Ever evolvin dio. ft. 'THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TREE' as ft. on youtube.

[Badder]

With the rust added....

 

TFL

Badder

 

Since posting this pic I had a think and realised that the top wire is taught, while the lower wires are sagging. As the posts are splayed apart in places I thought the top wire might have snapped at these points. So I've cut the top wire and the farmer has once again 'tangled away the loose ends'. The fence is looking well broken now, but in a more realistic way.

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

I'm pleased with the fence now.

I still have to add the grass to the base of the posts, and the barbs. I will be doing this tomorrow.

FYI, The white patch to the right is where the 'cattle wade' will go, hence the gap in the fence. I will be making the wade using putty. It will be imprinted with hoof prints but these will have dried hard in the summer sun.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Cadman]

Fence looks brilliant. As with so much else, the more you put into any given job, the more you get out of it.

This entire thread is a treasure trove of tips, techniques and other useful info.

From personal experience, I know how time consuming it can be by the time you take the photos, post them up, and also write meaningful (and interesting) text to go along with the images.

That just makes this thread all the more remarkable.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Cadman

[Badder]

15 minutes ago, Cadman said:

Fence looks brilliant. As with so much else, the more you put into any given job, the more you get out of it.

This entire thread is a treasure trove of tips, techniques and other useful info.

From personal experience, I know how time consuming it can be by the time you take the photos, post them up, and also write meaningful (and interesting) text to go along with the images.

That just makes this thread all the more remarkable.

 

 

Thanks H,

Firstly for your appreciation of the fence - which COULD easily have turned out mediocre. I mean it's just a few posts and a bit of thread after all. But I wanted it to look right so spent a bit of time on the wiring. Hopefully the barbs will look right as well.

And secondly, for calling this WIP a 'treasure trove' and 'remarkable' - although I think you may have exaggerated a bit! 

 

I knew this was going to be a very long project, so I thought it best to cover every aspect of the build rather than show 'finished sections' with no explanations of the 'how' or 'why'. Some might find a long WIP boring, but then a comprehensive WIP was likely to provide some interest to some people, some of the time, at least!

As for the time spent writing stuff up, taking photos and spending an age trying to upload them with a rubbish internet connection, that's been 'something to do' while waiting for stuff to dry, or cure, has provided a break, or has made me think more about what I'm doing.

The photos have certainly made me re-make, re-paint, or in some other way 'improve' quite a lot of things! As we all know, seeing our own work on screen is a great incentive to 'do better, either now, or next time'. I prefer to go for the 'now', if at all possible!

As I said a few posts ago. I suspect some improvements will take place when I get the leaf punches!

 

Thank you again for your kind comments and for voicing your appreciation of what I'm doing.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Cadman]

49 minutes ago, Badder said:

Thanks H,

Firstly for your appreciation of the fence - which COULD easily have turned out mediocre. I mean it's just a few posts and a bit of thread after all. But I wanted it to look right so spent a bit of time on the wiring. Hopefully the barbs will look right as well.

And secondly, for calling this WIP a 'treasure trove' and 'remarkable' - although I think you may have exaggerated a bit! 

 

I knew this was going to be a very long project, so I thought it best to cover every aspect of the build rather than show 'finished sections' with no explanations of the 'how' or 'why'. Some might find a long WIP boring, but then a comprehensive WIP was likely to provide some interest to some people, some of the time, at least!

As for the time spent writing stuff up, taking photos and spending an age trying to upload them with a rubbish internet connection, that's been 'something to do' while waiting for stuff to dry, or cure, has provided a break, or has made me think more about what I'm doing.

The photos have certainly made me re-make, re-paint, or in some other way 'improve' quite a lot of things! As we all know, seeing our own work on screen is a great incentive to 'do better, either now, or next time'. I prefer to go for the 'now', if at all possible!

As I said a few posts ago. I suspect some improvements will take place when I get the leaf punches!

 

Thank you again for your kind comments and for voicing your appreciation of what I'm doing.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Nope, no exaggeration -- the entire thread is certainly remarkable in its scope and content.

In fact, I'd say this thread is largely responsible for kicking me out of my modelling lethargy, aka -- sheer laziness, and got me thinking how I can improve a couple of older dioramas. Besides, much as I'm hooked, there's only so many episodes of Outlander that I find it possible to watch at any one time without dissolving into fits of laughter at its absurd plot.

Oh, and I need a barbed wire fence for my sadly neglected MASH dio, so I intend to shamelessly copy yours....

Edited October 30, 2017 by Cadman

[Badder]

4 hours ago, Cadman said:

In fact, I'd say this thread is largely responsible for kicking me out of my modelling lethargy,

I hadn't built a model for 30 odd years, but whenever I saw one on a shelf I thought about starting up again. Then one day I was in a craft shop with the wife who was buying artist materials and I succumbed, buying a Tamiya Tiger I mid production.... something I'd never been able to afford as a kid. It turned out merely 'okay', but I went ahead and built a street scene diorama for it anyway ... and that was basically a remake of something I'd started in my teens but gave up on. So you could say that the diorama took me 30 years to make. And then once I'd made it I realised that 'hey, we have the internet now' and I searched others work, just to have a look and compare.

 

And I was gobsmacked!

 

As a kid I worshipped Francois Verlinden's work which regularly featured across several of the centre pages in Tamiya's Annual Catalogue. I thought no one would ever match his level of skill... yet here on the internet were hundreds of modellers who not only matched him, but knocked him into a cocked hat! Then I found BM and the wonderful community that it represents, from outright beginners to 'masters', and I felt immediately that this was somewhere that would help me to learn and improve my skills.

 

And that has proved to be the case. By watching the work of the masters I have improved a fair bit; not enough as I'd like, but I'll get there one day.  

 

4 hours ago, Cadman said:

Oh, and I need a barbed wire fence for my sadly neglected MASH dio, so I intend to shamelessly copy yours....

You're completely welcome! I'd 'staple' the barbed wire to the fence posts if I were you though. It's a lot easier, and more realistic, and if you are going to make the barbs you can tie them prior to fixing the wire in place. I'm having to do mine afterwards because it was impossible to thread the knots through the holes in the posts unless I widened the holes by a stupid amount.

 

But yes, GET THAT MASH DIO FINISHED!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Edited October 30, 2017 by Badder

[Cadman]

1 hour ago, Badder said:

 

But yes, GET THAT MASH DIO FINISHED!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Yeah, well, hmmm....

I just this minute entered an order with Luckymodel in HK for yet another figure set to be included in the MASH dio.

Err, trouble is, I included several items that can't be sent by airmail....so I'm looking at a 2 to 6 month delivery time on that order....

 

Still though, that gives me plenty time to finish painting several of the figures;

 

Work out some way of depicting the Medevac plane in flight, cos it takes up far too much room on the dio base;

 

And relocate the line of refugees elsewhere on the base as well;

 

Meanwhile, I can get on with re-modelling a couple of Ancient Greek dios that I'll put up on the WIP section in a wee while.

[Badder]

T

1 hour ago, Cadman said:

 

Still though, that gives me plenty time to finish painting several of the figures;

They are nicely posed and well proportioned figures though so they should look good.

Putting the plane overhead might be an option. I always thought it a bit odd that it had flown more or less right to the tent! Yeah, I know they can taxi, but that ambulance could have fetched the patients from the landing strip, saving valuable aviation fuel and time.

 

I look forward to your Geek.. I mean Greek diorama. Wonders if it will be mythological or historical? Don't tell me, let it be a surprise!

 

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Cadman]

14 minutes ago, Badder said:

 

I look forward to your Geek.. I mean Greek diorama. Wonders if it will be mythological or historical? Don't tell me, let it be a surprise!

 

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Well, the Trojan War is generally believed to have taken place around 1,250BC, but the figures I'm using are pretty much from the Pellopennesian Wars of 431 to 404BC, so you could say that the Greek dioramas are both Historical AND Hollywood.

[Badder]

I'm in the process of adding the barbs to the fence. Unfortunately I've run out of braid, so I decided to use nylon monofilament line instead. It makes the barbs a tiny bit over-scale but not by much, I think. To make a pair of barbs I simply tied a half-knot of line around the 'wire', pulled tight, dabbed a tiny bit of thin CA on the knot and snipped off the loose ends. My scissors need sharpening btw. I may trim some shorter, placing a hard support behind the barb and then using a scalpel.

 

If someone thinks my barbs are stupidly over-scale then please say so! I am not adverse to re-wiring the entire fence if needs be!

 

Line used: 2lb breaking strain (0.22mm) Maxima Nylon Monofilament.

 

I'm also in the process of grassing the gap between the hedgerow batten and the side of the diorama. I will leave this area as grass for the time being, but will add more vegetation in the future.

As you can see I'm using a grass mat to start off with.

 

This is because the underlying plaster has no wire mesh embedded in it and if I want to grass this area I will have to make the turf 'off diorama' and then stick it on. And as anyone who has tried this will know, the results can be rather patchy. (well, for me they always have been anyway!)

So I took a section of mat and cut it so that it meets flush with the vegetation of the hedgerow. To get the straight edge along the border I simply folded the mat down over the edge and ran a thumbnail along the crease. This removed 'grass' along that line and it was a simple case of using this line as a guide for cutting. The resultant triangle of mat now covers that whole section tidily. It will be removed from the diorama, be given a coat of slightly diluted PVA and will be placed over wire mesh for grassing up.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

All of the barbs have been added.

 

In the photo below, you can see where the farmer bent the snapped wire back on itself and held it in place by spiralling it around itself.

 

 

Some need trimming further. I am going to search the wife's grooming kit for a pair of nail-clippers!

I did try the old static grass applicator to add tall grass around the fence posts, but the fence posts got in the way of the little sieve and it wasn't very successful.  So instead I'm going to make some tufts 'off the diorama' and glue the on. I'm not going to do that just yet though.

For now, this bank will be placed to one side while I finish the downstream end of the mill race.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Er..... work on the mill race has not taken place yet.

I got distracted by the 'triangle' of grass mat, and decided to carry out an experiment: to determine whether it is possible to add static grass to an area which has already been treated and has 'set'.

 

So, I coated the mat with slightly diluted PVA, placed it flat on a piece of metal gauze and used my applicator to apply a mix of short and medium, light green and dark green static grass. This will NOT match the grass under the hedgerow for the moment. Nor will it blend in along the 'join'. There WILL be a distinct difference between the two areas.

 

The grass is now drying out over a radiator. Once it has set solid I will try adding more grass.

I reckon a more dilute PVA will be needed for the second application.

 

Photos will follow in the next post to show the first and second applications.

If it all goes Pete Tong (That's rhyming slang for 'wrong' - for all you non-UK modellers) it's not going to be the end of the world.

 

TFL

Badder

 

[PlaStix]

As ever it has been a joy to catch up with your progress. I think I must have used most of my likes for today in your thread - and well deserved they are too. I'm always impressed with your innovative ways of working. 

Kind regards,

Stix

[Badder]

 

11 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

As ever it has been a joy to catch up with your progress. I think I must have used most of my likes for today in your thread - and well deserved they are too. I'm always impressed with your innovative ways of working. 

Kind regards,

Stix

Hi Stix,

I thought there was a burst water pipe above my living room and it was dripping onto my wine glass...what with all the 'plink, plink, plink' notification-sounds going on and on!

 

Thank you for all the likes.

I'm glad you have found joy!

 

I made barbed wire fences exactly the same way back in my teens, so it's been great to get the chance to make one again towards the end of my life. (I'm 52 don't you know?!)

Meanwhile this static grass stuff is still very new to me, hence the experiment.

 

A pleasure to have you popping in, catching up and commenting, as always.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

[Vince1159]

Lovely job on the wire Badder ...

[PlaStix]

39 minutes ago, Badder said:

 (I'm 52 don't you know?!)

Yeah well, that just makes you a youngster compared to some us!

[Badder]

11 minutes ago, Vince1159 said:

Lovely job on the wire Badder ...

Thanks Vince,

For once (in this thread at least) it's something that looks better in real life than in a photo!

2 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

Yeah well, that just makes you a youngster compared to some us!

Ah, but I have the body of a 90yr old!

[Badder]

So, here's the grass mat with the first lot of static grass added. It hasn't had a brushing yet so it contains a lot of unfixed grass.

It took twenty three times longer to dry than it did to make! Some of the grass is extremely long, but I will trim it back a bit before trying to add the next lot of grass.

 

But I'm calling it a day for now.

 

Thanks for looking, and for all the likes!

Good night all.

 

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[PlaStix]

44 minutes ago, Badder said:

Ah, but I have the body of a 90yr old!

Well give it him back!

 

[Badder]

3 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

Well give it him back!

 

I'll set 'em up, you knock 'em down!

[Badder]

THE EXPERIMENT....(Of course, it's probable that others have already done this, or know about it, but I myself was unsure if it could be done)

 

I woke up in the early hours....  and decided to make the most of it, spending 5 mins or so applying the second batch of grass - this time using purely Peco Scene Static Grass. This is all pretty much of the same length, about 4mm, and coloured more of a yellow-brown-green that the Woodland Scenics' Static Grass. So any long grass, or any distinctly green grass that showed after the second application would be the original grass.

 

To ensure that as much of this original grass showed through as possible, I painted the dilute PVA on with a stiff brush and then used the same brush to lift, separate and tease the first batch of grass back to the vertical before applying the second batch. Obviously not EVERY single 'blade' was lifted, and some stuck together, but enough of the grass stood upright to make it viable in its own right. That is to say, it would have dried out and been satisfactory as it was, without the second batch being added.

I then applied the new grass. I had thought that maybe the PVA would be too thin for this grass to adhere, but I worried needlessly. The thinned PVA still did its job. FYI the water:PVA mix was roughly 1:1.

 

A radiator aided the drying process.

 

As you can see, the finished item is distinctly more yellow than the original, but still has a lot of the original grass showing through.

 

So, the experiment WAS a success. I was able to increase the amount of grass per unit area and in the process change the overall colour of that area.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

I AM HOLDING FIRE ON ALL VEGETATION OTHER THAN GRASSES AS I HAVE ORDERED THE SET OF LEAF PUNCHES AND EXPECT THEM TO ARRIVE BY SNAIL-MAIL LATER IN THE WEEK.

 

After careful deliberation, these are the punches I've gone for.

 

Here's why I went for these punches rather than others:

Each punch cuts out 4 leaves of the same species, in 4 different scales. While the larger leaves are no good for 1/35th trees, they may be handy for making other plant species. If I wish to build an oak tree I should get 2 useable leaves, in the two smallest scales. (after all not every leaf on a tree is the same size) The remainder may not go to waste for the reason stated previously.

 

I've seen other punches which cut out 4 leaves of DIFFERENT SPECIES all in the same scale. This means you only get one leaf of the required species per punch, so if you want a mix of sizes you have to use additional punches. You then have to sort out one wheat from three chaff!

To me then, the RP Toolz punches were the better option.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Today I 'bit the bullet' and stuck the new grass bits along the edge of the hedgerow, butting up to the side of the diorama.

 

I originally intended to use medium CA for this, because it sets quickly and would allow me to mould the grass mat into the undulations and not have the mat lift as it might with PVA. However the area to be covered would require a fair bit of CA so I went with the PVA instead. Sure enough, the mat lifted in places.

 

At first I held the problem areas down with 3 fingers and a thumb (my digits spanning the mat like a pianist playing some demonic chord) After a few minutes one or two areas remained stuck down, but two areas 'popped' up. I pushed them down and held them there for a few minutes more, took my fingers away and.. up they popped again. A third attempt resulted in the same. So... out with the twist drill and the THIN CA.

 

Drilling into the problem areas resulted in a magmatic response, with underground lakes of PVA oozing up through the holes... but in went the thin CA aided by a long thin nozzle and the problem was solved. That, DESPITE the PVA still being runny.

 

So now the freshly applied grass is sitting drying out. Excess PVA had squeezed out from the sides in a couple of places, so I simply sprinkled Dil Tops over it. I don't know what I'd do without Dil Tops! I'm quite happy with how it all looks now. I know that more plants will be added along here, but it's at the edge of the diorama so access will be easy.

 

A rare view looking DOWN the mill race.

 

Another shot of the fence... just because it was taken in better light.

 

Work will now recommence on the bridge. The observant might notice that I dry-brushed the woodwork with Japanese Navy Grey to tie it in with the fence posts. It will receive some different washes though.

 

TFL

Badder

 

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Did I show how I'm applying the grass?

Here's how I 'plant' grass 'off the diorama'.

 

Here I am using a grass mat as the ground for the static grass, but I have used plain paper in the past.

 

The metal gauze conducts the electricity really well. The entire sheet is charged up, so large areas of 'mat' can be grassed quickly and easily, assuming that enough grass has been cut to lengths before hand.

If the mat can't be flattened for whatever reason, then I bend the gauze so that it is in full contact with the mat.

The crocodile clip can be attached anywhere, but is close to the mat here for photographic purposes.

A sheet of cardboard under the gauze captures any excess grass for re-use.

 

The gauze protruding from the side of my 'grassy bank' will be buried under Plaster of Paris, aiding the application of grass to this particular area when the time comes. As this bank is long I will have to leave a couple of bits of the gauze exposed for connecting the crocodile clip. This is because the live wire between my 'zapper' and the crocodile clip is relatively short and restricts the movement of the applicator over longer lengths.

 

I hope that explains everything. But questions welcomed.

 

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 18, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

BRIDGE TOO FAR....

 

Bit of a disaster with the bridge/sluice.

I'd given it a dry-brushing and then a coat of gloss and stuck it over the radiator to speed up the drying.

 

Captain Kirk would be very chuffed with the way it warped.

 

I have tried taking photos to show just how badly it's warped, but the camera lens is straightening the thing up! The bridge has warped badly downwards along the lateral axis of the walkway, so the 'girders' for the sluice (and thereby the sluice as well) lean in towards the spine of the bridge. The same is true of the handrail. Both the sluice and the handrail lean in very noticeably, by around 7 degrees from the vertical.

 

I could scrap it and make another, but first I'm going to soak the thing in water and try to warp it straight again!

 

I knew I shouldn't have used coffee stirring sticks!

 

TFL

Badder