Vinyl Cthulhu Monster in 1/350 scale by Inteleg
This is an old Inteleg Vinyl model from the early ‘90s, of H.P. Lovecraft's most popular baddie, the Great Old One, Cthulhu. I have had this model for nearly 15 years, and finally decided to tackle it. The skinny legs made adding plaster weight very crucial, as well as very difficult. The bulbous body and head received a filling of expanding foam, to give it some rigidity, and make it feel more than a vinyl toy. I inserted 22 gauge steel rods into the arms of the wings to prevent them from collapsing under their own weight. Before I filled the head with foam, I inserted a set of 7mm glass eyes I purchased on line from Glasseyes.com, who are based in Wales. Excellent service! The whole kit was assembled using both gap filling and super thin super glue, and seams were filled with Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty. Because of the skin texture of the figure, I did not have to smooth out the seams, rather I just stippled them with an old electric toothbrush, and the seams pretty much disappeared. What followed was nearly two months of looking and thinking, as I tried to decide what colours and what type of paints to use. I knew it was going to be slimy green and bilious yellow/green, but what paints to use was the real challenge. I finally settled on Tamiya Acrylics for the base colours, specifically XF-4 Yellow Green for the belly and wing membranes, and a custom mixed Pale Green/Grey for the main body and wing limbs. I then dragged out every Vallejo Ink tint and Transparent Colour I had, and went to town with a ¼” soft paint brush. Transparent Green, Green Ink, and Black Green Ink on the body and all 6 limbs, Transparent Yellow, Orange Ink, and Sepia Ink for the wing membranes, and Transparent Yellow and Orange Ink for the under body. Blue and Violet Inks were used for the back fin. After the main colours were dry, I stippled contrasting inks all over the wings to achieve a sort of worn leathery look. I dry-brushed Pale Yellow Reeves Oil Paint over all the green surfaces to lighten it up a little, and give the detail some pop. The claws and spikes were base coated in Polly Scale Dirty White, followed by a wash and wipe with Sepia Ink. When everything was dry, I over coated the entire model with Tamiya Acrylic X-35, Semi-Gloss Clear. I then removed the tape masking his eyes and cleaned up the little leakage that occurred, and screwed him to his base. I plan to one day add some 1/350 scale figures running away from him, but I am still looking for the right ones.
For anybody not familiar with this monster, I have included a link to the Wikipedia section on Cthulhu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu
Trying to fathom the 7mm eyes with the 1/350 scale to understand its actual size. An unusual subject, but I like a bit of syfy for a change.
Our more conservative aircraft brethren will note your canny 'take' on a winged subject, and camo as well!
Re figures, have you thought about 1/350 ship's crew figures that could be slightly modified? Might be worth a look.
Thanks! A quick bit of calculator math comes up with 51.85 feet across for the eyes. I had thought of 350 scale ship crew figures. I have a few sets here, I just need to un-bury them.
Never have delved into this 'world', George, but it appears you have the 'touch".
Thank you. Yes, I sometimes think I'm touched. What? That's not what he meant? Oh. Thanks.
Looks simple on the surface, but when you look closely at the painting detail (and your technique to get the effects), it is a more complex project that it would seem! Nicely executed.
I also appreciate the link to the backstory. There is a world out there that I know not of...
Thanks for the compliment. Scary kinda world, isn't it?
Wow! Nice presentation if I can say such a thing for a Lovecraft monster 🙂 I think Abdul Alhazred might begin to run screaming see this one 🙂
Yay! Some one who knows what this is all about! Thanks for the compliment.
You guys need to go visit Miskatonic University and get a real education. 🙂
"Beyond the Wall of Sleep" is a good place to start.
Very terrifying old Cthulhu here, George. Nice technique.
Thank you. I discovered a love of this kind of beastie by reading every book by Lovecraft I could get my hands on. I also dabbled very briefly with the R.P.G., but decided, no, and kept the monster books instead.
Never thought I’d see the day a model of Cthulhu graced the pages of iModeler. As a lifelong fan of Lovecraft, I thproughly approve, George. Well done for capturing the Horror of Innsmouth, a great build.
Great decision to highlight older builds at the bottom of the pages, would have missed this otherwise. Made my day.
‘Liked’
P.S. Why does it not surprise me that you are a graduate of Miskatonic U, Tom. Keep the faith.
@greygoose12
@tcinla