French POW dio WIP **update: 2/26/09 pg 11**

of course I just google searched "giant spider iraq" on a whim and sure enough on the second page up it popped.

Hans just truly is the reference picture master, is there anything useful on the web you've yet to find? You got one for everything

...I am a little upset now to find you didn't craft it yourself over the course of 3 hours.

But back to the post- SteveM your squad members are amazing! I really do love all the expresions, I think I missed the update as it came durring the end of my semester and everything started going crazy- and now with the holidays...

But I'll take the hectic family time over the finals any day!

Are we going to get an update with the civilan pictures soon? Maybe after the new years?!

Sorry ta let ya down, but no, it ain't my work... I've had that in my Photobucket album for a couple years, someone sent it to me in an email... When I saw the "Cobwebs" thing, I had to jump on it...  As far making my own, I've got Photoshop, but haven't a clue how to work it.  I'm still running Windows 98 on a ten-year-old "Frankenputer" rig... All I know how to use is MS Paint and MS PictureIt! Express... I fear change, lol.. I'm also pretty good with Google Image search keywords... Comes from hours of Google-whacking when I was laid-up a few years ago...

But I do have a rather large Photobucket account... Actually, three, with about 3000 pics of various stuff, yeah... Got a couple Image shack accounts too... Some are even useful.   I've had to wipe my harddrive clean and start over too many times to risk storing pics anywhere but on-line anymore, lol... 

Sorry for the side-line Steve..

I welcome all discussions on here, Hans. Love the spider pic, too. Anything that keeps this thread alive keeps my mind on the planning for this dio. Can't believe it's taking me so long to complete this one

On that note, I have been keeping my mind on aging that barn, waiting to incorporate the junk, rubbish, personal stuff, et al the storage. Then comes the years of hay, dirt, "work shop litter". Then, I am gonna dust 'er up nice.

Camojoe2 : thanks for looking in on this one. I appreciate your compliments, and well-wishes for the completed dio. My plans for the cobwebs: more of a collection of build-up dust bunnnies than freshly spun spider webs(), mixture of grey dust / MIG pigment with Testors plastic glue. I will have a starting point, and then string it along as the glue sets. Under the shelving, in the corners, cracks, nooks. I imagine the webs having attracted and accumulated dust. For this build up, I've got barn reference pictures around here, but too lazy to look for it right now.

psstoff995: thanks for the kind words regarding the squad. Yeah, I think the cranky old farm owner is finished; in my opinion, he might be a little over-done. I will snap a few shots to see how he looks, and I'll post him up here soon. Not a lot of experiance painting non-military figs, so I am a little weary.

Steve

Hans von Hammer wrote:

I've had to wipe my harddrive clean and start over too many times to risk storing pics anywhere but on-line anymore, lol...

Again, that must be an impressive amount of pics!

Glad to hear it's still moving along Steve, no need to rush- things are just moving more at MY speed and the quality is definitly good enough to keep me waiting

Hey guys... thanx for lookin' in here. I have just finished up a group build (as you might notice by my shiny new badge), and I am jumping head first back into this project. Next up, the civilian farm owners. Amlost finished with both, will post a progress of them shortly.

Steve

Here's where I am with the French farm owners... didn't have the best lighting for the photography. Missed the daylight by about an hour, so the skin tones don't come out as natural as they actually seem.

Monsieur

Madame

Here's how they will appear, presenting their defense

For laughs, I turned the argument inward, as most couples are bound to do. This is actually how they are posed on the box art

This was kinda my first time working outside the realm of feldgrau, olive and khaki, so feel free to offer improvements /  suggestions.

Steve

I'm stunned.. excelent!

But where the shoe meets the leg at the madame, it doesen't feel right.. it needs something, I just can't put my finger on it  

-Huxy 

I was kind of thinking the civilians' clothing should look a bit more faded, as if it has gone through many washes in the washtub (of course, the lady wouldn't have an electric washing machine). Maybe even a stain or two that won't come out.

As for the lady's feet, it almost seems as if the kit manufacturer made the shoes a bit too big for her legs and the transition between the shoes and feet is too "smooth." That could be tough to correct. A pair of (older-looking) socks might help, or depending on where the farmer and his wife will be standing, maybe her feet can be in some weeds where the flaws are at least semi-hidden.

Wow great job!! Not too bad for some civilians

I saw them and for a split second I thought the woman had dropped a slice of pizza on her apron instead of the cloth napkin that was hanging out haha can you tell I'm a hungry college student?

I like the box art version too awesome update as usual!

Thanx, guyz. Glad to get back to this project. After my stint in the group build, which resulted in a completely "historically innaccurate" RSO, I'm more than ready to get this one rolling again. I should have taken the compressed air canister over these two figures before the photo session. Boy, she sure is one ugly lady.

senojrn, Chris and Dan... I really appreciate it. Thanks for the compliments. Chris- yeah that does look like a slice of pie, now that I look at it that way, LOL! Now I'm hungry, too.

Huxy and Jim, thanks very much for the observations regarding the old lady's foots. I completely agreee- there's something not quite right about 'em. I'll do some proper highlighting and shading on her stockings, to see if that starts me on the right path. Work the granny shoes a little more. I'll post what I come up with.

Jim- as always, your suggestions have got my wheels spinning. I had planned to throw some food stains on her apron, to get started. Maybe some bouillabaisse. Hmm, now I'm even hungrier. I''l go back and age the garments a bit.

Thanks, Manny. I'm not truly impressed with them, but they turned out a little better than I had hopes for. They are Nemrod figs, and advertised as French civilians. However, I totally agree that they look like an arguing Italian couple. The hand gesturing... cracks me up that you picked up on that, too. My apologies to anyone, if that stereotypes.

Once again, thank you guys for keeping up with me on this; the suggestions and encouragement keep the project moving.

Steve 

Another awesome set of figures Steve. The realism just astounds a mere mortal like myself. The faces look spot on enlarged on my monitor, on a table at a show theyd look Perfect. You blow me away.

As or the cobwebs being seen, hows this sucker for a weblayer,

...Guy

Very nice figures, though, I dislike the face sculpting on the wife, she sort of looks like a cross dresser, looks quite like a guy's face.

Thats not your fault though, the painting is great!

I like the idea of old tattered/stained cloting- maybe you could carry the idea over into the dresses of the POWs- add some patches to the clothing or something?

Luftwoller wrote:

As or the cobwebs being seen, hows this sucker for a weblayer,

Camel Spider yeah? haha I wonder if they make webs? lol

There were a bunch of myths running around about those guys after that picture hit the web.

smeagol the vile wrote:

I dislike the face sculpting on the wife, she sort of looks like a cross dresser, looks quite like a guy's face.

haha I don't know.. she definitly looks older- her face is much narrower than her husbands though, I think she just has some baggy eyes and if viewed from the front (when you can't see the bun) she does look like she has an closely cropped haircut...

I think the full view with the dress and the bun- especally when the husband is next to her- work out fine

psstoff995 wrote:

smeagol the vile wrote:  I dislike the face sculpting on the wife, she sort of looks like a cross dresser, looks quite like a guy's face. haha I don't know.. she definitly looks older- her face is much narrower than her husbands though, I think she just has some baggy eyes and if viewed from the front (when you can't see the bun) she does look like she has an closely cropped haircut... I think the full view with the dress and the bun- especally when the husband is next to her- work out fine

Might have to put a farmer's daughter figure up in the hayloft. At that point, I could direct the scolding couple towards the POWs, rather than the obergrefreiter. Their expressions would take on entirely new meanings, LOL!!

"Exécutez-les!!"

Steve, figures look great. I'm also glad to see that you are back at this, kind of itchin to see how this all turns out. Probably not as bad as you are to have this one done, though.

-Stephen

Hans von Hammer wrote:

She's a dead-ringer fer m' 2nd ex-wife... right down to th' mouth always being open...

Outstanding figures, once again, Steve!

This dio is going to absolutely rock this whole forums' world!

I feel like a giggly schoolgirl! LOL!

 Steve! These figures are overwhelmingly amazing! I may have to check out the "HORNET" heads for my dio, no I will check them out, right now. You work is nothing short of ... I can't find the right word.

                                                                         doc

Shux, boys... ya'll makin' me blush

the doog wrote:

Outstanding figures, once again, Steve! This dio is going to absolutely rock this whole forums' world! I feel like a giggly schoolgirl! LOL!

 Mmmmm-mmmmm...