Cool...

I can't wait to see your next steps

thanks Mauro, you can get a small hint of the two figures in the first pic of the rusted truck (right above the cargo box you can see them in the background).

i hope you will share your project as i would very much enjoy being inspired by your ideas.

cheers, bd.

This is looking super cool

I'm seeing human 'survivors' walking around with respirator and goggle head gear and stuff like that

I'm really liking your idea Bruce, I love stuff like this!

Hi Bruce. I just checked out your pic on the EOD Campaign and thought I should take a closer look here. SUPERB my friend !




I know what you mean. I have never scratched anything more serious than a few wires in a wheel well or cockpit, but now I'm well into my Quad-barrel-flame-thrower-turret doodad on the GAZ and I think I'm hooked. The imagination just starts to take over and run wild, I'm just not sure just yet whether the ability can match the ambition in my case !!

Cheers, D

thanks for the kind words of encouragement guys, i'm learning as i go and it definitely helps to hear that you can see something good from my madness.

goggles, check.
wicked firearms, check.
wild battle armour, check.
respirators, planned on it but i like the Dragon Gen 2 faces so much that i'm going to hold off on adding any.

i am sure everyone here can attest that "where there's a will there's a way" so Damian i plan to be totally blown away by your project buddy. anything made from your imagination is always pure gold in my opinion.

cheers, bd.

THE FIGURES

here are the two figures for the diorama close to finished. just have to sand the headgear and goggles once the Milliput is cured and go over them both for final clean up, sanding and polishing.

i will start with pics of the original Dragon figures assembled (used as a base) and then the sculpted pics for both guys:

Figure A





Figure B





once they are prep'd i will get them painted up next. the vehicle is coming along in the painting as well. bought a picture frame at the dollar store for the base so i'm good to go on that front. keen to start on some of the diorama elements such as the neon signage.

cheers and happy modeling, bd.

Looking great Bruce, very clean work with the Milliput. I haven't tried using it yet but one of my clubmates swears by it and seeing your work I will definitely be using it soon. I think it will work well rolled out into very fine "worms" for the weld seams on my EOD builds.

Cheers, D

Hey Bruce
I like your approach here! The image in mind's eye will make for great viewing if it is anything like the one I have...
The scratchwork is seamless once painted which is a sign of good craftmanship, and I'll take your word that the hairspray/sponge technique is simple as I have yet to try it but it looks like beaut results.

You mentioned crackle paint. Now this is will be extra interested in, as only this morning I was temped to purchase some for a future (not futuristic!) diorama featuring a desert creek bed...

YOu milliput looks the part, but I can guarantee if you treat yourself to some Magicsculpt or Aves Apoxie Sculpt your folds and creases will be two or three times smoother than you have achieved here.
Look forward to more progress!
Brad

thanks for the material suggestions, definitely going to try and find these as the Milliput has its drawbacks, mainly the short time it has between being sticky and being cured enough to model it like clay. i would like to use something that sculpts better with lots of time to do it but air cures overnight.

do either of the products you suggest cure slower if the piece is put in a plastic bag?
greetings and cheers, bd.

hi everyone,

started on the neon signage for the diorama. the lettering is from a hobby store in the Akihabara district in Tokyo. thought it would be interesting to use an element from an actual hobby shop even though it's only a portion of the wording and i have no clue what it actually says:



i took the pic into Illustrator and manually traced the lettering and then made a printout at the final size and started bending a brass strip to shape. going to add plasticard for a backing and then make the neon tubing with copper wire if all goes as planned.

cheers for now, bd.

one word "WOW!" that brass is amazing! how do you get it so neat?! i wish mine was that neat! i have to settle with jaggedy and straight or nothing at all . great work! keep it up Bruce!
cheers stan

p.s. my mud for my diorama has turned out quite well! cheers mate
p.s.s. i will soon be ordering the last for my dorama
p.s.s.s. i have achieved a very nice scratch built room! for my new diorama

hi Stan,
thanks for the kind reply. i just use needlenose pliers to bend the brass because it's quite stiff. i use the area that doesn't have any threading on the pliers so it won't scratch the metal up.

great news on all the "ps's" and fantastic to hear you are pleased with the results. look forward to seeing the pics. we sure had a lot of correspondence on your project and it was a pleasure to be of any help that i could.

cheers, bd.

thanks for the help agian bruce . i'll probably post the pic's in acouple of weeks or so, be sure to see them, they will be in the constructive feedback forum or this diorama forum

here are the figures finished for the diorama. progress has been slowed by work and a bad flu but getting some things done.









put some Future on their goggles to gloss them up. will see how they blend with the dio colours and may add some more pigments to their uniforms and boots to get them to mesh better with their surroundings. bought some Realistic Water from the hobby shop and look forward to trying this product out. with Sudefed and handkerchief at the ready i shall see about the base stage.

cheers and happy modeling, bd.

That's really nice Bruce. I like a lot the paint and the white numbers on the jackets

if your skill was a flu symptom, I'd get ill immediatly

Cheers

that is so funny it sent me into a coughing fit my friend. thanks for the nice reply, i hope to make some substantial progress in the next few days as i would like to see how this project will turn out.

been experimenting with the crackle finish some more and it shows some drawbacks and some potential. cheers, bd.

Those figures are looking amazing, I can't wait to see them integrated into the diorama.

greetings fellow model fans,

some progress on the base and the neon signage. found a cheap picture frame for the base, made a filler form with styroform board covered with spackle to keep it from dissolving from any future washes or weathering.

the sign is just balanced in place to see how it looks for final positioning. the support structure will be played around with to get the damage and twisting shapes i have planned to make for some drama...








the neon tubing has been prep'd in the pic above, made from copper wire and super glued to an old jar to help with painting. i figure it will be easier to paint the neon tubes separate from the sign which will be painted and assembled prior to gluing it to the base. then it's time to rubble...

cheers and happy modeling, bd.

You're project is coming along very nicely Bruce, it's hard to believe you're sick when you're putting out this quality of work! Best of wishes on getting better soon

it is really enjoyable to watch this come together.

Your scratch-building work was great and I love the paint job.




Really interesting idea using the hairspray to control the rust and weathering rather than provide a removable topcoat of paint. May have to try that out.

Looking forward to the next installment!

So

Go on Bruce!

That's really really good

How could I missed this topic?!
Very creative and inspiring project. I can't wait to next step!

Some real nice work, love the Neon signs, Shame you can't make them actually light up.

Simon

thanks everyone, this project is fun just for being different and experimental for me. it's pretty cool how you can get an idea in your mind and slowly make it come together.

it would be totally wild to have working neon but the wasteland hasn't paid its power bill in decades LOL. i had to consider how realistic it would be to have neon tubing still intact in a destroyed setting and came to the conclusion that bits and pieces of the lighting could have survived.

for the truck i used the hairspray before the rust and for the sign i will be doing the rust first and then the hairspray to try out another technique using the sponge. after the rubble is placed i plan on trying to replicate peeling paint on it using Vallejo Crackle Medium. i also bought some Jo Sonja Crackle Medium at the art supply store which isn't as thick as Vallejo and will see which i prefer.

cheers for now, bd