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Please help me make this thing into a nice mini. The blade and base are obviously unfinished and I'd like suggestions there - but also on the rest of the mini, for some reason it's just 'not right' at this point and I'm unsure what to do next. Thanks!

Mmm, as someone commented about some mini's i did a while back:

"it just doesn't POP"

The base - volcanic rock and lava - also - maybe suspend Dante a little - like he's coming down to land.

The paint job looks really good, but lacks that POPiness.

If you went the volcanic / lava route you could do some light effect underneath (he said casually)

on the axe - i got nada!

1) the red looks abit pink

2) the red tint in the jump pack vent looks out of place

3) his head looks like a santa hat with green laurel , perhaps different color tubes or keep the round thing behind his head gold

4) The shades on the metal + the wings are nice , but it seems distracting since the gold have similar shade as well.
it makes the whole mini look tinted.

Hah awesome guys ...just what I was looking for!

Here is the plan so far then:

1) brown glaze all of the reds and work them back up to a blood red

2) jumppack vent is easy - I'll just add orange - to - black

3) wow santa hat haha - I wouldn't have noticed. I'm still not sure what color to put there in place of the red though, I guess gold might work.

4) totally hear you on the tinting look... any suggestions?

- as for the suspending Dante, I'll probably just leave him glued as such because he is already pretty tall (and vulnerable to shooting). But Volcanic Rock and Lava would definitely work.

I think part of the problem at the moment is that there are too many different colours going on.

I would recommend getting rid of as much of the silver as possible. Possibly repaint the armour joints black, shoulder pad rims gold or red, jump pack intakes black, halo and 'hair' gold, pistol muzzle gold and cabling green or black...

The axe blade looks like it's on the right track... it's not quite there, but have no experience with painting NMM, so I'm not the one to give suggestions there.

The base... I must admit, the 'big slab'o'rock' base is a pet hate of mine. It's just this big lump attached to the bottom of the mini, no matter what you do with it.

If you're putting this level of work into the miniature itself, it seems an awful waste to just glue him to a big rock and call the job a good'un. I'd be ripping it off and giving him something a little more flashy. YMMV, obviously.

It's a lovely job so far, though. The gold and bone are very nice indeed.

I don't get that yellow and gold combo. It some how look odd.

I like it except for the red on the gun. Bright red details like that are so early 90's.

I agree that the vents and tubes should have different colors, as it currently looks like the model was painted with a very small selection of paints.

Technique wise it is excellent.

Personally I like the models colors, the only thing that's needed is to golden up his armor, it looks to pale and yellow to me.


//Edge

overall, i think you did a very good job. as mentioned above, i think you need to do some more work on the jetpack vents. the rest of the model is nicely shaded but the vents do have any depth. i'd add at a minimum some devlan mud or preferably a black wash to them.

About the base and pose, I'd cut the rock (I hope it's not an actual rock) on an angle of 45º or more degrees (but less than 90º) and would pin Dante's foot there, that'd may give3 the impression that he is fallin upon his enemies, makikng it way more dinamic.

I think the current red is the deal breaker for me.. Needs to be red like someone said.

Also make the gold shinier?

I never seen someone ask for harsh crit before.. Ill have to do that one day.

As said before, "Pop!" Or lack thereof. Someone even mention the red not being red enough. I think this is the key as the model lacks contrast. My suggestion: Bring out your reds then consult a color wheel and pick one item to contrast yet compliment even more, like his belt buckle or inside the halo. Perhaps a cerulean blue or a dark turquoise?

Other than that, you can paint. Nice clean style!

Like everybody before me already told you more gold and make the red more blood red and it will look perfect.

over and out avach

Wow thanks guys! ...so it looks like the golds and reds are what most of you find problematic. The gold is going to be real difficult to alter - it's mostly just pure Polished Gold but I've got a couple of ideas to try. The red shouldn't be too difficult to bring to task though.

I knew that base (it's tree bark) was a fail, but I was desperate to get this guy started... I can probably chop it though and add some bits and sand.

Btw - I am definitely NOT going for NMM on the blade... I had started to before I decided to paint the entire mini in metallics - and obviously haven't touched it since. Still need ideas there... probably some sort of 'glowing' blue?

Thanks!!

intakes on the jetpack and the hair need to be darker i think.

I'd suggest adding a Third spot of green somewhere; Colors should appear in threes, inorder to keep the eye moving around the mini. The Power-axe is an obvious choice for doing in a green to provide a focal point.

I think the value of the silver (in tone / hue) is too close to the value of the gold. I'd look into either aging the gold, or ageing the silver/steel.


If you darken the vents, I'd darken the Gun and the Shaft of the axe to be a similar tone.

I'd suggest making the Iron-Halo contrast more (step out from the vents / backpack) by either changing it to gold (bringing it forward) , or darkening the backpack (pushing those back).

Gunzhard wrote:Wow thanks guys! ...so it looks like the golds and reds are what most of you find problematic. The gold is going to be real difficult to alter - it's mostly just pure Polished Gold but I've got a couple of ideas to try. The red shouldn't be too difficult to bring to task though.

I knew that base (it's tree bark) was a fail, but I was desperate to get this guy started... I can probably chop it though and add some bits and sand.

Btw - I am definitely NOT going for NMM on the blade... I had started to before I decided to paint the entire mini in metallics - and obviously haven't touched it since. Still need ideas there... probably some sort of 'glowing' blue?

Thanks!!

Honestly, I would start with the red only and see how much a darker red will contrast versus the gold before even F-ing with the gold. Also, on reconsideration. His red internal halo draws attention away from his face (to me), maybe just make it black might draw the face out some. You already have green on his wreath and grenade so you already have a three color contrast. Maybe highlight the green (only slightly) with the deeper red will do the trick?

If and when you F with the gold, maybe try a drop of orange (or copper) into gold and water it down for a wash may bring it out a bit (since they use copper to do it to gold in real life). Just some thoughts.

I agree with Insaniak in regards to the silver. The metallics wash each other out. If you don't want to paint the joints black, at least give it a heavy wash. Darkening around the gold will make the gold seem brighter. Maybe some heavy shadows (wash would be easiest) in the cracks to break up the large area of gold. I don't think the gold isn't bold enough, I just think it doesn't have anything to offset it.

Gotta agree with most everyone about the read. Maybe a black wash then highlighted with scab red and then extreme highlight with red gore?