The 50th Duke figure doesn't get alot of love. But that sculpt is a great representation of a modern operator.
First thing I had to do was repaint it in colors a little closer to the 1983 figure but also more realistic. Why Hasbro chose to use the cartoon colors on a realistic toy is beyond me.
Step 1: Mask off areas to be painted.
Note: this is the lazy way of doing things. Ideally, I should have detached the hands, forearms, and legs.
Step 2: Color blocking.
Tan for the combat shirt. Three passes with the airbrush was enough to cover the collar.
Yellow sand for the hair.
Light olive drab for the pants.
Step 3: Detailing.
Combat shirts usually have darker sleeves than the torso portion.
Since the vest is taken from a Cobra Shock Trooper and is based on a SWAT trooper, the vest isn't that accurate to current military tactical vests. Either I cut off the "fabric" portion or paint it to disguise it as part of the combat shirt.
I decided to paint the "fabric" portion of the vest rather than modify it physically but cutting it off.
The figure still needs a belt but is more or less complete now.
- JM