Thanks, Stephen!...I have much to learn on how to operate this website!

Well, I have 41 days (roughly) to complete this, after being MIA for the better part of the past year. Long story, no need for details.

Since I'm short for time, I have the following two options for this campaign:


Option 1: 1/35 Verlinden WWI Trench Vignette



Option 2: 120mm Lost Battalion Miniatures British Lt MG 1918



I have not put glue to plastic/resin/PE in a while, but I think either of these would be achievable in the time we have left for this campaign.

Any of you guys have a preference?

Matt

Tom: You're making that old kit look good!

Edo: Holy smokes! That's awesome! I agree, you need three or four German's making a good run for their lives

Erhan: Yes, please one more!

Hal: Your Nieuport looks good, almost too clean!
(Stephen, thanks for posting the larger pictures for him
)

Matt: No worries, just glad to see you back in action
Oh, and the trench vignette of course!

So the Trench Vignette it is! After an hour or so, this is where I'm at...









Almost all are off the pour blocks, at least all the little bits and pieces, and separated by baggie (ground misc, soldier equipment, etc). So far I've only broken one shovel (lost half of it) and chipped one end of another; I think that one will be sticking from the ground at the base of the trench.

I have a feeling after this is all done, I might end up looking like this poor chap:



More updates to follow this weekend. Only 38"ish" days left to get this one done!

Great builds guys, still following goings on with much interest.

Si

Matt: I like your sense of humor The castings look overall good, have you noticed any problem areas off hand?

Si: Your comments are always welcome, and I hope your taking a break to relax a bit after that awesome build you finished

Great build, everyone! Edo, here's an idea for you if your figures just aren't up to the task. You might not like what I'm about to say because your trench is so well done...maybe you could try trashing the place up a bit. If there are no people to occupy it, play it like the trench has been abandoned a few months. Break some floorboards, darken up the woodworks, push some dirt over the ramparts, add a bit of vegetation in the corners, a broken and rusty MG, a forgotten cache of grenades, a helmet or two strewn about, or even a skeletonized soldier. You can do anything you want, really, to give it an eerily neglected feel. Of course, it looks damn impressive as it is, but, succumbing to my Advanced Modeler's Syndrome, more can be done. Seeing your work though (especially compared to mine), I have full confidence in your ability to pull it off!

And as a guideline for WWI modeling, you can ALWAYS add more mud to your vehicles

Jeremy: The castings look pretty good. The handles on the milk jug need cleaning out, and the rifles' trigger guard is molded completely through, including the trigger. I will say that this resin is much easier to work with, taking a fresh #11 blade makes short work of the casting block remnants I didn't get with the sprue clippers.

I picked up some of the 60mL bottles of the Vallejo acrylic primers in white, black, grey, and RAL 8012 (red brown). I'll probably use them on this first, as nothing else is close to being finished...except my 1/48 IBUC (Itty Bitty Universal Carrier) for the 1/48 Campaign 2.

Hi Robby!
Actually your idea sounds really good!
Sure some more work will be needed, but you are right: it will enhance the feeling of the scene...
Time to go back to the modelling bench...
Thank you, my friend!
Ciao
Edo

Hi all,

well, there were very good things since the last time i visited this thread !
Here is the following of my french pilot, i have to finish the kepi and the top of the boots, then it will be ready for paint work....






Cheers
nico

Hey Nico, it's been a while! (Guess I'm not really one to talk though... ) The pilot looks good, and I really like his expression. It'll be fun to see that guy once the paint's layered on!

Matt: Great, glad to hear it!

Edo: As far as I'm concerned, your build is done. But if you happen to make some changes I certainly wouldn't mind seeing some of those photos find their way to the gallery

Nico: Fantastic!

Hi Matt,

Look forwward to developments.

Nicolas,

Excellent work.

Great stuff guys.

Al

Hi,

thanks a lot Robby, Jeremy and Alan....and yes Robby, that was a while, maybe i enlisted in to much campaigns.....

Cheers
nico

Thank you Jeremy!
I'll meet the deadline for the group build, after all!

But actually, I do have some update...
I added a telephone line to the trench:




I am sorry that the pictures turned out to be so poor, but I hope you'll get some detail as well...

I know that you where wondering what has become of the brave soldiers I intended to deploy on the trench... well, they succeded to excape, after all, and are alive and kicking!
Being so brave I decide to send them to the front line once again, and they happened to lead a counter attac, ending in a bomb hole struggling for their lives... unforunately the picture I get of them were take late at night, so, again, the quality is what it is...






Here the are out of their hole..







I hope you'll enjoy!

ciao
Edo

Edoardo,

I really like the work you've done, especially your figures, with the canvas Pickelhaube cover with the regiment number in red.

As a newcomer to World War I modelling, I used this campaign as an excuse to add to my reference library (again) with three Osprey titles: World War I Trench Warfare (2): 1916-18, German Stormtrooper 1914-18, and The German Army in World War I (2): 1915-17 . They are scheduled to be here tomorrow (8.9.12) so I am in the clean up stage of all of my resin pieces by using my Dremel, respirator and safety glasses (of course). All my pieces are laid out ready for priming later today. I laid down a base coat of Vallejo Black primer on the vignette resin base (the trench, sandbags, etc) and it looks ok, but I may re-shoot it with the gray primer as it is a bit much for pre-shading for any kind of depth. Pictures to follow tonight I promise!

Edo, bravo on the figures! I'm having trouble picturing where they are in the diorama though...I'll be waiting patiently for full pictures.

Matt, looking forward to the pics...and thanks for reminding me to upload some of my pictures tonight for another campaign

Nico, I'm a firm believer that you can NEVER have too many campaigns!

Just a few photos before dinner tonight. The figures are assembled, but not finished. Still need to clean them up, and fix some gap issues. These are mainly placement test shots. I used the Vallejo Black primer to test out on the base. Works like a dream, but I think I'll shoot the base again with the Gray primer for a nice even base to start with.

I will preface this by saying I am NOT a figure painting guru. Actually quite the opposite. My figures tend to look either surfer bronzed or Dracula white. Another reason for me doing this vignette for the campaign; to force me to look into bettering my figure painting.

I used some Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylics and thinned them down to a 6:1 thinner to paint ratio to make some extremely thin layers. I have what I think is a reasonable base skin tone for my Germans. Not too dark, not too light, not washed out or rosy. For your inspection, I present the drinking stormtrooper (only blocked in the face and hands to test):







As always, constructive criticism is welcomed!

The sand bags would definately be higher. About three rowsup and another row infront.

Also it looks like some of the Vector Cut hand tools have made it to my door!

Matt, I admire your attitude! Indeed, that's one of the major positives of these campaigns! The kit looks like a lot of fun, and the fit is very nice. You've got a very smooth tone to your figure's skin, and the color overall is pretty good. I might say that a more "German" color could be a bit paler, but there's nothing to suggest that your coloration is inappropriate in any way. You might wanna try lightening up the skin tones for the other dude. And Stephen's right...otherwise that trench would be a gold mine for Tommy snipers

And Stephen, all I can say of that PE is...damn...

Hi Edo,
I'm glad to see your grenadiers reappear in the trench. I've had to reconsider my earlier statement that hand grenades might just bounce off the armor and back into the trench. I have since seen a photo of a tank which had a tent of what looked like chicken wire built on top to deflect hand grenades. Apparently some tank crews were concerned that the top could be damaged by grenades. Everything you've done looks great.
Cheers
Dick

Hi all
A very brief update to show the Model T Light Patrol Car with the Vickers gun painted and ready for final assembly. Since I had five tires, I threw in a salute to the Olympians, especially all those who didn't win medals but busted their butts trying.

I'll be away for a few weeks, but I hope to be back in time to finish the car before the campaign ends and add a few figures to it and to the Australian Light Horse patrol car.
I've found pictures of fourteen light patrol car variants, not counting trivial details such as missing ights and damaged bodywork, but I don't intend to build any more until someone produces a better kit than Lindberg.
Cheers
Dick

Hi Robby!
The figures are not in the diorama with the tank, they form a separate vignette...
You see, I am not confident enough to build large dios, I prefere to keep them rather small, just enough to contain the model. This way I don't have too much to detail and get less chances to ruin a good (hopefully) model with, say, a bad groundwork.
Actually groundwork is someting I never tought to be so hard to make, but after a fiew attempts I am still lightyears behind the work that can be seen on this site...
Ciao
Edo

Hi Richard!
I jumped your post before...
Actually the granaderes are not in the trench, but form a separate vignette.
In fact, the all setting was not convincing.
First your (very welcomed) comment on the granade bouncing, and then the trench itself, made me think against them.
You see, my trench is rather tight: let's say 1,5mt or 2mt in real life, then ther's the bench (make it 0,6 mt) what is left is just enough for a man to walk (and this, in my opinon, is just about right for a ww1 trench as I can guess for the pics I saw).
If you keep this dimension in mind, you'll see that the laying soldier simply doesn't fit in the space! Or he has so fiew room to manouver that the granade will not have enough speed to pass the trench....
And what about the other man? He could only queue the laying one, not in a good position to hand the granades quickly....
No, it was not convincing...

Ciao
Edo