Ikessauro's Repaints and customs

[Ikessauro]

I think it is time I start sharing my work here. I don't repaint very often for financial reasons, since I like to have figures in their original factory state, I only repaint doubles I acquire for cheap.

That being said, I have had some luck finding doubles of some figures in lots or some beaten up/incomplete copies that I can repaint. I particularly like to recreate rare unreleased versions of toys using variants that have been released. So I can have the unobtainable variant.

For starters I think this is a good example. Kenner Jurassic Park Estemmenosuchus, from the Lost World collection, repainted as the unreleased JP Series 2 prototype. I not only repainted it as I also sculpted the dino damage cover and switched the left legs to their correct position. I'll post more pictures of it soon, but for now here's one and my youtube video of the process (in BR Portuguese, but my blabbering is not that important, I'm simply describing what is my thought process for the custom). The only part I still can't replicate is the JP sign on the leg with the figure number. I would have added it if I have the skills and materials to make decals or something. I don't want to paint it by hand because I'm sure it'll will not look good.
References


My result

Video

[Ikessauro]

Another one I did a while back is the Mattel Pachyrhinosaurus, which was later called Sinoceratops. I simply repainted it based in the original prototype that was not released.
The prototype reference

My results




Video of the process

[Ikessauro]

Other than recreating unreleased variants, sometimes I simply enjoy repainting a figure to look better/more realistic.
That was the case with this Bumpy model made by Brazilian company Pupee. It is an official licencesed Jurassic World product, but made very simple and cheap, so I gave it an upgrade.

[Halichoeres]

Nice work on the Estemmenosuchus especially!

[Ikessauro]

Thanks @Halichoeres
Here are the other pictures I promised.









Also, my next project is creating the WWD Dromaeosaurus by repainting the WWD Toyway Utahraptor. I still wanna do that to others of the collection, like the Allosaurus and Iguanodon, to make the unreleased variants, but I'm not in a hurry, will do when I find a cheap copy, like this Utahraptor, in bad shape, to "rescue".
I normally would just repaint over the figure, but I was considering trying to wipe out the paint on this one, with some kind of solvent. That way I can base the  repaint on the original color of the plastic just doing washes and dry brushing, to avoid covering the detail to much. I tested the paint with a bit of acetone, and the black seems to come off easier than the yellow. Not sure if I can achieve a better result with paint thinner or other stuff, have to test and see if does not damage the plastic.

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

Nice work! Looking forward to more.

[Ikessauro]

Finally had time to put my "Toyway Dromaeosaurus" project in practice! Here's the result.

[Leyster]

The result is really good! WWD has so many remarkable colour schemes, and their Dromaeosaurus was a favorite of mine (despite its limited screen time).

[Ikessauro]

Here's my latest repaint, recreating yet another "unreleased" paint job.

This time around I did something I never imagined I would do. I repainted a Battat Diplodocus!
Recently I shared in the Recent Acquisitions thread that I managed to grab this one from eBay for "cheap' and it wasn't in the best shape.

Considering  I already had a decent condition Dippy in my collection, I decided that this would be the perfect situation for me to repaint it.
The head of the model was badly scuffed and the snout had been chewed on. There were deformations in the plastic and a crack on the left side of the face. Also one of the feet had a missing toe claw and the very tip of the tail had been broken off. Also the paint had several scuffs and stains throughout the body.





At first I didn't notice the missing claw, only the damage to the face and tail. I decided to fix the snout with air drying putty and leave the tail as it was, because the missing piece was small and barely noticeable. This was the face after my poor attempt at sculpting the snout.


And here it was after a couple coats of white.


I wanted to repaint it like the unreleased Terra by Battat Diplodocus, done by Dan LoRusso back in 2014. Since Battat refuses to release it and shows no signs they ever will, I decided that, if opportunity presented itself, I'd repaint a few old Battats in bad shape to match those paint schemes. It never occured to me the Diplodocus would be the first I'd do.
The first step to decide what colors to use, was to kinda color correct the image of the prototype. It had sort of a strong yellow light that  made me think those aren't the real colors of the figure. So I had the picture adjusted to a more neutral white light and went with that color.

My final result was not perfect, but looks close enough for my taste anyway. I'd say the brownish grey on the back is a bit darker than the prototype and the lighter underbelly on mine isn't as dark (or as yellowish) as it should. . I tried to paint it with very distinctive color separations, like the final product Battat has been releasing for the Terra line, hence the Parasaurolophus for comparison.

Here it is with the other Dippy in its original color.


And to think that back in the old days of DTFv1, when I first started collecting more brand name dinos, I criticized people who repainted Battat dinos because they were rare. Back then I felt that the more repaints were done, the less copies of the original models were left for new collectors to get. I was one of those new collectors, still trying to complete my Battat set. Battat repaints felt almoust sacrilegious to me.
Now in hindsight, I see how silly I was. Battats are not so rare that one couldn't find copies if they really wanted, there are plenty still left for people to hunt for their collections and in the end of the day, each one can do whatever they want with their models. But I am not gonna lie, despite changing my views after years or maturing, It still felt just a tiny bit wrong to repaint a Battat Diplodocus ... at least until I applied the first brushstroke, which I did as soon as possible, before I changed my mind.

Another detail to note is that if I ever want to reverse this and remove the repaint, I think that wouldn't be hard to do. The paints I used, the clear coat and even the putty for fixing the snout are all water soluble and I think with a good soak for a few hours, it would all come off easily.

[Ikessauro]

I could not resist the urge to fix some major paint scratches on this one. This rare Invicta Brachiosaurus arrived quite dirty and the paint rubs were quite noticeable.

I usually do not modify my figures, I like them as original as possible. But this one kept "asking" me for for help. So I first cleaned it.


Then restored the major, most distracting defects, but not all, leaving a few minor battle scars that tell its history.


The other side.

[BlueKrono]

Looks good as new. Great paint matching.

[ceratopsian]

Very handsome. A good rescue.