Hi all!

My Partisan sniper is finally taking shape. I spent one evening with it, here are the results. The pose was a bit tricky considering the body parts I used, however, I´m pretty satisfied with it. Unlike in my earlier sketch, he is now smoking with his right hand. I didn´t want him to aim with his gun as he is basically just guarding the area.
The overcoat and beret are made of Milliput and will need some sanding. I made the wool collars sticking the surface of Milliput with a toothbrush. Let´s see how it looks painted...
I found a Hornet head with perfect expression, hands are from Hornet also. I used the highly detailed Model Kasten Mosin-Nagant rifle and scratchbuilt the scope.

The costs so far:
Head by Hornet: 1e
Hands by Hornet: 1e
Figure from Zvezda Russian Troops pack: 0.25e
Milliput: 0.25e
Rifle from Model Kasten: 1e
Ammo pouches from german figure pack: spare

Running costs so far: 3.5 euro ($)

First I thought to make this as cheap as possible but I just couldn´t resist a few detail parts!
I´m still thinking about the base, Matrix made a base similar what I had in mind and I would still like to use a church bell tower. Once again, my problem is to decide the point of view so that you could actually see this guy in th first place...







Toni

Looking nice...!!!

Very nice,from which set is the figure?I like it,i like that kind of themes:partisans...

UUUUUUPSSSSS! I mean where did you buy it?

Heh. I obtained the s*itty Zvezda figure set "Red Army Infantry 2" from a fellow modeller for 1 euro!
I bought it for scratchbuilding purposes like this...
The figure I used is the crouching guy of this set.

Toni

Yoh Envar

That greenlookin` stuff Is that Miliputt or something??

Looks good though I like it when people are scratchbuilding and it works out good too
Myself I found out the scratch building of things due to this contest and I really like it.
It`s much cooler and I think you get prouder if you make it yourself.

Anyway keep up the good work

Milliput yeah. I like scratchbuilding too, too often I find the poses of ready-made figures not suitable for my idea and I rather follow the idea than make compromises. It´s a lot of fun, original and rewarding!

Toni

Hi Envar,
Looks great! I like the combination of the civiliam coat, wiht the uniform (don't forget to put a red star on him hat!)
Why don't you stick with the drawing? I like the mood which came from it, you could also put up some curtains which blow in the wind from very fine gauze!
Keep us posted!

Toni, it shows that you had a lot of fun with this !
I'd stick with the original drawing you sent earlier. The mood is just fine. You can throw in a ceiling fan, the curtain blowing up a bit by the breeze, maybe a(n empty) bottle of water or beer, a few empty packs of cigs lying around, why not a cat or a dog lying against the window frame ?

Nice figure conversion! i actually have the same Zvesda figures (serveral times over)... the problem is batch-related. Some were top notch in casting, others were full of sink marks...

Thanks for the encouragement!
I guess I just have to start building the room and see where it goes. I will have to open up the scene a bit, if the sniper is facing the window straight, we´ll be looking at his back. So I´m going to reveal his face so that it can be seen through the window and from the room.
Jan, the idea of a ceiling fan is great and I´ll keep that in mind. Unless it turns out in the end to be a church... #:-) I´m not sure whether I include the roof or not....


Oh and by the way. I´ll make the curtains using a sliced open teabag. The material is BEAUTIFUL and thin and the way light goes through it....



Toni (Feeling good again)

[quote]I´ll make the curtains using a sliced open teabag. The material is BEAUTIFUL and thin and the way light goes through it.... quote]

Aaaaaaah ! The mind of a true scratchbuilder in full swing again !

I sketched the building straight on cardboard. I´m gonna use that as a guide and build the house on this. The building is to be only 7,5 cm wide so I have the possibility to add some rubble on the groung to fade the seamline with the base .
I have a few ideas about the techniques I´m gonna use but it needs some experimenting...
I still need some balsa and other goodies but I think the whole building will be scratchbuilt.
Does somebody have good links to Yugoslavian propaganda posters (or Nazi)?
More updates soon!

m:-)

Toni

Envar

Found this one at Achtung Panzer

old eagle posterarchive

no yougoslavian posters but plenty of the old nazi crap

I`ve used this site myself very very very often

Thanks for the link FAUST!
There´s a few WaffenSS posters I´m gonna use.
Last night I coated cardboard walls with terracotta coloured DAS pronto which is very good colour for bricks. I added a layer of correction fluid over that, leaving the edges brick brown. I printed some 1940´s wallpaper pattern with my inkjet printer and covered the inside of walls. Today I have some heavy weathering to do! This technique allows me to finish the building and add bullet holes and other damage simply with x-acto. Damaging the surface will reveal reddish brick underneath...
I´m going to make a LOT of rubble of the same DAS pronto. Making a building the first time, I see many things I could have done better but I know it will be easier next time...
I´m going to post some more pics later this evening!
This project is pure fun!



Toni

The most exciting thing about this whole dio build so far is the need for every person to keep the price down as much as possible. The ideas, the displays and the inventiveness is amazing. Teabag paper for curtains .... absolutely brilliant! I love the fur on the snipers coat. Will you paint this a white colour like sheeps wool? This will look excellent painted. Good work Envar!

Yoh Envar

It`s great to hear that the site came in handy for you
If it`s ok with you I`ve stolen your teabag idea for making the burlap on the snipers gunbarrel
while it had the correct thickness
Thanks for that

What do you mean if it´s ok if you did it already! #:-) #:-) #:-)
Of course! How did you attach it to the gun? To me it looked kind of loose...I tried it out for the curtains and its actually tricky to fold in shape. I think it´ll need some VERY thin white glue to seal it in position. Liquid also softens it so it folds and fits better. I also thought to use that to camouflage my sniper´s gun but I don´t want to cover the great detail on that Model Kasten rifle! Besides I have a nice rifle sling modification in mind, the sniper has the sling around his left arm to keep it steady...

My only problem is that the base looks too big for the sniper alone. I don´t mean it´s wrong scale or anything, just have to activate the open space with some nice pieces of collapsed ceiling and floor or something. Hmm...maybe a wrecked red bicycle covered with rubble?



Yeah Plastic, that´s what I had in mind.
The overall colour scale will be quite dirty and greyish.

Has anybody tried burning a scale building to make convincing damage? Just wondering. I thought to try it out...

Toni

Envar
I took the teabag suff cut it in very narrow strokes
I made the barrel a little bit wet sticked the teabagstroke onto it, folded it around the barrel
After that I glued the start and the end of the Burlap with CA glue. After you do this the teapaper get a little transparent end very very hard so you can paint it easily.

This was my experience with teabagpaper so far
hope it helped you out

Nice job
Branden

Hi Envar,
I think it is best anyway that you could not find Yugoslav propaganda posters. The Jerries would have torn them down any way and probably shot down the whole population in the village in the process!
I like the drawing you made! WhatI see from it, is that it is an old building made out of straw cowdung or clay and wood? If you have some patience till tonight I can send you some pictures I took in Germany from just such a building, where the plaster has come off!
Interested?

Jawohl!

Toni

Toni,

welcome back in the saddle !!!

Looks like it's going to be a very fine dio again!! This is gonna be one tough competition here...

Keep us posted on the progress please.

Hi Toni,
Here you (and everybody else who wants to see them) can find the pictures I took of a building I described earlier:
http://adobe.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b30ffaf045b8
I only took two pictures, but I hope they are of any use!

Toni,
This is a place in Croatia - 1999 (railway station of a place called Sunja). But it could fit as inspiration for your building !
Good luck,
Jan