Jessica Thunderhawk
75mm
Scale 75, Steamwars Series
This is a beautifully sculpted and cast white metal figure. Cleanup is fairly straightforward. A number 11 Xacto blade and some fine grade needle files were used to clean up any seams and scrape off any flash. The figure was primed with Tamiya Fine Primer for plastic and metal. Vallejo armor, game and airbrush colors were used to paint the figure. To get the iridescent look to the bird’s feathers they painted with Vallejo Game colors Black and dry-brushed with a medium blue grey. The feathers were then given a black AK interactive pin wash. Finally the bird received a coat of Vallejo Satin Varnish followed by a gentle dry-brush tipping of the wings with Vallejo Gloss Varnish. The bird was not attached to the figure yet.
After the varnishes were completely dry and the figure fully painted I began to model the skin with various brown, red and blue (yes I said blue!) pastels. I shot satin varnish lightly between coats of pastels. The satin varnish provided a fine grain ‘grip’ for the pastels which all were applied with a small micro brush and/or a soft artists’ stump. Each varnish layer helped fix the previously applied pastels and kept the colors from muddying. The birds was now attached to the body. I used Gorilla Super Glue which is an extraordinary product. It can take quite a hit before the joint breaks. AK Interactive pigments were applied to the boots and the base at the very end.
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