I'm just about finished with the Hurtgen Forest endeavor, so it's time to declare the next project started. Initially I wanted a Konrad Operation in Hungary '45 scene or one at Narva in '43-44. Instead it's time to clear some of these Landsers off the bench. It's going to be a scene of a group of infantry sprinting through a stream/swamp, some type of wet area at least.

So! Time for for familiar faces:



@Jerry- this is an old pic, I changed the shoulder boards when you pointed that out earlier this year







My issue is that I've come a long way in my Splinter camo since that fella, so I'll have to bring him up to today's standards. Makes me sound professional. Ha.

So! On to the next duo. Rather unlucky blokes actually. My first real conversions actually, not just tweeked limbs or reworked poses, these are my first real Frankenfigures. I used spare torsos and arms I got on the bench, and body parts from a Gen2 kit I bought only to steal parts from. Limbs, body parts... There's GOT to be a better way of saying that. But I digress.







He's hit! I modeled his pose a bit like Willem Dafoe's famous scene in "Platoon." Romain! This is where I need some anatomical rivet counting. What do you think of his left arm? I can't decide if it's too long or not and could use some opinions.







This fella was actually the idea that gave birth to this scene. I wanted to build a landser who had been hit and was trying to push himself back up. The pose isn't final, neither of those 2 are, but it's a rough start. I think the head on him is perfect, especially the mouth. I sanded away the belt area on the torso and will just rescribe it in and put a PE belt there. Since he's on his stomach, I'm not too worried about how it will look, but I'll do my best. Arms and hands came from spares, boots were cut off and replaced to look more natural in their position, and I sanded away the bottom of him, and sanded some of the detail off the pants to rescribe later. This should be fun.

Lastly, I threw some putty over the spare plastic I used to prop the torso up...


To top it off, I have a new weapon to use in this struggle...



Off to all you guys now, thanks for looking!

-Conor

nice surgery Conor !
On the William dafoe figure, it might the angle of the camera, but I have the feeling the left hand is much bigger than the right one. The lying guy is very well done. Struggle and incapactity to use his legs are the impressions I have when looking at him.
Onto the painting now !

Julien

Hi there,

interesting topic and lots of good work so far.

One major thing to keep in mind though when doing Frankenfigures, is where the limbs really attach, i.e. the articulations. One should always try to have the joints of the body parts remain at the same position, and work the rest around it:



Picture 1 shows the original figure with a torso part and a left arm part. The red circle marks where the arm would be attached to the torso in real life.

Picture 2 shows what is often being done, but is not correct anatomically: Attaching the arm part at the desired angle, and filling the void below (marked in blue). Result:
The joint part (in red) shows how this leads to overlength for the arm. Also the blue void filled with stuff does not correspond to any existing body tissue, it is surplus material that shouldn't be there. On a further note, this probably also isn't how the garments were tailored

Picture 3 shows how it should be made: Respect the natural joint location, and modify the parts accordingly. The same technique applies to all body parts, including in particular the neck (which consists of many articulations).


Maybe it helps to think of a human body as a fix volume that barely changes when moving. Your body volume doesn't increase just because you lift your arm...

You might have guessed by now that with all this I was adressing the Dafoe guy with his left arm streched out. It is too long indeed...

I hopw this helps! If not, consider this a rant... Cheers!

Hi Conor,

you suspected right and Nicolas pointed out with great detail where the problem is located!

Fact is.....the arm is indeed too long!

The good thing is...you SEE flaws now..and that means you can correct them early on!!

Congratulations Sir!!!! You are on the right track, no doubt!!

I'm really proud of your progress in the past few months!! Anatomy can be tricky sometimes, but you will be able to sort things out now!! And we are still here to assist should you have any doubts/problems!!

Just keep us posted on all the projects! OK!

Good luck then!

Cheers

Romain

Pfoewiiieeeee......Hi Conor ,that's a whole lot of work , for sure ! But i have the slightest suspicion that you will manage this very well !

Keep it up , i'm following you but not in a creepy way.

Kurt

YES!!!
The coolest thing in this new update is the fact you are moving on to big,ambitious,conversions. Some minor mistakes were made,and already pointed out(expertly) by others but you are on the right track. The Dafoe guy has the length problem but I also see something else. Not your fault though. I think a lot of Dragon figs suffer from having overly wide shoulders,like a body builder. The last few I worked on I had to shave that down quite a bit. If you can find my old Ramcke Brigade thread you can see what I mean. Just something to consider.
Plus,as we discussed before,check the neck lengths. These Hornet haeds are wonderful but a lot of guys(me too) don't reduce the neck length enough.
This looks like a great dio.
J

I was hoping Jerry would address some other points...and he kindly did!!

Giraffe necks and Schwarzenegger bodies are all too prominent and need mending!

Cheers

Romain

I went back and looked at the Dafoe guy again. You did indeed take some length off the joint at the top already,so maybe not too much still needs to be taken off. It is really hard to tell as I think your pnone camera is really distorting things.
J

Julien, Nicolas, Romain, Kurt & Jerry- thanks! Nicolas that was in no way a rant, it actually helped me visualize what I'd been wondering about. I decided to bite the bullet and fix that hand issue. I wanted to keep the smaller one since I loved the detail and position it was in, but had no partner for it so it was removed and replaced with a Gen2 hand matching the left one.

I'm also well into the process of rebuilding the joints and other bits that had been sanded away. Nearly there.







The other fella has received a lot of work too. I rebuilt his left forearm, began rebuilding his lower torso, and the knee joints in addition to the shoulders.







It's rough in some spots, and unfortunately the best way to find that out is right here hahaha. Oh well, I can smooth that over. I was expecting this to be a lot more of a headache actually.

I've also decided to be ambitious with the breadbag. Since the guy has been hit and took a hard fall, his gear wouldn't be sitting normally, so I'm going to model it as such.



It's not done yet, but I'm rebuilding the breadbag as if it has flipped back onto itself and the water bottle. Next I'll try to sculpt more prominently to make it look like he's got a few things in it that caused it to flip onto itself. I've got a few other standard pieces of Gen2 gear to put on, but nothing too fancy happening to them.

Finally, this guy has received a complete arm.







He'll be done before the other 2, no doubts there. I'm posing him as in the second he turned to see the guy next to him cry out as he'd been hit. I think the facial expression is good for that.

So now, tear them apart! I know they need work, but it's much better to hear the why and where from you guys

@Jerry, I actually use a Canon Powershot for my pictures. The lighting has got to be what distorts the images, I'm sure of it. I decided to keep the shoulders as they are, mostly because I think that's out of my range still, and because they don't seem so bulky and prominent in these 2.

-Conor

Conor,
Without knowing exactly where the scene will finally end up, I won't go so far as to question the presence of a PPSh, but I do notice the guy with the PPSh appears to still be sporting an MP40 ammo pouch, which seems a bit odd to me. Maybe if he ends up with an MP40 slung over his back?

[quote]Conor,
Without knowing exactly where the scene will finally end up, I won't go so far as to question the presence of a PPSh, but I do notice the guy with the PPSh appears to still be sporting an MP40 ammo pouch, which seems a bit odd to me. Maybe if he ends up with an MP40 slung over his back?

[/quote

Good observation. This figure had been sitting around on the bench since March-April, so I like to think I was going to sling an MP-40 on him as well, but I've got no idea. I will now though

Thanks!

-Conor

Subscribed!

Nope, couldn't let this one just sit around on the bench. Made some progress, got both of the figures about ready for primer. Tried to position their gear realistically, I think I did ok.











Unfortunately the guy on his stomach needs touch ups, since it appears I was handling him before all the putty fully dried I tried to overemphasize the entry points of the bullets, only because once primed and painted a lot of that detail will vanish.

I've settled on my destination for this faux pas of a scene. I got the new book "Survivors of Stalingrad" (which you ought to buy, cause it's great) and I think a scene in the tractor works or train station will be fitting. Because that s**t was intense.

Finally, one last, rather unfortunate figure WIP shot....



I really prefer MB figures for modifying and converting, only because their styrene is very easy to sand/cut. Anyways, next time you see him, he'll have a lot of that wonderful mucus-green colored putty all over him, more putty than plastic (not really though).

Thanks for looking!

-Conor

Hi Conor,

Nice progress. The gear flopping around on the standing guy looks especially good!

—mike

You are getting that green stuff under control now!! I remember when you first used it and it used to look very rough and grainy. Nice conversions and sense of movement.
J

Thanks fellas, I'm using the green stuff/milliput mix actually. I think it's the blending of the two substances, and a LOT of trial that's helped. I do like how these guys are coming out.

I've got this guy about done now.







And with all his stuff...



I may add these 2 rather unfortunate Russian figures from Stalingrad as well. Add to the confusion of the scene maybe.



Finally, this bloke. He was a bit of a pain at times but a lot easier than I had planned. He'll be propped up against something, having clearly taken the brunt of a mortar shell, grenade, or whatever you might think of. Trying to make you notice him and go "oh, s**t" without making this diorama look like Quentin Tarantino made it.







His back is very rough, but it won't be seen. I just didn't want to neglect it altogether. Up next, I'll have a Hornet head on him, since I feel like he deserves more than a standard dragon one. Aside from that, it will hopefully be paint time...

Thanks for looking!

-Conor

Hi Conor,
I Don't get much chance to post these days but, I had to comment on this one. The contrast between these guys and your first attempts is like chalk and cheese! The hair on the guy lying down and the front of the sitting guy is beautiful! Hate to say it but, I will shamelessly pinch these ideas for later
A little tip, if I may? Try mixing the putty 2/3rds Milliput and 1/3rd green Stuff. Use a wet brush to feather in the putty to the plastic in the first 30 minutes. Wait another 45 minutes then press in the creases with a shaped toothpick or needle.
All the best, mate. Looking forward to what you do next!
Gary

Thanks Gary! I must admit I more or less shameless pinched that torn up guy from your "To The Last Bullet" vignette. More so the torn up look of the tunic rather than poses, but I'm sure I'll eventually find time to pinch off the rest of that too

Thanks for the tip too! Would have loved to know that last night hahaha. I'll have to remember it though. I do use a brush on occasion, but I've never waited like that before. Sounds flawless actually

Thanks for chipping in!

-Conor

Hey Coner, your figures are coming along very well. I do like it when builders take the time to alter the figures they use so they don't end up being a repeat of every one else's. I'm not as good as you fellas but not too far behind I'd like to think. The one problem is that once you find out you can do it, you don't stop. Unless it is a specific posse that comes as is, I have to at least swap out something. That's why I usually by two sets of the same figures, gives the option of a stock set or a few plus the extra to Frankinstien out. The only thing that I caught besides the shoulder that was mentioned is the figure watching his buddy getting hit has his helmit way too high, least in the pic's it looks like it. Will be waiting for your updates to continue as your dio looks to be promising once again. I wish I didn't have so many problems with my pic's and computer or I'd post pic's as I build, the feed back here is almost always of help. bob d.

Thanks for the comments Bob. Regarding the helmet issue, I tried taking it off to sand down the head, but that's been super glued since at least last March, so it's not budging hahaha. I can live with it though.

Haven't actually primed yet, been too cold outside to do it right, and inside, the fumes go through the whole house So I've stuck to more detail work, like on the casualty.





Not too much aside from gear and a head, but I used Gary's 1/3 green stuff 2/3 milliput formula, and damn! Couldn't believe how much of a step up that was. Big help.

Aside from that, there's obviously the new wall section I got a while back. It was a fellow modelers casting, so unfortunately I think ti was a one time thing. The opposite side of it, the one that will be more prominent, does have more to it:



And lastly, I did a bit of detail and gear painting on my 3 runners:



Still very much to do on them, however. That splinter camo will be a pain when I go to touch it up though. But that's all for now. I've ordered some pigments to fit the environment (Stalingrad Tractor Works) and some ceramic buildings/debris from Dioramas Plus, but the DP items are back ordered for 2-3 weeks. Not a huge issue though as these figures are the focus at the moment.

So, as usual thanks for looking!

-Conor

Here you are Conor,

you're right about the fumes buddy , never use a spray can or airbrush inside the house without protection . The gases released from spraying are toxic by inhalation and irritating for the eyes.

Okay that aside , a lot of respect for the efforts you showed for working with milliput . I'm no expert in handling stuff like that so unfortunately i can only watch how you handle it , which is pretty good in mine inexperienced opinion.

Looking forward to see more...

Kurt

Hi Conor,

That guy's shot to the chest looks really good! ... probably doesn't feel too good though!

An observation ... something about the shoulders just doesn't feel right. IMHO. I tried to replicate that position and couldn't do it.




So, you're using 'Green Stuff' and 'Milliput' mixed together?

—mike

Top notch work there! I've got to admit I much prefer to see figures heavily modified rather than straight OOB. Nice contact between the figures as well. That's something a lot of dio modellers seem to forget. Following this with interest and looking forward to seeing the end result. I wouldn't worry too much about the bloke with the PPSH having the MP40 pouches. He could have had a stoppage, couldn't clear it and grabbed the nearest weapon to hand so the attacks momentum carried on. Could be any number of reasons and it all adds to the confusion of close quarter battle. You could even have him just passed one of the dead Russians with his MP40 discarded by the corpse? Just an idea. Top work and very informative. I think I'll be using some of these techniques on my own work

Thanks guys,

@Karl I kinda feel the same way about the Ppsh, if I were in there and my MP40 jammed near a functioning Ppsh, I'd ditch the MP40 without a second thought!

@Kurt & Mike, yes Milliput and green stuff! Gary Wheelhouse uses that on his figures so I figure'd I'd give that a shot, and it's paid off in dividends so far! I really like it. I'm not so concerned about my air brush though, since I'm only spraying Acrylics I can do that in the basement somewhere.

As for the shoulder, you're right about that. Unless, however, you snap your arm at the shoulder, in which case any position works But I cringe at that thought. I've been on the fence about it for a while, and after just now attempting that exact position myself, I'll have to change it. The forearm should be facing out a bit more. Easy-ish fix though.

-Conor

Lots of nice work goin' on around here lately.
Lookin' good.
J