Painting Before Assembly

• One of the most useful Mumakil painting tips, regardless of the level of detail or modifications you are going to make to your model, is to paint the pieces before assembly. Painting the components separately helps to ensure that the different parts of the animal look distinct and that colors are not blurred or smudged. Assemble the body of the animal and its head, making modifications to the head and neck position, before you paint. Fill in any gaps in the model's body using modeling putty before you begin painting. Then paint the body, the tusks and the riding baskets separately.
  
  

Painting Realistic Textures

• Add texture to your Mumak painting job by using a base coat and highlights or accents on every surface that you paint. Begin your Mumak painting by covering the animal's body and head in a coat of dark gray. Follow the base coat by dry brushing the entire model with a lighter gray, so that the darker color stands out from the cracks. Follow a similar procedure with the wicker on the baskets, using a dark brown base coat, followed by a lighter brown dry brush to create highlights. Also add highlights with a lighter color when you paint the wood and the cloth or hides used on the riding baskets.
  
  

Painting Realistic Tusks

• One of the key features of your "Lord of the Rings" model is its tusks, which need several different colors to look realistic. Both tusks and toenails should be painted a white base color, with brown used at the base of the tusks or nails where they meet the skin. Use a jagged edge to paint the brown to keep it from looking unnatural. Finish with a different color white to highlight certain areas and blend the colors. Use highlights and paint darker marks on areas where the tusks would be worn out, like the tips and bends in the tusk.
  
  

Personalizing Your Model

• Mumak painting can be personalized to match your individual tastes and imagination. Some suggestions for changes include making the animal's skin a browner rather than grayer hue, choosing a different color for the hides on the riding baskets, adding war paint to the Mumak, and adding accents such as symbols or runes to the hides or the war paint.