It's been a while since my last update, but I started painting. This is just the first tarnish over a whitish/silver base. I'll be drybrushing the highlights back in soon after this dries a bit.
Here are some pics of the finished paint job and assembly with the base and clear acrylic rod. The pics have both flash and flash off--I couldn't decide which way was better. I also took a pic of the head rotated slightly for character. Next I'll be focusing on the glowing eyes.
New update. Lights behind the eyes--blue and white LEDs. Looks like I'll need to back under the skull so light doesn't escape. I'll probably use black jersey material or black foam.