UPDATE 10/08: 442nd RCT Go For Broke WIP

Competing for world's slowest modeler...

I am nearly finished up the figures for this scene. I ditched a Dragon overcoat figure, in favor of this one from Mantis, and have used the last of the Asian heads. Took a while to get this figure in from my "dealer" in Russia.

The photography is pretty horrible in these, I had missed the good daylight.

This next figure is my first attempt at oak leaf camo (well, to be honest, it's my FOURTH attempt, with the previous 3 attempts scrubbed off with acrylic cleaner under the kitchen faucet). Can't say I'm terribly pleased with it, but I gotta start somewhere. With the multitude of figures in the stash that will require some camo patterns, I might as well get to practicin'...

His skin tones have not yet been added, just the Beige Red base coat.

Might finish this up this week, and take in to the Austin Scale Modelers show next Saturday. If any of you Austinites out there are reading this, and are going to the show, say sumptin'.

Always warm and welcome to critique, so let me have it.

Steve

I've got an update to the scene base; the facade was looking a little blank, "unloved". so I added Ivy to the front and side of the building. The entire base was treated with multi-toned oil washes. Hope It's looking' kinda real.

All comments welcome.

Mic

Hope It's looking' kinda real.

Kinda real? It's looking very real! Good work as far as I'm concerned. Love the ivy. How did you do it?

Holy cow!  Loved the ivy part... how in the world you managed to do it right?!?!?  Everything will look real if the pictures were taken in B&W.  You are very close to the end!

Jon, Andy, thank you guys. The ivy starts with attaching small fibers to the front of the structure. Not sure what it's actually called- it's a Hudson and Allen product. Then I dry brushed for shading, highlighting. Next, glued down some catkin seeds, 2 different shades. I nearly dropped the whole thing while I had it sitting on my lap- woulda been GAME OVER

I'll go in soon with an airbrush and fade the colors into each other, then do some more highlighting.

Andy, your mention of B&W got me playin around in iPhoto:

Simply incredible, some of the best work I've seen. 

                                                                                         Pat.

LOL!  That is way too real!   I want to move in there...

deafpanzer

LOL!  That is way too real!   I want to move in there...

bring a roof...

Wow!!! I'm loving it, the ivy really makes it pop, and yeah- it's all beyond real! Very well done- that B&W picture looks like reference material haha

I think you were mentioning that your autumn Oak pattern wasn't where you wanted it to be or you weren't happy with it. I think it's awesome, some really great/fine detail. The only crit I could give you on that would be maybe the pant pattern is... almost like 1/40 scale instead of 1/35- you know? As in- if there is a problem it's that your pattern is too small, too much detail. But I do like it I like the amount of detail so I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure depending on the fabric cut, that level of leaf pattern is well within the plausible. He should blend in well with the rubble and the ivy.

Thanks, Pat- very kind of you to say!

Good to see you too, Chris. Thanks for the compliments, and for that astute feedback.

You've got a great point with the camo pattern- in fact I think you nailed it on the head. It does look too small for 1/35th, as well as maybe a bit too "busy"... I couldn't quite figure out what the deal was, and I'll definitely keep that in mind next go-round.

Thanks again!

Just a thought, that level of destruction, do you think with all that timber maybe there would be fire damage at all? possibly a few end peices of the timbers burnt or scortch marks? But thats just my two cents you are obviously doing incredable work there. I envy you're ability.

Edit: I see the front of the building has a sheet of plywood with the ends burnt and thats kinda what im talking about.

Hi Coalmann- yeah, I gotcha.

I'll touch up some of the tips a bit with some washes. Good idea.

Awesome, wasn't sure if that was what was bugging you but that was the only thing I could think of. Like you said, I think it's just that "busy" factor that's the issue for me on the camo. I think the jacket looks good, nice even variation, it's just the pants, bellow the knees where it gets too detailed for the scale IMO.

I mean hey- if anything I think it's good to know that you have that ability to take your painting to that level of detail as it's an amazing application of paint- and all the colors look dead on. So I think it'll be easy enough in the future to kind of scale it up and make bigger overall splotches. There probably would be a few sections of just those individual dots, but I think a lot of the pattern involves big underlying splotches too.

Glad I was able to help. Really looking forward to your future figures in camo! This one's getting really close- especially after that ivy!!