The plan for this last week was to get the waves done and that is what I managed to do.
There are plenty of techniques out there, several of which some of you were kind enough to bring to my attention. In the end I went for a combination. The sea painting that I done last week was almost entirely based on this video. This video then goes on to use the wave technique and materials suggested by Luke over at Luke’ APS.
Here is the link to the Luke’s APS video.
Last week I ended the sea painting at the point of the first image below. The rest of the images show the build up of the waves.
I haven’t gone into to much detail on the technique as it is is explained much better in the video but will add a few comments of my own. Firstly, the waves were done over a few days. Although the Clear Fix and Isoproponal Alcohol 99.9% mix does dry pretty quickly I decided to leave it for an extended period between each layering stage. I saw no need to rush things and having come this far had no desire to cock things up due to impatience. Secondly, I added no ink or colouring to the mix until the very final layer was applied. Here I added some white ink and added the mixture sparingly over the top of the waves until I felt it looked OK.
Personally I’m pleased with how it turned out and a little bit of wadding from She Who Must Be Obeyed’s sewing stuff provided a little sea mist. I’ll let you judge for yourselves how it looks. What I would also add is it is a very clean process which for someone who works in the mess I do at times was a little bonus.
There you have it, the waves are finally done and overall the base it looking pretty good. A little more work to be done in terms of weathering but almost there for sure.
Next week I will start on the second figure and think about how to resolve a little problem I have created for myself.
“Lewis” is another Hasslefree figure which will come as no surprise to any of you given how much I love this range. In my vision of an apocalyptic world I see Lewis as a Zombie beheader, I rather think the sizeable axe steered me in that direction! Accordingly the base needed a Zombie head on it so there was nothing for it but another TIM conversion. In this instance I took a sharp blade and cut the head from the body of a figure I had. Feel free to follow me for more tips and in depth tutorials on figure conversion! 😂😂
The figure itself conjured up an image for me of an apocolyptic IRO, albeit that the figure is a bit more butch. So with that in mind I gave him a couple of arm tattoos and as a tribute to the fact that IRO is a gardener added some flowers to the base.
For the benefit of scale, and based on a comment Faust recently made, I have include an additional photo, something which I might do a little more often!
Another of my leftover and forgotten Footsore Baron’s War figures. I still have another four foot figures to do and a couple of mounted figures as well. Each one done I’ll consider a bonus but I have a sneaky feeling I’m going to get bored with these long before I finish them and if I don’t you guys certainly will. I might have to look at what else is in my pile which, with a push, I might be inspired to do. Failing that I might have to resort to buying something new. It’s a tried and tested method that has always worked in the past and I can’t see it letting me down! 😉
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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The Wednesday Whinge
Let me say up front that I am not anti Human rights but like other policies, Health and Safety springs to mind, there are grey areas. In this instance my issue is a simple one, when does one persons human rights become detrimental the human rights of another? The latest example of this is the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Within the UK there are a number of people, not exclusively ethnic or religious groups although they do make up a large proportion from what I understand, who are refusing to have the vaccine. Personally I couldn’t care less if these individuals do not have the vaccine. If they want to risk their own lives they are more than welcome to. It is their human right to refuse the jab and if they die of Covid then they might be sadly missed by others but they won’t be missed by me. But what about the human rights of others? Are people not entitled to walk around feeling safe? Should NHS front line workers continue to be at risk just because some people won’t have the vaccine?
Ignorance and fake news has played a significant part in raising concerns over the safety of the vaccine and its side effects but hopefully most people will eventually see the light. Personally I just think the vaccine should be made compulsory but of course plenty of people will jump on the band wagon and say you can’t. That’s fine, just don’t expect the NHS to bale you out.
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Give Me Five
This week I decided to choose my top 5 sitcoms. It took all of a few seconds to realise this was going to be impossible unless I split it between the UK and the US so this week I have gone with the UK and next week we can do the US. I still found it very, very difficult as so many shows have made me laugh out loud over the years. In no particular order I settled on the following:
The Office
Extras
Only Fools and Horses
Fawlty Towers
The Inbetweeners
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“The Jean Genie” by David Bowie. Classic track from one of my absolute favourite performers. Sadly no longer with us but his music lives on.
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This week TIM has been watching …
“Ivanhoe” starring Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor. The original film adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel. Thought I would sit down and watch a classic. In truth the acting is dire and the quality of the filming and effects are little better. The story is still a classic though and the young Elizabeth Taylor remains for me the most beautiful women of her generation.
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Remember …
If at first you don’t succeed it’s only attempted murder.
This week was simply about painting the sea and adding much needed colour to the base rocks. The first picture in the sequence below is where I finished last week.
The green on the rocks will be dry brushed further and toned down a little bit but the sea painting in the final image sequence is as good as there. Just how much of the sea colour will be seen once the waves have been added remains to be seen but the colour cannot be added afterwards so there is no choice but to play safe.
I wasn’t about to use up loads of my Vallejo paints given the reasonably large expanse so I bought some new acrylic paints off of Ebay. The paints were “Artiste” acrylic paints which came in 59ml bottles and at about £2.00 a bottle represented very good value for money. More importantly they turned out to be good paints and I wont hesitate to buy more as and when I feel the need to.
I bought half a dozen colours and starting with black and dark blue I worked my way up to lighter shades of blue and finally on to green. Blending the colours took time and might end up proving an unnecessary step but as previously stated I’ll only know that later.
Next week I aim to tackle the waves. I’ve done a couple of dry runs and am feeling good about what needs to be done and how to do them and it all seems pretty straight forward. I also have a couple of figures which need to be painted and a decision to be made in respect of the tower but that can all wait for now. The waves comes first.
I decided a review of my bits box and all of my modelling stuff was long overdue. Time I felt to clear out the stuff that I would never ever finish or even start in the first place. In theory this was a good idea but in practice it turned out to be a little depressing. I had no idea I had accumulated so much stuff that I had forgotten about. Only recently I had thought all of my knights had been done but oh! no. Consequently this week, and by way of a change from Hasslefree and Knuckleduster, I have a Footsore Knight, one of half a dozen foot knights I aim to work on until I get bored. All rather plain and simple but that I’m afraid is where my level of interest began and ended so not very exciting.
Overall I did manage to clear out some bits and I certainly tidied things up a lot that’s for sure but on the downside, largely out of guilt, my to do pile grew even bigger. I was confronted with the inevitable choice of getting them all done or bothering only to do some. It was time to man up or be a mouse. Squeak. Yep, I put most of them back and decided to face them all another day.
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Well It Made Me Laugh
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The Wednesday Whinge
I’m not one to shy away from a controversial subject, truth be told I like a grown up debate on pretty much anything but lockdown is preventing me form going to the pub with my mate John and putting the world to rights. As a consequence this part of my blog is taking on the temporary role of filling this void until lockdown is eased. This week I thought I would consider the subject of bullying, specifically when is the line truly crossed?
When I was a lad at school bullying was clearly defined, if you were physically picked on or had things like your dinner money stolen you were being bullied. Pretty much everything else came under the banner of “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”. In short, man up was essentially the message of the day. Tough love and not great but that was the situation back then and as someone with ginger hair (its auburn son, not ginger) I had more than my fair share of verbal “banter” and one or two fights along the way. Even my teachers would single me out at times!
In fairness everyone back then got picked on for something, typically the characteristic that made them standout – glasses/four eyes, the fat kid, the tall lanky one, the ginger, the nerd, the spotty kid, etc. Like it or lump these were their distinguishing features and kids as we know can be cruel. Tabloid Cartoonists work in exactly the same way by highlighting key characteristics and then emphasising them and yet ironically that’s considered acceptable. But is it funny or cruel? Even the tough kids weren’t exempt. Generally they were considered thick but you just didn’t tell them to their face!
So, back in my youth was any of that acceptable? Certainly not by today’s standards but that was the way it was and why for some people of my generation it is hard to determine what is and what isn’t bullying in the modern world. Being beaten up is still way out of line and we have rightly moved on in recognising other forms of bullying behaviour, well in theory at least. Verbal bullying is unpleasant of course it is (I certainly never enjoyed it) as is online bullying and other forms but does it all need to be reported or just simply ignored? Social media has a lot to answer for but why not switch it off?
I’m not condoning any of this type of behaviour but I do wonder in a general sense if we are pampering a little too much to some people’s sensitivities? Some kids and adults too these days strike me as overly fragile. As I hold out little hope of bullying ever being stamped out completely I do fear for those of a weaker disposition and wonder if the subject wasn’t better deat with when I was a kid.
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Give Me Five
Last week I chose my top 5 dinner guests no longer with us, this week if I have chosen my top 5 people currently alive who I would like to chat with over dinner and glass or two of wine. To provide a mix I went for a politician, comedian, sports person, actor/actress and a TV personality. I did also cheat in that I would have two evenings, the other would be just me with Jenna Coleman. It’s my blog so my rules and if I want to cheat I will! As to the five, in no particular order they are:
Boris Johnson
Lee Mack
Alex Morgan
Tom Cruise
Amanda Holden
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This week TIM has been listening to …
“Word Up!” By Korn. I do like this track but the dogs in the video are a little freaky. Can’t help but think there is a modelling conversion to be had here chaps!
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This week TIM has been watching …
“Line of Duty”. With the new series due out soon I thought I would binge the first five series. Whilst each series has its own story line there is a thread that runs throughout. Am currently on series four which featured Thandie Newton. A seriously great drama in my opinion.
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Remember …
Money cannot buy happiness but it sure can make misery easier to live with.
The first picture below shows where I got to with the base as of last week. The Tower base had been fixed to the diorama base and additional rocks and sand had been added to extend the rocky outcrop. DAS clay had also been applied with the outline of the waves having been formed. Left to completely dry the next step was to set about painting all the rocks and sand to blend with those on the tower. In theory this was straight forward but in practice it took a little longer than anticipated. Even though all the new rocks had been primed with diluted matt white enamel, my usual priming method, the different materials and levels of absorbency meant additional coats were required here and there.
Photos two, three and four show the end result albeit that more dry brushing and weathering will be done at some point.
With all that grey and brown going on I was in desperate need of adding some colour to my palette and decided to return to painting the wizard figure that I had started last week. In truth I have no idea where on earth he is going to be positioned but I’ll worry about that much later. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. My level of detailed planning simply doesn’t go that far!
As to the little chap himself some photos below. Where I could I tried to pimp him up a bit with some hoops on his hat and flames on his back.
The little chap will now be set aside, it will be a while before he is needed again.
My aim for the coming week is to start painting the sea.
Another week and once again I managed to achieve my aims. In truth I feel I could and perhaps should have done more. My enthusiasm for the project is as high as as it has been from the start but I just don’t seem to be able to shrug off the level of sluggishness that I have developed. I feel sure this has so much to do with lockdown and repetition to my daily life. If it wasn’t for sticking with the blog and trying to hit my self imposed publication days I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you what day of the week it was.
So, how did I manage to get on?
The first image of the immediate three below is where the base was last week. Once the PVA had dried out a few more stones were added to the front area I then I started to apply filler. On this occasion I went for using DAS clay. It dries quicker, not that I was in any rush, and for what I had in mind was easier to work with and shape.
In the third photo you can see that I have started to shape the waves. A big thank you to those of you who were kind enough to share some tips and YouTube links. I have now worked out what I plan to do and will go into more detail in a future post. The shapes made so far are really only the foundations. The important thing is they are reasonably spaced out and all travelling in the same direction. I went for waves coming in from an angle as I thought it would look better on the eye. Time will tell but of course but by then it will be to late! You will also notice that in addition to the rocks some sand has also been added. Continue reading “Dio-Bolical Monday No: 14 – “The Wizard’s Tower” – Part 5″→
Progress this week was slower than anticipated. Looking back I can’t really account for why that was. I didn’t lack for enthusiasm but a few bits and pieces domestically and a few model bits arriving in the post provided a degree of distraction. Still, I’m not working to any sort of deadline so I don’t intend to beat myself up about it. Looking back at the previous post my aim for this week was to start on the base section and the base itself. As I managed both I guess my objective for the week was achieved.
The first image shows the base as it was last week with the stone work largely done but with the rocks still to be painted. In the second photo the rocks have been painted, a little weathering has been done on the tower stone work and I have cut some rough pieces of plaster board to elevate the tower further. You can also see the wooden base the tower will be fixed to as well.
I’m still going for an overall dark look but at the same time needed some contrast between the dark grey stone colour of the tower and the rocks so I settled on various shades of brown.
The reason for elevating the tower further is because I want to have it set on a wider rock base with the sea lapping up against the rocks. Well that’s the theory at least although I’m still not entirely sure how I am going to do the sea but I am more than happy with pressing on with the rock outcrop. As usual I looked to the slate and granite chippings I have on my front garden path as the go to material to use. I needed a few and although I can’t explain my selection process I some how instinctively know what shape and texture I’m looking for. Washed and dried I then set bout trying to put them into position whilst ensuring they blend in with the rocks on the model itself. Far easier said than done and far more time consuming than you might think.
The first image below shows another angle of the base sitting on the roughly cut plaster board pieces which have been stuck together and fixed to the main base using PVA. The second and third photos show the plaster board having been carved out and shaped with the granite and slate chippings being positioned and held in place, again using PVA. The last picture was a brief inspection one of how the base of the model and the base being built will line up.
There are more stones and chippings to be added but for now these need to dry otherwise everything will slip and slide all over the place. From a personal point of view I am happy with how this is coming along. To others, a bit like my Fools Gold diorama, this stage looks like a complete mess but trust me it’s going to look OK in the end! 🤞
Where do we go from here?
Finish adding the stones and chippings and then I need to add filler of some sort to the base while I think about how I am going to do the waves. That’s going to need a lot of thought and there will be some drying time needed as well but if I can get my head around the waves I will be pleased. It might also be a good time to make a start on one of the figures too.
The plan for the last week was to get the turret done and begin work on the top section of the tower. Every section of this model is a painting marathon but so far I am loving every minute of it. Yes I know an airbrush would have quickened things up but I’m a brush guy and am happily losing myself in this project. Although I consider the progress I am making to be very pleasing I’m conscious of the fact that from a blog posting point of view things might be a little dull. Hopefully though the images towards the end of this post will provide some idea of scale and why it is a beast of a model.
The first couple of photos today are of the outside of the turret. There are five turret windows and each one takes a while to do but I love the way they look. Not my idea as I have said before but thanks to the YouTube link I have previously posted. The wooden shingles have all been painted using a combination of various earth coloured oils and most of the weathering has been done too. The grain and texture engraved in the model is simply brilliant. As you can see in the second image their is a top piece still to be painted. I’m leaving that for now so I can pick the top up rather than manhandling the paint work so far done.
With the turret largely out of the way it was time to move on to the stone section. As with the rest of the model it is very highly detailed and getting into the various nooks and crannies to paint everything is time consuming and more than a little repetitive but with YouTube on I was happily zoned out. No real secret to any of the painting here. Just a couple of base colours, washes to get into the dark recessed areas and highlights and dry brushing on edges and where else I felt it was appropriate for weathering. As with the all the tower painting so far done there is much more weathering to be done but that will come later.
In the third image below I have inserted the room which I got painted last week. The fit is perfect and was easily glued into place.
With the room in place I added the turret. Again the fit is perfect although there is only one way the turret can be positioned so I colour marked it for ease as it will not be glued down, that way it will be possible to see inside the room. The colour marks aren’t visible when the turret is on.
With the top section put together it was time for a motivational assembly of the main pieces. It is nice to take time out and see how things are progressing. So far so good and I am very pleased with things as they currently stand. That said there is a long way to go.
Plenty more to paint on the tower. The base hasn’t even been started and there are figures and other bits and bobs to be done. A good many weeks work lay ahead. Next week I will aim to get the rocks done on the base section. Then I might start to think about how to go about getting the base done.
In response to Alex’s annual Fembruary challenge I managed to pick up a couple of female figures from Hasslefree. This is the first and goes by the name of “Glory”. I might get the second one done as it’s early in the month but we’ll have to see.
I was conscious of the challenge brief so focused on females with attitude rather than the skyclad females which I have done in the past and which Hasslefree have on offer. Miss Glory fits the bill of a no nonsense, mess with me at your peril, kind of women. This is admirable in conflict situations and I for one would be more than happy to have some one like her watching my back although I suspect it would be me looking at hers as she takes the fight to the enemy. Whether I would be happy to have a relationship with a women who is more hard nosed and intimidating than me or the the average guy is something else entirely but it probably wouldn’t be my decision to make!
There are more stones and chippings to be added but for now these need to dry otherwise everything will slip and slide all over the place. From a personal point of view I am happy with how this is coming along. To others, a bit like my Fools Gold diorama, this stage looks like a complete mess but trust me it’s going to look OK in the end! 🤞
The Imperfect Modeller 