king derelict

The method of making the spoked wheels looks very effective and not too complicated. Excellent work alan

The different grass types really work well together. I'm curious to see the static grass in use. Diomramas make a huge difference to the models. It’s a shame they take up so much space alan

Well, the magnificent (10 mm) seven ride out I tried building up the colours by a series of washes rather than one coat. I was especially pleased with the horses; the photos do not do them justice. I was able to get shades of brown across their bodies. I gave all the figures a final wash of the Agrax Earthshade and it did a good job of highlighting the details and muting some of the over bright elements. I was quite pleased with the result bearing in mind they are nominally 10mm figures. The armour seems to match Spanish armour I have seem online but this does not pretend to reflect an exact period in time. The castle as modelled is in its current partly ruined state so the figures are an anachronism anyway and are best considered re-enactors. I wanted something to show the scale of the castle. I had really planned to add many more figures to the castle but given the way the terrain finished up and poses of the figures I found I could only use a limited number. I had planned to show the mounted figures riding up the causeway but of course the riders would need to lean into the hill and the poses I have are for flat ground and look rather silly on a slope. So they were added passing through the main gate and the mix of matte Mod Podge and dust was added to make the causeway surface. Somehow it feels like I should be adding yet more details somewhere but I'm calling this complete, thus the self indulgent set of photos. I want to try to get some better pictures of models generally so a new camera and some lights may be a thought. If so I'll re-photograph this one The "night" shots are a bit bright; partly because the camera keeps compensating and even with the exposure screwed all the way down its still not how it really looks So at the end what do we have. The Aedes Ars kits have limitations of scale and detail because of the medium and the method of construction. Purists will hate the size of the blocks (Aedes Ars uses the same block sizes regardless of the kits scale). Window openings, crenelations and some doors all end up simplified or out of scale. The blockwork is repetitive and time consuming (my friend though this would be like Lego and finished in a weekend). I like the end result in spite of the criticisms. The "stone" blocks are more impressive than anything made by painting plastic On this kit the landscaping was hugely fun and I learnt a lot. I am very pleased with the cliffs and I learnt a lot about using Woodland Scenic products. I want to try figure painting now with something at a saner scale. The completed model is sat on the dining room table because every other horizontal surface I had considered is too small I may have to tour the thrift stores for something to convert. Finally I would like to say thank you for all the advice and encouraging comments. There is a huge wealth of knowledge on this site from history to techniques and it is freely shared. I am a grateful recipient and this project is the better for it I am considering the next project which will be less than 12 inches long and I'm thinking its time I showed up on the ship sections before my membership credentials are revoked Thank you as ever for looking in and the likes Alan

Thank you very much Mike The landscape work was a lot of fun and turned out better than I expected. Alan

Thank you very much OC. The figure painting has gone better this time - learning to build up in washes Alan

Wow what a beautiful miniature. I’m sure you will create fantastic renditions too. alan

Excellent work Craig. That’s a real head turner. The chrome really makes it pop and the paint has a lovely depth. alan

What a great subject. I'll be following with interest. Always liked seaplanes Alan

Beautiful work. These cars came out very nicely Alan

Beautiful finish Dan. The details really look great alan

Looking forward to seeing a great model come together alan

Thanks Craig Blackening the tip of the scalpel blade is a good idea. I must remember that. Alan

Lovely work with the metal foil. That looks very difficult to get a neat finish alan

I airbrushed the grey primer onto the figures. I am amazed how much detail Pendraken get into their 10mm figures I like the matte medium and sanding dust for the path way. It also makes a good layer to embed the figures into Aedes Ars provided a small bag of fine particles which looked like they might work to add some texture to the path. They look quite good to the eye but teh photo shows them to be far too big for gravel. I may use a bit elsewhere or at the edges of the path. I made up a "sand" colour mix from craft acrylics and painted it on as a base for the path; its a bit pink but I think it will work under the matte medium mix. I also added the shallow steps seen in the drone video of the real thing. TAP Plastic have already shipped the custom cut plexiglass for the display case. Arriving next Monday Thanks for looking in and all the likes and comments Alan

Thank you, I am scared of overdoing it so I think thia will be as far as I go Alan

Can't beat "Won't get Fooled Again" The interior detail is fantastic. Its going to make a superb model Alan

I like the cling film to help make the wheel ruts Alan

Nice job on the aircraft Mike. alan

Not much to report today. I experimented with options for the path to the tower. A mix of matte mod podge and the stone block dust looks very promising. I’m waiting for a test piece to dry. i selected some mounted figures and gave them a shot of Mr Metal Primer. Once that’s dry I will airbrush them with a light coat of Vallejo grey acrylic primer. I find that makes the details easier to see I just ordered the cut sheets of plexiglass for the display case from TAP plastics. They estimate that will weigh about 13 lbs. The $37 shipping from California bites a bit. I’m working with 3/16 inch sheets. I find 1/8 inch is too flexible at this size. I can’t believe this is entering the final stages Thanks for looking in and all the likes and comments Alan

Thank you very much OC. This has been a huge learning experience but I’m happy with the results and I thoroughly enjoyed the work. I would use landscapes in more of the models because they are fun and interesting but it just exacerbates the display / storage problem. alan

I added the vegetation to the other two sides. Then I started adding the trees. The trees are created from Woodland Scenic armatures for pine trees using the smallest sizes. Even then I cut some down and I feel I may be stretching things a bit in terms of scale. They do occupy the space I was aiming at based on the drone video so I am going to call it good. The foliage is created by painting the armature with WS tacky glue. and then dipping the tree in foliage then shaping the foliage to suit. Its wonderfully messy; the foliage much prefers to stick to the tiny residue on your fingers instead of the ample coating on the armature. It then sticks to the tweezers and finally falls off as you install the tree on the model. I initially used the conifer green fine leaf material but later switched to the coarse turf and bushes which are a lighter green which broke up the uniform dark green. In retrospect I should have added an inch onto the baseboard to allow a belt of trees to completely line the one side of the model but at the start I was rather slavishly following the kit and made the baseboard the size of the cardboard base pieces. Which brings me to something that puzzles me with the Aedes Ars kits. The kit provides card bases and the instructions show the model built on these bases but I cannot see how the finished model would be adequately supported. This is now seriously heavy. I toyed with adding trees to the ledge at right but I think it looks better without doing that. It seems that there is a serious issue with deciding when you have done enough. Now I am back off the model with a number of miniature riders to paint and add to the pathway. Then the path can be completed and I can build the display case After working on this I am very much in awe of railway modellers and the various Waterloo and other battle recreators (the superb LHS from @Old Collingwood for example) creating much more complex and larger dioramas. I found this to be fun but it is quite challenging and quite overwhelming at times Thank you all for looking in, the likes and all the support Alan

I was surprised when I measured it. Even in real life it seems to be imposing😄 Alan

I'm looking forward to seeing this take shape. Its going to be a great showcase for the Wimpy. Alan

Thanks OC I think washes will help pull some of the elements together. I'm also thinking that I need to work out when to stop. I see a terrible tendancy to keep piling additional bits on. Alan

Thank you for the reference Jack. He made some beautiful landscapes. And all without the extensive materials and supplies we now have available. I guess in a way most of the commercially available stuff is a convenience and time saving instead of sourcing / making the lanscape materials yourself. I'm gradually getting the hang of the WS products and learning to only work on a very small area at a time. Alan