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Renault Taxi de la Marne - "A la gloire c'est parti, le modèle est fini!"


Bertie McBoatface

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5 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

And of course you see three steel helmets. I wonder whether that will generate any comments...

Biting my tongue! 😝

 

Coming along very nicely. 👍

 

AW

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1 hour ago, fatfingers said:

Coming along nicely and the red looks good. Shame about those pin marks on the rad, but i'm sure you'll get it sorted. Am also curious about them 3 tin lids! 🤔

 

Regards,

 

Steve


I am teasing you rather. It’s an artistic conceit. The incongruous item has special meaning in a history painting. That meaning is for the viewer to interpret for themselves. 
 

well done for spotting the incongruity btw

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y4mkUUKfB8BjfU_g_XJoNMUxwGZ3sixH29s6a5d5

 

I filled the ejection marks with good old thick Humbrol enamel. I'm trying for a wood effect there.

 

y4mviFhhdZpP5yYe2bz6dJZ5fGkGIXkiduITh2TX

 

And on the back. It looks awful doesn't it? The reason I didn't use oils, which would have blended properly, was, er, 'ang on a minute lads, er...

 

y4mlPeppFBSrcox3bjDTCipTXzjD6oFZ_YccMet8

 

In other news, I loaded the cab. No chance of the soldiers riding inside now.

 

y4mEmdKIkKuLOD2f09DOAOmHsGZjSaOo4JC9gscH

 

This is a view soon to disappear when the roof goes on. I may delay that  until I've finished turning the thing upside down, just in case I get a 'rattler'.

 

y4mmgyaQzjoNg-114X2prirZkBjrYorgBsSaX_3z

 

With the driver's seat and backrest installed, and note the shiny patches, I'm beginning to see the lights at the end of the Pont d'Lena. 

 

 

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  • Bertie McBoatface changed the title to Renault Taxi de la Marne - Aller à la Guerre Avec Beaucoup de Style - Le taxi, il est chargé
3 hours ago, John Masters said:

Beautiful!

 

Thanks John.

 

I hope it still looks that way when I've been busy with the glue...

 

(Which I can't do today because I'm temporarily partially blinded in one eye after a routine procedure at the opticians. Please call back tomorrow!)

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5 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

(Which I can't do today because I'm temporarily partially blinded in one eye after a routine procedure at the opticians.

Does this mean you actually look like your avatar?

 

Taxi is looking splendid.

 

AW

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  • Bertie McBoatface changed the title to Renault Taxi de la Marne - Aller à la Guerre Avec Beaucoup de Style - La verrière est montée et peinte - Très bien !

y4mib47znyqahHbGcAvhvln6bq1J3Rrcm9qYUGlf

 

Well, I finally stuck the roof on, but not without pushing my thumb through one of the windows. Eeek! Emergency re-glazing and re-roofing carried out - satis.

 

At this point it would have been logical to paint the roof. However...

 

y4mRpBw4vFKdGx3QGpEWn01mO1lc4pTNXw_aeOY5

 

...my eye fell upon this and, hating masking and doing anything to put it off...

 

y4mP-l5Xqkp-VWQbtf8QA08bcmY2EVLn2Vvg3NU7

 

...I thought this would be a good thing to do. I am "what the French call les incompetents"*, because I had just made the masking infinitely harder to do!

 

y4m_bp7BBVx3dtH1as6kCyPTVOhM8uFcXhVh0mPc

 

So far so good. The problem is that it's all so fragile. I was worried about masking tape removal, removing the fenders. But I couldn't risk overspray on the front end so what to do?

 

y4myk6I5j72N0V4TUAS8IqCMmS1lLcjNitgAByAB

 

Forgive me if you know this dodge already. Cling film is gentle and wide and perfect for a job like this.

 

y4mgANIZHIoEmjKvrdfKeGiqb_M2DMbT1bG0LWJz

 

I still nearly screwed up though. I'd sprayed one side when I noticed the back window, just in time.

 

y4mi8xijthyHci5LLUgz3Q64rha4NFljp2UHkRbs

 

My choice of colours. I rarely use black alone and this time thought that a blue-black would simulate waterproofed canvas ok. I used satin black because I had a cunning plan; if I could vary the sheen while spraying, I could suggest rubberised canvas that's stretched over a frame. It would be shinier in the places under most tension, I figured.

 

(I didn't want full gloss, because there are some other parts to add which will be glossy and I will need the contrast.)

 

y4mk6QNL--1ub-Ax0FOEokF3lwV3AmUjYc_PL-OR

 

And it blooming well worked!

 

y4mf13XEPqIcim452nXDYRr5NYzRpzSKfrmyLH7c

 

Worth two photos, I think.

 

Spraying slowly and deliberately keeping the surface too dry made the sheen more matt, and wetting the surface at the edges and over the 'frame' increased the shine. Bingo! This is something I learned from many failed attempts to apply a consistent gloss finish for decals. Failure is a teacher!
 

We could use that technique on fabric covered surfaces on aircraft, perhaps?

 

 

* Anybody get that cinematic reference?

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y4mImwcVgQEy9gumBUENo_nKEkfgFYF7xzwf-Fuq

 

I think I improved my woodwork a little bit with three brushed on layers of Tamiya Clear Orange. It looks pretty rough in that photo where I was trying to show you the satin sheen but, trust me, the woodgrain effect does look better. 

 

Brushed on Tamiya? Yessir, I can boogie. I know the secret to brushing Tamiya acrylic paints, though it's not something I do often.

 

y4mOYAJiYsNkaa9XJVXoJfvS2XoPFSgy8qUGieVD

 

You need a drop of this in the mix, and to use Tamiya X-20A thinners. It then acts a bit like Humbrol enamels, drying slowly but going on fairly smooth. I still wouldn't brush it onto an area larger than a stamp, and I would always spray Tamiya if possible.

 

y4mo2m-Py0WtGh5P_gfkDOHgR9kJwS9nK812neTa

 

I've done some little details today.

 

y4mvBgM2KKmnAheq-FVDiwPBklGjjeKrvOEZOKZj

 

As well as some work on the chassis. That turned out to be fairly easy, if I was careful. Everything has lined up beautifully so far.

 

y4mfv-i6Ad_DthQoCMShUr1iAmkFLS231MhWcvS6

 

Except the wheels which were slightly loose on the axles. I used my 'gloop', sprue melted in cement to make a solid and strong joint here but it will now have to be left severely alone overnight to harden all the way through.

 

y4mYcRyzWRUgTsVVJFDJV1s9snfP9r05gfLyT2Ee

 

So I went back to the little details. 

 

y4m8U1wiQnfRZ0LIEYwkBkBDjegqOSHwwQgCFpdl

 

Which are more or less ready for fitting when the cab is the right way up again.

 

y4mNXDnVfoEh-wIv_XFI84mIqeUplKsmLwJbg-0M

 

Being fairly sure that I actually can build the taxi, I've started on the figures. This is from ICM and came with the vehicle. As injected figures for armour modellers go, this driver is not bad. Compared to the figures from Games Workshop I've worked with recently, he's utter rubbish. Softly moulded, tons of cleaning up required, scant detail. On the other hand, GW figures are very much more expensive. :shrug:

 

y4mtHXpMS_uiAGDOVZSRrgTnYeA3tUDfrgcm28yi

 

Where do the boots end and the trousers begin? Where exactly does the coat become the trousers? You have to cut and scrape and engrave your own detail I'm afraid. I'll do what I can but I'll be hoping he get lost in the shadow of the canopy.

 

y4ms5SU63xE888emnu3xxRPPAxQQszqlWu2uWNbW

 

Thankfully, the face is reasonable, no the face is good. I wouldn't be able to do anything with a bad face so I'm glad that the ICM guys spent what time they had on the important bit.

 

y4mStPe4-Z3rWkGHxuyifX6mYTIUSaQDOzKvp4dX

 

When the desk looks like that, I'm writing my update and severely thinking about some lunch!

 

 

 

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  • Bertie McBoatface changed the title to Renault Taxi de la Marne - Aller à la Guerre Avec Beaucoup de Style - Le taxi est clochard vers le haut pour la nuit!
18 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

Nice :)

 

Thanks, I forgot to say that I used Lifecolor paints from the Diorama Series - Rust and Dust. That's just two of their four rust tones on such a small object, stippled on with a brush. It also wet blends easily. The paint is slightly gritty and gives an interesting surface texture, which you can increase by dipping deeper into the pot. The set was an expensive impulse buy but I do enjoy using it. I suspect the same effects could be done with any paint plus a little talc or fine grit particles of some kind?

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I have only a short and rather weird update tonight. I've been working hard on the figures without actually working on the figures. I want to use oils on them because I'm always awestruck when I see oil painted figures in magazines and at shows but I realise that my skills are lacking in this area. So tonight I've been painting a punk battle-goblin bust and learning a lot!. It's been an interesting process and the result is far short of my ambitions but small steps in the right direction are better than none.

 

y4mqDAuEG9E8I-_j72762-ULUqKFI1iwEyJktZ2X

 

That's all for tonight.

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The  Taxi ilooks great, especially the effect on the canopy.

Having never met a 'Punk battle Goblin' I can't comment on the accuracy of your latest creation but it looks very good.

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13 minutes ago, Colin W said:

The  Taxi looks great, especially the effect on the canopy.

Having never met a 'Punk battle Goblin' I can't comment on the accuracy of your latest creation but it looks very good.

 

Thank you.

 

Re the goblin, everyone in my family agrees that she looks very like my ex-mother-in-law so I think the model is fairly accurate representation of the 'Punk Battle Goblin' as we know and 'love' it. 😁

 

p.s. I've been out for a heavy heavy lunch today so its quite likely that ... 

 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

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y4mT2-vdRoQ6Q7xU6Us5zMLBC5RiCshfNesUvA-F

 

This morning I started the final assembly of the taxi. This is the gearbox which is hiddin under the drivers floor and further shrouded by a protective plate which goes under the engine too. As the bonnet will be closed, I'm really wondering why I bothered with the mechanicals at all. 

 

y4mQes2U231fX13bcbB7qj6UOCgPg37mc22j3U9V

 

The tiny engine in place. My decision to build the taxi from the top down is now causing some fitting difficulties but I still think it made life easier at the beginning so I'd probably go that way again. I just wouldn't bother with the internals.

 

y4mDIswu7z842XU4LpS0NTpbt5iLqyF1tyLP0PKT

 

The engine is buried! Lol. It was fun doing it, I suppose. That bonnet is supposed to have some brass pinstriping, according to the instructions but that's a long way beyond my capacity. I will be adding some dust and muck to the taxi which will make the paintwork a little more interesting. First though, the glue on the bonnet has to dry. I used PVA for fear of spoiling the paint.

 

y4mcHIYyav7R36MWt21h33pZ33bKQ_QP-C7TRMNY

 

Well that was a surprise! I don't need to spend a lot of time painting the driver's face!

 

y4m07IYpAkCGwrwt-JrgF8u5YH7TgKLAWbAxyfD8

 

Another surprise! It turns out that this is installed from underneath, phew. The driver sits on the right side of the cab. Was this just a taxi thing so he could open the doors for passengers or did the French drive on the left in 1914?

 

y4mYzWCjzrxr1voqylSr8EcjM4_FcYu9EoAXNdCO

 

And back to the figures. This is one of the turned back flaps of a greatcoat. You can see that it needs a little help.

 

y4mRqTOUG7NAKJnScBU70MnDwEpEc4D6aplcTKl6

 

It's fairly easy, but a long job, to undercut the flap so that it looks more like fabric and will be easier to paint. I'll be doing this kind of thing for a long time. I'll return when the figures are assembled.

 

 

 

 

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  • Bertie McBoatface changed the title to Renault Taxi de la Marne - Aller à la Guerre Avec Beaucoup de Style - Rassembler les soldats
21 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

That bonnet is supposed to have some brass pinstriping, according to the instructions but that's a long way beyond my capacity.

How about spraying some brass/gold paint onto clear decal film and cutting very narrow slices to make your pinstripes?

 

Lovely progress all round, Bertie, and the engine and transmission may be buried but we all know they're there and they look spiffing!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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1 hour ago, 2996 Victor said:

How about spraying some brass/gold paint onto clear decal film and cutting very narrow slices to make your pinstripes?

 

Lovely progress all round, Bertie, and the engine and transmission may be buried but we all know they're there and they look spiffing!

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

Thanks for the nice comments Mark.

 

I thought about using decals and I think I even have some gold coloured ones in stock but they would need to go onto a compound curved surface and follow embossed ribs. The slightest wobble or wrinkle would look awful and to be in scale, they would be 0.1mm wide! All for an inch and a half of detail? Nah, I can't be bothered to even try. In 'Bertie's Dictionary' (1927 edn) 'model' is defined as 'a simplified' version of real life, not just a smaller one.

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3 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Thanks for the nice comments Mark.

 

I thought about using decals and I think I even have some gold coloured ones in stock but they would need to go onto a compound curved surface and follow embossed ribs. The slightest wobble or wrinkle would look awful and to be in scale, they would be 0.1mm wide! All for an inch and a half of detail? Nah, I can't be bothered to even try. In 'Bertie's Dictionary' (1927 edn) 'model' is defined as 'a simplified' version of real life, not just a smaller one.

That makes perfect sense to me - better to omit a minor detail rather than overdo it. As you say, a model is a miniature representation of an object - it isn't and can't be a miniaturised version of the real thing. Good call!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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2 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

better to omit a minor detail rather than overdo it

 

Yes. That's very true.

 

Something else occurs to me. When I look at my finished models, I mentally edit out the parts where I know I didn't quite hit the mark. I look at them with an educated squint and forgive myself my trespasses. Same for the boring bits - I simply won't see them after a week or two.

 

I'm less interested here in the taxi than the figures, even though in this case the cab is an important and irreplaceable part of the story I'm attempting to tell. The vehicle can be of 5/10 standard without ruining the whole thing so long as the figures reach 8/10. This means that days saved on pinstriping will be far better spent on les soldats de France!

 

y4mtbQkcrjjDTGNZqJCtUVqFtn51xutLBDVav3Br

 

"Vive La Republique!"

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