Vinyl Model Kits

Creativity, Painting Technics & Scale

Bringing detailed miniatures & scale model kits to life with airbrushing & painting techniques, textures & colours to achieve skin tones and metal plating, adding washes & weathering effects to add depth and contrast to a character.

AirFix 1/12 Model Kits - A Hobby of a life time. As a child I watched my Grandfather build model kits of historical figures in great detail, thick & shiny, finished in bright coloured paints, a very calm patience man I have distant memories. He served in the 'Special' Leicestershire Regiment in North Africa and Italy for six years during WWII, this was his quiet hobby. He shared his talent which I now present and still enjoy today. Airfix Historic Figures:  I remember his finished kits of Emperor Napoleon, The Black Prince, Julius Caesar, Yeoman, Henry VIII, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and many more.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it..."

Halcyon Predator 2 Kit 2018 - Revisited for the 2nd time. My friend had a kit in his attic, I asked if he would generously give me his unfinished kit, the very same one, he brought me for a present Christmas in 1995. The challenge now was too paint and show an improved skill set on this special rare kit. Halcyon Predator 2 Kit 1995 - I spent roughly 100 hours building and painting using only brushes & enamel paints, no airbrushing the 1st Halcyon kit (See 1995 version). Below is the newly completed Predator 2 - when gifted it had a base colour and body parts built. I went for a more metallic brighter with contrast finish this time. A pleasure to revisit this fantastic looking kit which is now a rare kit to find on eBay. If another one comes my way I'm thinking 'Jungle' like the Arnie Predator film 'Dutch you son of a Bitch' now I'll have to find another kit.

2018 - Predator 2 Vinyl Kit

Revisiting a vinyl kit for a 2nd time had a set of different challenges, my airbrush skills have improved, since the previous successful version brush painted & built in 1995, which purchased from Beattie's Leeds for £21.95, now kits are on eBay for £100.00 plus, it's a rare kit, should it be built or simply left in the box. Andy, my best mate had already airbrushed the body, so I had to match the colour and tone as set. I started on the armour and metallic base and using some new technique's learned from YouTube c/o Adam Savage, I used oil paint rubbed off to add depth & tone to the corners, details, creases and texture areas. Using gloss varnish and washes for shadows to lift the brass & copper metallic armour on the body. Keeping the contrasting areas light and dark, ultimately creating a very different version. Finishing off the kit with bloody human skull & various other bone trophies and carefully detailed dreadlocks on the head.

1995 - Predator 2 Vinyl Kit

Previously, 23 years earlier hand painted version. Keeping it close to the Halcyon box image, slightly more orange with brass armour plating. Looking at it next to the later version the technique's still stand up today. I've had to really take good care over the years to preserve the model which I briefly considered repainting it using new washes and oil techniques to bring out the details, but prefer to see the different contrast of the two, twenty years apart.

The Rancor

"Oh no! The Rancor!"


Star Wars AMT Rancor Kit 2018 - I've had this kit for at least 15 years and found some down time to really enjoy the painting process and do justice to this amazing AMT kit. I started off by washing the heavy plastic which had to be heated to fit it together and secured using Gorilla Glue, not forgetting to add plaster of paris in to the legs adding weight to help it stand upright, all the joins where filled with putty to match the skin creases. A base coat primer of Tamiya desert yellow was brushed into the folds of skin, then airbrushing a mid-coat of olive drab and top-coat of dark brown to create a three layered base, not forgetting to mask the claws and toe nails. Using oil paints [Burnt Umber & Sienna] to create depth in the skin tones and building highlights on muscle areas. Adding washes to bring out the detail in the thick skin. Painting all the small back bones and adding an actual earring from the bracelet chain. Focusing on the face was next with two heavy washes, the eyes and tongue were varnished to add a glossy glazed effect, highlighting the teeth, blending the model overall to complete the required finish. A heavy brass bracelet was undercoated in copper & brass, adding more wash to the wrist to keep the tone throughout. I first tested the oil paint technique on the Gamorrean Guard once I had his skin colour correct. Overall a fantastic project, a great result.

  • Painting

    Starting with a primer base coat of Tamiya Desert, Kaki Green and Dark Brown adding some Black, airbrushing three layers of base paint . Then using oil paint Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna creating depth, dark tones and building shades of skin. 

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    • 2000 AD - Judge Dredd & A.B.C. Warriors

    We're going to waarrrr!!!

    Cyber Models Kit from Thailand via eBay - A.B.C. Warrior Vinyl Model. Straight out of the mould, without any assembly instruction, lots to trimming, glueing, adding weight and electrics. This rough vinyl was a lot of fun to research, explore and create I think with a great end result. I read the comic in the late 80's mostly for the guest artwork, so when I saw the Stallone Movie, with Ian Dury playing Geiger - the Antique dealer with two ABC Warriors, one that Rico took to 'Waarrrrr!!!' with the Judges, Fantastic!  The kit arrived in a simple box, tied with string, bagged parts that I worked out where to glue and assemble, it's not a perfect mould probably a copy. I really enjoy the painting process once assembled, undercoated and metallic, I used a clear chipping medium paint technique that allows you to rub-off and chip the colour coat, giving the appearance of ageing. Some airbrushing darker shadows and dry brushing silver highlights, keeping the colour palette limited to rusting metals. I purchased a set of Vallejo - Rust, Stain & Streaking Acrylics to add rusting water effect layers. A black/brown wash from Citadel Agrax Earthshade in all the joints and cables building up the layers of rusting oil'y battle damage. Now I'm thinking of a Cursed Earth diorama base of rocks, desert, gritty and barren to hide the battery unit. The obvious follw up was the great Dredd himself [see View More] from the same range of kits, there's also a Mean Machine from the 'Angle Family' out the to find in the future.
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