Thought I post my latest work. So I guess this is my first New Year resolution: finishing my scratchbuild Spartans in 1/32. I’m used to making dio’s(WW2 and Modern day)so I try to avoid single period miniatures (mayb not just yet). End of last year, I experimented casting my Spartan warrior sculpt and made this vignete. I made some minor conversions on the shield and hand positions based on the original sculpt. The base is also scratchbuild.
This is my first work from my conversion from acrylics to oils so let me know what’s looking odd.
Here’s the original sculpt:
The resin cast from original sculpts
These are earlier photo’s shot at low resolution but I kinda like the lighting.
Here’s a better resolution pics with more weathering on the cloak and armour.
Nice job. Great highlights on the reds. Very true to the spirit of the movie. I would have gone with a darker fleshtone. Ethnically, they would have had an olive sin tone and this would have been well tanned since they spent a lot of time outside with minimal covering. But that said, you did a good job with the shade you chose as a base.
Well done. Makes me want to go watch the movie 300 again! I do not know if it is the lighting and the translation to digital media but are the cloaks that bright in real life or more of a crimson? No matter, well done.
Awesome work, dude…I agree that maybe some variations among the men’s fleshtones would have made the layout even a more interesting, but your work is impeccable…is this your entire vignette or are you planning on doing a series of different scenes from the movie?
If I were you I would maybe also modify some of the figs to get more different poses, etc…I know that the three came from the same casting, but you could always bend joints slightly, etc. so they don’t all look too much alike…
Yup, I would try painting another set of this guys in a different skintone like you suggested. Since I was trying oils for the first time, I’m still figuring out the drying time and blending techniques. Thought I read on one of the post that oils would turn a shade darker when it fully dries. Is that true? I have to wait I guess.
Thanks Steve. I 've seen a couple of variations of the cloak colours. Based on historical records, the Spartans wore red cloak to symbolise the colour of blood. I wanted to use citadel blood angels red(too bright), than switched to cadmium red oils(too dark) than changed my mind and switched to it scarlet lake. I forgot to mention too that it was very tricky when using red oils cause hightlighting it might turn everything to pink. I learned that the hard way. I’ll try crimson next time.
@Manstein’s revenge
Variations in skintones just did not cross my mind man. You definitely gave some ideas. I’m abit conservative with my first task with oils cause it can be daunting painting a few figures at a time.
My plan is to try recreate another scene with differing variations with more conversions and additions. I did try making a few different poses with another figure but it just did not fit this early idea I had. I might just convert the figure to become a babarian since it looks like like one without the cloak. But I definitely make a few more scenarios from the movie this year.
BAD A$$!!! WOW!!! you should do another one of gerard butler in the first battle when he tosses the guy with his sheild. good job!!! keep those other 297 coming!!
Thanks man, now I’m planning to create a diorama with some Spartan action. 297 more with help from CGI perhaps(even the movie cheated[(-D]). Definitely some more “Hot Gates” action.
I would definiitely luv to recreate some more of the battle scenes from the movie. My brother also suggested the fight scene with the immortals. 297 Spartans against 10000 immortals, hey that’s more than a handful. The shield tossing scene is one of the memorable moments of the show. That’s another scene I like to make. Hope to share more stuff soon. Thanks.
Another thought on the red. If you use a transparent pigment like a red lake in oil you can exploit the medium and pigment characteristics. Try painting a base coat the colour you want most to show in the highlights (white, yellow, whatever) and then paint thin layers of red lake. More layers in the shadows, fewer on the highlights. Just a thought.
There’s not much changes to the figures but I added some foliage and an immortal mask to add more interest to the vignete. Finished it just in time for submission for SFOTM at Historica Forma.
Just saw this post today. All I can say is woooow. I bet you could sell that to someone on ebay for major $$$$. Now did I get it correct that you sculpted the whole thing (esp. the figs)?
Thanks for the compliment. Yes, the whole vignete was scratchbuild(from the base to the figures and mask etc.) I kinda like to build stuff I can’t find on the market.
Really a superior piece of work! Tremendous skill and execution; a real work of art!
Yu should contact a mold maker or a company and try to get it manufactured for the market after contacting the studios who produced the movie! You could make some BIG BUCKS!
