SidB's Repaints - Revisiting the Past

[SidB]

Thanks, @Baryonyx , glad that you liked this modification. I believe that the pattern inversion was done almost instinctively, it just seemed to 'work' for me. At the time, the intent was for the alteration to be a tribute both to the painter, Franczak, and to Battat itself, which used to have an almost iconic status among collectors, though my sense is that that is gradually fading. They used to be, arguably, the most accurate sculpts ever produced, far ahead of the others, though clearly the latest generation of figures has surpassed them. Earlier this year I finally removed and boxed up my extensive Battat collection, replacing it with my Safaris and Carnegie Safaris. I think that, semi-unconsciously, I've been motivated by the dynamic that Safari, as a whole, is a growing, expanding entity, full of possibilities for the future, whereas Battat, dinosaur-wise, appears extinct, without new possibilities. Sad.

[SidB]

Franczak had a wonderful eye for color!

On paint stripping, it depends. Sometimes I've gotten paint off by just peeling it with a little help from dish soap and a toothbrush in crevices, but if they primed it that will be difficult. Alcohol might do the trick. Acetone or paint thinner definitely will but you'll want to be really careful to not let them sit too long.

Thanks for the advice - I'll be very careful. I'll have acetone, isopropyl alcohol and I think, Simple Green, in my arsenal.

Well, I've taken the plunge and using toothbrush, soap and water and Simple Green, here are the results - presto, "new" monochrome classic Invictas. I'm pleased with the results and think that I won't paint them. I like the look, sort of like Marx figures taken to the logical end of that concept, as D @Dinoguy2 points out on his blog. The majority of my Invictas are monochromes, slightly fewer factory painted and I have several customs, which I'll share shortly.

[SidB]

As mentioned, the great majority of my Invictas (I have the complete collection in types, though not all the color variations as of yet), are monochromatic or factory repaints. However, I've painted a few of my figures because they either still display well in  my current dioramas, or for a purely aesthetic purpose, like the Ichthyosaurus, maybe my favorite Invicta. I painted up a couple of these, each slightly different from the other. IMO, they make a striking pair, inspired by the old Carnegie Safari figure. I used a Tamiya deep sea blue color to achieve a very dark look to the dorsal aspect:

[ceratopsian]

Very eye catching. I like your choices here very much.

[SidB]

Very eye catching. I like your choices here very much.

Thank you, @ceratopsian , yes I think so too. In hand, these beautiful reptiles have a remarkable svelte feel about them that adds to the visual impression.

[Halichoeres]

Glad to see the monochromes came clean, especially with a solvent as mild as Simple Green.

I'm not sure if it's just that I'm ignorant about ichthyosaurs, or that ichthyosaurs just fossilize better than landlubbers, but the Invicta figure scarcely even betrays its age. Beautiful figure, and a nice color scheme you've given it.

[SidB]

I'm more than a bit surprised that the two turned out as well as they did, @Halichoeres . The colors work well together, for sure. This figure has really withstood the test of time in every way. Invicta made a handsome piece with their Ichthyosaur.

[SidB]

While discussing the Invicta figures, here's my repainting of their Cetiosaurus, a piece which has stood the test of time not too badly. It has much less of a retro look than the Apatosaurus or Diplodocus, though these have a real retro charm and are downright elegant to boot. I have three Cetiosaurs - one purple monochromatic and two, a matching pair, that I've painted. One of them has consented to make an appearance, and is strutting his stuff below, as you can see:

[SidB]

The two above repainted Cetio's in their 'habitat', part of my display of mid-sized Sauropods, just behind the GR Dicraeosaurus and Favorite Tambatitanis. They fit in well:

[Bokisaurus]

Very nice! Did you have problems with repainting those invicta models? I find that the paint had a hard time sticking when I repainted one before.

[Halichoeres]

I've had second-hand painted Invictas and been able to peel them, so it does seem like paint doesn't adhere too well, but maybe primer could make the difference?

[SidB]

Very nice! Did you have problems with repainting those invicta models? I find that the paint had a hard time sticking when I repainted one before.

I used Tamiya acrylics, originally intended, I believe, for spraying, but these worked fine by brush, if applied with care. They have never rubbed or chipped, whether flat or semi-gloss. Also, they were applied straight, without primer. Must be the paint.

BTW, B @Bokisaurus , I have to say that I take inspiration from your sauropod repaints, most recently with the CollesctA Bajadasaurus.

[SidB]

I've had second-hand painted Invictas and been able to peel them, so it does seem like paint doesn't adhere too well, but maybe primer could make the difference?

The Tamiya acrylic that I used was applied without a primer, amazing enough, in retrospect. It has never rubbed or chipped. It is very challenging to remove with the milder solvents, once applied.

[Halichoeres]

Huh, good to know, thanks!

[SidB]

Huh, good to know, thanks!

Welcome. How it interacts with other plastic formulations might be another matter, quite possibly.

[SidB]

The repaint front has been very quiet recently, but I wanted to share a minor alteration/touch-up to make a point. Occasionally someone will give up on a figure or refuse to buy it, even if it is a desired taxon, and there are no available alternatives, because of the relatively minor flaw of pronation. Recently I acquired a copy each of CollectA's Plateosaurus and Lufengosaurus. Obviously there aren't many options out there for these genera, let alone in their price range.

In both cases, the hands on the forelimbs were badly pronated. I certainly had no intention of leaving them in this condition, so to supinate them, I applied the old hot air treatment, not by subjecting them to the hot breath of a politician, but to that of my wife's hair drier. The Plateosaurus is fabricated of a fairly hard PVC, and one treatment did the trick - no reversion, the hands have remained exactly where I wanted them to be:



The Lufengosaurus, in contrast is made of a much softer, more flexible plastic and several treatments failed to get the needed result. At best, the hands remained semi-pronated, with an irritating tendency to slowly revert to their condition of pronation (palms down, which is impossible for a dinosaur). So, I got drastic. Out came the exacto-knife and I carefully amputated each manus close to the wrist. I then drilled a hole in the exact center of each arm stump and also in the dead center of the corresponding hand, cut two short pieces of brass rod, applied some 30 second crazy glue to each end of the two rods, inserted them into the holes and pressed the hands back onto the arms, carefully aligning them to the proper supination (palms facing each other). I applied pressure for about two minutes, then checked the results. Almost perfect, just a couple of almost invisible gaps, which I then sealed with some filler, then painted to match the surrounding paint work on the adjacent arms. Presto, precisely what I had wanted. The figures are now comfortable ensconced in my dioramas, no one the worse for wear. The point - don't be put off by this problem, the remedy is "at hand", so to speak.

[SidB]

The latest work from Chris, who most of my painting and repaints - two resin sculpts from Mike Eischen at Paleo Sculpture:

Before, Smilodon


Before, Homotherium


After, Smilodon




After, Homotherium




The painting really makes the detail 'pop', detail which otherwise is rather obscure, especially at this 1/35 scale.

[Dusty Wren]

Oh, both of those look awesome! Especially love the Smilodon. Eischen really does pack a lot of detail into these little figures, and the paintjobs do a good job of highlighting that.

[SidB]

Oh, both of those look awesome! Especially love the Smilodon. Eischen really does pack a lot of detail into these little figures, and the paintjobs do a good job of highlighting that.

Having gotten all of his mammalian offerings in that 1/35 range, I'm wishing that he would release some new ones. In the meantime, there's more to be painted, so I'll be patient, @Dusty Wren .

[SidB]

I picked up my modified Haolonggood Ouranosaurus from Chris today. The modifications involved removing the single head crest with two, installing the missing thumb spikes on a steel pin and modifying the manus to show minimal fingers instead of the hoof on each forelimb, one single and one a fused double. This involved redoing them and we thought that it was only partially successful (such a small scale). Below are the before and after pictures.

Before


After


Before


After