WIP Mike's WW1 NZRB Lewis Gunner Bust in 1\6th

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Hello Mike,
I reckon the wire is a bit too short! It needs to be a bit over-long to allow for bending and adjustment. But there is a way to fudge this if you have the wire glued in already (please say you have NOT glued the wire into the torso!):

I have not glued wire & have plenty spare Mike
Starting to get hang of this coaching thing ;-)

just cut a short length of the wire and stuff it into the hole on the torso. I generally glue the wire into the head and leave it loose in the torso. It is easier to work with that way. But honestly, a longer wire is preferred. The best way to go is to drill a fairly deep hole in the torso - say an inch or so. Then use a wire which is obviously too long. You can always shorten it as needed once you start bending it into shape. But you cannot lengthen it if you cut it too short at the outset!

But I can offer an alternative to using a longer wire - see my comments below the photo.

You will be glad to have the extra length when it comes time to smooth the neck and paint. Then you can just pop the head off, stick it in a pin-vise or block of wood and work away at the head and neck without the rest of the bust getting on the way. Wouldn't that be nice?

"Wouldn't that be nice?" OK now you're getting cruel!
I'm getting ya, Step1: separate head, easy to paint...

Either way, the wire is too short (utilizing your present drilled holes) to bring the head forward to a reasonable position. ...
So, the red lines show you about where your new neck should be. Stay inside the lines! You do not want his neck getting too fat. ...
Once you have the wire in place and have the head positioned where you think it should go, post some new pics and let me have a look before you glue or start filling in anything! Stuff is easy to fix when it is just wire and air. But not so much when you have filled in stuff before it is right. I suspect you have figured that out at this point......
Mike

Oh yes Sir - I've figured that out now
Good detailed description again & get where you are coming from.
Will pull put drill, rod & pliers tonite to,see if we can finally bring this baby home!

Talk soon

Mike

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Hello Mike,
I reckon the wire is a bit too short! ...
... You can see where your present wire emerges from the torso just above the collar. If the wire is still loose, one really easy way to go is to drill a new hole in the torso in front of the present one to align with the upper wire in the photo.
...
So, the red lines show you about where your new neck should be. Stay inside the lines! You do not want his neck getting too fat. Notice how that rear line now goes up at a forward angle - rather than the straight line of the original - and - how it leaves a bit of a gap between the neck and the collar. That is what you are aiming for mate!

Once you have the wire in place and have the head positioned where you think it should go, post some new pics and let me have a look before you glue or start filling in anything! Stuff is easy to fix when it is just wire and air. But not so much when you have filled in stuff before it is right. I suspect you have figured that out at this point......

Mike

Ok Mike Sensei ;-)

Some folk maybe getting bored with our banter & back&forth cropped photos, but for me it beats painting (Not!)

Let's see if we can close this off & give Charlie back his neck.

Steps done:
1. New torso hole drilled forward of old one & deeper
2. New longer aluminium rod inserted (not glued!) to join head & torso
3. New photos added here
4. We got "wire and air" to play with

Take it away Maestro...

 

[Wayneb]

Not bored at all....Actually enjoying where you are going to take the excellent SBS by Mike(Sensei).You can't beat what he is telling you.I will say it again....Paint job is excellent......Keep it goin.............Wayne

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Not bored at all....Actually enjoying where you are going to take the excellent SBS by Mike(Sensei).You can't beat what he is telling you.I will say it again....Paint job is excellent......Keep it goin.............Wayne

Glad you're still there Wayne & looking forward to finally getting paint brushes wet.
Must say I didn't see this SBS panning out this way.

Heard a great quote the other day which seems sort of appropriate when I reflect on this detour

"Sometimes when you follow your dreams you get lost and find another one instead."

Must away, got a Lewis Gun to start paintin' until MikeG wakes up on his side of our small world.

 

[bonehead]

Well Mike, as I said in my last post: "one really easy way to go is to drill a new hole in the torso in front of the present one to align with the upper wire in the photo."

Do that, and you will not need to do much wire bending at all. All you will need to do is trim it down to a shorter length. Do this a bit at a time. You can always cut off more wire - but adding to it, not so much. Also, my two previous photoshopped pics show where the head should be, more or less.

If you do not want to drill a new hole, then you will have to bend the wire as shown in the first pic:



I got a little carried away with the forward movement on this new pic. The position on that last one is better and re-shown here as it shows the position a lot better. That is about it.

For the next step, once you get the head where you want it, pull out the wire and grease up the socket of his collar in the torso. I use a cotton swab and apply petroleum jelly for this (cheap stuff you can get at any drugstore). Then mix up a blob of putty and stuff it in the general area. Fill in the space between the torso and the head - but do not try to complete the neck. Leave it decidedly under filled - as long as you complete the gap between torso and head. Then set this aside to harden.

Once this is hard, you should be able to easily pull the head away from the torso. And you have a nice hefty pin to keep it in place. Now you can complete filling in the neck at your leisure. Refit it often during this process to make sure everything is going okay and that you can still easily remove and refit it. You will find that any undercuts inside the collar area of the torso will prevent removal. Once you have worked that out, then you will find the detachable head a very convenient feature.

Well, at least I do!

Cheers!!

Mike

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

There's actually a lot more to guy than his neck!

So while I work on update photos after MikeG's latest note here's how the kit arrives.
Includes A4 colour info sheet.

Have added in Tommy's War box to help provide scale
(trust you don't mind Darren & yes will do this little guy as a Kiwi landing at Gallipoli under fire one day

Will provide more on Lewis gun as I start painting it up during the coming week.

Still a highly recommended & fairly priced kit.
My advice to - do it straight outta the box ;-)

Stay safe & more soon,

Mike

 

[Wayneb]

A mistake is just a temporary inconvenience...

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Well Mike, as I said in my last post: "one really easy way to go is to drill a new hole in the torso in front of the present one to align with the upper wire in the photo."

Master, I have done as you asked...

Do that, and you will not need to do much wire bending at all. All you will need to do is trim it down to a shorter length. Do this a bit at a time. You can always cut off more wire - but adding to it, not so much. Also, my two previous photoshopped pics show where the head should be, more or less. If you do not want to drill a new hole, then you will have to bend the wire as shown in the first pic:
I got a little carried away with the forward movement on this new pic. The position on that last one is better and re-shown here as it shows the position a lot better. That is about it.

I've tried some comparison photos of your examples with latest version including blob of putty. Am I there yet?

For the next step, once you get the head where you want it, pull out the wire and grease up the socket of his collar in the torso. I use a cotton swab and apply petroleum jelly for this (cheap stuff you can get at any drugstore). Then mix up a blob of putty and stuff it in the general area. Fill in the space between the torso and the head - but do not try to complete the neck. Leave it decidedly under filled - as long as you complete the gap between torso and head. Then set this aside to harden.

All done, Mike what do you use to clean the petroleum jelly off before painting?

Once this is hard, you should be able to easily pull the head away from the torso. And you have a nice hefty pin to keep it in place. Now you can complete filling in the neck at your leisure. Refit it often during this process to make sure everything is going okay and that you can still easily remove and refit it. You will find that any undercuts inside the collar area of the torso will prevent removal. Once you have worked that out, then you will find the detachable head a very convenient feature. Well, at least I do!
Cheers!! Mike

Yes can see benefits now including the pin vise for finishing & painting.

Have also included photos from start of saga to now.

Man I am so hoping that I've got this sorted otherwise...

Quasimodo: You are good to me master. I'm sorry.

 

[bonehead]

Looks good Mike! Onward and upward, eh?

"All done, Mike what do you use to clean the petroleum jelly off before painting?"

I use good old rubbing alcohol. Again, cheap stuff from the drugstore. I usually use a moistened tissue and simply wipe the area two or three times (drying in between) to make sure i get all the stuff off.

Cheers!!

Mike

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Looks good Mike! Onward and upward, eh?
"All done, Mike what do you use to clean the petroleum jelly off before painting?"

I use good old rubbing alcohol. Again, cheap stuff from the drugstore. I usually use a moistened tissue and simply wipe the area two or three times (drying in between) to make sure i get all the stuff off.

Cheers!!
Mike

You're a legend mate!
Let's get on with the show

Stay safe & thanks for the directions on this necessary but trying detour.

Mike

 

[tonydawe]

Love the photo of him holding his own head in the pin vice

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Love the photo of him holding his own head in the pin vice

Yep bit of a play on earlier photo of him holding his head under his arm Tony

Can't be too serious after what I've been through on this project so far ;-)

 

[tonydawe]

Yes Mike, I'm sure after cutting off his head you've been wondering whether to laugh or cry!

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Yes Mike, I'm sure after cutting off his head you've been wondering whether to laugh or cry!

You got it mate!
Fair to say not lots of smiling & working hard to get me back into the groove now.

Fortunately no figures were truly harmed so far

Mike

 

[Mariobusta]

Well worth the effort Mike , looks a lot better . Rather you than me though .

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Well worth the effort Mike , looks a lot better . Rather you than me though .

Looks good Mike! Onward and upward, eh?
...Cheers!! Mike

Hi Neil, et al.

Yes looking back on this little saga it seems like it was my natural clumsiness that made it more messy than it should have been.
Just starting to get back on form & have blocked some colour on neck & surrounding area to give a better feel for final look.
Still have to reinstate some of twisted jacket collar, other detail ready for final painting.

What do you, MikeG & other brave souls here think? Still good to go?
I'm ready for it, sort of

Bit of damage to Charlie's face, which I've started repairs on.
Helmet though has become a bit of mess due to constantly removing & re positioning head.
May survive a full repaint but have to see how things pan out with other sections over coming days.

Not all wasted time, have made an enamel mug, remove small pack straps & will add this to one of these & have these hanging more naturally.

Also getting stuck into Lewis, again a bit of rough work but inside barrel so will be OK.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Mike

P.S. More rough iPhone flash photos overexposed & lack definition but should give you feel for progress

​

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

And for the eagle eyed & weapons buffs amongst you here's Charlie shooters.
My ones with added & refined detail at bottom compared with untouched original kit parts.
To give you sense of scale - Lewis Gun is ~8inches or 20cm long

Probably haven't got all detail I could right or fully, however time to move on & smell the thinners

​

 

[Joe55]

Your persistence is paying off Mike, a big slap on the back to you !

Joe

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Looks very "Good" to me. Your persistence has paid off Mike, and hopefully with no calls to the "Modeller's Distress Line?"

Colin

 

[Wayneb]

Hello Mike,
I think the adjustment you made looks very good.I Think once you position the gun and paint up some of the uni and details all will be well and forgotten and all blend in perfectly.Those kind of things can make a man lose sleep but persistence shall prevail.".............Wayne