Mini Minmi's repaints (updated June 27th)

[Mini Minmi]

Thank you everyone, I'm glad you think it looks good. I think I have discovered a new passion. Repainting is fun!  I might invest in some higher quality paint if I'm to keep doing this. It would be worth it.

@Minmiminime My wallet says you're a bad influence.  I'll try to find them locally before importing them. But that may take a while. Schleich is surprisingly less common around here than Papo. It used to be the opposite. And even Papo I order online usually because ordering a specific figure via the local shop takes months and I get impatient.

[IrritatorRaji]

And the final look with black spots and stripes. I'm not 100% happy with the stripes and spots, they don't really look natural to me. But I still think I did a decent job of reproducing the Kaiyodo paint job. I think I'll add a dark wash on the claws, they look a bit too even to me.

@Mini Minmi

Dude, legit question, could I pay you to do one of those for me?

[Ravonium]

And the final look with black spots and stripes. I'm not 100% happy with the stripes and spots, they don't really look natural to me. But I still think I did a decent job of reproducing the Kaiyodo paint job. I think I'll add a dark wash on the claws, they look a bit too even to me.

*snipped image*

While the Safari Ltd Yutyrannus' paintjob is probably one of my favorite factory paintjobs, this is definitely a good first attempt at a large figure (better than I can do)    I hope to see your future work.

[Mini Minmi]

@IrritatorRaji I don't feel confident enough to take someone else's money just yet but I am very flattered you like it so much. I'm also in Canada so shipping alone would likely not make it worth your while (because I believe you're in the UK). If I change my mind though you'll be the first to know.

[IrritatorRaji]

@Mini Minmi Shipping costs don't bother me But yeah, I totally understand the confidence thing! But totally hmu if/when you're ready

[Lone Trike]

Very impressive, what you achieved in such a short time! That Yutyrannus looks fantastic! I also forgot to mention, that the best gradation effects can be done with an airbrush of course.

[Mini Minmi]

Thank you Lone Trike.

Ah, if I had the room and money, the things I'd love to do with an airbrush... *dreams* But I discovered you can get pretty decent gradients with stippling. It's a bit like dry brushing but instead of rubbing your brush on the model you tap it vertically, in case you are not familiar. It's quite effective.

[Lone Trike]

Thanks for the info! I´ve never heard of that technique actually. I will definitely keep it in mind

[Mini Minmi]

I learned about it here, actually. I had a good read through the pinned thread in the customized figures section of the forums. There are a lot of different tips and tricks as well as different products suggestions. I also looked at videos on YouTube about the stippling technique and how it can be used on models. What I need to practice now is how to mix different colors in layers to give a more natural look than having flat colors would even with gradients. There's a beautiful example in the thread with a Star Wars creature. The purple skin is painted with reds and blues and even some tan and the end results still looks purple but much more alive. I have a hard time describing it but I recommend you have a look at the thread if you want to.

[Mini Minmi]

I should wait to take better pictures in the sunlight later but I've had such a hard time with this bugger I wanted to share it asap.

I found the Schleich psittacosaurus and oviraptor locally last weekend and they were the two models I badly wanted to try repainting. I finished the psittacosaurus last night after many hours of frustrations and tweaking.

Forgive the windowsill causing a bit of back lighting, I was trying to get the best light I could at the moment so the head wouldn't just look like a black blob and incandescent lamps were not doing the trick.


Close up of the head. It's not exactly black, it's a mix of reddish dark browns. I noticed a lot of models I own have a thin black outline to the eyes. I wonder if I should do that too? It would help the eye stand out but I don't want my dinosaurs to be wearing eyeliner either...


Details of the dotted stripes on the legs.


Hope you enjoyed!

[Jose S.M.]

Beautiful work, it looks waaay better like this. You are a very talented "repainter" ... I don't think that's  a real word but you know what I mean 

[Dilopho]

Oh...oh, wow..

[Lone Trike]

Great job with the Psittacosaurus! What paints do you actually use, if I may ask?

[Mini Minmi]

Thank you everyone, I tried very hard and I'm glad my efforts paid off.

@Lone Trike I am ashamed to say I use cheap dollar store craft acrylics. I wasn't sure I was going to use them, I only bought red, blue, yellow, black and white. I just mix them to make the colors I want. Since I'm enjoying it I'm thinking of investing into "real" hobby paints, probably Testor because that's what is more readily available to me.

[IrritatorRaji]

For a second, I thought this was an obscure Safari model, the paint job is spectacular!

[Mini Minmi]

Schleich made a very good sculpt, it's very easy to make the figure look good because you're working with a good base. I don't know why they didn't choose a more realistic/detailed paint job (especially since we do know the color, so why not use it?). I understand that they can't spend as much time as I can afford on a single figure since they have to mass produce them, but I'm still quite disappointed by the factory paint of both the psittacosaurus and the oviraptor.

Gives me something to paint, though. I wouldn't want to attempt a repaint on a figure with a paint that was too elaborate (not sure what stops me but it wouldn't feel right). Even the Yutyrannus was a tough call because the original head and details were nice, it was just the light blue on the body that I didn't like.

Off to do the oviraptor now. No idea what I'll do yet. Time to look at paleoart and desert creatures.

[PhilSauria]

Great job. I think if there were an award for most repainted new release this one must be way out in front by now. Mine also has a different colour scheme to the one it arrived with, not too dissimilar to the one you have chosen actually. Thinks there's an image of it in my collection thread somewhere. Once you have done one repaint and gotten used to putting paint on something that you bought and didn't make yourself then almost anything is up for 'customizing'!

[Minmiminime]

That is beautiful! I'm so pleased you went for it, it's a spectacular result 😊 I must get around to doing mine, though I couldn't get a result as good as yours! Got my eye on the Papo Baryonyx too, which has to be up there for the "Worst Papo Paintjob" award. It's one of those which would honestly be difficult to make any worse, so...maybe I'll start with that one

[Mini Minmi]

@PhilSauria I went to your thread to have a look. You did an excellent gradient between the tan and the brown and I like how yours is lighter than mine. You seem to lose less details than mine did. I also love how you did the quills. I fell in love with your allosaurus too! What did you use to hide the seams for the hands? I'm not brave enough to touch my original but I hadn't thought of trying a bootleg... I might be tempted to overrule my general hatred of the bootleg market for repainting purposes... Hmm... 

@Minmiminime Yeah, I'm very tempted by the baryonix too because that bright orange really bugs me, but he cost me so many hours*, I don't know if I'll ever dare retouch it. I'd love to see what you'd do with it though so be sure to share if you start messing with it. Hint hint.

*I always look at luxury items in terms of how many hours of work it takes me to accumulate the money for its price, it helps me evaluate worth.

[PhilSauria]

Re the seams on the 'surgically' altered Allosaurus hands:it was a tip from my wife (also an artist) who suggested filling any gaps with a thicker application of paint. These were done with acrylic paint. I have a second bootleg Allosaur that I have been throwing paint at - it must have three coats by now but I am still not happy with it - put aside for now but I will post an image when I find a look that I like. Back to finishing the Apotosaurus sculpt that I began ages ago. (Where does the time go?!) My first attempt at a DIY Dino - not entirely happy with it but on revisiting I can see where improvements can be made but in the finish you just have to accept that sometimes it's the best you can do in that attempt and move on to take what you have learnt to the next project (currently a Triceratops).