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Today I have been polishing my bike in preparation for my second attempt at airbrushing. Using wet and dry paper followed by jeweler's rouge (powdered iron oxide) and an old rag. Not quite shiny enough yet, think I need to repeat? My theory is that an airbrush leaves a very thin layer of paint so its best to have a smooth surface - this was pretty granular before.

What colour do you all think I should try and paint it?

Really nice bike. Yep, smoother is better.

Royal blue with bone accents.

Red with yellow flames licking down the body


or black with neon blue or red highlights (i.e. Tron)

All excellent suggestions. Keep em coming. I'm continuing to polish, its getting blindingly shiny.

Jeweler's rouge is the perfect thing for smoothing models (If you don't mind getting really dirty). I can almost see my face in this now.

Shiny shiny.

I'm thinking mostly blue for the body colour.
Will it get racing-like markings?

Was looking at the bike again and it struck me head on how much it resembles the classic Sinclair C5, as such it should painted iPod white...

It also can't have escaped anyone's notice that it looks like Kaneda's bike from Akira

lol Ruglud.

Indeed weety. That's why I didn't say red. However, if there is ever a bike to look like, that's the one.

those servitors look awesome weety! the faces are worth a pack of cash for sure... i hope you get it too

the bike is a very cool thing...
funny fact, maus is working on a modern / scifi bike too... and he aims for that akira look too...

my vote is for red too... it always looks more business that way!

also... what is Jeweler's rouge ? and how do you get all your models so smooth these days?

Well I haven't been polishing them - this is a new development and soon they will be even smoother! Jewellers rouge is a dark red-black powder that's used for polishing silver - turns out it works on white metal too.

Actually Vik I'm keeping my prices quite low at the mo - although I will have to put them up at some point. Pricing is difficult!

Have you a link to the maus bike?

Thanks for all the suggestions - I better do some research on bike paintjobs.

Work on the techmarines begins. Its a challenge to prepare these beasts! Glad to get them ready for paint. I'm going to try for a dark terracotta for the armour and see where I go from there.

Those are just awesome looking figures... which is why I sent them to you for painting. The "master plan" is to build an army based on tech marines so your work will get featured big time.

Armour colour - 3 thin layers of P3 red ink followed by a wash of vallejo sepia with a little grey and flesh wash mixed in

Beautiful.

Wow man, I'm new to your work but damn, those servitors look fantastic and the Techmarine is just plain beautiful.

Hi Gitsplitta glad you like it! Do you fancy a little hazard striping?

Thanks for commenting Master Azalle! They're my first commission work so I had to make an extra effort!

I will keep taking photos as it develops.

Here you can see I've added a touch of sepia to bits that will be brass and the paper seals. Also more armour wash for areas that will be ferrous metal and some wet blending on the axe, which will probably be blue eventually.

Oh yes, please! Maybe on the machine arms? Something that would actually be a hazard in the industrial sense? He's looks spectacular weets. I'm going to have to re-think my MoTF. My current one is TOTALLY inadequate!

Maybe on the pincers... We'll see what happens.

So the next step is details, tricorder type doofer has a gauge and if created a nice colourful blend on the axe just using layers of vallejo wash.

Dang, Weets. You've got to stop getting better so the rest of us can catch up!

Those techmarines are looking great!

Are they primed black and then drybrushed with white primer?

Wow weets that Axe is superb!

Weety you master you! that is brilliant work mate! the axe is a great point of interest and using washes has worked like a charm, i'm really hoping to see these finished soonish :-)

Hey thanks everyone

JB - not quite - I prime white, ink with P3 armour wash quite thickly and then I drybrush white with my special brush. Its just a stout short haired old brush that just happens to be perfect.

Will be finished real soon nerdfest - I've gotta finish these before more turn up!! Probably tomorrow.

Weets, your totally excelling yourself these days. Some serious bar raising is going on. I'm not even going to begin to make any specific comments on the paint jobs because I can't add anything remotely worthwhile.

If you haven't had a go at that bike yet by the way, I noticed it was quite animal like in profile. I mainly see shark actually so I'd maybe considers blues, whites and greys? Could be fun to try out.

That's very tasty indeed. In the best possible way, it's great to see you excelling yourself in commission work

I think its the extra pressure of getting paid makes me try harder to impress!

Haven't done the bike yet no. Silvery blue grey maybe. I'll probably have to roll a dice to decide, so many possibilities.

Going to crack on with those techmarines now.

Loving the step by step techy, you make it sound easy! ,
....sure it isnt! hah.

Eye-watering pink it the only way to do with the bike, with far too many sponsor tags.

Did you ever try out or get the airbrush and compressor from Lidl? I'm after an airbrush set up myself and I'm not 100% what to go for.

Dont get the lidl one! Its ok but it's a bit unreliable (occasionally spits paint) and you don't have very much control. I think I will be able to do a smooth base colour and highlight with it - we will see cos that's how I'm planning to do the bike.

Thanks for the heads up! You get what you pay for perhaps? The search continues! Though I would like to see how the bike comes out sprayed.