All I got to on Saturday was masking the fuselage stripe.

We received a call from the hospital Saturday morning around 10 AM. The nurse said my brother-in-law relapsed and was having another heart attack and they were moving him back to the ICU. When we arrived they were doing chest compressions and paddles. Once they got him stabilized they inserted a ventilator and he would stay that way for an hour or so and decline again. He would be harder and harder to stabilize and in the end the family said no more heroics. He passed away shortly after 5:30 in the afternoon.

He really didn't take care of himself health wise. He was overweight, smoked, didn't manage his diabetes and in the end the body had enough. Sad thing is he was looking great the night before and he was serious about getting straightened out because this had been a wake-up call. The sad thing is he was 6 months younger than I, he wanted to work out with me at the Cardio/Pulmonary Rehab center, stop smoking and start on his diabetes meds.

Yesterday was obviously hectic due to arriving family and arrangements.

Lesson learned. If I'm going to take that flight to heaven, it will be because God bought the ticket not me.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts prayers. I will be back to the Macchi in a few days.

lawdog114

I'm glad you bro-in-law is doing better. Your family is in my thoughts. that pilot looks great, but I can't help but think of Blazing Saddles......"Excuse me while I whip this out".......

 

He may be describing how one goes about eating a Shnitzengruben, but then again, perhaps he's just an animated speaker lol.

Thanks Lawdog, I hope I can do half as well on the Macchi as you did on your Corsair.
About the pilot, I've got noe idea what that pose is supposed to be about.

Thank you ManCityFan. I really like the look of the Italian birds. They really had/have a flair for design.

Thanks Gam,

They moved him from the ICU yesterday and should be out in a couple of days.

Hey Steve, sorry to hear about your brother in law and hope he's healing and out of the hospital soon. 

The figures look pretty friggin' good! As Mike said they just need a little matte varnish and they're done. 

Deal!!  :D

Thanks again Mike, the one area where I really need help is figure painting.

If you ever want to do a water scene I may be albe to help in that regard.

I've no doubt you'll get it figured out. 

I've settle on using Vallejo Matte and I am very happy with it. You have to AB it though. Brushing it on doesn't work as well at all.

Ive not found a clear matte that does yet.

The second best, for me, has been the classic spray can of Testors dull cote. Mostly I use it on A/C and armor, but sometimes figures when I need a quick "save" between steps.

You, my friend, have been shown some really good tips and have used them very well indeed. When you're ready for more advanced tricks just say the word and we'll help you get that life-like finish that really catches the eye!  :D

We are fortunate that there is a good  amount of excellent figure painters on this forum. All you have to do is ask.  :)

There is much more to learn when you want to.  ;)

Now that you've got the figures sorted out, I'm positive that we're all looking forward to seeing the Fulgore make more progress. Lol

Thank you Mike, I highly regard your comments and they mean a lot to me. 

I'll keep working on the shine. I'll be looking for some of the products mentioned to see if I can get that cut down some more.

Steve

I must say, the figures are now quite impressive. :)

They are still a bit shiney, but they will really enhance the build regardless. Getting a dead flat finish takes a little practice and I am more than confident you will gwt that problem solved in a short time.

You have done a simply fabulous job with them!  :D

I'm sorry to hear of your brother in law.  My best wishes and a quick recovery!

Toshi

Most goggles have metal frame for the lens, just do a highlight around the edge before you do the clear.

Ooooo, I like that!!

Suggestion for the goggle lenses, drill them out, paint the area in a color to match the sorrounding area (not the frames), and then put a drop of your favorite clear in there, as you might for an instrument lens.

Hey Steve great job there on the fighter and the figures!

You might try a very dark gun metal like metallic for the lenses with a tiny spot of silver near the top to give the impression of sun reflecting off them and see how you like it. 

Here are the promised pictures. I have to load them at work since my laptop is still giving me fits and may need to go to the shop.

What would be suggested for the goggle lenses? Silver just does not look right.

Steve

I second that. My technique is a little more advanced than that (I like to apply tones like makeup lol) but it will serve you well. :)

Just don't forget the eyebrows. Faces tend to look a little wierd without them lol.

A sharpened pencil will work well after a dullcote. 

I can't wait to see the results!

Yes, for figures, the Siennas and Umbers, both raw and burnt, are most useful colors. Especially as washes to create various effects. Top that off with a little dry brushing and smaller scale figures can really come alive.

I added some Burnt Sienna and that added some color. Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber seem to be the miracle paint.

I softened the camo edges on the 202 and worked on the guys.  I think I'm finished with the guys, i just need to dull them down. 

I have pictures but I can't get my computer to load Crome or Edge and boot up correctly. I can get them to come up and even load a page but they lock up shortly after that. Forget about loading 2 websites at the same time. I'm not sure what to do about this.

I'm posting on my phone for now.

Try a wash of Burnt Sienna over the skin areas to change the tone. Use oils or enamels, and not acrylics. A little goes a long way.

Mike, two things. The skin tones are a little washed out and you're right about the hard lines. My Badger 105 has never really made very good lines but I'm going to go back and try to soften them some.

About the skin tone, this is where I go wrong with figures. I'll darken the paint some to see if that works.

Fantastic idea on the camo.  Stunning!

Toshi

That was a clever idea for the camo pattern. A bit hard lined, but effective.

i think you're on the right track with your figures. You've got good blocking, but the skin tones look a bit washed out.

I'm betting the camera had a lot to do with that. How are they looking now that you've done more work on them? :)