You're certainly not referring to my company with the above ignorant quote about shipping charges. I ship every order at exactly what the Post Office
charges and I make every effort to use First Class Mail (least expensive) or Priority Mail flat rate to save the customer money. In fact, I lose money on shipping with every item that I charge .50 cents except for the laser etched zimmerit sheets. My website shopping cart features are limited and I do my best to work around the limitations.

Hope this clears things up a bit.
Mike
www.monroeperdu.com

Howdy Mike - I certainly dont believe your company in any way rips anyone off with postage - quite the contrary. As I stated on previous pages I thoroughly believe your postage to be the best I have encountered from the States! Trust me I will gladly go into bat for your company after my pleasant experience (which I did). And the fella with the issue had it sorted out and was also glowing in his report of how great you helped him out! (see previous page).

To anyone who is interested in purchasing Items from MP studios, I thoroughly reccomend it. The products are exquisite, and the communication from the producer is top notch. I didnt have any issues and the persons who have, had them sorted out straight away. Thats the kind of service I am prepared to pay for!

Mike I dont think Steve (ski) was referring to your company at all. I think he was reiterating what I said about some bad experiences I had on ebay with US international postage (minimum parcel fees USPS first class) being extraordinarily high.

I hope this makes it clear for everyone.

Adam

Adam:

To echo Stevens comment on the empty mortar bags, I think paper might be a good solution. Perhaps gift-wrapping "tissue" paper or drafting "tracing" or "sketch" paper. typically these are fairly thin, but still hold shape somewhat, particularly crumpled shapes. then maybe coat them with a mix of white glue and water and paint them after the glue dries. you should be able to put the decal on them after the glue coating. Just a thought...

Your figures look good to me.

Happy Modelling, -zon

Howdy Zontar,

It makes sense to use paper. The bags are paper in real life so its seems a logocal medium to use. Some of the other suggestions have been interesting and have their pro's. But I think I will give paper a try. I am thinking that I could just print the bags on 80gsm paper and cut them out and fold them. the biggest challenge will be the inconsistecy between chages in medium. The paper bags still need to look like the full bags. Who knows maybe i have to go back and make all the full bags out of paper too just to be consistent?

Will think bit more about this and perhaps tackle it at the weekend. I have some momentum with the figures so am trying to keep that rolling

Adam.

Thanks for that Adam.
I felt I should say something in response because he made no distinction between my company and ebay sellers, etc.

Sorry to hijack your awesome thread.
Your work is fantastic and an example of a level of quality we can all strive to attain.

MIke

Hi Mike, [/quote]

Sorry to hear your experience is not as pleasant as mine was. All i can say is I paid 50cents postage for a small envelope sized padded bag with several small resin kits in it. I was truely pleased (still am). i cannot comment much on your postage quote other than to speculate it was either bulky, heavy or awkward to post ? I didnt notice a handling fee at all, you could always ewmail them and ask if the postage is actual shipping charge or has other built in costs like packaging etc. Also could ask if there is cheaper alternative postage - the quote might be express or first class priority or something.

In general I do not understand postage withing the USA. I have no idea how they justify their postage charges in general. I want to buy the verlinden middle east ruin on ebay, for around 12 - 15$ us . THE POSTAGE IS A WHOPPING $35 on top of that, and some place without hesitation by default will charge over $50!. Its like they put absurd prices on postage so they dont have to deal with overseas purchasers or something. I tried to buy a tamiya stockyard set of animals - postage for that tiny lightweight box varied wildly from $12 to over $50! thats right $50 for that box. Like I said I do not understand postage from the USA.

So I empathise with you in your annoyance at a quote that is more than that of the actual item. Live in Australia where everything pretty much has to be imported and I can tell you I have spent more on postage for all my accesories than the items themselves. At least our dollar is stronger than the greenback at the moment so it takes the sting out a little.

Adam[/quote]

As you can see Adam has nothing but praise for your shipping costs. His advice is well considered and I am sure you would have been able to explain this as you did. Most shopping carts are very simple and don't quote a combined shipping cost. They just quote the price of shipping individual items. If I need to purchase items from OS I check the freightage costs and if it seems a little exorberant I send an email to clarify before hitting the checkout button. Having said that though the cost of mail from the US can be very discouraging. Most do not use USPS instead use Fedex etc and charge very large fees. Ebay is very bad for this as are some other buisnesses. Personally if I can get say, one of your products, from a distributor like Creative Models Australia I will, cause I know he has paid the shipping charges, factored it into his prices and adjusted for FOREX.

It isn't just US mail either. For us here in Oz, mail from the UK and Europe can be very pricey as well. I'm sure it is not the sellers fault but the Postal Organisations. I have seen many good publications from the UK but have been put off by the high cost. 8 to 12 pound equates to roughly $16 to $24 AusD as rule of thumb. In most case it is more than the book is worth.

Because of Adams glowing testimonial of your buisness I have already added your web site to my favourites for future reference. I hope this dispels any discord and I apologise to Adam for responding as I have but I just felt I need to help clear this up. For most people dealing with postage charges is a new experience but for us down under it is a part of life and for the buyer it is just as much their responsibility to question the costs associated in order to avoid negative reactions.

Cheers, John

Hi Adam,

Sorry for the above. Just needed to expel some air.

As for your Abrams I'm sooooo jealous. SWMBO won't even let me get one of the Tamiya RC 1/16 jobbies. I've seen an Abrams on a web site here but can't recall which one but it had the Aus markings. Hope its electric not fuel cause ant 1/9 she'd be almost as expensive to run as the real thing.

By the way, with all this work on the base how's the vehicles going? All done? I ask as I haven't seen anymore updates on the kits.

Cheers John aka Green eyed jealoused monster

Well green eyed one, its electric and will oneday be corrected with markings etc. lol. The vehicles are on hold at the moment almost no changes whatsoever since I finished blogging the builds. they get used for compositional arrangement and thats it. I am waiting for some parts so I can get moving on them. I am nervous the parts wont arrive and I will have to pull plan b and c out but fingers crossed and a bit of faith i wont find myself in a predicament. Basically I have until the week before easter, I have taken that week off work to exclusively paint the three vehicles, weather and final corrections. It wont take long to paint them - the weathering will take a bit of time, and decals/ markings will take a while. but its the superdetailing of stowage and bent antennaes that will take the most time especially if I have to scratchbuild it myself. The biggest hurdle to fix is the 3 vehicles have different headlight guards and they need to be the same.

So anyways thats the vehicle update - on last thing - I am open to suggestions on markings - No matter what markings I use I know I am gonna get flak over them being wrong place wrong time wrong position etc etc. I think I might be leaning towards 2 cav vehicles markings - The complications of when tac markings are used , if their used, and not necesarilly being the markings on the vehicles by the units that own the vehicles really gets confusing. As long as the 3 vehicles "match' a patrol order I be fine with that. Also need to start thinking of a name for this beast. Need to get the brass plate etched and ready for the show and that can be a 4 - 6 week turnaround. So by easter need to name it.

Anyways theres some food for thought. Any help would be appreciated!

Adamskii

Hi Guys,

Shipping from the States lately does seem to be a little out of control,but I certainly want to stand behind Mike at PM.After talking to him ,as I stated in an earlier post,today I recieved a notice from PayPal to his refund of the shipping cost originally being charged.He and the company stand by their word and I will have no problem ordering from him in the future.

Tom

Just a footnote on this shipping.I went to order 2 figure sets from Verlinden the other day and the same BS came up.For an order of $30 they wanted $23 in shipping.I asked why?I have gotten no response.With MP he got back to me within hours.

Tom

Hi Adam,

Darn laptop went on the fritz cause Nortons has expired but fixed now.




Mate you hit the proverbial right on the noggin. Doesn't matter what you do somone will be put out. My understanding of your scene was as a tribute to all who have served on SECDET so accuracy wasn't a big issue. 2 Cav is the obvious choice of markings as they were the first in IIRC. Personnaly I like the markings of C SQN (I think) with the beast skull under the M1 helmet (SECDET 9?). Not that I like 2 Cav, been a Stinger for most of my time with little sojorns off to the School of Love, 12/16 HRL and 2/14. I think you have seen the photos in the Defence Website Albums. It looks like some kind of werewolf or vampire skull.

Anyhow if the ARNs are right and the markings match the comms gear you have fitted (ie the little boxes on the front of your PC) to the time frame you want to depict then who really cares what the "more informed" think. As long as you are satisfied then be happy. I don't think many will notice too much as they will be overwhelmed by the big picture of the scene, it just has so much to look at and marvel.

Plus it's like you said. Every six months the C/S changed along with all the other markings. The vehicles were starting to develop their own style of add-on armour with all the different layers of paint added. You'd have to be there to take photos of every marking on every vehicle on each rotation just to have an even chance of trying to get it right. About the only thing that wouldn't have changed would have been the inverted "Recon" triangle and its location is well documented. Vehicle names would have changed frequently and its not uncommon for them to change mid way as well. All depends on the crews mood and how bored they were or even if they had access to the materials to do it.

So I concur, definately 2 Cav markings because I have been told by some mates that "2 Cav is the home of the real ASLAVs, all the rest are pretenders" and "eight wheels are better than four"

Sorry I can't be of more assistance.
Cheers, John

Cheers for a constructive feedback on the callsign issue Jashby. No decisions have been made yet - But very soon. i guess the vehicles with the ecm kit will dictate the rest, - thats the one thats most specific configuration and therefore the most specific to markings. To be honest Im not fussed anymore who is modelled, as long as it is "plausible".

Although not something I have made much of recently but i do need to consider final presentation - all the fluff n stuff that makes for a polished finish in presentation - all the brass name plates etc. I was thinking about the center main plaque being a chrome (RAAC style- not brass) with the title, sub title, dedication and my name on it, and then to the left and right of the plaque some fancy stuff. The bit about @ Cav that has some benefit is I can mount the hat badge on the left ( or a pair of mess uniform collar badges left and right), and something called a "challenge coin" mounted into the frame. I have toyed with other things like enamelled australian and Iraq flag lapel pins mounted to the frame, or service ribbons. I generally do a pretty good job of that kind of stuff and its usually very well received by the audience.

Heres an example of one of my other dioramas.

So that kind of thing. So by picking 2 Cav, It allows me to explore the use of badges and challenge coins etc. The other units have Badges too but are somewhat less well known ? That alone is not a reason to avoid them. But thee does seem to be more reference available for some units than others. Either way - before I decal anything I will ask An Authority to verify the plausible nature of whatever I choose - correllating the vehicle numbers and names and callsigns and load outs. If he gives me the nod I'll probably progress.

I did however like you comment about 2 cav being the home of aslavs....

Cheers for the food for thought !

Adamskii

Nice progress you got going, and some truly fantastic techniques, also the “Rolling Thunder” diorama is really nice! Have you ever thought of typing a review for the website and adding more pictures?

Regards,

Hey Adam,

The figures are looking good.Your not the only one who finds themselves a 5 out 10 on painting them.With me ,it's like playing pool.sometimes I'm right on and sometimes I should quit while I'm ahead.
I started using Folk Art and other craft paint a while ago for bases ,etc.They worked very well for a fraction of the cost of model paints.I was surprised with my first purchase from Dioramas Plus that Randy recommended using them on his buildings.The next thing I found is that for the longest time Tamiya white needed coat after coat to actually be white.When trying craft paint it was one coat and done.
A $1 or $2 for a bottle that lasts a long time and works well is a great investment.

Tom

hello, the air conditioner is part of the Royal Models "modern house accessories" set number RM500 I think.

Parrot, im quite surprised at the performance of the folk art acrylics. Pleasingly so.

Vlad, more rolling thunder pics to come - once this diorama is put to bed... But I did post some over on Track-Link a few years back when I built it
Rolling thunder diorama
Whats amazing is how some of the natural foliage has yellowed over the years (moss mainly)

Also for the challenge coins check out these links to see what I mean - i would embed these in the frame/border next to the dedication plaque.
http://www.wundurra.com/USERIMAGES/COIN%20OP%20CAT%20JTF(1).jpg
http://www.wundurra.com/USERIMAGES/AATT%20IX.jpg


Adam

Wow thats some older pics! I almost don't recognise the buildings then.

the two "mesh grills" in the first picture are cut from plastic vents I bought from a hardware shop - they are not model parts but improvisations (scratchbuilt)

The second photo I have been asked about a few times now in this thread (see page 3 of the thread for more detail) - I bought them on ebay. The ebay link to that item is -
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FENCE-WALL-decorative-iron-stone-G-O-1-35-scale-/220635277616?pt=AU_Toys_Hobbies_Model_Kits&hash=item335ee32930

Just be sure to tell him that you want fence type "A" or "C".

Adamskii

Hi again Adam.

Found this on evilbay and thought of you.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SECDET-IX-BADGE-70-X-70MM-/170605571659?pt=AU_Militaria&hash=item27b8e26e4b

Might look nice for your presentation. Unfortunately it is specific for SECDET IX but food for thought.

Cheers, John

Very unusual badge there - not one I seen before. So thanks at the least for that!. If i was to buy it , it is oversize for the diorama frame anyways - I have about 60mm available height above the molding to the tip of the frame. The badge is over 70 so wouldnt fit.

But certainly on the right wavelength there ...

Heres a very quick paintbox test design of two possible layouts for the plaques/ coins.


So any combination of unit badge or rising sun ? and s0me of the challenge coins for detail. the coins could be mounted at each end of the diorama box - north south east west etc as there arecertainly more than 4 or 5 that could be suitable - 2 cav and 2nd14 have specific iraq ones, as does infantry, operation catalyst operation iraqi freedom and several more Australian ones. I like the one with the Australian and Iraq falg enamelled on it - definitely fits the theme of this dio

Some of the potential coins ( of course only one side would be seen and they would be counter sunk to ensure longevity - but can alkways buy two if i like both sides...)






The coins are 45mm in diameter (apparently)

Adam

Got the drift now.

I like the first layout. The lances of the collar dogs draw your eye into the name plaque. Maybe swap out the coin on the right for the red side of the 2/14 coin. The red wouldn't be to bright against a darker stain, plus the ASLAV in the borders of the Iraq map is a nice touch.

Funny just checked and I have that coin from my OBGW-4 tour. Not that the red side indicates that.

Anyway just my thoughts to help. In the end it's your desicion and I'm sure that with your eye it will look good.

By the way have you thought of throwing in your day job and becoming an interior designer? With your eye for colours and fine detail I'm sure you would be a hit. You could name your business "Derolique, any Hovel into a Home"



Cheers, John

Looking good Adam. If you do buy the coins from Paul (you know him John), say G'day for me. I have a fair few of the coins myself an the are very well done.
Dont know if you have seen this http://www.wundurra.com/page5.htm

Or if the coins don't work, try the deployment badges.
Cheers Jason

Hullo Jason, I have been doing my best not to start collecting the deployment patches. I would love to have them all but It would be expensive theres so many and I wouldnt stop at 1 lol.

As for the coins from "Wundurra" I most certainly have seen the website (as linked in the first post at the top of this page). I am amazed at the amount of stuff that site has! Valuable stuff to a modeller or collecter.

Adam

Back to blogging.

Been busy week, have not managed to be super constructive with my time and am falling behind again. I have definitely lost momentum with the build and will take some effort to get it back again - still waiting on the same deliveries from overseas - I am mega annoyed at these delays.

Anyways. SOmething that will definitely expose my achillies heel - my absolute weekness is figures. Here are the pictures of where I am at with them. there is some work to go - one or two figures are missing hands and I forgot to paint some details but the majority of work is done. If ever there was opportunity to rattle my chain about quality of work this is it.

Anyways heres the cast and crew photo.

heres the "traditional" guys and probably the better figures.

another view

here are the women and child - the black is very hard to paint and they are likely to get a recoat and do it again treatment... but need to dulcoat them better aswell.

the standing guys - the guy on the mobile I really tried hard to look like his eyes were closed concentrating on the phone call over the din of the vehicles driving by. The robed guy i nicknamed "al queda", and the last guy is a modified MIG arab tanker with a new head - heads ok but the clothes are too dark i think, these figures are barely passable

the workmen - these 3 guys will be on the scaffold and they all have their backs to the audience and their faces to the wall...

the fronts anyways..

the squatters - around the diorama there will be clusters of people with some squattinga nd reading newspapers in a group or the one on the right - a beggar. the left figure is on the verge of being cut - i really hate everything about him but need the pose.

another view

the running children
heavily converted figures with new bare feet and legs on each plus new shirts replacing european schoolboy uniform, and adding trousers to one, and a hat.

the guys who didnt make it.


So the lighting in the room is really bad so everyone looks a shade darker than they should be. the wall being is of white and the shelf is white so that tells how much shadow there is. I still have some work , but basically figures are done just need fixing the realy bad stuff and forgotten stuff. Then i can paint the soldiers...

but I thought I'd offer a scorecard for each figure.


I'll give each figure a letter to identify and then three scores out of 10 - first iS for the face, and second is for the body/clothes, the third score will be the quality of the figure ( some of them are really bad castings and it shows in the paintwork) , also in brackets will add the manufacturer where the majority of the figure is from them.

A 6 5 5 (mig arab tankers set)
B 7 7 8 (Verlinden arab street curiosity)
C 5 6 6 (Firestorm )
D 6 7 8 (verlinden the bad ones)
E 8 7 8 (verlinden arab street anger)
F 7 6 8 (verlinden arab street curiosity)
G 7 5 5 (Kirin scud crew - verlinden head - warriors arms)
H 7 8 8 (verlinden arab street curiosity - verlinden bare head)
I 7 8 8 (verlinden arab street anger - modified)
J 3 4 - (unknown ebay old farmer woman with basket-modified )
K 6 5 7 (verlinden arab woman with child)
L 6 7 6 (firestorm - protestor - this face was miscast with no detail on one side)
M 7 6 - (ebay purchase running children - heavily modified)
N 6 7 8 (verlinden arab woman with child)
O 7 6 - (ebay purchase running children - heavily modified)
P 5 6 7 (verlinden the bad ones- plus new head - modified)
Q 7 7 8 (warriors iraqi insurgents set 2)
R 7 7 7 (verlinden iraqi prisoner - new arms and verlinden bare head)
S 3 2 - (mish mash from the spares box, verlinden bare head - bad)
T 6 8 8 (Firestorm protestor - modified)

Hope that all makes sense. So i tried to honestly score them as I would as a judge in a comp. My average figure score has always been around 5 /10 and from that list I reckon I average 6.5 - 7/10 so a 2 point improvement is at least better than none. When i compare these figs to others I have done, they are certainly on par or better so that moderates well.

They were difficult because not only did I have to scrape the barrel to find civillians suitable for modern iraq, but I had to compromise on quality at times in the molds/ casts due to lack of range to chose from. 4 figures still unpainted and maybe if I need them I will reinlist their services.

SO thats an update - this marks a milestone for me because now I should be starting to focus on the vehicles. As soon as my parcels from overseas arrive I can complete the street with wiring and other elements..

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

Adam

PS I still HATE painting figures. And I missed a standing figure witha white shirt holding a little notebook. I cant believe I forgot him...