Steve - We went out in the end, but only to buy me some new walking boots. My wife prefers to do the Christmas shopping alone, partially because I did it for years and she felt left out, but also because I moan so much.
Richard - If it's worked out well, I think that's purely down to the sculpt - despite the oversized head this is one of the best figures I've ever worked on.
I've also changed my approach to painting whites. In the past I spent ages building up layer after layer to get an opaque white, the worked in the shadows after. This time, I've found that by adding even a tiny amount of black brown, the pigment becomes more opaque and one can paint as 'normal'. The main reason it takes longer is because of the need to build up opacity in the purer whites. I've really studied Ian Succamore's approach, which is to use a range of greys and only use the brightest white for the highlights. It is hard to photograph though - I've used Vallejo Off White throughout, but it looks very bright in the pics.
I stuck him on the base last night:
I've also added all the weathering he's going to get. Less is more in my book, and anyway It's very difficult on white - dirt naturally rubs onto the most exposed areas, which is also where the highlights are, so one runs the risk of losing the contrasts (clothing does not get dirtied in the same way as armour). My aim is to suggest grubbiness and suggest context.
Painting is superb for this one. 
Could this be attributed to the longer painting time alloted to each part of the figure? Good thing is no more fear of white now. 
