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Geometric
Designs accepts Paypal at
phoenix2@uplink.net
or you can order by credit card
by calling
570-457-2691.
Shipping is an additional
charge based on weight and calculated at the time of purchase.
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Catching a Buzz: The
Fly
"Help me! Help Me!"
We feel your pain, but we can't guarantee finding a little fly with a
human head. A big fly-headed human? That's another story! We
present our build up of Geometric Designs' classic bust!
It may seem strange at
first to say this, but the 1950s were not a good time for mad
scientists in the movies. If you think about it, the tragically nutty
professor had his heyday in the 30s and 40s, but in the 1950s, the
scientists were busy saving the world from radioactive mega-fauna,
invaders from other planets and even vampires. The exception to the
rule, however, is Andre Delambre, the tragic hero of the best
sci-fi/horror hybrid of the decade . . . 1958's The Fly.
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Sadly, there are few
model kits of this great subject, but Geometric Design makes two. Our
subject for this article is their fantastic 1/4 scale bust. A few
basic techniques, a little creativity and about 24 hours is all it
took to render this bug-eyed beauty you see above.
The kit comes in 11
parts and you will notice that some of them--the tie, proboscis,
antennae and mounting rod are made from metal. This is not a problem
for paint or super glue and these parts, while flexible, are sturdy.
Also, the kit comes
with a name plate and circular disc, which is actually pretty nice,
though I have modified the base for a more, shall we say, vaguely
mad-science theme.
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As always, we start by
prepping the kit. It needs a good bath and light scrub in an oil
cutting liquid soap to remove any residues that will cause paint to
peel. The kit needs a little trimming work. The mold line which runs
across the head is easy to disguise by simply using a hobby knife to
re-establish the ridges in the as seen to the right. Test fitting the
eyes indicated they required a little shaving around the edges. Other
parts of the resin were best trimmed with a hand file and a moto-tool.
The metal parts needed a little trimming too, which I like to do with
Xuron Rail Nips. I found no spot on the the kit that needed any
significant putty work after the trim process.
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Geo is currently
working on a custom bust, but I built this a while back so I decided
to make a base myself out of that thing to the right.
So, what IS that thing
to the right? I have no idea.
All I can tell you is I
think it came out of an old television or maybe a computer monitor,
but it is just such a strange looking piece of technological looking
junk that I ripped it out of its original habitat and saved it for
some future project. I would guess three years passed before I found
a use, but eventually its destiny became apparent.
Like the kit itself,
this piece of "equipment" was first painted with a good solid coating
of primer. I just use the gray stuff from an auto parts store. After
it dries, I tried painting a few industrial colors on it, but in a
moment of inspiration I decided to coat it once with a maroon red auto
spray color. It is not quite see through, but the end result is a
sense of layers of color. After that, I just drilled a hole in the
top for the rod.
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Okay, now on to
painting. I have used a couple of techniques here that are uncommon
but simple. The first thing I do is glue the antennae on the kit and
mount it to a small board with a 3 inch dry wall screw. This allows
you to move it around without touching it.
After priming the kit
with gray sandable auto primer, I airbrushed a light gray on for the
shirt, a muddy yellow for the coat and a very high toned pearlized
electric blue for the head, face parts, antennae and the tie. I used
to have one that exact same color back in the 1980s, so how could I
resist? It gives him a forward thinking (dare I say, "New Wave"?)
look.
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The eyes are done with
a special paint used on automobiles to give cars a iridescent
chromatic shift, in this case from green to gold. You can buy small
cans of the Chameleon brand paints separately, but it won't work
without a black base coat. They want to sell you a special primer,
but for a kit (as opposed to your bitchin' Camero) you just need a
black undercoat.
Also, note that I have
painted the eye sockets and the sides of the bust black as well. The
fit on the eyes is so tight that this was not necessary (neither was
glue, in fact), but it is a worthwhile precaution. The only thing
about those eyes is it is really hard to get a photo of them with out
reflecting the photographer, as you can see below.
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Now, as cool as that
blue color is, it will not pass for a fly. The technique I used here
is kind of like a reversed version of dry brushing. I sprayed on
light coats of transparent black paint and then gently wiped away the
top layers revealing the slightly muted blue underneath. The same was
done to the nose separately before attaching it to the kit because
there is just too much chance to break it off while wiping. The end
result of this is pretty nice and there is a continuity between the
fly and his tie color wise that allows the other bright colors (like
the red and silver base) to seem dramatic without being too garish.
After it is sealed
again with Dulcote, I applied a thin brown oil wash to the shirt and
jacket and when it was done, All had to do was insert the eyes and
paint the nameplate--which is the same green-gold of the eyes with
electric blue on the trim and letters.
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This is a really cool kit
and I am proud to say this finished version resides on the shelf of
Tennessee horror host, Dr. Gangrene. I keep meaning to
build myself a matching version, but I might wait until the geo base
comes out. If you want to pick one up, check out the
Geo busts page . . . and if you want one
built for you, email me at
editor@creaturescape.com
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