Battleof Long Tan -Naked Army 315mm

[Mark S]

Hi Tony,
In that first pic the pupils look uneven in size but not so much in the other pics.I guess there's still some way to go there.

But when do you intend to deal with that goiter,I would have thought you'd want to have that all sorted by the time you've started on facial detail.

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your comments mate. Yes, there's still a long way togo.

I decided to get started on the eyes before I stick the head on, so I have some reference for the skin and hair colours.

Once the head is fixed in place, I will paint over the joins and then start the process of building up the shadow and highlight colours on the skin.

Just for your reference, each eyeball is almost the same size as a 54mm head, so there is plenty of scope for super detailed painting.

Cheers

 

[Mark S]

That is an amazing point to keep in mind about the relative size of the eyeballs~A lot of work ahead then.

 

[tonydawe]

Metallics and more highlighting

Hi guys,

Here are my latest progress pics.

I've done most of the metallics and a bit more work on the boots and webbing.

They now need to be shadowed and highlighted.

Cheers

 

[tonydawe]

The Thousand Yard Stare

Hi Guys.

Latest progress pics show the work I've done tonight and last night on the eyes.

The irises are painted from outside to inside Oxford Blue, Intense Blue and Andrea Blue, with Chaos Black pupils. The pupils look a bit small and uneven to me.

I'm trying to recreate a look in the eyes known to combat veterans, particularly of the Vietnam War, as the "Thousand Yard Stare". The look is described by some as if the person is loking right through you, as if you weren't there.

It's a look my wife managed to perfect without ever being in Vietnam or in combat.

I've also added a bit of Orange Red around the eyeballs to create the effect of tiredness, exhaustion and sleep deprivation. This will eventually be blended into the skin colour.

The eyes look a bit freaky at the moment but they will look a lot better once the skin tones are added and blended.

Hope you like. Comments are, as always, very welcome.

Cheers

 

[tonydawe]

He's Baaaack

Hi guys,

I haven't done any work on this figure since last May, however last night I decided it was time to crack on with him and stop making excuses.

I've started laying in the mid shadows and highlights on the face and touching up the eyes. There's still a long way to go on the face, and even further to go with the uniform.

I hope to have this figue finished by June.

Comments/ criticisms welcome

 

[John Bowery]

Tony,
Looking very good so far.
Cheers,
John

 

[Chrisr]

Hi Tony,

Again superb work as usual. I don't want to criticise the work, yours is always excellent, but if I may make a small observation.

My immediate reaction to the smiling face was that this would have been well before rather than immediately after the battle. Having been in action myself in Vietnam I can say that the last thing we would ever do after a fire fight was smile, particularly in the way your model is. There is no happiness after a battle, just relief that one is still alive.

I was the technical advisor on the AWM film "A Letter from Long Tan" which is shown every 15 minutes in the Vietnam section of the Memorial. After looking at the few photos taken after the battle, talking with survivors and my own experience after a firefight the overwhelming feeling was one of exhaustion and relief. They were certainly happy to be out of it but the smile on the figure doesn't really convey the true feeling of someone who has been through a harrowing four hour battle in which each of the survivors felt they wouldn't get out alive. I would have thought a drawn and haggard face would be better.

Hope you don't mind me making this comment now but this is the first time I have seen the thread.

The battle was fought in a blinding rain storm and the mud was a rich earth red. Interestingly, according to some of the survivors they were covered in mud at the front but the rain had washed their backs clean. All of the dead were washed quite clean.

Again congratulations on the work done so far.

Cheers
Chris

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks John, I always appreciate your comments.

Chris, I greatly appreciate your advice and greatly respect your opinions. I build and paint these figures as a way of honouring the service and sacrifice of men like you, so I do try to get them absolutely right.

I called this thread "Battle of Long Tan" because the "original" Naked Army figure was supposed to represent a digger from 1966 (the same year as Long Tan), however I removed the original head (which had a rather uninteresting expression) and replaced it with this head (which comes from a 2AIF Tobruk figure) because I really liked the smiling facial expression. To me, it conveys a typically Australian attitude of smiling in the face of adversity.

Now that I've had a chance to think about your comments, I agree that this type of broad smiling face may be appropriate in a thousand other situations, but doesn't look appropriate in a post-battle scene.

Therefore, when it comes to posting the final pics I'll start a new thread and call it "Australian Infantry Vietnam 1966" and I'll call it the same thing if I'm showing the figure publicly.

 

[specmod]

Gidday Tony, just read though all the remarks and comments made on this thread, nothing new from me, but would like to say WOW!! Great stuff mate.
Cheers Andrew

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Andrew, I appreciate your comments and hope to have some new pics to show you soon. Life keeps getting in the way of doing my figures.

 

[1969]

Nice work on the figure Tony and such a big task to undertake painting this scale.
I really like these NA figures,the sculpting is superb.

Steve

 

[pmfs]

Hello Tony

Great project. Keep us updated!

Regards from Portugal
Pedro

 

[ubbi]

Tony, looking absolutely great, I imagine still now how it will be when finished ... I think awesome...


Stefano

 

[tonydawe]

Thank you Steve, Pedro and Stefano,

I'm very pleased you like this figure and I thank you all for your kind words.

Its taking far longer than I intended to paint him and I keep find excuses not to do more work on him. I must admit I'm struggling to find the motivation to finish him. I still have so much painting to do. The eyes are starting to bug me. I think I'll change them to brown to match his hair colour. The blue eyes are too blue.

I hope to have a big session on him this weekend and I will post some more pics.

 

[Jamie Stokes]

Looking forward to seeing the rework Tony,
after all, each eyeball being the size of a 54mm head!!!

lot of scope for detail, but has to match!!! Arrrghhh!!!

Rest of the figure looks great so far, particularly the effects of mud on his khaki ODs

Cheers

 

[Chrisr]

Tony,

I am sure you will get to this, but thought I would mention the sweat lines. Down the front of the shirt along where the buttons. Very dark green. It was hot work. I am not sure how you can inject the aroma - we stank.

Cheers
Chris

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Chris,

I think you'll be pleased with what I've been doing lately mate. I've been applying numerous washes of oils (van dyke brown, prussian blue and black) over the shirt to simulate sweat stains. I'm afraid I can't do much about the smell except invite people to use their imaginations.

I know what I smelt like after a couple of weeks in the bush, and that was pretty putrid. Thankfully everyone else smelt just as bad so you didn't really notice the pong until you got back.

 

[Chrisr]

Hi Tony,

I am sure I will be. Not so sure what happened to my previous post as much of it is missing after the word buttons.

Cheers
Chris

 

[tonydawe]

Hi guys,

Here are the latest WIP pics.

Still loads to do, particularly on the SLR rifle, hands and face.

Comments welcome.