Gimme Shelter Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 I have a bench load of various vendor scaled AT-AT's on the go at the moment for a Hoth diorama I hope to complete soon. I originally started with the Revel AT-AT having made some suggestive modifications and have just started work on 2 of the new Bandai 1/144 AT-AT's I managed to get as soon as they became available in the UK. I also have one of the old Airfix / MPC kits as my diorama will be set with 5 walkers marching in a line on a base depth of 28 inches, so like the process used by ILM for Empire, my kits need to vary in scale and size in order for me to achieve the overall effect of varied size over a very short depth of display area. The Bandai kit is in a league of its own - incredible detail, superbly pose possibilities and worth every penny. The mould quality is exceptional and for me, I believe the kit to be of the best overall value and quality I have unboxed. Here's what you get for £40 odd quid from Bandai. The toes are pose able for uneven contours and when the foot is posed in a raised position moveable hip joints Up against the bridge of a Randy Cooper Star Destroyer Bandai, MPC, Revel scales comparisons showing how the main cannons can be posed on their recoil or forward settings part primed on the kit supplied snow base Thanks for looking in John 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerbannog Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Thanks for the clear and plenty pictures. And for the comparison shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpopandchips Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Nice pics. Interesting see in the comparison of the 3 kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherMole Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 This is going to be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 On Friday, April 28, 2017 at 10:07 PM, BrotherMole said: This is going to be great. My thoughts exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 weathering moving along nicely now. The Airfix MPC is pretty much complete as are the 2 smallest AT-AT's that will be the models at the furthest / rear part of the completed Diorama. The 2 Bandai AT-AT's are quite superb kits and worth every penny (even after the PO rob you for import & Duty) MPC Airfix Kit almost completed BANDAI KITS priming nearly done detail lines (and a few page 3 detail curves!) Alcad RAF Sea Grey - 1st coat Alcad RAF Med Grey - 2nd Coat Final body paint job prior to weathering process (Flory to be used for this) Body and Head Flory weathering and Heir Flick of the Gestapo Legs nearing weathering stages Flory nearly dry and ready to rub off weathering completed Thanks for keeping up with the build - John 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 They're looking fantastic John. The Flory wash has worked really well for the weathering. Love the battle damaged hull hatch. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Brilliant stuff John... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 thanks gents - I'm really getting drawn back into building Star Wars kits - what with the Randy Cooper and Anigrand Star Destroyers (still in their boxes) and the DeAgostini Mil Falcon, my workshop is starting to look like Lorne Petersons desk at ILM back in the early 80's... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Vale Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Very nice, the seam on the neck is a bit of a pain but I don't see what else they could've done as (presumably) the ribs go all the way around? The finish looks excellent, looking forward to seeing the whole scene in due course. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 2 hours ago, Will Vale said: Very nice, the seam on the neck is a bit of a pain but I don't see what else they could've done as (presumably) the ribs go all the way around? The finish looks excellent, looking forward to seeing the whole scene in due course. Will thanks Will - you're right about the neck - its 2 halves with a centre split line - for what it was worth, I couldn't be bothered to fill and sand the join as one neck will be posed half buried while chin down in snow and the other is now sufficiently weather and made grubby to hide this John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 I have always had a massive amount of respect and admiration for the fine military and vehicle modellers who labour to weather and create special aging effects in their modelling - something I am no specialist at which has always lead me to avoid attempting military models. These AT-AT's are probably the closest I have ever got to attempting to model military vehicles so my limited weathering skills have really been put to the limit. I am now through the Flory stages and hope tonight to start using some MIG and Humbrol weathering powders; however despite the online tutorials that I have watched, I am not expecting any masterpieces. Last of the Flory on the Bandai kits Klear now added Having looked carefully at the ESB screen shots of the AT-AT's striding across Hoth, I'm not sure if mine are quite accurate or quite simply a grubby mixed up mess.... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Stunning and even more sinister with Herr Otto Flick in the background. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 8 hours ago, Hugh Jampton said: Stunning and even more sinister with Herr Otto Flick in the background. John LOL - nothing better than to model watching Allo Allo in the background with modelling ears... "Give me my powerful Gestapo binoculars, and you vill dress as a woman of the opposite sex you snivelling little rat think" ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 12 hours ago, Gimme Shelter said: my limited weathering skills Limited? yeah right. Looks darned good to me. (And to Herr Flick & Helga, no doubt.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Wow looks very cool, great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherMole Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Looks great - I really like the weathering they look very 'lived in'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Hi and thanks for the kind encouraging words. Despite hours of effort, I have failed to get the diorama base completed ready for my model club night so I spent the weekend focused on a S61NM helicopter repair instead and spent only a few hours on Friday night experimenting on the AT-AT's with the weathering pixel powders and soon learnt to stay loyal to Flory which far easier for me to work with. Here's the completed line as an un-posed jumble collection up prior to them being suitably posed on a Hoth diorama. As you can see, the Bandai kits have exceptional balance due to the moveable hips and toes - I just took 2 quick snaps last night and paid no attention to how the collection looked on the bench and only now see how much of a slant you can get from the Bandai kit Thanks for following The Force will be with you, Always... John 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 Just done the 2 x MPC / Airfix Snowspeeders for the diorama. I'm guessing that due to their scale, they will have to be situated roughly in the centre of the diorama to match the scale of the MPC AT-AT with the 1/52 scale Revell AT-AT in the foreground. Grimed up and weathered at roughly 4cm long each John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalekCheese Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Can we see the finished diorama? Be interesting to see how the differences in scale would work out when finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 On 5/16/2019 at 6:47 PM, DalekCheese said: Can we see the finished diorama? Be interesting to see how the differences in scale would work out when finished. Hi - Sadly these kits got destroyed before being built into a diorama as intended - I had them stored in a box and a filing cabinet fell onto the box crushing all the kits into too many parts for me to then bother repairing 😧 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalekCheese Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now