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Working Lift Bridge Diorama


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10 hours ago, Getunderit said:

@Gorby, The neutral grey suggestion becomes even more attractive when I am feeling a bit tired. Which is how I feel right now.

Over the last week I seem to be getting more and more tired. . . :sleepy:

I may will take a break to see if my spirit improves.

 

I'm sorry to hear that @Getunderit, or may I call you 'Get', sounds too formal with your full name. If that doesn't improve or gets any worse I'd advise seeing the docs for a bit of blood letting.

Tiredness/fatigue is a constant for me now (hence my 'Man at Sleep' avatar) but last year it got even worse. A blood test showed that I was anaemic. Admittedly I'm a vegetable veggie, but I have been for 36 years without problem and I have a very healthy diet. Apparently it's possible for it to be genetic – my carnivorous dad also developed it later in life. So it might just be a simple vitamin/mineral blip or it might be, as you say, you need a break.

 

Look after yourself and hope you feel better soon – I'll miss your updates but I'll live.

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Just popped in for a quick visit. Had lots of sleep. Hope it does not keep me awake all night long.

3 hours ago, Gorby said:

I'm sorry to hear that @Getunderit, or may I call you 'Get', sounds too formal with your full name. If that doesn't improve or gets any worse I'd advise seeing the docs for a bit of blood letting.

Tiredness/fatigue is a constant for me now (hence my 'Man at Sleep' avatar) but last year it got even worse. A blood test showed that I was anaemic. Admittedly I'm a vegetable veggie, but I have been for 36 years without problem and I have a very healthy diet. Apparently it's possible for it to be genetic – my carnivorous dad also developed it later in life. So it might just be a simple vitamin/mineral blip or it might be, as you say, you need a break.

 

Look after yourself and hope you feel better soon – I'll miss your updates but I'll live.

Thank you for your concern.

 

How is your iron levels?

 

Knowing myself it is more likely I need a short holiday/break from the project.

 

I know that I can get into a routine very quickly and I need to be aware of that. Meaning, that the routine is not necessarily how I am, but simply stuck in a routine, including sleeping patterns.

I learnt about this when I was a racing cyclist (not pro). I would reach a point in my endurance where the body start to feel fatigued. The speed starts to drop down, and I am finding it difficult to carry on. One time, I got really angry about this because I planned to win the race, but instead I was getting dropped. I thought if I was really fatigued I would not be able to sprint up to the guys in front of me and remain with them. So I got out of the saddle and quickly closed the gap. This surge of effort actually picked me up. I was not fatigued at all. It was just my body thinking it was time to feel fatigued. Ever since that time, I test to see what I am feeling (tired/fatigued) is real of just a pattern my body is following. I see this a lot when cycling at my (perceived) limits. My whole body and mind starts to panic whenever it is time to go into unknown territory (passing through my limits). Strangely, it often settles down after a while, and I can actually feel exhilarated about my new experience. One of my favourite sayings is "It ain't necessarily so". 

 

So, I tested my tiredness and each time I felt even more tired. You know, scratch build modelling is very taxing on the mind, as well as empowering it. Like most things in life _ it's a paradox.

 

Getting tired again :sleepy: :smirk:

 

Getunderit is a just a play with words for a username. . . Get-under-it. It being the bridge; as well as a joke about get over it.

 

Can call me Pete / Peter

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12 minutes ago, Getunderit said:

How is your iron levels?

My iron level is fine now thanks Pete.

 

Look after yourself and hope to continue to make unhelpful comments follow your build again when you feel up to it. :bye:

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We all get like that sometimes and you're absolutely right to focus on yourself for a while, and try whatever works for you. Sometimes starting (and completing) an easier smaller project is all it takes for me. If the tiredness doesn't go away though, as Gorby said, get yourself to the docs, better they tell you all is well and you're just burnt out, than the opposite. We'll all be here when you get back. ;)

 

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On 4/15/2018 at 8:15 PM, Gorby said:

My iron level is fine now thanks Pete.

 

Look after yourself and hope to continue to make unhelpful comments follow your build again when you feel up to it. :bye:

Thanks Gorby.

You do make a lot of helpful comments. Having a break gives me more time to think about things. Your suggestion of a neutral grey is a very good idea, and I will follow that up too. Thank you Gorby.

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Hello my friends, I think I am back. Feeling much rested, and lasting longer awake than sleeping. 

It was a strange experience to be so tired without other symptoms such as having the flu, or fever.

 

Anyway, I started doing some more on the diorama.

The first thing I did was to give a few coats of grey on the side walls. I used the leftover grey that was used on the bridge.

 

FppUR8P.jpg

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I've been planning to have a small fishing boat (dinghy) on the river near the car park and ramp.

This boat is to appear as if made from aluminium alloy, with an outboard motor.

 

Last night, and today, spent making it from Masonite, a paddle-pop stick, scrap dowel, and a paper clip.

 

DiXnWHr.jpg

 

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That was quick! I thought you'd need longer to rest.

Glad your feeling better and very please to see the dio progressing at the usual quality. Love the little boat.

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Thanks @Gorby for your supporting comments.

Thank you @Corsairfoxfouruncle and @stevehnz for your :yes:

__________________________________________________

Used some DAS modelling clay to make a figurine that requires custom building. I soon discovered that the modelling clay was not as pliable as I hoped. Small parts could not successfully be attached the the main body with wetting. So I made these parts separate, and to be glued onto the main body afterwards. Used a knife, sandpaper and small files to shape these very small parts. Then I immersed them into a PVA-water mix and let dry (again). This will strengthen the clay (less fragile). Then I used PVA to glue the parts together.

 

S7wUBn0.jpg

 

Used enamel paint the paint the shark.

Sorry @Gorby, not squid or crocodile.

I wanted to add people swimming in the water, but discovered that nobody swims there. The reason is that there are many Bull Sharks in the area, and they have attacked swimmers in Richmond River.

 

IpYSEeZ.jpg

 

While waiting for parts to dry, I would alternate to altering two figurines.

 

kxZcZla.jpg

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They are going to need a bigger boat!  Another great bit of incidental humour, people are going to love this diorama when it gets home!  More great work Pete, glad you've got your mojo back so to speak!

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34 minutes ago, Derek A said:

Have you tried the 2 part resins like Milliput?  I have some but haven't used it yet but from what I've read, modellers sculpt all sorts from it!

Thanks Derek.

I looked it up on the Milliput home page. Sounds great, just what I need.

Also looked to see if it is sold in Australia. Yes it is, and in the process discovered that we also have a Hobby Tools website. They got some great stuff too.

Thanks again.:yes:

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Experimented with creating water surfaces for the river. Used tissue/toilet paper with PVA-water mixture.

Used a long haired bristle brush for dabbing and forming textures and shapes of the paper mache.

 

Trying to work out how to apply this stuff around piers, bridge footings, and ramps.

Created a wake, which could be applied for the small boat.

May introduce a very mild wake around the bridge pier footings. The only time the water runs fast is during a flood.

 

Made ripples waves that come to shore at times, by rolling the brush across the paper mache (bottom right).

Bunched up some mache to form a small ripple (wake) wave, as seen near the shore (bottom left).

 

gWYzKJ8.jpg

 

41wALI3.jpg

 

Discovered that it is not good to redo/add-to the paper mache after it has dried. It does not blend in too well.

So, to do this job it will have to be done in a single session.

To cover just under two square metres, it will take a while, and lots of PVA-water mix (a few litres).

Also, using at least four layers of toilet paper, so I will be needing a few rolls of that too.

 

 

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Difficult to tell how effective that is going to be because the paint makes such a big difference; I must say though it looks very encouraging. :ignore: I suppose real water and a wave machine is out of the question!  :ignore:

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43 minutes ago, Derek A said:

Difficult to tell how effective that is going to be because the paint makes such a big difference; I must say though it looks very encouraging. :ignore: I suppose real water and a wave machine is out of the question!  :ignore:

Hello Derek.

Yes, due to the water being 85% of the display area, the painting job could make/break the whole diorama. But I intend to make it on the first try.

I will be preparing myself for it. The goal is to paint the water with varying shades of colour to simulate depth, and to proceed from one depth to the next while wet.

 

The above mache experimental board will be used for testing my approach to painting the mache.

Fairly sure I will need more paint, especially Raw Umber, Cerulean Blue, and Phthalo Green.

Also will need retarding medium to slow the drying of the acrylic paint.

 

Water and wave machine (for this diorama) . . . :D Ho ho ho that is so funny.

 

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The size of the task you set yourself still boggles my mind but seeing all you have achieved so far fills me with a certainty that it is going to look absolutely fantastic.  Looking forward to the next phase!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you @Derek A, @Gorby, @Jo NZ, @Kallisti, @James B, and @Corsairfoxfouruncle for your reactions. Much appreciated.

__________________________________________________________________________

Sorry to be away for over a week now.

Murray (Muz) a closed friend is dying from cancer. He has been fighting it for ten years. Unfortunately the last few months for him wasn't looking good. In the last two weeks he has deteriorated drastically.

He and his wife have relocated to family location. A few days ago was the last I will see of him.

Muz told my, since the fishing boat is less than 5 metres long, the guys ought to be wearing inflatable life-jackets. So I've painted life-jackets, and added line to the fishing rods.

 

viyQ3O5.jpg

 

Last year several of my cycling friends, including Muz, have told me to include cyclists into the diorama. 

Because I could not buy any 1/72 scale cyclists, and the daunting idea of making a tiny bicycle, has stalled me on the idea.

However, Muz's dilemma has urged me to include him, with his bike, into the diorama.

My plan is to have him on the bridge, waiting at the traffic lights, waving good-bye.

So I asked Muz to email me a photo of him and his bike. So he sent me this photo:

 

BymVHhe.jpg

 

I used thick electrical wire to make the bike. The daunting part was the wheels (about 1/4" dia). Used a drill bit to wrap the wire around it.

As soon as I soldered the front forks on, I felt confident to carry on.

 

7CYSlTe.jpg

 

Altered a plastic figure to suit the situation. Then tried to paint the colours required.

I am not so steady with my hands anymore. It's a miracle I got Muz written on the jersey on the first go.

 

bSqGkz4.jpg

 

K7zRmkt.jpg

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If you can get the old Airfix RAF Personel set, there are a couple of figures on bikes in that, although they are polythene rather than polystyrene so are difficult to modify.

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Hello ... Id like to start off by saying im sorry to hear about Muz. I’ve lost a Grandfather, Father, and a Brother to Cancer. So I have a sense of what it must be like for you, to know that you're losing your friend. I think the bike looks great and so does Muz. I think this is a great way to honor him. Keep up the great work and take as many breaks as you like. Its better to be slow on this project than give up on it because youre burned out. 

 

Dennis

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Just like to echo the thoughts of Dennis.

 

I have been building my diorama for at least 10 years and yes, its good to take a break not so much in case I burn out but to ensure I keep interested in the subject and keep the 'bored with it now' at bay.

Its the small thing like the inclusion of Muz that keeps the interest around your diorama.

 

Ian

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I'm really sorry to hear about your mate, the big 'C' is without doubt a curse on humanity. I'm convinced that if as much money had been spent on medical research as weapons, we would have beaten the biggest killers years ago.

As Dennis said, it's a very nice tribute to him, particularly as it is so beautifully built and painted.

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