I was looking for my next project and my son suggested this. I was like, “Wow, that’s a great idea.” I have always been a fan of this series and this seemed like a good next step in my painting and printing journey. I wanted to ratchet up the difficulty so I could learn but also keep it within reason. Chief has mainly two tones of color but a lot of detail. This will also stress my resin fill method I have been using to fill in lines. I will update this post as I work on him.
Sunday Nov 17th, 2024
So, I got the resin treatment mostly done. This is something I saw on a YT video, and it works really great for me. I have a hard time sanding for long periods and this helps fill in the layer lines so I can sand less. I take UV resin and mix it with cornstarch. The amount varies depending on what I am trying to fill in. I use a combo of a UV pen and UV booth to cure the resin and fill things in. Here are some pics of that first part done. I am not looking forward to sanding this with all the details. The resin also helps prevent over-sanding into the plastic. I will post more when I get a chance.
Sunday Nov 17th 7:30 PM
Monday, November 18, 2024
I did the first sanding. Two grits, 80 and 120. Knocked down some of the pools of resin and other rough areas. I think I will hit it with 300 next and that will probably be it. There were some other areas that did not print well, with errors in either the print or the extrude. I knocked them down but decided not to work much on these areas. He is a battle veteran, after all, and some minor cosmetic damage will play into the aesthetic well. Going to order some airbrush primer tonight since all I have used so far is rattle can stuff. Which is fine, but it’s wet and getting colder here, and I want to be able to do it inside. I have a vent, but it’s not large enough to suck that stuff up.
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024
Took me a few days to get the primer in. Army Painter Air Black. It worked great. I am going to let this sit until tomorrow before I start laying down my first base.
Saturday, Nov 23, 2024
I got the base coat on. Not the exact green I wanted but I am still learning on how to mix paints. I will let this cure for 24 hours then lighten it a bit and dial in some of the details.
Monday, Nov 25, 2024
This is probably my next-to-last update. Mater Chief is almost done! All I have left is some extra effort on the base.
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2024
Last entry, he is all done. I used some two-part epoxy, dirt, and rocks from outside to finish the base. I wanted it to look like in the game where you had forerunner tech covered in dirt and some of it showing. Turned out better than I thought. I had done the base in a grey in hopes the epoxy would darken and shine like the metal in the game. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have.
