Jack12477

It is now finished ! 

Stay tuned for the next figure in the series, Vadim, coming to a Blog soon. 

I asked because I have that same stand. Mine is 2 in 1. A slightly larger one comes with it. 

Question: How do you keep your paint stand so clean and so free of paint overspray?  

3 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Now I like the sound of a drinks dispenser! 🤣🍹

By this time frame in future it will be an IV pump . 🤣🤪

3 hours ago, Canute said:

Interesting build there, Jack. What's the doohickey on his back and arm? Odd flame-thrower or an adult beverage dispenser?

Probably a portable cutting/welding torch, judging from box art

Painting complete. Now to create a display stand.

Moving along:

As a diversion from wood ship building, I picked up 4 Master Box Ltd figure kits from a post apocalyptic series they introduced some time ago.   One series is 1:24 scale and the other is 1:35 scale, I have kits in both scales. The first figure I did in the 1:24 scale is listed in my signature below, Raider Reaper.  

The other kits I purchased in the series are previewed in my post in Shore Leave - What did your received today

The box art and contents:

Very impressive and real looking, Andy. Nice work !

I'm lurking over in the shadows. 

Alan, @king derelict I took the liberty of downloading your final photos of the castle so I could cast them to my TV for a better look.  All I can say is Double WOW !  As @Egilman said in a earlier post, you not only mastered the landscaping you knocked it out of the park. Great job !  Your photos show a lot more detail on the TV screen than on my Tablet's screen, especially in the shadow areas and even the nighttime views.  A couple of suggestions to improve a couple photos: Photo #12 (mounted knights entering castle) has two "hot spots" on either wall, you could probably tone this down by placing 1 or 2 layers of Kleenex tissue or even a white handkerchief over the light source to diffuse the light a bit, similar to the lighting in Photo #5. You could also use a white card or a card covered in aluminum foil to "bounce" a little fill light into some of the shadows (e.g. photo #13); likewise on some of the nighttime photos to throw a little more light onto the lowest castle wall exteriors.   But all in all the photos are very well done.

After reading your camera's user guide (I hate digital manuals, can never find what you are looking for) it appears the camera is aimed primarily at backpackers/canoeists/kayakers etc. Interesting little camera.

I could not find any mention of how to control the aperture (f/stop) (Av or Aperture Priority mode) settings, only the shutter speed settings (Tv or Shutter priority mode [pg 72]) but I did find out how to control the metering (AE metering) for Center-Weighted or Spot metering [pg 93]; this can be used to pinpoint what area you want the meter to focus on.  There is a reference to a D range setting on pg 96 which seems to let the camera balance out the contrast levels between high and low, turning this off may fix the problem you were referring to about it overriding your exposure settings. you can also bias the exposure by plus or minus 2 f/stops (or EVs as noted in manual), page 95, this will cause the camera to automatically over or under expose the photo based on the meter reading. It adjusts in 1/3 EV or f/stop increments.  

Hope this is helpful.  Any other questions post here or shoot me a PM. 

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

The camera is a Pentax WG-4 waterproof (sort of) point and shoot. It does have a series of modes from a basic programmed mode through aperture or speed priority. I'm still experimenting to find the best options. I can get decent results for the smaller models but the castle is big and I have not done too well with it so I would welcome any assistance

Alan

I have the whole line of Pentax 35mm SLRs dating back to 1962 when it was Asahi, Heiland, Honeywell, then plain Pentax; all H, SP,  K, and iST series.  T Even have their 110 film format SLR, only one ever produced as I recall.  Now I have their K50 DSLR.  (Ricoh owns them now.)  I also use a Canon point and shoot pocket camera.

Need to do a little reading about your model, it should be up to the task.   I'll get back to you.  

Update: Alan, is this your model ? Ricoh WG-4 ?  Cool camera ! 

12 minutes ago, realworkingsailor said:

I keep looking around my house wondering where the heck am I going to put this thing! 

Me too ! I love building them but storage is at premium. 

Very well done Alan! Diorama looks great, as do figures.  As to getting a new camera and lights that may not be necessary. All you may need are a few adjustments to the camera, like take it off of Auto mode. What are you presently using? My other hobby is Photography 

Nice ! Can we go for a ride ? 

3 hours ago, Canute said:

Rode in one, once. Just about rattled my fillings out.

Got in one at dealership,  didn’t even bother to put key in ignition,  got right back out. Too claustrophobic!  

Good side is if you're in a fatal car accident, you won't need the added expense of a casket. Just load the car on a flatbed, drive to Cemetery,  dig a hole and drop you and car in, place a headstone that reads "Here lies Joe and his Smart Car" 

1 hour ago, Egilman said:

No matter how hard they try, they just can't turn a potato into a race car...

I thought it was a coffin ! 

1912 Etrich Taube flying at Olde Rhinebeck Aerodrome this past summer

29 minutes ago, Javlin said:

Ever listen to Robert Cray a black guitarist from late 70's/80

No, not familiar with him.

For my college Junior Prom we had Duke Ellington and his 14 piece orchestra.  Ah ! Paul Gonsalves's tenor saxophone solo on "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" !  Ever listen to "The Nutcracker Suite", Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's jazz interpretations/arrangements of the 1892 ballet "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky  ?

29 minutes ago, Javlin said:

Beethoven's #9 

aka "Ode to Joy"  - a favorite. I remember "Die Hard" (1, 2 and 3)

6 hours ago, Canute said:

Almost anything by "The Who" works for me. 😁

42 minutes ago, Egilman said:

For me, it Black Sabbath, Paranoid or Pink Floyd, The Wall...

 

For me, it's Thelonious Monk, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, or Erroll Garner.

If I really want to jazz things up (pun intended), then Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Kind of Blue, or Sketches in Spain  

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

I am amazed at what can be done with a railway layout.

Alan, do a Youtube search for John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid RR .  He's passed on, railroad was destroyed when his house burned after his death but there are plenty of videos. His was considered the epitome of model railroads. (The name was a pun - Gory and Defeated)

I've had the same challenges with scenery,  you're doing well. 

Wow ! Coming along nicely, Alan. Starting to look "real".

Outstanding job ! Diorama is very convincing!  

Rocks/cliff look good.  

24 minutes ago, CDW said:

Drank high octane gasoline like it was going out of style

At about 19 cents a gallon as I recall. (10 cents if you were filling up at an Army motor pool.)