Mimic in Treasure Chest Form: Figure 35 of 265

This week I painted the Mimic figure that is disguised as a treasure chest. I began by soaking the figure in some dish soap to remove the mold release agent, and then rinsed it well.  Next, I trimmed a little off the bottom back of its monopod foot, as the figure leaned too far forward in my opinion, and I wanted it to stand more upright. Next, I tried to trim the flash from the figure's teeth as best I could.  I then glued it to a black primed 1 inch fender washer, and mounted it on half a tongue depressor, for ease of painting, with a drop of white glue.
  Remember, you can click any photo to see it larger.

 I began by giving the chest a coat of very thinned Americana "Asphaltum" paint, so it would act more as a stain than an opaque coating.  When dry, I painted the parts of the figure that were beginning to reveal themselves as the monster with Aleene's "Deep Khaki" paint.

Next I painted the gums and tongue with GW "Tanned Flesh", then the teeth with Americana "Buttermilk, and finally the bottom of the chest's interior with Ceramcoat "14k Gold".  I then painted the hinges and handles with Ceramcoat "Bronze", and lastly the claws with GW "Fortress Gray".

After everything had dried, I gave the whole figure a wash with GW "Devlan Mud" wash. When this dried I went back and added highlights to the teeth with, first, the "Buttermilk" again, and then plain white with a bit of the "Buttermilk" mixed in.  The tongue and gums I highlighted with just the "Tanned Flesh"  The monster bits I highlighted with Aleene's "Dusty Khaki". And, the claws were highlighted with Americana "Dove Grey".  The metals I highlighted with just their base colors. Finally, I add two eyes with GW "Blood Red", giving each a little white highlight.

Lastly, I painted the washer with Americana "Mississippi Mud", which is a nice neutral grayish-tan; so it wouldn't look too out of place in a dungeon, tavern, or outdoors (breaking the 'habitat' rules, I know, but why limit my imagination :) ).

When all was thoroughly dry, I gave everything a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish" and left it to dry overnight.  I then sprayed it with Testor's "Dullcoat". 

I included this shot as it gives a nice view of the claws emerging from the chest's handle, which I think is a nice little touch on this neat sculpt.

I'm very pleased with this figure. My only complaint is the mold line running across the top teeth, making it very problematic to trim flash from them, and you can still see hints of it on the finished product. But overall, a very satisfactory monster, and easy to paint.

Figure 35 of 265: Complete