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1/48 ACE Flak 38 w/trailer WIP


ScanmanDan

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Just got this one ready for paint shop this morning. Nice little kit let down somewhat by very basic instructions.

Wheels kept separate to make it easier to paint.

flak%2038%2004.jpg

flak%2038%2005.jpg

Trailer works as full size - pull a pin and the trailer drops away, very cool and over engineered in that special german way ;)

flak%2038%2006.jpg

flak%2038%2007.jpg

I should have some fun painting this one.

Plan is to have it towed behind my Bedford.

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

While I'm mucking' about with some cleaning up I thought I'd push this one along.  I've worked out the idea for a little base that needed a small tree.  I started knocking one up from bits I have had around the shop.  I am trying one of those paper foliage sets which I think I might be able to get attached in something a little less than a zillion hours.  I am posting my progress after about 5 hours of work getting the trunk bashed and starting to glue on the foliage.  I have learn a bit and know what I'd do different next time, but I think it's coming out okay.  What do you think?

 

Progress;

 

Checking the height. ;)

 

 flak%2038%2009-L.jpg

 

flak%2038%2008-L.jpg

 

If my eyes don't burn out I'll get the rest of the foliage on tomorrow.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dan

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Well another afternoon gluing little bits of paper.  I think that as a proof of concept it is getting there.  I have the materials worked out I just need to go and look at some real trees because I really mucked up the armature.  I am delighted to find out that you can edge glue these little leaf bits to a vertical surface with some careful mucking about.  Next time my armature will have much more verticality. 

 

Progress?

 

flak%2038%2010-L.jpg

 

flak%2038%2011-L.jpg 

 

I need to add some more leaves, especially ones above and below the plane of the branches.  That's why I always like to try new things.  To find out what NOT to do.

 

Thanks for dropping in for a look.

 

Dan

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6 hours ago, ScanmanDan said:

 I have the materials worked out I just need to go and look at some real trees because I really mucked up the armature.

think it looks good.   But, yes,  looking at the real thing helps  (though sometimes when you are all comfy and settled in at the bench you don't, unless yr comp is easily accessible.)

 

Have you looked at @Badder  ongoing diorama  project, where he tackles all sorts od scenery,  and describes in  word  and picture his methods.

Very interesting,  and much to be learned.

 

What brand are the tree leaves?

 

cheers

T

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8 hours ago, ScanmanDan said:

Well another afternoon gluing little bits of paper.  I think that as a proof of concept it is getting there.  I have the materials worked out I just need to go and look at some real trees because I really mucked up the armature.  I am delighted to find out that you can edge glue these little leaf bits to a vertical surface with some careful mucking about.  Next time my armature will have much more verticality. 

 

Progress?

 

flak%2038%2010-L.jpg

 

flak%2038%2011-L.jpg 

 

I need to add some more leaves, especially ones above and below the plane of the branches.  That's why I always like to try new things.  To find out what NOT to do.

 

Thanks for dropping in for a look.

 

Dan

Hi Dan,

I found your WIP after Troy tagged me in the post above and I'm glad he did. It's great to see someone else tackling a tree!

They really are a pain in the wotsit, but you can't beat a good tree, they are well worth the time and effort.

 

I won't touch those pre-made 'model railway-type trees' you can buy, or those plastic armature ones where you have to stick the 'woolly' fibre on and sprinkle with herbs. The armatures are awful, and as you know, armatures are a very important ingredient if you want to make a good tree!

 

Looking at yours I would say that actually,the main armature isn't bad at all, and the leaves are fine. Yes, paper leaves 'edge-glue' nicely, especially with thin CA, which is what I use. i prefer the 'immediate bond' which this gives. I don't know about you but I dab a spot of CA onto the 'twig' with a toothpick, switch ends, lick that end and use the saliva to pick up a leaf, then offer that up to the spot of glue. If you have a lot of leaves already made up and a large blob of CA on a plastic sheet, the process can actually be fairly quick. Just don't forget which end of the toothpick is the CA end and which is the 'licky' end!

 

Back to your tree. It's the 'twiggy' bits that let it down IMHO. But only because every single 'bunch of twigs' is identical, and so all of the 'bunches of leaves' look identical.  Basically each of your 'bunches' of leaves are arranged in a circle like the numbers around a clock. It's always best to create some variation. I don't know if your 'twigs' are bendable - maybe a bit of heat could be applied - but if you were to bend certain twigs upwards, or downwards, or splay them out, or push them together, or even fold them in half, laterally, this would help with the realism. You could also fix 'twig armatures' directly above or below others, giving you a 'double or even treble thickness' of twigs/leaves. Also you could add leaves further down the twig, towards the branch - which would add bulk and depth.

 

Oh, one more tip.... always stick your leaves to the twigs and the twigs to the branches, in that order, and only when a whole branch with all its twigs and leaves is finished, should you fix it to the tree. Stick your first branch at the bottom and work your way around and up, spiralling all the way to the top.  As you move up the tree the branches generally angle from horizontal towards vertical, the last branch sticking straight up in the air. (The leaves themselves can be horizontal though)

 

 

 

I hope this helps, although I think you probably have all these ideas in your head anyway!

I am following with interest.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

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Progress;

 

flak%2038%2012-L.jpg

 

flak%2038%2014-L.jpg

 

flak%2038%2013-L.jpg

 

Last couple of days getting the base knocked into some kind of shape.  All those tiny little bits of cork were driving me nuts in the end.  I do think it might just look okay once I get some paint on it.  I am working out what to add to this scene but at the very least it looks somewhat like what I had envisaged before I started.

 

Troy- The tree kit was by the company Kamizukui.  They make a small range of plant kits in 1/48 scale but they do a much extended range in 1/35.  Nice kits but $$$$.  Thank you for the links to Badders' work.  Excellent read :)

 

Badder - Thank you very much for your encouragement and guidance.  I have had a lot of fun going through your post ( with more still to look at :) )  I will be trying out some of your ideas to see if I can get good results.  I don't know if I'm brave enough to stick a tree together with super glue.  Almost too fast :)  I did add another layer of leaves to my tree here to get some more loft but alas I couldn't play too much with the individual leaves now that they are glued to the stems.  Next time though I'll do more.

 

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dan

 

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Progress;

 

flak%2038%2020-L.jpg

 

 

 

flak%2038%2016-XL.jpg

 

flak%2038%2017-XL.jpg

 

flak%2038%2015-XL.jpg

 

And I have started the figures.  Lots of scraping to get the details sharper and open up the cuff,etc.

 

flak%2038%2019-XL.jpg

 

flak%2038%2018-XL.jpg

 

I have another figure in the works so we'll see if I can get them to look okay.

 

Thanks for looking in.

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Thanks Chris, let me know if you think the new tree is an improvement. 

 

 I did some work on getting the second figure into primer so I can at the very least do some painting this coming week.  He is a Aerobonus figure and is slightly shorter than the Tamiya/Verlinden hybrid. I'm not too fussed as I like having different shapes and sizes of figures on the diorama as it looks a bit more realistic.
 
My task for today was to try out another way to do trees.  Materials to try were, Seafoam with scatter material for leaves.  While I didn't have exactly what was outlined to hand I made do with what I had and worked as best I could.  
 
Here is my progress;
 
flak%2038%2022-X2.jpg
 
 
flak%2038%2023-X2.jpg
 
flak%2038%2024-X2.jpg
 
I have to say that I think I like this one better.  A shame really as the paper one took ages to make.   I have to spray some light yellow-green and to add some highlights and finish with a shot of Dullcoat but I think I looks more to scale.  
 
What do you folks think? 
 
Thanks for looking in.
 
Dan
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  • 4 weeks later...

Still banging away at this but I got a little distracted.  

 

Ya see I'm pretty clumsy and I tend to knock stuff over and, well, break stuff.  With all these figures laying around the workbench I thought it wise to make some stands/ holding fixtures less I get very cross with myself.  A trip to the hardware store and the $2 dollar shop and I had what I needed.

 

Stands MkI

Figure%20stands%2001-X2.jpg

 

Figure%20stands%2002-X2.jpg

 

In reality just a hardware store furniture leg drilled out 13mm the counter drilled 9.5mm to allow for some cheap Xacto knives that I'm using as figure holders.  Oh, and some  satin black paint and rubber feet 'cause I'm a wing nut :)  Cheap, quick to make and they seem to work so far.

 

These two germans ( Tamiya with new head and Areobonus left to right)

German%2001-L.jpg

 

Have company with these Brits ( Both modified Tamiya figs)

Brits%2001-L.jpg

 

(But they're for another project, -----  did someone let a squirrel in here?)

 

Not too much to show for a week but now I have no excuses not to get on the paintbrushes.  We'll soon see how ham fisted I can be.

 

Thanks for stopping in for a look.

 

Dan

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Thanks guys, I'm still trying to get better at figures and so took up the brush...

 

My little test figure.  

 

German%20Officer%2001-XL.jpg

 

German%20Officer%2002-XL.jpg

 

German%20Officer%2003-XL.jpg

 

 

I didn't get his posture right so he becomes the crash test dummy for painting.  

Colours came out okay and I used a 0.03mm mechanical pencil to dot in the eyes which came out better than I thought.

Much to improve on but good practice, I have six more victims, er test pieces queued up so anything could happen.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

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  • 1 month later...

Progress;

 

Got some yellow on the gun.  I want to do a clean, almost new weapon as a change from the beatniks I usually prefer ;)

 

flak%2038%2027-X2.jpg

 

flak%2038%2028-X2.jpg

 

flak%2038%2026-X2.jpg

 

I still have some little bits to do but I like the colours so far.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dan

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