Use this url to see fotos of my 2nd dio
Check out bridge defense
or styrene city for progress shots.
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/frank_glackin/lst?.dir=/&.view=t&.src=ph&.done=

Frank,
Great job on that dio. I hope you get the time to write something up using your "making-of" photos. I will post the photos you sent today.

What's next?

Thanks,
Jim

What quality.....and that with Styrene.... Damn didn't know one could do such a wonderfull thing with Styrene.

If you ever find the time.....write us an article. I for one, would love it. ore people interested ??

I have promised Jim quite a while ago to do this, but never got around to it. Now I have a finished dio and the progress shots to do it. As this is my second dio I have learnt a lot in doing it... the does and donts. Im hoping to get it finished for the upcoming competition, but even if its not ready in time, it should be here in the next few weeks. I get as much pleasure out of building the dio from stuff gathered around the house as I do building the model.

To answer your question Jim,the next dio is a modern one, a parked abrams 1A1 with crew sitting on it posing for a photo. Its supposed to be from the gulf war period with camo with black and white spots (if you know what I mean). It was the first tank I built and painted. So I want to try a desert dio this time. Shouldnt take as long this time as a lot of the work is already done.

Anyway, thanks for the comments guys. Never throw away those styrene meat trays, your next model could be displayed beside it. All the best. /Frank

Frank, dio looks awesome. Those buildings are great! On your first dio did you put styrene or plaster around the the cardboard building? And on your bridge dio how did you paint that bridge so good? It looks almost like real stone.

MArk

wow what a great job

Sarge,
I've already uploaded the pics of your dio into a album here at ArmoramA. You can access them via this link.

And the water looks well like water! It's great! You'll have to let us know how what you used for the water...

Good job!

MSW

Go Leafs GO!!!!

Thanks for your comments guys. You know the biggest problem I had to make was the water. I tried a few things and wasnt happy. I was talking to some guys at the last IPMS meeting and they gave me some ideas. In reality, the water does not look as good as this. Its a bit on the dark side yet for my liking. I took these photos in the evening as the sun was going down and the sun hit all the right places.
The base was painted black. Then I mixed some dark green oil paint into clear varnish 20%/80% and made 2 coats like this. Then I made ripples from superglue and the same dark green oil paint on top. When this was dry I added another coat of the same. Then 2 coats of of the same but 10% oil/90% varnish. Then 2 coats of clear varnish.
In the sun light or when a light is shone directly onto the water it looks great but otherwise you dont get this effect. Now that these photos are out there, Im thinking of trying to paint this effect onto the water so it will be seen the same whether in direct light or not. Basically some highlighting of the ripples and another coat or two of varnish. I have loaded some more fotos of this so you can see what I mean. The sun and direct light will still work and maybe even enhance it more.
At the end of the day, when you look at a river like this, the colours you see is mostly black, dark greens or dark greys. Its the light and surroundings that give the effect anyway. So its going back to the old modelling arguement of reality or artistic impression.
Check folder "water" at; http://photos.yahoo.com/frank_glackin

To Bryan Dewberry; Thanks a million for up loading the fotos. Its great to see them up there. Now I can tell people where to check them out at. Maybe bring some traffic your way.

To seargent; Everything sprayed black. Then all stone work painted with ´dark stone. Then washed with black oil. Then drybyushed several times with different and lighter shades of grey each time and lighter drybrushing as well. I dont have an airbrush so humbrol black spray and then hand painted .. all with humbrol enamels