It's been a very slow summer in terms of modelling, I only picked at some figures, looked at my half finished 251 now and then, etc. But I got two kits for my birthday in June that are pretty animated.



I was really excited about this re-release....


So I worked at them here and there, and just this week I jumped back into modelling(probably means fall is coming!). Basically, my idea is a scene depicting one of the bloody German counter attacks during Operation Cobra.

So, first off are these two fellas. The blind man and his guide.


I added this impromptu tourniquet as well. It's not great, but you can see what I was going for. Might go back and tidy that up.


Second, these two blokes:




He'd be saying "What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not a medic!" Once I tidy up the putty and finish carving out the ends of his sleeves, the arms should look great. I carved into his torso under his gear to try to make it sit right, and I think for my first try, it more or less worked. Even though the Hornet head gets across the mood of the figure, the helmet sits a bit too high. I did try prying it off to sand down the inside again, but it's stuck there, whether I like it or not.

And who is the distressed landser yelling at? This one of course.



I built those two looooooong ago, but I dug them out, gave them new heads, and they'll be reborn anew. Both will be repainted, save for the wounded man's head, which was painted before I glued it on. They'll need more re-positioning as well.



Yup, a Kar98 scoped. I figure it makes this guy a bit unique and will help him stand out a bit to those who notice.



I think the somber expression, coupled with the fact that his helmet is a bit big, gives him a youthful look. Which is great.

I'm trying to make a little vignette within the big diorama with these 6 figures. The wounded ones all have awards (Iron Cross, etc), and look older & more battle tested. Thus, the young ones are left to themselves in this low level hell. Kind of a "Now what?" situation. Hopefully it woks out.

Finally, the first 2 from the Masterbox kit.


No, the gentleman on the right doesn't have a little afro, the superglue/baking soda hair makes it look like it though. I'm not sure if I'll use them though, because I don't want the scene to get too crowded.

So! Tell me what I've done wrong, because I will fix it. After fixing things and tidying up odds and ends I'll prime them and post an update once the painting begins.

Thanks for looking!

-Conor

All of the things that I noticed you had already pointed out that you were fixing them. Just keep going,you are getting better and better. There is absolutely nothing better than practice.
I love both of those fig sets,especially the medic kit.
I am not too sure about the right side guy in the last pic though and it's not the hair that distracts me either. It may be your camera lens playing tricks but his torso looks enormous compared to his legs. Just sayin'
Lookin good little brother

J

Thanks J, always great to get your feedback. I won't be at the bench for a couple days so for now I'm just thinking of a way to solve the guy with the helmet issue. I'm thinking of sticking part of a hat there to make it look better. I've seen an old clip of a grenadier wearing a M43 field cap under his helmet, maybe if I stuck the bill of one under there it would help solve the problem?

-Conor

That would work I think.
J

Well I gave it a shot very quickly this morning, and after a little filler in a few tiny, tiny, tiny gaps, it should do the trick.





Of course this makes painting the face harder, but I'll just have to live with that. I think the real challenge is going to be filling the little gaps.

-Conor

Good job! It's a very rewardig work to modify figures to a special need. You will have something unique.


Claude

I think you solved it.
Still wondering about the guy with the ultra large torso being helped by the pistol guy.
J

Thanks guys, it's a bit slow going at the moment but I'm making progress.




Yup, his torso looks ultra large in person too... But as far as I can tell, that's the way he came because the only modification I gave them were the Hornet heads. I'm guessing it's the trousers and the pose? Beats me.

Well Monday I had surgery(thus, slow progress), and as I lounged on the couch late that night, searching the web and watching the military channel, I decided to make a purchase from The Scenic Factory. The order arrived today:

Pine sticks/logs


Plumosa fern, for vehicle camouflage and scenery


Forest floor, even though this takes place in Hedgerow country



And I got a free sample of brown forest floor


Admittedly, I probably still had some anesthesia in me which helped make this impulse buy seem like such a great idea. But it was relatively cheap and the shipping time was great, not to mention how great the product itself looks. Can't wait to start using it.

-Conor

It was hedgerow country to be sure but there were a lot of forests in Normandy back then. The Germans made good use of them as assembly /rest areas to hide from the Jabos.
J

Alright, 4 figures primed, faces painted with Vallejo.

Mr. Bandage head's hair only looks chocolate, it's going to get a few different shades to make it look "fabulous," as the dude who does my sister's hair puts it.







And then this guy. Can't get the angle right to show his eyes though.



I didn't photograph the last figure, mostly because there's nothing interesting about him yet. The m43 cap needs 2 emblems on it, but I'm going to look for any tiny PE ones in my stash, if not, they'll just be 2 white dots

-Conor

Fallschirmtruppen!

I finally bought myself the Monte Cassino Defenders kit, after beating around the bush about it for over a year. Not as readily available as it was a year ago, so I ended up paying $25 dollars for it with shipping off of eBay. Got Hornet Heads for my FJs back in July.

Here's the first one:



Gave him 2 canteens, though it was more common in North Africa, I figured it happened in Normandy as well. It's hot in July and August, and even the most hardcore FJ gets thirsty.



No undercutting yet, but I bent the ammo pouches to make some slots appear empty.

If you noticed the pouch clipped around down by his foot, here is my inspiration for that:



Granted, he appears to be wounded and in jump gear, but I've been wanting to try that on a figure.

Kept the left arm & gun seperate for easier painting:


Finally, my favorite Hornet head ever:



Next up is this dude:


Filled a nasty neck gap with Milliput.



Jammed K98, so I decided to give him this:



And I take my inspiration from this beyond cool photo:

(Discussion purpose only. Or whatever it is I'm supposed to say here)


By the way, that's from WWII magazine, and it's from a great article on how Germany avoided disaster time and again in WWII.

So those are the first 2 FJs. I take some creative liberty when I build them, seeing as they used a number of different and obscure weapons and gear. More to come later on!

Thanks for looking

-Conor

Need an opinion. I started painting the Luftwaffe blue on the paras, but had to stop because I got the shakes in my hands pretty bad. Didn't want things to get sloppy. I'm trying to decide if I should add a tint of grey to the blue to dull it down a bit. Yes? No?





As you can see it got pretty sloppy by this point so I stopped:



Any opinions on the blue?

-Conor

Your figs are getting better every time dude. I like that you take chances with the poses and modifications. I think the FJ with the neck putty has his head a little too high off his shoulders. Maybe trim the neck down a bit? You always have to be careful with Hornet heads as they are very generous with the length supplied on the neck area.
I think the blue looks good. I just found out a cool trick from someone on the web. mix a little Tamiya flat base with your Vallejo paint and it takes care of the shine. It was driving me crazy on my stuff.
J

conor,
Ive used senic express as well, and have used the same stuff you bought. I don't think you will be disappointed. Great to work with,good material,and fast shipping. Your work looks outstanding so far. Keep it up!
Cheers,
Chris.

Thanks fellas. Glad the Scenic Factory stuff works good. I almost adjusted the neck length on that one para, but I would just ruin it. I figure I'm better off with a tiny flaw, rather than having ruined a figure.

So! I'm almost there. Got a lotta stuff done. Just need to add straps to the weapons and do the eyes on one more para.

Tiny bit of sliced up Pumosa Fern from TSF:


IMG_1343 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1344 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1345 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1346 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1347 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1348 by ronoc29, on Flickr

See? No eyes. Creepy.


IMG_1349 by ronoc29, on Flickr

And all together...


IMG_1351 by ronoc29, on Flickr

AK products for some light weathering, testors dullcoat to dull things down. Just a bit of touching up and what not, and I can call this step finished!

Thanks for looking!

-Conof

I like the new guys. That is a nice touch having the guy give covering fire as he passes the open doorway.
Where have you been little brother? Hope all is well?
J

Thanks J. I'm thinking about using the house instead of a hedgerow, simplify things. School started up again, and work on top of that, so there's not much to show for progress. I've got the other six soldiers, each at their own level of completion.



I've just got the final push left on the 251 as well, just gotta attach the wheels then do the treads and I can call it done. I had planned on bringing this diorama to Armorcon in two weeks but I'd hate to rush through things. Might make a little interim vignette with a para if I find the time. 8 and 10 hours on the weekends combined with an inconvenient online course really digs into bench time though. But if I'm lucky all this school time will lead to as much bench time as I want long down the road.

-Conor

OK cool. As long as you are healthy and have a plan then all is well.
The NCO in me gets curious and nervous when people that post all the time suddenly don't post.
Nice progress on the dio. I see the 2 guys with locked arms look a lot different in this camera angle and the right hand guy looks a lot more in proportion now so it must be the camera lens that throws the eye off.
J