Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch robot

Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Alclad's primer is a lacquer I think, not an enamel. Only the gloss black base might be an enamel. The top coat is definitely lacquer too.

I love the Alclad primer, I use almost nothing else these days.. Never tried it on vinyl, do you have any off-cuts you could do some trials on?
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

I've been wanting to try this metalizer powder ever since I saw this video. My problem with lacquer and others strong stuff is that I have sensitive people around me so I always try to find
acrylic or non-toxic alternatives. I have a horizon robocop I want to try this on (don't have the powder), but I am only hesitant on whether or not it can be shaded/washed on top.
 
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Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Alclad's primer is a lacquer I think, not an enamel. Only the gloss black base might be an enamel. The top coat is definitely lacquer too.

I love the Alclad primer, I use almost nothing else these days.. Never tried it on vinyl, do you have any off-cuts you could do some trials on?

Thanks. I was going on a conversation from another board so I'll dig deeper. I think some people do automatically think lacquer is enamel. Unfortunately as this is a statue rather than a kit as such, there are no offcuts to play with. I'm tempted to experiment on my old T800 Arnie kit but that's quite rare now so I might strip the paint off that and renovate it instead! :)
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Okay, the metalizer powder is pretty cool. The video did say that only automotive polishes will remove it but I echo BD's concern about top coats and washes. Really tempting however.
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Okay, the metalizer powder is pretty cool. The video did say that only automotive polishes will remove it but I echo BD's concern about top coats and washes. Really tempting however.

I've bought some to experiment with so will let you know! :D
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

After a hiatus, I'm finally starting the real work on Maria. I've begun filling that nasty seam but I've wimped out of removing the leg clasps.

I also finally got chance to test out the metalizer powder. Works alright and you can paint over it (with acrylic at least), but I've found it picks up fingerprints and the edges can dull with handling (I guess from finger grease) so I would suggest using gloves to work on it. I'll see if it takes a gloss coat. I suspect it would. If that works, those issues are sorted.

Will post pics soon!
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

If you try the gloss coat, try it on something else first and try misting the first few layers on as the dulling that comes with gloss coating is usually caused by the gloss coat uncuring the metal color.
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Pictures as promised.

First step was to clean her up with lukewarm water and some washing-up liquid. She'd been displayed for a good few years and had a lingering smell of cigarette smoke so I gave her a good scrub with a soft nail brush. Came up nicely. Here are all the parts of the statue.
IMG_1968.JPG

She's quite rigid so sagging shouldn't be much of an issue, but I filled her with paper anyway. It actually filled her form out quite nicely and she feels a lot sturdier now. I've filled her lower legs with modelling clay. She won't fall over!
IMG_1970.JPG

This is the monster of a seam I'm contending with. I decided not to grind too much off but just set about removing the lip so I can smooth the transition.

Milliput superfine starts going on. Love this stuff. This is the second layer.

Some primer and another layer of Milliput later and it's starting to smooth out. The near side in this pic and the centre of her stomach is nearly there. The far side needs a bit more work and perhaps a but more of that lip grinding off. I've using 400+ grit to sand and all sorts of nail buffers and files. They don't damage the vinyl too much and Milliput with a little water is great at filling any scratches.

Finally, the metallizer test. Here it is over black gloss, which comes out a gun metal colour. Not so great for Columbia here but good for other applications. Might be okay for Maria but I'm going to do a test on white to see how bright it goes. You can see a smear from where I've been painting details on top. The good news is this is with a gloss coat on top (one mist coat and then a single thicker coat). It diffuses the highlights a bit more that without the top coat, but you still get more of a specular effect than you do with metallic paint. It's just a shame it isn't a bit brighter.
 
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Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Oh. I was actually going to say that the upper torso hadn't been trimmed enough in the bottom opening. That would have eradicated most of the poor fit if that had been trimmed slimmer. You can see the original trimming had only removed the majority of the extending material, without trimming the thickness down as well. I guess with all the work you've done to fill the gap afterwards, it is not worth fixing that trim to get a better fit.

Also... isn't Maria supposed to be copper?
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Oh. I was actually going to say that the upper torso hadn't been trimmed enough in the bottom opening. That would have eradicated most of the poor fit if that had been trimmed slimmer. You can see the original trimming had only removed the majority of the extending material, without trimming the thickness down as well. I guess with all the work you've done to fill the gap afterwards, it is not worth fixing that trim to get a better fit.

Also... isn't Maria supposed to be copper?

She's usually interpreted as silvery grey, so I'll probably go with that. Fear not about the remaining lip. That will still file down and smooth over. I deliberately wanted to keep the line of the top part rather than thin too much as they're close to the lines of the prop. That bottom portion is rather skinny, especially at the back.
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

No, what I mean is the inside extra material that hasn't been trimmed off. When trimming you trim from one angle level to the opening to get the majority of the excess out of the way, and then you cut from a different angle up into the opening to trim away the excess thickness of that pour lip area. If that makes sense. You can see it in the image showing the bottom opening, where you can see the extra excess still being left on the piece.

Highlighted the lip I'm talking about in yellow.
IMG_1970.jpeg
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

No, what I mean is the inside extra material that hasn't been trimmed off. When trimming you trim from one angle level to the opening to get the majority of the excess out of the way, and then you cut from a different angle up into the opening to trim away the excess thickness of that pour lip area. If that makes sense. You can see it in the image showing the bottom opening, where you can see the extra excess still being left on the piece.

Highlighted the lip I'm talking about in yellow.
View attachment 691269

Ah! Got you now! Yeah, that was a missed opportunity. Cheers — I shall follow that advice in future. I've been dealing with it from the outside on that piece due to the outer flare that appears to be a feature of the (poor) design rather than a bad fit. I might have been able to attack if from both sides! :)
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Now then... Spoons! Here are two tests of the C1 metallizer over TS-19 metallic blue.On the left is no clear coat. On the right, clear coat and a buff up. I'm finding it difficult to replicate my result on Columbia. It really can go both dark and cloudy. However, it doesn't rub off very easily if your hands are clean and I'm going to put her in a case so she shouldn't need protection.

Other than continuing the filling, I also drilled out her pupils. Really makes her face come alive. Here she is next to the bare metallizer. It's a bit too shiny to be screen accurate but it would be a fantastic looking finish. Still debating it. I'm hoping I can find something to reliably take the reflectivity down, then it's perfect.

And here's the metallized blue next to some chrome plater parts, namely Ecto-1's grille and bumper. Definitely looks more realistic.
 
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Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Spoons redux. Metalizer over gold is pretty tasty and is, perhaps, closer to the original prop.
IMG_4426.JPG
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

Ooh... I like the one on the right. Looks very nice. :)

According to the website for the recent official prop reconstruction, the original prop was cello lacquer mixed with silverbronze pigment, a silver/copper alloy. The finish would have been glossy and had a slight amber tint. Considering we'll never be able to see it in colour, I guess that's probably an a alright interpretation. Although I imagined finishing her more like the spoon on the left to match a lot of other reproductions, the one on the right definitely has a bit more class and a vintage vibe without looking aged.

Priming soon, them some subtle pre-shading, mainly on the face and panel lines.
 
Re: Metropolis 1/4 Maria Maschinenmensch figure

The first coat of grey primer is on and I can see some indents around the seams and some transitions to smooth out further (especially at the back). The issues at the sides are accentuated a bit as the primer's thin there. However, I'm quite happy with the lines of her torso now. I'll need to make this super clean if I'm going shiny!
 
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