As the now decades old debate of Mac vs PC rages on...and on...the low tech workshop of mine keeps building!

but - as many of you have also been giving local weather updates - here we go from SF CA on the way to work today (yes, I'm frantically typing during lunch!):





so I ride the bus into town every day - between parking cost which is REEEDICULOUS!!!! and traffic...which is S-L-O-W, I ride the bus and then walk to the office - which is pretty great on a nice day like today - in fact, never really all that bad!

In the spirit of Dave's original note above, and in fact, maybe much like the work he's been doing on the church, or heck, anything Jerry does(!!!!) - just start doing it - (so Matt...Keep at it!) and eventually, you have something to show for it. I tend to go for the weekly posting here - because some of what I'm doing along the way can be a bit dull...but, nice results.

Last night I took on another wall! (exciting eh?): so, here we go, more on the way out the door to work pics:



the same each time....frame, siding, bolts...do it again...



Prime and paint....



Weather, attach....and start again....



And here it is with a bit more context....





so, the two above give a better overview of what's going on upstairs - yes, I'll add more to the office space - file cabinets, maybe another flat file...and....figures...

As I don't want to do the aforementioned office....I might get going on this roof area:



or....maybe an M1114 for the flatbed....(?)

Ok - thanks for checking it out! I'll get back to the forum and other builds on the forum tonight - right now, I've got to get back to the work that pays the bills!

cheers
Nick

I'm not any more jealous of you now then I was of you before you posted the shots of your lovely metropolitan area Nick. Ok, maybe a little. I've been to SF a couple times, and tackled the traffic in both LA and Orlandoas well as our Vancouver and Toronto. No thanks. You guys can have it. I would ale the bus too, gives you aore productive and cheaper commute. I drive a 70 mile round trip each day to work and back, but at the normal summertime hours I put in its a 30 minute drive, all on what you would consider interstate type highways and that would include a stop at the Tom Hortons close to my home for a double double, extra large usually

Love your work, love my work, love Jerry's work. And other notables too. Good advice Nick. If we just remember to keep moving the needle forward. Little by little and to challenge our presumed limitations. Do what you love, and love what you do.

Cheers back at ya

Dave

I'm slowly running out of superlatives m8!!

Enough to say that I've rarely seen anything like it in my whole life!!

And you are a top photographer as well (makes me envious )!!

Thanks for making my day (yet again )!!

Cheers

Romain

Hi Dave - thanks for dropping by. Yeah, the cities and towns of the world, always great to visit! Yes - in SF, parking and traffic are a nightmare - parking dtown is very expensive....and peak hour traffic is just as bad! On a Saturday morning I can be there in 15 minutes (!) rainy day, easily an our and a half(!) the bus is the way to go!

Yes - I agree with your note - I love building stuff - and it's great to see and follow everyone else too!! In fact, this forum is a constant barometer of excellent work and discussion - it's pretty easy to learn a lot and see great ideas being realized!

Romain - thanks as always!!! Please don't forget more positive words! This project seems to have been going forever(!) and I will finish!, but, as a very talented guy yourself, you know, it (the tedious tasks, which we seem to actively search!!!) can get pretty slow sometimes! Slow all around....but, at the same time, interesting...ok enough on and on! Nonetheless, a few nice words sure help.

I hope this is about 90% done...which should sound great, but plenty to go before it's done.

Ok - thanks for checking in - if all goes to plan, I'll take this outside for pics on Saturday. In the meantime, trim being added, more braces, painting, weathering, and so on....

Cheers
Nick

Hello - I finally had the time to take the dio outside for some photos -

You'll see these images essentially focus on recent work, but I included a few interior pictures.

Please have a look:









The rear of the building has taken a while to come together - you can see it's almost done - I still need to frame the roof above the curving wall - I think I'm going to give this very long eaves to partially cover an outdoor workspace below - also - you can now see the purpose of the checkerboard panel/sloping wall - part of a tower. Who knows, part of the building's colorful past (?) - but, I like the look!







This side is largely done - I still need to add ground cover details...weeds, etc...and finally, attach some vehicles! - and...for our friend Romain...maybe a figure or two...I hate doing figures....I stink at them!







The first two pictures above are of the area beneath the second floor office space - you can see in the second pic, the area that still needs roof framing - I want these to be series of single low trusses, which I haven't quite figured out yet....the ideas are there, but not yet solidified...

I just like the last one - the front end of an M1151, and the side of a modified MATV.

The last two....





are of the RG33 6x6 kitbash/scratch build. I could live with most of this build, and felt pretty good about it -but - the truck looked to skinny when viewed from the front - which was really annoying me - so, after staring at it for a while, I realized the radiator grill looked too tall and narrow - but, I thought I included everything - brackets, latches, cables....etc, etc - But - the problem, (IMO) was that I hadn't run a portion of the radiator screen the full width of the grill area - so, I added some louvers to each side - only 3 per side, and voila! it looks (closer to) right! Relative to the whole project, this must sound somewhat ridiculous, but it was really annoying me! not anymore -

thanks for having a look!

cheers
Nick

Truly amazing Nick , fantastic show !

Imagine if a flying saucer lands on earth with an ultimatum ; Either they (aliens) get the best modeller or else they're going to attack or planet ..???? Then i'm afraid they have to send you ???

Cheers ,

Kurt

Oh wow!!!!

every time you post more pics I try to find a weak spot somewhere in this work of art....but it's hopeless!! There is even that little grass growing between the concrete floor panels, or the odd damage of the facade corner, etc.

All these small details added up make sure you have to look several times before you're certain (are you really?? ) it's a scale model!

That's why this marvelous scene needs only the best of figures if you decide to include some!!!

If you are no good at figures, improve your skills by practicing (there is no other way), but if you don't like doing them.....maybe team up with an expert!!!

After all it's a hobby and it should be fun!!!

Thanks for the wonderful pictures!!! They bring sunshine to my life!!

Cheers

Romain

I'll tell you what. This is without doubt,one of the top 10 dios that I have ever seen. I am not just blowin' smoke about that either.
The aim is to fool the eye into thinking it is viewing reality. Some of your outside pics would fool almost everyone,even jaded modelers like myself. So therefore,you are eminently successful.
To use the shorter vernacular "HOLY CRAP!!!"
Well done sir,
J

Good lord man.... You're making the rest of us look bad..... Totally awesome

An incredible masterpiece indeed Nick!! Awesome. You and I just simply need to do more figure, and then do more figures, and then do more figures.

If you can do what you do with paint on sheet styrene, then figures are within your reach as well. They are just a few more points of light to shadow and highlight and they're smaller, but that's nothing for you to worry about. You and I can do it Nick, Romain is right. We just need to practise.

Again thanks for sharing this marvellous work. Now go paint some practise figures!

Dave

This is really an impressive work... simply astonishing....

Hi guys - thanks very much for the positive feedback!

I appreciate the big support - it's too much - that said, nice to recall during the s-l-o-w parts of the build - thanks

In regard to the figures, each of you do them so damn well!!! So, to remove the cloud of embarrassment over my head...I've been paying a lot more attention to the specifics of your work. Also, I went on line and ordered one of those magnifying visors - can't paint it if you can't see it!! Next - I really have no technique for figures, so I'm going to start with pretty simple characters - that is, guys essentially just standing or doing simple tasks...and figure out how to do the basics of painting. For now - that task will wait for the visor.

In the meantime, I'm starting a couple of the Bronco M1114s - one, cut up and bashed into a GMV - the other, more of a typical version, but subject to some heavy use - ought to keep me busy for a while!

Ok - thanks again for checking it out and comments

Cheers
Nick

Hello - a quick post today - I'm working on an M1114 GMV - essentially a kitbash of the Bronco kit - sorry, only out the door to work photos, but you'll get the point. I'm using the Voyager etch kit (nice, if not sometimes tedious!!!) other (blast?) resin mud tires and other odds and ends you'' no doubt recognize - please have a look:











and that's where I left off last night - fun build so far -aside from the remarkably tedious task of building the "X" brace platform in the last photo....man!! that was driving me crazy!!! and it took lots of TIME!!!

This build is interesting for me for a couple of reasons -1st I haven't built one of these (GMV) before - and it looks good so far - next, should I ever finish the shop, I'm going to do a dio with a few of these guys running around the country side -

OK - thanks for having a look!

Nick

Hi - - only a quick post today! during lunch(!)

Finished, more or less the GMV M1114 - fun build! this is the bronco kit, plus Voyager etch + some kitbash + live resin, and I think Blast tires -

OK - here we go:











and there you have it - done....I've got one more M1114 for this dio, but I might wait a while - and instead.....work on figures!!!

uhhhh....yeah....about the figures....we'll see - my goal with them is quite modest: may they not look bad. That's it...over time, I'll hope for: Look good!

ok - thank for having a look...

Looks good. More than I managed to get done over the weekend.

More then I managed as well, unless you count opening the golf course after a late week 3inch snowfall. Looks good Nick as usual.

Are you planning on distressing or weathering the tow strap wrapped around the front of the unit? It looks brand new compared to the rest, which it could very well be in real life.

I'm sure you will find time to concentrate on some figures eventually. I'm kinda putting them off too, but we will overcome!

Dave

Hi Matt, hi Dave - thanks for dropping by - last weekend was mostly friends and family - Easter and just spring visits - i did little bits and pieces each night....hence, few gaps -

Dave - aka "eagle eye" :-) yes...about that strap....in addition to being less bright, it could use texture...who knows...I'll try to knock the color back. It already has a wash...but in real life those look dusty at a minimum, and if shoved in a tool box - outright dirty! So - I'll try something.

As for the figures, I'm making some progress. It's a bit frustrating - I'm brushing on acrylics - and two problems have emerged: 1) controlling subtle color - I eventually get it, but it takes several washes etc...and 2) textures in the wrong places!!! Faces look like the tug strap should!!! And clothes look smooth and imperfection free...

Oh well - I'll keep at it...

Thanks for having a look

Nick

Oh, yeah, one more problem with the figures faces - I'm mastering characatures
of George Hamilton, and copying "the raisin head people"....Neither of which I want!! Easy enough to fix, "just add some lighter color".....now, zombies...perfect.

So....the learning phase continues

Must keep re painting....

Nick

Hi Nick,

you are among the very few who can produce pics with such a high degree of realism!!
It's top notch modelling AND top notch skills for photos combined.

As to the figures, don't try to be perfect in a few days/weeks!!!

I am painting figures for more than 40 years now, and I'm still suffering from my poor skills.

Faces f.ex. don't play any rôles in the workshop. Think of a similar scene in real....how much faces/personality are you seeing on mechs at that distance!! None!

Acrylics are hard to master (I think I said that already ) and it will take some time to learn the trade.

Be patient!!

Try to remember how long it took you to become a real master at building.....Oh no, don't tell me it all came naturally to you...and you didn't have to learn the hard way...!!??! )

I better stop hic et nunc and get me coat!!!

Cheers

Romain

We had to take the boys to their Dad on Thurs nite & then get them again Sunday. The weather was beautiful so we worked outside of getting some of the garden ready. I may actually manage some bench time tonight (I can hope anyway) at least get some sanding done and maybe more of the foam cutter.

Nice truck.....again!! Now quit dallying and get some figs done. The more you do the quicker you will start to crack the code.
J
J

Uhh, Jerry, but, wait, I have a stack of kits...and its critical that I build each one of them, one right after another...umm, and, I did decide to try to handlay some track...(?)for a 1/72 scale tank.....

Ok - figures - here they are. The more formal looking guys will be in the office upstairs (checking in on the shop from the home office), with at least one of the other guys -the idea: the fancy guys: designer, finance guy, and the dreaded program manger (angry looking guy with tiny head and light blue shirt looking over the plan table and discussing progress.

The others will find a home tbd - my main purpose is practice at this point - you'll see I mixed and matched some bodies - and heads - interesting exercise - not everyone uses the same scale for 1/35 scale...its fine.

ok - have a look, a few out-the-door pics:









thanks for checking it out -

Nick

Very well done figures! Hopfully my conversions will come out looking like that when painted.

Hi Matt -

Painting this group is going a bit more smoothly than the last set did -

I changed from using life color to AK for flesh - the paint's viscosity is a bit more user friendly when using with a brush - but, the colors lean a bit more toward the red/pink than I might like....my stumbling with technique or not, I prefer the AK paint over the life color. I also have some Vallejo colors I'll try, maybe on the next few guys...

A problem I'm running into is uneven distribution and transition of colors on the face - it's blotchy! Other modelers seem to achieve very even, if not seamless color transitions...not me tho, one color clearly next to another color (!)and the bonus of weird texture blobs as highlights....more practice.

thanks for having a look -

NIck

Have you ever been published? Your work is up there with mr. Letterman in my opinion. I would like to see what some of your 1st work ever until this so maybe someday I could be able to produce something half your skill I could be a happy man. What did you think help you the most is the difference in pigments and paints from 20 years ago. Or is the new techniques that the industry an the Internet helped you. Because there is a lot out there an what you used are the ones I'll try to replicate in my models or dioramas I still haven't did a diorama yet.

Happy modeling