FINISHED! DML Hetzer figure & base tutorial!

doc-hm3 wrote:

Doog, I don't know how I missed this one, but what a great build! And you just gotta love the figure.

Mic wrote:

Outstanding toot, doog. Groundwork and the junk pile look fantastic. Nice figure work, too. I love your "display-within-a-display" concept with the Hetzer top. Very very creative. Steve

Outstanding toot, doog. Groundwork and the junk pile look fantastic. Nice figure work, too. I love your "display-within-a-display" concept with the Hetzer top. Very very creative.

Steve

I quite liked the article myself, yeah. But... One question I got. The.. eh... That shelljamunlockerthingy whose name was in the article (Unavailable, at school now). Could I get a closeup of that part? And a picture of the real thing (if you got one)?

-Lasse 

scratchmod wrote:

I hope to this masterpiece next weekend Doog, wow that was an awesome read. It will help alot when I do my next base. As far as the Hetzer goes, well, it a beauty. I love the weathering on it. OK the Fig is awesome, especially the camo .   Rob

Glad you liked my toot here; thanks for the nice compliments! 

I hope to this masterpiece next weekend Doog, wow that was an awesome read. It will help alot when I do my next base. As far as the Hetzer goes, well, it a beauty. I love the weathering on it. OK the Fig is awesome, especially the camo .

Rob

EliteModelling wrote:

man your amazing. how did you get into the magazine?

You write the article about how you built your model, and make sure you have the thing photographed at nearly every stage, and then send it in!

If FSM decided to purchase the article, they will be in touch with you. That was my third article published. I have several more to be yet published.

EliteModelling wrote:

wait this was on the magazine! this was you?

doog, excellent tutorial accompanied by excellent photos!  Better than some of the "how to" books I've bought!  It will be a while before I tackle anything like this, but its nice to know there's great guys like you willing to share your knowledge, skills and talent with the rest of us!  Thanks for the post and am looking forward to more! 

Thanks once again guys; once more, I appreciate ya taking the time to chime in!

Joe, I hope you try a dio for yourself! Its great to build a killler model, but even more satisfying to put it "in its element"! GO FOR IT!

jthurston, I agree with you about learning a LOT on this site! I've become a better modeler in 6 months than I had in 10+ years! Thanks for the compliments; glad you enjoyed the tutorial!

wbill76 and ABARNE, appreciate the comments! 

Manny, thanks for your kind comments! That's really appreciated from such a fine figure painter as yourself! I have to admit that I tried your suggestion about washing the face's base coat flesh with an oil wash...worked like a charm for "lowlights"! I referenced some of your posts for inspiration!

treadwell, I'll do a painting tutorial soon..I wanted to get the Hetzer up and then do a weathering tutorial up on it; I'll have to do a figure and photograph the steps; I didn't do that with this one... If you have any specific questions about painting faces before then, feel free to PM me, and I'll try to answer back in a timely fashion!

Thanks again guys; and thanks for each and every one of you inspiring ME in different ways! 

STUG61 wrote:

Great stuff Doog.   That figure is superb!!   Just a hint though..If the base is finished it may be better to rough up the part the celluclay goes on to give it more grip.I've had it  come up on one that I didn't do that to.Alittle late though now!!

...another technique I use to give the base some "tooth" is to glue a piece of empty sprue(s) right onto the base to act as plastic "re-bar" for the celluclay to bit into as it dries...it is also a good idea to mix in a liberal amount of white glue with the celluclay to prevent it from curling and shrinking too much as it hardens...

...first of all: impressive work on the fig, first-rate in my book and I know that camo is HARD to paint and make it look real...you have brought your A-game to this hunk 'o resin...flesh and face are also top-notch...the subtle weathering on the pants w/ pastels is sublime and makes the camo all the more realistic...you are definately one of the best 35th fig painters in here, and I am basing that opinion on not only this fig, but others I have seen on your AFV's...your use of acyrlics is outstanding...

...as far as the base, I also pre-shade my celluclay with water-based or acrylic paints...cool beans...I love everything but the "toxic spill" coming from the drum...I think in the end it will be a focal point in the dio you might not have intended, but then again I don't know what story you are trying to tell so i could be wrong...maybe, "Hetzer at the Love Canal"?

Seriously, good stuff...and if the turrret piece is indicative af the rest of the Hetzer, we are in for a good show...!!!

The soldier is saying, "Hmmm...Wonder why there's a Hetzer roof sitting there on that table..."

No really - this is excellent work, man...I've learned more on this site in the past month than I would have in a year without it - and that's because of builds and tutotials like this! You rock!

Hey Doog,

  Really find this post interesting and informative. I've thought in times past to try and do something along these lines (diorama), but just seemed like it was beyond my skills. You've done a fantactic job of breaking it down (stepwise) and I can feel myself being inticed to give it a shot.

 I do realize however that one (such as yourself) make it look much easier than it really is. I certainly wouldn't expect my results to be on the same level, but do feel your tutorial may be just the thing I needed to give it a shot.

 I'm really looking forward to seeing the next "instalment".

                                                                                                    Joe

Thanks, guys! I apppreciate you weighing in on the work here--it takes a good bit of time to post something this long, and I'm happy to see that you apppreciate it as well!

The rust is done primarily with a wash of rust-toned oils first, and then the same with pastel powders; mot necessarily MIG powders, just standard "Earth Tone" Artist's pastels. I put them on over a second light wash of oils, and then take a tiff brush and rub some of them off when the thinner has evaporated. Black pastel also figures into getting the really "old" look, believe it or not. (discovered that by accident!) The base coat was field gray.

Steve: I think a "Diasater WIP" would be priceless! I've seen your work, and would LOVE to steal some of your secrets! LOL! Seriously--you ought to consider it!

StuG61, sorry to hear of your bad luck with Celluclay! I've used the stuff for years and can't say I've ever had that happen; did you mix glue with it too? I always put it down over a layer of white glue, and that seems to stick it pretty good!

Thanks for the compliments, all; now I gotta get working on the Hetzer post(s)!  

That figure is the biz man. The base is just fantastic. Love the rust. You guys blow me away with your levels of skill. The tutorial is priceless.

Thank you.

...Guy

Great stuff Doog.

That figure is superb!!

Just a hint though..If the base is finished it may be better to rough up the part the celluclay goes on to give it more grip.I've had it  come up on one that I didn't do that to.Alittle late though now!!

m1garand wrote:

disastermaster wrote:  m1garand wrote: Disastermaster, I happen to go to the nail salon quite often.  I'm sure that girls at the nail shop can get those celluclay out of under my nails. Yeah, but that brown paint. "OOH, M1, Whatcha done been diggin' in".....  Don't tell 'em the truth, they'll think yer nuts!  They already think I'm nuts so I guess I don't have to worry about that.   Maybe I'll tell them that I came to the shop right after changing the diaper without washing hands.

HA HA HA HA 

Fantastic work!

I really want to try this Celluclay stuff but have to mail order it from the eastern side of Australia. Not cheap either...

The whole base is simple but very effective, just the ticket to make the Hetaer the focus.

cheers

Mike