etc. The sandy portions were painted with a thin coat of 860 Medium Fleshtone. 










The genie lamp and sword were primed with Krylon Ultra Flat Black spray paint. This gives a nice tooth for the metallic finish. The lamp was first drybrushed with 860 Medium Fleshtone, then, while that was still wet, drybrushed again with 801 Brass. When dry, a follow up layer of brass was added. The sword hilt was done with just Brass. The color is much deeper and orangish than in the photos, and looks like old brass.










Now, back to Sinbad. The pupils of the eyes were finished with a bit of dark blue for the iris (the kit instructions show them a creepy bright blue), with a black pupil and off-white highlight. The beard is a mix of 70950 Black with some 860 Medium Fleshtone and 818 Red Leather. I am about 95% done with the face now. The ear ring in his right ear is Brass.












Sinbad's turban was painted in Humbrol 60 Scarlet. The detailing on the cloth was done with Vallejo 889 US Olive Drab that was not thinned down too much. The red color is not finished yet. 

The shirt is 70820 Off White, with some US Olive Drab mixed in for a shadow color. I have not added highlights yet and right now the areas are a bit blotchy. But, you get the idea. Some of the shading is not as stark as it looks in the photos.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Wow this is looking GREAT!!!:thumbsup:
Mcdee


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

A nice kit, a great WIP, and a beautiful job! I always loved Sinbad, but I'm not a figure guy.....I may have to try it! Thanks for posting all your great work!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

If you haven't built big plastic figure kits, I highly recommend this one for a lot of reasons. Being a new kit, the engineering, fit and sculpting are top notch. While I did some filling and sanding on pretty much every halved assembly, none was difficult or abnormal. The kit builds very easily and quickly. Unlike, say, Dracula, you have a lot of leeway as to how to paint Sinbad. I am going by the box art for the most part. But, you can really use your imagination here. And, the base has lots of details to build and paint. With the sword, lamp, urn, arm, chemelion, rocks, stone head, dead tree, etc there are lots of colors and textures to play around with.


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

It's looking great so far mate!! I can't wait to see it finished!

Chris.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I may have maxed out my photo bucket account until the end of the month... If so I will just take the pictures as I go and follow up in September.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The vest was painted in a deep purple. There aren't a lot of purple model paints, and I didn't have any... so I mixed a good shade with Vallejo 945 Magenta and Andrea AC-21 Basic Blue. In photos the color looks more blue versus purple in real life. But the color is subtle.




























Sinbad's pants were done in an coppery-orange shade. Again, this was mixed. I used Vallejo 911 Light Orange mixed with Vallejo 818 Brown Leather. Some of the shading on the turban and waist sash was Vallejo 908 Carmine Red. Highlights are 817 Scarlet



















The base was finished by applying washes of Burnt Umber artist's oil paints thinned with Weber's Turpenoid (blue lable) thinner. This is perfectly safe over most model paints. A little dry brushing blended everything together.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Wow! Those clothing colors will really pop against the muted shades on your base. 
Very nice!


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

Great colors!! Looking nice!


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## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

Nice work so far. 

~RK~


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## dklange (Apr 25, 2009)

Great looking work, so far, dknick!!! I am enjoying your WIP, it's always interesting to see the techniques of other modelers. Good stuff!!!:thumbsup: - Denis


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## Cajjunwolfman (Nov 15, 2004)

This is really incredible detail! Thanks for this thread and sharing all your tips/techniques.


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