How to build a Large Normandy Dio in 1/72 scale. Finnished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers Manny, i wondered when you were goin to comment? have you been away?

Bodge wrote:

Cheers Manny, i wondered when you were goin to comment? have you been away?

Not really away, as if on holiday, but been busy with other hobbies and trying to finish that blasted "Death in the Courtyard"---finally got the bloody wagon in a base color I can live with (after 5 trys)...Your dio is really great; so many subtle variations in the colors of the vegetation...very realistic---and the building are spectacular...!

Andy, this is just sick, man!

Honestly, it looks like a real "world"!

You gotta be pleased, man!

YOU ARE THE CRE-A-TOR!!

Hi Andy,

I know that I said I would keep quite for a while but just got to say.........Superb!!

No swearing, none confrontatoinal just admiration. I will keep looking in for the next installment of "the world according to Bodge".

 

Everyone Look, Its THE ARMOR SATAN!! Begone, again foul spot. Ooh call the moderators, He may swear!!! He may , you know!!

...Guy

Big E wrote:

Hi Andy, I know that I said I would keep quite for a while but just got to say.........Superb!! No swearing, none confrontatoinal just admiration. I will keep looking in for the next installment of "the world according to Bodge".

back, Big E!!!

Hey Manny it sounds like your havin fun,sometimes you just cant seem to get somethings the way you want to. I had a figure like that a while back , i just couldnt get the head right no matter what i did. I ended up taking the head of and throwing the blasted thing in the bin saying good riddens as i did. NO IM NOT SAYING DO THAT TO YOURS. God Forbid HANG IN THERE and it will come im sure.Thats one hell of a dio with loads of action to catch the eye

Karl , im glad you like the way its commming along. thanks for lookin in again Its remarks like that that spurs us along.

Ian, nice to hear from u bud, and . Cant wait to see your latest build if i go to the club on Wendsday.

Guy, Dont be sarky you stirrer LOL

Latest update is i made the railings on the bridge and weathered them, i also made some wrought iron sheets out of coffee cup holders  cut to size ,painted with migs dark wash then highlighted with mig light rust ,going back and forth with this. I finnished right side bank and i made a couple of trees.

Let me guess. You didnt go to work again today. LOL. Absolutely awesome job Andy. I showed this to Geri's boy, and even he was stunned by your work, and that takes some effort, ill tell ya.

...Guy

Hey Guy thanks for compliment dude, and yes i did go to work but i done the trees this evening in about half an hour  to do both, the trunks are parts of a lilack bush i had to take out today and so as im always on the lookout for things i thought i know how i can use some of that and no painting involved. The foliage i done with very fine fibre then sprayglued them and added fine turf from woodland scenics, i mixed two colours for a toned down apearance. Looks like rain tommorow  i wonder if i will take the day off?

This evening ive added a lot more undergrowth to the riverbank to break up the straight line and ive painted first grey coat to the road which will be weathered and toned down when its dry.

This is amazing work, Bodge. I'm blown away at how realistic you've managed to make this. It looks like a place where I want to go spent a couple of weeks, walking up and down that road, smoking Gitanes and acting all Frenchish. I'm normally not a fan of the Woodland Scenics tree material, but you have really brought out it's potential.

I continue to follow this thread with envy, and with delight.

Steve

 

Thanks Steve, I think the scenics material is ok but its more suited to this small scale as you can get away with a bit more.  i pulled off the trees this mornig, yes they looked ok but i want better results and they didnt match up to the rest of the work. But hey its raining today so i might have some time on my hands.

 

   Bodge what can I say? I'm loving this work of you'rs   Pretty soon we'll be seeing are first snow over here in New England and when I start to get the winter blahs I'll just have to look at you'r wonderful work to keep me going till spring

OMG!!!!!!!!! Bodge you need to patent that Super Duper Special Shrinking Machine you used. Totally bloody brilliant, looks so real and lifelike can't wait to see it all put together.

Mark

If an alien were to come down and zap me to 1/35 scale..my first choice of places to live would be in your diorama...the fishing looks good there but not sure if my lure could penetrate the "water"

Mark

Cheers guys your too kind , oh yer Mark if you were 35 scale  youd be a giant cos this is 72 scale. Updated and redone the tree and removed the other one and tweaked the groundwork on the bank and added first wash to road awaiting highlighting. Next its gonna be the superdetailing ,eg: power cables and pilons and roadsigns and rural equipment. Im a lot happier with the tree now,

 

 

 

I was wondering why my butt couldn't fit through the doors...

LOL

 

Mark

Looks great.  Those ones with the natural background honestly had me looking for a solid couple of minutes to figure out where the diorama ended.  I especially love the water and the well worn buildings.  The new trees looks much better as well IMHO.

Best ground work i've ever seen, and your fast too!

Once again many thanks guys for your input i do absorb your comments

Latest update is ive finnished the road ,put telegraph poles up and power cables  and one of Doogs bunnies has apeared out from a bush or maybe hes got a home under the rusty iron sheet (another lair of rust bunnies). I have bought Trumpeters new famo for this dio and i have bought a 251 with pack, a stug,priesser figures and i may add a couple of either panthers or tigers too.

lol, with the outdoor backdrops, this thing just looks REAL. Fantastic work.

Latest update i have added some farm equipment and a couple of geese.

Flipping Blimmin mate, thats looking better and better and you havent even got any heavy metal in there yet. Awesome.

...Guy

 Absolutley stunning!! I enjoy "Braille Scale" myself  but I can't say I ever remember seeing it taken to this level.

This is the best, most realistic 1/72 scene I've ever seen, Andy!

Could you share a little about your methods though? Like how did you attach the groundwork in layers? Hair spray?

ANd how'd you get that color/texture on the road--that looks just tremendous. I'd love to know how you managed to get that depth...?

Thanks Zokissima, Guy, Tiger44 and Karl, its much apreciated. As for how i do some of this  the grass material is stuck with white glue either sprayed on or brushed depending on the strengh needed,The road is first layed in plaster/filler then any inpresions pressed in thn i paint a light grey colour , when dry i give it a wash with a dark brown . Then i add a very fine crushed cement dust this i do by first mixing sand and cement like a bricklayers morter (using yellow and not white sand) at a ratio of 5 sand to 1 cement and add water  creating a wett mix then i trowell a thin layer over a board and  i scribe bricks into it and let dry for a couple of days. Then you can break into individual stones (bricks) and you crush some of it into  a fine  powder and i put that in a container and use as needed. this way you also get some nice scale rocks and stones in the right colour. I spinkle the dust and stones on the road, add scenic glue (sprayed on) and let dry. then another wash  and when dry i get a stiff brush and brush off surplace dust and leave it around edges and anywhere else i think it should be.If you want to lighten it up a bit just add a bit more without doing the wash. Its a case of building up in layers until your happy with the result. I know the making the cement sounds a bit involved but when done  a cup full of dust will last you ages , ive had 1 cup full on the go for a couple of years now and its still well over half full. and it looks natural because it is.

I am overwhelmed by how realistic this scene looks. You are a true artist, Bodge.

Steve

 

Thanks Steve for your praise and for looking in again,im enjoying this one and it makes for a pleasant change from doing kits. here,s a black n white copy

Awesome stuff Bodge. Im glad I decided to check back here when I did, I'm real big into 1/72 too. It's the only scale I really touch (sometimes 1/144). Is that grass just one layer of basket liner? it looks so good, Ill have to steal some from my Mom and try it out.