The Seeker:  Hunchback of Notre Dame

While Lon Chaney Sr. was better known for both his horror roles and his intense makeup, Charles Laughton's portrayal of Quasimodo is a powerful performance accentuated by his incredible appearance.  Laughton, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of King Henry VIII, starred opposite the enchanting Maureen O'Hara.  The film is still considered the best adaptation of the novel by most critics and Geometric's classic kit captures the hunchback's desperate search for Esmerelda through the streets of Paris.

The kit comes in 7 resin pieces and the one I had on hand did not include the chain, so I picked up a small copper chain at the craft store for about $3.  The head and hands are separate, the body and legs are cast as two pieces and there is a nice cobblestone base.

As with any kit, the first step was to trim away the excess resin and clean the kit with soap and water.  Once it was dry, I applied a coat of FW Inks Cool Gray as a primer to most of the kit . . . though the hand and lantern needed a little work first.

First, I had to drill a hole in the hand to accommodate the chain I was using.  It needs to be tight, which means threading the chain has to be done with a guide wire as demonstrated to the right. 

Also, the tip of the candle was not very clear, so I took a toothpick and crafted a small wick and flame.  The candle and base of the lantern must be painted before assembly . . . or you will go crazy.

The two parts of the body were put together with a post and epoxy, and while they fit reasonably well, there was one small section that needed some putty. Using Aves 2 part putty, I sculpted in the missing detail using a various implements. It is not too hard to do if you are patient, but I would offer the following general advice.

First, once you have mixed the putty, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before applying it . . . it will be much more manageable. Second, have a little clean water handy to keep the putty soft and smooth it out as you go.

Next, I set to work on the hands and head. After drilling small holes for nails, I primed the parts with Cool Gray and then used Badger Rose Flesh as a base. On the raised areas, I sprayed in a little Lifetone Pale Flesh and in the recesses I darkened the color with a very, very thin coat of Createx Transparent Light Brown. I mean, there was hardly any paint in the cup or pressure on the trigger. The effect is nice, but you have to be calm and patient.

As that was drying, I turned my attention to the body and base coats of paint.

My client specifically requested that I stay in the color range of the display image from Geometric, so I worked with colors I thought gave a sense of life without being too over the top.

For the tunic, I used FW Inks Marine Blue and used FW's Burnt Umber for the boots and the bracer on the left arm. The belt is merely a knotted rope, so I coated that with a brush application of Americana Honey Brown (a craft paint).

The pants were done with an old favorite, Badger's Forrest Green. I tried Gangrene at first, but it did not look quite right. Finally, I hand painted the shirt with Liquitex's Raw Sienna after several experiments with colors that just did not cut it in the end.

Next, I turned to the cobblestone base. This was really the product of a few cycles of painting, starting with a Cool Gray primer and then a mix of paints and techniques. Randomly applying FW Ink's Burnt Umber, Createx's Transparent Light Brown and Lifetone's Chestnut, I drybrushed Dolphin Gray craft paint on the surface to give it a worn look. At that point, I sealed it and returned to the details of the head.

At this point, we are starting to work on the details. The first thing to do is apply a coat of dry brushed colors on the main kit to bring out the highlights. I used Apple Barrel Leaf Green for the pants, FW Turquoise and Freak Flex Asphyxia Blue for the tunic, and a little Apple Barrel Brown Oxide on the shoes. The rope drybrushed with Apple Barrel Fawn (great color) and the stitching on the tunic and the leather ties got a coat of Fawn followed by applications of Transparent Light Brown until I was satisfied with the look.

When this was done, I applied a thin coat of Chestnut to the shoes and Lifetone Transparent Amber Oxide to the rope and shirt. Then a careful coat of Detailer Brown Acrylic Wash was used on the rope to give it a natural look.

The head was completed with a series of detail applications. First, the teeth were painted Americana Buttermilk by hand and then a little black was carefully applied between the teeth. The inner mouth got a wash dark fleshy oil wash after the paint was sealed and the eyes were base coated white.

When that was dry, I put in two concentric circles to form the iris. The pupil is dotted in with a fine liner brush after this and then the inner circle is coated with transparent brown (see pictures below). The eyes, especially the right one, are really small, so you have to be careful and patient.

Finally, the hair is done with a coat of FW Burnt Umber followed by a dry brush of Fawn, and then a little transparent Amber Oxide to give it a dusty blond look.

The last thing to do was paint the lantern FW Ink's Sepia and drybrush Tarnished Bronze over the external areas. The candle was painted white, followed by a coat of glow in the dark paint, and the flame was white topped with Tamiya transparent gloss Clear Yellow.

That is just about it. The other parts fit so well there was no need for putty or repainting . . . very cool indeed.

The base is detailed with Forest Green with Leaf Green highlights where weeds are molded on to the base. I also added some dead grass (from Woodland Scenics) and additional dried plant material to depict the true nature of such a street.

You may also notice the roses lying at the hunchback's feet. These are dried flowers from a craft store called Heather Deliciosa. They look just like the real thing! Just FYI, I did not glue them down. After many years I have learned that if you want to screw up a kit, put one last drop of glue on as a finishing touch . . .