Plissken

IMHO the base is just as important as the piece its displaying in several ways: it needs to be interesting in some way, have a good level of detail & also has to make sense with your model. I printed a large crater & glued it to a wooden base. I then added some texture, paint & some vegetation. Perfect for a sci-fi mecha war machine now :)

Before I did the weathering, I had all the parts including the weapons all painted up & ready to go. I did some final touch up work & added a clear coat - then applied decals.

I mainly use the primer coat as a way to visually make sure all of my surfaces are ready for painting. I will occasionally even re-sand portions at this point but I don’t worry about adding the primer back.

Here is the Zarov assmbled & ready to get colored. I caught these AK Interactive lacquer based paints on sale & was actually really happy with how nicely they coated the model. It was a little bit of challenge with safety & the smell but it was still worth it.

This is a fully built, painted & weathered Sheik Mainland Zarov 08-M1 with a lacquer based 2 tone disruptive desert night camo pattern. I used a Gaahleri airbrush for the base coats & I hand painted with AK Interactive, AMMO Mig, Army Painter & Vallejo products. The spare rifle is held by a handmade sling from thin cord that can be adjusted or removed if desired.