A thin disk of felt on the underside of the masts of Sophie's Revenge, and other strategies to paint this beast

[Pancakeonions]

I am stunned at my recently arrived Sophie's Revenge, and so excited to get it to the painting table (I will have to significantly reconfigure my painting space to ensure I have enough room...  As well as buy LOTS of new brown paint, ha!)  It is a thing of beauty, even without a lick of paint on it.  

 

One of the first things I noticed was how the magnetized masts SNAP to the deck, hard.  That's what you want, so they'll stay firmly in place.  But when you remove 'em, they'll likely scratch the heck out of the painted deck.  So I plan to cut disks of black felt to glue to the underside/ magnet-side of the masts, so that when they stick, they're more gentle.  Thin felt should not affect how they stick, but it should make a big difference on the ship's wear and tear.

 

Are you planning on painting yours?  What strategies are you going to adopt to make it as beautiful as you can, while still keeping it sturdy as a plaything for your RPGs, wargames, or maybe even little kids (don't judge!  mine are gonna be all over this thing!) 

[Pancakeonions]

Also....  Are there any instructions on assembly?  It does look pretty clear, but I'm not 100% on where to glue, and where not to glue...

[ksbsnowowl]

Some sort of padding isn’t a bad idea. I’ll probably go with thin EVA foam, rather than felt, though. 
 

I do plan to paint both mine. That’s why I bought a Vex airbrush. Both Red-Brown and Ebony Flesh stynylrez primer should arrive later this week.  Primer and base coat all in one. 

[TGP]

13 hours ago, Pancakeonions said:

One of the first things I noticed was how the magnetized masts SNAP to the deck, hard.  That's what you want, so they'll stay firmly in place.  But when you remove 'em, they'll likely scratch the heck out of the painted deck.

The masts don't drop into some kind of socket?

A slight well in the deck?

[Pancakeonions]

No, the deck is perfectly flat (you can see a very faint irregularity in the deck where the magnet sits, but only if you know where to look -  otherwise it just looks like the wooden planking of the deck) so when you remove the masts, you have a flat, level playing surface for all the toy-soldierin' you're gonna be doing with this puppy!  There are small thingamajiggers that you glue in to the rear of each mast that provide a visual cue as to where the masts go if you take off the masts for some reason, but no socket per se

 

For you Reaper experts out there - this seems to be a mix of HIPS and the more rubbery bones material (it's gray, so perhaps their newer 'bones black' recipe?).  As pointed out above, an airbrush would be a great way to paint this, but ...  I don't have a great set up to accommodate one.  I will probably go with a rattlecan primer/ basecoat.  

 

What is the best spray on primer to go with Bones Black?  

Edited July 8, 2021 by Pancakeonions

[DocPiske]

For rattle can primers I have had the best results with Army Painter black primer. Some of the other colors can get tacky, but so far no trouble with the black.

 

Otherwise primer through an airbrush, or brush on primer.

[Ratmaster2000]

11 hours ago, DocPiske said:

For rattle can primers I have had the best results with Army Painter black primer. Some of the other colors can get tacky, but so far no trouble with the black.

 

Otherwise primer through an airbrush, or brush on primer.

Brush on...so, I guess we'll see you in about three months:)

[ksbsnowowl]

I brushed on primer for Goremaw, before I had an airbrush. Took like 8 hours, iirc. So many nooks & crannies... So glad I got a Vex.