Ever evolvin dio. ft. 'THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TREE' as ft. on youtube.

[Badder]

1 hour ago, RichO said:

People and their cars when it snows,  farkin' ice holes!

 

Your not alone when it comes to messing up future plans with the plaster.  We all get to make mistakes like that.  You'll get it sorted, and it will look great.

You follow someone doing 5mph on a bit of snow and ice, and then they carry on at 5mph when they get to gritted roads which are basically lovely freshly scrubbed roads with better grip than at any other time of the year! Ice holes indeed.

 

As for the ruts, well, I'm wracking my brains. I've got 2 or 3 ideas in my head. Probably it'll be a combination of all 3.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[bhouse]

A Dremel cutting wheel should cut through the mesh.

[Badder]

3 hours ago, bhouse said:

A Dremel cutting wheel should cut through the mesh.

I've been meaning to get one, but what with 2 cars needing work I'm skint. I could leave the ruts until after Christmas I suppose and get on with other stuff.

 

Rearguards

Badder

[James B]

Obviously it depends on the dampness of the surface when the vehicles were travelling over it, but I would have thought that 2-3mm would be a sufficient depth for a spring/autumn (not super wet) field. In my experience the depth of track marks is more the exaggeration from all the material being churned into big lumps and deposited along the sides on corners. I've been on Salisbury plain as a squadron(?) of Challenger 2s hurtled past on what was quite wet ground, and they didn't leave much in the way of ruts (I know fairly different treads). What I'm trying to say is, I'm sure there's a way to make it look spot on with what you've got, the depth available and of course the extraordinary skills and artistry you've already demonstrated for us all. I'm certainly going to grab the popcorn and sit back and watch (albeit sat on the edge of my seat) how the next episode unfolds.

 

**Quietly shuffles back to the cheap seats**

 

 

[Badder]

1 hour ago, James B said:

Obviously it depends on the dampness of the surface when the vehicles were travelling over it, but I would have thought that 2-3mm would be a sufficient depth for a spring/autumn (not super wet) field. In my experience the depth of track marks is more the exaggeration from all the material being churned into big lumps and deposited along the sides on corners. I've been on Salisbury plain as a squadron(?) of Challenger 2s hurtled past on what was quite wet ground, and they didn't leave much in the way of ruts (I know fairly different treads). What I'm trying to say is, I'm sure there's a way to make it look spot on with what you've got, the depth available and of course the extraordinary skills and artistry you've already demonstrated for us all. I'm certainly going to grab the popcorn and sit back and watch (albeit sat on the edge of my seat) how the next episode unfolds.

 

**Quietly shuffles back to the cheap seats**

 

 

Hi James,

Thanks for your thoughts and your kind comments; All are greatly appreciated.

 

I was fortunate enough to take part in exercises on Salisbury Plain whilst serving in the Territorial Army. I drove a Fox armoured car with A Squadron, Wiltshire Yeomanry. Obviously that was a wheeled vehicle but I did see the ruts left by Chieftains and other tracked AFVs. Some of the most 'popular routes' were heavily rutted, sometimes to a depth of 2ft or more! Obviously my ruts will be brand new and 'virginal' so their depths will be minimal.

 

I envisaged that the ground for my dio was dry and firm, . It turns out that the bedrock of the Normandy region is limestone, so that is extremely compatible with my 'envisagement'. That's fortunate then!

But I did like the idea of depicting some amount of rutting with 'lateral' deposits of chewed up turf... and as you say, ruts of 2mm deep felt about right to me. Unfortunately the metal mesh sits mostly at a depth of 1mm.

 

I have considered various options as to how to get around this problem. The top solutions are:

 

1. Wait until I have a Dremel which can cut through the plaster and mesh easily.

2. Increase the depth of the topsoil with a new layer of plaster, leaving strips 'unplastered' to create ruts.

3. Apply longer, denser, grass to the existing ground, 'sinking' the tank into the grass and only modelling the ruts at the rear of the vehicle.

 

I have decided on option 1 as this will give the most accurate/realistic rut. So, I will have to wait until Santa comes, or possibly the March hare!

 

Rearguards

Badder.

 

[Badder]

The only progress this week then..... a bit more veg.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[James B]

Not sure if it's of any use, but I have seen 20gbp Dremel replica sets on amazon. They generally have pretty good reviews. Would certainly be a good place to start as 20gbp isn't a huge waste if it does die, plus the amount of attachments you get that also work in a Dremel makes it well worth the 20gbp in my eyes. (I figure 20gbp is easier for Santa to swallow than the nearly 100gbp - or more - a Dremel branded Dremel costs)

ps. I don't have a pound sign on my keyboard, hence all the gbp.

[Badder]

4 hours ago, James B said:

Not sure if it's of any use, but I have seen 20gbp Dremel replica sets on amazon. They generally have pretty good reviews. Would certainly be a good place to start as 20gbp isn't a huge waste if it does die, plus the amount of attachments you get that also work in a Dremel makes it well worth the 20gbp in my eyes. (I figure 20gbp is easier for Santa to swallow than the nearly 100gbp - or more - a Dremel branded Dremel costs)

ps. I don't have a pound sign on my keyboard, hence all the gbp.

 

Thanks James,

I shall have a look at alternative manufacturers, though I will steer clear of Chinese goods as in my experience they never last long. Worse than that one fan heater very nearly burnt my house down, the electrical cable melting and catching fire behind my sofa. Luckily I was in the room when it happened, and wasn't asleep, so the popping and crackling of shorting wires alerted me first ! I'll tell you it was well scary turning the switch off when there's flames and sparks leaping up the cable to the plug!

BTW, £ signs are available on  for the web for 50 pence. Made in Japan, so they should be pretty reliable.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Edited December 14, 2017 by Badder

[Badder]

This doesn't look very realistic at the moment, but hopefully it will improve once it's cured further and has been carved. Not much of this will be visible TBH, but it has to be there.  The tree will eventually slot into this hole and the roots blended into the trunk using putty.  The hole itself will be filled with wet plaster and a screw in the base of the tree will be set into it. I left a dip in the ground to the left of the tree because I was considering placing the elusive duck pond here. I am still thinking about that.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Ah-Ha! We're back on the interweb again!

 

Some progress today thanks to the upgrade preventing me from waffling on here between taking photos!

 

One experiment carried out successfully as well, which is a bonus.

 

Pics and waffle to follow shortly.

 

TFL

Badder.

[Badder]

With BM out of action this morning, I decided to bung the extended DVD box set of LOTR on and crack on with vegetating the curved wall some more. And, I thought, 'why not try an experiment?'

I'd seen another member create some great vegetable-effects using some product very similar to the Japanese 'Grit Paints' I use, only his products contained fibres rather than grit.  Admittedly, the box art which showed the moss, lichen and algae effects was misleading, being photos of ACTUAL, moss, lichen and algae, but hey, it gave me the idea to try adding other ingredients to my grit paints. So I tried herbs, of course. Corrainder to be precise.

 

I took some green Grit Paint, mixed in the coriander, and then dabbed this over the wrall, and some of the already present veg using a stiff brush. The results were immediately likeable, by me, at least. So I applied more and left it to dry while wondering why it was that Gandalf already knew that a Balrog had been awoken in the mines of Moria, but upon hearing its distant rumble and roar spent a good twenty seconds waffling before eventually shouting 'Run!'

 

I then decided to give all this new 'moss' and 'greenery' a dark wash, so gave it all a blast with gloss varnish. And while that was drying I wondered why it was that Gandalf shouted 'to the bridge of Kazakdoom!' as if any of the others knew where that was!. Anyway, the wash I used was water/black acrylic ink. Yes, I know one is never supposed to use black as a wash, but this stuff goes miles and is so easy to spread around it doesn't look black, but more like a shadow.

 

Next I felt like adding some more grass to the base area of the wall, and to the raised ground behind it. This is a process which needs much concentration, so I didn't have the capacity to wonder why the Balrog ever felt it had better have a whip of some sort?

 

 

I will post better pics tomorrow.

And so that's roughly the progress made today.

Tomorrow, some veg behind the wall.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[LotusArenco]

On 12/14/2017 at 1:31 AM, Badder said:

I shall have a look at alternative manufacturers, though I will steer clear of Chinese goods

Have a nose at this mini drill company.

https://www.mfacomodrills.com/mini_drills/drills.html

I picked up the 399D mini drill from the Argos catalogue 15/20 years ago, and after much abuse, has only just gone to the ‘great toolbox in the sky’.

I picked up a cheap £15 one as a replacement, and instantly regretted it.

 

Mart

 

Edit: The similarities between the cheapo drill and the Como were such that I had a lightbulb moment. Swap the innards, and Bob’s yer uncle. Here’s to another 15/20 years of use!

Mart

Edited December 17, 2017 by LotusArenco
Sudden (and rather obvious in hindsight) brainwave!

[Badder]

Out came the 'Lime' leaf punch and on went some 'creepers' to the wall. Careful manoeuvring of the punch means that you can punch out just the smallest of the four available leaves and maximise the 'leaf capacity' of a given area of paper.

Again each leaf was applied by dabbing a blob of medium CA to the required spot with one end of a toothpick, then flipping the toothpick around, licking the opposite end and using the 'wetness' to pick up a leaf and transfer it to the spot. This time I only licked the wrong end once. See? I'm learning!

 

I fancy that one day I may actually use these leaves to make a medium sized tree.

 

TFL

Badder.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

A bit more progress.... I gave the new leaves a coat of gloss varnish and then a dark green wash with water/weathering powder. Once dry I went over the leaves with a dry brush, scrubbing off some of the green, before a final spray with a satin varnish.

 

 

BTW the leaves were punched out of the thin green card one might find just before you run out of Rizla tobacco-rolling papers. This saved me having to paint/spray both sides of sheets of paper.

With this done I gave the wall a rest and moved on to the area behind it.... the 'back yard.'

I've finally accepted that I have to abandon the duck pond idea, so I am in the process of filling in the dip where it MIGHT have gone. I've also 'sunk' some metal gauze into the yard, although little of this area will be grassed.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

4 hours ago, LotusArenco said:

 

Edit: The similarities between the cheapo drill and the Como were such that I had a lightbulb moment. Swap the innards, and Bob’s yer uncle. Here’s to another 15/20 years of use!

Reminds me of my dad's garden broom which he inherited from his father, and he in turn from his father. 120 years old that broom is, and in all that time it's only had 2 new handles and 3 new heads.

 

Thanks for the link and info, I shall have a look.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Edited December 17, 2017 by Badder

[Badder]

I'm looking at those leaves above, and then I'm looking at the hedgerow. And you can guess what I'm thinking. There's a definite lack of 'green' in the hedgerow. And a definite lack of discernible leaves. I'm no longer happy with the 'Silver Birch.'

 

Do I increase the greenness with additional treatments? Do I try to add leaves to the existing tree, or do I cut it down and make a better one?

 

Your thoughts please?

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Badder]

Yes, I've changed my mind again!

 

I was looking at the orientation and position of the building again, and how it affected the amount of space I had left in which to place various components. I had envisaged having a Universal Carrier being loaded up with provisions on the slope outside the double doors, and maybe a tank parked up at the back of the building near the big tree. But I have come to realise that both areas would be extremely cramped. The front of the UC would almost overhang the limits of the diorama, and any tank parked up near the tree would restrict the space available for any other details such as animal pens/out-buildings, walls etc.

 

And I realised that, actually, it made more sense for the building to face the track than sit side-on to it.  In addition I thought it better to have one larger area with room for a vehicle and other components, than it was to have two cramped areas.

 

So, I've turned the building back to facing the track, and have slid it along a few inches to increase the size of the area beside the big tree. I have obviously sacrificed the area where the UC was going to be, but I can now place the UC on the other ramp. Luckily, I have managed to source some more diamond rubber mat to re-surround the building.

 

Before I do any rubber matting though, I'm going to try making a new Silver Birch. I Will be using copper wire for the armature, un-twisted picture hanging wire for the branches and twigs and paper leaves.  I imagine several hundred leaves will be required to make a sufficiently realistic tree. Fingers crossed.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Vince1159]

....

[Pete in Lincs]

On 12/13/2017 at 8:43 PM, Badder said:

Unfortunately the metal mesh sits mostly at a depth of 1mm.

Right. I had a lightbulb moment too.

It depends on how stiff the mesh is.

If you drill down through the base, loop wire over the mesh and through the base

then tighten the wire it should pull down a section of mesh to create ruts.  I think.

It would mean a fair few holes but I hope you see what I mean.

[Badder]

1 minute ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Right. I had a lightbulb moment too.

It depends on how stiff the mesh is.

If you drill down through the base, loop wire over the mesh and through the base

then tighten the wire it should pull down a section of mesh to create ruts.  I think.

It would mean a fair few holes but I hope you see what I mean.

Hi Pete,

Thanks for having a think about it for me!

I think though, that that would require too much work. For one thing I'd have to remove all of the plaster beneath the gauze where I want the rut to be. The plaster of Paris has set very hard and trying to carve and chip it out through the gauze would be a long, awkward and messy process. If I went ahead I wouldn't need to drill through the base and 'pull' the gauze down though. I could simply 'push' the gauze down. It is quite pliable and the diamond netting shape stretches fairly easily. However, as I said earlier, I think waiting for a 'Dremel' type tool would be the simplest solution.

 

I am working on the ground behind the curved wall at the moment, and plan to have some vehicle parked up there. I've gauzed part of the ground already  and given it a skim with plaster. This time though I am going to deepen the depth of the 'top soil' and imprint the ruts into the plaster in the accepted way, BEFORE  applying the grass. Genius!

 

Thanks again for your thoughts,

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

 

 

[Badder]

BTW, it's a guesstimate, but I think this dio weighs in the region of 20lb at the moment, and combined with its width and length, not something I'd wish to turn upside down!

[Badder]

A tiny bit of progress today.

First off, I tried out my idea of making a new tree using untwisted picture-hanging wire and paper leaves. Unfortunately this did not work as the leaves don't glue too well to 'brass' wire. For 'don't glue too well' think 'difficult.' The brass wire doesn't  like CA. The CA remains liquid far too long while the paper soaks CA up and slides around on the wire, making it almost impossible to position the leaves correctly. So I thought I'd return to fishing line instead of wire. A quick feasibility study proved much more successful - the nylon monofilament/CA/paper interaction being infinitely better.

But rather than bin the test piece I added it, and another, to the veg on the curved wall. I've left both 'vines' unpainted, relying on their natural light green colour to create some contrast. These look good with the darker green leaves behind and, being 'suspended' in front of the background leaves helps create a lot of depth

 

 

I conclude that the fishing line/paper leaf method is viable and so I will build the replacement Silver Birch this way.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

 

 

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder

[Badder]

Lots more leaves going on and over the wall......  I fancy they'll be appearing in other areas too.

 

No pics of the growth of the leafery, as I think you all get the idea.

 

No doubt I will do other things to break up the monotony of 'vine construction'.

 

TFL

Badder

[Badder]

Okay, I said I wouldn't bother with more photos of leaf progress, but progress is progress and I have a minute to spare.....

 

 

 

There are 9 separate vines in the photos above. At a rough guess therefore, I'd say I'd need up to 400 to make a new Silver Birch tree.

 

TFL

Badder

Edited February 22, 2018 by Badder