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Reminiscing on time spent at south station


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HI guys,

 

Thanks for putting up with my graphic shenanigans! I must say, a bit like painting and weathering, it is fun to experiment! @silver911 and @Pete in Lincs, this whole project has been a fun experiment, and I appreciate you contributing to, and sticking with it, we still have quite a way to go!

 

Ron, no worries about your thoughts on the canopy, no offense taken.  The images shown so far have been pretty low-tech - just me adding shapes in powerpoint! to elicit just this - thinking about what something might look like.  I'm planning to use canvas from small scale ship building for the canopy, but haven't cut or worked on any of it just yet.  For now I'm more focused on figuring out how to make it work and how to attach it - I'm guessing I might need to add weights to make it heavy enough to actually sag, or look like it's in some tension (or to tie parts of it off on other parts of the dio) - the material is light, and of course, came folded!!  I will iron it first, then try out options in size and shape - oh, and how to actually install it!  I'd like to used some tiny grommets, but haven't found them just yet, so will likely experiment with methods until I get it right.  I was thinking about gluing a hem of some sort around the perimeter.  I'd love to use CA but it dries rigid and will fracture, so maybe back to the carpenter's glue?  thinking about adding a rope around the perimeter, with little tails sticking out on the corners (to tie it off), held in via the glued hem.

 

But, for today two interesting updates.  First, earthwork:

 

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Above, you can see I made a tape template and went about cutting and scraping - went fast - so, went on to adding roadbed on the outside of the tower, and adding more pumice gel - both fixing areas I scraped up, and where I want a more regular surface:

 

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As you can see above, some new cork on the right side of the tower, and more pumice gel.  Some of the gel, to the upper left, to repair scrapes etc for the relocation of a solar tower.  The rest came as a result of looking carefully at my "air photo" - realizing, there would likely be a relatively smooth, and well used trail in front of the canopy area and to the tower.  I hope this works.  If not, there is some fine pumice gel, which I could add on top of this to get the results I want.

 

Part two, well, some snazzy graphics - this time tho from my neighbor, who has long been amused by my hobby, and something we talk about now and then.  I sent him a link to this post, and he, who is also familiar with Ian McQue, asked if I'd mind if he ran a filter over some of my pics - the obvious answer, no, I don't mind at all!  And in mere minutes, he sent me these and others back:

 

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I was blown away!  and have no idea how he did it!  but, must say, they look really cool!  And, as you no doubt guessed, I will likely ask him if he'd mind doing it again once this is dio wrapped up!  Maybe I'm just captivated by the novelty of it all, but man - what an interesting way to interpret the dio!

 

OK - happy week gents - Monday will soon be here 

 

Cheers

Nick 

 

 

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15 hours ago, Stickframe said:

what an interesting way to interpret the dio!

It certainly is.  Your neighbour isn't called Mr Dali by any chance?

 

In my minds eye I keep seeing an old oil drum containing a fire in your dio. Maybe a couple of characters standing by it.

 

For a 1/35th truck canopy in the past I've used tissue paper, and painted it with diluted Elmers glue. It dries hard & is easy to paint.

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Hi Pete, yeah, to say the colors are a bit oversaturated.....😄   It's sort of odd how, the retouched images appear to be really big - like I cropped a small portion of a much bigger image - nope - they just look - big to me and about to jump off the screen!  In any event, I like to experiment with projects - why not? it's a hobby, and not work!  I'm planning on taking regular photos when it's done!

 

Yes - the oil drum - hmm....at least now we know my neighbor can likely make it look like it has a raging fire in it! 😄   I remember your tip for the canvas, in fact I thought about trying to use the diluted glue on tracing paper!  then I came across the sail material. Once I get going on that I'll post some images of what it looks like -

 

cheers

Nick   

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Hello dio builders, 

 

No more graphic silliness today - back to real dio work.....😄

 

It was sunny today, and I have spent some time in the last week adding to the base, so I took it out for some pics.  First adding and adjusting layers of texture, then adding several big, and some subtle layers of paint - please take a look:

 

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So, the sun might bleach things out a bit, but, basically shows all - you can't quite see the subtle color variations, but they've been added.  Remember, the hilly area will be covered with grass....and the areas on the "bottom" of the pic, behind the trailer and covered with debris. have fences, solar panels etc.....

 

On we go:

 

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Ok then - eventually I'll add some pigment and real sand/small rocks here and there.  Likely on the areas that look a bit too smooth.  I am pleased with the look of the asphalt.  I find it hard to get the color like this.  This time, before the asphalt color went down, I painted the road with Vallejo Sand Ivory - allowing a light coat of the asphalt color (life color) to look like a road, and not a black belt laid onto the base (which can happen with a dark primer base).  I intentionally allowed for some overspray on the edges to look like dust.  

 

Thanks for having a look - have a good week - 

 

Nick 

 

 

 

 

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Hello dio builders,

 

The good and bad news about a big-ish project is that there's always room for experiments, changes and odds and ends to finish.  So, rather than leaving well enough alone, I went about making some changes.  First up, the WASP recovery truck - I decided it needed a crane:

 

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So, I made one!  the idea here is that if this vehicle could actually recover a WASP, it would likely need some way, other than dragging it onboard via winch, or, for that matter, getting it back into the landing deck at the station, should it be out for repairs and so on.  The armature is based on a typical backhoe.  A few years ago I scratchbuilt an HMEE, which is a JCB military tractor, and used the model as a reference for how this might work.  Serendipitously, the half cab configuration lends itself nicely to this!  Just like Gradall excavators! And with some paint and weather:

 

51603405052_89f9d362b7_b.jpg

 

Seems to have worked out just fine, looks like it belongs there and, maybe another nod to the McQue designs, which seem to inevitably include a crane of some sort.  

 

See if you can tell from the next image what I also did some experimenting with:

 

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In fairness here, you would need quite an eagle eye to see what has changed - it looks more obvious on my home screen than above.  I added the canopy!

 

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Now, before we get into this - a key note:  this is only dryfit, taped in place, so there is no tension applied to the lanyards (one on each of the four corners), and it is not suspended with any precision - this is only a test! 😄

 

But, it is turning out as hoped.  I used model ship sail canvas.  I airbrushed on the stripes, a bit like the colors seen on a parachute.  I cut the canvas to just over the shape I wanted, then folded it back (hemmed?) along the edge, added some scale rope and glued the fold together with a light bit of CA.  I weathered the canvas using highly diluted, acrylic burnt umber ink, which I brushed on.  The new canvas was very clean and fresh - wrong for this setting, so the wash toned it down quite a bit.  

 

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That darned blue sky!!  it's awfully blue!!  blue or not, you can see how the canopy works....and actually not liking the sky at all, I made up an alt version:

 

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Ahh - that feels better!  😎  Turns out I had this background photo on my phone!  It's north of sunny Riyadh!!  (not the green part - I spliced two images together!)  I took this photo in June of 2017, on a very hot day - according to the phone, it was a pleasant 50 degrees Celsius!  Wow - I remember that day quite clearly - we walked a very long way up and down ridges, through wadis, and up and down a tall hill - a few miles, and I can say with clarity, it was hot!!!  It was pretty funny, there was a "tough guy" on our team, who felt he didn't need to bring any water along - his mistake.  The rest of us gave him a hard time about that decision when eventually had to ask for some of ours 😄  OK, back to the canopy:

 

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I'm betting that once this is in tension - it will look a-ok!  Regarding the tension, the four corners of the canopy will be tied off to the structure and outriggers - and, the outriggers will get rope rigging (back to the structure), then, I might just tie off the corners, like you do on a tent, to the ground, or to the pipes across the gravel trail - not sure just yet.

 

As much as I don't want to, next up will be installing tall grass in the foreground.  It will be mostly yellow and dried, with a few light green clumps tucked in here and there.  

 

OK gents, take it easy 

Cheers

Nick 

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Very nice crane!  Well done on a small vehicle.  To bad we don't have some sort of sound track with these photos. I'm imagining "Beyond Thunderdome"

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A very nice result with 'tarp' Nick...works better than I anticipated...and agree about needing tension...although personally...I would avoid tying it off to the pipes for obvious reason of passing traffic etc.

 

Agree with Rich...crane is a superb addition to the recovery vehicle...works perfectly to outline it's purpose now.

 

Where the foreground grass is concerned...I would avoid too much in the way of tall...usual reason...distracts the eye when viewing from a low angle...would tend to go more with 'scrub'...maybe a few bushes.

 

Would like to see a few pics without any background...gives a better idea of the reality of progress IMHO.

 

Solid progress...and looking forward to a few figures appearing soon.

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1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Like the canopy, the stripes add some good colour.

I like the crane too, the blue is a good contrast with the green. Is it on a swiveling base? 

Base looks fixed...with a swivel head to me Pete.

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Hello gents,

 

Thanks for stopping by - and leaving your thoughts.

 

As for the crane, Ron is right - it's mounted in a fixed position, but the armature rotates about the center, or I should say, it, and the arms all worked - that is base rotated and arms flexed.  No more, they're glued in place now.  I've broken enough projects to realize in my hands, once I get it where I want it, there it stays!  All the joints received an ample wash of glue to hold them steady.  

 

And @silver911, ask and you shall receive:

 

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Unhappily, these are a bit dark - it has been rainy and overcast here in the last week or so, and as such, the place is a bit dark.  Hopefully though you can see what's going on.  I've added several layers of colors here - ranging from some dark earth to light grey acrylics (airbrush), added washes over the rocks, added light dust wash to the sloping hillside, added pigment between/within most of the rocky areas, and added small tufts of grass.  It's hard to believe how many color layers have been added.  I still haven't added my tall grass, but it will get installed!

 

and for some scale:

 

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I couldn't leave the truck alone - added some gear and a roof rack - that aside, you can also see the landscape with some context.  The taller grasses will generally be installed next to the pipes on the exposed sloping banks.

 

And, with a bit more context:

 

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So it's getting there, but still plenty to do.  The canopy is looking a bit too high on the right, but at this point, was still just held in place with tape - since been lowered and properly fastened - 

 

Once I get the tall grass installed I'll take it back outside for some better pics.

 

OK gents - take care

Nick

 

 

 

 

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Well...it's been well worth the wait for this update...absolutely breathtaking.

I can see just how many layers of colour you have added and...again...spot on gradations between them.

 

My one small reservation...the grass tufts look a shade too green for the surrounding groundwork...a little paler...or a shade browner would work.

 

Canopy looks good...and will be even better once position and ties are sorted.

 

Love the extra work you have done on the truck...perfect and realistic additions.

 

One small point...concrete base to the tower looks a little too clean IMHO

 

All coming together nicely...and really looking forward to seeing some figures...even if just randomly placed for a couple of pics...just to gauge the overall scale of the whole.

 

Ron

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I'm very impressed by this build and the painting is astonishing. However, I have no ides what it's supposed to be. A movie reference perhaps? I've googled the title and gotten nowhere. I'm sure I'm not the only one out here who is baffled. Give us a clue mate, please.

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@silver911, Hi Ron, thanks - it's still got a way to go, and several details/colors to be sorted still.  Believe it or not, I want the little tufts to stay a bit green - whereas the grasses to be added will be a blend of yellow, dry grass and some lighter green - I'll try and find examples to post.  Glad you like the truck!   I just couldn't leave it alone!

 

@Bertie Psmith, right...this is indeed a bit out there! I have built a few dios which remained true to something "real".  If you look in the ready for inspection area, you'll see a couple - one is supposed to reflect an event in Syria, also 1/35, and another, an auto shop, at 1/20 scale.  Both were challenging builds and intended to reflect something most would recognize, but for this, I wanted something well out of my comfort zone.  To do this, I started with looking at the conceptual art of Ian McQue.  I can't precisely describe what his concept is about!  Always airy (if you look him up on line you'll see what I mean), industrial, a similar family of colors, and slight nautical influence, in some alternative reality.  Please see the image boards below of some of  his work:

 

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If you go back to the beginning of this thread, you'll see I made an effort to try and describe what this is about - not easy! 😄  Essentially I decided to develop my own scenario influenced by McQue's work. 

 

The majority of the images above reflect his stuff - it's certainly interesting!  To do this, I made up a storyline suggesting that under these circumstances, there was a "station" mounted on a trailer bed, which served as the base for aircraft called WASPs (an actual McQue model kit), which was parked next to a tower in the middle of nowhere, in this case my interpretation of the McQue tower in the image above, on the lower left. 

 

I also decided this would be built using kits from the stash only - no new kits! and instead modifying, re-inventing or scratch building as I see fit - like converting the tractor to half-track, making the half-cab recovery vehicle, and of course the station/trailer and tower. 

 

Almost forgot, I've also been experimenting with graphics - another fun off-shoot of the project, and that I made up some concept images in the beginning:

 

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And have kept refining along the way - per below, except, the orientation is reversed, and the truck was indeed converted to a halftrack, but you'll get the idea:

 

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So - there is indeed, no good reason that I could expect you or anyone else to pick this concept up at first glance, or while in the midst of the WIP! 😄  so thanks for asking! 

 

Funnily enough, I've had to regroup along the way a couple of times to step away from reality and to get into character!  😄  That is, I want this to be credible, reflect the McQue spirit, and look realistic, except, it should not be all that pragmatic in the sense of realism as we know it!  Perfect eh!!??😄

 

And on we go!  Ron and Pete have stuck with me through this, and you'll find several instances where their ideas have helped to nudge this along and been included - feel free to join in if you wish!

 

Cheers

Nick 

 

 

Edited by Stickframe
incomplete first try
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On 10/28/2021 at 3:01 AM, Stickframe said:

McQue

 

And that's why it was on the tip of my memory. I have seen his work somewhere, I don't know where, and am certainly familiar with the name. Now it all makes sense. Thank you for the explanation and all those amazing images.

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On 10/27/2021 at 8:20 PM, Stickframe said:

I couldn't leave the truck alone

It now looks less Land Cruiser and more anonymous. The pipes look good as does the groundwork.

The green tufts add a little colour. Perhaps whatever they're doing is good for plant life? But too late for the older, taller, grass that you are about to add.

Keep up the good work.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

test!

 

Well - this might be working again.  A guy has tried to upload some images with no luck over the last couple of days - not sure what's wrong? The good news is we seem to be going again.

 

First up - making weeds, less enjoyable than making a very long strand of indy link tracks!!!

 

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The good times over here - three sets of 100 or so individually made clumps of grass - a bit/lot tedious!  I can do about 100 at a time before realizing how ridiculous this is!  But, they look pretty good once installed:

 

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A bit more festive than planned, but, I think the obvious color will go well with the rest of the build.  Each clump includes a few yellow and a few green strands - of course not blended when purchased.  So the steps are:

 

Make a small bundle using each color; hold and wrap the mid section around a dental pick; hold, and remove pick; add CA in the gap made by the pick; roll in fingers until the bundle is bound; remove stray strands with pick; cut wild looking strands back; toss on pile; and, repeat (x300).  Once all installed, add pigment to the area surrounding the clumps.  Again, good times....

 

2mHiCrb%5D3_collage

 

Some time ago, I built this wooden edge for the dio - to block the view of the cut Styrofoam edge - happily, despite it's length and relative fragility, I didn't destroy it along the way - glued it onto the frame.

 

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And above, sorry about the indoor lack of bright color and that wall switch! 😄  Various states of progress of the grass.  In addition to the grass, finished a bit more of the canopy, and made some changes to the rigging system.  I realized my pulley system didn't provide much leverage - more of a dragging winch than lifting system so I added a couple of small intermediate mini towers with a block.  Now it looks like the system could indeed raise and lower the canopy!

 

OK gents - cheers

Nick 

Edited by Stickframe
Text and images wouldn't post
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Test! - well, I'll be dipped!! it worked  - a guy has tried to post since yesterday, several times - and no luck!!  So, something seems amiss.  Just looking at my post count, I've been able to post 348 times before, with photos and without problems, but in the last few days, something seems to not be working correctly with the system - all good now tho!  ok - feel better now 

 

Back to the serious business - progress on the dio - albeit modest.  Now that the tall grass is installed, I've gone back to the rigging for the canopy, which is now largely resolved:

 

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woo hoo!  it actually posted!!  finally!  ok - back to business.  The image above isn't the best to prove I did anything with the rigging, but you can see the fence in the foreground, the grass and so on, so not a complete loss.  The solar panel towers aren't attached, or standing vertically - leaning to the back wall (but I do like the light reflecting off of them!) - unseen now, because, the background this time is from due east of Los Angeles - maybe not bad if I actually took some more time cropping it, with any finesse!  the sandy soil and shrubs to the left look out of scale to me.... - fun nonetheless.

 

On to prove I actually did something with the rigging:

 

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Ahh - these are a bit more useful.  In the image on the left you can see my two new mid-way (yellow) rigging towers and a block installed.  I think these add to the McQue look in addition to being practical.  At least the rigging now looks like it could work - at least I can image it working now.  So, the canopy will be strung off the station and tethered to the ground on the left, and to the back of the trailer on the right - but for now:

 

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What in the heck is this?!?! Giant clamping tweezers and a huge pin vice to hold the canopy in tension?! What sort of a dio is this??? clearly not a proper dio!!   

 

As for next steps, I'll probably do more site work - adding earth to the area immediately adjacent to the tower's concrete slab at it's base.  As is won't cut it.

 

OK guys- that's all for now - I'm still captivated by getting a post in! 

 

Cheers and happy model building - 

 

Nick 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well guys, it's now been a while, and I can share an update!

 

@Bertie Psmith, funny you'd ask...you don't - fingers get an ample coating of CA along the way!  Seems I can go 15 or 20 clumps before needing to peel the CA layers off the finger tips, and start again on making clumps.....good times.....

 

OK, and on to progress - figures!  I now have painted figures!  I built them all some time ago, but didn't get around to painting them.  So, yesterday - I painted and weathered all of them!

 

51715003787_13c5e41230_z.jpg

 

As you can see, I've assembled quite a group for our south station.  You'll be pleased to know, or I was anyway, these folks were all from the stash, in keeping with my goal of not buying new kits! - except for one, which is new, and a few that came from a diorama that recently made its way to the "big diorama" in the sky - about once every two years, I toss projects.  They just take up too much room. Aside from the fun of making them, well, what to do with them when they are done??? I try and scavenge a few bits, but am not all that pedantic about it -- when they are done, they're done.   There is some order among this apparently disparate group - first up, the talking group:

 

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So for these folks, I mixed and matched body parts and heads to get what I wanted.  The two on the lower left are quite expressive, while the standing woman, well, her face lacks features - more on this subject to follow.   

 

Now the recovery crew, and pilot:

 

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The pilot is from Industria Mekanica and is pretty good (the sculpted figure that is), while the other guys are from a T-55 tank crew (as I recall made by Paracel Miniatures - very nice BTW, all of their stuff is very high quality), salvaged from a tossed project - and now, on to deck hands and mechanics:

 

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The deck hands in the vests, and mechanics on the right.  The deck hand in the middle, also suffers from a very oddly sculpted face - I tried, but he will likely be relegated to a supporting role.

 

Next up, the welder and sentry:

 

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On the left, our operation's welder, and on the right, the sentry - Ron, I'm betting you're familiar with the sentry!  You suggested this figure and she works just fine. 

 

As an aside, I must say, finding female figures that don't look like ridiculously disproportioned strippers is easier said than done!!  The welder for example was wearing shorts and a tiny top  🤨  well, not sure what to make of that, so instead, I gave her some full length pants and a welders apron!  A common problem of each of the female figures used is that the sculptors don't seem to have put much effort into making credible, or well defined (or correctly scaled) heads and faces - the heads are all tiny!  and lack even fundamental facial expressions/definition.  By comparison, the male figures generally have expressive faces that are well defined, which look better and are easier to paint and shadow.  As the female faces have so little nuance/expression sculpted in, I needed to rely more on paint to try and achieve any expression or depth.  That is, lighter colors in directly "light" or "upper" places, with darker shades in the "under" side.  While I do this on faces with more features (the painting can enhance the features) anyway, as there are minimal features on these faces, the paint becomes the tool for establishing expression, and I'm not that good a figure painter, so it becomes a test/challenge to get them to at least look credible.  Considering the prices of these figures, this probably shouldn't be the case! 

 

OK, enough of my sermon!  the last figure is the Skyking:

 

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I'm sorry about the poor lighting.  This guy actually looks pretty good - remember, in the dio, this craft will be in the port and not flying, so his hand gestures will make more sense in context - he'll be talking with a deck hand, and another seated pilot, that I already attached to the station.

 

I have continued work on the base, which seems to be a never ending series of tasks that when viewed individually seem irrelevant, but, hopefully will help to tie the whole thing together.  Next will likely be the layer of "non-earth" ground plane features like debris, odds and ends for the area the "talking" group will be placed and so on - 

 

OK gents, thanks for having a look -

 

Cheers

Nick 

 

 

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Have to say I was beginning to think you had abandoned the project mate 😱

 

Really good to see you have been busy...and for someone who isn't a figure painter...those all look bloody good to me...and yes...the 'sentry' does work as I thought she would 👍

 

I particularly like the 'skyking'...he really does work Nick.

 

A long awaited update...and well worth the wait it was :)

 

Ron

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Hi Nick,

I have been popping in now and then to look at your amazing progress and to admire your artistry. I'm never disappointed!

I'd like to say that I too am very much a 'CA'd fingers modeller, but thankfully superglues are nowhere near as deadly as they used to be.

I was once adding a spot of thin CA to the tracks of a finished Nashorn, holding the Nashorn  in the air from below, with my left hand holding the bottle of thin CA and resting against my my left hand against my right to steady the bottle. I was intending to just put a spot of glue under the tracks........ only the CA squirted out in a fountain. I managed to glue my RH thumb to the tracks, with the overspill gluing the little finger of the same hand to the side panel on the other side of the vehicle and yet more overspill gluing the side of my right right thumb and hand to the 'heel' of my left hand, and in all the panic the fingers of my left hand to each other.  I basically couldnt put the bottle or the model down for fear of more gluing and had to call to the better half to rescue me. She didn't even laugh! Must have been in a bad mood lol.  She had to do the honours, with soapy water and acetone, with the offending bottle of CA being the most immediate object of concern. Since then, I've found that repeated gluings kind of alter your skin's ability to peel off easier, without causing bleeding. I also lack fingerprints for a day or two afterwards and am a part-time safe-cracker until they regrow.

Having said all of that, I reckon there must be an easier way to make those clumps of grass. Folding them around a stick seems like an unnecessary step to me. How about taking a bunch of strands and poking them halfway through a round hole in a sheet of corrugated cardboard, adding a dab of medium or thick CA around the base, flip it over and do the same the other side  so you have 2 tufts, one each side. You can then cut around each tuft and slice through the corrugated 'jam in the sandwich' to separate the tufts. Any paper left around the base will increase glue contact areas. Just an idea.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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It's great to see you back on this, Nick.

As said above, those figures look very good indeed. Better than my figure painting.

The T-55 crew were a good choice. I acquired one of those tankers helmets decades ago, it's still around somewhere.

Aside from the green chairs, the seated group remind me of Blazing Saddles. More beans anyone?

To sum up, "Mungo like!" :laugh:

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Hi @silver911 - hi Ron - yes, you've been building models long enough to know, sometimes it's easy to get tired of a project, especially a big one!  I've been thinking about what's next, doing real work, and so on so the project has languished some.  But this is not done yet!  And, to you and Pete, thanks - regarding painting figures.  They are really an interesting challenge, and I must say, I suppose as most do, with practice it does become easier, and the results get better!  A few years ago I purchased a Scale 75 set of acrylics for face painting, which mercifully includes some fundamental painting instructions, which was a very helpful discovery.  With some time I've learned when to change the suggested color blends to get (closer to 😄) the results I want.  

 

Hi @Badder thanks for dropping by!  I appreciate you doing so, and am glad you too are willing to put up with this build!  And, as for the CA and those (tall) tufts of grass.  They are tedious to make.  The product is from Woodland Scenics - they are very fine, almost hair like and come in a flattened clump....The instructions make it look easy enough, grab a small bundle, dip in glue (PVA?) and stick onto the desired surface.  Well - they neglect to recognize that the material is long - about 2.5" or so, and that to plant a field of them, you want them close together!  Hence, the CA method - once wound up tight, the glue/grass are becomes something of a little spear-like tip, which you can stick into your base (pre drilled/pressed hole into pink foam).  If I ever do tall grass again, I might try your technique, or some variation on it.  Love your CA story! 😄  And, I've found the same - if the glue sits on your fingers for a while and you keep adding layers (not intentionally!!) it almost flakes off and no skin tearing! 

 

I use the medium CA, odorless!  It turns out, I'm allergic to the smell 🤔  For a while I was using a lot of CA - maybe for resin kits? I don't remember precisely why - but, what happened was I had a perpetually running nose and chest congestion when at home, and not, when elsewhere 🤔  including places with considerably lower air quality than here.  My doctor gave me no advice at all!  but he eventually got me an inhaler because it became hard to breathe!  It was awful.  I finally noticed that when I was in the Middle East or China (for work I used to travel way too much - nuts really - in and out of places far away about every three weeks!! and frequently enough to actually notice the difference) - but no runny nose - at all!  🤔  hmm...what was different??? likely not better air quality....then I wondered about the smell of the CA???  Now, I use odorless CA, and no runny nose!!  

 

I prefer the medium CA because it is easier for me to control than the fine type, and with a tip you can get the amount of CA you want on the place you want it and it doesn't set immediately (maybe you use this anyway?).  I never did figure out how to use the fine type - can't seem to control it - just a glue mess!

 

Hi @Pete in Lincs  😄  you are absolutely right with the Blazing Saddles!!  This project isn't supposed to be about gloom and doom, end of days etc - just a story of some folks at an unusual place, doing odd things, in different times!  Not Monty Python-esque, but certainly not as dark as The Road or Mad Max!  so, looking for something else - sort of happy strangeness in a strange place!  

 

OK - on we go!

 

Cheers

Nick 

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