Kamado Nezuko | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) - Plastic Model Kit Figure Completed

 If you have been following my YouTube Channel - firstly thank you, followed by the inevitable shameless plug: please click here => FourEyedMonster Miniatures - then you would have already seen the completed Kamado Nezuko plastic model kit figure from Bandai Namco. Recently, my blog posts have started to lag a little bit behind my YouTube video uploads thus causing this to happen. Regardless, the final photos have been edited, and are on display below. 

 When I first started out in this hobby, this Nezuko figurine was one of those type of model kits that I would have arrogantly, but wrongly, pooh-poohed the authenticity of showcasing work that's 80% or more pre-painted. The ego in the old me wouldn't have stood for it. But times change, and I've gotten older and (hopefully) wiser. With that comes a realization that there isn't enough time left for me to do all the things I want to do. (Sorry if this sounds morbid!) So I reassessed my main goal in this hobby, which is to have beautiful model kits and figurines displayed as my personal collection. With that goal in mind, I no longer care how I get there. If I have to paint everything from scratch than so be it. The same if I can get a good figurine that is 100% pre-painted as well as everything in between.  

 Because I've mentioned in somewhat detail the work I had done in both the previous blog post and uploaded video, I won't be describing much of what was done for this Nezuko figurine in this blog. You can see the embedded YouTube videos below, near the end of the blog post, for details of what I did.

 All that being said, I'll still do a short recap of what I did in as few words as possible. Essentially what I did was to ensure color accuracy of this model kit figure via a retouch process. And in this process I used enamel and acrylic paints as well as pastels. So in a nutshell, that's about all I did, apart from doing a straight out-of-the-box build/assembly of the model kit figure. Not much but enough, I reckon.

 Although I had previously included the relevant videos in my previous blog posts about Nezuko, I will put all the said videos below for ease of viewing. Just click on the embedded videos to view them.

 So that's Nezuko completed. One key word I can use to sum up what I think of this model kit figure is "dynamic" as in how dynamic her pose is. Next up is her brother Tanjiro, who is the main protagonist of the Demon Slayer anime series. Less work seems to be needed for him. So my initial expectation is for the second Kimetsu no Yaiba project to be completed in a shorter amount of time. On that note, I'll end this shorter than usual post with my usual wish for you, dear reader, to be well and happy.  

Kamado Nezuko | Demon Slayer (鬼滅の刃) - Retouching to Enhance Color Accuracy of Model Kit Figure

 Model kit figures from Bandai tend to color accurate to an extent. But for someone who is familiar with the world of miniature painting, it's a matter of it being ... close but no cigar. To make matters worse, they offer only sticker decals to correct this color inaccuracy. Because such solutions are almost never to my liking, I always end up partly painting the model kit figure in question to obtain color accuracy. It was certainly no different for the Bandai plastic model kit figure of Kamado Nezuko from the Demon Slayer (鬼滅の刃, Kimetsu no Yaiba ) anime series. Included in this blog update is a series of before and after photos showing you what I needed to do painting-wise.

Before: Nezuko's face, neck, and back of head in their original plastic molded colors

After: Flesh-colored pastels dry-brushed to face and neck, while enamel wash applied to ears

Before: Bamboo shoot, and strips of clothing that secures it, in original molded colors

After: Enamel paints used to panel-line the bamboo shoot and strips of clothing

Before: Ribbon bow for Nezuko's hair in original molded colors

After: Ribbon bow panel-lined with gray enamel paint

Before: Nezuko's hair in its original plastic molded colors

After: Nezuko's hair after brown and orange enamel filters (results insignificant)

 Among the materials I used for this retouching project are Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints, Mr.Weathering Color enamel paints, and Tamiya Weathering Master pastels. To make it easier to reference what I did, I have included the relevant information in the captions of the photos.

Before: Back half of Nezuko's pink kimono in its original plastic molded colors

After: Pattern in pink kimono brought out using gray enamel paint via panel-lining

Before: Nezuko's entire pink kimono in its original plastic molded colors

After: Pattern in pink kimono brought out using gray enamel paint via panel-lining

Before: Checkered-pattern sash around Nezuko's kimono in its original molded colors

After: Red rectangles painted with red/black acrylic paint onto the checkered-pattern sash

Before: Belt A around Nezuko's kimono sash in its original plastic molded color

After: Belt A repainted with acrylics into a light orange hue and shaded with a wash

Before: Belt B around Nezuko's kimono sash in its original plastic molded color

After: Belt B repainted with acrylics into a darker green hue and shaded with a wash

 Most critical to the entire retouch process was accentuation of the flesh colored plastic parts, which were all molded in a monotone hue. To make Nezuko's skin tone more life-like (which I know is oxymoronic seeing that she is a demon), I added shadows and highlights to her skin tone using Tamiya weathering pastels. To see what colors I used, you can refer to a video on my YouTube Channel that I'll provide a link to (in the third last paragraph below).

Before: Nezuko's arms, hands, and legs in their original plastic molded color

After: Nezuko's hands panel-lined with enamels, and legs shaded with pastels

Before: Nezuko's hands and fingernails in their original plastic molded color

After: Fingernails painted light pink using acrylics, and grooves between fingers panel-lined

 Other than painting and panel-lining for color accuracy, there were also some retouching work done to mask the nub marks that were created when parts were cut from the runner/sprue. Unfortunately I forgot to take some before-and-after photos of the repair process. However I did manage to capture the process on-camera, and as mentioned earlier I'll provide the video link near the end of this post.

Before: Ankle wrappings/ribbon bows, and part of Nezuko's feet in their original molded color

After: Ankle wrappings/ribbon bows panel-lined with gray enamel paint, and part of Nezuko's feet e.g. the straps of the slipper were painted in light pink

Before: Soles of Nezuko's slipper in their original plastic molded color

Before: Soles of Nezuko's slipper painted using yellow ocher and pink acrylic paints

 Below is the 'Enhancing the Model Kit Figure via Paint & Panel-lining' video of the Kamado Nezuko plastic model kit figure from Bandai. If you like the video, and would like to see more of the same kind of content, please do subscribe to my YouTube Channel i.e. FourEyedMonster Miniatures.

 When you think about it through the eyes of an experienced miniature painter, the work being done on this particular model kit figure is almost negligible. Yet for hobbyists who are not inclined to paint their kits, there is still a fair amount of work involved. But at the end of the day, what I hope you can take from this blog post, if anything, is to invest the time to paint some of the parts to ensure color accuracy. Don't waste the time you had spent assembling the kit, and not spend a little bit more time to make it color accurate in a good way. By that I mean don't use sticker decals if you can avoid it, because they usually don't look as good compared with a retouched part.

 With the retouch process complete, all that's left for me to do is to assemble the Kamado Nezuko model kit figure and display the final results. In fact I've actually completed this assembly process on-camera, which you can view via the YouTube link above (just click on the image with the YouTube Video). I just haven't gotten around to posting the final photos that I took of the Nezuko figurine, which I'll do in the next post. But if you're impatient to see the end results, then just check out the video above. Well, that's it for today. Until I upload my next update, please be well and happy!      

Kamado Nezuko | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) - Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review

 If you are into collecting anime character figurines, it's worth noting before I begin that Bandai has arguably much better product lines to consider. For example their Banpresto and FiguartsZERO line have figurines that come fully pre-painted, and require either minimal (for the former) or no assembly at all (for the latter). This particular one I'm unboxing - a plastic model kit figurine of Kamado Nezuko, a character from the Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba, 鬼滅の刃) anime series - requires some painting despite the box cover's claim to the contrary as well as lots of assembly.   

Bandai plastic model kit figurine of Kamado Nezuko from the Demon Slayer anime series

 Don't get me wrong. I'm not being a masochist in choosing model kit figures that require me to not only paint some details to ensure color accuracy but also assemble it from scratch. And I'm definitely not against figures that come pre-painted and fully-assembled. In the future, I actually hope to add such figures to my collection. They can be expensive, but can look really cool in a display. Being a miniature painter means a part of me will always cringe whenever I don't have control over a figure's final aesthetics. That's just my ego talking though as the paint job on some of these pre-painted figures look fantastic. But I digress. Let's get back to the Kamado Nezuko plastic model kit figure.      

Side Box Art shows Nezuko in varios poses & indicates stickers will be needed for color accuracy

Other Side Box Art showcases the pre-painted parts namely Nezuko's hair and facial expression

Stated clearly in red letterings is the fact that this is a plastic model kit, not a completed figurine

 Although there seem to be a lot of parts to be assembled for a rather smallish figurine, the instructions don't seem that complicated. So in a sense the kit could be considered as a beginner-friendly plastic model kit. As you can tell from images of the instructions below, there aren't that many steps involved so it'll be a quick build if you don't plan to paint Nezuko. But because I intend to paint specific details of this model kit figure, I expect the overall build time to be a little longer than normal.

Lots of plastic bags with parts/runners/sprues contained within the box

First two pages of the instructions pamphlet are in color, showing the parts/runners/sprues included as well as some basic assembly instructions for beginners ...

... the next two pages are still in color, and has assembly instructions for Nezuko's head/hair ...

... this is followed by black and white pages with instructions for the assembly of ...

... Nezuko's kimono, cloak, and clothing in general as well as her arms, hands, legs, and feet.

 Most unique thing I found among the the runners/sprues are parts for Nezuko's hair. In total, there are eight hair parts that come pre-painted in black and orange. Her face also comes pre-painted with the eyes, eyebrows, and eyelashes all done. But if like me, you have OCD-like tendencies when it comes to hobby-related matters, then you would agree that her face still requires additional paint work. I plan to make Nezuko's cheek rosy and give her lips red hues to better define it.  

Runner/Sprue A: Nezuko's hair comes in eight separate parts, each in black and orange

Runner/Sprue B: Nezuko's face comes molded in a flesh color, and with her eyes already painted

 Meanwhile, the parts that make up Nezuko's clothes were a mixed bag. While her kimono comes pre-colored in a beautiful molded-in light pink hue, its patterns are just engraved grooves that'll require panel-lining to increase its visibility. It's much worse for the white colored parts because these have sections that aren't color accurate. Although Bandai provided colored sticker decals to address this very issue, I'm not a fan of this solution. Most of the time the end results look tacky. Whenever possible I'll try to paint such non-color accurate parts, which in this case comprised the kimono's sash, and the sandal's straps. Other than that, the ribbon bows on the ankle wraps will require panel-lining. As for the brown parts for her cloak and ankle wraps, they look good as is.

Runner/Sprue C: Nezuko's pink kimono comes with the pattern already engraved

Runner/Sprue D: White parts that make up Nezuko's clothes, sandals, ankle wraps and ribbon bows, etc.

Runner/Sprue E: Brown parts that make up Nezuko's cloak and ankle wraps

 Rest of the runners/sprues comprise flesh colored parts for Nezuko's arms, hands, and legs. These will require painting in the form of dry-brushing with pastels to give shading to the flesh hues. In addition, there is also a green part of a belt that secures the kimono sash, and a bamboo tube. To be color accurate, the former will have to be repainted into a lighter green while the latter can just be panel-lined with dark brown. Lastly there is a reddish brown runner/sprue that contains (a) the straps that hold the bamboo tube to her mouth (this can just be panel-lined), (b) another belt that secures the kimono sash (this needs to be repainted to a light orange hue), and (c) the soles of her sandals (these have to be repainted into yellow ocher with a dash of pink for the ends of the sandal straps.

Runner/Sprue F: Flesh colored parts making up Nezuko's thighs, knees, arms, hands, neck, and ears

Runner/Sprue G: Green colored parts making up the belt around Nezuko's sash and bamboo tube

Runner/Sprue H: Reddish brown parts that make up yet another belt around Nezuko's sash, the soles of her sandals, and the cloth 'tying' the bamboo tube to her mouth

 As mentioned earlier, due to the lack of color accuracy on some of the parts Bandai had included a sticker decal sheet (see below) to address the issue. These do a half-decent job but I won't be using them at all. I intend to paint all the parts that aren't molded in color-accurate hues.

Sticker decals for the kimono belts/sash, and sandals to ensure color accuracy

 Below is the 'Unboxing and Pre-Assembly Review' YouTube video of the Kamado Nezuko plastic model kit figure from Bandai. If you like the video, and would like to see more of the same kind of content, please do subscribe to my YouTube Channel i.e. FourEyedMonster Miniatures.

 Now that Nezuko has been unboxed and the contents of the plastic model kit figure closely assessed, I will be moving on to the painting phase of this Demon Slayer project. I don't think I'll be repainting the whole figure. Instead I plan to paint, panel-line, and dry-brush only specific sections of it to ensure color accuracy. This means the painting process shouldn't take long to complete. I had better get started on Nezuko so that I can upload updates on the project soon. Until we meet again in the ever shrinking world that is the blogosphere ... be well, be useful, and be happy!