king derelict

An impressive update. Within two hours of my email, Micromark replied with an apology and the response that the proper vice had been packed and sent out. Excellent and reassuring customer support.

Alan

13 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Check out Hollowneck's HMS Sphinx discussion on making sea scape for his ship diorama starting at Post #400.

Thank you for the link Jack. There are some very useful techniques being shown there.

wow his sea is so good it’s almost depressing me. I think I might burn my seascapes 

Seriously that’s marvelous 

Alan

On 4/25/2024 at 6:30 PM, Bob Cleek said:

An excellent tool that everybody should have. However, you should shop around on the internet to find the lowest price. As usual, Micro=Mark has more tools for modeling than most any catalog, but nearly always at a considerably higher price. For example, see: Universal Work Holder Peg Clamp Jewelers Engraving Hand Tool for Jewelry Making - Walmart.com

An entertaining update on getting the work holder. After Bobs email I decided to order the Walmart Vice as well partly to see how a $14 one compares to a $30 one. I got home last night and found two packages waiting for me. Walmart and Micromark stuff arrived on the same day. The Walmart Vice looks fine, not an heirloom tool but entirely serviceable. Inside the Micromark package was ….. a small set of brass clamps. They sent the wrong item. And you can only contact them vis email.. I’m glad I ordered the Wally one, at least I can continue 

alan

Very neat build Jack. It looks great. I hope the medical stuff gets sorted out soon and well.

Alan

19 hours ago, Danstream said:

you know, just to achieve an amount worthy of the order

That’s always my downfall. You have to make the postage worthwhile 😁

Great start 

alan

I wanted to start adding a bit of background to the figures seeing as they are a bit off to the left hand side as you might say.

After the pre shading I will be working on the daffadar first.

A daffadar is a sergeant in an Indian cavalry unit. Skinners horse were an irregular cavalry regiment raised in 1803 by James Skinner. They have a long and distinguished history with service ranging through the Boxer Rebellion where they fought alongside US troops, through Flanders and Mesopotamia in the First War and Italy in the Second. They now drive T-72s in teh Indian Army and are one of the oldest regiments.

At the time represented by my figure the regiment was mainly made up of Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs and Hindustani Muslims so teh beard on the figure is entirely appropriate.

Lets see how this works out

Alan

2 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thats a  Good  start  there  Alan.

 

OC.

Thank you OC. Its going to be an interesting project. Lots of new things to master.

Alan

Thats a super idea and will really show the aircraft off beautifully. It looks to be a great kit.

Alan

1 hour ago, Jack12477 said:

Alan, you can also use kids brand modeling clay to hold your figures while spraying them. I think it was Crayola brand.

Thank you very much Jack. I grew up with Plasticine in the UK and have never been able to come up with the US equivalent. Its handy for a bunch of modelling activities. Off to Walmart!

Alan

The black primer has been touched up and the dodgy join on the right shoulder of the daffadar looks like its cleaned up with a bit of thickened ca glue. This now sits waiting for MicroMark to send the vice. I plan to try the glazing method used so effectively by @Jack12477 which I seem to recall emanated from the Night Shift guy. I plan to add the bases and then spray the mist coat ready for the glaze coats. I will start with the daffadar because the painting looks simpler and he is by way of being a practice run. My Spanish friend who kindly sent me the Aedes Ars Loarre Castle kit is a professor of Ancient History specialising in the Neo Babylonian  Empire and as we all know Nabopolassar was the first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. If this turns out well it will be a gift and thus the figure will make a round trip to Girona Spain where, coincidentally she lives

Thanks for looking in

Alan

It was time to start adding colour to the seascape. I started with a mid green which actually looked quite promising as I brushed it on. But when it dried I thought it looked far too green and bright.

So I added a black wash and that was far too dark

\

Next up was a mid grey coat which left the green to show through in places. It started looking promising again. Lighter greens were added to the wave tops and blended in. It feels like this might be back on track

Then a light green added to the wave tops and wakes. White blended in and I think its starting to look quite good.

I'll let this dry and then on with the gloss medium. I was beginning to think I couldn't get this off the ground but I'm beginning to like how its working out. 

Thanks for looking in and the likes and comments.

Alan

No, it reminds me of some of the outbuildings on our farm when I was a child 

alan

1 hour ago, Old Collingwood said:

I just want to add  -  that  I think the  porch  will  have  more  impact  and  blend  in  when  I  start  to do more  scenery  and  weather  some  of the  buildings  a bit more  to blend  it all  together  (I am  quietly  proud  of the  porch as  it was made  competley from scrap material  with no plans  -  just  bits  of wood  -  card  and paper).

 

OC.

Rightly so; it looks great

Alan

Thank you Bob for the suggestions and you are right I should have looked around first. I am a bit of a mug when it comes to shopping. Walmart even has free shipping Arrg. I never thought of Walmart for this sort of tool but I see they have a comprehensive range of jewellers tools.

I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with Micro Mark. They have some inherently useful things but as you noted; their prices are a bit fierce and sometime the quality isn't the best. I have a handful of their products however and generally I'm pleased with them. I have a small bench vice similar to the one you show which is pretty reliable and a set of the magnetic hands which are definitely useful at times. 

Many Thanks for your help

Alan

56 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

I think the hand vise would work. It comes with a set of metal pins/rods to insert in holes to hold irregular shaped objects. I have that hand vise and another different style both work well for holding small things. Are these figures metal or resin?  Watch the MicroMark demo video on that webpage

Thanks Jack

I ordered the hand vice from MicroMark and managed to escape their site with only one other item falling into the basket.

Thanks Jack

Alan

7 hours ago, Canute said:

It'll be interesting to follow along.

Its going to be an interesting experiment fo me!

21 hours ago, king derelict said:

Jack, that could be the answer. I drilled a hole in the underside of the figure and I’m thinking I might be able to hold it on the end of a piece of rod or old drill bit. Maybe using a pin vise or a cork. Another sacrifice to modeling, the need to drink a bottle of wine 

Alan

Well holding the figures on a piece of rod didn't work so well. Nabopolassar fell off while I was spraying teh black primer coat. Nothing that can't be fixed and probably better that it failed at an early stage. I'm thinking I should glue the bases on and use them in a fixture going forward.

Alan

You did a wonderful job of a challenging kit. Congratulations, its beautiful

Alan

21 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Would this Universal Clamp from MicroMark work ? 

Jack, that could be the answer. I drilled a hole in the underside of the figure and I’m thinking I might be able to hold it on the end of a piece of rod or old drill bit. Maybe using a pin vise or a cork. Another sacrifice to modeling, the need to drink a bottle of wine 

Alan

20 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Im in Alan,   these do look interesting.

 

OC.

Glad to see you OC. Your skills are going to be called on to help 

Alan

20 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

I'm in!

Glad you are here, Jack.

I’ll be leaning on your expertise I’m sure 

alan

The walls look like real weathered whitewash. Great work.

Alan

I am getting a bit frustrated with only being able to work on the Flowers for short periods because I forget what I am doing or just don't have time to complete something.

so I thought I would try this as something that can be worked on in short sessions.

I have been amazed by the expertise of the figure painters here and have wanted to try a figure in its own right rather than the 10mm and 1/72 figures in my dioramas

Art Girona is a Spanish company making figures across a wide spectrum of subjects and they seem to be superbly sculpted. The prices including shipping from Spain didn't seem too crazy so I ordered three figures to try my hand with

The contents of the Nabopolassar box shows some of the great detail\

I was highly impatient and assembled both the Skinners Horse figure and the Nabopolassar one. Nabopolassar went together very easily with everything fitting well. The lancer was harder and even with some careful filing there are some joints that will need filling. I'm not sure what would be the best putty; possibly thick CA or CA with a powder addition to thicken it.

Although the figures are the same scale Nabopolassar is significantly taller than the Bengal lancer.

I used CA glue which seems to be holding okay. I'm trying to work out how to hold them for painting. They are heavy so I don't think the usual Blu Tac will work. Both figures come with bases which I had planned to leave until the end thinking it would make painting easier but maybe I should attach them and use the base to hold them while painting.

I'm sure I will be back to the community for help as I progress. 

Thanks for looking in

Alan

I'm still slowly working away at this one. We have had a bit of down time on the test stand so I had a few hours during the last few mornings before work.

I covered the base with toilet paper soaked in diluted white glue and pushed it around with the brush to make the wake and small wave patterns on the surface. Once this had dried I gave it a coat of gesso ready for painting.

I continued with Zinnia, painting the lower hull and deck. I am working on masking the decks ready for the first coat of paint on the hull. The kit instructions call for a three colour scheme of light and dark grey with Western Approaches green. Zinnia has the early bridge configuration so I am not sure how much of the PE will be used.

I'm trying to decide on the base colours for the sea. I'm aiming for North Atlantic with overcast skies so I am leaning towards dark grey / green rather than blue grey. I need to go back and look at some deployment photos.

Thanks for looking in and for the likes and comments

Alan

On 4/16/2024 at 7:21 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Excellent work Alan,    sea scapes   terrify  me  -  but  you  look  to  be  having a  hold  on it  -  keep up the great work  mate.

 

OC.

Thank you OC. I'm still learning. I can see what I want in my head but getting it made is still a bit of an adventure. Good fun though and thats teh main thing

Alan