For the cleanest result, build Da Red Gobbo’s Tinboy in subassemblies, keep the Gobbo and any obstructive chimney scenery separate while you paint, prime brightly, and follow a controlled ten-colour Citadel Colour scheme. Games Workshop’s 24 October 2025 beginner tutorial is designed around ten paints; the same compact approach works for a festive tabletop finish, while extra highlights, weathering and snow can be added afterward.
Identify the Da Red Gobbo release on your desk
“Da Red Gobbo” is not one single sculpt. The multipart Tinboy kit is the release covered by Games Workshop’s beginner-friendly video published on 24 October 2025. A different seasonal model, Da Red Gobbo’s Surprise, has separate painting guidance from 10 November 2023. The two models do not share identical part layouts or colour placement, so check the box art and instructions before cutting plastic.
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This guide is written for Tinboy, with the Surprise guidance used where it gives a useful technique. The Surprise article specifically says that removing Da Red Gobbo from the chimney improved access to small details; use the same principle on Tinboy whenever the parts allow it.
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Materials and workspace
Lay out everything before opening the sprue. The kit is supplied unpainted and requires assembly, so the order in which you prepare parts affects both the fit and the quality of the paint job.
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- Da Red Gobbo’s Tinboy multipart plastic kit.
- Plastic cutters for removing parts from the sprue.
- A mould-line tool or hobby knife for scraping seams and gates.
- Tweezers for holding small accessories and ornaments.
- Plastic cement; the Tinboy listing specifically recommends Citadel Plastic Glue.
- A smooth primer. White Scar is the documented undercoat for the bright festive look used on Da Red Gobbo’s Surprise.
- A larger brush for basecoats and a fine detail brush. Games Workshop’s painting team used a very small brush for the model’s tiny details.
- Citadel Colour paints arranged as a ten-colour core palette.
- Optional wet palette, texture paint, snow product and varnish.
Work over a tray or light-coloured paper so that a dropped part is easy to find. Keep a water pot, paper towel and a second container for dirty-rinse water nearby. A bright lamp positioned over your working hand makes mould lines and missed coverage easier to see.
Assemble Tinboy without blocking your brush
1. Inventory the sprue
Before cutting anything, compare every numbered piece with the kit diagram. Group the parts into four working sets: Da Red Gobbo, the Tinboy mechanical body, the scenic base and loose accessories. This prevents a small ornament or limb from being mistaken for a spare gate and lets you plan which pieces can remain separate.
2. Remove parts cleanly
Use cutters to take each piece from the sprue, leaving a small nub rather than biting into the finished surface. Trim the remaining gate with the cutters, then scrape or shave away the mould line with a mould-line tool or hobby knife. Work slowly around curved metal, cloth and facial areas; a deep cut is harder to repair than a visible seam.
3. Dry-fit every joint
Push parts together without glue and check the contact points, pose and alignment. Dry-fitting reveals whether a seam needs more cleaning and shows which pieces will hide another part once the model is complete. It also lets you test the chimney, scenic elements and accessories before they restrict access to the figure.
4. Choose subassemblies before gluing
Glue only the joints that improve strength without making painting awkward. A practical division is the Gobbo, the Tinboy body, the base and any chimney or large scenic element that sits in front of the figure. Keep the Gobbo separate when a surrounding wall, chimney lip or snowy surface would prevent a brush from reaching boots, face, clothing or equipment.
The official Surprise guidance gives a concrete example: painting Da Red Gobbo off the chimney made it easier to paint the little black boots without accidentally putting black paint on the snowy top. Tinboy benefits from the same access-first decision wherever its joints permit it.
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5. Apply plastic cement carefully
Use plastic cement on polystyrene kit parts, touching the applicator to the mating surfaces rather than flooding the visible face. Press the pieces together until the joint holds and wipe away any excess before it softens nearby detail. Keep the subassemblies undisturbed for a full cure, then inspect each seam again. If a gap or offset remains, correct it before primer; paint will not hide a badly aligned joint.
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Place each subassembly on a labelled piece of masking tape or a small tray. Make a quick note of which contact points must remain unpainted for final gluing. This is especially useful for the Gobbo, chimney and accessories: you can paint complete surfaces while preserving clean plastic-to-plastic joints.
A downloadable Tinboy booklet is described as taking the builder from the plastic sprue to a fully assembled model ready to paint. Use that booklet’s part sequence for the exact kit diagram, while treating the access decisions above as your painting plan.
Prime for a bright festive finish
Once the cement has cured and the seams are clean, apply a smooth, even primer. The White Scar undercoat documented by Games Workshop for Da Red Gobbo’s Surprise is a useful starting point when you want bright reds, clean whites and vivid festive details. A light primer also makes it easier to notice thin or patchy basecoats.
Prime each subassembly so that hidden recesses receive coverage without forcing a thick spray or brush layer onto the visible surfaces. Let the primer dry fully before handling the parts. Check the model under the same lamp you will use for painting; dusty, rough or glossy patches should be corrected before colour is applied.
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Plan the ten-colour paint setup
Games Workshop’s Tinboy video is built around only ten paints, and the Surprise article likewise describes a ten-colour recipe. Treat ten paints as a beginner-friendly limit rather than a rule that prevents later additions. The supplied guidance does not require a large collection: select colours that cover these jobs:
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- A festive red for the dominant clothing and cloth panels.
- A light colour for trim, snow and other bright fabric areas.
- A dark colour for boots, recesses and strong contrast.
- A skin tone for Da Red Gobbo.
- One or more metallics for Tinboy’s mechanical body and hardware.
- A dark wash or shade colour for separating panels and deep joints.
- Colours for lenses, goggles and other small glass-like details.
- A colour for explosives, ornaments and secondary accessories.
- A brown or earth colour for scenic base elements.
- A final highlight or neutral colour that can be mixed into existing paints for sharper edges.
Keep the ten-colour core together in a wet palette if you use one. Mix a lighter version of an existing colour for highlights instead of buying a new pot for every step. Games Workshop says Contrast paints “work wonders” on the Surprise model; they are particularly useful when you want a fast colour-and-shade stage over a bright primer. Test the opacity on a spare piece first, because a translucent coat behaves differently from a solid basecoat.
Paint in an order that protects finished areas
1. Establish the largest basecoats
Start with the broadest surfaces: the Tinboy body, major clothing and large scenic sections. Thin the paint enough to flow from the brush, but keep it opaque after two or more controlled coats rather than applying one thick coat. Let each layer dry before touching it with another colour. Painting the large shapes first gives you a visual map and makes later corrections smaller.
2. Block in mechanical areas and clothing
Move from the body’s main metal areas to red cloth and bright trim. Keep the brush pointed toward the centre of the area you are filling, away from an already finished edge. If a basecoat spills, wait until it is dry and repair the neighbouring colour with a thin coat; trying to wipe wet paint from a textured surface usually spreads the mistake.
3. Add skin and face details
Paint Da Red Gobbo’s skin only after the surrounding cloth is stable. A fine brush with a small amount of paint is easier to control around the face, ears and hands. Work in short strokes, rotate the subassembly rather than twisting your wrist, and leave the deepest recesses dark enough to define the sculpt.
4. Shade recesses
Apply a shade or Contrast layer selectively to panel lines, folds, joints and other recessed areas. A controlled application is safer than flooding an entire figure: excess liquid can pool on flat surfaces and leave a tide mark. If you use Contrast as an overall colour, keep the coat even and allow it to dry without repeatedly brushing the same area.
5. Paint lenses and goggles
Handle lenses as small graphic shapes. First establish a dark outline or backing, then place the main lens colour inside it. A tiny light dot can suggest reflected light, but it should be added only after the surrounding paint is completely dry. If the two lenses differ, correct them by matching their outer edges before adding highlights.
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6. Pick out explosives, ornaments and accessories
Small festive objects read best when their colours are clearly separated from the nearby red and metal. Paint the largest face of each accessory first, then its straps, fuse, trim or highlight. Tweezers are useful for holding a loose part while the brush reaches its underside, but do not grip a surface that has not cured.
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Mix a lighter version of your red and run it along the upper folds and sharp cloth edges. Use a lighter metallic on exposed corners, rivets and selected mechanical ridges. Edge highlights should be narrow and intentional; leaving some shaded transitions untouched prevents the model from looking uniformly outlined.
8. Correct before basing
Turn each subassembly under the lamp and inspect it from the angle at which it will stand. Repair stray paint on boots, snowy surfaces, chimney rims and contact points before you commit to the base. This is the last easy moment to handle the Gobbo without risking a finished scenic effect.
Paint the scenic base and reunite the model
Paint the base after the figure’s major colours are complete. Earth, stone, snow and mechanical debris need different visual values from the character, otherwise the silhouette disappears. Apply texture paint or a snow product only after the underlying basecoat is dry. Keep snow away from joints that must receive glue and from any surface that should remain a clean contact point.
When all parts are cured, test-fit the subassemblies one final time. Glue the Gobbo, chimney and accessories only where the fit is confirmed. If a component can remain removable without weakening the model, retaining that option makes future repairs and repainting easier.
Choose between a fast and a layered finish
| Priority | Ten-colour/Contrast route | Classic layered route |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Use the official ten-paint constraint and let Contrast provide colour and shading in one controlled stage. | Build colour through separate basecoat, shade and highlight passes, allowing each layer to dry. |
| Brush access | Keep the Gobbo and obstructive scenery separate until the quick detail work is finished. | Use the same subassemblies, but take extra time to reach edges and recesses with fine highlights. |
| Finish | Produces a bright, coherent tabletop result quickly; add only the most visible highlights. | Produces sharper edge definition and smoother transitions through additional thin layers. |
| Budget | Uses the ten-colour core, basic brushes and primer, with effects optional. | Uses the same core materials, while extra shades, texture, snow and specialty brushes increase the setup. |
Neither route changes the assembly fundamentals. A carefully cleaned seam and accessible subassembly matter more than whether the final colour came from Contrast or several conventional layers.
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Common problems and practical fixes
Paint cannot reach a boot or chimney edge
Stop before forcing the brush into the gap. If the kit permits it, separate the Gobbo from the chimney or remove the scenic element, finish the detail, then glue it back. This is the exact access advantage Games Workshop highlights for the Surprise model.
Basecoat looks streaky
Let the first coat dry, then apply another thin coat in a slightly different direction. Thick paint hides detail and creates ridges; several controlled coats produce a flatter finish.
Metallic paint looks grainy
Stir the paint thoroughly, use a clean brush and avoid overworking a partially dry layer. Metallic particles settle quickly, so remix between sections and keep the coat thin around rivets and panel lines.
Plastic cement softened a visible detail
Leave the area untouched until fully cured. Do not scrape softened plastic while it is still flexible. Once hard, remove only the damaged ridge that prevents a clean fit; if the sculpt has been significantly altered, let the primer and shading provide definition rather than trying to rebuild it with a thick layer of paint.
Snow or texture obscures the base
Apply scenic effects in small amounts and keep the figure’s feet and final contact points clear. If an effect has already dried too high, carefully remove the excess before final assembly rather than burying the problem under more snow.
Details look messy at normal viewing distance
Prioritise silhouette, colour separation and the largest highlights. Tiny corrections are worthwhile only when they improve a feature that can actually be seen; a clean red coat and readable goggles contribute more than dozens of microscopic marks.
Protect the finished miniature
Allow the final paint and scenic effects to cure before applying varnish. A suitable varnish protects the surfaces from handling, but test it on a spare painted piece first because the sheen changes the appearance of reds, metals and snow. A matte finish reduces shine on cloth and scenery; a glossier spot can be reserved for lenses if that matches your intended look.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchStore the model so that the Gobbo’s hat, chimney ornaments and other projecting parts do not bear the weight of another miniature. If you kept any subassembly removable, wrap each piece separately and avoid rubbing the painted contact points.
Quick Recap
Beginner checklist
- Confirm whether you own Tinboy or the 2023 Surprise variant.
- Match every part to the diagram before cutting.
- Clean gates and mould lines, then dry-fit all joints.
- Keep the Gobbo and chimney separate wherever access improves.
- Use plastic cement on plastic parts and let every joint cure fully.
- Prime evenly; White Scar is the documented bright undercoat for Surprise.
- Start with broad basecoats, then shade, details and edge highlights.
- Use the ten-colour Citadel setup as a limit, not a barrier to later refinement.
- Paint snow and texture after the character colours, keeping glue points clear.
- Inspect, reunite and varnish only after every painted surface is cured.
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