Angus Tura

Hello. A little update. I didn't post this last time to show him looking at the cat. This is a second more successful try of painting the Tamgas on the javelin quiver. The first picture is of tape with circles punched out to place them regularly. I've painted them with my leather base (Humbrol H186) with W&N Raw Umber. It has dried less lumpy than it looks here. Then this is where I've got to: The grass-edge has been carved back to about 2mm height and then the outside sanded smooth with the base and then multiple coats of Humbrol enamel satin black: 5 so far. The spear, shield and javelins are undercoated as are the decoration on his tunic. The spear and the tamga on the shield took a lot of masking. The milestone is done apart from highlighting the "EB MP XX"-bit which I imagine might have been kept a bit brighter than the names of long-dead emperors. One last push needed! Thanks for looking, Alan

@trickyrich: Would reconnaisance versions of planes be acceptable? Such as RF-104G, Spitfire PR XIX? Alan

Thanks Tim. Alan

An easy one to forget, Matt! What with there being no progress whatever... Apart from the repeat stone carving, the other thing getting me down previously, was the prospect of the large amount of leather to paint and the large amount of stitching on the large amount of leather. I couldn't really progress the base without finishing the horse but eventually it's all done. Then came a hairy bit, namely getting the horse off the base. This was nothing like as bad as I imagined. I made a little landing mat in case it suddenly came away. and then after drilling out from below the base, and chipping away the putty cobbles enough to get a razor saw in, it came away OK. Then the sides of the base have been built up with putty to hide the backing on the "grass" and the base bits painted, albeit with more washes to come. I made a hoof to impress the putty of the path with hoof-prints. Then finally ready to make the base layer of the path. I've put the figure together so as to see how high, or low, the horse and stone had to be for the rider to look like he's looking at the cat. Now on the home stretch, I hope. Thanks for looking. Alan

Thank you folks. I had given up on this... I've add you in. Are you a yes, @Enzo the Magnificent? Hope springs eternal. Angus, less bitter, Tura.

Not as difficult as I thought...but time-consuming. We're going home tomorrow and I thought I'd post how far I've got before then. These are an armature for the legs and then two more bits for his trunk and arms all stuck together with putty, These are as far as I've got before home. Thanks for looking and see you in a bit. Alan

Nice so far, Alan

Hello all, and apologies for returning this thread to the prosaic business of modelmaking! Here are a couple of pictures from the Maori Fortifications book. The book is actually very interesting, especially on how the Pahs changed as the Maori adopted firearms. The first illustration is of a cross section of the defences which made me think of making the back of the base/plinth into the front wall of a trench. The second is of the palisade of a Pah after the adoption on muskets. Other pictures in the book would suggest that the upper cross-members are at head level. So, handily, the drawing has been reproduced in nearly exactly 1/32. I've used the figure as a guide to the depth of the trench and built up the floor of the trench with Magic-sculp. The base has a very nice granular black paint on its lowest part which is ideal. I wanted to have the new back and sides of the plinth square and the sides of the wooden plinth are a nice guide for the putty at the sides. On the back I've made a blob of putty the same depth as the lower edge as a guide for smoothing the putty and sanding and that has worked pretty well. It comes off again with a bit of help. The wooden uprights are formed on 80 x 60 thou rod doubled up for the larger one and with shims of 20 thou for the smaller. The smaller has been drilled out at the top and brass rod glued in to stop it falling to bits on carving it. Then they've been covered in putty and the grain on the ends and some cracks and so on done as it sets. After its st completely the grain has been scratched in with a junior hacksaw and needle and 11 blade. Now comes the difficult bit: the carving on the top of the bigger upright. Thanks for looking. And the Rest is Politics!, as Gary Lineker might say. See you later, Alan

@hakkikt,I love it. I haven't kept up with builds here but just thought the paint job in the Gallery was superb...turns out the whole thing is superb! Thanks for showing, Alan

I should just chip in too to say this has been a brilliant GB @bianfuxia. Roll on the next. Alan

Thanks Rob. It's named in the gallery entry and the title of the build thread. If you want to be picky it's a Eurasian Golden Oriole. Quack. Alan

Many finishes as you say @Dennis_C. This is a Golden Oriole (hermaphroditic until painted), in a fig tree. It's all sculpted in Magic-Sculp with some metal re-enforcements in stalks and legs. Thanks for looking, Alan

Thank you for interest and very kind comments. Here are some pictures of finishing off. Its legs have been put in roughly with a bit of a sewing needle in the left leg. The wings feathers are on in a rough way and then, after they've cured they've been carved up with a 15 blade to sharpen them up. The topmost feathers on the wing have been done in the same way. The downy feathers on the breast, back and head are started. These are just the putty teased out with a new sewing needle. The legs are finished. I should say that its not possible to see the feathers at all in the photo of the male bird above but the female lets one see where they should go. Here it is finished...albeit at three o'clock this morning! This is with a single source of electric light, and the downy feathers look too much. With normal light, I think they're OK and they'll be reduced more with paint. This, taking it off the backing, I've been looking forward to, even though it's a bit hairy. I did lose one little stalk top right which stayed on the paper. Here it is just needing a bit of cleaning up which is true the more so on the back. There is only one gallery picture, so I'm not putting it here too! I'll post here after casting and painting. Thanks very much @bianfuxia for the idea and inspiration. Thanks @Enzo the Magnificent for extension and all the rest! Looking at the number of entries, and especially completions, might you think about this being annual, as opposed to biennial, if it becomes a regular? Alan

In a fairly recent past I might have wandered around a model show, as I have every right to do, and seen a book like this, and wondered, "Who on Earth would want that book?" Now, of course, I realise that it was me. This figure has been in the stash for quite some time, as has the increasingly collectible Oakwood Studios base. He is a soldier of the 40th foot in the Maori Wars, but the 65th of Foot, to continue a Yorkshire theme, wore the same uniform as far as I can see. The only distinguishing mark is the number 40 on the front of his hat. My idea is for him to be standing just outside the outer trellis of a Maori fort. The figure is by Art Girona and the picture from their website. He is about 58mm. As a one-time non-volunteer second row forward I would that as if it wasn't bad enough killing lots of Maoris and nicking their land, we then made the poor blighters play rugby also. Alan

Thanks Enzo. I am very reluctant to call it "Art". Some figure modellers I know are very keen that figure modelling, as opposed to other model-making, is an "Art". It then follows that they can be a bit sniffy about Aircraft- and Ship-models, albeit they all seem to be able to accept Tanks and Ordnance. I'd call it a craft: it's not as if it says anything, other than that Angus "The Worlds's Most Bitter Man" Tura is a bit obsessed with Golden Orioles! Anyway, here it is back in it's breeding ground of Portugal: I've done as much around the eye as I can do before doing all the downy yellow feathers. His tail and primary feathers are all done and the feathers above the primaries on his wing are done too apart from a bit of No.15 blade tidying up. I don't know the name of those feathers, and have forgotten to bring my Collins "Birds of Britain and Europe" on holidays. The bit of tree on which the bird is standing is done. See you later and thanks for looking, Zografoi Agoniste: Forgive Ancient Greek Google-mangling. Alan