Fatman24834154 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/Dangerous-Dave4154/media/image_zpsyu7wek9j.jpeg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=144870052&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Sorry chaps, but Im struggling to get to grips with this photobucket malarkey . I'm trying to show the photo that my Battle of the Somme tribute dio is based on. Hang in there and I'll try and get it sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) Sorry chaps, but Im struggling to get to grips with this photobucket malarkey . I'm trying to show the photo that my Battle of the Somme tribute dio is based on. Hang in there and I'll try and get it sorted. Edited March 17, 2016 by Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) Sorry chaps, but Im struggling to get to grips with this photobucket malarkey . I'm trying to show the photo that my Battle of the Somme tribute dio is based on. Hang in there and I'll try and get it sorted. Okay, I clicked on the link u posted above and it shows the photo. u need to click on the bottom link which has IMG beside it. It will say 'copied' then u paste that here. U have to click on each photo and copy and paste each link. Or you can just do the one, and then people can click on that and view all the others in your bucket. Edited March 17, 2016 by Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) By the Lord Harry, I think I've got it. Cheers Badder The first photo is the original one taken on 3rd July 1916 at near a ullage called La Boiselle. The second piccy is of the front of the packaging for the Masterbox figures. I think it gives quite an accurate depiction of the men in the original photograph. Edited March 17, 2016 by Fatman24834154 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) Not sure how you are going to present your figures but here's a suggestion - ignore if you wish.. How about some sort of box diorama using the original B&W photo in the background with your six figures photoshopped out as a back scene and have your 3D figures in front... In other words a reinterpretation of the photo... Edited March 18, 2016 by Grey Beema 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) Grey Beema ,that's an excellent idea and I can imagine how impressive it would look, but my abilities, especially on the tech-front are sadly wanting when compared to some on here. As it is I have started a scratch built base from some exterior filler with some (hopefully) suitable ground cover added and will mount the figures on that. Hopefully I shouldn't make too much of a bodge job of it. Some piccy's to follow when I have more time as I'm getting ready to go on a night shift. My main concern is the faces; I have no ability to speak of other than not putting too much flesh coloured paint on them, so any tips would be appreciated. As ever any constructive comments/criticism always welcome. Cheers, Dave Edited March 18, 2016 by Fatman24834154 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Don't rush it and it'll be fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) This is the base just after I had poured the filler and shaped it a little to look a little like it does in the photo. I will remove the wooden for work and add a smarter plinth-like surround to it before I sand and shape the sides of the base so that they match the "lie of the land" so to speak when it is more or less finished and touch up where needed so it looks a lot tidier. I'll get a couple of the base with the ground cover tomorrow morning after work. Edited March 18, 2016 by Fatman24834154 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 (edited) I try to use cheap picture frames from IKEA or Tesco, get the deep ones and take the gubbins out and Robert is your mothers brother.. Edited March 19, 2016 by Grey Beema Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 (edited) A perfect opportunity to do some grass. Get some of that Woodland Scenics grass, light green and dark green. It's only a couple of quid per packet. Sorry if I'm teaching my mother's mother how to empty the contents of avian ovum using her lips, but here's how you make 'clumps' of grass. Get a stiff piece of plastic card and space out blobs of PVA. Let it congeal a bit. Mix your dark and light green grasses, take a hold of ;a bunch about an inch from the end, then snip off the extreme ends with a slanted cut. Take hold of that end, then cut the longer ends off, with a straight cut to the length you require.(a centimetre is about right) Still holding the 'slanted' end, dip and dunk the straight end into one of the blobs of PVA until it stands up. Tease it around a bit with a toothpick or similar to get the clump nicely splayed out. If you've let the PVA congeal enough beforehand the grass should stay in place. If not, tease the clump into position as the PVA congeals over time. Repeat the process, adding grass to all your blobs, some with more grass, some with less, some longer, some shorter. Place the card over a hot radiator/heater. I place corrugated cardboard under the card just to stop it melting. The PVA will dry quickly. Once fully dry, use a sharp blade to lift the edges of the PVA blobs and peel them off. Now place them around your diorama, fixing with PVA. I don't bother cleaning up any oozing PVA, I just scatter crushed Chervil over it. It dries clear anyway, but the Chervil adds texture and simulates clover moss etc. Remember that one species of grass will dominate a particular terrain, and competing species of grass will tend to grow in defined clumps that are fairly close together rather than spread about evenly. Hope that helps. Watching with interest. Badder Edited March 19, 2016 by Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Today I bought some grass matt, made by Tasma Products. 9 quid for a sheet approaching 1sq metre. It's the stuff used for smaller scale dioramas and model railway layouts, but I thought I'd give it a go. I've used a small strip to create a path on my Carry on regardless diorama, fixed with PVA and then sprinkled with Chervil. I'm just about to apply washes to rough it up a bit. It looks good. I wouldn't want to do a whole terrain with it though, unless I used it simply as a base on which to apply static grass, trees, bushes and mud/stones etc. Anyway, it's something to keep in mind when you do your groundwork. Rearguards, Badder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 (edited) I'm trying to persuade SWMBO to get me a mat of tall grass from eBay measuring 10cmx10cm for £4.99. I had a similar sized mat about 18 months ago and tear bits off as and when needed and still have a good quarter of it left. If yours is bigger than mine (snigger), where did you get it from? Edited March 19, 2016 by Fatman24834154 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I'm trying to persuade SWMBO to get me a mat of tall grass from eBay measuring 10cmx10cm for £4.99. I had a similar sized mat about 18 months ago and tear bits off as and when needed and still have a good quarter of it left. If yours is bigger than mine (snigger), where did you get it from? Yes, mine is much bigger than yours Dang. 80cm x 100cm to be precise. I picked it up at my local model shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Update on the dio. The exterior filler was fine once I'd got the mix sorted, and once set was painted with 2 coats of Tamiya flat earth as a base colour. The path/track is covered with some flock material I got off an online auction site and the ground under the bushes is covered with dried peppermint tea leaves that SWMBO drinks while the opposite ground is covered with dried Dill I "found not being currently used" in the kitchen cupboard. The bushes are made from some lichen I found in the New Forest a few weeks ago dipped in PVA and sprinkled with various herbs and stuff. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep them or try building some from scratch using Badder's technique he described in his Lost in France build. The grass tufts are from a grass mat I got off the same online auction site which has been dry brushed with Tamiya khaki to darken it as the original green was a bit pants, as can be seen in those I've left unaltered to show the difference. I'm trying to make some longer grass using the technique Badder describes above but with no success at the minute. I've put one of the figures to show scale/size (not very big), though he isn't secured as yet so I can play about with positioning of him and the others. Once that's been done I will take off the formwork and put on a smarter looking surround with a small brass plaque with the date and location. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 (edited) Update on the dio. The exterior filler was fine once I'd got the mix sorted, and once set was painted with 2 coats of Tamiya flat earth as a base colour. The path/track is covered with some flock material I got off an online auction site and the ground under the bushes is covered with dried peppermint tea leaves that SWMBO drinks while the opposite ground is covered with dried Dill I "found not being currently used" in the kitchen cupboard. The bushes are made from some lichen I found in the New Forest a few weeks ago dipped in PVA and sprinkled with various herbs and stuff. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep them or try building some from scratch using Badder's technique he described in his Lost in France build. The grass tufts are from a grass mat I got off the same online auction site which has been dry brushed with Tamiya khaki to darken it as the original green was a bit pants, as can be seen in those I've left unaltered to show the difference. I'm trying to make some longer grass using the technique Badder describes above but with no success at the minute. I've put one of the figures to show scale/size (not very big), though he isn't secured as yet so I can play about with positioning of him and the others. Once that's been done I will take off the formwork and put on a smarter looking surround with a small brass plaque with the date and location. Don't sell yourself short Dang, that looks damnably good to me! As for copying my ideas, I don't think you need to. Maybe you could give it a go just to perfect the technique and add a tree for a bit of variety . Having said that, the bushes look great, the grass looks great, (yes perhaps the grasses need a bit more 'washing' to vary the greens) and that figure looks great too. Personally I don't like using lichen as it just doesn't look real, but how you've treated yours has solved that problem. Good job all round! Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing more. Rearguards, Badder Edited April 2, 2016 by Badder 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Dave, Your ground work looks fantastic, your figure paintings not to shabby either. Like Badder said don't sell yourself short. Ozzy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 (edited) A few more with the figures in place. I know the original photo has the men walking towards the camera with the ground falling away to the left of picture but if I followed it to the letter the figures would look as though they were walking away from "the viewer" and it just didn't look right, so I've taken the liberty of a little "artistic licence". Edited April 2, 2016 by Fatman24834154 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Cheers, Ozzy, your comments are most welcome. I have come back to the plastic fantastic after a break of almost 30 years so I'm a little rusty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Ha. Beat you. I returned last year after 35yrs! Excellent dio. Can't fault it at all. Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I may be teaching my grandmother how to suck eggs, but.... That Dil you've 'borrowed'? If you crush it up really fine it's great for sprinkling over and around the clumps of grass while the glue is setting. I don't know what you used to fix them in place but I sometimes use thick CA rather than PVA. Both get squeezed out, but rather than clean it up, I use the sprinkle. It looks good and it also hides the edges of any 'mat' Rearguards, Badder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 I'll give that a go. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Some more taken in actual sunlight. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 That looks fantastic... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman24834154 Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Thanks, Vince, I think the natural light brings it out that little bit better. I still have to cut, sand and stain the wooden moulding I've got for the final surround and try and save some pennies for a small brass plaque for the front. I'm hoping to be able to sand it down so it follows the ground so that it doesn't look like the whole thing is sitting in a box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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