Badder Posted March 24, 2017 Author Share Posted March 24, 2017 6 hours ago, Vince1159 said: I can just imagine you and Badder doing a dio together Stix,per eccellenza...Lovely job Badder .... Hi Vince, Whilst I do admire Stix's vignettes and dioramas and rate his brush skills as amongst the very best, I think I might drive him up the wall if we were to collaborate on making a dio. I can say that with confidence because I drive myself up the wall. Since returning to model-making I've leant that I am incapable of planning the content and layout of a diorama and sticking to it! Hence the title of this thread. Thanks for the thumbs up! Rearguards, Badder 3 hours ago, PlaStix said: Hi Vince. Thank you for the thought but Badder has far more skills and talent with regards diorama's and vignettes than I do - plus a great imagination for creating the scenes. I'd be there as a make-weight rather than anything useful! Kind regards, Stix 3 hours ago, PlaStix said: Lovely work on the doorway Badder - I certainly can't see any evidence of it from my side of the screen. Hope you have a great weekend! Kind regards, Stix Hi Stix, Thanks for the 'bigging me up', but I think you're underestimating your own skills when it comes to building dios/vignettes. Btw, I managed to crack the wall in half while carving some more stonework, but it's fixed now and strengthened! I hope u and Mrs Stix have a great weekend too. Rearguards, Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 31 minutes ago, Badder said: I think I might drive him up the wall if we were to collaborate on making a dio. Good point,different ideas... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) I'm currently working on re-carving the stonework patterns in the walls and window surrounds, and the tile pattern where the extra width has been added. The roof tiles are proving rather troublesome as the CA has formed a tough line down the slope of the roof and this is resistant to all but heavy sanding. The bead of CA runs straight down the roof tiles, alternately running down the join between two adjacent tiles (where it is no problem) but bisecting the alternate tiles (where it is!). It is proving difficult to remove the ridge of CA without affecting the bisected tiles. I will post pics to explain the problem more clearly. (they will appear here in this post as an edit) I have considered cutting these tiles out completely and replacing them with plasticard tiles. I have also considered scraping the tiles back quite deeply, skimming over with plaster, and then re-carving. Whilst I originally preferred the first option, (it requiring less work) I am now leaning towards the second option as it SHOULD give a better uniform finish. So here's the messy joint where I had to add a section of tiles to extend the roof. (The plaster cast shrank during drying and so didn't match the length of the building.) I had tried sanding and scraping the tiles to tidy everything up, but wasn't successful. Here, I've repainted the tiles so as to show the point I'd reached before deciding to try something else. And here's where I've scraped the problem area back in readiness for skimming over with plaster. TFL Badder Edited March 25, 2017 by Badder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Error Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Amazing, @Badder! And perfect work! Wonderful to follow! 8-D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 5 hours ago, Major_Error said: Amazing, @Badder! And perfect work! Wonderful to follow! 8-D Thanks Major, Glad you are enjoying it. As you can see, I don't mind showing my errors, failed attempts at saves, and complete !!!! Often I see a WIP and think.... hang on, there's something that's been skipped here! I'd prefer to see their mess-ups and saves as well! And on that note, the work on the roof repair is progressing, but I don't think it's going to be completely unnoticeable when finished. I'm wondering if I can maybe have a bloke up there on a ladder and scaffolding carrying out 'Post Liberation Repairs' ? That would certainly add a bit of extra interest to the dio! Rearguards, Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Problems with the roof continue.... I carved down into the naff area so that there would be enough depth to accept a skim of plaster. Too shallow and there was a risk of the plaster merely flaking off the surface when sanded. As it turned out, the problem was the drying time of the plaster. Despite making a very wet mix, the stuff was drying almost instantly it was applied. This meant that I could not spread it about evenly with a spatula or level it off. (For 'spatula' read Magnum Ice Cream Stick) The plaster 'skim' then, ended up being rather thicker than I had anticipated and required rather a lot of sanding to get it down to near base level. Then I'd use my flat diamond file to get the rows of tiles defined. Unfortunately my flat diamond file proved a bit too destructive for the job, and I ended up taking off rather too much plaster in places, creating a depression or sag in the roof. Whilst this isn't a disaster (old roofs do sag) it was slightly too much of a sag for my liking. So, to skim again. Only this time I used Green Putty. This proved to remain workable for several minutes and so a better result was obtained than if I had stuck with using plaster. Using the 'spatula' I was able to spread, level and smooth the putty to my liking. A sanding stick (for 'sanding stick' read Disposable Nail File) is now being used to get the putty ready for carving the indivudual tiles. TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) I've given the roof a coat of brick red to see how the rows of tiles look prior to carving the vertical joints between them. This has highlighted slight depressions (which are actually visible in the photo above as well as below) But I'm okay with this as it can be explained away as slight 'sagging' of the roof. It's nowhere near as bad as previously, Furthermore, the bead of CA has completely gone. There will be no tiles with ridges of CA bisecting them. So, barring catastrophes when carving the tiles, 'job done'. Just one thing I'd like to add.... some of you may query why it is that throughout my construction of both buildings, I've gone ahead and painted them, only to then 'ruin' the paint effect by carrying out further work on them. Not just once, but several times. Well, firstly, painting them helps to see what I'm doing, rather than be blinded by white plaster. Secondly, and more importantly in my opinion, by doing things this way, I am gradually building up multiple layers of colours, achieving variation in tones and shades which would otherwise take a great deal of time and patience to replicate at the 'final stage'. Nothing gets 'weathered' in an instant. It gets weathered over a long time... just like my buildings, and indeed, AFVs. TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Error Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 One funny idea for you regarding the roof, @Badder! It is from real life, but might some stupid? One house not far from here was shined up. It was given new tiles and paint. One day i passed it I saw that they had overturned the bucket with paint while being up on the roof. The black tiles had a nice green strip with paint down the tiles. This funny stripe was there for more than 20 years. It was removed when the house got red tiles. I guess it will be harder for you to "build a copy of this". (The hardest work will be to convince everybody that it is correct with a stripe of paint down the roof, but... A ladder might become better...) 8-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 45 minutes ago, Major_Error said: One funny idea for you regarding the roof, @Badder! It is from real life, but might some stupid? Hi Major, I do like a bit of humour in my dios, if I can squeeze it in. In my 'Villers Bocage' diorama, I strung a pair of boots over a telegraph wire... very few people have noticed them hanging there. (I copied the idea from present day kids who throw their trainers over lines on their housing estates) And in my 'Lost in France' dio, there's a bucket hanging on the back of a Churchill tank that has something rude painted on it. I have a few ideas for a bit of humour for this dio as well. I do have an idea involving a bucket of paint already, so watch this space! Rearguards, Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) It's not that I've made a complete mess of it, but the roof hasn't turned out as good as I had hoped. I had to re-carve the vertical edges of the roof tiles, and this wasn't as easy as I had thought. The problem was getting perfectly straight and parallel lines. Despite using a very sharp scalpel and a steel ruler, this proved almost impossible. Plaster doesn't always dry perfectly uniform in consistency, and obviously there is a marked difference in consistency between plaster and putty, so the blade wandered in places. A needle file run along the cuts did sometimes sort the problem out, but then I made a massive boo boo and went out of synch with the carving of the alternate tiles.... damn. Out with the putty again to fill in the errant grooves. And then more sanding... and then some re-re-carving and then the problem with a wander blade again....grrrrrr. Probably, the roof would be passable to most, but not to me. The fact is that after all the faffing about the plaster roof doesn't match the plastic roof for neatness. Whilst I could use my 'bloke up on the roof doing post-liberation repairs' idea, my conscience demands that I scrap this roof section and start again. So, I will be re-casting the roof, and hopefully this time it won't shrink so I won't have to add the extra width! I won't remove the current roof until I have a good cast to replace it though. I am not THAT stupid. When it does come to removing it, It shouldn't be too difficult because luckily I haven't added the ridge tiles. So the roof is only fixed to the tops of the side walls and can easily be removed. TFL Badder Edited March 29, 2017 by Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) After careful reflection, (and in the light of a brand new day) I decided to carry on with the roof and see if I can rescue it before abandoning it and making another. The thing which I realised might make all the difference and distract the eye away from the slightly suspect tiling, is the addition of moss and algae. Firstly, I gave the roof a coat of Winsor and Newton's Gloss Acrylic Varnish and then a wash with very dilute black. Once dry, I dabbed the roof with patches of Humbrol Dark Green Weathering Powder, then washed over these with varying amounts of water: some heavily, some with barely any at all. . Next, I plan to use my green 'Grit Paints' to add texture and depth to the moss. TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) Here's the roof with green Grit Paint dabbed on with a stiff brush. This stuff dries to a rubbery texture, but can be removed fairly easily if needs be. A coat of gloss varnish will be sprayed over this and washes will be applied before a final coat of matt varnish. Here, the lighter green looks just right, but in reality it is very bright and needs toning down a bit. The dodgy tiling has been obscured for the most part. I must say that the moss looks the business here, but I can assure you it doesn't look quite as good in real life! TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Nice save with the roof tiles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Well to me, despite all the trials and tribulations, that last photo looks pretty realistic to me. You could always have some ivy growing up the walls and partially over the roof to disguise anything that still bothers you. I'd say that's a pretty good save! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 50 minutes ago, RichO said: Nice save with the roof tiles. 1 minute ago, PlaStix said: Well to me, despite all the trials and tribulations, that last photo looks pretty realistic to me. You could always have some ivy growing up the walls and partially over the roof to disguise anything that still bothers you. I'd say that's a pretty good save! Thanks guys, I think I was in one of those despondent moods last night... possibly accentuated by the side effects of ultra high blood-sugar levels! Continuing with the roof was the right thing to do, the moss being the cure. I still have some more work to do: washes, and maybe some additional texturing with ground-Dil tops, and then a coat of matt, but hopefully that will be the roof saved. Thanks for the comments, Rearguards, Badder. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 That last photo's a beauty Badder,great job... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 22 hours ago, Vince1159 said: That last photo's a beauty Badder,great job... Thanks Vince. Rearguards, Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 Progress..... I continued by adding some ground Dil Tops to patches of the roof; mostly down the sides and in the lower corners, with the odd patch closer in towards the centre. I did this by placing blobs of medium CA about the place and sprinkling the Dil Tops over the top. I then washed over these patches with very dark green and pin washed with black before giving everything a few coats of matt varnish.... primarily to seal the Dil Tops in and protect them. With this done and everything dry, I then added some tufts of 'grass' to the roof. For this I used grass matting; cutting out small irregular shapes and fixing them in place with CA. Washes made with dark green weathering powder helped to tone them down a bit and add some variation in greenness. This rear section of roof will require another coat or two of matt varnish, but otherwise it is finished. (barring further ideas) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 (edited) Close-up of the high altitude grass: TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 (edited) BEER! Beer is good stuff, and not just for getting drunk. I have to confess (again) that I sometimes use it as a solvent. It's good for making washes with weathering powders, especially. It dries with a sticky finish and is accepting of additional treatments Honestly though being drunk and too lazy to visit the kitchen tap, a can or glass of beer makes the perfect reservoir of solvent. Just remember that you've dipped your loaded brush in it though AND DO NOT TAKE A SUPPLEMENTARY SWIG OUT OF IT! Yeeuuuuuuurrrrrgh! Edited March 31, 2017 by Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 (edited) And now for a Tim Vine joke..... I have a carved mahogany sculpture of a small blue and yellow garden bird. It would be great if I had a joke about it. Wouldn't it? (For those who don't get it, say the last sentence out loud) Edited April 1, 2017 by Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 (edited) I've now finished the front roof section as well, adding tufts of grass as described previously. The next job is to make the ridge tiles. With that in mind, I have made a mould of the guttering. If the cast is successful, I will turn it upside down and fit it to the ridge. If the cast is not up to scratch, I have the option of using large drinking straws to construct the ridge tiles. If that doesn't work I could use plasticard.... As it turned out, casting the ridge tiles proved very difficult. Or rather, the cast proved very difficult to remove from the mould without breaking it. It snapped in five or six places. Never mind, I thought, I can sand the pieces individually and fit them to the ridge.... but sanding the pieces proved equally difficult and some of those pieces snapped as well. The cast was just too long and narrow to be viable. I certainly wasn't going to make ten shorter moulds! So, on to the plastic straw idea...... Nope. That was no good either. I could find no method for cutting the straw precisely in half, lengthways. In retrospect, I could have filled the straw with plaster of paris, thus holding it in shape and enabling precision bisection with a scalpel and straight-edge, but it's too late now. I fell back on my third idea, and decided to make the ridge tiles from plasticard instead. This work is in progress, but using plasticard is already proving to be the best method. I simply measured out a narrow strip along one edge of the plasticard, and, using a steel ruler as a form, bent the strip of card over on itself. Holding the strip in the 'folded' position, I then ran a scalpel blade along the edge and scored a line into the plasticard beneath. A bit of wiggling and the strip parted away. Here is the strip.... Test fitting confirms that it will fit snuggly to the roof ridge without any reworking.... another plus over the plaster cast. Now to add the details..... TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Rather than trying to carve and paint individual roof tiles along the plasticard strip shown above, I realised it would be far easier and more effective to make the tiles from thin card and CA them along the strip. This enabled me to add a bit of wonkiness as well. Once dried, I gave the ridge tiles a going over with coarse sand paper to roughen them up a bit here and there: the raised fibres once again depicting 'moss'. Painting wise, I washed the pale green card with 'rust' weathering powder and dark green weathering powder for those 'mossy' areas. A coat of matt varnish was followed by a wash with black/green. A final coat of matt varnish was applied and the ridge was then CA'd in place. In the photo below, the 'moss' on the ridge tiles was the result of the sandpapering, and looks rather effective I think. Note that the roof tiles themselves are much greener in truth, and that the red/orange shows through in broad areas. For whatever reason, the camera has not picked any of this up. I will try to take some pics outside later. The final job here will be to fix a wooden board along the side of the roof. Below, the front of the building, with the same 'grass' treatment. Again, the green of the moss/lichen and thered/orange of the tiles is barely registering here. You'll notice that I've begun the detail painting of the windows and door surrounds....Above I've used 'rust' weathering powder. I plan to coat this with chipping fluid and then an enamel green/blue.(But that will be some time in the future) My next task will be to construct the lower rear wall of the building. TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Daylight shots of the roof at the front and rear of the building. The colours here still aren't quite true. The greens are greener and the red/orange is more red/orange. I think it must be the camera settings. Rear Front: I've just noticed the misalignment of the ridge tiles far right in the photo above. I will have to lift the ridge and re-seat it. TFL Badder Edited January 25, 2018 by Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 The fix for the ridge tiles was pretty simple.... I lifted a few centimetres of that end and bent the strip sideways, and also bent out the ^ shape slightly on the problem side. This allowed me to reseat the ridge tile strip on a more even 'keel'. TFL Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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