M_S_Statues

Hello friends and community!

I hope you’re all doing well!

This week, I focused on one of the most iconic parts of Cyclops—the visor—as well as continuing the work on the cabinet.

The visor was something I had been looking forward to for quite a while because it plays such an important role in the overall atmosphere of this statue. My goal wasn’t to create an overly bright or exaggerated glow, but rather a subtle, believable light source that fits the dark and cinematic mood of the project.

To achieve this, I worked with several fluorescent colors, carefully building up the effect layer by layer instead of trying to create the glow all at once. Sometimes less is more, especially with object source lighting. I also used my Iwata Custom Micron Takumi to airbrush soft orange reflections onto Cyclops’ face, adding just enough ambient light to suggest that the visor is illuminating the surrounding areas without overpowering the rest of the paintwork.

The other major task this week was the cabinet. As you can see, the upper section contained a lot of pinholes and an uneven surface. Even though most of this area will eventually be hidden at the back of the statue, I simply couldn’t leave it like that. For me, a high-end collectible should look clean from every angle—even in places that most people may never notice.

To fix this, I filled all of the holes, sanded everything back, and repeated the process of filling, sanding, and priming several times until I was happy with the result. The lower section of the cabinet is still a work in progress and will most likely be finished next week. There are still a few small touch-ups to do, a bit more sanding, and one final thin coat of primer before it’s ready for paint.

As always, I used Kaleido Primer Matte Black as my primer of choice. In my opinion, it remains one of the best primers currently available, providing excellent coverage while preserving even the finest details.

Before I finish this week’s update, I’d like to share a small personal thought.

I think it’s a real shame that, despite this being a community of adults who all share the same passion, some people still choose to exploit the points system by leaving one-word comments like “Nice” on countless posts just to collect points. In my opinion, competitions like this should be about supporting each other’s work with genuine feedback and enjoying the hobby together. Thankfully, there are still many people here who take the time to leave thoughtful comments and encourage others, and that’s what makes this community worth being part of.

That’s it for this week’s update!

I wish you all a fantastic weekend. I’ll see you all next week, and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Peace out!