Phantom of the Opera by MisterMeester - Atlantis - 1/8

[MisterMeester]

Well, with reluctance, I’ve decided to post a build log on this basic kit. For me, the operative word being basic. I purchased this model on impulse two years ago on an opportunistic basis for one reason. Nostalgia. I had it, and a few of the other Aurora Monster Models, 50+ years ago. But since purchasing it, and recently building my Academy 1/400 RMS Titanic, it has taken on a new purpose. That being to help learn entry level scale modeling skills, which will, no doubt, be necessary to improve on for my Trumpeter 1/200 RMS Titanic build.

I looked at starting a build log for this kit on another community board, but that board was somewhat frustrating in that the engine that drove it seemed slow and clunky, annoying pop-up ads, 3^rd party photo hosting, and it was unclear on exactly what a build thread on that site is.

For me, posting a build log is not showing off. I’m fully aware, in the short time I’ve been here, that the talent on this board is immense. How could I possibly be showing off to that talent with such a basic kit? Contrary, this log is about receiving feedback on how I could, and can, do things better. Critique and suggestions are welcome.

My wife and I watched the original Lon Chaney silent film a few nights ago, for reference and inspiration. Loved it. I’d seen “The Phantom of the Opera” many many years ago, but that must have been the Claude Rains version, as I know for sure it was not the Chaney film. First time I’ve watched that one.

A couple of inaccuracies to point out: The Phantom (Erik) did not have long silver hair, as depicted in the box art. And, if there was any “prisoner”, it was not a guy behind bars. It was Christine, an opera understudy whom the Phantom was obsessed with.

And so it begins…..

 

 

 

This is as far as I've gotten. I have a bar clamp on order for the right leg.

In my, thus far, short scale modeling career, I've become somewhat disappointed in THE hobby store in my locale. It's lacking a fair bit and I've had to resort to ordering online for quite a few items. I don't want to use rubber bands as I don't trust that I will be able to prevent those from coming into contact with the liquid cement.

I think I did a pretty good job on sanding the left leg inseam, but.....

....sloppy work on the outer seam of the left leg. Particularly up near the belt line where those trouser folds are. The other pieces are on hold, for now. Awaiting the bar clamp, as mentioned, and also needle sand sticks for the arms on order too. My hobby shop didn't have those either. Me thinks the sleeve folds in the arms are going to make for some tricky sanding. 

 

Thanks for looking. Suggestions are welcome.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[ccoyle]

Can't remember if I ever built any of the monster models, but I knocked out my share of dinosaurs. I think most of us of a certain age have probably built a few novelty kits.

[MisterMeester]

Guaranteed when I built this model 50+ years ago I did not fill gaps, and sand mold lines and join seams. I would have thrown it together, painted it and that's it. 100% certain, as well, that I used the novelty glow-in-the-dark parts. Not this time. I think I'm beyond that. Going with the conventional head, etc.

Who knew a model such as this would have complications?

As I am still very early in my scale modeling resurgence, I do not have an extensive repertoire of models worked on to compare this one to, but it would appear that, as models go, it's relatively cheap. And with that, comes lots of fit issues, gaps to fill, and mold lines and join seams to sand.

 

A few pics of some work done so far....

Tamiya White Putty used here.

 

Mr. Surfacer 1000 used here after sanding down the white.

 

Done.

 

Three big gaps were here, right shoe meeting with the right leg. My close up pic has revealed I'm not quite done sanding this down.

 

The right hand comes in two parts. The left hand is all one.

As with the torso, Tamiya White and Mr. Surfacer 1000.

 

The Phantom's teeth were less than perfect. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of them before I began chiseling bigger gaps between them. This pic is more or less mid-way through my work.

Not a good pic. Out of focus and hard to get a sense of how they started out.

 

Teeth done. I did just the top row. Looking forward to how they'll look when painted.

 

This was inevitable. Sanding the join seam of the head also removed some hair striations.

 

Hair striations chiseled back in. I hope I sanded the seam enough and primer/paint will hide it.

 

My next dilemma is this.....

The Phantom's cape covers most of the join seams on the shoulders, but not all. Some of the lapel is exposed toward the collar. The challenge here is, the lapel has an orange peel texture. Sanding the join seams will inevitably smooth a portion of that. Researching what I can do to restore that, I've learned that Mr. Surfacer 500 is a potential solution. Just brush it on and then dab it with the bristles of a brush (or, I'm thinking perhaps foam would work well). I figure if the resultant texture doesn't match, then I would mask the lapel off and do the whole lapel. 

I'll be checking my local hobby store for Mr. Surfacer 500 tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath that they'll have it. I expect to have to order it online. Note to self: Do a test of this on a piece of styrene first. In the meantime, I guess I'll get back to sanding.

 

Thanks for looking. Suggestions are welcome.

 

Cheers,

Mark  

Edited March 19 by MisterMeester
Typos

[Old Collingwood]

I too   remember these  kits   from way back  -  I built  (threw together)   as a  kid  Dracular   and   The Mummy.

 

OC.

[MisterMeester]

As expected, my local hobby store did not have Mr. Surfacer 500 in stock. Order placed with my go-to online supplier. It will arrive next week. In the meantime, I've masked the lapel off expecting that the procedure will not match the existing texture and will probably have to do the whole lapel.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[MisterMeester]

After several (about seven or eight) attempts to replicate the orange peel texture, I finally have a result that I'm satisfied with. Not necessarily orange peel, but more like kiwi fruit peel. But it's generally uniform and I'll take it.

 

The product and tools used.

The first seven attempts were made using a black foam paint brush. The final two attempts were made with a white "Cosmetics Wedge". I also discovered, through trial and error, that it was beneficial to dab the foam, once wet with the product, on sheet styrene first, to get it worked into the foam, rather than a wet blob.

 

A couple of examples of failed attempts...

First pic, what a mess. Sanded all this off and tried again.

 

This attempt wasn't as bad, but just not uniform. Orange peel on the left lapel, kiwi fruit peel on the right lapel. The trick is knowing when to stop dabbing as the product dries. Sanded all this off and tried again.

 

The final result. Not perfection, but I'm okay with it.

 

This closeup shows a tad inequality, but as the previous photo shows, it is not as noticeable from further back.

 

Next step will be to learn how to airbrush and then primer all parts. Not sure when that will happen as golf season is in full swing (haha) and my Titanic project takes up most of the rest of my spare time.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Cheers,

Mark 

 

Edited June 9 by MisterMeester

[CDW]

Wow, I love the way you are getting the most out of this old kit. Can't wait to see the finished product!