"Flash Out!" - 120mm OIF figure ( COMPLETE!!! )

Great job so far...really admire you taking on the modern stuff, the camo looks really taxing, looks like you got a handle on it. Yes the glasses are awsome...can't wait to see more.

And thank all you hard chargers for serving your country!

modelchasm wrote:

Yea, I was messing around with PB .... I fixed all the links though, so the world should be good again.

Oh ok, good deal- and those glasses look great!

Yea, I was messing around with PB .... I fixed all the links though, so the world should be good again.

Here's the only update that I've really got for today.

Added about 3x coats of Future to the sunglasses ... REALLY made the face "pop" ...

Hopefully will get some more work done this evening.

modelchasm wrote:

Kind-of flying around with only one set of eyes looking at this thing. And my wife's, "It looks good honey", doesn't really count.

I know how that can be, something about the figure forums tend slow down responses.

I'm sure you'll get some good critiques and suggestions, problem is it might sit fo a bit before that happens. Good to hear about the weathering and the hard use and good luck on the sharpness, I'm confidant you'll figure it out

Edit- I scrolled up to find all the links for your pictures broken- I went down to the URL and scrolled through your photobucket- they're still there, did you rename them or reorganize them into a folder? For whatever reason they show up as "moved or deleted". 

I'm not too worried about the color right now. It'll definately help once the washes and shadows go on. I'm planned on weathering the helmet and vest pretty good as they were used all the time.

However, I do agree that the sharpness needs to be cleaned up a bit. I'm going to try and use a needle to clean it up and then from here on out for the pixelation.

Anyone else have any suggestions or comments ... Kind-of flying around with only one set of eyes looking at this thing. And my wife's, "It looks good honey", doesn't really count.

haha have fun with the yard!

modelchasm wrote:

The biggest problem that I've had with the "toothpick" method by Maki, is that I've found you have to redip for each "dot", touch it to a paper towel to get the excess off, and then the pick MUST BE AT 90 degrees. Otherwise you end up with an actual dot.

Ah, that makes senes then- it sounds like quite the process- after looking at some ACU pictures and comparing them to MARPAT- I realize the totorial I drew up (the way I had painted my MARPAT) doesn't really translate to the ACU as you and Maki are right, it is more of a "Tigerstripe" pattern of somekind layered into the mix. The MARPAT just has a dash of the darker color in little stand alone sections- ACU does have everything all in the mix at once.

The sewing needle tip sounds promising, you might also concider thinning the paint a little bit to avoid that ball like surface tention build up of paint? Unless the paper towel meathod is easier to control (actually, I have a problem with my thinned paint and it gets too runny)

modelchasm wrote:

But yes, after looking at it this morning, I'm going to go back and try to sharpen up the pixels on the helmet. I may try using a sewing needle instead.

That's an important part of the hobby to, is stepping back for a while and then looking at it with fresh eyes. Again, it's not that it came out bad, I think some sharpening up, maybe the sewing needle- some kind of final stage of- "ok, now it's done" as it looks like it's right on that edge of finished.

I've also found that giving a complex paint job like this an overal wash with a common color and some shadding and stuff like that also seams to help. But you definitly have the skills and the patience to make this one turn out great!

Look forward to your updates.

Thanks Chris,

To get to some of your questions ... and real quick, cause I'm supposed to be doing the yard, TEE HEE! ...

The flex-cuff are simply made from strips of masking tape, w/ a PE buckle from the parts bin.

The wire coming out from the back side of the pants pockets are a pull-string that sinches up the thigh pockets. I find them HIGHLY annoying, so I usually cut mine out, but I thought they added a little bit to modernize the uniform.

The biggest problem that I've had with the "toothpick" method by Maki, is that I've found you have to redip for each "dot", touch it to a paper towel to get the excess off, and then the pick MUST BE AT 90 degrees. Otherwise you end up with an actual dot. The only other hard part about the ACU pattern I've found is that while it's somewhat based on the tiger stripe camo, the ACU pattern isn't as blatantly horizontal .... although, you're overall pattern should be. But yes, after looking at it this morning, I'm going to go back and try to sharpen up the pixels on the helmet. I may try using a sewing needle instead.

Just my .

Will post more later today.

WOW! Well it's getting real late but I HAD to check this out- and I must say

Scratchbuilding + firsthand knowledge = one awesome step by step

The equipment and uniform updates are awesome- a lot of ROTC guys around where I'm at and... well- without the large velco patches- those pen/pencil pockets are hard to notice anyway. I remember thinking the same thing when I put this kit together- if Verlinden gets one thing right it's their sweet folds- really deep and intricate

I will agree with you though, it was like the legs and torso were from 3 different kits- a lot of putty there! In fact it was how I was introduced to the stuff- there was no way I could have built mine up without it.

I think by simply switching out the head on this guy you've greatly improved and modernized the kit

The ACU on the helmet had me worried at first until I caught up with the reading- that does look like multicam!

Good save- the redo looks just like the ACU! -that's really strange that it's all grays and tans, I would have been mixing greens for ever!

Love what you did with the M4 as well- looks much nicer than the OOB one and again- another key part to bring this guy up to date. Again- there's only so much I can actually critique on- the NVG mount looks awesome- and the little loops on the shoulders of the vest- the right one is scrunched in/higher up than the left one! You even got the vest loops physics taken care of! That's too cool, I would have never even thought of that.

All I have are questions really- is the round thing on his chest a radio toggle switch of some kind?

What did you make the flex cuffs out of? Just thin styrene?

The metal looking paper clip kinda piece sticking out of his left cargo pocket- is that... to hold the gas mask bag or some other accessory?

I really like the idea of painting the straps/radio wires to the weapon/head

That simplifies things for sure! I'm going to wind up trying to manipulate my materials with tweasers to get them on... and then probably painting them after the fact

Good work sir! Good work indeed.

If I can say anything at all to help out with the ACU, it looks as if you might have gone in an up and down motion with a little blob of paint- again like you said, at this scale it looks fine and very much representative of the pattern, I might sugest (and this is if you didn't try this as I can't tell) is to try and paint the finer "dots" in almost a hatching and cross hatching kind of way.

For the singular dots at 1/16 scale, if I were to include them- it would probably be with a toothpick as sugested in Maki, however what I decided (partially out of laziness I'll be honest) was at the scale it was doing me more harm than good to try and represent individual marks, so I figured they were "too small" to be seen and instead went for the larger marks-

This is a REALLY BAD! concept drawing I made in photoshop using my laptop touchpad mouse so definitly not the best- the colors are off and the percentage of coverage is nowhere close- the steps are basically the same as Maki- but instead of painting in large areas- it's all built up in straight lines which IMO helped me (might not work for you/anyone else though, everyone has their own style and grove) to keep things at 90 degree angles and the idea of digital pixles all looking somewhat on par.

Not saying you did it wrong or it doesn't look good, just trying to tell you how I got there incase you were looking for a different method

I'd also try experimenting with different brush sizes/toothpick point vs the thin/angled edge kind of "stamped" on to make a line? But it's looking really nice so far, just the only thing I thought I could try and give some constructive feedback on, everything else either looks amazing or makes me wonder why I didn't think of it!

Here's my old version of the same kit- maybe you'll understand why I'm totally blown away