The Black Devil

This is the Russian Naval Infantryman bust by Young Miniatures. Usual oils over acrylic basecoat. Basic Black scheme was used throughout. Nothing difficult about painting this bust other than the machine gun belts. Being resin, the belts can and should be formed to the shape of the figure prior to painting. I warmed up some water and dipped the belts into it until the resin became soft. I then draped the belts over the pistol and grenade and let them cool to "memorize" their new shape. While painting the bust the belts were placed aside. When the figure and ammo belts were painted it was time to put them together. The front belts went on with no problems. However the ones that drape over the shoulders to the back had more of a curve to them and during the time I first shaped them until now (1 month) they sprung back a bit. Too much though to look right. You can't bend these resin parts cold because they will certainly break. I couldn't put them in hot water again for fear they would ruin the paint. My solution was to apply surface heat using a soldering iron. I brought the iron about 1/4 inch away and let the resin warm up. Then I guided them into place and let them cool. Worked great! Something to remember if you paint this figure.