U.S. Navy Pilot, 1/6th scale Naked Army bust

[Mongo Mel]

Great idea with the goggle outline. This is really looking good

 

[Wayneb]

Yes Tony.........Really looks good so far.Also agree with Mike....RE: With your photography you could pick up a tattoo on a bed bugs ass......Wayne.....

 

[Adrian Cowdry]

Love the goggles line.

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Craig, Wayne and Adrian, I always appreciate your comments. Wayne, I take no credit for the improved quality of my photos. It's entirely down to the camera.

Speaking of pictures, I've been doing some more painting over the past couple of days and I thought I'd show the latest pics. Last night I spent several hours working on the flight suit, trying to get the shadows and highlights in the right places and then blend them together. A mammoth task when you consider the size of this bust. I've also done some extra work on the pistol and the ammunition belt, as well as the parachute harness straps.

 

[NickM]

Top stuff Tony, that is looking brilliant mate.
I reckon the painting of that face is your best to date. I love the oil smears and the clean outline where his goggles were.

 

[FigureLover]

Nice one Tony, as I said earlier, you are going above the usual standard with this one
Ben

 

[Perseas]

Impressive work so far Tony, and as Wayne (Wayneb) said your pictures give us the opportunity to see closely
the details and the quality of your work!! I hope the weather will still be rainy so we can see more progress..
This SBS which is a lesson for me is treasure, but there is something that exists and i can see it without being
able to apply to my models.. and this is the talent of yours and every other member's! But even this way this is
still an inspiration and a reason to try new things i see from you...
Thank you for sharing ...
Dimitris

 

[bwildfong]

Hi guys,

My idea was to create a ring of grime and dirt around the goggles where oil and other debris had sprayed onto the pilot's face, and then show the demarcation line when he lifted the goggles off his face. Still a few touches to add to it.

Awe-inspiring job so far Tony!

Would you mind elaborating a bit on how you painted the "grime ring" ? I've got a 54mm figure I want to try this with and would appreciate any advice/technique that I can use as a starting point - I have a tough enough time just painting a regular, ungrimed face and would hate to mess it up with a ham-fisted attempt without a little guidance first.

Cheers,

Brian

 

[Adrian Cowdry]

Like the colour on the Mae West too - yellow is one of the tough colors to get right.

 

[Bootneck]

What is in the air in the Southern Hemisphere? Yours & Mike the Kiwi's painting is simply outstanding and I love to watch the development.

You reach levels that I could only dream of. Thank you for sharing.

Peter.

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Nick, thanks for your comments mate. You're setting the bar pretty high there mate. Not hard to do a good job on this bust; it's so beautifully sculpted and cast.

Cheers Ben, yes I'm constantly trying to improve my painting technique. Sometimes I can see it and other times I struggle to see any improvement at all. I appreciate your comments as always.

Hi Dimitris, thank you for your very kind and generous comments. I do hope that my V Bench threads can help other modellers. And yes, I'm also hoping for more rain so I can spend more time in my hobby room and paint.

Hi Brian, the ring of grime left on the pilot's face was actually much easier to do than you might imagine. Firstly I created a template in masking tape to match the shape and size of the goggles and then I laid it out on the face of the figure as if he was wearing them over his eyes. I then traced around the template with a pencil. I then applied some Vallejo Smoke around the pencil line to obscure it and also to create a fade out. I then took the masking tape away and did a couple of small touch ups to ensure the pencil line wasn't visible. The final touch was to use the Vallejo Smoke colour on the goggles themselves to ensure they were as dirty as his face. Like I said, not that difficult. the hard part is deciding to dirty up a nice clean face or leave it as it is. For me the choice was easy. he was always going to have a dirty face, which is why I painted his face skin colour a bit pinker than normal to provide some additional contrast. I'm not sure I'd bother trying to do the same thing to a 54mm figure mate, but knock yourself out.

Hi Adrian, thanks again for your comments mate. The Mae West is an interesting item of kit. The colours vary wildly from bright yellow to an almost rusty orange colour. I'm planning to temper the yellow by adding a bit more orange to the mix and also show a bit of wear and tear on the fabric. Then I have the task of painting the stencilled lettering on the front of the life preserver. As you can see from the photo below, no easy task even in 1/6th scale.

Hi Peter, I'm truly flattered that you would mention me in the same context as Mike Butler, who I regard as a painting god. Mike's painting is so precise and detailed it inspires me to try and raise the level of my own painting. In addition to being a good bloke and having an abundance of artistic talent, he is also blessed with patience, something I don't have as much of. The fact that he and I have both been crazy enough to tackle these large scale busts is also proof that those of us from "Downunder" aren't afraid to take on a big challenge.

 

[Adrian Cowdry]

Concerning stencils etc on such items - surely there is an opening for decals in the market - I know it's a small opening but it would very much solve a lot of headaches for figure modellers!

 

[smudger1960]

Just catching up tony,looks like another great piece of work from you,I love the eyes and I love the way you've handled where the goggles have been on the face,this gives a something extra,great work

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

...

Hi Dimitris, thank you for your very kind and generous comments. I do hope that my V Bench
Hi Brian, the ring of grime left on the pilot's face was actually much easier to do than you might imagine. Firstly I created a template in masking tape to match the shape and size of the goggles and then I laid it out on the face of the figure as if he was wearing them over his eyes. I then traced around the template with a pencil. I then applied some Vallejo Smoke around the pencil line to obscure it and also to create a fade out. I then took the masking tape away and did a couple of small touch ups to ensure the pencil line wasn't visible. The final touch was to use the Vallejo Smoke colour on the goggles themselves to ensure they were as dirty as his face. Like I said, not that difficult. the hard part is deciding to dirty up a nice clean face or leave it as it is. For me the choice was easy. he was always going to have a dirty face, which is why I painted his face skin colour a bit pinker than normal to provide some additional contrast. I'm not sure I'd bother trying to do the same thing to a 54mm figure mate, but knock yourself out.

Hi Peter, I'm truly flattered that you would mention me in the same context as Mike Butler, who I regard as a painting god. Mike's painting is so precise and detailed it inspires me to try and raise the level of my own painting. In addition to being a good bloke and having an abundance of artistic talent, he is also blessed with patience, something I don't have as much of. The fact that he and I have both been crazy enough to tackle these large scale busts is also proof that those of us from "Downunder" aren't afraid to take on a big challenge.

View attachment 193855

Progressing well mate & again admire work you do on grubbing up the face especially googles line.
Lots of colours for these guys. Was keen to do him as a kiwi but unfortunately cannot yet find evidence our guys wore US Maewest although they were all the other kit as shown in the figure.

Look forward to next instalment.

Mike

 

[bwildfong]

Hi Brian, the ring of grime left on the pilot's face was actually much easier to do than you might imagine. Firstly I created a template in masking tape to match the shape and size of the goggles and then I laid it out on the face of the figure as if he was wearing them over his eyes. I then traced around the template with a pencil. I then applied some Vallejo Smoke around the pencil line to obscure it and also to create a fade out. I then took the masking tape away and did a couple of small touch ups to ensure the pencil line wasn't visible. The final touch was to use the Vallejo Smoke colour on the goggles themselves to ensure they were as dirty as his face. Like I said, not that difficult. the hard part is deciding to dirty up a nice clean face or leave it as it is. For me the choice was easy. he was always going to have a dirty face, which is why I painted his face skin colour a bit pinker than normal to provide some additional contrast. I'm not sure I'd bother trying to do the same thing to a 54mm figure mate, but knock yourself out. View attachment 193855

Thanks for sharing your "secrets" Tony - sounds doable even on a 54 mm; hope I've got the courage to take the plunge when I contemplate the clean-faced basic paint job

Cheers,

Brian

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Adrian, thanks for your comments mate. In regards to stencils, I know Tommi Wharton produced a series of excellent stencils for heraldry and Roman shields etc which were very popular. I'm not sure they made him rich, but they certainly were good. In the case of stencils for figures this size, I think the commercial opportunities are very limited and you might just have to take the DIY approach, as I did.

G'day Brian, thanks for popping by to check out my latest figure and offer your comments. It's a long way from being finished at this stage, but as you can probably see, the main areas have been base coated and now the super detailing starts.

Cheers Mike, not surprised that you couldn't find any evidence of Kiwi pilots wearing Mae West life preservers. I have no doubt they, like their Australian counterparts, would have "liberated" supplies from our American cousins and worn them unofficially. I haven't actually got much further than base coating the Mae West at this stage. The harness straps on the QAS parachute will take weeks to paint and detail properly. Thanks again for your comments and encouragement mate.

Hi Brian, my pleasure mate. Not really a secret before, and certainly not one now. Good luck doing it on a 54 mm figure. You're a braver man than I am.

 

[Ferris]

A bit late catching up on your progress Tony. Very nice work so far. The face is something special. It requires guts to do this over an essentially finished face. But as they say: No guts, no glory!

Will be following.

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[Wayneb]

Tony,
This piece is becoming without a doubt brilliant.That left hand blows me away.It's a masterpiece in itself.I think when you get up to 1/6 scale;almost every part becomes its own detailed project.I surely am tempted but between you and Kiwi Mike to match is a scary thought.
I have a collection of about 250 Bossons from England hanging on my wall.Don't know if you are familiar but the scale is somewhat larger in scale but very impressive as almost every pore and hair is sculpted in with personality.
Your work on this piece has got to be a bear;but you've set your own standard and I know you will stick with it without rush and impatience.........
As Gregory Peck said in the movie "Guns of Navarone"....."You're in it now...up to your neck"......
Best regards for continued great work....................Wayne

 

[loosehead]

Very Nice coming along beautifully .......... Can tell you are enjoying painting this one bro, look forward to seeing how you tackle that stencil work and the grime's over the shirt and Mae west vest ,
Keep pushing that limit Bro
Chris W

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Adrian, thanks for your comments mate. I don't believe a figure has been properly weathered until all aspects of the body, including the face and hands have been appropriately weathered. A bit of grime and a few stains on the face and hands are expected in this scale.

Hi Wayne, yes, I'm in it up to my neck for sure. The size and scale of these busts and figures is both a blessing and a curse. It's a curse because every aspect of the figure, no matter small, has to be painted with highlights and shading and has to then be painted to fit in harmony with the entire piece. You can spend hours or even days painting one small area and then you step back and realise you can barely see it when you look at the entire piece. The blessing is that every little detail is perfectly sculpted and cast so you feel like its worth going the extra distance to try and make it look perfect - and it is.

G'day Chris, good to hear from you Bro. Since you asked mate, I've included some recent WIP pics to show you the stencils on the Mae West life preserver and also some of the texture and weave patterns I'm painting into the fabric of the QAS harness straps. I've also added a bottle green tint to the lenses of the goggles, which have been glossed up. Hope to catch up with you soon.