I recently had a chance to paint up a Sci-Fi Archangel (aka Sanguinius) from Scibor Monstrous Miniatures.
It's been awhile since I worked with a resin miniature. Each material has it's own quirks and oddities you can work with or against depending on your attitude. For me, resin is a close second to metal in terms of difficulty to work with. The universal problem with resin is air bubbles, which crop up with virtually every figure I've ever seen.
Today's air bubbles reared their ugly heads half way down the sword blade and in the knuckle of the hand gripping the sword itself. The knuckle was an easy fix to fill with greenstuff, but the sword blade was beyond repair. My solution was to cut a notch in the blade to create an interesting design, and mirror it on the other side to make it look intentional. Remember: It's only a mistake if you let it become one.
This is the first time I've worked with a resin piece that didn't come from forgeworld, and I was relieved to find that the notorious film that requires a regimen of scrubbing was not present at all on this mini. I was able to prime the surface without any preparation at all.
What did require some work ahead of time was fitting and drilling the holes for pinning the model. The wings for this sculpt were heavy and bulky. With nothing to hold the wings to the back save for a flat contact point, I knew it would be vital to pin the wings into place. The sword blade by contrast had a minuscule contact point that was also sure to break if the model got any pressure. Finally I drilled a hole in the base of the model to anchor is firmly to the uneven surface of the base.
I glued the pins in place before priming, which would give me the added advantage of having a point I could hold the pieces by without having to worry about ruining the paint job.
The model itself was well detailed, had a dynamic pose, and mirrored the artwork of the Horus Heresy. I did some research to find my subject was clad entirely in golden armor. I'm not a huge fan of single-color armor; you tend to lose details and depth. I focused on pushing the shadows back to the let the landscape of the places come through with the natural shine of the gold paint.
The base that came with the model was outlandish by any standards. It seemed like the sculptor didn't really know what look he wanted to go for, so he just smashed a little bit of everything together into one base. The individual elements that make up the base are highly reminiscent of other Scibor bases styles. I tried to keep the palette neutral with a few minor detail highlights to let the viewer concentrate on the model.
The only real complaint I have about the base is that it forces Sanguinius off center. This isn't a problem in itself, but the massive weight of the wings anchored to his back make the model extremely prone to tipping. I compensated by pushing him further toward the center, but holding the whole piece, you can still feel the lack of true balance.
Overall this is a fantastic figure with lots of great detail, as Scibor is business of making awesome Space Marines. If you're playing a loyalist chapter and want a special model to lead your forces, they have quite the selection of powerarmored badasses to choose from.
