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

[Ozzy]

Cracking job Badder!

[Vince1159]

Fantastic job Badder (with a bit of help from natural light) ....

[Badder]

On ‎09‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 2:53 AM, RichO said:

Once again, beautiful work.  I particularly like the "lead sheet" around the chimney.

Thanks Rich,

I think they call it 'flashing'. It's handy stuff, keeps the rain out of the gaps between the brickwork and the tiles and also provides the modeller with an effective way of hiding the imperfect fit!

Rearguards,

Badder

On ‎09‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 4:46 AM, cambridge said:

wow, that leaves approach is mental. Have you ever considered to buy one of these?

 

( it's like those paper punches but with leaves shapes

 

technically speaking you can even cut them out from a real leaf to obtain the best color resutl ( at least for dead leaves, i don't think a green leave would stay green even if sealed properly )

Thanks Cambridge.

I've had a look online for that paper-punch... amazon don't seem to have any exactly like that and other places seem to be sold out of the one you showed. What size are the leaves? If they are good for 1/35th I'll have to search harder.

The problem is though that it produces single leaves, and when you're going to cover half a building with them, or create a tree, you're talking about weeks of gluing one leaf at a time! While the punch I have doesn't produce accurate leaves, they'll do, and I can probably do an entire wall in a day if I put my mind to it.

As for colouring, I COULD colour the paper first, then punch it. A few graduated sprays with different colours/shades would give plenty of variation. I wouldn't punch real leaves, dead or alive. They wouldn't last long.

 

Thanks again,

Rearguards,

Badder

21 hours ago, Hotel Papa said:

 

Do an image search for 'vitis vinifera facade' and you'll find some pretty, broad-leaved creepers, some of them purple.

 

The shape of your leaves does not remind me of any creeping plant, just of oaks. And it's way too large for these in this scale anyway. That's an obstacle that's very difficult to overcome. Often it's better to go for the right overall structure, as you do with the tea leaves, than to try to replicate every little detail fo the shape of the leaves.

 

For real ivy with its hand shaped leaves the winged seeds of birches are often a close aproximation, but I think you have used these before.

Hi Markus,

Thanks for the gardening tip! I shall have a look!

Yes leaves are a huge pain. While the photo-etch stuff is quite good for accuracy and scale, it's only good for very small areas. I wouldn't want to make an entire tree, or cover a building with the stuff... time issues aside, it would cost a fortune.

I have used Silver Birch 'seed dividers'. They do have their place, and of course they are free! You can find some smaller ones that are perfect for 1/35th, but again it means a lot of work, sifting through them, and then sticking them on individually. So paper is the way to go for wide coverage. I've looked at some paper products out there, but again they are hard to source, and expensive.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Badder]

17 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Cracking job Badder!

 

16 hours ago, Vince1159 said:

Fantastic job Badder (with a bit of help from natural light) ....

Thanks chaps.

Leafery continues......

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Badder]

Oh, and I shall be using Silver Birch seed dividers in a few places.... as it is much more ivy-like.

 

I have a good few thousands of them which I collected last year and the year before so they are nice and dry and stick easily with CA.

The best way I've found is to pour a few dozen 'leaves' into a matchbox inner, or similarly shaped container, then pick up the chosen leaf with the licked end of a toothpick before transferring it to the model. A small blob of medium CA will already have been placed on the model and this will 'attract' the leaf and take it from the toothpick. 

 

I first used Silver Birch seed dividers in my 'Villers Bocage' diorama nearly two years ago and although I have since broken this diorama up in preparation for a re-build, the seed dividers are still firmly attached to the walls and look as good as they did on day one.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

[Badder]

With no time like the present, I have indeed used some Silver Birch seed dividers to make another creeper, just a small one to fill in the gap at the base of the wall.  I CA'd a few plant roots on the wall  first, then CA'd the seed dividers around them and in some cases on them.

I then dribbled some thin CA along the bottom edge of the wall, and sprinkled Dil Tops over it. Once dry, a stiff brush was run over the Dil, removing any loose bits.

 

Since taking these photos, I've given the new creeper a coat of gloss varnish and have applied a dark green wash.

This was followed by some painting of the leaves themselves.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Scratch the last comment in the post above....

I decided to remove the dark green colour of the leaves and revert them to their original state. The dark green just didn't show up enough for my liking.  So the leaves are portrayed as being dried out, and dead. I've added more roots over the top and have applied more leaves directly to the roots, increasing the 3D effect. I have to remember that the drainpipe will be overlying some of these leaves.

 

 

Oh, and the very observant amongst you may have noticed that I've continued to add leaves to the other creeper. I will be adding some single leaves to it, 'creeping' up the wall vertically up the centre line, and diagonally upwards and to the left.

 

And that will be it for this wall, I think. Once the building is set in the diorama I will be adding grass and weeds extending out from the bottom of this wall.

 

TFL

Badder

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

No posts for the past few days due to a lack of internet service....most likely due to the router having met a timely end on the kitchen floor. Pile of medieval junk. Now up and running with a 21st Century Router... and the internet connection is just as bad. My kingdom for some fibre....

 

Anyhoo, leafery has progressed a fair bit since I took the plunge and fixed the porch in place. Plant roots were CA'd in place as frameworks for the leaves. I have added a purple leaved variety. With the green and purple leaves, I do get the sense that these are grape vines, but the leaves aren't the right shape.

 

I've also added the drainpipe at the front corner of the building, and some very basic 'decoration' at each end of the ridge tiles.

 

photos shortly....

 

 

 

Lead 'flashing' added between roof tiles and wall, again made from CA-soaked paper.

 

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Vince1159]

1 hour ago, Badder said:

most likely due to the router having met a timely end on the kitchen floor

 

Lovely job Badder,if it hadn't been the medieval comment i'd say you had a couple of moggys ....

[Badder]

Just now, Vince1159 said:

Lovely job Badder,if it hadn't been the medieval comment i'd say you had a couple of moggys ....

Thanks Vince.

We have 2 from my wife's previous marriage, a kitten we rescued at 3 weeks old who is as wild as a wild hissy scratchy thing with a sore head, and a feral tabby tom who comes in for a look around every now and then. But no, it was me that ended the life of the router. It deserved to die horribly. The copper wire coil heat sinks will come in very handy though!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

[Badder]

The leafery as it stands at the moment. I will be mixing some more purple into this. I plan to completely surround the boarded up window and extend the creepers across this entire wall as well as up from the right hand side. Only a small amount will spread around the corner to the front of the building - colonizing the area abutting the steps.

 

TFL

Badder

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

More leaves added.... I've stuck with the lime green for now, but there will be some purple in there eventually. About half of the porch roof will be covered.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Boring, boring, boring, tedious, tedious, tedious.... but it has to be done. A couple more sessions and the main bulk of all the 'ivy' will be finished. Then it will be a case of adding the odd creeper and single leaves here and there.

 

 

TFL

Badder

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Ozzy]

I go away for a week and it's come on at a rapid rate, looks fantastic Badder.

[Major_Error]

Boring? I can believe that, @Badder. But the result becomes wonderful!!

 

8-)

[Badder]

Just now, Ozzy said:

I go away for a week and it's come on at a rapid rate, looks fantastic Badder.

Thanks Ozzy.

I am only happy when I convince myself that it's NOT ivy, but some other much larger leafed creeper.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

Just now, Major_Error said:

Boring? I can believe that, @Badder. But the result becomes wonderful!!

 

8-)

Thanks Major.

 

Believe me, punching out several hundred 'snowflakes' and then bending and folding them, then trying to stick the beggars in the right position IS BORING!

 

BTW, If I hadn't discovered the 'licked end of a toothpick' method of picking them up and placing them, I'd have CA'd my fingers together several hundred times. And as an aside, I've used 20g of CA so far!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Badder]

Too hot for typing, so I'll keep it short....

LEAVES ARE VERY BORING. THESE LATER LEAVES ARE MORE BORING THAN THE PREVIOUS LOT. I SEE NO REASON WHY THE NEXT LOT SHOULDN'T BE EVEN MORE BORING.

But I'm getting there.

 

No pics until they are all done.

It's far too hot to take photos.

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

 

 

[Badder]

I've ALMOST finished the 'ivy'. I basically only have to do a bit more where the porch and rear wall meet, and that's it.

However, I have a to decide what I'm going to do with this area first.  There's a drainpipe to consider, possibly, and a perimeter wall for the rear yard. So for now, the ivy here can wait.

Meanwhile, I did extend the ivy around to the front wall, and gave it all a going over with a Dark Green Humbrol Wash.

There's a few glossy areas on the stonework caused by excess CA, but hopefully that can be corrected.

 

 

 

 

 

I've just realised I haven't added any ivy to the area under the steps. Tut.... more boredomh... But again that can wait.

TFL

Badder

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

 

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

With my LHS having closed, I now have to visit TWO stores in order to get all of my materials, so I've had to do a 10 mile, 2hr re-supply trip in order to continue with this project! Hobbycraft DON'T sell CA in anything but those poxy little 'superglue' tubes. and the only remaining model shop in my town, which is primarily 'train set' orientated, DOESN'T sell Acrylic varnishes, or have a wide selection of enamel or acrylic paints.  GRRRRRRRR!

 

I was completely out of thin CA, having used two 25g bottles on just the 'ivy' alone, so the trip had to be done.

I ended up buying extra supplies so as to save myself another trip anytime soon. 30 quid in one store, 24 quid in the other. And all on paints/varnishes/glues and hand tools. PFFFFFT!

I wish I could have bought the Cromwell, (it would go well with the Churchill) but I have to concentrate on the dio before forking out on actual pre-formed plastic!

 

So, I've given the building a touch up with matt varnish,  trying to 'de-gloss' the CA 'stains' around and in amongst the ivy. No matter how hard I tried, there was always going to be a bit of 'CA overspill, and capillary action' going on. I was worried that the matt varnish wouldn't have the required effect. I don't know if it's due to an inadequate or overdone 'gentle shake'  so vaguely recommended by the makers, or not, but sometimes my chosen brand of varnish fails to 'de-gloss'.  I worried needlessly. The CA'd areas are now as so matt it's a wonder they don't have 'welcome' written on them. I thank you Winsor and Newton.

 

Now for some general tidying up with some brush work, some enamel, some washes/pin washes and powders.

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Badder

[Vince1159]

After years of walking over those steps look to flat in the last photo Badder...

[Badder]

Just now, Vince1159 said:

After years of walking over those steps look to flat in the last photo Badder...

The building is probably only 40 or 50 yrs old in 1944-45 so I doubt the steps would have worn that much. That's my excuse anyway.

[Vince1159]

1 minute ago, Badder said:

The building is probably only 40 or 50 yrs old in 1944-45 so I doubt the steps would have worn that much. That's my excuse anyway.

When i saw those steps i thought back to where my mums mum lived,late victorian well worn steps and without a handrail...

[Badder]

7 hours ago, Vince1159 said:

When i saw those steps i thought back to where my mums mum lived,late victorian well worn steps and without a handrail...

People weren't so stupid back in the day. Most could negotiate steps without falling over the side. Even toddlers learned very quickly to stay away from the edges.  Today's Health and Safety laws are all very well, but those laws mostly protect the very stupid people, and so instead of dying out, their genes continue to pass down through the generations, increasing the percentage of stupid people in the population as a whole.

This is why the world is going pear shaped.

 

 

[Badder]

I've used two spare ornamental gates to bar the windows at the rear. They've had a preliminary 'rusting' but I will be adding a bit more.

 

 

I've also finished the ivy on the porch/rear wall overlap and have decided what to do with this small area.

 

Some of you might have noticed that the rear wall of the building is slightly higher than the front and that the eaves are therefore higher. This was due to shrinkage of the plaster roof compared to the kit's one. As you know, I did extend the plaster roof lengthways to compensate, but didn't bother to extend it width ways. It would have been quite difficult, but not impossible. However, liked the fact that the building would be a bit asymmetrical, more slap-dash in construction. But this meant that my spare drainpipe would be too short by a couple of centimetres. I thought I would extend it, but I've just realised that I don't have to, and that I can add to the overall detailing of the building by leaving it short and having it enter a water butt. The stored water would be a supplementary supply for the livestock. 

 

So the next job will be to add the gutter and drainpipe.

 

TFL

Badder

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Badder