WIP Artilleryman Ascari, Culqualber (Ethiopia) 1941

[Nap]

Looking good already!

Agree there Nigel.

Very clever modelling from eppi .....intrigued about the second hand ........

Nice to see some paint as well

Thanks for sharing the updates

Looking forward to seeing more

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[eppi]

Hi there!
Some steps forward in painting and the ascari has got his sandbag. Still much to do ...


I'm quite satisfied of the sandbag so I share its ... recipe and hope may help someone. It's 1/24th but I think this technique may work up to 1/35th ...

Take a tea and keep apart the teabag, that's the main stuff, it's very thin but very strong. Draw on the dried and opened teabag the sandbag (be generous, you will adjust dimensions later). In my scale it's 37 x 30 mm


Cut carefully and pre-fold


Mask


Spread white glue


The bag is ready


Fill the bag.
I made some tries: the bag carried by the ascari is filled with sand and it sounds good but is a bit ... hard to adjust; here I'm trying with spices and it looks softer but less "fat" ... Fill well, with the help of a stick with flat end; the bag is stronger than what one could think.


Prepare the lace to close the bag


Close


Adjust the edges


The bag is ready.


It takes 5-10 minutes to prepare a bag. then the bags will be arranged to build the repair or whatever. Once displayed the bag must be hardened with two layers of white glue; the first one is diluted (about 50%) with water so it penetrates the paper and part of the filling; once the first layer is dry the second layer, quite thick, gives consistence and allows to adjust some folds or whatever else.

Happy benchtime!

 

[NigelR]

Excellent updates, looking really good. Great work on the sandbags, although I feel just using Milliput or similar would have been a bit easier.........

 

[Nap]

Hi eppi

The figure looks really good now , impressive dedication on the sandbag and thanks for sharing the method .....you could use the left over tea leaves for groundwork ?

Thanks for updates

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[eppi]

"I can't get no satisfaction" sang Mick Jagger and so can't I
Not happy with the former too flat scene I searched some reference for the environment of Culqualber and I found something interesting: Cliffs and mountains seem made of a limestone with a dense net of fractures, like this



and this:



This is my try, with the firs layer of sandbags





And this is the composition, so far:



Any hint is always welcome!

 

[Briggsy]

Just caught up as this started before I joined, it's great to see how you have made the figures and how much detail you can get into a 1/24th figure, what does that equate to in millimetres? Going to carry on watching and get educated in the process.

The use of paper is really good, glad I'm not the only one who does this, I would appreciate your thoughts though I have considered using cigarette paper. Might be a good option because it is so thin but then might not stand up to too much handling and wet glue.

Cheers Simon

 

[Merryweather]

I have no hints other than to carry on - it looks brilliant!

 

[eppi]

Thanks Simon and Merryweather!

Just caught up as this started before I joined, it's great to see how you have made the figures and how much detail you can get into a 1/24th figure, what does that equate to in millimetres? Going to carry on watching and get educated in the process.

The use of paper is really good, glad I'm not the only one who does this, I would appreciate your thoughts though I have considered using cigarette paper. Might be a good option because it is so thin but then might not stand up to too much handling and wet glue.

Cheers Simon

1/24th equates to 70-75 mm (the average italian 40's man was 1,67 m tall so most of my figures are around 70 mm).
I find paper so versatile ... never thought about cigarette paper that is actually very thin.
Nevertheless I think that most of the parts I make with paper (cloths, straps, pouches, holsters ...) need a bit more thickness. I'll make some try, anyway.
In my experience ciano glue makes paper pretty strong and gives shape very quickly. White glue gives much more time to arrange paper BUT the paper tends to disaggregate when overmanipulated.
For sandbags I think that the tea filters are (AFAIK) the best choice because they stand pretty well the bear of the filling phase.

Greetings, Eros

 

[Briggsy]

Thanks Simon and Merryweather!


1/24th equates to 70-75 mm (the average italian 40's man was 1,67 m tall so most of my figures are around 70 mm).
I find paper so versatile ... never thought about cigarette paper that is actually very thin.
Nevertheless I think that most of the parts I make with paper (cloths, straps, pouches, holsters ...) need a bit more thickness. I'll make some try, anyway.
In my experience ciano glue makes paper pretty strong and gives shape very quickly. White glue gives much more time to arrange paper BUT the paper tends to disaggregate when overmanipulated.
For sandbags I think that the tea filters are (AFAIK) the best choice because they stand pretty well the bear of the filling phase.

Greetings, Eros

Cheers Eros, the figures I do tend to be 1/35th but I'm finding that quite restrictive these days but 70/75mm I find too large for my liking. I'll have to experiment.

Paper is very versatile and I do like using it, with superglue it is strong enough to do cap peaks even coat tails flapping in the wind.

Cheers Simon

 

[Nap]

Hi Eros

For me it’s a good tight composition, you’ll sort the groundwork out for sure

Is the back groundwork going any higher ?

Nice painting on the figures

Interesting conversation on materials between you and Briggsy

Following with interest

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[NigelR]

Wow. I liked the scene before but you have gone really ambitious with the groundwork now. So far it is looking great, very clever modelling. This certainly makes a bigger impact with this small vignette. I'm looking forward to seeing how you finish the groundwork, please do post some in progress pictures.

 

[eppi]

Hi Eros
Is the back groundwork going any higher ?
Nap

Thanks Nap, yep the stone wall in the background will be a little bit higher.

please do post some in progress pictures.

Thanks Nigel, yep I'll be glad to share updates! I swap updates for hints !

 

[Steve Ski]

Nice bag work, dio looks great from here!

 

[eppi]

Paper is very versatile and I do like using it, with superglue it is strong enough to do cap peaks (...).

Hi Simon,
here "my" peak cap, how do you make yours? the site is in italian but I think that pics are explicative enough.
Greetings!
https://www.modellismopiu.it/module...2866&forum=104&start=20&viewmode=flat&order=0

 

[MalcC]

Don't know how I missed this thread.
Amazing work, I'm now on board.

Malc

 

[Briggsy]

Hi Simon,
here "my" peak cap, how do you make yours? the site is in italian but I think that pics are explicative enough.
Greetings!
https://www.modellismopiu.it/module...2866&forum=104&start=20&viewmode=flat&order=0

Hi Eppi, I got on the site but couldn't find your pages, might do better on my laptop than my phone.

I have pictures of a kepi I have recently made, firstly I make the hat band in Magicsculpt and let this cure. Then carefully with a razor saw cut a shallow groove in at the bottom of the hat band, in this I secure a rough shape of the peak with superglue. Once set and secure the paper is thinly coated in superglue using a cocktail stick, the the damage from sawing is tidied up. I then cut and file the peak to shape.

A drooping peak is a little more complicated but does not need cutting with a saw. Again the cap band is formed with Magicsculpt and allowed to cure. Then a small protruding lip is added at the bottom of the cap band like this.

Now with paper cut a small crescent shape, I make this larger than needed so I can handle it more easily. This is then secured to the protruding lip with superglue, once secure the rest of the peak is carefully coated with superglue.

In both cases the stiffened paper can be gently cut and filed with sanding sticks. However the paper acts a bit like soft plastic giving you a burr that needs cutting away with a sharp blade.

All this is in 1/35th scale, I would imagine on larger figures like 75mm you could use the thinnest plastic card instead of paper, but I haven't tried that, yet.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers Simon

 

[eppi]

OoooK Simon!
I remember I followed the building of this figure and I guess that in 1/35th everything is very tiny (that's why I moved to larger prairies ) . Nevertheless you got a very good result.
About the link: did you try to scroll down? If I click on it, even where you quote me, it works ... anyway, on the site you find the SBS but this is the cap!

 

[Briggsy]

I shall have another look when I break out the laptop. That hat is awesome, just love that you get so much detail into it, is that brass wire in the badge?

I have a few projects I need to post up and finish so I'll have a go at larger scales, might be easier on my eyes and stubby fingers.

This is great, it's so true that everyday is a school day.

Cheers Simon

 

[eppi]

is that brass wire in the badge?

Yup! 3/10 mm brass wire (electrical copper wire would do as well)

Here a little step forward in the groundwork:

The stone wall is now a bit taller and some more sandbags are on the barricade.
In the upper part of the stone wall one can see the construction method: I cut 2-3 mm slices from a XPS slab (for insulation in buildings) and make an irregular contour on one side; then I stick a slice on the other one taking care of splitting the prominent parts (easier to do than to explain). Some random singular pieces here and there give a more natural face to the wall.

 

[Nap]

Hi Eros

Loving the work on that cap .....even more so with the scale

Nice additions on the groundwork

Thanks for the updates

Looking forward to seeing more

Happy benchtime

Nap