Ambush! - U.S. SF Operators & pickup in 1/24

[Muchmirth]

Looks great!! Top job.

paul

[theaa2000]

Time for another update, and it's very close to finished!

 

Since my last update I've focused on the Hilux again and finally starting the weathering. I started with a combination of dust and mud oils  as washes and filters over the body work to tone down the vivid blue colour and blend it to the base. Then using a thinned oil wash I flicked it on to the upper body to replicate wet mud thrown up by driving through puddles etc. I concentrated this on the bullbars, bonnet, behind the wheels and the tailgate.

^Oils used. The second photo also shows some of the products to be used for weathering the underside - I used a mixture of the clear matte gesso, sand and a Tamiya textured paint to replicate the mud that would build up on the arches and underneath. Once dry (and matte thanks to the gesso), I wet blended a few different enamel washes to get a few different shades of mud

The majority was covered in dry mud with the darker shades used to represent fresh/wet mud.

How the car looks in it's intended position on the base - once I was happy with the position and I knew I could fit the figures around correctly, I pinned the tyres/wheels with 1mm brass rod and drilled holes in the base where they touched to make sure the car doesn't roll down the slope, which it would do with every bump

With that done and not having to hold the truck, I started adding more dust with oils, pigments and water colour pencils

Now, back to the building with a few more details

No idea what this sign says but I do know it's from a set for Afghanistan so it probably is out of place - Any one know what it says? The Coke and Assad posters were printed out at home and weathered/bleached with oils once they were mounted to the building. I also added a drain detail I saw in a reference to fill out an otherwise empty wall section

 

I made up a small roadsign from brass rod and metal foil with the actual sign being printed and stuck on.

 

And for everyone who's still reading/following a small teaser of what it looks like with the figures on:

 

They've all had holes drilled, pins added and are ready to mount except for the chap leaping from the bed - I think I will replace the brass with some acrylic rod to see how that works. If it doesn't I have the fall back of putting a crush cardboard box underneath to cover most of the mounting rod

Just a few small details to add now like more litter, spent casings etc and a plaque/name of some sort and I can finally put this in the cabinet and start my F-15 build for the Groupbuild, only 2 ish months late!

 

[psdavidson]

The colours and the arrow in the sign suggest FedEx

[Model Mate]

brilliant work - for the chap leaping out the back, I'd have his foot landing on a box or something - I'm never a fan of "invisible" supports....

[Rob G]

Very nice. A suggestion for the chap jumping from the tray (he's late, BTW, all his mates are already in action. Was he having a snooze? ) would be to drill through his hand and the tray side, and insert a brass pin (and if needed, another through the left knee - careful positioning and paintwork would hide that one). It's just a flesh wound! No-one in their right mind is going to leap from a vehicle onto a box or stack of whatever - one of the biggest inbuilt fears that we have is falling,  and human beings are very good at instinctive self-preservation - making sure of our footing is one thing that we do without thought, even in stressful situations. I'd even go so far as to say that he's in danger of twisting or breaking an ankle on that gutter edge... 

 

And a nit, if I may. Your boys need safety glasses or goggles. Standard equipment for most modern militaries, and an absolute must have for small forces operating remotely, the last thing they need is a debilitating eye injury that could've been prevented so easily. 

[theaa2000]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:09 PM, psdavidson said:

The colours and the arrow in the sign suggest FedEx

 

That's what I think too - I should send them a package and see  

 

On 9/23/2022 at 4:05 PM, Model Mate said:

brilliant work - for the chap leaping out the back, I'd have his foot landing on a box or something - I'm never a fan of "invisible" supports....

I tried placing some boxes but wasn't too happy with how it looked. I think the main issue is that the boxes were undersized as they were 1/35 scale so they didn't look right.

 

On 9/23/2022 at 11:08 PM, Rob G said:

Very nice. A suggestion for the chap jumping from the tray (he's late, BTW, all his mates are already in action. Was he having a snooze? ) would be to drill through his hand and the tray side, and insert a brass pin (and if needed, another through the left knee - careful positioning and paintwork would hide that one). It's just a flesh wound! No-one in their right mind is going to leap from a vehicle onto a box or stack of whatever - one of the biggest inbuilt fears that we have is falling,  and human beings are very good at instinctive self-preservation - making sure of our footing is one thing that we do without thought, even in stressful situations. I'd even go so far as to say that he's in danger of twisting or breaking an ankle on that gutter edge... 

 

And a nit, if I may. Your boys need safety glasses or goggles. Standard equipment for most modern militaries, and an absolute must have for small forces operating remotely, the last thing they need is a debilitating eye injury that could've been prevented so easily. 

 

Yeah they guy in the back is a slacker - he's even too lazy to put on the helmet he has with him, or maybe it would mess up his hair? . I tried pinning him through his hand but the resin was a little soft and I wasn't convinced it would hold tbh - the other issue is that the Hilux bed where his hand would be is not solid so there isn't much to glue a brass pin through securely.

You're right about the goggles but alas I'm a terrible sculptor so unless I I can find or 3D print my own, these chaps are risking their eyesight for the foreseeable future

 

Only made a few additions since last time, but I have taken some proper photos:

 

The rest are going to be in the completed builds thread because..... that's right! After months of procrastinating with a little bit of building in between, I am ready to move on call this complete!

 

Thanks to everyone who has liked, commented and given suggestions, and I hope you like the final dio!