Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Looks good, the colours are great!

I think you should mask half the panels with tape before the next round of masking fluid, so you get some blotches that don't cross the expansion gaps. That would help it look like separate concrete pours.

My 2p,

Will

Yes, I think that would be a good idea Will. In fact I probably should have done that with the first round of making.

Andy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andy,

The base looks very good, I love it! Your scratchbuilding and painting is perfect!

Thank you for explaining your work so detailed, also with your great pictures.

This is a big inspiration and help in modelling for me!

Best regards,

Mark

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys

A bit more masking and painting has happened. As Will suggested, I masked off some of the panels so the patterning from the masking fluid doesn't extend to adjacent panels

26794694603_867d9873c3_b.jpg

The masking fluid was sponged on as before, then it was sprayed with a mix of Vallejo white grey and aged white. I then sprayed some Vallejo grey wash around the edges of the panels. When I rubbed the latex off, the pale grey had knocked back the contrast a bit, but there wasn't as much mottling as I wanted so I sponged on more fluid and gave it another spray with Tamiya ocean grey, then some patchy areas of Tamiya buff. All these paints were quite heavily thinned, so they were pretty transparent.

With the latex rubbed off again, and the masking tape removed, I thinned some Vallejo pale blue/grey, and misted it over the whole surface. The panels with the extra coats are noticeably darker, and I was intending to spray the other panels as well to match them up more. Now I'm thinking I may leave it as it is. I'll have a fresh look at it in daylight, and decide whether to add any more to it. It'll still get some discolouration, stains etc. along with the ground markings

26793770224_24a4613075_b.jpg

27125980200_eb0f04d238_b.jpg

Andy

  • Like 16
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys

You do realize that you could probably make and sell custom made bases with skills like that..?

Thanks Thom. It would be nice to try something like that, but it would be hard to maintain consistency as it's such a random process. It would probably work better to print ones from a scan, but then I don't have a printer that's up to the job.

I had a fresh look at it this morning and decided to leave it as it was, without any more over-sprays to the concrete, so I went strait on to masking out the line markings27386928706_fde0b13b84_b.jpg

On the original plan I did (back on page 3 somewhere), I'd got the lines in a pale blue, as I wanted to keep all the groundwork in cool tones to counter balance the strong red on the X-Wing. Since then, of course, I've added the yellow and green ground equipment and the orange droid, so I was a little unsure about introducing another colour. In the end I couldn't think of a better colour to go with, so I mixed up a pale blue and used that. I added a little pale grey to it to slightly desaturate it, to try and avoid too many strong colours clashing. I sponged on some masking fluid before spraying, to add some chips to the stripes

26812257374_14b1d1dd75_b.jpg

27420940675_264b1cfe03_b.jpg

I felt it needed something extra on the bottom edge, so I added another line below the blue hatchings, this time in white. After that, I started on the weathering with some sprayed stains and some brush painted. This was all done with acrylics for speed, but the remaining weathering will be done with oils and enamels

27349443621_e3f07b2c28_b.jpg

27349438361_c890e3ddaa_b.jpg

Once all the weathering's done, I can stick the wall in place, then start on the ground work at the back. Since that's going to be snow, it shouldn't take too long, as there won't be any detail painting or foliage to add. Once that's done it'll essentially be finished, so it shouldn't be too much longer now.

Andy

Edited by AndyRM101
  • Like 17
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As usual I am late to the party but glad I found this. The whole project is coming along nicely and I am glad to see the slight rotation on the wall. It really does help sell the dio.

Trilliance did a couple of sets in 72nd scale, one of Rebel personnel and one with hanger equipment. Looks like their site is no longer available unfortunately. Starship Modeler used to carry them.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys

I'm going to call the hardstanding and revetment wall done. I could keep on weathering them, but I don't want the focus of the diorama to be the base, and anyway, most of it will be obscured by the X-Wing. I might tweak the weathering at the end if it needs it, but I'm going to get started on the landscaping at the back now.

In the end, I didn't use any oils on the base, just enamel washes. Mainly AMMO dark green grey PLW for the staining on the concrete, and AMMO streaking grime for the dirt and grime on the wall, and some of the smaller stains and patches on the ground. There's also a bit of chipping on the hatch on the wall with a pencil

27175011990_8f9c6c2999_b.jpg

27379904751_61fdddf311_b.jpg

26844222533_ce36b20394_b.jpg

Andy

  • Like 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys

OK, we're on to the snow scape now. I wasn't absolutely sure how I was going to approach this, so I began by laying down a layer of DAS clay as a base. I covered the MDF with some dilute PVA first, to help the clay bond to the surface, and some of the PVA will seep into the clay making it less likely to crack as it dries. It's a pretty thin clay layer, but I tried to build it up more at the back of the wall to give it more of a drifted snow look. While it was still wet I stippled the surface with a bristle brush to give it some texture, and help the subsequent finish stick to it

27411602031_a7e7ac2b67_b.jpg

As I said, I wasn't sure how I was going to approach the snow finish. My original plan was to dust the surface with bicarbonate, which is what I've used previously for snow effects. Doing that would need a smoother, more refined surface though, as the bicarb is only a thin top coat. I could have applied another layer of clay to smooth the surface, but then I remembered I'd got a pot of Wilder snow paste, that I'd bought a couple of years ago, and never used, as I wasn't keen on the finish it left

27384255772_8b69aaf772_b.jpg

I decided to add a layer of this on the basis that if it looked OK I could leave it at that, but if I didn't like the effect I could still cover it in a layer of bicarb. I think the reason I didn't like it before was that it appeared to be like thick paint with grit in it (which is essentially what it is). Not especially snow like. That was on a vehicle though, and it's probably not the best option for that, but I thought it might work better as a ground covering.

I daubed it on with a brush, again building it up against the wall. It's quite sticky, and tends to leave peaks when you lift the brush. I found the best way was to lay it on anyhow, then add a few drops of water to it, which has the effect of softening it and evening out the peaks

27384247062_b0d1c7f37c_b.jpg

The final effect isn't amazing, but it's not terrible either. I'll have to wait to see how it dries, as I think the paste may shrink back, leaving the texture too pronounced. If it does, I'll add a second coat to smooth it out

27206472670_4ca2c42916_b.jpg

I also want to add small patches of snow to the frames on the wall. Depending on how the paste looks when dry, I'll either use that or bicarb mixed with PVA. I might still add a scattering of bicarb over the paste at the end. Another thing I want to try and get is some dusty, windblown snow over the concrete where the wall ends, and I've been experimenting to that end by spraying matt varnish over a board, then sprinkling the bicarb over it using a sieve (the two examples on the bottom edge of the board)

26875842993_7c03143fd3_b.jpg

I quite like the effect, so I'll probably use it. The patch at the top of the board is bicarb scattered over a painted application of PVA, and that's what I'll use as a finish over the texture paste, if I'm not happy with the way that looks when it's dry.

Andy

Edited by AndyRM101
  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The snow paste looks pretty good, assuming it keeps the nice soft mounded look after drying.

Aside: I quite like lightweight filler for snow - it has microbeads or similar as the bulking agent so it's got a sort of glint to it, and it has the right kind of body as well. Also I recall Hunter Rose getting good results with the Tamiya snow paste which I was really sniffy about until I saw it in use.

Good luck with the drifting snow on the wall - I think that should look really amazing!

Will

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The snow is looking pretty dang good. Makes me think of old snow with a harder crusty surface which certainly jives for a cold windy planet.

Man I love the blue ramp markings with the white accent. Kinda makes me want to add a thin white stripe to the black x-wing now.

Keep going!

-matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The snow paste looks pretty good, assuming it keeps the nice soft mounded look after drying.

Aside: I quite like lightweight filler for snow - it has microbeads or similar as the bulking agent so it's got a sort of glint to it, and it has the right kind of body as well. Also I recall Hunter Rose getting good results with the Tamiya snow paste which I was really sniffy about until I saw it in use.

Good luck with the drifting snow on the wall - I think that should look really amazing!

Will

Thanks Will

Earlier on in the build I did consider ordering some microballons (which is probably what's in the Wilder paste) or some Woodland Scenic snow scatter, but I was a bit reticent about investing in a load of snow effects that I might not use again. Having said that, I've enjoyed doing this (limited) snow scene, so I may pick up some other products.

I was a little sceptical about the Tamiya pastes when I first heard of them but, having seen a few used, mainly in magazine builds, they look like they give a very realistic effect, so I might pick up some of them too.

The snow is looking pretty dang good. Makes me think of old snow with a harder crusty surface which certainly jives for a cold windy planet.

Man I love the blue ramp markings with the white accent. Kinda makes me want to add a thin white stripe to the black x-wing now.

Keep going!

-matt

Thanks Matt

Yes, I think this paste works best for a hard-packed, crunchy snow. Probably less so for a soft powdery snow, as the texture in the paste is too strong. I've been quite surprised at how far the paste has gone. I thought I'd end up using most of the pot, but it's actually used very little to get a good coverage.

Well, the paste shrunk back a bit, but not as much as I was expecting. It doesn't leave that soft, windblown look which is what I'd originally wanted, but it look realistic enough all the same. I added a second layer, mainly at the base of the wall to build up the drifts and I'll probably add more again. I just keep having to wait for each layer to dry first.

I've also added some small build-ups around the details on the wall, which has helped gel the scene together. I'll enhance these with some bicarb mixed with gloss varnish, which should help even out some of the graininess in the paste

27396421002_ab24843b89_b.jpg

27423407331_5f461dd56c_b.jpg

27396414922_a10d7135fd_b.jpg

Andy

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I posted this on Flickr already but I don't see why the rest of Britmodeller shouldn't have to suffer my sense of humour:

Will

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...