Have to admit, this did not start off as what I think of as a typical Jean-Bernard diorama. It was all to 'standard'. The last post flipped it 180 degrees and I can see where you're going now.... I like it too.

believe me, if I am doing an Elco, it's not that i have sold out, it's because I don't have much choice

Ok Jba
Now i undersatnd the planning
i hope to see more of your work
Cheers
Seb

i like your approach to the idea of creating the hollow hull and the planking will look very effective.
I notice you use the exact same sanding paper that i do for my magicsculpt,i find it very good for removing material fast and it does not clog like other sanding papers.

look forward to more progress.

Steve

Great hull-making technique!

Can you tell me the brand name of that sandpaper? I have trouble sanding MS, the paper clogs up and becomes smooth.

Chas

I just found your other work...VERY nice. This will be fun watching one come together.

Superbe and well thought out idea. This is a prime example that not always the straight way leeds to the desired result.
Balsa wood for the planking probably would have worked as it is bendable when wet, but is probably not solid enough for later handling.

Greets
Claude

hey Seb! But you will! Everyday except on Sundays that is till the diorama is ended. that doesn't really mean i work everyday on it, it's more that I arrange the whole thing to have 3 pics or so to place every day.
Ah well, maybe perhaps not on Thursday because I will be stranded because of those usual French strikes

Thank you Steve! It's so boring to sand MS right?

Thanks Chas, well, that's some sand paper left from this summer's kitchen work. And I remember choosing "to sand paint , does not clog" kind. Indeed it doesn't


Thanks Greg, nice blog that you have!

Claude you are spot on. the "art" of diorama making is to always land on his feet, and not being afraid of taking the long road as you know. I also thought of balsa, but I wouldn't have been able to keep shape this way. And then yes, the stuff is incredibly strong. the boat already fell once or twice on the concrete floor without any harm.

See the bad photocopy behind the bit of hull? these are some Elcos at the factory, before the hul is completely one. those kind of shots are of course very helpful to figure out the place where I will have to put some evergreen timbering.

After a bit of time bending the sheets and gluing them, it ends up looking like this.. I will fill all the holes later.

2 plastic sheets on each side -i will have to remember putting some filler on them too.

Don't you think it starts to look better?

Hes doing his magic stuff again - sweet

Look good Jean
I love the wreck
Question why you didnot do that with balsa wood ???
Cheers
Seb

You dropped that on the ground!?!?!? I would have probably passed out before it hit the floor. Great work jba, its really starting to look its part.

It's starts to look like a work of a 30 year old

Chers
Claude

Ah ah, thanks Jan

hey Seb! i don't think that the balsa would have hold such a shape: there is a double bending on those planks you see, both the length and the width have to be bend according to a precise scheme. And the it has to stay at that precise bend during all the rest of the work etc.. i couldn't affor the risk!

Thanks Chris, i am a very careless and nervous modeller most of the time. I tend now to build extra strong some specific parts because i know i will end up breaking them before the end. this is the case for stanchions: for the Sokol I must have break each of them a good dozen of times before the completion

Thanks Claude! But i am 38 now, I still have 8 years of experience to show! Hopefully in the forthcoming days!

So for today, first adding some inside planks done of 1mm thick plasticard

And then a great filler amount (MS actually) to fill up the sizeable holes while managing the whole to be parallel and stand straight.

here's the finished hull as viewed from side

And then that's what's going to be seen of the inside. Not much but yet I had to spend a bit of time on it.


I could probably have detailed the interior more than this. On Elco's at this precise place you've got some chains store and then the sink and toilets.
But then I am not toilet humour orientated on my dioramas so i will let the stuff as it is

See you tomorrow for something completely different

And now for something completely different..
Just 4 small brass sheet and a lump of MS

I'm intrigued to find out exactly what you are putting inside the hull, being such a small space.

Amazing work on the figure

(Do I recall somebody telling me of my uncanny ability to be able to knock up pictures out of 5 minutes work! )

Chas

Ah well Chas, there won't be anything *inside* the hull




yes, BUT the point is to post new pictures everyday roughly at 9AM French time, so that the viewers can check daily -in order to acheive this rate I sometimes have to dilute a bit the interest of what I post
And then it makes you wonder " Oh what will he do about such an uninteresting shape"

Intereasting idea J

is it 35th scale ?

what the actual idea behind the diorama?

Hello JBA,

It's great to know you and your work again.

Another project, and without doubt, another great work. I see the sea beckons, and it does not live in a coastal city ... jejejejeje.

I see a great job and very industrious, well it is good to see your post as many photos and explanations.

Regards and keep in touch my friend,
Fernando Sancho.

James,
This is the surprise of following this thread! JB toys with us showing various odd assemblies that don't appear to have anything to do with one and other....then he ties it all together in the final phase of the thread and produces another jaw dropping JBA masterpiece!
Cheers,
Charles

I must say, It is fun to watch yet another piece coming together JBA. I admire your fearlessness in trying new and different things that many modelers would only aspire to.

I look forward to the revealing of your grand idea

If I may ask a small favor, any extra coverage of your sculpting figure techniques would be much appreciated, as I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the subject.

Hey James, yes 1/35, though like Charles told, we shan't be that hasty and show the trick just right now

Than you Fernando my friend! Your comments are always very pleasing to see! You know i think that if i were about to live near the coast I could have too much sea in my eyes and would end up modelling mountains

Charles that's very kind form you, but masterpiece it ain't at the moment. It's still a big mastic, plaster and silicon mess right now!!
Actually i should only start those blogs only when the diorama is completed so that i would be sure of the outcome before even starting!

Thank you Matthew, I must say the technique I use to model figures are globally the same as the other modeller's; though i recently developed a series of techniques of my own which I will tell.
Moreover I must say that sculpting figs is probably my weak point when it comes to model making -all the reason more to work it extra

So well, first i didn't use paper clips. The fig I am modelling is a *kid*, paper clips are too thick to "dress" with Magic Sculp, so some .7mm thick brass proved to be of the right thickness, though at one point further I was worried about the actual thickness of the wrist.

that first step I did yesterday looked like nothing but I was not so easy to do as the global pose of the guy has to be determined at that step.

When it comes to me it involves trying to reproduce (when there's nobody around) the right pose.

No need to sculpt figs on your own if it means doing the same boring poses as Dragon offers us month after month and year after year for longer that young Chas is alive on this earth.

So today here are the pics showing the actual "dressing" of the brass with Magic Sculp. the muscles will be sculpted later.
Basically, i took some small lump of magic Sculp and gently press them against the brass -it would not be possible to sculpt muscles directly over the brass, really the right shape must be determined first.
I didn't took a lot of care when i first designed the "body lump".
So at this stage I took my scalpel and proceeded to cut some large chunks from it so that the global body shape is created.
the first muscles are for tomorrow!

Hans: Do you see this Franz?

Franz: Yah, dis silly Frenchman think he can just wave his magic vand and "create" muscles

Hans: Yah, Frenchie don't you know that you have to do many bench presses and lat pulldowns to make da muscle yah?

Franz: If you vere from Austria you would know this, silly man.

Hanz: yah, maybe you can snap you fingers and make me a souffle, what do you think Frenchie?



*watching in earnest*

You really have me wondering what the child is doing in the diorama! All my mind can come up with is that the child is in a fishing boat about to be decimated by the oncoming PT... am I close?

My only concern is that the arms are a tad bit long, and will look longer when you put the hands on?

Chas

looking good, good luck

Hey Chas, My guess is that you will find the child balancing on the keel or some other precarious edge...just a guess