[This post was originally posted to Otherverse Games & Hobbies as part of a series called Plastic to Painted, or P2P. You may see logos or references to this site and series]
This is the Way
Star Wars has been around for decades now and has permeated pop culture so thoroughly that Yoda is as recognizable across the planet as Mickey Mouse. We find the themes that permeate the Star Wars movies compelling and relatable on an intrinsic level: themes of growing up and finding ourselves, of the underdog winning against the bully, of good versus evil and above all the rest, the classic Heroes Journey.
The Star Wars stories are filled with good guys, bad guys and many individuals that live in that gray area in-between. In today’s Plastic to Painted we are going to take a look at someone that exists in the gray but leans towards the light side of the spectrum.
The Mandalorian(s)
There are quite a few weighty words in the Star Wars universe, simple titles that bring with them a lot of lore and a thorough connection to the Star Wars canon. Jedi. Sith. Rebel. Empire. Separatists.
Today we are going to talk about the Mandalorian. Many fans adore the mysterious Mandalorians. The only Quote-Unquote Mandalorian we saw in the original movies, Boba Fett, was never a real Mandalorian according to the canon. Later we met Jango Fett, Boba’s father, if that term can be used for the genetic material that was squirted into a tube to grow you.
How many times can I use the term Mandalorian in a paragraph? Apparently quite a few. Anyway…
It’s clear to me that I am not the only Star Wars fan that is generally dissatisfied with the Disney era movies in a galaxy far, far away. Sure, Rogue One is well done, but the sequel trilogy left a lot to be desired. What they have done well is give Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau close to free-reign with the Disney+ Star Wars television shows.
The Mandalorian and “Baby Yoda” became part of pop-culture in mere moments. The show was created with young adults in mind, but enough attention to detail and mature elements were laid down to make sure that long time fans were satisfied as well; a tough balancing act, and it was accomplished with a level of care that brought about the best Disney era production.
Eventually, we learned that his name was Grogu although most people still refer to the little green fella as Baby Yoda. We found out that the Mandalorian’s name is Din Djarin. We discovered that Boba Fett was alive in the Disney version of Star Wars, just like he was in the Expanded Universe that they deleted. We saw some live-action representations of some cartoon favorites, and we even saw Luke Skywalker show up and pull off some rad Jedi shit.
Like many other long-term fans, I was hesitant to give the Mandalorian a shot, but, optimistic; I do not feel let down. So, when Star Wars: Legion presented me with models for some of the characters from the show, well, yeah, I ordered mine immediately.
The Model(s)
Din Djarin and Grogu arrived together in one box: it actually comes with two different Grogus (I bet you never expected to see a plural of that, huh?): one with and one without a frog thing stuck in the little guys mouth. Lucky for me, the Pathfinder set that I bought has six models in it but comes with a seven-pack of bases. Ta-fuck-dah! All of a sudden I have two Grogu models per Din.
Anyone that has seen the show will know that the Mandalorian is wearing Beskar armor, with a fairly subdued under-suit and cloak. After building Din, I primed him black and after it was set I sprayed it with the Leadbelcher spray can: at that point the model was half-done. Once I was at the painting table, I layered some Iron Hand Steel over the Leadbelcher, and then highlighted it with Stormhost Silver. A little watered down Black Templar was added in a few recesses in the armor and around the Mudhorn symbol on his right shoulder pad to bring out the minute detail.
After the armor was done, I realized that I should have painted the under-suit first. The suit and belts were painted Dryad Bark and highlighted with Gorthor Brown; I had intended to do a 50/50 mix and then pure Gorthor after, but the area was so small I didn’t bother. The cloak and boots were painted with Pure Black, and layered with Skavenblight Dinge and then a light highlight of Mechanicus Standard Grey.
While Din Djarin was fairly easy, Grogu was even more so. The model is very small. Like very small. Decidedly, it was a perfect opportunity to have Contrast Paint do all the work for me. The glorified burlap bag that Baby Yoda waddles around in was painted in Aggaros Dunes and topped with Skeleton Horde around the collar. I used Plaguebearer Flesh to paint the skin on both Grogu models and then I used a dot of Militarum Green on the inside of his ears.
When it came time to paint the Daimyo model, I used a matte black from Scale 75 and a satin black from Citadel to get a different color and finish between the leather of his boots and the cloth of his undersuit. His armor was based, washed and layered and two different metallics were used on his weapon. All in he didn’t take much time and ended up lookin pretty good as far as I am concerned.
All of their bases were covered in Agrellan Earth and the rims were coated in Steel Legion Drab. Deadish-looking fake self-adhesive grass was applied to the bases and as I type this it makes me wonder at the weird shit we do in this hobby.
What’s Next?
It’s Star Wars month here in Otherverse; We definitely have another Plastic to Painted article tomorrow and a few more Star Wars: Legion models are in the works to be shown off this month. What did I paint already? What’s set up on the hobby table with the hope that they will find some paint on them before the month is up? Guess you’ll just have to make a return trip to see.
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Tyson
Obsessive and neurotic collector of little plastic men, novels about the same little plastic men and paints to make the little plastic men pretty. Married to Kera, who puts up with him and pretends that she doesn’t hear him speaking to the little plastic men in between making pew pew noises in the hobby room. Requires adult supervision. A menace to himself but rarely to others. More beard than man