Facehugger 1/1. Cheap but accurate?????

Swampdonkey's results look good.

Wow, thanks. I think I was 11 or 12, maybe younger when I did that paintjob. It was with my moms oil paints and makeup, and done with my fingers, paper towels, and Q-tips. The raptor I did in 6th grade with an actual brush and some paints my father packaged with the kit. They both aged well, gotta say:)
 
!! Points for unorthodoxy, lol. Nice job! It's a rewarding kit to paint though isn't it? I don't get the dislike for painting it which does seem to get mentioned now and then. I used Tamiya acrylics which I don't normally get on well with, for whatever reason, but they worked out for me that time.
 
I don't think it is a nightmare. You have an airbrush? Just give it a base coat of light tan, some darker pre-shading e.g. the nooks and crannies - and highlight the blood vessels in a bluish tone - then translucent overspray with more tan. After that some washes and drybrushing to bring out the fine detail. For the underside, same approach but with fleshy pinks and purples. :)
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Do I have an airbrush? Yes. Have I figured out how to use the darn thing? No.

But thank you so much for the tutorial. It will help.

I've got to get down to the local hobby shop which has free classes.

By translucent oversrpay do you mean just real light?

Could you define washes and drybrushing? For washing I'm thinking black paint on a Staff of Ra Headpiece and wipe off until it looks right as an example???? Drybrushing????

Thanks again everyone.
 
Hey any time. There are some great real tutorials around, I'll see if I can turn any up but if you just try the search bar here you'll probably find plenty of stuff too.

Is your airbrush single-action or dual? (The button moves up and down, or up, down and back to front.) Does it have a bottle or a cup for paint? Is it spotlessly clean inside and out?

Yes, really thin/light so that the darker paint underneath shows through, but is blended in.

Yes, that'd be a wash. Washes usually aim to shadow recesses and low points. There are several different wash techniques but it's usually thinned paint of a darker colour than what you're going over. Can be the same colour darkened with some black, or straight black or other contrasting colour. Sometimes applied with needles or very fine brushes directly into the line or crack detail you're highlighting. You can also apply a wash with a broad brush over a wider area then wipe it back. Results will differ depending on the surface you're going over, e.g. whether it is flat or gloss, sealed or not etc.

Dry brushing highlights high points. You typically use a lighter shade of the base coat. Your brush should be old, because you'll be wrecking it! Dip it in the paint then scrub almost all of it off onto newspaper. When scrubbing the brush deposits just a faint tinge of paint, you're ready - start painting with the same scrubbing style and you'll see high points on the prop receive a highlight that brings them to life.

Again, there's tutorials everywhere, but HTH!
 
Hey any time. There are some great real tutorials around, I'll see if I can turn any up but if you just try the search bar here you'll probably find plenty of stuff too.

Is your airbrush single-action or dual? (The button moves up and down, or up, down and back to front.) Does it have a bottle or a cup for paint? Is it spotlessly clean inside and out?

Yes, really thin/light so that the darker paint underneath shows through, but is blended in.

Yes, that'd be a wash. Washes usually aim to shadow recesses and low points. There are several different wash techniques but it's usually thinned paint of a darker colour than what you're going over. Can be the same colour darkened with some black, or straight black or other contrasting colour. Sometimes applied with needles or very fine brushes directly into the line or crack detail you're highlighting. You can also apply a wash with a broad brush over a wider area then wipe it back. Results will differ depending on the surface you're going over, e.g. whether it is flat or gloss, sealed or not etc.

Dry brushing highlights high points. You typically use a lighter shade of the base coat. Your brush should be old, because you'll be wrecking it! Dip it in the paint then scrub almost all of it off onto newspaper. When scrubbing the brush deposits just a faint tinge of paint, you're ready - start painting with the same scrubbing style and you'll see high points on the prop receive a highlight that brings them to life.

Again, there's tutorials everywhere, but HTH!

Thanks so much for the help. I need to spend some time going through those tutorials and at the hobby shop with the paint guy.

My brush is a single action with a small glass bottle that does not attach very well. Getting the paint in is a huge mess and so on. I am obviously doing something wrong. It's a good brand and what the hobby shop guy uses. Nothing much on youtube for this particular brand. Just need to go in and learn about it as soon as this round of props is finished and sold.

Thanks again
 
Single-action is good (less to learn, a double action gives more control but that can come later).

Getting paint into a bottle shouldn't be difficult. It would have a screw-on lid...in case you're trying to get paint through the connection tube, don't, unscrew the lid!!! I realise that's probably going way too basic, but I assume nothing. :lol

Pour in your paint using the stem of a paintbrush to guide it, it will spill much less.

THIN your paint if necessary. It should be no thicker than milk.

Thin oil-based or enamel paints with enamel thinners or turpentine. Thin acrylic paints with acrylic thinners or water.

The bottle should have a metal stem that fits into the airbrush via friction. Is it loose or tight? If loose, try some tape around the stem.

Clean the airbrush the moment you have finished painting. Clean it thoroughly; strip it if you need to, in fact it is sometimes hard to clean one properly without doing so. Shoot thinners, turpentine or water through it first, depending on what kind of paint you have been using. Clean it before you switch to any different type of paint. Clean it when you look at it, or when there is a "d" in the name of the day, or when your dog barks. Clean it just because. You can't clean an airbrush too often. :lol
 
Single-action is good (less to learn, a double action gives more control but that can come later).

Getting paint into a bottle shouldn't be difficult. It would have a screw-on lid...in case you're trying to get paint through the connection tube, don't, unscrew the lid!!! I realise that's probably going way too basic, but I assume nothing. :lol

Pour in your paint using the stem of a paintbrush to guide it, it will spill much less.

THIN your paint if necessary. It should be no thicker than milk.

Thin oil-based or enamel paints with enamel thinners or turpentine. Thin acrylic paints with acrylic thinners or water.

The bottle should have a metal stem that fits into the airbrush via friction. Is it loose or tight? If loose, try some tape around the stem.

Clean the airbrush the moment you have finished painting. Clean it thoroughly; strip it if you need to, in fact it is sometimes hard to clean one properly without doing so. Shoot thinners, turpentine or water through it first, depending on what kind of paint you have been using. Clean it before you switch to any different type of paint. Clean it when you look at it, or when there is a "d" in the name of the day, or when your dog barks. Clean it just because. You can't clean an airbrush too often. :lol


Thanks again. This will all help.

Do you have a recommendation on what type of paints to get???

I am still confused on spray paints. Say I wanted to use a can of Testors Spray for a specific color. I was told to spray it into the little bottle. Even doing it the way the guy recommended just made a mess???????

Last question, I promise.

Thanks again
 
Acrylics are easy to clean up (water). Enamels need turpentine or thinners, a bit messier. But they are good in their own ways. There are many brands, everyone has their favourites, just experiment.

Uhhhh....????? I'm trying really hard not to think I'm being trolled at this point. If so...why??! If not, forgive me; I do realise everyone has to start somewhere.

If you have a spraybomb, you're supposed to paint your piece with that...not sure why you'd want to airbrush with a spray bomb paint unless it's the only way you can get a particular colour, but it'd be much easier to mix your own. (I have emptied spray cans in order to mix up a specific colour, mainly because I'm too stupid/lazy to research a better starting point...would never recommend it to a beginner.)

Dude, just shake the rattle can, point it at your facehugger and spray away! :lol
 
I have no idea what trolled means but thanks so much for all your help.

All the info you provided answered a boatload of questions.

Time to hit some tutorials as soon as things calm down.

Thanks again
 
Any time. For airbrushing - buy the small non-spray paint containers. You know - little glass bottles for acrylics, little tins for enamels. You just pour the paint straight into your airbrush bottle then thin it slightly if needed (think milk).

But spray bombs are great for primer, and for base colour coats.
 
Is the 1:1 scale facehugger from Thailand articulate? I wouldn't want a stiff face hugger that can't be moved around....... Want to be able to wrap the tail around things
 
No, it's stiff vinyl. It's also quite shrunken. Get yourself an original Halcyon facehugger kit - they're very flexible.
 
No, it's stiff vinyl. It's also quite shrunken. Get yourself an original Halcyon facehugger kit - they're very flexible.

I've been tracking these on Ebay. They come up about once a month and go for about $100. Pretty good deal for one since everyone says it's the one to get.
 
I might be doing a run of STASIS tubes, and If I do, I might remold my HALCYON.

I might be open to making an offer for Huggers if there is enough interest.
 
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