One of my hobbies is is building and painting anime resin figure models. These models are solid cast statues, frequently 1/8 or 1/6 real size, that are assembled from 10 – 20 parts. They are known as Garage Kits.
Building resin models requires skill, artistry, and experience. I don’t think there is any one specific way to build models that is better than any other, but some ideas and techniques listed here may work for you. If nothing else, you might learn from some of the mistakes I have made and see how to avoid them yourself.
Featured Models
Mirai Suenaga | Yowane Haku |
Current Work In Progress
- Sturgeon King (Serpent 2) December 17, 2011
Well, it is now mid-December, and as promised I have finished the serpent on the Sturgeon King model. I sprayed some green to blue Alclad II prismatic paint along the belly of the serpent to add some additional shading and texture. The Alclad II pris...
- Sturgeon King (Serpent 1) December 5, 2011
Now it is early December and I have started work on the serpent. I am not finished, but I thought I would post some progress pictures.I had mostly intended to follow PKking's original color scheme as it made sense. The serpent is rising from th...
- Sturgeon King (Base Construction) November 20, 2011
Well, it's November now. I had hoped to have the base for my Sturgeon King model completed sooner, but sometimes things happen. It's perhaps better not to rush. But really, I messed up. I had to redo some work and this contributed to the delay.I...
- Sturgeon King (Beginning) October 14, 2011
Well, it's October and my summer hiatus is over. I am now starting work on PKking's wonderful sculpt, the Balance of the Nine Skies Sturgeon King. I am really curious to see what I can do with this. There are interesting facets of PKking's sculpture...
- Figma - Itachari Bicycle August 19, 2011
When I explored Danny Choo's Culture Japan website and discovered that I could actually buy his figma character Mirai Suenaga and one of the figma first anniversary bicycle kits that he displayed, well, I had to try my hand at replicating this work. ...
Construction Photos
The following pictures show various models being constructed. These pictures will give you an idea of the processes involved in painting and assembling resin figure models. Painting resin models takes confidence and the ability to laugh at a mistake and try again. It should be fun, so if you are satisfied with your results or learn a new technique then be proud of your achievement.
 Haruka Suzumiya | This is a commission work of Haruka Suzumiya that I did in 2003. I don’t have pictures of the final model posted in the Gallery. This is the single cast body part with the school uniform. |
 Asuka in School Uniform | Asuka in School Uniform was one of my earlier models. There is little color shading on the skin tones, but you can see the texture differences between the gloss shine on the shoes, the glow of the skin, and the flat texture of the clothes. |
 Tamaki Kousaka | Tamaki Kousaka was an interesting experiment with pearlescent paints. Note the difference between the white pearl on the top and the flat white of the socks. This picture also shows some work in progress on coloring the figure eyes. |
 Tamaki Kousaka | This is another construction photo of Tamaki Kousaka where I am showing her French Nails. There is a small defect in the palm of the hand that should have perhaps been filled, but this cannot be seen when the model is assembled. |
 Gianna | Gianna is another example of the use of pearlescent paints for increased depth and color. |
 Gianna | This is another construction picture of Gianna showing the dragon head. This was painted with a metallic bronze color and the scales were all highlighted with a thin black wash. |
 Rebecca Miyamoto | Rebecca Miyamoto is an interesting example of the use of an airbrush. The tiger stripes on her costume are all freehand painted in this way. You can also see that figures can be done in groups. Rebecca was built at the same time as Nijihara Ink. |
 Mahoro | This is another commission work that was done in 2003, of Mahoro (Automatic Maiden). Again, I don’t have pictures in the Gallery. The technique here required painting the stool with chrome for a high gloss finish. The stool had to be rotated slowly as the paint dried to prevent runs. |
 Asuka on Motorcycle | Asuka on Motorcycle was an interesting example of including a resin figure with a more traditional type of model. This model had almost 100 parts and it was a great puzzle to figure out how the motorcycle went together. |
 Asuka on Motorcycle | Asuka on Motorcycle was a bit of a challenge to assemble. Here, you can see where some pink shading was applied to her cheeks. This is one way to add some color and texture to a figure’s face. |
 Hatsune Miku | Hatsune Miku is a perpetual 16 year old pop singer from the Vocaloid series. Resin figure models can contain decals, as shown here. |
