j'espere mon ami JBA & Pat... j'espere

i am by no means a master or expert at scale models, quite the contrary. if i were i would be bored and would need to learn something else. i am never satisfied with my models or figures but that is why i look forward to the next try as i usually won't do worse than i have in the past... and i may do it a bit better. either way, i like to challenge myself and not do the same technique over and over.

i am inspired by many people in this hobby. i have returned to the hobby over a long break and find myself seeing a huge change in how people create their dioramas and models. i am only trying my best to understand them myself.

one thing i like about your threads JBA is how you write with a focus on the thoughts and concepts of your projects rather than just on the process. discussing such subjects as composition or colour balance is very intriguing to me and something i find with many of my fellow posters here at Armorama.

i will take some pics of the paint process but will wait until i am nearly done to post them so that the finished piece will give some context to the methods. cheers, mh.

I encourage you to do this if it wouldn't be too much of a burden, I think most of us would rather you be able to finish this for the campaign to get the ribbon for all of your hard work. You could always save the pictures for a later date and post them in a new thread, or you could show us your technique on another one of your builds if you have some unpainted projects sitting around.

I understand that technically there is nothing new as you have clearly stated in your recent and well written replies, but repetition isn't exactly a bad thing in such cases. Young guns, so to speak, such as myself can always benefit from this, as well as those who fluctuate in and out of the hobby from time to time.

Another thought to go along with all this, being able to articulate the process of a technique when speaking to another helps one to better understand the technique for themselves. Just my .02 cents for ya.

Lookin forward to seeing your next updates as always

UPDATE: The Medic

entering the next phase of the diorama, the figures! my scene has a downed paratrooper and i thought it would be ideal to have a medic standing at the ready waiting to come to the rescue. problem was i didn't have a medic figure... so i am making one.


i started with a Dragon Gen 2 figure from the US Armored Infantry set. problem was, when placed next to all the other resin figures, it looked skinny and the folds didn't look as crisp.


i took various arms and placed them with the body that went with the legs.


you can see here that the head looks rather large for the arms and legs. i also need to make an armband but want to have the jacket fabric bunched up like i see in my reference pics.


this is the first stage where i am at right now. i made the legs and arms thicker with Milliput (standard Yellow/Gray).


i beefed up his back a bit to be more proportional to his now "meatier" stature. the figure still needs some sanding to polish it up and then i can start with his gear. too hard to do everything in one go for my skills.


here you can see how i faked in the armband. you can also see the filler on the head... Dragon makes Gen 2 faces separate from the rest of the head, something i am not too keen on but if that's what it takes to make a decent headsculpt.


i'll "end" this with a butt shot...

next for the Medic is to have his gear and support webbing made and then glue his hands and helmet on. i will post an update when i get him done and ready for paint.

the Jagdpanther is coming along well. all camouflaged and drying under a desk lamp to cure faster. taking pics of the stages as requested.

if you would require i can go in-depth on the Milliput's curing time and when each stage of curing is ideal for each tool and/or method... let me know. i had lots of fun doing this portion. made me wonder why i every took a break from this hobby. comments are always welcome. cheers, mh.

Really nice work and I agree the head looked too large with the original figure.

How do you remove the mold lines? Just plain ole scalpel?

The building looks great too!

Paul

thanks for the kind words Paul, much appreciated.

yes, you're right i use a No11 blade in an X-Acto knife and scrape. i find that filing or sanding them can cause more problems than it cures.

one trick i try to always remind myself is to scrape using the bottom of the blade rather than near the tip when possible. this way the knife tip stays sharp for cutting other tasks.

cheers, mh.

that is truly great work on the medic, if only i knew how to do that

Just happened across this thread-- How'd I miss it?

Will be following with great interest. I too am working with a Miniart Diorama, and am interested in bulking up a few of the figures I've got. Great resources!

Beautiful Dio, by the way.

thanks guys, it sure is fun getting the cobwebs off the old putty and such.

Stanley, if i can do it then i'm sure you can as well. try small projects like bending a leg/arm and then using Milliput to fill in the gap. just by trying it out i'll bet you'll find it an easy product to use and next you'll be doing whole custom figures!!!

Justin, cheers mate and i'm making a note of your callsign and will look forward to seeing many posts of your project for inspiration for myself.

cheers, mh

Hey Hellbound,

I'm going to have to agree with every one else. AWSOME!! I think your work on this dio has inspired a lot of us. I too have been away from the hobby for a while and am cleaning cob webs off of parts and pieces that have sat on the work bench untoched for 7-8 years.

Keep up the good work. Big-John

Hey, i'm messing around with each model i make (mostly buildings) until i am satisfied. Is that called a technique too? LOL

Honestly, great discussion here, and yes, i to would like to see your painting steps as my technique of messing around is not really recommendable with the soon to be build vehicles and i really need to get back to the schooldesk.

Cheers
Claude

UPDATE: The Medic Build Completed

well, the medic figure is finished and i am somewhat satisfied with the attempt. as always i wish i had done this better and that better but to get "better" i have to practice more and that's what this medic was all about.

and big thanks to Big John and Claude for their kind comments and this site too for allowing us to share ideas and techniques (as hap-hazard as mine might be). here's my medic ready to come to the rescue of a fallen comrade...


here he is primed for paint. i see in this pic some areas that need refining and sanding but taking pics and reviewing them seems to really help me.









while doing the sculpting i got the idea to do an elaborate custom figure for a diorama idea i have floating in my head. the idea is for a near future scene with a concept military truck that would have me go back to my roots of scratchbuilding and kitbashing old school style.

the difficult thing with this medic figure was checking and double checking my reference pics and trying to match exactly as possible the proportions and appearance of the gear. i was thinking how much easier and creatively liberating doing something from my imagination would be.

so this figure plus the four other ones are marching off into the paint department and i'll work on them while the Jagdpanther base colours continue to dry. i have been reading how many pro modelers give their models a good week to dry so the moisture in the acrylics has a good chance to evaporate allowing the paint to set rock hard.

hi to everyone passing by to check on the project and the comment door is always open. cheers for now, mh.

hi again hellhound,
would i just be able to pick milliput up from my local hobbystore or do i have to search around on the internet for, also are there different types of milliput that do different jobs or do they all do the same and do different colours have a different texteure or finish?
thanks stan

Juan, you are correct and just as i always believed... acrylics such as Vallejo dry to the touch in 5 minutes and are ready for recoating in about an 1 to 2 hours. this is based of course on climate (humidity) and temperature but is pretty standard for most areas.

what i have been reading about how the acrylics actually continue to bound on a molecular level until all the moisture is evaporated can take several weeks in fact. at which point the acrylic is so fully cured it is bomb proof because the water is gone allowing the pigment and binder to align and bond correctly. waiting several weeks is an act of patience most do not have but i have been reading in Military In Scale magazine how so many modelers leave their base coats to dry a week before sealing them with Future and doing the decals. this made me do my own research into what is actually going on. they usually spend the time working on other aspects of their projects.

when painting the Miniart building i had one or two spots of the terracotta start peeling away when heavy turpentine based washes were applied. with the Jagdpanther i thought i would give the base colours ample time to cure as i am not in a big hurry and it wouldn't hurt to do do. i have the model under a desk lamp too. i have a laser temperature gun (a $125 toy i use for RC) and the ambient temp in my studio is 20 celsius, under the desk lamp it is 56 celsius.

like many things in this hobby people believe in priming, some don't. some paint and weather in the same day, some don't. i always waited 48 hours before sealing the model with Future and now i wait 5-7 days. i believe everyone is correct as long as it meets their goals. i was just surprised to read that people were waiting so long and thought "hey maybe i should too."

PS: i live in what would be consider a dry climate (the Rocky Mountains) and it is currently unseasonably cold (snow is forecasted already within the week, uggg).

again, i am learning the "new" concepts of modeling in my return to the hobby. i will see if i still get peeling. anyone have more info please share it with me so i can understand from your experiences as well?

Stanley, yes your hobby shop should carry it. i use the Standard Yellow/Gray which most LHS have. you can use any kind you find but the Extra Fine (used for fixing porcelain) takes more time to blend together well. there is also a black version for fixing cast iron and mufflers. it costs about $5-6 CDN and i make sure to close up the plastic it comes in with fresh tape and then put the two wrapped parts in a small plastic bag and store it in a cabinet. what will happen is the outside may start hardening over the years but you will find the innards are still soft and usable. good to hear you're giving it a go buddy.

cheers, mh.

MH: Great stuff as always, I'm really itching to get back home and finish up my MiniArt Dio campaign entry. I was wondering what paints you prefer for your diorama buildings?

Regarding the acrylics, you are quite correct. I paint stuff on a lot larger (1/1) scale and I use a hardener, which turns the paint bomb-proof within an hour or so. Makes it a hellacious battle to clean out the air gun before the hardener glazes over the internals though.

thanks for getting back so quickly hellhound, i will pick some milliput and some scheap figures and have a go at converting it to a position that looks good. i will probably start a build log so that people can help me along with it and give me a few techniques. thanks

Jeremy, i have started to try out Vallejo paints on a recommendation from a fellow modeler in town. i am a huge fan of Humbrol enamels in every manner. i also like how Model Master enamels spray and hand brush but have heard they may be banned from import in Canada soon.

i like Tamiya acrylics and how they spray, not much of a fan on how they hand brush... after applying it i find it is hard to cross-brush it to remove stroke marks without removing it altogether.

for this Jagdpanther, this will be my first attempt at doing all the base colours with Vallejo. so far so good. take care buddy and get home quick, mh.

I most likely will be doing a lot of hand brushing since I am working in 1/72 for the campaign, so I will try out the Vallejo. I've heard the same thing about Tamiya, and it's always good to have such info reconfirmed by additional sources. As for the Humbrol, we really don't have them back in Texas, at least not that I'm aware of. I heard the same thing about Model Master getting the import axe in Canada, good news is you still have some good alternatives.

Looking forward to your next updates, and I'll make sure to pick up some Vallejo colors when I get back home.
Cheers

Jeremy

Hey Hellbpund,

That is some nice work on the figure, I like it!

What did you use for the chinstraps on the Helmet?

John, the Dragon Gen 2 figure set came with a small fret of PE brass that had chinstraps and nice gun slings that made the purchase a sweet deal. thanks for the kind words and i hope to turn up my game when painting him.

Juan, here are some answers my friend:
-yes, i always drybrush at least the small details such as rivets and bolts. i also drybrush for a fading effect such as rainstreaks too. i use artist oils or enamels for drybrushing as i find acrylics dry on the brush too fast for me to do subtle techniques.

-yes, i love how Humbrol enamels airbrush. i use Testors enamel thinner.

-for Tamiya acrylic i use Tamiya Acrylic Thinner X-20A though my buddy keeps telling me to save money and just use Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol). for Vallejo i use tap water though i have read that i should be using Distilled Water which i have for my vehicle radiators. i read that Vallejo's thinner has some resin based agent in it that is specially formulated for their paints... also read not to bother.

-back some decades ago most of my armour interest was WWII because Tamiya had great kits. then in the 1990's i got back into modeling because i saw some cool modern armour kits from Dragon and AFV Club. after the Jagdpanther i have a Stryker to build so i don't confine myself to one era... i guess i like to mix it up a bit. i also like Sci Fi subjects and have always dreamed of making a 1/6th Lunar Rover scratchbuilt.

cheers and happy modeling, mh.

hello back Juan,
yes, it seems saying "drybrushing" is like saying "i colour my models with crayons" nowadays. i understand where this is coming from because many modelers took it to an extreme like you said "to the point it was beyond realism." i try to keep it in relation to the darkness of the tone i'm working on but i like the effect for various looks.

thanks for the info on your thinner use, very interesting and the Hummer is stellar my friend as i've already mentioned but want to say again.

yes, our egos are always in the way. but in this hobby i find that everyone who tries their best has succeeded regardless of what others may think... and if they had fun doing too then fantastic job.

have a great dinner, cheers for now. mh