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Bill Mauldin WIP *FINITO!*

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  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 9:03 PM
 Moon Puppy wrote:

What a GREAT Idea.

This would be a hoot!

Way ahead of ya..Big Smile [:D] Started about an hour ago...

 

  • Member since
    July 2007
Posted by Moon Puppy on Monday, October 13, 2008 8:16 PM

What a GREAT Idea.

This would be a hoot!

Remember, we are told Post Counts don't matter! (unless it's really high)

Modelers' Alliance

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Louisville, KY
Posted by pordoi on Monday, October 13, 2008 7:26 PM
 Hans von Hammer wrote:

I've seen his (outstanding) work, and that's why I'm tryin' to find something he HASN'T done, lol... I'm also taking a bit more "artistic license" than he does...

I just picked up a book of Mauldin's work; it's a really fun read.

Which one? I've got "This Damn Tree Leaks", "Up Front", "Bill Mauldin's Army" and just ordered the new, "Willie and Joe: The WW2 Years"...  

 Found "Bill Maudlin's Army" at the local Barnes and Noble.  Was going to do some searches for his other titles; you've just made my task alot easier.  Thanks.  Where did you get "Willie and Joe: The WW2 years"?

 

Also, have to say that I had a chuckle and knew exactly what was coming after your first picture from behind the bunker, with just the sand bags and the finger pointing the direction.  So call this dio a success.

 Don

 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 3:37 PM

I've seen his (outstanding) work, and that's why I'm tryin' to find something he HASN'T done, lol... I'm also taking a bit more "artistic license" than he does...

I just picked up a book of Mauldin's work; it's a really fun read.

Which one? I've got "This Damn Tree Leaks", "Up Front", "Bill Mauldin's Army" and just ordered the new, "Willie and Joe: The WW2 Years"...  

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Louisville, KY
Posted by pordoi on Monday, October 13, 2008 3:25 PM

Hans,

I just picked up a book of Mauldin's work; it's a really fun read.  Do a search in this forum on user "senojrn".  If you've not seen them, he constructed a series of vignettes based on Mauldin's works that I think you'll find interesting.

 Don

 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:45 PM
The faces have their base coat of "flesh" and some eye-work, with a "five o'clock shadow" on the driver, but not on the MP.   The uniforms also are only in their base colors with a dark wash, and the MP still needs a rifle.  Complete & detailed painting of my figures is the last step in my dio construction, except for them getting built into the actual poses, since they can get damaged or "lost" if I do them at any other time.  I don't want a lot of work in them done, only to have them disappear... It's a lot easier on my blood-pressure if I have to make another figure to replace one, provided it's not painted when it comes up missing... Easier on those around me as well... 

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:30 PM
This is a WIP right, the figures faces dont look painted.  Other then that I really like the lay out, its quite comical

 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:29 PM

The MP is hiding under the sand bags, with a little sign with a finger pointing in the right direction?

Bingo... I explained it farther in the above post.  Sorry, I should have done more in the intial post... 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:27 PM

About the Diorama.  The Jeep is the 1/35th Tamiya kit #219, which is a better kit that the their Tamiya kit that includes the MP and trailer, IMHO...

The base is plastic 5x7 box photo-frame (my prefered type of base) with wood strips built up on the sides to contain the celluclay.  I first cut a hole in the plastic for the foxhole and lined it with cheesecloth, then brushed a heavy mixture of water & white glue onto the cloth and let it dry with a fan blowing on it.  After that, I applied the Celluclay over the entire base, building up the edges of the hole (that dirt has to go somewhere), then started building up the overhead cover of logs and sandbags.  After the overhead was complete and dry, I took it back off, leaving the log impressions in place... This is an important detail, pressing the stuff into the damp ground, in order to make it appear to have weight.    I then trimmed the cheesecloth back under it, to allow room behind the MP figure.

The damp Celluclay was painted with brown Tempera paint, then the Jeep pressed into it several times to leave several sets of vehicle tracks, and then I dried it with a hairdryer...  After the paint flashed, I put the dio base into the microwave to speed up the drying time, pausing it every minute or so to open the door and let the steam out, and to make sure the heat didn't build up to melt the base.  After the base was more or less dry, I built the MP figure in my usual "Frankenstein" manner, the torso and head is from a Tamiya set, the legs from Italeri, and the arms are either German or Russian, I don't remember which, topped off with an Italeri helmet.  The "Fingers" sign is cut from sheet styrene, and the pole is strip. 

 

The "Military Police-Information" sign is a pair of "popsicle" planks with some basswood strip for a post, and the sign is printed from my PC with Stencil script.  I thought about hand-lettering the sign, but figured that MPs would have plenty of stencil kits around since they also have a lot of other signs to make (STOCKADE, POW COLLECTION POINT, CHECKPOINT AHEAD, SPEED LIMIT "XX", and the ever-popular "OFF LIMITS TO ENLISTED PERSONEL" to name a few...

I know I'm not the first to bring Mauldin's drawings to "life" around here, but I've been a fan of his work for about 40 years, and had the pleasure of meeting Sergeant Mauldin about 25 years ago at a 34th Infantry Division NCO Dine-out, where he was our Guest Speaker...  I plan on doing a few more as the mood strikes me, and find some that haven't been done already, lol..

 

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:06 PM
leme get this straight.  The MP is hiding under the sand bags, with a little sign with a finger pointing in the right direction?  (I think studs turkel had an interview with that guy in 'the good war' i love that book)  If so, amazing

 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Bill Mauldin WIP *FINITO!*
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, October 13, 2008 11:50 AM

Still adding details to the Jeep, get it muddied and a bit more beat-up, and a bit more work n the base, but it's about 70% complete..

For those that aren't familiar with Bill Mauldin's cartoons feauring two average GIs named "Willie and Joe" in "Stars & Stripes" during WW2, check here. http://www.stripes.com/02/nov02/mauldin/

"Thanks"

A little explaination is in order in all likelyhood... Although Mauldin and his characters made fun of MPs, same as the rest of the Army (can't spell "WIMP" without M-P), he understood what MPs actually did.  This one takes place near Anzio in the early days after the landing when the Germans held all the high-ground and had every crossroads in the area zeroed-in for artillery and motars.  MPs directing traffic at the crossroads oftentimes found themselves the main point of interest for the Germans, who would sometimes lob a round or two in at the checkpoint just to watch the MPs react, so staying in the hole probably wasn't a bad idea...

 

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