1:6 Reiko Sugiyama, a whiffy Neon Genesis Evangelion character (Pics@P.2)

Dizzyfugu · March 19, 2014, 01:11:41 AM

Well, it's time for a distraction. After maybe a year hiatus I started work on a resin figure (again), in order to get my head free of routine thoughts, challenging myself with "something different" and add brighter colors to life.

The plan is to build another figure of a personal NGE fantasy character which I invented for a conversion some time ago, "Reiko Sugiyama", which was created through a modified, kneeling 1:8 Asuka-in-Plugsuit kit which I had in the stash with no real idea what to make from it:

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doijin] +++ 1:8 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

That one was a quick and dirty work (just modified, shortened hair, some changed details and the Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Pilot-inspired plugsuit design

) and I had since then the plan to build another Reiko, a standing one, though.

This is just happening - through recycling! "Reiko V2.0" will be based on this:

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Asuka at an early design stage by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I do not want to go into details, but this early suit design differs considerably from the later movie/OAV versions. On the other hand, this offers two benefits for my plan: it simply looks different from the official character designs (with little effort), and it is a kind of plain canvas for mods since it lacks fine details.

No pics of the kit I work on to post yet, I found this character sketch through web search and I assume that it is a scan from the NGE source book "Der Mond", AFAIK. Nevertheless, the scan shows the figure my conversion will be based upon: there's actually a 1:6 figure of this obscure, early design stage Asuka-in-plugsuit (there's a Rei, too) - and I was able to buy a used(!) kit of that character rendition some time ago.
The resin figure had already been built but was sold "in pieces", with most of the original paint already stripped to a high degree, with only minimal damage. Overall condition was good - not an 'A' grade condition, but enough to become a solid conversion basis. As another benefit it was cheap, despite postage from the USA to Germany.

More to come soon.

pyro-manic · March 19, 2014, 01:03:34 PM

Looking forward to it.

Dizzyfugu · March 20, 2014, 01:27:04 AM

First impressions, hope I find some audience?

Here's a look at the pieces of the kit how it came to me - with some paint residue, putty and super glue rests, as well as thin and pretty weak/soft aluminum wire at intersections. Lots of revamping, but the basis is sound and has potential for a second life, literally.

Here I already marked the line where the original Asuka-style long hair will be cut away in order to turn the figure into a Reiko.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Here, the thin aluminum wire between limbs and singel parts has already been replaced by thicker and more stable iron wire, which has an almost double size diameter and also received deeper fairings.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The figure's head consists of three pieces; the face and neck are one, and there's a front and back part for the hair.
On the front part only a hair string is missing, which will be replaced by a styrene strip and some putty. The rear half has been shortened considerably. Later, the hair pieces will be glued together like a helmet - it is possible to keep them separate from the face until final assembly, what makes painting very convenient.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Finished, rough hairdo with hair parts only loosely in place.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And, finally, a rough assembly of the parts (just to see how proportions and the new hair go together), without putty and glue. There will be some mods on the exterior now, as the original plugsuit is pretty bleak and I want to "move" the conversion a bit closer to the earlier 1:8 build. But she's looking good so far?

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

More to come, progress is good and quick.

PR19_Kit · March 20, 2014, 03:23:49 AM

Looks like the result of a rather gruesome post-mortem on accident victim!

Dizzyfugu · March 20, 2014, 04:21:59 AM

Yes, bare resin kits, esp. in this "stripped" condition, have a rather gruesome look... But it will become better and more eye-pleasant!

CSMO · March 20, 2014, 08:49:43 AM

Dude, you got talent. She is going to be a real cutie when she is finished. Adios, Larry.

Captain Canada · March 20, 2014, 09:15:57 AM

Neat stuff. I'm a bit confused tho...the first pic is one you've already done ? And the sketch is of the kit you want to do ? Or are you modifying the kit you already built ?

Dizzyfugu · March 20, 2014, 10:45:19 AM

No, sorry for the confusion! My fault, as I missed to upload (in the chronological order of events) a pic of the kit which I use as a conversion.

The orange figure is my design benchmark, an 1.8 scale, kneeling figure I did as a fantasy conversion some time ago. I now try to build/convert the same character (more or less...) in a different, standing pose from a different kit as basis. Both conversions are based on a figure of the same "real" character from the Evangelion series (Asuka Soryu Langley) - the 1:8 figure was based on a kit that depicts that character in the series as you might know it and how it was aired.

The new build is based on a 1:6 figure of that character, and this kit depicts an early design (see scanned sketch above) that differs considerably from the final/official look. And I use a 2nd hand kit that came in pieces: now there are pics from what I started from.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

It's confusing, esp. when you are not familiar with the anime background (esp. this series), the fan culture and the VAST array of kits that are out there...

It's a whif, believe me.

Dizzyfugu · March 21, 2014, 01:27:52 AM

More WiP! Here's the last status, but seen from behind:

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

During the new assembly (body will be completed except for the head and the left hand, in order to prime and paint it with rattle can acrylics) I fill the potential seams with putty galore.
The original Tamiya putty the previous owner/builder used is pretty brittle, leaving serious gaps - and it makes no difference whether I clean these areas or not, gaps will be left anyway. So I just got rid of loose material, added a stabilizing iron wire and put the parts together with lots of excess putty, hoping for clean connections.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The result for the left hip area. Fit is basically good, very even for such kind of a kit.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The "Hairdo helmet" has been put together in the same manner, too. Sanding revealed some small air bubbles, but these could also be easily filled with putty.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The original legs of the early plugsuit design are devoid of detail in the knee area. Since I want to paint white contrast fields there I decided to sculpt these from the resin material. This not only creates a good counter balance to the upper torso, it also offers a convenient edge for painting.
On the left side, you can see the intended outline, marked with a pencil, while on the right this has already been carved/sanded away - hard to tell due to the light and little contrast of the resin material, though.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The torso undergoes renovations, too. It will receive some extra/different seams (as engravings) and a zipper over the belly, as well as some styrene attachments. The plan is to get the old plugsuit design closer to the TV series designs, on which the 1:8 figure was based. Won't be 100% identical (I will, e. g., keep those gaiters at the ankles), but this is whifworld, after all.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Progress is good, more to come soon!

Scooterman · March 21, 2014, 07:34:40 PM

Love the work, Dizzy! I have several resin figs from my fav anime series BubbleGum Crisis and watching you is giving me courage to dig them out for a go!

Dizzyfugu · March 22, 2014, 04:47:21 AM

No, give them to ME...!

If these are resin originals, they might be worth their weight in platinum these days. I got some BGC figs, too - I started my anime figure career with the Sabre Riders, but these were poor vinyl bootlegs. Horrible, from many points of view, but I went through this hooros with all four of them, and they are still around. And I got a beautiful and authentic 1:12 B-Club resin Priss. Always tried to find a decent resin kit, at leats of Priss, in 1:8 or 1:6, but that seems impossible as the series is pretty old and was never revived.

In the meantime: work on the base/display. The base is made from a 4x4" piece of wood, its sides covered with plastic that can be attached through heating with an iron. It's a design I try to use generally on my figs, so that the "collection" has a neutral but uniform appearance.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Needs some black paint, but that's it - with iron wire attachments protruding for the resin figure.

Then we add some details to the collar, just some styrene strips:

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...and on the upper torso, too.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Another look at the completed figure, right before I add the first coat of (grey) primer in oder to check the surface quality - there will certainly be another round with putty and sanding, and this is the tedious part of building such kits.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · March 22, 2014, 10:29:30 AM

More progress! The speed might appear scary, but I know what I am doing and the pics lag behind reality, so the weekend allows more frequent updates.

Well, here we go...

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Finishing touches for the base: a coat of black acrlyic paint.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Ready for the first primer coat in grey - primarily as a control measure for the surface, as this will reveal dents, nicks and scratches that can hardly be told on the bare resin material. Actually, building such a figure has much in common with building car models!

Grey primer is still wet, but the uniform look changes the whole thing dramatically! An all white view will follow later, too.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Meanwhile...

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Settling on basic tones. As you can see, I am going to paint this figure primarily with rattle cans, as a measure of convenience and due to the fcat that I do not own (or use) an airbrush.
But for projects like this, with large, uniform areas and rather sleek lines, these will suffice.

Painting will be done in three tones or orange:

The darkest tone is RAL 2002 "Blutorange", which will be applied first and "from below", for shadow effects

The second, medium tone is the main color, and actually this is a BMW car color from the 70ies. You might remember this tone called "Phoenix 028" from 02 series or 1st generation BMW 3 series cars?

The light tone is finally RAL 2003 "Pastellorange", it will only sparsely be applied "from above" for highlights.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The grey primer dried up, and as you can see there are LOTS of flaws to take care of...
Yes, tedious task, but this step is necessary in order to achieve an even basis, esp. for an outfit like a tight plugsuit!
More putty and wet sanding... but we get there!

Eventually, everything is "repaired" and we are ready for the next coat of primer - this time in white, as this will (hopefully) become tha basis for the final coat of orange and white.
Again, the figure is loosely put together again in order to check fit and overall impression:

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · March 23, 2014, 07:55:50 AM

Right after white primer application - looking good!?

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Well, as one could have expected -desaster struck!

While the figure was drying with its final white primer coat, it fell from its holder, 4' deep, and hit the floor.

The left leg got lost, and the left boot had to be re-mounted - on the lucjky side, there was no basic damage, just a crash at weak spots. But this meant re-fitting the parts (usually, such damage also bend the wire connectors somehow, so these might have to be re-fitted, too) and, most of all, re-shaping the seams with new putty, which will make another coat of primer necessary.

Rats!

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After the fall damage had been mended (*whew*), another (thin) coat of white primer had to be applied.
Here's the result, ready for more intense colors. again, the figure is just loosely put together and will be disassembled again for masking and the final coat in three orange tones (see previous pics).

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · March 25, 2014, 01:05:39 AM

Progress, progress, progress... Masking session!

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

While this yellow trim certainly has a charm in its own right, it's just masking tape - sparing the white primer for the later, hand-painted contrast fields in a very light grey (simulating white, but the latter is just too bright and offers no room for paint effects).

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

First orange tone: RAL 2003, applied "from below" in order to set darker shades.

Here, already the second orange tone, "Phoenix 028" from BMW, has freshly been applied from the sides and upper surfaces.

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

While the plugsuit dries up I started painting the hair - it is basically a very dark brown, inspired by Asian hair.
For the basic tone I used "Rubber" from Modelmaster, mixed with some black. On top of that, streaks and highlights with pure "Rubber" have been painted into the wet basic tone, and then again the same with "Raw Sienna", a slightly lighter and less reddish brown tone. Differences are really subtle, but the finish looks fine.

The sensor clips will remain white.

Next the face and the final, light orange tone on the suit!

Neon Genesis Evangelion [Doujinshi] +++ 1:6 Reiko Sugiyama in plugsuit (kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · March 26, 2014, 02:12:51 AM

Now we come to the part that scares most people: painting a figure's face and eyes. I must admit that this is the way I personally do this job, with the tools I use (enamels and brush) and I am familiar with. it is certainly not the final answer, but I frequently get asked about this task, so I tried to create a step-by-step slide show:

Step #1/8:
After having painted the yellow collar as demarcarion for the face, the latter is painted with Modelmaster's "Skin Tone Light" - my personal favorite as skin tone.
Since this is 1:6 scale and relatively large, I do not add shading effects.

Step #2/8:
I tend to paint anime character eyes "from outside in". Other modelers do it the other way araound, I suppose it's personal preferrence. I "learned" it that way from a book for creating classic porcellain dolls, and I feel that I have best control this way.
So, my eye-work starts with dark brown upper and lower eyelids, and the brows.

Step #3/8:
After the eyelids have dried up well, I "lay out" the eye with gloss white, thinning out the eyelid lines.

Step #4/8:
Reiko Sugiyama receives bluish-grey eyes; on the former 1:8 scale figure I used rather dull, grey-ish tones (incl. FS 36320), this time I want more blue, as a better contrast to the bright suit and the dark hair.
The iris' are laid out as vertical ovals with Humbrol 230, PRU Blue, which has a rather turquise hue.
The oval's lower end should barely tough the lower eyelid, while the upper end should be slightly "cut" by the upper eyelid.
I also try to make her look slightly to the left, so perspective, shape and size control is a constant must. Any mistake one can avoid here saves from later, further correction mess and mistakes.
Anyway, this job does not go well with shaky hands and hesitation - you need to have a vision of what the "look" should be, and then work quick, dedicated and with authority. There's literally only one shot for a clean job!

Step #5/8:
Next I add the first set of contrast spots into the basic iris - a benchmark is helpful, but basically you should set another, narrow vertical oval into one side of the pupil, and a smaller spot of the same color into the upper corner on the other side.
I used one of the new pastel tone enamels from Humbrol here, 44, which can best be described as a cold baby blue - and it fits here well as it is a very pale tone.
Work needs not be exact, as there is more to come which covers some parts of this working step.

Step #6/8:
Now it's time for a black pupil, I like to use gloss black here - not for the finish but rather for the enamel's consistency, much like for the white.
Again, both eyes should look at the same spot and both pupils should be of the same shape and size.
Naturally, one tends to paint then rather small, esp. on anime characters, and it is again a kind of trial-and-improve-but-avoid-an error process.
I actually kept the pupil relatively small for one of the NGE characters - it helps with a rather open expression in this case, as the figure has a slight smie on its lips.
The latter were painted in this step, too, just with a bit of thinned Brick Red (Humbrol 70). It is not to emphasize the lips, rather to add some contrasts to the mouth - less is IMHO more.

Step #7/8
Now it's time for additional light reflexes. It's normally done with plain white dots on the iris'. One pair can suffice, but in this case I applied two pairs: one larger spot in the upper left corner, and a rather tiny spot under the pupil.
While the expression was already O.K., there's now a true spark that goes well with the figure's smiling expression. She'll be in a good mood, I guess!

Step 8/8:
Finishing touches; I made some corrections around the eyes, esp.the eyebrows. In the outer corner of the eyes some "feathered" dark brown straks have been added, for a more feminine look, and tiny eyelashes were painted into the inner corner of the eyes, with single, very thin paint streaks.
At the same time, some details and shading on the collar have been done, too.
Just the final coat of matt varnish is missing - all over, as all light effects have already been painted, and IMHO and glossy surface finish does not look well on figures of 1:6 and less.
And that's more or less the final face - looking forward to see Reiko with the (still separate) hair and eventually completed with the bright orange and white plugsuit!