Okay, between you and the guy whose work you shared the link to I'm going to just chuck everything in the recycling bin and stick to woodworking and yard work. LOL. He does have crazy skills, Brother but don't sell yourself short. How many new grey hairs popped up while you were jockeying the new module in front of the backdrop? I'm really liking your backdrop blends with the project, definitely going to be a stunner!

keep it up man, it's a great looking build so far, and really coming along so nice!

I remember when you started this!

Whoow. I wonder how long it takes someone to put this much detail in a miniature cathedral. truly amazing work.

Hi there John, Andromeda673, and SpaceXhydro. Thanks for looking and your replies!

Sorry for delayed response, been doing some more research and purchasing items to complete the mosque gate assembly. Items should be here by end of week so expect an update soon.

John LOL brother, really! Don’t chuck anything away!!!

When I started my build I really didn’t want to post my dio’s pictures here because there are so many talented peoples work on this site. I am having fun, and I am learning as I go along the process.

Thanks to all you guys on here for following my build since day 1 and most of all the time to share your inputs, they are much appreciated.

SpaceXhydro, yes that dude’s work on the link, truly inspirational stuff. That’s what I hope to be able to achieve some day, truly amazing talent.

JGphins

Hi Joaquin ,

holy cow so here you are ! This is a huge build i like your work so far , especially the large building ,waaw man .

Good luck ,

Kurt

JG , beauty work man everything's coming together nicely !!!

Hi JG, your epic build is looking great! Regarding the cathedral accessed via the link, it is certainly a beautiful build - but, as I guess we all know, it's a different type of project - showcasing one structure, whereas what you're doing will reflect an event in a complete urban setting, which will "look" dynamic - figures and vehicles, an implied sense of urgency - the viewer will (I suppose) ideally first be drawn in to the event, then, begin checking out all of the details, grasping why it looks so real!

Your bits of color on the mosque look great - just enough. You might consider placing the mosque asymmetrically on the block - the buildings are typically sited on a unique axis with Mecca (Makkah). As you are building a somewhat hypothetical scene, you have the artistic license to pick the angle that makes most sense for the dio (i.e. Leave it parallel to the street, or place it "tilting" one way or other). This comment isn't intended to be a critique, just a comment.

Looking forward to your next post - keep up the great work

Nick

Are these satellite dishes scratch-built of after-market?

Thanks Kurt, Cheyenne. Glad you like the build so far. Just received in todays mail several new items to commence work on the mosque gate so expect an update soon.

Thanks Nick for stopping by and the compliment. Means a lot coming from such an experienced modeler like yourself. All your work here has been an awesome inspiration and I've picked up several things from your past builds. In regards to placing the mosque asymmetrically, I thought about that but my real estate space is limited to place the 3 structures in the area... I just received the 2nd minaret tower in the mail so that's 1 mosque, 2 towers, courtyard, palm trees, and perimeter fencing. The mosque will be parallel to the front street. I thought that it would be cool to model them facing forward since so much detail will be created on the front entrance gate and portal. I plan on installing iron wrought gates on the entrance along with stacked up formation soldiers in position ready to rush and clear the mosque grounds.

I am only pending receipt of the iron gate parts which should arrive this week so I think I'll be able to post new pictures soon so we can gauge what I envision better once staged.

Hi Martin, the satellite dish was not scratch built. Here's a pic of the kit that I bought:


Thanks for looking.

JGphins

Nice new toys to play with for sure. Yeah,that guy in the linky is doing some awesome work on the cathedral. I can just about smell the incense and that certain ancient church smell I remember from Europe.
J

I couldn't wait to stage the second minaret on block two to see how it fits in with the other structures. I think it going to look great once painted and all details are put in. Take a look...

,,,,,

As you can tell by looking at the first overhead picture, the real estate is limited in options to position the structures in any other position... They will be parallel to the front facing street (imaginary, not actually built). But the positive gains will be the view of the front entrance facing the viewers point of view and all the details that will come with it.

Really excited about putting this section together.

JGphins

HI Joaquin - I guessed you had a strategy in mind for your block - you didn't make this much progress without doing your homework and some head scratching!

Looking good - your comment below I fully get - you think on one hand, you're working on a HUGE dio, that's taking up lots of room, eating up material, paint, figures etc, and then you wonder, hmmm, how am I going to make all of it fit! good times we each enjoy!

take care

Nick

So I attempted to create the first mosque window grill and mosaic stained glass and came up with this result:



Not too happy with it but the more I look at it the more it grows on me. LOL, must be the rum...

It's a WIP and still needs a re-touch of paint on the glass, then some weathering on the grill.

Once I determination the final mosaic colors then I'll prime all the mosque walls and add brick color details.

Any suggestions on what color I should paint the grill?

I was thinking of just applying a lite coat of black weathering to make it look like old dirty wood.

Thanks for looking & happy modeling!

Hi Joaquin,

Looking good - thinking about your question for the wood, if it's possible to rough up the unpainted surfaces, with either a steel wire brush or a relatively coarse sanding stick - you know those 1/8" x 1/8" x 7 or 8"? You could then wash the surface with a blend of alcohol and India ink (more alcohol than ink - or it will be very dark..believe me - haha) - this will give the surface a nice warm grey tone.

If that doesn't get the effect you want, you can try grinding some artist pastel on the surface over the alcohol and ink wash (I scrape little piles of the pastel onto the wood with the back side of a #11 Xacto) and mottle it with a fine paint brush dipped in alcohol - and wipe it down at various times along the way with a cotton rag - like an old tee shirt. You won't need much of the pastel, as the color can be pretty strong - just enough to stain the surface - or it will come out like paint...ask me how I know this - haha!

Yes - do a test run first! Ideally with some of the same material - if not available try it on some bass wood - remember to rough up the surface, or it won't look old and warn otherwise. You can also try putting a wash or diluted acrylic color of your choice over the base wash of alcohol and ink and the surface will look weathered.

Hope this helps -

I might have a picture of something like this in my gallery - I'll see if I can find it -

Looking forward to your next post!
Nick

Hey Nick, thanks for the tip brother. I'm currently trying it out. I will post pics once this step is done so you can see what I came up with. Thanks again, appreciate it.

JGphins

Here's the result of dry powders, India ink wash, and a little bit of Georgia Clay & Peinture acrylic paints...

,,,

Just a WIP staging test. I like this weathered effect but will need to re-paint the mosaic glass different colors (brighter colors) so that it stands out better after weathering the grill...

Not sure if it will be better to leave a clear glass or add the mosaic colored glass... I like the clear to see details inside the mosque BUT I know it's more realistic with the painted glass... Decisions, decisions, and more decisions.

All feedback is welcomed, thanks for looking.

JGphins

Having a hard time here trying to make a decision on the window grill & mosaic glass color selections

Here's another version, had to remove the light blue paint and went with just the old wood stains on grill to better match the mosaic glass colors.



Any suggestions?

Thanks for looking.

JGphins

May be kind of an obvious question but if there is so much impact damage on the wall around the window opening wouldn't the grate be damaged and the glass all knocked out?
You probably have a story to support this but inquiring minds may want to know?
J

Hi Jerry,
Thanks for stopping by, appreciate the visit and your comments.

Here are my thoughts on this particular step and what I’m attempting to accomplish.

Indeed there will be damage, lots of it but first I feel the need to construct the grills and mosaic glass. Once I’m satisfied with the color scheme I will attempt to manually create all those impact points to certain areas of the grill (such as bullet holes and fragmentation impacts) along with blown out glass particles scattered all around the areas. Certain parts of the grill will remain on the frame along with a few pieces of the glass still attached to the grill.

I know I’m whacking my head way too long on this particular step but I’ll figure something out and hopefully it will look like what I envisioned. That’s the challenge.

JGphins

I see your goal now and indeed the easiest way to portray damage is to build the intact original and then remove or alter the parts you want. In fact,the removed parts can then be put in amoungst the rubble,as it should be in real life.
J

Just a thought about the two minarets... having lived there for a year, it is seldom you find a mosque with two minarets. Symmetrically it makes sense but considering the purpose of the minaret (a guy would stand up there and sing out the call to prayer, now they use loudspeakers), it is not practical... and the mosques are so close to each other, two are not needed... ornate mosques might have them but your everyday streetside mosque only has one...

Just my 2 cents worth...

Nick is exactly correct. The axis of the main prayer room and thus the building would be such that during prayer, the congregants are facing Mecca whether that is north, south, etc...

When I was flying Saudi Airlines to Riyadh in 2007, there was a screen on the back of the seat showing our flight progress. There was also an arrow that moved with each flight path adjustment. That arrow always pointed to Mecca. It was a 747 so there was a prayer room built at the very back of the aft cabin. Muslims are required to pray 5 times per day and they always have to be facing Mecca during prayer regardless of their location (I have observed Hassidic Jews also praying on airplanes but that is a different story with their headgear and leather straps).

You are the artist but in the interest of accuracy... also, many mosques don't have elaborate entrances. They are at street level and just an entrance to a building. I have seen the overflow from a mosque in Riyadh out in the street in their lines all praying in unison. Friday is prayer day and you had to be very careful about what street you were on and the time of day (the weekend in Riyadh is Thursday and Friday).

Hope all this helps to give you a better feel for the practices. I am not sure if it is the same in Iraq but since they are both Sunni sect, I would imagine some of it similar.

There isn't much wood in the middle east so wooden frames are not used much for anything. Everything is cinder block and so I am wondering if the "frame" in front of the window isn't better as metal with the green copper look... also everything over there is a dingy grey color. Nothing ever gets washed or repainted as it just isn't in the culture to have gaudy, loud colors. You can tell who the TCN (third country nationals) are by their dress. Since the women are required to wear a black abaya, the dresses in the stores are for indoor use only. The men dress in grays and muted colors... I say all that to say that having the framing distressed and coppery looking would be more accurate for a Saudi Arabian setting. I don't know Iraq specifically first hand and only seen it on the news but it looks much the same.

The light blue paint is very appropriate for over there... muted and not too garish.

So I have bagged on your two minarets idea, the window frame and the orientation of the building without saying much positive. Let me fix that...

Your build is stunning in scope. I am doing a 12" x 16" and it is eating my wallet and my lunch. Your work is just amazing. Keep it up and I look forward to more progress!

Hello Patrick, thank you so much for your continued interest, valued insight and compliments. As I have always said, all feedback is important and I appreciate the time everyone has taken to add comments and for looking.

In regards to my dio, I am attempting to build a fictional but accurate setting. I am not building a specific site but rather taking various key elements that would generate visual interest and eye candy. I've been to Iraq a couple times and I have seen shrines with two minarets. May not be the norm but then again it does exist and adds more "eye candy".

Here are a few reference pictures from various locations in Iraq such as, Samarra, Najaf, and Karbala:

,,,

Just a few examples of what I am attempting to convey. I really like the visual effect of how something like this would fit in and look once completed on my diorama.

As for the orientation of the mosque facing mecca, it will be. Mecca in my dio is facing towards the front so that the audience can appreciate all the work I will put into the front entrance. The wood mosque grills will be altered to simulate old rusty and very dirty metal framing material. So far, that little window frame has given me lots of trouble but I think I figured the mosaic stained glass option out and will post a few progress pics soon for feedback.

I also like the mosque entrance referenced in some of these pictures. I will attempt to keep the build accurate to what I have experienced, researched, and as well attempting to create that visual eye candy interest.

So far, my inventory has cost me a lot more then I originally estimated... (Got to hide all new shipments from wife - LOL.) But I think that every single item put on to this dio will find its place and look great once completed.

Nonetheless, it's a great time & I'm having a blast putting this together for my reserve unit.

Thanks for looking.

JGphins

Hi Joaquin,

Ha - who would have guessed you'd have come across we "architectural rivet counters"!! Haha - I'm sorry I spaced on you regarding the use of wood! Patrick is right - (and as you've noticed) you don't see much of it (typically or architecturally) in that part of the world, and what wood you do see is very heavily worn. You might be able to keep yours as wood, as the mosque you are modeling could be very old, built many many years ago, pre common usage of metal with glazing - who knows? It's your build!

As for the two minarets and the images you've shown - those look like "grand", or "Friday" mosques. These are, as you've shown, the big formal buildings. That said, maybe the mosque you are depicting could be very old, and representing a neighborhood mosque built many years ago, and was "the" special mosque in the district - again, as its your build its your choice!

I hope these comments aren't a big pain in the butt for you! Intended to be conversation among model builders!

Take care and happy model building!

Nick