Hi all - my first post over here, after stumbling across your site last Summer (actually, I strayed in through that door from the alley, after following one of Mr. Ruesser's posts over on MiG). I'd like to post my vignette - originally intended to be a backdrop for Trumpeter's 1:16th scale half track with quad .50 cals.
At some point in the process I became more focused on the building and the stuff - and well, here I am. While having built models as a kid and then the one off here and there when I was in the service, I started back up with a vengence in about 2003. My focus before this was all 1:35th armor - but as I started to try my hand at scratching, and seeing all of the non-traditional stuff guys do now, I've strayed from the path. This site continually blows my mind - and one of the things I am always impressed by is the discussion and comments are always pushing folks to the next level. Soooo, I'd like to start with a couple of shots of where this started about 18 months ago - and then add in some sequential sets in the days to come. i hope to wrap up in the next couple of days, but will probably dink around with it for weeks :)
More story line later - but here goes:
Started out thinking barn (something along the lines of Kelley's Heroes), but researching farm equipment wasn't as appealing (at this point), so this my first major scratch attempt. Seeing Chuck's workshop was the early view into this abyss...
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and a new shot as I move my stuff to fotki
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Please note that in retrospect, I think I managed to not follow any of the design basics for making a scene - i.e., the tenants that I've been exposed to since starting - and have possibly disproved the blind hog theory. I was pretty much wedded to the layout after casting and carving the 5 pound slab of hydro-cal that makes up the back wall. It seemed like a good idea the time. Amateur hour ::). My biggest fear at this point is trying to get it to at least one show without the whole back wall snapping off.
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An in progress shot of the interior - about two months ago...
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And some now shots - as you can tell, weathering is still a in progress event for me :P.
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The tools are a combo of Dave K's designs and some of my own (my thanks, sir, for being patient and so easy to work with). the fire extinguisher started out kinda tongue in cheek - it was a .30 cal carbine casing, that ended up with a brass data plate made by embossing wine bottle foil over an old coin.
The hardest part is shooting the entire scene - as it is a couple of feet tall - and a bit taller than my 1:35th intended set up. I may drag it all outside tomorrow if weather permits and do some daylight shots.
Thanks for looking - as I said I'll post up new and now stuff tomorrow - and would appreciate a good hard eye on things to do to improve - whether this time or for the next one (depending how far gone somethings may be...)
Paul
Hey Paul!
Great to see you post this here. I really enjoyed watching this come together over on MIG....never mind that I thought you were nuts. ;) ;D
I think my comments/concerns would lie in some of the small issues:
Comparing how beutifully the figure is painted, and that you kept it in a nice flat/matte finish (which is where so many figure painters fail)...the shiny finish on the coblestones and the bricks in the loft really stand out and bother me. Bricks in this case would likely be completely matte, and the cobbles may have some sheen at a high pint of wear or so, but would likely be much duller...not necess dead flat..but almost lusterless (I am though assuming since this is still inprogress that there is still some dust and dirt to follow that will matt them).
From an architectural standpoint the timbers and joinery are off...I think at this scale that is something that you may want to represent, as it is quite visible. I can help some with this if you want, but our resident 1:1 scale master estate builder here, Nick Ogden (shropshire lad) is the true expert.
The other architectural part that stands out is the window....IMO the sticking is too heavy, and the sill construction is off.
I do like your "rough cast" style plaster texture above the bricks in the loft.
Look forward to seeing more of this as well as some of your other builds.
Marc
I think your modeling is very good and, with input from the guys on this group, you have the potential to become really outstanding. Marc and others always make excellent modeling suggestions and, as you know, Marc's "nitpicks" are worth your attention. I have learned a lot from them (despite the devastating and scarring humiliation that has left me a mere shell of a man).
I'm the Resident Photographer and Forum Honcho so let me make a couple of suggestions about presentation:
First, don't use flash. Instead, put your camera on a tripod, set up some indoor lighting with table lamps, shop lights, even fluorescents ... or go outside with the diorama ... and fire away. The flash really threw off the overall effect of your exterior stonework, for example.
Second, if you have the original photos of the Fotki links, you're better off uploading them here. From time to time Fotki links change and those coming to the thread late are left scratching their heads when they get a "404 error" message. Some of those Fotki images are pretty good and it would be a shame were we to lose them.
You should fit rather well with us loonies.
Russ
I can understand part of the above criticism due to the fact that it´s such a large scale diorama. However I believe this will make a great model and the drill press is a masterpiece!
Anders ;D
And we're off to the races ;D
This is exactly the kind of input I'm looking for - and I'll incorporate wherever possible - and have pre-ordered six sessions of feel good time with a local Shaman/Herbalist/Macrame Diva and all around Psychic regenerator at a Hot Bath Kelp Therapy Spa to nurture my fragile ego (hey - I'm in Oregon - it's what the 19% of us without Medical MJ cards do ::)). I'm pretty far down the path on some of these bits (though I'm intrigued by doing a tear down of the post and beam... hmmm), and may punch through to the end and get ready for my next one. (Speaking of which - you guys may have already seen this: http://www.mattkierstead.com/royal-mills/machine-shop-interiors
I'm hoping to build one of the fire pumps next).
The good news is that the floor and back wall are finally matte - even my wife was put off by it for months - but I've finally managed to knock down the Future seal coat with a heavy round of Gunze H20 (that's "aich twenty" - not "aich two-oh" as i understand it - my favorite matte coat) mixed with a dab of Khaki Brown.
Lighting - will heed and obey... I actually have a three light set up in a closet - and it is almost a third too short to get the dio into for shooting. Direct posting? Who knew - I'll sort that out today. I've also had some real battles with white balance - likely user error, but I've learned that the coolpix 5400 may not be the optimal box for macro needs. Off to watch some FA cup, and then back for those outdoor pictures. I really wish I'd found this place at the beginning third of the project ;D.
My thanks! Paul
Hi Paul ,
It is good to have you join our little gathering , and it is especially pleasing to see another non-railroading type contributing to the depth of knowledge that has built up here over the years . Hopefully you'll stick around , even after all the " constructive criticism" you get given !
As Marc mentioned my name in his post I thought I had better pipe up . Firstly , I am no expert in anything ,especially building , but I do think I have a bit of an eye as to what looks right , or not, be it in real life or a model .
One thing I have come to realise over the last few years is that each area or discipline of modelling has their strengths and weaknesses , for instance , most railway modellers are rubbish at figure painting and getting realistic finishes on their vehicles whereas they are significantly ahead when it comes to buildings and scenery .Military modellers are light years ahead of railway modellers when it comes to weathering and aging vehicles , be they military or civilian , but tend to fall down when it comes to making their buildings look right .
It's funny , they may spend hours agonising over whether a certain tank produced on a certain day in 1943 had square headed or hexagonal bolts on the underside of the trackguards , which will never be seen , but then bang together some rough and ready looking building that is full of mistakes . We all do the same sort of thing , except Marc and Chuck of course, in our own area of modelling .
Before I go any further , I just want to say that your GI and halftrack look superb , especially as they are in such a large scale where the quality of the finish has to be even better than that of smaller scales. I know that I couldn't do a decent job on something that large . Good job . However, I have to agree with Marc on his comments on the building . And add a few more .
To me , the scene is let down by two main things , the floor and the stone wall . Whilst I am not particularly familiar with large areas of European architecture so it is quite possible that there are prototypes for the cobbles you made but they don't look like any I have seen . To me they are more than twice as long as the ought to be and too smooth . I don't find the colours convincing either .In this scale you should have made each cobble individually out of plaster and laid them one at a time . Still , all is not lost . I have the answer . Concrete over the whole lot .A bit drastic I know , but if it were mine I would have to do something like that . Somewhere on this site is a discussion and experiment by Marc, on different concrete finishes . If you can find it you might think that my suggestion could be worth considering .
Now the stone wall . I know you spent along time creating it , but to me there are a number of things on it I wouldn't do . Whether there is prototypical evidence or not . The first thing is that I don't like is the oblong blocks that are laid vertically .I know there are plenty of buildings built like this , and there are a few railway kit manufacturers that make their stone walls look like this , but to me it just looks wrong . In the real world it would compromise the strength of the wall . Am I right in thinking that we are looking at the inside of the wall ? If so ,the quality of the stone work would not be as good , especially as it was plastered and not meant to be seem . The builders would not have wasted time and money on producing nicely squared stone blocks only to cover them up . They would have used rubble stone or brickwork and had cut stone or brick corners .
Some sort of lintel over the window wouldn't go amiss !
Finally , the colour of the stonework looks a bit like an explosion in a paint factory . Again , whilst there are prototypes of stone walls having different coloured stones it is more usual for the stones to be roughly the same colour . If you think about it , it is more than likely that the stone would have all come from the same quarry so would be of a similar colour , BUT there is every chance that there would be different colours within each stone . Therefore , what you could have done is make all the stones the same colour and made the overall wall more interesting by subtly adding extra colours to each stone ,for instance , as a pin wash .Have a look at www.nebrownstone.com , I think you might find some useful information there . And they produce the best looking commercial stonewalls available .
Hopefully you are still with us and haven't gone off and topped yourself , as these comments are not meant to be hurtful but you did raise your head over the parapet and ask.
As for Russ's present state. That is purely down to oggling pretty thong bikini clad beauties on the beach .Nothing to do with Marc saying that his modelling sucks !
Nick
Boy...that is the most I have seen Nick write in a long time....must be a slow day out on the estate.
Paul; I have a book on the construction of French (sorry as close as I could get to Belgium...who can't agree on what nationality they want to be anyway ;D) farm and rural buildings. I will see if I can find anything of use for you there and scan and post it. (Note; I am not suggesting, or expecting, you to change anything...this is all just FYI.....it's how stuff 'rolls' around here ;D. We just keep putting out info till you finally feel beaten down, and badgered into it. It's all good :) ;D....besides figure this as pay-back for living in the stste that foisted Starbucks on everyone. ;D ;D ;D)
I hate to admit it, but I do think Nicks approach to the laying individual cobbles for the floor is a good one...you need to be careful about Nick though...he's a bit nutters when it comes to "individual" pieces...this is the guy that used several thousand 1/35 scale bricks to build a shed on his diorama ::) ;D.
Something else came to mind about the floor being cobblestone.....depending on what type of structure this originally was, there is a good chance that the floors would be brick, or brick pavers, rather than cobbles. Figuring that the majority of these structures had basements/cellars below. ...also if this were one a barn or stable building, the floor could have been wood.....they used to do this so that the efluence from the animals could be washed down between the boards into a pit below....somewhere I have pics I took in Switzerland of an old barn and farmhouse.......anyhoo, just some more thoughts ;D ;).
Marc
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Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
;D No... really... I'll be fine - sniff.
Marc,
I don't know about you , but I think he took it pretty well .
It took me about an hour and a half to type that last night . I was knackered at the end .
Nick
The comments are as great and informative as Paul's project is nice, with this beautiful drill press to start with.
Marc, simple curiosity, what's this book you have about French buildings? There used to be a great collection called Architecture de France and I have one of them but they have become either unfindable or terribly expensive. I would have bought more then if I had known how my interest were to evolve.
I think you're going to need a bigger bottle!
Welcome Paul! I have considered a large scale shop in the past, so it will be fun to see this come together. Sounds like some good advice so far. I wouldn't know where to start an a French building. Thanks for that link, some nice pics there.
Hope you keep hanging out!
Chuck
Welcome Paul.
QuoteAs for Russ's present state. That is purely down to oggling pretty thong bikini clad beauties on the beach .Nothing to do with Marc saying that his modelling sucks !
He is not coming further than Ken's new topic about the 1/2 " scale figure. ;D ;) ;D
I do agree with Marc and Nick. In such a large scale is is possible to paint stones and bricks in such a way that brush marks are not visible.
This is becoming a very nice vignette.
Jacq
I knew I should have used Legos...
First - my thanks to you all for the thoughtful, and sharp eyed comments. This was truly a case of in with both feet, almost everything tried here was a first time go - and I'm really looking forward to the next effort, as I've learned so much after the fact ;D ::)
As for the comments - great stuff on all counts - the down side is that it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to take off the loft and support beams without tearing everything up pretty badly >:(
I'll add in the newer pictures below - and to introduce them some explanations to the materials used - and how I got here from there.
Arched wall - made from pink insulting foam, and hand carved - the arch was built up with hydro-cal and hand worked in an effort to look like stone. I then gesso'd and spackled over my first efforts at carving the pink :).
Interior flooring... consisted of some big old sheets of pre-made Plastruct(?) to the best of my memory intended for really large scale railroading (intended for walls and abutments from what I have since seen). It won't happen again :). I started out casting concrete panels (as with the entry way) in hydro-cal, and thought they would look too modern. I really like the idea of cobbles or stone as replacements - and will noodle on that for a bit. Without getting the wall painting fixed (problematic with the woodwork hermetically sealed in just last week) - that may be more good effort after bad? I'm now sorting out the decision point to finish this one up and take the end of semester grade... or really tear back into it.
Nick, after seeing the rock wall site as linked above - I've called in sick this week to redo the 1:1 scale version next to my driveway ;D. Truly awesome product, and some dark little part of my brain wants to challenge their assertion that "you can't do it better yourself". It is a blisteringly good example of what you were saying on starting out with a solid color.. it looks like the real thing. I'm afraid to show you what I came up with for the street pavers on the exterior. The comments on the upright blocks are spot on - and I agree with you that while I too have seen this in "real life", looking at them here doesn't sell. To your other point, it was indeed supposed to be an exterior wall that has now become an interior space with a later add on. Lintel... damn you, man!! :o ;D
Oh - so for over all scenic context... this is meant to represent a point in time in the first couple of days the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). The area around St.Vith, specifically - which, per Marc's call out, was actually an area of about 50,000 German speaking Belgians. Most of the inhabitants were evacuated as the Germans retreated, and most of the few remaining were moved West when the Americans set up shop in October. St Vith, as I understand it was likely locked up and I would assume that most things like good tools, spare parts and any thing resembling useful by the Wehrmacht extricated. I've tried to show this as a largely intact location - with the aging, home upgraded drill press left behind. I was going to have some spare tires up in the loft - but there really wasn't such a thing by this stage of the war (I may take a couple of old 1:16th rubber ones and run all of the tread off of them). As I tried to fit the cardboard mock ups of the large doors - they would have obscured either the interior, or the halftrack - so I'm working on the premise that they were carted of to make bunker/barrier materiel (work with me here). The halftrack is pulled in for a bit of shelter and warmth during a lull... the pot belly stove may be my one bit of trickery, as it contains a small flickering light and looks the biz in complete darkness.
While the inhabitants left the town intact expecting to return after the war, the town was obliterated by the USAAF once the Americans withdrew and the Germans moved in. My building is loosely based on some shots of nearby villages and some of the few pre-war shots I could find online.
Marc - you wouldn't happen to have a book on Belgian Electrical fittings of the 1930s would you? :D
A couple more shots...
Here we have the terrible floor seam needing repair (i may go with planking after all...)and the pot belly stove. made from a kid's novlety mug and an old Barbie crown.
Weather didn't cooperate so these are shot with the only two mobile lights out of my light box - sorry!
An old Barbie crown? Now, this is great ingenuity.
If you do the concrete floor thing as Nick suggests - try this technique http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?t=4585&start=25 - scroll down the page.
A quick snap of the decided upon solution... I'm going with some fairly large cobbles, made of Magi-Scuplt rolled out - the gravel is for surface and edge texturing. This is one of two batches currently drying, and once set, I'll break them apart and tumble them lightly with some sand and light gravel (somewhere I saw a homemade tumbler using a coffee can and a hand drill ::)). I'm going to attempt to paint them in the manner show on the stone wall site as Nick linked above... more to follow.
Oh - and I'll assign blame for this madness later ;D
Insanity is much more fun when it's a group effort :/
And it can go far beyond what everyone expected...
I have a knife like that one - found it in some long grass behind the house one day. Affectionately known as the blade of doom. Have had to hide it under the bed to stop my son from finding it and slashing himself accidently (he has this reputation you see).
Nice cobbles by the way!
So the new floor... I'm looking at a base coating in variations of a warm medium grey. When that is dry, the plan is brushing in hydrocal or plaster powder mixed with some darker pigments - and then misting to get some of the seams filled and more natural looking. Any better ideas that nayone can come up with before before tomorrow evening's bench time would be appreciated :)
That's an old plastic handled steak knife... snagged from the camping spares box it just looks ominous ;D
Have a look at this floor...note the broken/irregular pieces and randomization. Note also the worn soft/warm feel. Note how none of the adjacent edges/corners stick up..
Marc
A bit more on Flooring:
M
M
Materials....
M
And other stuff....
M
M
M
M
M
Mind you none of the above are absolutes....things always varied depending or region, builder preference, site conditions, quality of construction (wealth of building owner), function/type of structure etc.
M
Marc, Great library!
I thought the new floor looked similar to this street scene photo.
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I also remember at Daley Barrack (Bad Kissingen) there were these beautiful intersecting sweeping arches
in the motor pool made from local quarried pavers I suppose.
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Philip
Magnifique! Marc, What a great collection... let me know if there is a "sticky" point for stuff like this - I'll post some of my stuff and some of the references that I've found on the net as well here. I've got a bunch of Italian buildings and some rail stations as well - mostly smaller ones, IIRC. I also have some of the great span designed by Eifel in the same area as my farm pics below.
I especially dig the "how to make a cellar"... let's see, we'll have Klaus and Herbert dig that out by hand as we don't want them laying around all Spring...
Good catch on the high points/edges. I was looking at them now in place and worrying about the seams - but that wouldn't fix the high edges (I especially want to avoid looking like tiles). I'll be dremel-ing off those high corners and edges this evening... they are a result of my high tech A+B putty cutting process. In the future I would add an extra step:
1. Roll out the putty
2. Lay out on wax paper
3. Cut to size - at this point the edges corners lift as they stick to the blade and didn't flatten back down
4. Cover with wax paper and flip over - this is the missing step, as your "tiles" will be now be slightly mounded (worn edges and corners)
5. Then Add texture and irregularities
Thank you! More pics to follow...
Okay - first some shots of the Central Massif of France... just a hodge podge of decent wall shots (some of the better ones feature my kids, who don't get posted on the web ;))
We stayed with a terrific family in their restored 1862 farmhouse. Most of the houses within this small village were like this. The three story section was the home attached to the two story barn... while theirs was not a functioning farm house - the one immediately across the road was - with tractors and livestock still housed adjacent to the family quarters.
Also some misc shots from nearby St Flour and the area...
(Note - photo follies - a couple of these appear to be just a bit larger than 200 KB - so I'll have to edit/add from my other computer later).
St Vith 1900's shots from the town's modern day website and one of a building in nearby Stavelot from a GI's photo album.
Bunch of great new pics guys. Much fun.
Philip; Good find. I agree that Pauls floor matches that very well. Personally I was just feeling that this is not something that would be too common on the interior of a structure, and for the space he was using it in, it seemed a bit ridgid, and staid...especially with the already more regular shaped wall blocks.....that's why I was angling for some broken and irregular pieces. ;)
Paul; Nice structure photos. Sounds like a fun trip. The top image is what I believe is broadly termed a "longhouse" or "telescoping house" plan, this type of plan/massing were common in areas of rural France (and parts of England, such as the Cotswolds...and even in Spain, and Italy); it stemmed basically from subsequent additions to and original structure, either as the wealth of the farmer grew, his family grew, livestock increased, or by subsequent owners. (Just looking at this, my guess would be that in the top photo the right hand/lower structure was likely the first one...with livestock below, and living quarters above....then at some point the two story attached "residence" was added (note the difference in masonry size/shape construction on the two, and the slight change/interweaving in the stone in the wall where the two meet). The open floating doorway (probably the entry to thr original living quarters), likely at some point had stone steps that led up from the grade (small window under it would have been a later addition) ....but all just a guess from looking at the photo.)
Marc
Grumble... one of those 45 minute posting efforts gone south, so I'll now go with the reader's Digest version:
Thanks Marc and Philip... I'll respond with a more thoughtfull follow up once I'm done pouting >:( (the first one was Pulitzer ready - really ;D), and not trying to race out the door for dinner.
Cobbles with base paint of Tamiya Dark Yellow, Dark Grey and a touch of Khaki Brown over a light sponging of Olive Drab. Here you can see the need for a grouting... I was going to use a mix of pigments and hydrocal brushed into the voids and activated using an water spritzer. Some local friends think it won't be robust enough, and have suggested a gel medium wash - but I'm afraid I wont be able to get it off of the cobbles... and ideas are welcome, and I'll be doing some experimenting late tonight.
Second concern is wheather to use a Future coat after the problems I had getting the last floor to go flat - but I really think that oils are the way to bring out the depth and texture in the stones. I know some of you guys forego the Future coat - again, any ideas are welcome.
Again thank you and I'll tune up my reply when I get back this evening.
I am using casting plaster for bricks on my buildings and cement oxides for colouring. I use two coats of spray matte varnish out of a pressure tin to seal them completely before adding grout. That way, the grout does not stain the surface. The downside is that the varnish and the grout repel each other and air bubbles need to be filled later with small applications of grout or dirt. If you make each batch of grout slightly different in colour, you get that random unevenness that I think makes it look more prototypical. Adding oils, dirt and detritus later will only add to the lived-in look these places had in real life.
Paul --
Another grouting option -- Liquitex ceramic stucco medium -- it's gritty and can be colored to any desired shade with acrylic paints. And you can clean up the stone surfaces with a wet brush/cloth/whatever (before it's fully set). Think I used a sponge along the way in the clean-up ... damp sponge, initial pass, rinse sponge, repeat ... not sure ... I'm getting older and I forget things! ;D
The stuff is available at Michaels or art stores -- look for it alongside the acrylic paints. It comes in a little screw-top tub. AND ... most importantly ... if you do decide to try that, try it on some scrap cobbles first to see if it's what you want!
I used it on the stone floor of my garage, which has rather shallow mortar lines and it worked well for me. My floor still needs dirt, grime, etc, but you can catch a glimpse of it with the mortar done here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=876.msg14165#msg14165
I like the two tomatoes and the cantaloupe! ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Okay - settled in for intelligent response (or as close as I can get with that Oblelisk/Ape man thing going on in my head).
Marc - to your comment:
Quote from: marc_reusser on February 25, 2011, 01:42:29 PM
I was just feeling that this is not something that would be too common on the interior of a structure, and for the space he was using it in, it seemed a bit ridgid, and staid...especially with the already more regular shaped wall blocks.....that's why I was angling for some broken and irregular pieces.
Agreed... somewhere in my evolution of the idea to now, the area being modeled was to have represented an outside area that ended up becoming covered and then enclosed as the building/operation expanded. Unfortunately, the exterior wall and especially the doorway that I ended up with made my recent addition idea a little clunky - at this point the cobbles are more about providing a better look than the store bought sheeting - and trying out something a little more natural looking. If I was starting from scratch, I'd think knowing what I know now, I'd have gone with a combo of poured concrete (in the areas that a vehicle would have pulled into) and aged planking along the lines of your earlier barn comments. I very much like the yard picture you added - and can see that cropping up in the future - especially now that I can make stones and the like ;D
Philip - I think I missed Bad Kissingen... but have always loved those old school Kasernes... Graf, Hoenfehls, Bad Tolz, and Wildflikken was a favorite :P Some of of those places had housed regiments over centuries, and had some amazing architecture.
Art - I've not tried sealing with a matte before,,, interesting. I'll take a look at the cement oxides... is this something that comes in 40 kilo bag? ;D
Dallas - I swear that "Liquitex ceramic stucco medium" sounds super familiar... I'm going to check the garage - as I'm almost sure that I've used it before - possibly for something that it was actually intended for.
Tomatoes and Cantaloupe, eh... yeah the Divisional Trains just got in a shipment from Imperial Valley ::). I'll get started on that repainting job... ;D
Thanks all... sounds like a potential trip to Michael's in the AM...
The cement oxides I am using are available at the local discount hardware stores in Australia in small plastic bottles ranging in weight from 225g to around 300g (the cement oxides vary in density depending on colour). The price varies according to the colour as well - browns and black being cheap, blue being really expensive. The casting plaster comes in a 20kg bag over here (as does cement and mortar as it has something to do with WH&S and insurance etc). So far I have created nearly 10,000 bricks and used about 25% of the plaster and three bottles of oxide out of the eight colours I originally purchased. So the first building cost me around $94 for materials including the silicone moulds, plaster, oxides, styrene for the brick masters, etc but the following buildings are almost free (only the address stickers I use for brick templates). Of course, any sane modeller would have used faster methods such as scribed foamcore etc, but I love self-flagellation!!! BTW - I am working in 1:24.
Okay - a couple of real quick shots (and not real good) of two experiments:
First, ran aground with my efforts using the liquitex stucco... while the small test was okay - I rushed ahead (with some acrylic colors now mixed in). When i went to sponge off the high/surface areas the grit took down the earlier sealed base coats (well, Duh ::)). causing some repainting, resealing with future, some intitial washes, and a quick dull coat. I will want to do some additional selective washes and then dust in/over with pigments, but hopefully you get the picture. Not delighted, and will sit back and think on it for a day or two.
Second, picked up some Ranger line "picket fence" - tossed it on a door that was an early item on the project made from coffee stir sticks and popsicle bones. If used it would have needed nails - but ended up on the idea editor's floor. It had a green paint job over some light grey weathering. I've got to say, the crackle stuff is as easy to use as everyone has said. I can see using this in the future in 35th scale even, especially if you can get the small crackling this easy... another great tip learned here.
In both cases the work, to my eye, needs toning down and cleaning up; crispness and subtlety. It reminds me of the way a model looks when Marc or Virgil or one of the guys applies shading but hasn't yet put on the finish coat. That's a good thing because it means you can fix it pretty easily. -- Russ
Sorry for the late reply.. I use for filling gaps between cobble stones seeved sand and for the smaller scales dust. After applying it I wet it with water + dishwashing liquid, after which I glue it with a mix of water, carpenter glue an dish washing liquid ( thin as milk) very little to no effect on surface or colours.
Jacq
Thank you guys - the tuning continues... fortunately it looks a touch better in real life
Russ - one of the toughest lessons I am slowly learning about working in this scale is that there are no real short cuts. In looking at what needs to be done - to your point - I'm having to try and dedicate the level of care that I would in 1:35th scale, and it will require a lot more work. Each of these cobbles is roughly the size of your thumbnail. If I was building a Sherman, that is about the size of a crew hatch cover - which would need to be addressed as an individual event - the same is true I'm discovering with the cobbles... for them to look good, I'm going to have to work my way through them with the same intentful process (admittedly a little quicker ;D), or have them come off half assed. (The door will end up in the parts drawer on the odd chance it can be cycled into a future jumbo event - it was just a chance for me to try the magic crackle sauce ::))
Jacq - dishwashing liquid :o ??? I never would have gone that way... I've still got some gaps to fill so may give it a go with some pigments. The liquitex idea actually wasn't a bad route - my execution wasn't well thought out. It would be better to apply selectively instead of like traditional grout - actual ceramics wouldn't have been as roughed up as the paint job over the Magi-Sculpt was.
Love this forum.
Okay - sorry have been silent and busy, but here are some quick happy snaps of the project as I approach the finish line... rushed around Friday to get as much as i could done for a nearby (Vancouver - the small one across the Columbia - not the Tim Horton's version) Saturday local show.
Things to finish include casting the short belts of .50 cal ammo (turned on the dremel :) ) for the feed trays, some metal shavings to clutter the base of the camelback drill, the address sign on the outer wall, and the wiring on the .50 cal solenoids.
I've intentionally put in an under exposed shot - to show late afternoon/dusk look that I want to evoke with this. I'm going to work on some bare trees with some nondescript roofline to break up the outer back ground, and go for a very bleak feel. ideas welcome ;D
You can see the outer ground work - this will all need to get some Future and some wet effect to show that it was wet and miserable on the 17-18 of December. I may go as far as slush and some snow in the meets between the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the exterior. The area under the half track will receive some wet as well, along with some dropped mud and puddling inside the building under the wheel wells. Thanks for the push on the interior floor guys - I'm really much happier with the results. Again, I can't claim the credit for the figure - but am blown away at what a good job Jon did on it - and how much it makes the whole thing pop when you can see the entire vignette. I have yet to shoot shots with the entire layout ::)
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That looks so good.....brilliant! :o Are you using Alclad Laquers for the metal work? I just ordered some and it seems you will be able to get a finish instantly without the flaky stuff that comes with most other brands and need extra work to get rid of for a decent finish.
If you are not using these how did you paint the oil cans etc. on page I. ? ???
Anders ;D
Hi Anders - thanks so much... I'm much happier now than when I first posted here. WHile I'm not delighted with the back wall - it's time to move onto the next project :)
Okay - for metal - whenever possible, I use... wait for it... metal :o
1) Behind the window in my first go at copying Chuck's shadow box (I'll be trying this out again - as it is one of my favorite things to play with - next I really want to work at a little forced perspective), I made the cans out of wine bottle foil, first folding over each end to make a rim, then embossing in ridges and then carefully wrapping around an Xacto handle or other item of appropriate diameter. The ones on the shelves are only 3/4 (270 degrees) as an effort to make the space look deeper than it is. I should do an SBS - as it is much easier to do than type it out ;D
2) The fire extinguisher is made from an expended .30 caliber carbine (M-1) brass casing, with the traditional "how to operate" brass plaque seen on old units dummied up by embossing bronze colored wine bottle foil over an old moroccon coin (give it a bit of detail without being legible - future best choice would be to have Dave do it - or design a photo etch).
3) Blow torch is actually Game's Workshop or Vallejo Bronze airbrushed and slightly thinned - probably with a wash of copper over the Future coat.
4) Less successful - but I'm still working on it - is trying to get a galvanized surface. The trash can is a weak version of this - but I've had some intitial success with using big rattle spray cans - cheap silver flake sprayed over white primer... you have to play with it a bit, but I just sat outside in the hot sun and worked at getting it to hit as it dried while spraying (does this make sense?). The underside of my pie plate corrugated roofing (will take picture) was my testing ground.
In short I've not used the AlClad yet - but have a friend that swears by it and kicks ass in shows with his metal work. Looking forward to exploiting your efforts ;D
You should be happy. A substantial improvement. -- Russ
The photos look great. I love the "heft" you can get with the larger scales, despite the need to approach each little detail as a mini-project.
Thanks for all that information Paul! Will be back with a short report on the Alclad Laquers as soon as I get them, I´m sure they are great as your friend swears by them.
Anders ;D
Looking good ... and, for what it's worth, the photos with the white or light gray card background are a lot easier to look at than the ones with the deep blue card ... that seems like a distraction that probably throws off the perception of other colors on the actual model. Lot of cool stuff here ... have to come back again for a closer look. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
I really love the look of the soldier. The way you suggest he may not have shaved himself this morning is great.