Snow Hetzer Downtown!

Where are your dios Hans? I'd love to see them.  They've gotta be museum quality - give us a link, I gotta see 'em

Hardly museum quality, lol.. I've got some of work posted here and there around the diorama, aircraft, and group build forums.. All are WIPs right now, anywhere from 50 to 90% complete... I've only been building again since June after a ten-year break, so I gotta get caught up.. I post my work in progress and I'll add new photos to them as I complet a major step, rather than plop down a completed piece in front of everyone...  That way I can make corrections that folks point out that I may have missed...  Once I'm done with a piece, I'm DONE with it... I'll take photos and probably tear them down, as space here is at a premium... 

If you wanna see what I've done so far, just click on my profile and go through my posts... It's easier that way, lol... My stuff is all over the place.. Like my builds...

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Heh... ALL my guys squint...  At normal viewing distances, which I figure at about 2-3 feet, ya can't see the eyes that well anyway... Especially the ones with their helmets worn the proper "two fingers off the bridge of the nose"... If anyone tries to get their faces right down into my dios, I'll smack 'em for getting too close, lol... Where are your dios Hans? I'd love to see them.  They've gotta be museum quality - give us a link, I gotta see 'em. rb

 

Really great work Lufttiger! As a non-Dio person I can appreciate every aspect of the work without an informed critique. (But that is how we ham and eggers learn things!)

The Hetzer, as mentioned, seems as though it took a year to build and weather! SOOOO realistic! I especially like the hints of rust through the white paint and the soot on the barrel mouth.

To this novice your figures are very well done!

Lovely indeed.

The dead/critically injured GI bleeding all over the road is a bit grusome, but that's the reality of war...

The German guy holding the submachine gun (sorry - I'm not into German military so I don't know the name of the weapon) and looking at the GI almost has a regretful look on his face. I don't know if this was intentional, but it adds an extra hint of realism by suggesting some human emotion.

The paintwork on the tank is absolutely perfect to my eye. Excellent mud stains, paint chips, rust stains, etc. All applied in the right places and not overdone. Very realistic.

My one criticism is that the exhaust pipe looks too rusted to me. It's a really nice colour, but the texture is too rough, making it look like it has spent a few years laying on a beach.

Lastly, I do like the effect of the brickwork on the building too - that very subtle shading looks very realistic.

Thanks, glad to help. "I'd be back peddling about now" -I'd be right there with you!

Your right, a very strong image, and i think if i was that guy against the wall i'd be back peddling about now for better cover. I see what you mean about the blood, a little is all you need, and color is a bit darker as well. Thanks for your input, and i didn't think you were too long winded at all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/world/middleeast/21lebanon.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/F/Fatah,%20Al

Managed to search around on Google and fine the article again.

"A Lebanese soldier lay dead while his comrades took cover during fierce clashes on Sunday with Islamic militants in the northern city of Tripoli."

Not exactly what I'd call cover... actually from what I've heard tactics-wise, getting warm and cozy with a wall isn't all it's cracked up to be. But a powerful image none the less.

First let me say this model is very well done! I think the weathering and the dot meathod really worked out well for you!

I noticed this though and thought I’d try and touch on that with my own methods (not that I always manage to execute them correctly...)

Lufttiger wrote:

The blood is just stright out of the tube oil, i should have added just a little black, but it turned out ok. Thanks.

When I mix blood colors, I usually don't go for black right off- the straight red looks too red, but I tend to add various amounts of purple and brown until it looks the way I want, as blood tends to dry more of a brownish/rusty red. Even if it's very fresh, although I might make highlighted areas more reddish, I still add a small bit of purple/blue to get it to look more... gritty I suppose is the best word I can think of. Otherwise I feel it just jumps out too much. Personally I feel blood is better when it's subtle, not because I think it has to be done “tastefully” per say... (war being what it is) but mainly because I feel like its more of a realism factor and even more effective/powerful when it's not the first thing one sees.



This is a picture off of a cover of an older NY Times that I saved because it was chilled me in a way. Not only because it showed a dead soldier, but because of the soldier that is still alive- yards away and appears all alone. There's the slightest hint of blood, but I feel like the drama of the scene would have been more gore than a real story had it been the first thing I saw. What really makes this picture present it self as how I would want to model a dramatic firefight in 1/35 scale is the way the uniformed soldier is looking back towards the camera and like previously mention, one of your figures looking off “screen” if you will, is a very cool touch.

Sorry that my turned into more of an essay, I tend to do that... I’ll try and work on it so its not

Looking forward to your next build! This one was excellent and I’m sure you’ll only improve from this point on!

Yeah certainatly not my best story idea, but stories sometimes can be hard to come up with. I'm thinking i might actually scrape off the white eyes?? then repaint.

Cool dio but the thing I like the most is the hezer it's realy nicely done GREAT job!

It's a cool dio idea but I think that you need to make it a little more clear of whos talking to who.

I noticed the very same thing with one of the figure heads I painted a couple of days ago. I'm satisfied with the amount of white (sclera), but the shade is too light. I was wondeing if I might be able to tone it down with a very thin pin wash of darkened pink. maybe almost indian red.

Any thoughts?

Steve

 

The blood is just stright out of the tube oil, i should have added just a little black, but it turned out ok. Thanks.

That warriors figs face was painted years ago and just hung out in a box of figs until i decided to use him here. I repainted everything else on him, but now see i should have redone his eyes as well. So i'll see how i can do it with out having to redo the whole face. Thanks for your advice.

Lufttiger wrote:

I had no idea that gun was a browning, darn thing is so small i though for sure it was a colt. I'm not even familure with that browning, good eye mate!, i learned something new today. That guy is the old Warriors fig in resin. Your figs are superb, way better than mine, i don't suppose you've done a tutoral on figs by chance? I certainatly agree too much white in that there eye, the others were a little bit better i think.

Nice detail shots---the eyes are MUCH better on these than the guy holding the pistol...in fact, it looks like his eyes were painted by someone else!!! Yank 'em off and re-do 'em to the standards of these other figgies...

smeagol the vile wrote:

I like it, quite alot.  The part that really stands out to me is the way you made the blood run down the cracks in the street.  Really made it realistic, and scary.  good job.

You dio came out fantastic! Just one question, what's the blood made out of, because it looks great.

I had no idea that gun was a browning, darn thing is so small i though for sure it was a colt. I'm not even familure with that browning, good eye mate!, i learned something new today. That guy is the old Warriors fig in resin.

Your figs are superb, way better than mine, i don't suppose you've done a tutoral on figs by chance?

I certainatly agree too much white in that there eye, the others were a little bit better i think.

subfixer wrote:

Superb job on the Hetzer, great job on the figures. My only criticism is that there is too much "white" in the eyes. Try looking at your own eyes in a mirror and squint a little like you are outside and you'll see what I mean. Ask Manny, I always used to give him a ration of crap for that.

LOL...yeah, I remember...Here's my version of the same bad-*** grenadier:

Mine is DML but yours looks like the resin Warrior figgie...my eyes used to have too much white in them as well...I'll provide some of my "bad" eyes with my "new and improved" eyes:

Bad:

Not so bad:

Better:

Some modelers paint the whites the same color as the surrounding flesh, because in 35th, the whites wouldn't really seem so white...

 

 

Heh... ALL my guys squint...  At normal viewing distances, which I figure at about 2-3 feet, ya can't see the eyes that well anyway... Especially the ones with their helmets worn the proper "two fingers off the bridge of the nose"... If anyone tries to get their faces right down into my dios, I'll smack 'em for getting too close, lol...

 

 

Superb job on the Hetzer, great job on the figures. My only criticism is that there is too much "white" in the eyes. Try looking at your own eyes in a mirror and squint a little like you are outside and you'll see what I mean. Ask Manny, I always used to give him a ration of crap for that.

Nice little dio...good whitewash, great base, good figs...the guy who shot the GI is actually holding a Browning Hi Power, not a Colt 45...at least if he is modeled after the guy in the famous Battle of the Bulge pic, which he is as I have built him myself...the Germans used a lot of these (captured in large stocks from Belgium, I believe)...

Lufttiger wrote:

As for the story, well its pretty simple, not much of one really, but basically they rolled into town, came accross an engineer and took him out. The one German has his Colt 45 in his hand. Now their not sure which way to turn and are discussing it. I figure its better than just sitting there on a base.

Ok, gotcha... Here's what I would have done to get that across a bit easier.  Have the Hetzer Commander looking in a direction that the officer is pointing (or vice versa).  This gives a clear indication of who's talkin' and who's listening.  As for the other two, one searching the dead GI for intel, with a scattering of papers or some such on the ground, ie. personal effects that don't interest the soldier looking through his pockets, while the other gazes down at the "souvenier pistol" he's just aquired... Or... One covering the other while he searches the casualty...Either way, it wasn't readily apparent to me that the German was holdng a GI pistol... On the building, I would have put some kind of US Army-type sign that made it clear that the town was held by the Americans and that the Germans were probing it... Even better would have beena tactical sign that pointed the way to the Engineer's Company CP.  Then you would know exactly what type of American unit the the Germans were closest to, as well as telling the viewer imediately "who" the casualty was...

Anyway, that's just me spit-ballin'...  

Keep on hammerin' them dios out, Pard... It gets easier every time... (ya, right)...     

I like it, quite alot.  The part that really stands out to me is the way you made the blood run down the cracks in the street.  Really made it realistic, and scary.  good job.

Thanks for the feedback guys, i find it really helpful to have other eyes see stuff i missed.

Like the good point about the street could use more debris, i just didn't even see that.
And i diffinatly need to improve on those buildings, ugh. But like Doog says it wasn't a focal point.

As for the story, well its pretty simple, not much of one really, but basically they rolled into town, came accross an engineer and took him out. The one German has his Colt 45 in his hand.
Now their not sure which way to turn and are discussing it. I figure its better than just sitting there on a base. Thanks again for the feedback, it makes me a better modeler!

GREAT job!! the Hetzer is realy nicely done!!

YOWZA, Lufttiger! That Hetzer looks tremendous!!! I'm seriously impressed with what you did with the finish! It looks awesome!

The figures too look great! And the building is adequate too; it's merely a secondary point-of-focus, so it passes ok. Theonly weird thing to me is the cobblestone street with the two different directions of bricks, but that's from a "detail guy" like me!

Seriously great work on that Hetzer, though!

Overall, the composition and layout are excellent... The models are well-done, and everthing "fits"... Except... What's the story? Is the officer with map lost? Or is it the Hetzer commander who's lost? Or are they lost at all?  And the GI casualty... What his story? He was captured and they decided to whack him anyway? (Didn't see a weapon so that's the conclusion I'm drawing...)  The title, "Snow Hetzer Downtown", doesn't explain it either... Did they stumble across a rear-echelon GI at an LP/OP that wasn't alert? Did one or more of his buddies get away?  Having the one figure looking off the diorama does a good job in implying where the "bad guys" are, though.. I like that little touch...

 

 

 

Very well done, I like it a lot. Good figure painting, and good rubble. I think you cold dirty the road even more. Dust and rubble in the cracks of the cobblestones, that kind dirty. Hetzer turned out awesome.


Steve

Nice, best looking i've seen in a while!

I agree completly, very good job.

Well done

Pedro

Lufttiger- I guess I get to be the first respondent. I like it a lot. It's nicely composed and the model and figures are well built and nicely painted. This is one to be proud of!!

-Stephen