# Phantom's . . . . Eyebrows ?



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

I'm working on a Monogram/Aurora Phantom of the Opera and have been thinking the eyebrows just seem wrong to me. In the Chaney version, the Phantom didn't really have any eyebrows but in the sculpt there are these great big bushy ones. I know the Aurora sculpt isn't really Chaney -- if anything it's Cagney in Man Of A Thousand Faces. But who wants to build a James Cagney Phantom of the Opera? When I was a kid, I painted the face without eyebrows (don't remember if I did this on purpose or, most likely, just didn't think of doing details like that when I was 12).

Anyway, has anyone thought to REMOVE the eyebrows? (cut off with an xacto and then carefully sand them) I'm thinking of doing this but am torn. I really want to build the Aurora monsters with as little modifications as possible, but since Phantom's one of my favourite characters, making him with eyebrows isn't going to be completely satisfying. . . . 

Too bad this isn't a Glows In The Dark kit -- then I'd just build TWO heads. One with and one without!

:dude:


----------



## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

Hey Ost, I'm VERY Heavy into Lon Chaney lol and TO ME it would appear that Erik Does in fact have a little bit of Eyebrow showing BUT the Dark Circles over (and under) his Eyes Run Smack into Chaney's Eyebrows.(sorta creating an outline if that makes any sense?) Sorry I don't have a Pic to Post for ya' but check out this Site for ALL your Classic Monster Reference Needs! lol
www.vampirunlimited.com
this Site has TONS OF Info


JOHN/LONFAN


----------



## The Batman (Mar 21, 2000)

Hi Ost,

I Chaney-ized my original Aurora Phantom and have been very pleased with the results. This, however, was the FIRST model I tackled when I got back into the hobby and it was before I discovered Polar Lights and the on-line modeling community. It was a project I went into 'blindly' without any expert advice on how to approach it. I honestly don't remember if I sanded down his eyebrows, puttied over them, or what..... but, I can tell you: It _will_ be worth your effort!










As you can see from the above photo, Chaney's Phantom _does_ have visible eyebrows, but, they are greatly minimized from the ones on the sculpt. I also sanded down the LONG HAIR on my Phantom and gave him ears ( which I fashioned from putty ) and gave him a BALD SPOT in the appropriate place. I used the US POSTAL STAMP of Chaney's Phantom as a general painting guide for his face.










I also added a HIGH COLLAR to his cape ( made from Sculpey ) and formed a VEST over his button-down waist coat to make his costume more accurately reflect the Phantom as portrayed by Chaney. You *may* or *may not* want to get that anal with it, but it greatly improved the kit in my own eyes.

I discovered Polar Lights and the BB when I was about half-way through with my restoration and customization of this kit. After a good amount of _lurking_ here, I realized that I would have done somethings differently but, thankfully, it all worked out to my satisfaction anyway.

So, speaking from my own experience, I enthusiastically support your desire to modify your Phantom of the Opera.

- GJS


----------



## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

And BTW if ya' don't already have one BY ALL MEANS get yourself The Polar Lights Phantom Of The Opera!!! Beautiful Sculpt and the Organ and other Details are Amazing!!

LON/JOHN


----------



## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

By all means, get rid of those eyebrows!

Painting the eyebrows is the single biggest glitch I've seen when finishing this kit.

I happen to think that the face on the PL kit is extremely well done. Some people seem think it requires an aftermarket head. In my opinion, the kit head is an excellent piece that just needs a bit of thought. When I did my kit, I didn't fully remove the eyebrows but just sanded them down and barely shaded them (much as shown in the previous post's photo). I've seen way too many of these kits that have been wonderfully painted and then ruined by guys painting in the full eyebrows. Just because the detail is molded in, there is no law requiring you to paint it.

I regret having no good photos of my kit because it was actually sold before I could photograph the finished product. It was the first model I ever sold...someone bought it from the display case at a local hobby store. However, as part of that sale, I did receive a second Phantom kit which is yet to be built.


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

true ! i think the PL version of the Phantom is an excellent kit and more Chaney-ish . 
i recently built a Luminators Phantom and went more for a box art style . so i actually wound up adding to the eyebrows because they seemed a bit thin ( maybe due to the molds getting old ) and added to the hair also ( looks bushier on the box ) . also i used the wall and floor parts from MiM .
anyway , i'd say sand 'em off and redo them like the pics you see of Chaney . don't be afraid to experiment .
model on .
hb


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*"Eybrows? Who cares about eyebrows?" - George Costanza*

The Aurora Phantom's eyebrows are so similar to the rest of the detail on the face I think you can get away with just painting them the same color. A little sanding or puttying might help. Then you could just draw the Chaney eyebrows in with a colored pencil.

I went for a box art approach with my Phantom. I was doing white hair, and had a tough time getting the white eyebrows to stand out from his livid face. Here's how it came out: http://members.toast.net/blackswampmodelers/PhantCloseUp.jpg


----------



## AFILMDUDE (Nov 27, 2000)

Mark,

Good grief! Those bloodshot eyes are freaking me out! _Stop looking at me!!!!_

Great job, man! :thumbsup: Care to tell us how you did it?

The Dude


----------



## The Batman (Mar 21, 2000)

Mark,

I've seen your Phantom before and it's really nice! Do you have a full body shot that you could post?

- GJS


----------



## TRENDON (May 24, 2000)

ost15jr, 

You don't have to actually cut them off.
You can paint it with the eyebrows and still get it to look close to Lon by adding the dark circles around his eyes.

This is my Phantom,
http://members.aol.com/thebananasplits/phantom/
Maybe not a perfect likeness to Lon but I think it's close.


----------



## TRENDON (May 24, 2000)

BTW:

Mark, your Phantom looks GREAT!


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Mark, TRENDON, nice jobs! 

I have nothing of any substance to add, just taking the opportunity to show off. But I agree it's a nice sculpt overall. The eyebrows never bothered me as a kid - not when i could see masks from Don Post in the back of Famous Monsters purporting to be the Phantom and looking even less like it than this. 

Below are pics of the Monogram I did eight years ago, the first new kit I built upon returning to the hobby. The paint job is one I still like, though not as smooth as I could do in some spots. Didn't do any puttying on those seams either. The eyebrows, instead of trying to remove them I just tried to keep them a neutral tone and blend them with the shadows of the eyes.

At that time, I wasn't prepared to attempt changes. He would look better with the eyebrows filed/sanded down, not to mention giving him short hair and the bald spot.

I'm doing another of the same kit again soon in black and white. Don't know If I'll use a different head or not.


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

really nice work guys !! love to see those monster pics . Trendon , that site is fabulous man !! 
hb


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Ditto that, it's a great site. Love the layout and visuls!

On my Phantom above, you can see that what I was trying to do with eyebrows didn't work, so let it serve as a learning example.

Just for fun, lemme add the rest. Always loved that guy in the cell on the kit. One bar in the pic is knocked out of place - the whole thing broke off and needs repaired, it's just sitting in place for the pic. I used putty to add length to the arms, and extend his neck down to some shoulders.

I got lucky with the lizard. Got a book from the library to look for shots of actual lizards to find one with a suitable look, and found this one that tends to prefer damp cellars and crumbling ruins. The picture of it also gave me that bluish stone used in building and the look of the old concrete.


----------



## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

Cool Phantom kits Mark & Trendon!


----------



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, and for posting your pics -- excellent work!

I think I'll probably cut and sand the eyebrows down to about half of what they are. Then maybe someday I'll just build another one completely stock without changes to the face. Or . . . . maybe I'll just fit the head in place and if I can get ahold of another kit cheap, I'll build and paint the head stock and I can interchange them!

Thanks again for the responses!

:dude:


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*Got Phantom?*

Guys,

Thanks for your kind remarks.

AFILMDUDE,
What you're looking at is the _third _paint job I did on the Phantom's phace. The first was done in the yellowish tones which were described in the Gaston Leroux novel. I messed with it some, but still wasn't satisfied. Finally I thought I'd go for the bluish green box art look I'm happiest with that.

The red rims within the eyelids aren't too hard to do, and really bring any figure's eyes to life. Depending on the individual face, I may or may not paint the eyes before doing the surrounding flesh tones (for example, on Aurora's Frankenstein Monster doing the eyes first is a must). I paint the whites, then seal them with a coat of Future Acrylic Floor Polish. 

The Future is allowed to cure overnight, because oil-based and even acrylic paints might dissolve it if they're applied too soon. Then I mix a little red and flesh colored paint to get a very ruddy flesh color. You can see that for the Phantom I used a very red color. I thin the paint to a medium wash consistency and let it flow along the crack between the eyelids and the eyeball. It sometimes takes more than one application to get the depth of color I want.

The great thing about this technique is that the Future coat allows you to remove the wash if it gets too far out on the eyeball. Sometimes the wiping-off process leaves a little red on the clear Future over the white that looks like scale blood vessels. Painting the eyes before doing the face means that I only have to deal with the eyeballs and not worry about slopping paint anywhere else, knowing that I can paint the outer edges of the eyelids later. On the other hand, there's always the risk of getting eyelid color on that beautiful eyeball, so there's a decision that needs to be made before the face painting begins. Therefore I always protect the finished eyes with Future when they're done.

GJS,
Here's more pics: http://members.toast.net/blackswampmodelers/MarkMGallery.html

TRENDON & dreamer,
Thanks for sharing your photos. I get a hoot out of seeing how others have treated a model I've built too. I particularly found both of your use of fairly natural flesh colors on the Phantom's very unnatural face appealing - the more normal hues underscore his physical deformities where wilder flesh colors might tend to be distracting. Sharing photos like this is one of the great things about being on the BB!


----------



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

Hey Mark -- are those pictures taken during different periods of your Phantom's lifetime ? It appears that in some of the pics the buttons on his jacket are black and sometimes they're . . . gold(?) Also, in most of the pics his face is greyish, but in the one second down on the left his face is more greenish/yellowish. Do you have any closeups of that face? Excellent job, by the way!

:dude:


----------



## AFILMDUDE (Nov 27, 2000)

Thanks for the info Mark. I've used a red wash over gloss white painted eyes before - but never with as good of an effect as you've got there. Gotta go get some future floor wax. Do you just paint it on with a brush?

BTW: All your kits look great. Do you use only brushes?


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Thanks, Mark! I was looking over our other builds last night, very impressive work (as always). And I have the same reaction to seeing so many different takes on the same kits! There's no "correct" way to paint these kits, it's one of the best things about them.

My usual approach to these kits is to ignore the instrux, the box art, the "official" descriptions put out by the Universal licensing dept., etc., and try to combine realism (as best I can research it) with a pleasing color scheme or idea. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. If I did this one again in color, I'd do it the same, try to get the cell blocks more realistic, but I'd try for the velvet evening clothes suggested by the link Lonfan gave - something in very dark deep green or burgundy. Not sure how I'd blend that in, there are already maybe too many colors involved to draw them together into a coherent whole. Its' a little busy already.

The skin tones in my Phantom paint job were kind of a personal joke.

You've seen me before here going on about how we learn "mental shorthand" as kids and have trouble escaping it as adult modelers. Watch any class of firstgraders when the teacher tells them to draw a tree, and they all reach for the green and brown crayons. Real trees are far more diverse...but what do many of us do as modelers when a dio includes a tree? Generic green and brown. Lizards? Green and yellow. Rocks, grey. Etc.

Same for skin. Alot of modelers just use the same generic "normal" skin tone for every human figure, despite the many complexions of real life. I painted the opera mask using just that "normal" skin tone with healthy rosy cheeks. But it's not skin, it's a mask! it's a lie the actors of the opera house use that's acceptable and comfortable for their audiences. For me the mask represents "shorthand" thinking, and pointedly it reflects neither of the two figures in the kit. Erik has that sallow skin, while his unfortunate victim has a darker Middle-Eastern look. The Leroux novel helped there, as Erik was an escaped lunatic from Persia. IIRC, at least one member of the Persian secret police tracked him to the Opera House and mysteriously vanished soon after.

It's just a joke comment for my own pleasure, doesn't come through from looking at it. Always did have an oddball sense of humor.

The prisoner has the beginnings of a beard sculpted in. Several days growth. At the time, I couldn't decide if the sculpt of the upper lip suggested a mustache or musculature.


----------



## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

Well, I thought I would throw my Phantom into the ring. I copied Herbert Loms look in The Phantom of the Opera from 1962 directed by Terence Fisher. I thought the idea of a chemical burn was somewhat unique.
http://www.geocities.com/ssbn598ssn682/phantom.html
Yes, I painted in the eye brows.
RK


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

Rot , great job man ! i really liike the burn effect , very imaginative .
hb


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*Not to give you the brush, but -*




ost15jr said:


> Hey Mark -- are those pictures taken during different periods of your Phantom's lifetime ?


Yes. The black-buttoned coat was the yellowish flesh phase, and the gold-buttoned one was the box art scheme.  



AFILMDUDE said:


> Do you use only brushes?


 Thanks! And back atcha re: your buildups. And yes, Future is a very handy item to have on your shelf. My bottle is several years old, but it's still only half empty. I've used Future on dozens of eyeballs, as well as to make clear plastic parts look clear as glass.

I use spray cans and an Aztek or a Badger 200 airbrush to apply the base colors. From that point on it's generally brushes for washes, drybrush, and detail work. The Phantom was a rare occasion where I used an airbush for its own capabilities - to spray the various shades of red in the folds of his cape. If I had to do it over again, I'd use one of the great satin finshes that are available.



dreamer said:


> There's no "correct" way to paint these kits, it's one of the best things about them.


 I'm with you 100% there, buddy. That's one of the things that irks me about every new Star Trek release - the _endless_ niggling over the precise shade of grey a ship's hull should be...OY!

My philosophy in building an Aurora classic has been 180 degrees from yours: I refer to the instructions and box art almost slavishly in most cases. With the Phantom, for example, there was no color suggestion for his hair in the instructions so I referred to the box art and went with white. I pride myself that in my dotage I've given myself a little leeway - I'm currently finishing Robin with some major alterations to the base.



Roy Kirchoff said:


> I copied Herbert Loms look in The Phantom of the Opera from 1962 directed by Terence Fisher.


 Ah, ya lost me there, pal. Now, if you'd said you copied the acid scars of Claude Rains from the 1943 film.... But that doesn't reflect on your superb rendition of the model.


----------



## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

beck and Mark, thanks for the compliments. 
Mark, as to your befuddlement, the plot summery according to the IMDb website says: "The corrupt Lord Ambrose D’Arcy (Michael Gough) steals the life’s work of the poor musical Professor Petry. (Herbert Lom). In an attempt to stop the printing of music with D’Arcy’s name on it, Petry breaks into the printing office and accidentally starts a fire, leaving him severely disfigured. Years later, Petry returns to terrorize a London opera house that is about to perform one of his stolen operas."

According to Rotten Tomatoes site: "When inexplicable mishaps occur backstage at a London opera house, it is thought that evil spirits haunt the place. However, a tragic accident during an opening night performance reveals that a mad and hideous creature, the Phantom, is to blame. Then the Phantom violently drags the opera singer Christine backstage into his dank and underground shelter. The poor deformed creature falls in love with the beauty, and decides, with his exceptional musical talents, to make her a star. But when she falls into mortal danger, the Phantom can only save her life if he sacrifices his own."

I think this a Hammer film, based solely on the director Terence Fisher. 

The Rotten Tomatoes website states: "Copyright 1962 Universal Pictures Company, Inc. Renewed 1990 by Universal City Studios."

You really should check out this version. Herbert Lom is very good and the twist on the original story is rather interesting.

RK


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Roy, good work on the phantom - I've never seen that choice made for the it before, it's good to see!

Yeah, that was a Hammer production. It repeats the same story of betrayal and disfigurement from the Claude Rains version, but throws in some more twists after that. I've seen it only once so far...The scarring on Herbert Loms' face I remember less from the film than from photos that ran in Famous Monsters magazine. Excellent job transferring them to Lon!

Mark, your work recreating the box art stands out. I could tell right away from your Mummy that's what you'd done, and it looks great. I especially liked your Hunchback buildup. I might follow your example and ad those details to the iron band on the table, they add alot.

More importantly, I love your painting technique! I use a brush for everything too, and even though I try to refine my drybruhing, I'd have sworn your delicate shadings owe a lot to airbrushing. Those are the smoothest transitions by brush I've seen. Love the paint job on your two Franks and Alfre E. Newman in particular.

How did you do the eyes on your Creature? Looks like you added Krystal Klear or some such over the eyes?


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*Let me clarify this...*



Roy Kirchoff said:


> ...Mark, as to your befuddlement...I think this a Hammer film, based solely on the director Terence Fisher...You really should check out this version. Herbert Lom is very good and the twist on the original story is rather interesting. RK


Roy,
I'mnot befuddled - I was merely suggesting (perhaps a bit too subtly) that I preferred the Claude Rains version of _The Phantom of the Opera_ to that of Herbert Lom. The 1943 film was the first to have the Phantom be disfigured rather than to suffer congenital deformities. But no Phantom film has as yet come near to telling the story as well as, or featuring as memorable a Phantom as, the Lon Chaney, Sr. production, IMHO.




dreamer said:


> ...





dreamer said:


> I'd have sworn your delicate shadings owe a lot to airbrushing. ...How did you do the eyes on your Creature? Looks like you added Krystal Klear or some such over the eyes?



Again, thanks for the compliments, dreamer!

I use artists oils for most every flesh toned area on my models. I can get great control with these paints, since they can be brushed out really thin and still be opaque. Also, they dry much slower than hobby paints, so I have plenty of time to play around until I get the effect I want. I found a small starter set of Windsor & Newton oils for under $20 in a craft store, and I've used the same box for several years now.

I bought The Creature as a build-up, long before even the Monogram reissue came out in the 1990s. I was able to get most of the original paint job off, but the eyes remained stubborn. The heavy paint made it hard to see just what detail was in there. So I painted them yellow, then outlined the irises with black. Then the eyes were given a heavy dollop of Testors Turn Signal Amber Metallic.

If I had to do it over again, I'd maybe drill the eyes out of the front head half altogether, and insert a pair of lizard taxidermy eyes through the back of the part. Maybe park the whole model on one of those desktop water fountains. How'd *that* be for a lagoon?


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

lizard taxidermy eyes . now that !!! would be cool . next time i do a creature i'm gonna try and remember that . 
awesome idea Mark .
hb


----------



## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

First, I'd like to thank and compliment the excellent artists who have shared their work here. Truly outstanding build-ups that prove there's no right or wrong way to build a kit. The same kit, with the artists' personalities and talents applied, with varying and wondrous results! Second...



Mark McGovern said:


> Thanks for sharing your photos. I get a hoot out of seeing how others have treated a model I've built too. I particularly found both of your use of fairly natural flesh colors on the Phantom's very unnatural face appealing - the more normal hues underscore his physical deformities where wilder flesh colors might tend to be distracting. Sharing photos like this is one of the great things about being on the BB![/font]


I couldn't agree more with Mark's comment here. Not only does it give builders like us a chance to showcase work that might not be widely seen otherwise, but (for me, anyway) the various ideas and techniques shared here offer inspiration to those of us (okay, for _me_ again) who might just turn out an otherwise "standard" build-up. Excellent work!


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

beck said:


> lizard taxidermy eyes . now that !!! would be cool . next time i do a creature i'm gonna try and remember that .
> awesome idea Mark .
> hb


Glad to hear that, aychbee - it's what we're all here for, right?

I saw a "normal" flesh colored Phantom in person at the IPMS/Dayton show a couple Saturdays ago. It was very impressive. Still, with all due respect to everybody who posted pictures, images on a monitor just don't convey the effect as well as seeing with one's own eyeballs can. I don't know whether I'll ever do Aurora's Phantom again, but when I get around to the PL version, I'm *definitely* going with the "normal" hues!


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Seeing them in person does make a huge difference. For the past three years, I've been going to Sci-Fan in Washington, the only model show I've been to. Great experience to see the variety of skills and tastes, very inspiring. It's especially nice for me as I don't know anyone around here who does the kits I do. Someday I hope to make it to WonderFest, modeling mecca.

Once I get one of my lamps fixed, I want take and post pics of my PL Phantom. Also done in regular skin tones, the thing was done in color but with a monochrome (note: _not_ mono_tone_) scheme (all browns, reds, flesh, creams and ivories, brass, etc.) to give the feeling of being a sepia-toned b&w image while still being a color paint job. It's a better job all around (especially seamwork!), being more recent.


----------



## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

Mark, I guess it was the _"__Ah, ya lost me there, pal."_ part of your post that threw me. I didn't get the impression that you had seen the Lom depiction.

As for the photos, you are correct. There is nothing like seeing the model in person. My feeble attempts at photographing my build-ups have left me with little to share on this board. It is only through extensive pixel manipulation that I'm able to share a few shots of my kits where the kit is the focus and not the backgrounds, shadows etc.
Dreamer and Zombie_61, thanks so much for the compliments. This was my third crack at any model since I was a kid. If I do it again there are several changes I would make. But for now I'm moving on to other models and incorporating the lessons learned on the new pieces.
More figure kits!!!!!!!!
RK


----------



## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Hey guys, I just got back from The Gathering where I entered my Phantom kit. I chose to do it in Black & White and I think it turned out pretty well (at least the judges thought so). Here's the link - it's picture #114. Let me know what you think (and yes I painted the eyebrows).

http://www.ipmsslc.com/photo/thumbnails.php?album=76

Rob


----------



## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

You guys are inspiring me. I've got two built ups of the Phantom - my original from when I was a kid, and one I bought at a show about 15 years ago. I started redoing the one, never finished. I gotta get on the ball!

Nice work, and thanks so much for sharing.

Chris


----------



## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

VEEDUB, THAT LON IS GORGEOUS!! I mean even the way you used the mask as (in my mind) a Tip of the Hat to the Ol' Aurora Kit! Sweeeeet!!! lol I've got a Darkhorse Bride Of Frank I'd Like to try that B&W deal on Her. As Chris said ALL of you guys are truly inspiring!

JOHN/LONFAN


----------



## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Thanks for the compliments guys. The picture really doesn't do it justice. If I can ever get my camera back from my son I'll post somr additional pics. BTW - If you're planning on doing a B&W, there was a great article in Modeler's Resource (or was it AFM) a couple of months ago. Bottom line, it's all about shading and layers. Good luck!


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

veedubb, please do post more - that's great stuff! I Love seeing b&w paint jobs. Very nice job!

I've just stripped down my old Aurora Phantom (not the one above, that was the Monogram issue) and will be doing it in black and white -trying to do the entire line of longbox monsters in black and white.


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*I wish I had your guts.*

Veed',

I've always thought that the black-and-white approach was a cool idea but I've never had the guts to try it myself. I'm too weak...I *hafta* go polychrome (I'm so ashamed). But I salute you, with a direct link to your photo: http://www.ipmsslc.com/photo/displayimage.php?album=76&pos=103

BTW, was that an IPMS show in which you competed? You suggested that the judges liked your model; how'd you do? It always fries me when someone says, "I don't like to enter IPMS contests 'cause they don't give Sci-Fi.Fantasy modelers no respect". Well I say that if more Sci-Fi/Fantasy modelers would bring more of their work to IPMS events, then they *would* get more respect. Especially with entries like yours. Or any of the other posts we've seen. Or Chris White's, were he to finish another one...:devil:


----------



## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Mark,
Yes it was an IPMS contest. I wasn't even going to enter in the competetive division (since they had a recreational division), but a good friend of mine convinced me to enter it in the Sci-Fi Diorama category and I placed 2nd. I also entered a Geometric Metaluna Mutant and it placed 2nd. As you can tell from the pictures, the Sci-Fi and Real Space categories were well represented. Great show and super people. New venue this year with plenty of room. I'll definitely be going again next year!

Rob


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

great work veedub . i too am trying to get up the guts to do a B&W subject ( i'm thinking the Addam's house since there's a good photo on the back of one of my old FM mags ) .
i thought it was funny in looking at all the entries there are these 3 girl kits among a bunch of tanks and other vehicles . on views most of the vehicles have 3-5 . and then those girl kits have like 30 -40 . 
hb


----------



## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Yeah, and the Jawa Sandcrawler has 85! BTW - my other two entries were the 1999 Eagle (#49) http://www.ipmsslc.com/photo/displayimage.php?album=76&pos=48 and the little Soyuz capsule (#60) http://www.ipmsslc.com/photo/displayimage.php?album=76&pos=59. The Mutant (# 114) http://www.ipmsslc.com/photo/displayimage.php?album=76&pos=113 picture doesn't do it justice.


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

veedubb67 said:


> Mark,
> Yes it was an IPMS contest. ...I'll definitely be going again next year!
> Rob


Terrific! The IPMS needs to see more of Our Kind Of Models.


----------



## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Mark, Beck, ya gotta try b&w at least once! Very, very satisfying paint jobs. If you can find them still, the Aurora Dracula, Mummy, and Kong are perfect for starting out. Not the Wolfman, though, IMO - everything suggests the same tones of grey - the fur, the clothes, the rocks...I had a hard time on that one trying to keep the different elements looking natural and still find contrast. But Dracula, that one really lends itself to black and white. First I did was the Mummy, that and Kong are my best two.


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*Brrrrr....*

I'm too *scared*, dreamer!


----------



## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

I might as well post mine again...
I love this kit!

http://qtan.homestead.com/THE-PHANTOM-001.jpg


----------



## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

veedubb67 and Mitchellmania, 
Excellent work my friends!!! Excellent work. I have this kit, it's waiting in the wings.
RK


----------



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*Oh yeah....*

Mitch -

*You* were the one who made me see that the Polar Lights Phantom can be made to look terrorific right out of the box. I'd forgotten whodunnit, that incredible paint job. Thanks for sharing again!


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

Mitch , that's a great paint job . like Mark says good right ootb .
hb


----------

