Head Merchant

By Eli Raphael

Here are work-in-progress photos from this excellent kit by Kent Kidwell. When I first saw the in-progress sculpting, I knew then that I had to have it. Some of you have already seen or have it, maybe some have not heard of it, so here's a general view of the kit's contents.

I started selecting which pieces would stay and which ones could be replaced or enhanced, shown here with a yellow marker:

I decided to replace the sculpted "rope" with real one, so the were sanded out.

The helmet was then dealt with. I didn't like the way it hid the head and face, seemed too big fitting for my taste, so it was separated into 4 pieces.

There's a shoulder/chest belt that had to drilled out for better appearance:

I started attaching the different pieces on to the beast, so out came the epoxy putty. Also the legs and arms have been glued into place and puttied over.

It was time to start with the merchant's upper body. There was something not quite "frightening" about his face, you know, something, at least for me that needed more punch, more sarcasm......

So I started looking for different heads that might be useful, and after searching all over, found one that, for me, was more menacing. So out come the diamond bits and after a real "resin snow storm" I had cut out the merchants face and a new one was attached, blending with Epoxy.

As you can see the original HM face has been placed on the trophy pack and some details have been added to the other impaled head.

Base

I decided to fill the original resin base's empty spaces with foil and later filled and texturized with DAS clay setting aside to let it dry.

Horny subject

There was something that I didn't fancy about so many equally spaced "horns" on the beast's body, so out came the hack saw.

I chose the largest horn to be the main defensive weapon on its head, extending it a bit more.

A silicone rubber stamp was made to replicate lost detail.

Finished head horns .

The remaning cut out horns were placed on elbows and knees.

Time to look for imperfections. Primed and started applying Acryl Blue. Let it set for a few hours and wet sand. This stuff is great, won't shrink or crack.

Meanwhile, grabbed the beast, gave it a good detergent wash, let it air dry and primed.

Checked that I didn't need to fill in any imperfections, then grabbed the flat black can.

Then came out the brown:

Left it to dry for a couple of days while I tackled the sword pommel. For me, it lacked detail so out came the 22 gauge artistic wire, in this case Gun Metal color and a drill bit the same wire size.

Drilled at the beginning and end of it:

Grabbed a marker:

Started on the end, inserted the wire and twisted around to cover the resin pommel. Cut the end a little more that what you need so that you can tuck it on the drilled hole at the top.

The Guantlet

This part was then approached with great dread due to the fact that my sample was full of large air pockets and was hollow inside, making filling and sanding quite challenging.

The sculpted rivets where unevenly formed andmisshaped, thus they were sanded off. I decided that instead of taking so much trouble in leaving the hand rightly filled and sanded, Apoxy was used to make a leather glove.

When the gauntlet was finished painting, time came to replace the resin rivets with fancy upholstery nails. Since they were difficult to hold and glue them in place, I used Pic n Stic. These plastic rods are used by dentists and jewelers to handle objects that are virtually impossible to use tweezers with.

They contain a sticky wax point that allows you to position your items where you need them.

Finished gauntlet and ax.

Time had arrived to slap some paint on the beast. After the base color has had sufficiently time to dry,

A glaze was prepared using Liquitex acrylic glazing medium and a combination of Windsor & Newton Sienna and Yellow Ochre. Glazing is a technique used to slow acrylic paint drying time.

Working in relatively small areas, the glaze is applied with a wide brush.

And then wiping it off with piece of old Tshirt.

The orangy glaze was only applied to the exterior skin, leaving the lower belly, neck and inner legs in a paler color.

Golden’s Raw Umber Transparent hue was later used to give some shading.

Then, an ivory color was dry brushed on all exterior surfaces. The underbelly and inner legs received a pink yellowish glaze and later a pearl grey was dry brushed.

Leather harnesses were later done using different shades of Vallejo acrylic brown colors. Hardware was also, at this time, dealt with.

The Rider

You might remember that the original kit’s face was replaced by a more sinister looking one.

Well, after adapting it, time came to choose a painting pattern. I came across an old Nat Geo Magazine depicting war and mating face painting among New Guinea natives. Before doing the face, upper body and arms were given a base color of a combo of Gunze red brown and orange, simulating the native’s skin color. Highlights and shadows proceeded.