An astronaut commando, Fury's Brad "War Daddy" Pitt, numerous neat 1/32 and 35 crews, fantasy, then a sci-fi bar scene, and now The Mandalorean... and lets not forget about the creepy spirit coming out of the TV, wow! Keep it coming everyone as this build string is out of this world and the subject matter is as diverse as anything I've seen in any GB.
It's been some time since our last update. Since then we've been working on the Arado AR196 Seaplane but we can only go so far until the remaining detail items arrive from overseas. Along with the three Spartan figures that we started, Jarrod and I also began working on another figure and completed it while waiting on craft items and our idea to become clearer for the Spartan figure base.
Yes, that's right, another figure too. Just to toss everyone off guard for a moment, here is a sneak peak of the other new figure's base in-progress (this is only four pieces).
As shown in earlier postings, the individual Spartan figures are molded separately and placed on like bases but they do not lock together or even mate up smoothly. Trying to make them link together brings the figures unrealistically too close to one another for the poses they are in. So Jarrod and I wanted to make something that would allow the fit to be more to scale (space for each figure) yet seamless. And since we recently had a couple pine trees chopped down in the yard, we decided to honor one of them by using a slice of the trunk for the figure base.
I know they would still look a little off just adding them to the wood as they are. Now comes our attempt at trying to make them appear near seamless. We started cutting a base topper from rigid 1/4 inch foam. Next we used it to cut a second layer that would lay flush to the wood base. Then, using the figure bases as patterns, we cut into the second level of foam board around where each base would be posed. Now came the fun part; Jarrod and I began cutting small pieces of foam at multiple angles to try and create a rocky terrain similar to that found on the resin figure bases. Here it is as a work in progress.
Our goal will be to level the wood base, stain, and seal it. The foam stone / rocky base will be painted separately and built up with colors, small sifted rocks and stone from the property and then add some lichen for greenery (like on the resin bases). One the foam is done it will be fixed to the wood base.
We are not sure if we're going to permenantly fix the figures to the base or allow them to be removable so they can be viewed individually (time will tell). Here is where we ended today, still much more to do with the base leveling, staining, sealing, continued foam build-up, painting, detailing the figures more, etc.
Till next time... And since I did not make a work-in-progress string for the new figure Jarrod and I created it as a separate posting under the "Figures" subject, check it out!
I should not have to say it, but your feedback is always encouraged.
Ben and Jarrod (DRUMS01)