Removing detail

Alright next step in the Russian in greatcoat conversion is removing unwanted detail from the figure.
using a sharp new hobby knife the epaulettes will have to be cut off the shoulders. and the french style water bottle will need to be cut off and a bit of detail reworked with the knife or putty.
Pic#1 and #2  Shows  detail that needs to be removed.
When cutting off the shoulder detail first make a deeper cut into the shoulder strap line and then start cutting off the detail being careful not to take off the shoulder straps. Also try and be careful to carve off the detail neatly so you don,t fry up the plastic because this will  show through the paint job and won,t look good. If you do ruin the shoulder detail you can add putty and smooth it out but you may need to remove a bit more plastic first to avoid building up the shoulders to much. You may also be able to melt the fry in the plastic by hitting it fast with flame or a soldering iron and smoothing it out but be very careful doing this or you,ll ruin the whole figure,
Pic#3 is the figure after the shoulder detail has been removed. Click on the photos to enlarge them so you can see better!

The water bottle is a tricky spot and hard to get at because the arm is in the way but you,ll need to try and carve the detail back into the straps and the sword as best as you can or cut it off and re-sculpt it with putty.
same as the shoulder straps start by cutting the strap line into the figure deep and then cut away and sculpt the detail back in being careful not to ruin the strap lines.
Pic#4

Next we,ll take a backpack from a Hat Russian figure and cut off the sword and cartridge box. The sword we already have on the figure and the cartridge bow will need the strap shortened and repositioned.
Pic#5

Pic#7 and #8
Add some putty to the  hole on the back of the pack because the hole in the backpack is much to large for the peg on the figure and attach the back pack.

Pic#9 and #10 Now well add the cartridge box back on after we check the fit and cut back the strap.If you cut the strap on an angle you can get a tapered end that,ll help the strap end slide up under the back back and have a more natural look. You can just glue on the cartridge box but for a more secure fit take the tip of your hobby knife and dig a hole into the back of the cartridge box and also the figure where the box will rest on his back and add some 2 part putty to the holes you make. That,s it for this post, Now all that,s left to do is extend the great coat and were done.