WIP "Easy Pickins"

[Steve Ski]

Pleased you like the idea, not sure where you would find examples of Geoff Barnes work.on line as his articles appeared in military modelling but worth a look if you can find it, he is rather prolific and does things on a large scale.

The MG looks awesome, almost expect functional working parts. Good luck with the resin link ammo, another idea would be to get suitable lengths of brass rod, cut to size as spent casings in the side car.

Cheers Simon

If Geoff is still around and still building box dios at 80, like the article states, he's one "paint sniffin finger gluin" Master! I will be reworking the angle of attack, Simon, makes perfect sense to me.
https://www.boxdioramas.com/geoff-barnes
P.S. for spent casings, I've got a few strips of ammo link I've already jacked up, so the shells are ready made.

Great stuff Steve. Steves resin 1/9 stuff is A grade. Love the idea and brush work, it’s going to be superb.

Ya, Buddy, he's dedicated to quality and realism. Thanks for watchin, Dave!

Superb work drilling out the MG34 shroud to allow for a barrel to show, great idea Ski. Cheers Steve

Thanks, Stevo. Like I said, no blow outs as long as you drill slowly. I worked very well and I'm likeing the look.

 

[Henk]

Super project Steve, I'm going to follow this.

I agree with the "forced perspective" idea, and by putting the GI in front, and the Germans back, the viewer will get a similar view to the GI, kind of showing g what he's seeing. If that makes sense.

I've been wanting to make a "forced perspective " diorama for yonks, using a 1/35 scale Anti tank gun, and a few 1/72 or even smaller tanks. What's holding me back, is my lack of carpentry skills and tools. Yours is going to be a stunning piece of kit.

 

[marco14]

och if it came from Reedees miniatures ,then is it always great,no problems with the things,looks very nice

Mario

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Henk and Mario. Once I finish prepping and painting the gear and clean up the figures a bit the base will be the main focus. I've got some good ideas for the veggie work too.

Thanks, Gents.

 

[Steve Ski]

Time for the Details

When getting back into working this R75 I realized just how much I had to do to get it in shape for the finish. I had to redo the unit decals, because I never paid attention to which unit was portrayed in the kit set. I needed to mount the MG34 gun plus the ammo belt, add the ammo drum rack, and pin and mount the storage boxes. The ammo belt took a bit of careful work, but Steve has made working the belts easier by how they were cast. They are still very delicate, and you will break them. I think everyone does break a few, but with a little care you can make them work as needed.

In between working the R75 I also prepped the 98K rifle. For that I added a light wood grain pattern and used Raw Umber oils for the stock color tone. For the metal I did and experiment that seems to be working well so far. With a layer of Tamiya Flat Black in place I used standard carpenter’s pencil lead applied with a mascara applicator to all the high points. I then gave the metal a wash mix of Ivory Black and Brunt Umber oils to set in all the recesses. Once this was completely dry, I then used the applicator again but this time I used tube graphite that had been crushed fine. This last step seems to give a more silver tone to the barrel on the top high points. It may not look like much yet, but the MG34 is a better example of how well this worked.

I’m now in the process of painting the stowage gear, and I still need to fling on some dirt and mud splatter onto the R75, plus get the tires in order. Once the R75 is up to speed I will finish any punch list items for each figure, there are quite a few, and get ready for the base.

Just a quick note; the difference in my figure painting quality from ten plus years ago to today is glaring me in the face. I’m almost embarrassed to put some of these guys into this dio, but I’m going to let it ride and get this beast of a project finished. No, I am not going to redo any of the older figures, other than add a glint to the eyes and adjust some minor issues. Wow, I never really gave that “glint” a thought way back then, HA! What a trip, lol. Ahhh, we’ll call this dio a time capsule, Ya?


More to follow soon and thanks for watching. Cheers, Ski.

 

[Briggsy]

That's looking.like you're really enjoying this the bike and sidecar look awesome as do the weapons. I've used a B grade pencil before to depict bare metal but your technique sounds a lot better.

Cheers Simon

 

[Henk]

That R75 looks stunning Steve, the way have made that Grey look aged and dirty is fantastic. The stock for the rifle is equally beautiful, if you don't mind, these pictures go into my reference folder.. .

And as for looking at how we all painted years ago, of course we (hopefully) improve and change some of our techniques. Having them side by side in the display, shows how we have improved. I mean, we may look at an older piece today, and think "oh my, what was I thinking", but we were proud of it then, and should still be.

Anyway, ruck on Steve. Ruck on...

 

[Waterlooman]

I didn't think someone would post pics of there real bike in here - great work.

W.

 

[Dr Force]

Yep, A grade work from the Ski as always. Details look fantastic, bike looks very good indeed…..you got this buddy.

 

[Warren SMITH]

Fantastic work.. looking forward to seeing it all come together..

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Guys. I really appreciate the compliments.

That's looking.like you're really enjoying this the bike and sidecar look awesome as do the weapons. I've used a B grade pencil before to depict bare metal but your technique sounds a lot better. Cheers Simon

I almost used an HB pencil, but I was leary of the smudge possibilities, less control with that heavy lead.

That R75 looks stunning Steve, the way have made that Grey look aged and dirty is fantastic. The stock for the rifle is equally beautiful, if you don't mind, these pictures go into my reference folder.. .

And as for looking at how we all painted years ago, of course we (hopefully) improve and change some of our techniques. Having them side by side in the display, shows how we have improved. I mean, we may look at an older piece today, and think "oh my, what was I thinking", but we were proud of it then, and should still be.

Anyway, ruck on Steve. Ruck on...

Thanks, Henk, but it's tough looking at these guys for this a current dio. Lesson learned??? Don't wait forever to build your wife her curio cabinet, HA!

I didn't think someone would post pics of there real bike in here - great work. W.

If I could only find them dang keys, right? Thanks, Buddy!

Yep, A grade work from the Ski as always. Details look fantastic, bike looks very good indeed…..you got this buddy.

Thanks, Dave, I appreciate that. This puppy is anitomically correct, as far as I could get it, that is. Wiring, plumbing, everything I could do to get it accurate, and I bet I still missed something, but oh well, it sails as is, lol.

Fantastic work.. looking forward to seeing it all come together..

Thanks, Warren, me too, HA!

 

[NigelR]

This is lo0oking really good, I love the work on the bike. I like your approach to the metal on the gun, I have adopted a similar approach recently and I think it works well.

Just a quick note; the difference in my figure painting quality from ten plus years ago to today is glaring me in the face. I’m almost embarrassed to put some of these guys into this dio, but I’m going to let it ride and get this beast of a project finished.

I tend to throw away older work when it's clearly not up to my current standard. So I think it's really good you have rescued these guys and will complete the project. I always take the view that figures in a diorama don't have to be as well painted as individual figures, because the overall scene is more important than the individual parts. So I think you can pull this off and make it another impressive diorama.

 

[1969]

Great to see these updates on the project Ski, bike looks fantastic, the weathering is just nice without being overdone, looks used and worn as it should. Liking you weapon painting technique, will give this a go for myself.
Cheers mate,
Steve

 

[Steve Ski]

This is lo0oking really good, I love the work on the bike. I like your approach to the metal on the gun, I have adopted a similar approach recently and I think it works well.

I tend to throw away older work when it's clearly not up to my current standard. So I think it's really good you have rescued these guys and will complete the project. I always take the view that figures in a diorama don't have to be as well painted as individual figures, because the overall scene is more important than the individual parts. So I think you can pull this off and make it another impressive diorama.

Thanks, Nigel. I thinking this would mitigate adding too much paint and lose a lot of the detailed parts of the rifle, like has happened so often in the past. So far it appears to work nicely. I understand your point on the older figures, the scenario is the big picture, but each element accents the main. I, however, have never ditched any past work, just too sentimental I recon, lol.

Great to see these updates on the project Ski, bike looks fantastic, the weathering is just nice without being overdone, looks used and worn as it should. Liking you weapon painting technique, will give this a go for myself.

Cheers mate, Steve

Thanks, Stevo. The R75 needs that older beat look, but not entirely derelict. I will add some minor crusted mud on the lower portions and dust the upper section just to replicate road splatter and dust, but not much more. I understand the units in France did try to keep em clean, but not always repainted them, so moderation will be observed here.

Someone many moons ago gave me a great critic on the chipping spots, etc. I never copied the name, but he was very helpful in keeping me from overdoing the wear and tear. I still need to address a few areas and tone down the chipping.


P.S. That rifle has some really great detail, Bro, fine work!

 

[Ferris]

Loving how you did that bike Steve. The grey and all the different finishes on the details work perfectly. Great job!

Adrian

 

[MalcC]

How have I missed this thread. Awesome work, the detail is perfection.

Malc

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you, Adrian and Malc. This bike was done quite awhile ago and had been sitting waiting for some space to finish the dio. Sure is fun to get back at it, it's a great kit.

Hey, Malc, it happens to me all the time, lol. No worries.

 

[Osebor]

Wonderful work! Like the way to bring to life the Kar98

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you, Osebor!

 

[Steve Ski]

R75 Almost Complete

The R75 and sidecar are nearly completed. I just have a few more items to deal with such as toning down the rusty tail pipe, clean up some overzealous scratches and rust marks, splatter some euro dirt, and dust up a few locations up from the underside.

All the gear has been painted and installed including some paperwork and maps, a few stick grenades, ammo cans, and the aftermarket accessory set from Reedees Miniatures. I wanted the sidecar to look somewhat messy with papers and gear in disarray. I understand many of the motorcycle units pretty much lived in their rigs, but these guys are local to the Normandy area, so I couldn’t get too carried away. I just love the passenger’s smirk on his face indicating he’s not really sure where he is, lol. He doesn’t appear to be the most organized fellow anyway. More on him later as we get closer to the figure placement.

Here’s a few full rig shots. The tires have been dusted as well as the spare on the rack. I used an odd mixture of pine sap and bees wax to clean off the Mig Pigments dusting on the tire treads. I know this is a very odd thing to use, but the wet sponge just wasn’t “cuttin the mustard” and the pine salve just happened to be handy, lol. It actually worked very well and without a sheen, excellent!

Now you can see the unit decal on the front of the sidecar. I had to play with the patch in “MS Paint” before printing on clear decal paper. There was a learning curve. Then, not being satisfied with the results, I hand painted each decal over the printed pattern. It wasn't too difficult, I used a very tiny brush and painted over the yellow printed color. I may need to touch up the decal on the R75 saddle box, it’s looking a bit odd from these photos.

The R75 is in the cabinet until the figures have been addressed. Once the figures are set, I will figure out how the layout will work best and begin the base work. The final stages are in motion and the veggies will follow very soon.


Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.