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Gonk Droid - you want chips with that?


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I got this for review and just couldn't resist putting it together in between doing other things, and it did put up a little bit more of a fight than I expected, with a few ripples in the body that needed filling, some confusion in the direction the lower body faces, and some bubbles in the corrugated leg parts.  They were easy enough to fix, and I've been priming it on & off for a few days, testing, fettling and so forth in between sessions, finishing off with a coat of black.  This morning I squirted some LifeColor panzer grey all over it, and sealed that in with some AK Gauzy before applying a couple of coats of AK Worn Effects Chipping Fluid (ooer!).  Then I overcoated that with some more LifeColor, but this time some Anthrazitzgrau, which is slightly lighter than the base shade.  I've been harassing it with a stiff paintbrush for a wee while now, and decided to take a few pics to see how it looks, as you get a bit "blind" to it after a while.  It's the first time I've used this technique, so I was a little anxious about screwing it up :unsure:

 

chipping1.jpg

 

chipping2.jpg

 

I'm quite pleased with how it has come out so far, but there's still a long way to go with it.  I'm basing mine off the look of the Star Wars originals, although every one seems to differ slightly from the last pic.  I've since applied a filter for Panzer Grey (an old Mig one) to blend the two shades, and add a bit of tonal variation, but I have a lot more to do to weather it.  I've also got to do the detail painting of the feet, the greeblie insert in the front etc., and add a general dust coat to finish.  It's about the most beaten up model I've tried to date, so I'll be hoping that Andy gets a wriggle on with his painting, so I can slavishly copy him :wicked:

 

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In the cold light of day, old Gonky seems a bit dark to me, which is a bit of a pain and probably down to the filters darkening the grey. :rolleyes: I'm going to have a go at post-shading it with a bit lighter shade of grey, trying not to lose the scratching, as I was quite pleased with the way it came out.  We shall see :hmmm:

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While it's quite dark, it does look good and the chipping effects are quite convincing, overpainting them with a paler colour, even subtly misted on, might look a bit odd.....Maybe paint some of the panels in a contrasting colour to brighten it up instead?  :shrug: 

 

PS - A pale dust-wash combined with dry-pastel streaking might look good on a dark subject like this too.....Think Tatooine weathering.  :coolio:

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Lots of choices... I might just overspray the lot with a paler grey over some more chipping fluid and go for some serious three-layer chips with everything :)  Dunno... jury's out as yet.  I'm looking at him on the turntable in my spray booth, and he's just not interesting enough as he stands.

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I'm trying to keep it close to the Star Wars Gonk, although I might succumb and put an ass-stripe on him somewhere along the line.  Not quite sure of what technique to use, but I'll have a think about it while I process a few photos for a review :)

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I'm loving this, the colour really works well , i would agree about using a pale dust wash, it would make all the various panels pop out and give him/her/it added depth,

 

keep up the good work...(p.s. i' also waiting for AndyRM101 to throw some paint at his..:D)

 

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I bit the bullet and gave him another coat of paint, this time somewhat lighter to take account of the darkening effect of the following filters.  I also did a bit of noodling of different shades on the base tone to improve on the mucky look I'm going for.  Here's where he's at now after a single dose of Ochre filter to add some sandiness to the paintwork.

 

chipping3.jpg

 

chipping4.jpg

 

 

I masked over the few buttons I'd begun painting, although they're not quite finished yet, so they survived the process more-or-less intact.  I still have a fair bit of detail-painting left to do, and will probably add a haze of dust around the lower extremities with the airbrush once the ribbed legs are painted along with the other details.  I'm happier with the colour, as in the daylight with the filters, the previous finish was too dark.

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To be honest Mike, when I read the post where you said you wanted to lighten him I thought "no no he looks fine as he is", but now you have repainted and added the dust wash etc he looks an awful lot better. 

 

Impressive, I worry with what I'm doing that I'll go too far with weathering etc, but I can see from this that you also have to be brave and know when to have another go too. 

 

Looks excellent. 

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Cheers for the comments chaps :)  I've been pottering with this again, and did a bit of dusting up of the horizontal surfaces, painted his rubbery legs a darker shade for some contrast, and gave the lower edges a bit of a dust haze using Tamiya Buff.  I also added a bit of rust streaking using one of the new oil brushers I reviewed t'other day, dragged downwards with a flat brush damp with thinners.  Since I took the pics I've tidied up the buttons on his control panel, written "cat" in Star Wars alphabet on the front, and added a little stencil on his butt... like the droid version of a tramp stamp :)

 

weathering1.jpg

 

weathering2.jpg

 

I'm not sure whether to call him finished, or carry on titivating :hmmm:

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I think I might stop here.  It looks quite Tatooine-y (non-alcoholic), and although it ain't as funky as Andy's green and red one, it's "canon" or at least as canon-y as I can manage with limited refs, for what that's worth :)

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  • 2 years later...

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