Ah-oooo!
Werewolves of London:Perhaps the most underrated monster and film in the Universal canon, The Werewolf of London, is a spry 70 years old. To commemorate, we tackle a bust that is a must--Geometric Designs Werewolf of London bust.
This film, which is often forgotten as part of the Universal monster pantheon of the 1930s, is really one of the better films. It had the misfortune of coming out the same year as Universal's first and highly anticipated sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein. However, it is arguably a better film with a very original story, good performances and a well-attired, sophisticated urban squire with a stylish underbite.
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Okay, let's get to the kit. One of the nice things about these Geometric busts is that is a project you can manage in a weekend . . . or maybe just a few hours if you have a day to yourself.
We start, as always by washing the kit with dish soap, drying it and putting a coat of sandable auto primer on it to seal the kit and provide a uniform surface for the paint to stick to. Note that the bust is screwed to a board. This allows me to turn it without ever touching wet paint.
There was no need to putty this perfect kit, so we can go right to the painting.
Above, you can see the first coats of paint. You could hand paint with great results if you use thin applications, but these are sprayed on with an Iwata HP-B airbrush at about 18 psi from an air compressor. We are using acrylic (water-soluble) paints, by the way. The hair is painted a flat black and the skin is laid out in Badger's Rose Flesh. The shirt is a nice Forest Green. Naturally, you could use other colors and paints, but I provide the colors by name and brands to help you if you see something you like.
Next, you'll see it is time to add some color. I applied Freak Flex (a.k.a. Badger) Mossy Moor Brown to the coat; it is really a brownish green. The trim is done with a small brush with Polyscale's Pullman Green and the scarf is one of my favorite colors, Freak Flex Bad Bruise Purple. It is a nice maroon and I chose it to celebrate the Redskin's miraculous victory last Monday night over the Cowboys. Yeah, that's right . . . remember, I grew up around DC.
Anyway, putting in a certain color or similar detail can help you remember the time you built the kit. It instantly personalizes the piece and years later it will continue to trigger lots of memories.
The next stage begins to add more detail and depth to the kit. As you can see the fringe of the scarf is now painted a golden yellow (wonder why) called Soo Line Yellow from Badger. The hair has been dry-brushed with Model Master Deck Umber 1/2 (Don't ask. I have no idea what the 1/2 means.) It is kind of an all purpose medium brown.
Dry brushing, for those who are new to the column, is the process of attaining a layered look. Begin by applying a small amount of paint to the tip of a broad paint brush. Use a clean rag to pull off most of the paint until the bristles are just barely stained. Then gently pull the brush over the raised surface details. Dry brush with lighter colors than the base to imitate light bouncing off the surface.
Above, in addition to the hair, you can see I ran the dry-brush over the face. I wanted to see how it would darken the skin, but in the end this was too ugly even for a werewolf and I went back with the airbrush and touched up the flesh tones as you can see to the left.
Also, I sprayed in black and transparent light brown from Createx to reestablish the hair lines.
At this point, it is important to "seal" the kit to protect the work you have done before adding new layers. I use Testor's Dulcote which comes in little cans and will protect the paint job and dull the finish to make it look natural. Once that is dry, I start working on more depth and details.
The photo to the left shows three important things.
First, the flesh is more dynamic. I have used the airbrush to "mist" on a coat of Createx Transparent Light Brown around the eyes, jaws, lips and hairlines and in the ears. This is very light and allows some of the color below to come through in a nice blended look. I follow it up with Createx Transparent Flesh (a very light pink) on the high parts of the face.
Second, I have taken a lighter brown, Model Master #4 Light Brown 1/2, and dry-brushed another layer of paint on the hair at the tops and sides. This adds more depth.
The back and sides of the kit are painted black and the teeth are given a coat of Model Master Light Brown--just like the hair. Actually, the Werewolf of London is unlikely to have stained teeth; this is an undercoat that looks good in the end.
The eyes are given a coat of white paint to serve as a back drop for what is to come. We are really wrapping it up here, but it is important not to rush.
To get those eyes, I use a few small brushes (like 00 and 0/3 size). With a tiny amount of paint, I first put a circle of Bad Bruise Purple on the eyeball. When it dries I apply an interior oval of Soo Line Yellow. Using the same colors as found on the scarf of the kit unifies the model visually.
To get the next layer of the eyes, I take Tamiya Clear (#X-22) and mix in a small drop of Model Master Light Brown at about 1:5 ratio of paint to clearcoat. This goes on the eyeball to give it a little depth.
The eyes are finished off by applying a thinned Tamiya Clear Red (#X-27) to the whites of the eyes to make them look bloodshot. When it dries, I take a tiny dot of black for the pupil and then seal the whole thing with a drop of Future Floor Wax.
You read correctly. Future Floor Wax. It works great for glossing eyes, mouth parts teeth and nails.
Then I just used the supplied mounting rod and put it in a wooden coaster for a stand. The nameplate is a simple red on black paint job and in a few minutes, he's ready to prowl my shelves.
Well, there we are. Another prize just in time for Halloween.
CreatureScape is currently retailing Geo kits so I am prepared to make you a big hairy deal . . .
Normally the kit runs for $54.99 plus $6 S & H. If you buy it through this site, however, you can get it direct from Geometric Designs for just $49.99 plus S &H in the USA.
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