Uh oh... You said the Amazon word and we have Prime. A-shopping we will go...

The sand is by no means permanent and may not ever be... if it ever goes to a contest, I might apply the sand onsite...

I ordered some more stuff today like the stucco from LiquiTex and some colors. Every time I think I get out, they pull me back in...

I do like the way the skeleton and machine gun look! And I thought the blue water barrel added some color to the scene!




Your comments and remarks are always welcome.

Very good Patrick , nice work on the rusting .

The boney dude's a nice touch .

Cheyenne-Not done yet... I just wanedt to visualize where this is going... thanks for the nice comment!

Looking good Patrick ,

the tank although it's not done yet looks already very nice .

Good idea to cover the skeleton halfway in the sand , it gives a dramatic effect to the scene . The wind blows the sand away bit by bit and slowly exposing the bones . Very good touch here !

The barrel of the machine gun looks convincing .

Good show man !

Kurt

Waiting on the varnish, Kurt, then will be off with step 1 of your instructions!

Thanks for the nice words!

Made me think Kurt that the stock of the weapon would be gone... so it will be... with smoke and magic... LOL!

Patrick,
As I mentioned earlier-- you can make the sand permanent using diluted white glue, with a drop or two of dish-washing detergent added to help it flow, and perhaps some dullcoat over it. it's cleaner than having to re-apply loose sand. The diorama is coming along quite well though. As a side-note, the Japanese Government has been pro-active about recovering the remains of soldiers wherever they are found in the Pacific. When I was on Guadalcanal in 1989, they had a rather tall three story ossuary to collect bones from all over the island. Someone told me recently these have since been recovered and cremated, and transported back to Japan. Similarly, the US has spared no expense to recover US personnel-- I had the sad privilege at the end of our mission there to escort the remains of two service-members back to CIL-HI in Hawaii in 1989, along with some accoutrements recovered from a dig site, likely much like the one you are depicting here.
VR, Russ

Thanks, Russ, I will be trying the sand trick soon. Dealing with a house right now...

I really don't care for the grain of the sand used for a mock-up. I am trying to avoid buying a 50 pound bag of whit sand. I will be in the Los Angeles basin this Saturday and am going to try and find an aquarium store that has smaller quantities of the finer sand.

As far as the remains, I intend to create this element respectfully. There will be a photographer documenting the remains and a film crew making a documentary of the find. There will be no political statements or disrespect shown.

Thank you for all you suggestions and history lessons. They are very much appreciated!

Yes , you're right i've overlooked it too . looking forward to see the advanced rust process but take your time Patrick .

Kurt

First tries at serious weathering...






Your comments and criticism are always welcome!

This shaping up really nicely. The rusted out parts look good to me. Some nice variations in color to add visual interest.

Patrick,
Looks really good so far-- is that with rotten stone?
VR, Russ

I agree ... looking good! I really like what you've done in the first image. The rotted-out parts are very nice as well.

—mike

Actually, Russ, part of it is using chalk pastels applied over Tamiya flat clear. The other rusty colors are using a combination of Vallejo pigments. The top views are with the flat clear (That is a spare piece); the back pontoon is just dabbed on with a brush.

I used the front pontoon underneath to show the contrast. I am thinking of the larger grained stuff for the hull.

Tomorrow, I am going to experiment with the sand dune building. I have some ideas but nothing like trying new techniques!

Thanks for the nice words!

Hi Patrick ,

yes , well done sir !

Kurt

I had no idea of the amount of A) mess and B) fun this can be! Every day gets more interesting.

I am using Tamiya flat clear as a base over the hull red. Then I am using Vallejo pigments and chalk pastels.

If I am overdoing it, please let me know! But I am learning so much!








Your comments and criticisms are always welcome! Damn, this is fun!

Fun is the whole idea! Really like the textures, and the encrusted look.

Patrick,
Looking really, really good. I know you're thinking about "blending" the Ka-Mi into the sand a little more-- when that happens it will be spot on. Try and keep the really bright greens away form the "dig" site-- I see there are some touches of what looks like a "lime" green in there-- might just be the camera shot though-- if it was a real excavation, there wouldn't be much vegetation, if any, right around the remains. Your rust effects and terrain are really shaping up. Can't wait to see the palms finished too!
VR, Russ

Patrick,

Man, I wish I had found this thread months ago. Super work! I am enjoying it and think you are doing a splendid job and have had great advice.

There are a zillion commercial products out there now for making rust. Here's my attempt at it:


We have some experts on techniques here and one for extreme weathering is Todd Michalak (TRM5150). Here's a feature he made that is right up your diorama's alley: Prepare for Heavy Weathering!


Another about thin metal rusting is: Rusting, Chipping and Weathering


Man, I love those palm trees! I've been trying for decades to figure out a way to replicate the bark veining. Your idea is great!

I saw that you were contemplating figures for archeologists. Durable military clothing seems popular amongst outdoorsy types and as this diorama is in the tropics, I'd suggest North Africa soldiers. Cameras replace guns in hand, etc.

Keep going!

Hmmm, Russ, haven't used any lime green but will look at it...

Thanks all for all the words. I hate typing on my phone... More stuff tomorrow!

Hi Patrick - really nice work on the rust! Looks great -

Nick

The rust is coming out very well. Really been enjoying following your thread.

Robert

Frederick, thanks for the kind words. This is my first try and I guess I am just unsteady about where this is going. Thanks for the links to the rust stuff!

I used the palm tree tutorial over in the fauna and flora section of the diorama heading. His palm trees are the very skinny kind. I know the bark is probably inaccurate to any "real" palm tree. I would really love to be able to replicate the trunk that has the diamond shape with the pieces peeling back but I think that would be a clay sculpture project.

I wrapped dowel with masking tape, took apart some three thread string, dipped a strand in a 50/50 white glue/water solution and wrapped it around the masking tape. After that dried, I applied the size water (that is what we always called it in theater) to the dowel and then wrapped tissue paper in one layer around the dowel making sure the tissue paper was completely wet. A Tamiya desert brown as applied then I dry brushed flat black with an overcoat of hull red on the highlights.

The top of the trees are made with grass from Woodland scenic just glued to the top of the trunk. I am having the hardest time finding a ficus plant to make fronds. If each tree has about 10 to 15 fronds, buying them commercially would break the bank (not that I haven't spent about $400 on this little project).

The guys here have been a great help and a great encouragement. Russ, Nick, Jerry, Rob, Kurt and a whole bunch of others (that I am not intentionally forgetting) have been very accepting of a new guy with lost of questions.

I already have the figures you mentioned and I have a TV crew that will be up on the hill. The figures and the fronds are going to be a long process as I have never done either before now... in fact, this is my first armor diorama. I hope to have it finished to enter in the Desert Classic in Lancaster, CA in November... God willing and the creek don't rise!

Thanks to all of you for your support!

I saw a guy on facebook make some really convincing palm leaves from ostrich feathers and then turkey feathers for the dead fronds.
J