king derelict

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I have Gators Grip (primarily for PE) but hadn’t thought of it. Like you I like the resilience instead of the brittle ca joints. I’m already thinking of doing another figure so I’ll give it a shot. It’s a lot easier to clean up than epoxy. I also have the MiG ammo version but I like the GG better we may have been somewhat at cross purposes too. I was also thinking about the best way to fix the figure to the painting base given its significant weight compared to a plastic figure. Thus the contact adhesive comment. The weight may be a bit much for gators grip. So far the heavyweight double sided tape is holding up. Alan

Thank you Mike. I revisited your Shimakaze build log. I enjoyed reading it at the time and the model and seascape are beautiful. I think the way the blues of the sea work to give an impression of depth is fantastic. I am rereading and making notes of the techniques alan

Thank EG. The balance hadn’t occurred to me but you are correct, it will help enormously. Many thanks. im thinking maybe a contact adhesive might also be worth trying to hold the figure on the base. Anything that doesn’t dry hard and then prone to cracking off. pennant ( or guidon possibly) is about to be cut off Thanks for the advice as always alan

Arggh - It happened again. Adding the last details to the Yellow Boy and the figure detatched from the painting base and landed hard on the work bench. Head, arms and base all separated again. I don't know if its the plastic pill container top that is the problem. maybe I should have roughed it up to key the glue. I used CA, Gorilla Glue and two part epoxy all with dubious results and an unexpected failure. This time I tried some heavy duty adhesive tape which I have used to secure larger ship models to a working base. Amazon.com: EZlifego Double Sided Tape Heavy Duty, Extra Large Nano Double Sided Adhesive Tape, Clear Mounting Tape Picture Hanging Adhesive Strips,Removable Wall Tape Sticky Poster Tape Decor Carpet Tape(9.85FT) : Office Products It is very tenacious and so far its holding up. I'm hoping in the event of a failure the tape will peel away rather than break away giving me a chance to save the situation. So once again the figure was reassembled and the details on the turban, sash and cummerbund added. I lightly sketched the areas to paint with a pencil which helped. The base was painted with Mig Sand and the rocks picked out. The sword was painted and added. One thing I have learnt (the hard way) is that these white metal figures are heavy. This is why the problem with fixing them to the base is such a headache but it also means that even details like the sword have weight and need to be supported well during the period that the glue is drying. Ask me how I know! I delved into my Woodlands Scenic supplies and added some burnt grass to adda little more interest to the base. The final touch was to add some dry brushed sand colour to the daffadars boots as this is not aimed at being a parade figure but more regular service. Generally, I am happy with the figure, the face came out quite well and the shading worked out. It would have been better f it hadn't been broken and reassembled so much. There are some minor shifts in the assembly which detract a bit from the final result. I think this one was harder than Nabopolassar; there are less guides in the scuplt to provide boundaries for the paint colours. So I am deliberating one last element of the model. The kit provides a lance in two parts for the figure to hold. At the start of the assembly I drilled the hands to hold the upper section but I am nervous about adding it. Its the weight problem again and bracing it while it dries. I think there are three options 1 - Go ahead and see what happens. Maybe use a third hand type of clamp to hold it while it dries 2 - Ignore the top section and let the figure be holding a lathi - a bamboo rod. 3 - Remove the pennant from the lance (its a significant part of the weight) and add one made of foil. Thanks for looking in, the likes and the comments Alan

The wooden deck painting is superb. The result justifies the work to achieve it. alan

This looks very interesting alan

Thank you Mike I think I have discovered another rabbit hole to dive into. Aan

Thank you Craig. I found it very absorbing Alan

Thank you very much OC. He will be going back home shortly. My friend is a professor of Ancient History at Barcelona University and lives in Girona (and knows the shop). She did her post doctorate work on Nabopolassar so hopefully she will enjoy the figure. The sword is painted but I think it will be sent as a separate item and she can add it on arrival. I think it is too delicate to trust to the postal services Alan

Thank you very much Jack for the very kind words. I used to paint the Airfix figures for wargames as a teenager and lusted after the 54mm Historex models but could never afford one back then. This is my very first attempt at 54mm white metal figures and I enjoyed it so much that I want to do more. I think 75% of the credit goes to Art Girona for producing such an excellent figure. The directional black / white priming and glazing colours demonstrated by Night Shift was a great help too. Alan

They look great OC; especially with the campaign signs of wear and tear and dirt on teh uniforms. Alan

Thank you Andrew. I dived over to the Trial log and I now want to go back and read it from the beginning. Thats a beautiful model you have created; it tempts me to try a wooden ship but I worry about my innate inability to cut or sand at right angles . I was sorry to read about your health problems but I'm glad you got great medical care and wish you all the best for a full recovery. hopefully the Great British Summer has arrived and provides you with plenty of opportunities to enjoy it. I'll be finishing off the miniature figure in the next few days and picking up the Flowers. I think Spiraea will go on the sea base. Zinnia will be displayed on a base. Alan

Thanks OC. The Life Color paints are a useful addition. The IBG Hunt destroyers and the Mirage Flower corvettes all use variations of the three colour camouflage using the colours in the two Life Color RN WW2 sets.Thanks again Alan

Thank you Jack. I touched up the small bleeds past the masks with a brush and the paint went on very nicely. Onto the fun stuff now. Alan

It’s looking very good Mike. The sea in motion is excellent alan

Well after the usual expenditure of money and effort I seem to have beaten the real world back into its rightful place in the background of life. Doubtless it will be back at some point. I completed the masking and air brushing of the three colour camouflage and with great nervousness removed the tape. A few spots to touch up and I am happy with it. The mid grey / green doesn't quite have the contrast I wanted but I think I will live with it. The Life Color paints worked well and diluted with Tamiya acrylic thinner very nicely although I had to lift the airbrush pressure a tad relative to what I use for Tamiya acrylics. I don't think my masking was very different from the first attempt so I think the disaster resulted from using water to thin the AK paints. i think the longer drying time allowed the thinned paint to penetrate under the masks before drying. It was also colder in the garage then which also extended the drying time Thank you @Old Collingwood for the helpful tip regarding Life Color acrylics So forward at last and I can start adding the mix of details from the kit and the WE PE. Thanks for looking in and likes and comments Alan

Hi Andrew. I hope all is well with you. I always enjoy your build logs. I'm gathering enthusiasm to finish this build Alan

Suddenly I seem to have found the time and enthusiasm to get some solid progress on Mr Nabo. In fact I think I am going to call him done apart from a little work on teh base. I dry brushed gold over the light orange base for the cloak fringes and some of the gold cloth parts of the tunic to differentiate between the solid metal plates and pieces I think its fairly effective. The eyes are not quite perfectly aligned but I think for a first figure I am going to leave well alone. I have just realised that I still have his sword to paint and attach but I don't plan anything further on the main body. This one is actually easier that the daffadar - the sculpting is so good and the colour delineation is easy to work with. And of course I now see a couple of misplaced dabs of gold that need to be tidied up and then its back to the Indian trooper. I have really enjoyed working on these miniatures so another shipment is on its way from Girona. This does nothing to diminish the stack of unbuilt kits but hey its my birthday very soon and I deserve a gift (well as well as the new car I bought yesterday hem hem) Thanks for looking in and all teh helpful comments and likes Alan

Thank you OC. This has been a huge learning experience but its a great figure to work on. Yep I remember the incentives to work a calendar year without taking a sick day - and thus exposing your coworkers to whatever was going around Alan

Thank you Jack. Art Girona sculpted an impressive face to work with. Covid has departed and some enthusiasm is back Alan

you do such beautiful work and describe it so well Alan

After an interlude in the real world I'm back working on my Flowers. Not a lot to show. After the paint / masking disaster I stripped the paint off and resprayed the black primer. I took advantage of the rework to paint the lower hull black which seems to be correct for Zinnia rather than the hull red I used initially. I have sprayed the decks dark grey, masked and sprayed the light grey and grey / green. Now I need to mask and add the dark grey. Not much to show really - still getting back to the furthest point. This caught my eye. Some very interesting pieces up for auction if you have an interest in things Royal Navy. A lot of famous names there. The estimated prices suggest bidding might be a bit fierce Trinity Marine (irostrum.com) Thanks for looking in Alan

It seems a long time since my last post. Life beyond the model work bench has kept me otherwise occupied. Some good and some not so wonderful \Work out at the test stand got rather frenetic with some high risk testing which ended as these things do - somewhat prematurely. That finishes my contract to support so my time is back to being largely under my control again. My cousin from North Wales visited for two weeks after Memorial Day. She chose her dates well. It sounded like she missed two weeks of rain in Wales and we had two weeks of sunshine. Admittedly a bit hot but the sea was clear enough for snorkelling and she went home with the requisite tan. I felt rather unwell driving home after dropping her off at the airport and found I had Covid again. The symptoms cleared up quite quickly this time but its taken ages to get over the tiredness and the lack of interest in doing anything remotely constructive. Today I finally found some momentum and made a start on the flesh tones on Nabopolassar. I put the basic shades down and managed to work around the eyes. I need a few lighter shades to highlight and some darker parts. The lips need to be darkened and then hair and beard etc. The nail art brushes are a great help for the small details and seem to hold their shape well Thanks for looking in and likes and comments. Its good to finally be back Alan

Thank you Mike, DSPIAE products seem to be well made generally. I've bought a few of their tools and like the quality. I'm still learning to use the hand rest but its definitely a help with the miniature figure painting. I think it might help me place small PE parts too. Alan

Your printing is thoroughly excellent Mike alan