Cadman Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Here's some initial concept shots of a new diorama I've been working on these past few weeks. The groundwork is pretty much finished, but I'm still awaiting delivery of several additional grunts from Bravo 6 and Callsign. While I'm waiting, the weathering on both vehicles will be finalized and the paint jobs on the three Bravo 6 figures on the M113 at the left side of the dio can be improved. Both oversized crew members in the M113 on the right hand M113 are to be scrapped and replaced by one of the Bravo 6 guys plus a new Callsign APC commander. Updated photos to follow, with images of the completed diorama in three or four weeks time -- depending on when Postman Pat shoves the additional figures through our letterbox. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Hi Cadman. A great little diorama. The vehicles are superb and the figures (even the over-sized ones) really lend themselves to the scene. I love the shrine and..... the shrubbery. We love a shrubbery. We are the knights who say 'Ni!' Pity there's no actual work in progress though. Rearguards, Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Oh, by the way, for reasons I won't go into, I'd like to know what the title translates into. Thanks, Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngstROM Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 36 minutes ago, Badder said: Oh, by the way, for reasons I won't go into, I'd like to know what the title translates into. Well, you did ask! (I wuz NEVAH a Hippeh, I swears!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 3 hours ago, AngstROM said: Well, you did ask! (I wuz NEVAH a Hippeh, I swears!) I wuz, and prob'ly still am, but tended more toward the "Hippy Biker" sub-variety. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) I don't have the best of internet connections, especially at around 10:00hrs in the morning when the bandwidth shrinks to just about non-existent, However, "Da Man" do say that a picture speaks an awful lot of words, so I'll keep mine to a minimum.... 3-May-2017; Tamiya M113 3-May-2017 4-May-2017 4-May-2017 6-May-2017 6-May-2017; Interior just about done 7-May-2017; Second coat of OD 7-May-2017 8-May-2017; First weathering stage Note: I got the yellow stripes at the front of the hull upside down and back to front, but by the time I realised my mistake the Microset had gone to work and I couldn't get the things back off again without destroying them. Please don't tell anyone.... TO BE CONTINUED Edited May 19, 2017 by Cadman Added comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) CONTINUED 8-May-2017; Still with the Tamiya M113, but it was now put to one side to allow all paint/glue/pigments to settle down a bit. 10-May-2017; Academy M113 10-May-2017 12-May-2017; Almost ready for the decals 12-May-2017 13-May-2017; Decals applied 13-May-2017 14-May-2017; Moving on to the resin Buddha ruin, the sidewalls were only detailed on one side. Decided to do them with White Superfine Milliput 14-May-2017; There was no backwall supplied with the kit. While I could have gone without one, that seemed like the lazy option. So the lid off that tin of Twinning's Mint Tea was roped in as a wall "former". Me & the Wife can't stand the stuff anyway -- tastes like toothpaste instead of the green tea we both prefer. All the same, it can be put to good use, as I'll describe later. TO BE CONTINUED Edited May 19, 2017 by Cadman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) CONTINUED 14-May-2017; Okay, now I had a backwall for the Buddha ruin. It'll need some depth, but I can do that later. 14-May-2017; The layout of the diorama was dickered with until I had the general idea sorted out. 14-May-2017; Thing is, I've got the Trim Vane deployed on the Academy M113, so it'll have to go in front of the Tamiya example, as if it's being readied to ford a substantial body of water 15-May-2017; Time to think about the diorama base itself. I decided the ruin would go on a rise at the back left and I'd have a small rise at the front right for an Officer's "OP Group". The area for the Buddha ruin was built up and covered with old newspaper soaked in diluted white glue. I could've used plaster-cloth, but I'm hoarding what I've got for another diorama -- it's just a small area to be covered anyway. 15-May-2017; Sculptamold from Woodlands Scenic was used for the initial groundwork, and the ruined walls glued together with 2-part epoxy 15-May-2017; The two Lion statues were tacked onto the edges of the Buddha ruin base with superglue and then a bead of 2-part epoxy was applied to reinforce the joint. 15-May-2017; I think you can see in this photo that some width was added to the backwall and the gaps between the three walls filled with Milliput 16-May-2017; Once the sculptamold was dry, an additional layer of celluclay was added to the road itself, (because it'll "take" the impressions of the tracks much better than sculptamold), and the groundwork received some color at long last. I also gouged out the groundwork for a small drainage ditch at the front right 16-May-2017; And I reckoned the idea was now beginning to come together pretty well TO BE CONTINUED Edited May 19, 2017 by Cadman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) CONTINUED 16-May-2017; Here's what I generally use for getting foliage to stick in those hard-to-reach areas. A squirt with diluted white glue usually does the trick 16-May-2017; Talking of foliage, 'member that Mint Tea? A cheap "mortar & pestle" provides plenty equally cheap groundcover 16-May-2017; It was really now just a case of "planting" all the foliage -- and a couple of palm trees -- together with some dill, oregano, and whatever else I can half-inch out of the kitchen cupboard for cheap groundcover 16-May-2017 17-May-2017; While all that lot was settling down, the crew figures were tackled and the first colors blocked in 17-May-2017; I didn't use two of the kit figures, and the other two kit figures will be coming out of the Tamiya M113 anyway once the Bravo 6 and Callsign replacements turn up 17-May-2017; The Lion statues and Buddha figure were weathered with a touch of verdigris to add some additional visual interest 17-May-2017; and a few reeds, plus the first pour of resin "water" added to the ditch 17-May-2017; So as I mentioned in my initial post, I've kind of ground to a halt on this diorama until the replacement APC crew and additional Grunts on foot get delivered and get located into the areas I've reserved for them on the base While I'm waiting for the Postie and Chinese Customs to do their thing, I'll be refining the weathering on the M113's and especially my paint jobs on the three Bravo 6 crew members. The edges of the base could by doing with a tidy up as well. But meanwhile, I've a Tamiya Pershing for a different diorama to begin putting together today..... THE END (for now) Edited May 19, 2017 by Cadman added comments 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Excellent Cadman. Thanks for the info on the groundwork. If it makes you feel any better my internet is awful as well, reliant on copper wire which seems to be adversely affected by strong winds, medium winds, light winds, gentle breezes, no wind at all, rain, drizzle, mist, the passing of heavy vehicles, light vehicles, people walking their dogs, wind-blown litter, falling leaves, sparrows, the smell of barbeques, and whether the resident mole is digging a new tunnel or not. Rearguards, Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Badder said: Excellent Cadman. Thanks for the info on the groundwork. If it makes you feel any better my internet is awful as well, reliant on copper wire which seems to be adversely affected by strong winds, medium winds, light winds, gentle breezes, no wind at all, rain, drizzle, mist, the passing of heavy vehicles, light vehicles, people walking their dogs, wind-blown litter, falling leaves, sparrows, the smell of barbeques, and whether the resident mole is digging a new tunnel or not. Rearguards, Badder Perm any one of those reasons, or any combination thereof, as to why my internet connection is so intermittent. Together with the fact that the wife's probably forgotten to pay the bill -- yet again. Seriously though, it's generally only completely hopeless at certain times of the day, usually when the neighbors are checking their on-line shopping, or whatever. It's actually been okay so far today, which is a rather rash thing to say of course. Edited May 19, 2017 by Cadman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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