Repainting Vertigo

I find unique and obscure collectibles during travels to toy shops and entertainment expos. Each figure I find, I make sure that they are in excellent condition. After I obtain them, I put them up on display or put it in storage until I showcase them on my site. The figure I'm presenting is something I had for years and haven't touched it until my brother and I brought back the old Playstation to play Primal Rage. That figure is Vertigo, the Goddess of Insanity.

Vertigo is 1. My Brother's second favorite character and 2. The most unique and intriguing fighter in the roster. No one knows what type of dinosaur Vertigo is modeled after, but the blue and turquoise bipedal cobra with pincers clearly stands out from the rest of her dinosaur and ape inspired cast. Comparing the game model to the action figure, Playmates Toys was spot on with the sculpt. Even better, the toy has a water-squirting gimmick that imitates Vertigo's signature Venom Spit! To reiterate, Vertigo is awesome in game and in toy.

Hmmm... I wonder which one is Vertigo?

After I brought her out of storage, I noticed something was off. There was some paint wear on the chest.

I swear, it gets irritating the more you look at it.

At first, I didn't mind, seeing that the figure's joints and overall sculpt were intact. However, the more I stared at that gap of paint, the more uncomfortable I felt. As a collector, my figures should be in pristine condition. That's when it was time to learn how to paint figures. I was hesitant due to my inexperience painting toys, but it would be useful skill as an artist and potential toy designer.

Initially, I tried to find the paint online using reference photos. But buying a small canister of paint just for one figure didn't sit well with me so I challenged myself to mix paints until I produced the right color. The first combination of base acrylic paints were blue, white, and unbleached titanium.

Going back to Basics!

The first dip was okay, but it didn't match the original paint job. It made the gap look more like a rash.

Please consult a medical professional if rash lasts more than 5 days.

The second attempt yielded better results. Adding green to the mixture produced a light turquoise  that best matched the original paint scheme. Down below is the result and comparison between the paint mixtures.

Ah, much better.

First attempt

Second attempt

While not a complete repaint of a figure, I succeeded in fixing, if not enhancing, a unique collectible. Seeing that I will put Vertigo in upcoming stories, no one will notice the ugly gap. Moving forward, I will have better confidence, enthusiasm, and experience repainting action figures.