~ ! Clash in Tunisia ! ~ { Final Photos on page 37 }

Awesome work there Indy, you really did a good job with that liquid mask

Schnobs wrote:

Adam, I read this right afte you posted and forgot to post my comments.  Very nice and different effect than the HP method.  I like the effect it looks very realistic. You are doing a superb job on the vehicles!

Edmund ~ Thank you very much buddy, glad you came by again.

Rob ~ thanks for comments too, hang tight, more will happen !

Axel Smith wrote:

Awesome work there Indy, you really did a good job with that liquid mask

Thanks Alex . Don't try that on anything you want to look pretty!

~ Here's what I had time  for last night ~ Prepping the BMW for a less damaged looking yet well weathered chipping proccess. The Floquil Grimy Black was heavily drybrushed with good 'ole Testors "Steel" enamel in the lil' square bottle.  
This is my whole paint prep for the high-wear areas, like the tank-top  
After I had finished with the 'steel' on areas of 'bodywork' & frame I masked off pretty much everything else. Esp. the tires, seats & shocks, as the black color on them was the perfect base colour already. It wasn't an easy masking job, but not as difficult as say some in  aircaft modelling. Here I used the masking fluid more in it's intended role to block out areas like the tires. It completes masks at the edges of the tape but the masking is not perfect, touch ups will be needed, particularly to the frame on the lower run.  
Next I stippled on a very dark chocolate mix of Tamiya, randomly and sparsley on high-wear areas. Then a lighter, slightly redder shade.  This represents the state of the metal of the bike under it's paint.  
For this I used a custom-chopped-off stump of a fine 'stencil'brush'. Nothing fancy  
I let this sit til' the next night, when I'll put on tiny drops of mask, and paint in the Dark Yellow. More in this &  Herr Kubelwagon as it developes !     Thanks for tuning in for our continuing coverage of
                   ~ ! Clash in Tunisia ! ~

Wanna see that bike painted. Looking awesome. Kubel looks fantastic. Good toot.

Steve

 

Beautiful weathering Indy. I really like the chipped paint on the Bucket Car. And the details on the bikes are super, I like that you have added all the cables levers etc that really make me think of the real bike rather than a representation of a bike.

 Don't forget to detail the ground work as much as you are the models...I am looking forward to seeing how that part pans out.

Keep the good work going.

Mic wrote:

Wanna see that bike painted. Looking awesome. Kubel looks fantastic. Good toot. Steve

Many thanks Steve,,here it comes with the bike <----

Narayan ~ much appreciated & don't worry, the base is the model I most enjoy building, I shall endevour to not dissapoint ! (even you ! 

To begin....on topic, but as an aside........  
A sample of some REALLY rust-rotten sand-colored paint out back of my home  
Coudln't help but notice this on the dumpster out back. Sorry to have you look so close at a garbage bin, but it shows something like the kubelwagon's paint, albeit far more gone. This thing sits out in the elements everyday, literaly a stones-throw from the beach.   ~~Now, in the last episode.. we had undercoated the Beemers paintwork, and masked off pretty much everything else.   Next thing  I airbrushed XF-60 Dark Yellow thinned a bit with alcohol.    Before finishing, I gave the bike a shot from above only with the same paint lightened slightly with Flat White.  
Again,    though schools of thought differ,  from leaving the paint to fully harden before  removing masks--to those who recommend removing right away, I tend to like to wait  around 2 hours, that way nothing is still tacky by any chance, yet the paint is soft enough to release when overlapped.  
  ~~Here's an ugly shot just in the middle of removing the latex spiderweb of mask with my sharpest tweezers. The dried latex was actually stronger than some of the  model's small parts, so this wasn't too easy, and I broke off the delicate clutch lever & had to re-attach it.  
Overall the result was good, though some chipped areas came out too large. It's easy to paint in small bits of color, but before I began I wanted to show the result from masking.  
You can see I need to add the sand color to the bottom of the frame & the front of the back fender as well as some of the other struts. ALSO,  to the wheel rims & spokes --which is why one may just decide to paint the entire model unmasked and later paint in the tire........... Of course  ..it's no easier to reach parts of that then it is parts of the rim

11/ 19/ 09 Update Continued.......

 
~~So I'm smack dab in the middle of the detail painting {really my favorite part } but I thought I had more than enough for a proper update & it's about time  to quit for the night.    
Everything's being touched-up with before mentioned paints, and some others from Floquil & Tamiya. All the parts painted with Floquil Grimy Black are later drybrushed with the same, lightened with various amounts of Floquil Primer. The heads we're drybrushed with the same Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum it started in.  
Most of the small details I still  have left to paint, and the exhaust.  
The rims we're not so difficult to get color on, as they are slightly pronounced from the tires, but I used a fine liner brush(0) to reach in, plus lots of patience.This was all very possible despite some modelers belief  that  Tamiya paint cannot be brush-painted ~~Next update could turn up with this item finished~~work continues with the Kubel, and begins shortly with  the Opel
   Happily, I've just turned up with an x-tra day- off tommarrow   Cheers Gents

 

Looking great---the most comprehensive chipping prep I have yet seen...

[quote user="Manstein's revenge"]

Looking great---the most comprehensive chipping prep I have yet seen...

Thanks, can I quote you on that ? Oh,HeeHee, just did............

Looks great Indy.

Love those chips!

Soooo-perb!!!

~Thanks a bunch guys ~ You like my D.A.K. dumpster too ?

Those details of the dumpster are really interesting. Its great to see how the subtelty of the rust/paint/sun/moisture interaction. Thanks for posting them.

 Details like that are fantastic references for everyone, and without using photos like that models end up looking like....models.

~One more update

~Not finished yet,......But closer.    Detail work going on , particularly to the lower areas.  
Have yet to add the light lenses & markings. Some pinwashes are done very locally with diluted Grimy Black, which is very similar to a Paynes Grey oil wash     Some rusty layers went on the exhaust too, but theres more to do there.   ~ As I have layer drying considerations, I'm working on the Kubelwagon alongside this one, and I got all the accessories blocked in with different Tamiya color mixes  
I've also added some variety to the paint chips with a very dark brown( very close to Vallejo camo black-brown--likely a good choice here) and some metalic hints as well, trying to keep those in places likely to continue to wear, like the door-tops.  
~After I was satisfied I had a workable base coat on everything, I let it sit overnight, and the next morning shot 2 coats of Future on the Kubel, as a prep for decals and color washes, which I don''t want to come out as filters, and muddle the sun-bleached look of the body paint. .
The bike I didn't Future-coat, as it's markings are quite small, and the pin washing very local and minimal. As soon as the washes go on the Kubel though, I can complete it's assembly, and add the paint details too. ~~~~Thanks for staying with me & I'll be back soon ! ~Indy

Very, Very Cool Adam!

I really like how both of these vehicles are coming to life.  The Kubelwagen actually looks to be rotting from the environment.  The Osprey book indicated that the engines only lasted about 12,000 to 14,000 kilometers due to the harsh enviromental conditions and you have done a fantastic job demonstrating what that kind of enviroment can do to poorly protected metal.

~~Thanks so much Edmund ! Hey interesting tidbit there about the running hours. Osprey  book, huh? Honestly I didn't even have that specific a reference book for this build, what else does it say?  I found alot on the web about these buckets, but it's amazing how much there is to know about , Wouldn't you say? !@

  The 1942 vintage BMW R75 outfitted for North Africa         This helmet faithfully modeled after an existing relic(I have a photo some place)   The only "true black" was for the black-plastic grips on the MP40        
~`Continued.............

~Here's those shots :    
While I'm at it.... I took my lead for the gas mask canister from this one :  
Back to my photo shoot on the playa,,,er....ah.....I mean my deck...  
These we're shot in "macro" mode(unlike the previous set) , hence the subject departs from the background more, but allows the harsh sunlight to really play on the color. I was thinking that a N. Africa vehicle needed to look right in some blairing sun, so I had to try it. Really I like the first set, but I thought these looked interesting as well....  
The blue of the sky here is captured in a carefully placed mirror, the "sand' plane is some textured plastic card sprayed with Rustoleum 'sandstone' texture paint. Even though the action of my Diorama takes place in a more 'closed-in' terrain, I though I'd try for the most dramatic Saharan desert look for this shoot.  
The rear was an area I admit I hadn't given much thought to. I wanted to attach the numberplate without the numbers though, maybe it's worn off?Painted over? The lights I wanted to have visable to add interest, even if it's a tactical mistake on the part of the operator.  
This is a preliminary dust treatment. The final dusting is going to have to come after the Dio base is built, so I can be sure of the apropriate colors to use.   ~ Continued

  Finally, here's some pictures takin on my bench in my usual way, however, with the camera's white level adjusted for the incandecent light,  unlike the WIP shots.  
Looks more like we're used to seeing models, but I think it looks more real in the sun, if you can get that to work right,.... which is often not so easy.  
Still, close-up studies work vastly better in more controlled environs.  
Thanks to everyone who offered little bits of help along the way !  
Here's the Beemer side by side with a U.S. Army Harley Davidson motorcycle (Tamiya kit) I built almost 2 years ago. It's a far more crude kit, and a far more crude build as it was my 1st plastic model kit in about 25 years ! It was mostly OOB but did feature a few scratched items.  
I chopped and streched it out of regulation for a lowride 'sit'( the shame) and chromed a few parts per the civi version and filled it with other errors too....hence it's never been seen in these Forums, but I thought the side by side would be fun.'s"     No wonder this Cat still digs his R75. If only he makes it out of this Dio alive !!   Hope you Gentlemen enjoyed this chapter, many more to come.................
~ Indy

wow, now that is a nice bike (well its dirty, but thats good for a dio)

I love the realistique paint chips and the engine just looks great.

Wow Adam!

This turned out really great!  The detail and weathering is right on Sir!!

Like the background as well.  Great photos!

I'm digging your German Harley and want to ride it---might have to paint a chick fig to go on the back...

...your patience in the art of the diorama is evident...many elements that have to be treated as separate projects that come together to make a convincing and consistant dio...

Just came over here because i read Edmund had posted praises on your dio work, WOW   

[quote user="Manstein's revenge"]

...your patience in the art of the diorama is evident...many elements that have to be treated as separate projects that come together to make a convincing and consistant dio...

     Manny  ~ What a ringing endorsement that is. And a nice thing to quote. Thank you.

Rex ~ Edmund ~ Andy  ~  Thanks very much to you, it's really satisfying to hear those things .    

Plenty more to come... Thanks for spectating, it's importaint !

The General that needs no introduction (or caption)

 

One of the finest efforts I've ever seen, Indy...  Now I GOTTA start doing some sand dios in N. Africa.. You've inspired me again.. I was getting hung up on the RAF Desert Air Force and trying to find kits of the more obscure aircraft, but now I figure I can forego that search for now and concentrate on some "Desert Rats" & DAK stories...

Hans von Hammer wrote:

One of the finest efforts I've ever seen, Indy...  Now I GOTTA start doing some sand dios in N. Africa.. You've inspired me again.. I was getting hung up on the RAF Desert Air Force and trying to find kits of the more obscure aircraft, but now I figure I can forego that search for now and concentrate on some "Desert Rats" & DAK stories...

~ Hans, thank you.   What  marvelous things to hear !.  You are an inspiration to so many here, it's a pleasure to know if I've helped get you back on the road. Sure, join me in the desert.

 ~ Meanwhile....back at the Ranch................             Some washes applied to Kubelwagon made of a brown-grey Floquil mix      
I also added a wash to the interior panels, and an even darker one to the floorboards. It looked alright, but I wanted a really grungy looking floor that might even be noticable once the seats & gear all go in, so I got down some Rowney Daler Sepia Ink , and began to draw in the dark lines of the in-between the slats,and used it for a dark filter over the other floor areas, thinned with a little water. (This ink is great stuff, a tip I took from Calvin Tan's book "Modelling Waffen SS figures". He relies on this ink to outline vital features, and seems to often use it almost as his thinner when making dark washes that need to be effective)  
I like the layers of dirt I've got going on this floor at this point. I experimented with outlining with the ink as well around the console features. The Black parts are Tamiya XF-1     ~Before knocking -off, I added a few layers to the 'fabric' covers fit to the vehicle, plenty more to do with them. Now that the washes are in, assembly can resume as well.  
~Back again soon, Sirs !...................Indy

 

Adam this is just Gosh Doggin Wonderful!!

Love the techniques that you are using and the results are just simply specatcular!! 

 

 WOW!!!! SO AWESOME!!! I am so fortunate to call you friend!!!  I can call you that, right???

   Such good work. You are a credit to all of us modelers!

                       60

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Beautiful detail work Indy, and lots of nice washes and glazes to give depth to the grime and wear on the Kubelwagen. It reminds me of a VW Thing I used to see near my house in Santa Monica about a decade ago...wasn't your was it? I couldn't see from the photos, do the scratches continue through the DAK stencil on the motorcycle panier?