Last Hobbit dwarfs done

I've got the last dwarfs done as well as Bilbo for my Smaug model.  All that's left to call my hobbit box done is the one goblin scribe.  For some reason I didn't do him with the rest of the goblins.  He's been base coated and washed, so its just some final highlights for him.  I can't believe how long this project has been unfinished... it appears I did an unboxing December 2012, so 3 years.  Yikes, how hobby time gets away from you.

Smaug airbrush tutorial video

Here's a commentary along with the videos I shot while painting this guy.  I mostly painted him in a few hour chunks at a time, so it took a lot longer than I had expected.  There were a few side projects in the middle (harlequins being one of them), but I'm glad to have him done with the video posted.

I used my new Badger Minitaire paints and was pretty happy with how they performed.  I didn't really experience any needle clogs or issues in general, so I'd say they were a success.  I still need to work out a process for them because it different than using GW base paints.  You have to be aware of the order you put things down so that you can ensure you get nice vibrant colours.

Smaug Finished - Better Pictures

Ok, I think these are better pictures.  I took these with my SLR, so they should have plenty of detail... enough to see all my mistakes and short cuts.  There are lots.

Smaug Finished

Wow, what a project.  I took a few breaks along the way, but he's finally done.  I'm sure I could spend a few more months on him, but I think he's complete "enough".  Whenever I'm airbrushing there's always the temptation to go back touch things up with a paint brush, but that kind of defeats the point of using the airbrush.  I think I learned that lesson with the Skaven Vermin lord I did... at some point you cut yourself off for the sake of your sanity.

Anyway, all that said, I'm quite happy with the results of this guy.  Last night was some final highlights on the scales and a little heat treatment to get him to sit perfectly on the base.  His legs and hands didn't line up 100%, so I blasted him with a hairdryer to make some small movements.  I've got the video all lined up, and will be posting that as soon as I can record some audio.

Smaug WIP 5

Ok, so this is getting closer to being finished.  Went back and touched up the red on Smaug, to make it more red, less orange, and fixed the yellowish wing tipes by making them more flesh tone.  I also added some veins in the wings, and am mostly happy with that.  Now I think I need to paint the spines by hand (black and highlighted) and he'll be done.  I also made some more progress on the base by highlighting all of the metal trunks, so all that's left with that is to finish up the spires he stands on and highlight the wood boxes.

All in all its a pretty impressive model.  I can't decide if I want to sell or keep him... I'm not sure how I'd transport him if I were to try and pack him up... he's far too fragile.

Smaug WIP 4

Moving forward with this guy slowly.  I glued on the wings and started working on the base.  I'm using various metallics for the bits mixed in with the gold coins and have them ready to highlight now.

For Smaug I think I need to touch up the colour on the wings with my airbrush, but otherwise its just adding some details to his face and scales.

Smaug Airbrushing WIP 3

I was able to get a bit more progress on Smaug last night.  I added some lighter tones to the wings and re-shaded some of the scales.  For the scales I'm airbrushing them black and then will edge highlight them by hand.

Any thoughts on the colour for the wings?  Does it need to be more tan colour (less orange), or is this looking ok?  Its really hard to get good source images because anything from the movie has very harsh lighting.

Smaug airbrushing WIP 2

I was able to get a bit more airbrushing done on Smaug.  I'm trying to build up the colours and highlights, but with such a huge model it takes a while.  The wings especially seem to suck in the paint with little to show for it.

Its tricky trying to get the right tones of red without going orange and pink.  I gave the magenta ghost tint a shot, but it came out too pink, so went over that again with one of the mid tone reds.

Smaug painting WIP 1

I finally carved out some time to start painting Smaug.  I've been working on finishing part of my basement, so my airbrush setup has been moved a bit.  Anyway, I have started some of the base colours on this guy and will be doing the first levels of highlight when I get a chance next.  I'm using badger miniatare paints, and so far they seem to be quite nice.

Smaug assembly video

Here's a video showing some of the steps and tips for assembling the Smaug model.  Its basically a large forgeworld dragon with all the problems associated with that.  The fit is generally good, but because I need to leave the wings off for painting I needed to spend some extra time on him.

This guy is huge... he doesn't fit on any of my shelves properly, so either the base is going to stick out, or I'm going to have to find somewhere else for him.  Looking forward to painting him, but am not sure how much time I'll have over the holidays (I'm also working on finishing my basement).

Let me know if you have any questions...

Smaug Assembly WIP 2

Here's some more pictures of Smaug showing his size... this model is huge.  I'm still working on getting the wings to fit on perfectly and add magnets so I can paint it easily.  Once I'm done them then I can add the last spikes and start painting.

In other news, I ordered a set of Badger Minitaire Paints and they arrived today.  I hope to get them out shortly and do a review of them as I'm painting Smaug.

Smaug assembly WIP

Here's some pictures of Smaug as I assemble him.  Overall its a fairly straightforward assembly... probably a standard forgeworld type model with some fitting and trimming necessary.  The mold lines are mostly good, with just a few areas that need touching up.  The scale is starting to get impressive... as I get closer to finishing it's going to get huge.

I'm also pretty sure that I'll need to magnetize the wings... I don't think I'd be able to paint the model with them attached, so that'll take a bit of extra work.

I've also noticed some evidence of 3d printing.  There are some areas (where the wings attach) that you can see some small ridges that are left over from printing.  You can see them in the third last pic below.

Smaug Unboxing (pics and video)

I picked up my Smaug at the local GW today (along with the new White Dwarf) and here's the unboxing. I'm going to continue with an assembly walk through and painting video as well... hopefully I'll have enough time over the Christmas holidays.

Anyway, first impressions are good for this model.  There are no visible mold lines, and the casting is pretty much flawless.  We'll see how well the different parts fit, but so far the warnings about expert modeling skills seem over blown... those are needed to fill in bubbles on finecast.

Some size comparison Pics and unboxing video below... 

Smaug sculpted by Michael Perry, comments...

Saw this pop up on my facebook feed.  It looks like Michael Perry digitally sculpted Smaug before they left earlier this year.  Does this mean its the last model in the Hobbit lineup?  I wonder if the comment about plastic is a sign of internal discussions... I mean, why would they go to the trouble of having him do his first digital model if it wasn't intended to be plastic?  My guess would be that the plan was for plastic, but when the Hobbit flopped (from a miniatures sales point of view) they back peddled to forgeworld resin.

Smaug stuck until release date

Well, it looks like GW's awesome policies have struck again... I had my Smaug delivered to my local GW thinking that it would help ensure I got him on time.  Well, he's there now, but I can't have him until Saturday, because that's the release date (so says the single staff member when I called).  Whoever made this policy needs to give their head a shake.  I know its not up to my local manager, he seems like a nice guy.

You already have my money, the guy is sold out, and its just sitting there.  If I had selected home delivery I'd have it by now.  Why do I have to wait?

You won't usually see me gripe about GW here, but this one seems worth noting.

Forecast calls for Smaug

So, I took a gample and put in an order for Smaug.  Its crazy expensive, but hopefully I can recoup some of that through the blog and my youtube channel.  When I saw that it was limited to 200 (for now) I decided to go ahead... unfortunately that was at full Canadian retail... ouch.

Expect me to milk this one... unboxing, assembly, and step by step painting... even though you wont be able to buy one for yourself (unless you got one of the other 199 of them).  I'm thinking that magnetizing the wings will make sense to help avoid it breaking.