The workbench has been busy the last few weeks! Between build-events and my inability to do one project at a time, it is packed! I’ll be showing some work-in-progresses and finished projects, with commentary on what I liked and could have done better. I can’t fit all of them on here so I’m covering some of them until later on.

Work in Progresses

The Cerulean Project Entry

So one of my larger more important projects on the bench is my entry for The Cerulean Project, a hobby book and event devoted to spreading awareness about mental health. My build is an ode to imposter syndrome and my journey through the grief cycle.

This project is still in its rough phase. The base was done with a cheap four-dollar wood plate from Micheals. On top of it was decorated with large wood beads and hot glue to form abstract growths. I then used mod podge to create smaller shapes. I still need to put a sealer on it so that I can paint it.

The kits being used are HG Destiny Burst.

I added texture to one set of the wing effects with mod podge then sprayed it with a gloss black base (Krylon) then thin layers with pink (Krylon), yellow (Krylon), and orange (Montana Gold). I started to add texture to one of the wing sets as well.

There’s no decided color scheme for the unmodified kit at the moment.

Tyranid Hive Tyrant

This is one of my larger Warhammer projects. It was mostly painted in vast rainbow color but I wasn’t happy with it. It was too much at once and painting it had been more annoying than anything. Also, my hobby shelf came crashing down on it one day and snapped the tail off. So I stripped it and decided to start over.

How did I do it? I took a large plastic container and enough 90% rubbing alcohol to cover the model. I let the Tyrant soak for about 10 to 15 minutes then scrubbed it with a toothbrush gently to get all the gunk off. I then ran it on my ultrasonic cleaner to make sure all the small bits of hard-to-reach paint came out. Then I let it dry.

I’m hoping to do a more blue color scheme for this with bright color highlights. 

Hygogg frogs?

So I had this idea of a bio-organic mech universe. The kits I decided to use were two Hygoggs. I really like the idea that they’re two amphibious mechs that are guarding a nest of sorts.

I have one finished so far, this will be the male. I used mod podge, polycaps, and beads to achieve his spikey texture. I did a glossy black (Krylon) and topped it with thin layers of lime green (Krylon), a very fine pink (Krylon), yellow (Krylon), and a splash of light blue (Krylon).

The female is going to have fewer spikes and more bulbs/bumps. I think I’m also going with a more warm tone for her colors.

I plan of using large beads and hot glue to start building the egg nest.

Finished Projects

Worldbuilding HG Nightingale

So this was one of my largest projects to tackle so far. The idea stemmed from a worldbuilding project I’ve been working on for the past few years. The nightingale for this idea was an aquatic explorer of the fictional planet X463’s oceans and seas. The base coats of blues were airbrushed on but the creatures were sketched and handpainted. This was all done with acrylics and the top coat was also handpainted on as well.

There were some parts that I’m unhappy with and that’s okay. It was one of my first times incorporating decals on a build (mecha decals from a Pal, Tim Harkins @childofmecha on Instagram) and I did not use a glossy enough base coat on them. It’s a learning curve.

Apex (USAGundam)

The Apex is the cute little robot mascot of USAGundam. I love this kit, it was so adorable and fun to build. It has the option of adding in LEDs but for this one, I didn’t. I do plan on it when they come back into stock.

This was a more modern paint job for me, very abstract and kinda based on a street style. I used a pink as a base layer and then handpainted the details with Liquitex paints. The other parts were done in a purple and the face plate had golden splatter done with an old toothbrush. It was very fun and very vibrant. It took like 30 minutes to build and a day or two to paint. Super quick to build.

The black dots happened as an accident but I just rolled with it. 

Something funky

So this was another worldbuilding idea that I had about a cyano-bacteria/parasitic-related organism that slowly assimilates organic and inorganic materials that it comes in contact with. This includes the mechs and whoever pilots them.

This was a very interesting build process. It involved materials like hot glue, mod podge, aquarium gravel, lichen, spraypaint, and so on. It took about a week and a half of just applying things when I could. The bottom is one of my favorite parts. I had gotten some glow-in-the-dark paint pigments and mixed them in resin. I then coated the entire base with it to create this pooling effect on the “ground”. It looks really cool at night.

This was one of my strangest builds but also one of the most creatively satisfying builds yet. There’s a whole avenue of ideas that I have just from working on this one. 

There are so many more builds I have coming soon that’ll be finished. If anyone has any questions on how I did something or a thought, drop a comment and let me know!

Happy Monday!

-J