The Energon Pub

01: SS-01 Bumblebee (2007, 1977 Camaro)

- Robot Mode -

Hey everyone! I revisited this project and decided to update my paint work on my very first Studio Series project. Since I've already painted a weathered up SS-27 Clunker Bumblebee, I decided to keep this Bee with a clean deco but still with all the detail work. I added a new gunmetal base, and actually found new details to add on top of the ones I found for my work on Clunker Bee. I picked out the license plate in an accurate blue, added stripes to the shin pieces,and found some copper accents to add on the arms.

Something interesting about this mold is that even though the forearms are remolded from the TLK version, it still has the front "pointy" parts on his forearm shields, which are absent on only this appearance for Bumblebee (this can be seen in the film and the render on the box). To account for this, I painted that part of the shields in the same gray as the rest of the arm to make it blend in more.







- Vehicle Mode -

While there wasn't as much work to do in this mode since I decided to keep the clean look, I still found some ways to spruce this mode up! The headlights and grill were repainted, as well as the front bumper and rear fender with the silver base and black stripe. I added silver accents like the side view mirror, the outline of the front and rear windshields, and door handles. I repainted the tail lights with a silver base and gloss red, concluding my work in this mode!

Hope you all enjoy! I'd love to hear any feedback!







Paint Used:
Testor's Enamels:
- Gloss yellow
- Gloss tangerine
- Gloss red
- Metallic silver
- Flat gunmetal
- Flat aluminum
- Flat black

Acrylics:
- Decoart gunmetal
- Decoart blue
- Decoart metallic copper
- Folkart metallic light blue


Other:
- Black Paint Pen
- Dark Gray Model Wash

Thanks, Zelda! I've had to do some touch-ups on some parts, like the black paint on the shoulders, but other than that the paint seems to be holding up alright!

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Glad to hear that about the paints behaving.

I was worried because my experience with Testor's Enamels on ABS has been that they never fully dry, instead perpetually remaining ever-so-slightly tacky and the paint getting gunked up by dust.

I don't have that problem on standard hard plastic, but that is the case on rubbery plastic like parts on Shockwave, Barricade, and Soundwave. The gunmetal acrylic paint I've started using, however, seems to work well on those types of plastic. I'll probably start getting some acrylics for painting those parts whenever it's safe to do so.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Glad to hear that about the paints behaving.

I was worried because my experience with Testor's Enamels on ABS has been that they never fully dry, instead perpetually remaining ever-so-slightly tacky and the paint getting gunked up by dust.

I don't have that problem on standard hard plastic, but that is the case on rubbery plastic like parts on Shockwave, Barricade, and Soundwave. The gunmetal acrylic paint I've started using, however, seems to work well on those types of plastic. I'll probably start getting some acrylics for painting those parts whenever it's safe to do so.

Well, I had that problem on standard hard plastic, and between that and having my Testor's enamel paints turn to rubber in the jars... I've avoided enamels since.
I just go with acrylics for everything. They work well on soft and hard plastic. I personally recommend Craft Smart, Apple Barrel, and DecoArt. They're cheap brands, and yet when used with care they're generally better behaved than pricier brands like Americana (unfortunate tendency to be pulpy) or sadly even Tamiya (doesn't always dry as smoothly as would be hoped for, and I've had it turn rubbery in the jar).

Thanks for the recommendation! The metallic dark gray I've started using is Decoart, and I'm really liking it so far. Looking forward to trying some new stuff out!

Jin Saotome wrote:Looking absolutely sharp with the details!

Thank you, Jin!

Bumping the thread to let you all know that this project has been reworked! You can see the new full gallery at the top of this page.