Camo's Corner

Current projects on the bench

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Wont get too in depth here, just a brief update to keep things fresh. I have a few things going on and I figured I might share a couple.

First up is a little wonder of engineering, the MiniArt 1/35 WLA Harley Davidson. Not a kit for the faint of heart, half the parts are smaller than the sprue gate they are attached to. Seriously finicky work, especially those photo etch spokes. I have it painted and just started pin washes and filters, gonna make her dirty though, I have some neat photos of filthy bikes I'm using as reference. More to come.

Here's a little update just for Geo and Eryk, I've been slacking on 'the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy' but it's a huge undertaking and I get burnt out quick. I thought I'd share just a few shots of what it currently looks like, I have a long way to go yet. I hope to get back to it and get the red, yellow and dark gray panels done so I can start beating her up. 'till then, this is all I have at the moment. Check out the highlights and shading on the individual panels. The guys at ILM never thought of that eh?

Hobby Boss M3A1 Scout Car

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:16:00 +0000

This is a project I have been working on behind the scenes for Military Modelcraft International and will be featured in a future issue. The photos posted here were not submitted to the magazine, so I thought I would share them with my followers.

The resin display base is a Celticwerks base and can be found on their products page, number CWS005. The foliage is from the Silflor range and while fairly expensive, looks the part when it comes to live plants. The figure is made up of some older Verlinden airborne soldier parts taken from the spares box.

The build was loosely based upon a photo in a Steve Zaloga book, showing a camouflaged scout car providing support to the 82nd airborne in Italy, found on page 29 of Concords, US Tank Battles- in North Africa and Italy 1943-45.

Darius Miniatures - Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Well, I apologize for the long wait but I have been distracted with many other things outside modeling. Enough of the excuses though, lets get right to it.

Since my last update I finished the wooden box on the front bumper with some dark brown oil paint and attached the figure in place and applied some Wet Effects to his boot. I painted the two signs to represent some of the areas in the no famous 'Battle of the Bulge' and added a bit on snow on the sign tops and the half track itself.

I received some advanced releases from a new company offering diorama plants and accessories, at the time of this posting, their website is still under construction and I have no word as to any sort of time frame for it's opening. The various dried plants and ground cover items are sourced from nature and appear both in scale and quite realistic, especially in context of a fall/winter setting. These items are delicate and somewhat small but are easily assembled into clusters and applied with ordinary white PVA glue.

All that was left now was to create a simple wooden base, paint it black and attach the finished vignette to it in order to complete the project. I can only try to express just how much I enjoyed working with this resin vignette from Darius Miniatures, not only does it simplify the whole process of creating a well balanced scene but it also keeps it contained to a small area on the shelf once completed. I can foresee many more of these in my future, as long as they continue to produce Allied topics that is.

*and preferably, some that aren't just knocked out vehicles.*

Darius Minatures - part three

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:06:00 +0000

So I've been a bit distracted with a few other things over the last few days but work continues on this project. I am thoroughly enjoying how quickly these come together and while I don't see myself giving up on full sized dioramas with complete vehicles and several figures, it is very refreshing to get so far, in such short time. I can guarantee a few more of these in my near future

After applying some filters to the half track I began adding some Dark Earth pigments to the base. I have applied these to represent the dirt on the ground but I have also applied them in a thin wash like mixture to a few areas on the vehicle. I suspend the pigments in the fixer to the effect of say, dirty water. Feathering this in around a few areas will help to tie the two together and set the scene. I assume this half track was pushed up and out of the way to clear a path for the passing armor. Considering this, I assume the dirt would have been thrown up onto the vehicle a bit.

In this next photo we can see the effect of the pigments on the fender and grill and along the lower section of the hood. It has made an impression without overpowering the surface, this should be the goal: subtlety.

Once the pigments were set, I used a little AK Interactive Engine Oil to further support the idea of a disabled and abandoned half track. Perhaps the oil pan was tore open as it got pushed up onto the bank. Once the first coat absorbed into the pigments I applied a second coat, closer to the center and then later a third, slowly building up the color of fresh oil and also allowing the impression of it soaking into the surrounding earth.

I mixed some Woodland Scenics snow with the AK Interactive Wet Effects and applied it in various areas, in an attempt to portray slushy piles of melting snow. I reapplied the Wet Effects in areas where the pigments absorbed it, dulling the gloss effect and will continue to do so as the product dries until I am happy with the outcome. Often times one application of something doesn't always produce the desired effects and depending on the surrounding elements, reapplications are needed.

Lastly for today even though not complete, I will share just a sneak peak at the figure simply standing in place. I just wanted to see where I was heading and show it here to anyone interested as well.

I think in the end, the figure will help to tell the story and is a very important part of the setting. I am by no means a figure painter but I think at least one is needed on this small scene and I make do with what meager ability's I have.

Darius Minatures - part two

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Moving right along this morning I started with some sponge 'chipping' using Model Flex Weathered Black and once it was dry went over it all with one light pass of AK Interactive filter to darken the star a bit and tie the whole surface together. The filter bottle says 'NATO tanks' but as with all products, these labels are guides to where they are best used but it doesn't mean you can apply them elsewhere. Olive drab is very similar to the green in NATO camouflage and this filter works very well for my taste.

Then I used some of AK's new chipping effects, poured straight into the airbrush and misted on in two coats, the second after the first had dried completely. This seemed to behave quite nicely in the airbrush and sprayed rather smooth and trouble free. Much easier than decanting the wife's hairspray after sneaking it out of the bathroom cupboard.

I followed this up with a random coat of Model Flex Antique White, I sprayed it heavier into the nooks and crannies where it would receive the least amount of wear and made sure to remain random in the larger areas. I tried to let some of the surface color below bleed through over the whole model, heavier in some areas, less in others. This will help to gauge the thickness of paint and where it will chip off easier than other spots when I begin chipping.

Using ordinary tap water, I began slowly picking my way around the vehicle with a small brush and a toothpick. Just as I had planned, the paint came off easiest where it was thinnest, and required more work where it was heaviest.

Next up, Mapping.

This is one of many techniques that somewhere along the line, was given a fancy name by a modeler and has been bounced around from time to time. What does it mean exactly, and why is it called mapping is anyone's guess I suppose but names notwithstanding, this is another technique that has it's merit and when combined together with other subtle effects, produce finishes that are more richer and interesting to the eye IMO.

Mapping seems to get just as much negative press as any other 'modern' painting/finishing technique and I'm not sure why. Is it simply because we don't like change? We don't understand it, or have difficulty applying it ourselves that causes us to simply dismiss it with a wave of the hand a la "these aren't the droids you are looking for"?

When considering a winter white wash in WWII we might want to consider it's properties, it's application method and it's lifespan. Whitewash was usually a low grade finish applied in the field under not the greatest of conditions, that was easily worn of and/or washed off by the rain/weather etc. The result could be several layers of applied, worn off and re-applied mixtures, all varying in tone and shade and all having different levels of dirt and wear. Some layers might be bright white, while other layers may be dingy gray.

While the chipping method alone does look great, it is merely one shade and one layer. What if this vehicle had been white washed before some rain, then redone after a new snowfall and then saw action, wouldn't there be some variation in the shades of white due to this action?

Anyway, enough talk, on to some photos.

I mix up a few different shades of white oil paints with some other colors to 'dirty' them up a bit and then, I do the same with some acrylic paint. I go back and forth between the two mediums with a fine brush, using the acrylics fast drying time as well as the slowness of the oils to my advantage to created different effects

The effects should be very subtle, almost invisible at a quick glance. It's when layers of all these subtle changes come together in the end that makes the difference. I have posted a photo of three separate photos assembled side by side so the subtle shift of tones and layers becomes apparent and easier to notice. This subtle change doesn't always strike the viewer as a very important step and perhaps that is why it is so easily disregarded, in the end however it plays an important role in my whole layering process.

Even in the above collage, the effect is very light and subtle but that's what I'm shooting for. I don't want stark contrasts in color, just slight variations that isn't achievable with just one coat of white. Once the scene is finished it may even fade even further into the background and barely catch the viewers attention but it is none the less, an important step of the process for me which gives the model in the end, a depth not possible without it.

Darius Miniatures

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:25:00 +0000

I received one of these really cool Darius Miniatures 'wedgies' from my good friend Iain Hamilton of AK Interactive USA to play with today and couldn't help but dive right in. There are only a few parts that make up the scene but they are superbly cast and all of the wedgies consist of very cool subjects.

After assembling the few parts of this particular wedgie I gave it a primer coat of black, set it aside and dug out an old Verlinden figure to set the scene. It's a German soldier in winter gear so that means dead, brown plant life, frozen ground and snow and some chipped up white wash on the half track.

I then moved on to painting this morning and have been taking photos as I go. My main objective for this project here, is to showcase the Darius product, some new AK products I just received and while I'm at it I figured I would attempt to paint as much as I can using Badger Model Flex paint sets that I won in the SMA Big Spring Contest.

First up was painting the half track. Being an almost strict builder of mainly olive drab subjects, I've grown accustom to my own personal preference of what I think the color should look like. I wasn't too keen on the Model Flex Olive Drab right out of the bottle as it seemed too green for my taste, but I mixed it with some of their Field Drab and arrived at something I could accept. For some highlights, I simply added a bit of their Antique White to the mix. All this was done with my Badger Renegade Velocity

While that dried, I used a photo etch mask and some blue painters tape and made a stencil in my usual way. These usually last me a few models but they get pretty beat up after a few uses. The trick in painting for me is very, very thin coats, as flooding the surface will only cause a ridge when the mask is removed. I sprayed a very fine mist using my trusty old Badger 100SG and when I peeled the tape there wasn't any ridge to be seen and I set that aside to dry for a bit.

Lastly for now I began mixing up various colors using Model Flex Olive Drab, Field Drab and Earth to get a few different shades for the canvas items. These paints are bright and dry with a bit of a sheen when brush painted, (which by the way took at least four coats due to their airbrush ready thinned state) but this will all be knocked down later with a dull coat and the subsequent weathering.

As always, right clicking and selecting 'open in new window' will allow much larger photos for better views of the details.

Thanks for following along, comments, questions and critiques always welcome.

Stay on target... almost there...

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:25:00 +0000

at the finish line that is, not the ray shielded thermal exhaust port that's only two meters wide that leads directly to the reactor system, which by the way will set of a chain reaction after a direct hit from proton torpedoes.

I apologize for the Star Wars reference if you are not a fan. It's still a bit early here for a Sunday morning, I'm half way through my first cup of coffee and it's all I could come up with after watching the trilogy yesterday with my son.

So, yeah. This little monster of crazy small detail is just about complete. I've added some headlight lenses, painted the pick axe, glued the flexible hose in between the tankette and the trailer. I've added a bit of darker pigments in some areas to represent the older, ground in grime and attached it to a quick base I threw together with some sand and pigments. I'll add some small desert like plant life later but for all intents and purposes, this build is done appearing on the blog. Not sure what I'll post here next, I have multiple builds going on (as always) but not all of them will be seen on the internet.

Thanks for checking in, enjoy your day. It's a cool, Sunday morning, Autumn is just around the corner and we are going apple picking.

Enjoy.

Left field progess

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:37:00 +0000

I'm not sure what else to do to this besides the missing headlights and then painting of the pick-axe handle in wood grain and the head in a steel color. To be perfectly honest, the weathering appears to be missing a little something but I'm not sure what. Due to the size, I feel a little out of my element, as well as the fact that it's a desert vehicle so there's no really need for the big swaths of mud and such.

I will give this one a rest for now and go back to other projects that need my attention. For now I think I'm good, perhaps whatever it is that I feel is lacking will hit me over the next week or so. I might want to take this one to AMPS East.

Somewhere, outa' left field...

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 01:32:00 +0000

this thing shows it's face.

This is Bronco models' little flame thrower tankette. This thing redefines small but don't let that fool you, there is some amazing detail packed into this kit.

It's a shame that I had to button it up as the interior and engine is an amazingly detailed group of sub assemblies but this is just a little something I'm doing on the side, strictly out of the box and have little time to get involved in too much. If someone really wanted to go to town on an interior, this kit is perfect for it. Tiny, but perfect.

I'll post more photos when done, this is just the initial stages but once complete, I'll make sure and post a good photo showing just how small this thing is.

Right out straight!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:16:00 +0000

That's right fellow modelers, I am busy as a one armed paper hanger... whatever that means. I know it's been a month as of today since my last update but I have been very busy at the bench working on many projects.

Both of the little armored cars I posted earlier are built and ready for paint. The Russian BA-64 will find it's way into a little vignette, abandoned on the side of a muddy road in the snow, with a few Germans using it for cover. I have most of the various sub assemblies for this scene complete and just need to start painting them and putting them together. The BA-64 itself will be the focus of my latest project, one that I hope to make public by the end of September. I apologize for the cloak and dagger secrecy but that's how these things go.

So here's a look at the various pieces, as well as the basic layout idea assembled. No photo booth for these, just right off the bench.

Just a quick note before I go. My captured German half track seen in posts below will be in Military Modelcraft International's September issue, which goes out around the middle of August if I recall correctly. You can see a small photo of it there on the cover in the bottom left hand corner. My thanks to editor David Grummitt for the opportunity to work with him and Michael Rinaldi for putting in the good word.

June 30th, the SMA contest comes to a close

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:58:00 +0000

That's right, as of midnight tonight the contest is officially over. Voting will be sometime in the next week or so and now, after three months of light stress, the long wait begins (like a week or so, but it seems like forever when you have models entered)

This year was three time larger than last years in terms of entries, so the competition should be much tougher. We were given three months instead of two and this year I actually managed to enter two models, the Sd Kfz and Ma.K. below.

Here are a couple views of the finished products.

For my next projects, I have decided to keep them small and simple and as stress free as possible. I will try to keep this blog updated with these builds and cover as much as I can about the builds, the paint and the weathering. I have chosen two small vehicles for my next builds and unless I become sidetracked with other stuff, this is what I should be posting here for the time being, once I've taken a break and spent a little time away from the bench.

See you all soon.

Who's the Ma.K. daddy?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:12:00 +0000

Sorry, that was pretty lame eh? In my defense, it's been a very long week of working in the rain and tonight, I'm off on hols.

(that's 'vacation' for the rest of my fellow Yanks)

I thought I'd pop in and make a quick appearance before I take this much needed break, and just mention a few things and then post a few in progress photos of what's currently residing in the front spot of the work bench, which the title alludes to.

I've been playing around with a whole bunch of new AK Interactive products that made their way into my mail box, so much of the bench time has been experiments and trial and error stuff. So far I'm loving everything I've tried and will make sure they get some time in the spotlight here in the near future.

The Scale Model Addict 'Big Spring Contest' is about to come to a close. This is the second year and it's twice the success of last years so far. Not including the 'All Open' category we have about 133 entries all jockeying for the over $4000.00 dollars in prizes. I have two entires in this year, one in the diorama category, (the half track seen below) and one in the sc-fi category (which until these photos I'm about to upload, has been fairly secret). I am no where near done but I have about a week until I need to make sure I get everything done. Will I make it... that's anybody's guess but I will try like hell and enter anyway.

Lastly just a quick mention that I have been toying around with the HobbyBoss M3A1 Scout Car, so far I'm pretty thrilled with what I have seen but I will try to cover that in more depth in the coming months.

For now, I will leave you with a few progress photos of my Ma.K. Panzer Kampf Anzug Wapruf (K). The oils are still wet in these photos (hence the shine) and nothing, including the groundwork should be considered finished at this point. You should however get a feel for where it's going.

Getting there fast

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Wed, 25 May 2011 02:50:00 +0000

This build is coming close to the end, my captured Sd Kfz 11 late half track is nearing completion at this point, although every time I really look at it I can see just how much more I need to do. There's quite a bit actually, and this is just sub assemblies posed for the photo.

I've been sidetracked with other stuff lately (my 1/72 Finemolds Millennium Falcon) but managed to put in a few nights on this to get where I am now, at any rate it's begining to look the part.

Enjoy/Comment/Critique.

AK Interactive USA

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:17:00 +0000

At a fairly recent model show, (okay, it was actually a while ago) I had the pleasure of hanging out with Iain Hamilton of AK Interactive USA. He set up shop alongside Celticwerks and Alpenflage Hobbies and the rest of us Nordland AMPS guys. We sat and talked about modeling and the hobby in general, as well as other things and had a great time. I got to sit next to him as he used a bunch of the AK products on a model he had been painting, other than some photos online, I had yet to see this product used first hand. I really liked what I saw being done with it as well as the simplicity of use.

I have always been one to fashion mud and caked on dirt using pigments with some sort of carrier until just recently. I watched the AK Interactive DVD in which Miguel Jimenez showed a technique using some of the products mixed with plaster. The plaster served as a thickening agent and lends some body to the pre-mixed enamel mixtures used in the video.

Here, in this quick update I just want to pass on my quick experiments with this technique. I used some of the same AK Interactive enamels products but as I was all out of plaster, I chose to mix them with some similar shades of Vallejo pigments in hopes that the pigment would add the same thickness and dimension to the enamel products. I must say I was very pleased with the results of my first attempts at this. It was easy enough to do and very controllable. I used an airbrush to splatter the product as well as the old stand by method, of flicking the brush on some card stock. Both methods produced a natural, random splatter with the card stock method offering just a little bit more control for the final touches.

I am by no means done, nor have I perfected this technique but due to the ease of use and quality of these products, I am well on my way to improving my results. Check out the photos below and if you can, get your hands on some of the AK Interactive products. Highly recommended stuff, you will be seeing more of their product line in use by me in the future for sure.

Moving right along

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Well,

this whole 'what if' thing is really getting my attention lately. Truth be told, it's such a refreshing way of modeling. The lack of strict rules and restrictions is really nice, I'm free to be totally artistic for the most part and ignore the reality of it all. I'm not 'hating' on reality bit it is nice to escape it once in a while.

This doesn't mean that my love for creating accurate representations of half tracks from old photos is dead and done with but I am really enjoying my current vacation. Here's a few shots of what's going on, from the booth and the bench.

Hope you enjoy.

Pardon the silence

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:28:00 +0000

...if you will.

I know it has been quiet here, as I find things besides this blog distracting me. The end of winter and the subsequent warming up of the days have allowed me to get stuff done outside.

I have been modeling, just not here on the blog. I have been assembling a bunch of kits for a project in the works and then as of April 1st, the Scale Model Addict second annual 'Big Spring Contest' kicked off. Recently at the last show I attended I picked an odd kit (for me) and paired it up with something unexpected, yet logically possible, to create a 'what if' model which isn't something I do too often. I just liked the lines of the half track, which will allow great painting effects and the cargo was something I had kicking around in the stash. I threw in a modified Alpine figure by changing the hand molded to the thigh and adding another Alpine hand and weapon to the carved out sleeve, a Hornet head just to alter the figures look ever so slightly more.

I don't have any good pictures for that I apologize, only right on the bench as I began to finally see what I was imagining. The kits are in loose, sub-assemblies just posed for the pictures, just to get the idea, I am just completely swamp with stuff and promise to get back here the next time I come up for air.

Until then my friends, I'll give you a glimpse...

'Finders Keepers'

Hobby Boss M4 HST

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:36:00 +0000

Well I've been quiet here lately but very busy at the bench. I have been having an absolute blast building kit after kit but thought I should dedicate some time behind the airbrush.

Since the kit mentioned above was built for the most part, 'Out Of Box' I decided this would be my first project to get warmed up on with the airbrushing and shake out the cobwebs. I've made it fairly lite in color as I usually do because as mentioned before, weathering always tends to darken it up quite a bit in the end.

I'm fairly certain there are a few problems accuracy wise with the kit, I believe the drive sprockets are wrong as well as the seats inside the cab but I'm just going to have some fun painting and weathering and leave the fixes for the next one I build. I did however shorten the kits 'rubber band' tracks by one link as they were a bit loose and added some small brass chain to the door which I have positioned open. I will be adding some stowage and scratch building a canvas tarp for that area later.

Enjoy

My last post in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:19:00 +0000

Well it has been a very good year for me, modeling wise. At the beginning of the year I had this gut feeling and even considered 2010 to be 'the year of the model' for me. Looking back, I completed no less than twelve builds this year. Considering that some even had landscaped bases and figures, this for me was a fairly large number. Although not all of them were posted here, most can be found by scrolling back a few pages even if not in their completed state. Perhaps I will find some time in the new year to do a 'year in review' type of update.

Christmas came and went and I have been enjoying my down time by building LEGOS with my little man. He received some really great kits this year and they have been keeping him occupied during his school vacation. We received a ton of snow which kept me busy plowing for a day or so and the wood stove has been working overtime.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and here's hope for a happy new year to each and every one of you who've followed me along the way. I plan on continuing my modeling streak during 2011 and may even try to one up myself with some larger projects. I have some great ideas and even something of size in the works but more on that in due time.

*

Just so this isn't a completely text filled post I will attach some pictures of what little modeling I have done during this last month. I am not a big fan of the one and only half track crew figure set on the market, so I cobbled together figures and parts from the spares box that I have acquired over the years for my XX Corps M2A1 vignette. In the next few pictures they are placed in the vehicle in their primer black state, I still have some final trimming and sanding to do but this should give some idea of what I am aiming for. I've also added some more personal gear and need to do some final painting of the added straps and other bits so you may see some odd spots, shiny from glue or unpainted. Not to worry as when it is all said and done, you wont see a thing.

Lastly, before we ring in the new year here's a small glimpse at what has found it's way to my bench, Hobby Boss's HST. OK, it hasn't actually spent much time at the bench at all, this has been a TV tray model I have been tinkering with while sitting with the family as they all play with their new Christmas presents.

Truth be told, this isn't quite up to par with what you may or may not be familiar with when it comes to modern kits. There are some big ejection pin marks and a few slight fit problems but at the same time, it is a kit full of detail and promise and of a great subject matter as well. I absolutely cannot wait to paint this thing, as it gives me a lot of scope to go wild, with the over the top shading and weathering effects that will probably get some peoples blood boiling. I'm a sucker for those slightly exaggerated painting and weathering effects that bring the model from the toy like phase into a realm of 'realism'.

So happy new year and happy modeling to all of you, may you find more time to cut and glue in the coming year so that you can fully enjoy this wonderful hobby that we all partake in whether you build strictly out of the box, or spend the year correcting the kits rivets. Here's hoping for less of the negative complaining in the forums and more of the posting of pictures of all of these long awaited and recently released kits being built and as always, 'build how you like and like how you build.'

With warm regards,

Ken

Some pigment progress and a 'tip'

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:47:00 +0000

I recently started working with the pigments on this build and it's one of my favorite parts to a build for two reasons. One, it means I'm coming close to the end of long journey and two because it is where I feel the build begins to take on that scale 'realness' to it. For this build I have used Vallejo pigments exclusively.

I'm not quite close to being done, as you can still see some shiny new stuff near the dingy filthy stuff but I thought I'd put these out there. You never know what you might have missed until others get a look and give you feedback...

which leads me to the 'tip'.

Thanks to a posted comment below I have been informed that I forgot to paint the tip of the shovel. Can you imagine that? Thank you poster of said comment, you have saved me from some major deductions next year if I enter this in a show. You sir, (or madam) and your eye for detail are much appreciated. Please do stick around and keep me informed of any more hamfisted goofs on my part.

Seriously, I owe you one.

Very slight progress...

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:49:00 +0000

and a little 'gardening' as well*.

*pun intended/see below

I have added some more oils to the rest of the build, dry fit the wheels, tracks and gun and gave it all a light dullcoat to cut down on the shine and add some tooth for the pigments, which will be my next step.

These aren't a whole lot different than the last photos I posted but it looks much better all 'assembled' like this, rather than a partial hulk that the last two photos shown. The camera is having some maintenance right now after a small fall, so I can't take pictures of the 234/2 I am finishing up for a customer, I hope it comes back before I have to ship this one off as I'm pretty happy with its outcome. Anyway, on to the Marine GMC pictures.

As far as my 'gardening', I was given a Monroe Perdu 'Normandy Well' kit for a group build on the Modelers Alliance and I have started on a small base with three GI's taking cover, although the figures do not appear in these pictures, you can see the beginning of the groundwork really starting to take shape here.

You can see more of the whole progress, as well as a bunch of other great builds by others using this well, on the group build forum at ModelersAlliance

As always, feel free to tell me what you like, don't like or wonder about. Of course, clicking on the pictures makes 'em bigga'!

Sometimes, life steps in

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:06:00 +0000

...and you find yourself at the mercy of it's twists and turns regardless of your ideas, ambitions, or plans. It's often at these times when I realize just how much I have to be thankful for, just how much I have going for me and just how much I take for granted. Since my last update here, Laurel has lost both of her grandmothers. Needless to say, things here on the home front have been very hectic and draining, both literally and emotionally.

Only now, as things slowly begin to return to a somewhat 'normalcy' have I found a little bit of my modeling mojo. Today was a busy day for mother and son, what with his friends birthday party and a few errands they had to run, so I found myself sitting at the bench staying warm and dry as it showered on and off outside. After an hour of tossing the football around with my little guy when they returned home this afternoon, we stopped for dinner after which he headed off for a bath and a movie on the couch while I went back to my work in progress.

I don't have much to show for all of this, as my main focus is a project for something which will be shown sometime in the future but I did take out the Marine half track and work on that a bit. Nothing too extravagant, but the camo is applied and I began working with the oil paints. I hope to have a little bit more to show in a couple weeks, perhaps something a little closer to end result, or at least a more of a complete picture but I just thought this small advance warranted a couple pictures.

And then...

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:27:00 +0000

or better yet: "One small step forward, one huge setback and a great modeling weekend with friends."

So it has been quite a while since my last update as 'real life' has been slightly hectic. I've been busy at work which is a good thing and of course school is back in session for my son as well as scouting, so I've been distracted with that stuff but lets get back to the modeling front. Over the last six weeks or so, I have been busy tweaking some stuff for AMPS East. The show/competition was a two day event in Danbury CT. and a great time was had by all. I hung out with my club brothers, met some old friends and made some new ones. I spent a little money and even took home some hardware.

So, back to the title above, which would you prefer first the good news or the bad news? Well, lets get the bad news out of the way.

I was actually busy working on the base for my M3A3 for the first week or so, as I had really hoped to enter it in the diorama category. I had begun painting up the figures and planning out the groundwork when disaster struck. I was hoping to get the tank mounted to weather up the tracks and tie it into the base and then complete the groundwork enough to at least bring it to the show, even if the diorama part wasn't 100% complete, I could have entered the tank itself. Now to understand exactly what happened, you have to know that I store my 'in progress' dioramas in an old bureau in the hobby room, each drawer containing the base and accompanying kits that go with. As I sat down to begin a session, opening the drawer to pull out the base, the drawer came straight out, slip from my hands and dropped the huge, very heavy base directly on top of the tank, if you look carefully at the bottom half of the base, you can see some dents and dings in the finish caused by the model. Parts flew around, cracking noises were heard and I sat there in silence as I could only imagine what had happened.

First will be a picture of the huge, very heavy base that crashed on the M3A3 inside the drawer and then the M3A3 itself, who's full damage is hard to see in the picture. It's more than just pieces popped off, some of the body is cracked and the lower hull is now 'toed in'. It will be a very tricky fix, so this one will be put away until a later date for now. I may even build a completely new kit for the base if need be. It was a huge blow to the modeling mojo when it happened, and I'm not looking forward to the repair process.

In the meantime, I pulled out a couple of my other projects to try and keep the model juices flowing in a positive direction. I mounted my white-washed M2A1 to it's base and started the groundwork. I still have work to do to tie the two together, add a figure or two for scale, and of course some more personal gear and machine guns and such but at least the vehcile is finally in it's environment so to speak. I will feature this in a larger layout of photos all on its own when it's finally complete.

I also broke out my new airbrush, the Badger Velocity that I won in the 'ScaleModelAddict' youtube contest. I took first place in the armor category which bagged me the velocity and runner up in best of show which earned me the Patriot. I opted to give the Patriot to another contest entrant who's build I enjoyed because I really didn't need two new airbrushes. Anyway, I primed, base coated and started highlights on my Marine GMC. It doesn't look like much at this point but it is progress and that's all that matters I suppose.

Lastly, the great modeling weekend with friends was all that I mentioned earlier plus a little 'rewarding', both figuratively and literally. I entered my 3rd AD mortar carrier in the diorama category and my WC-57 Dodge command car in the open wheeled category, both in the Advanced level and took home two silver medals. I have never competed like this before and I must admit, it was fun as well as educating. Reading the judges comments/critiques has shown me exactly what it takes and the type of things they look for. Had I known then what I know now, these both would have been gold. Thanks to them, I will become a better modeler on my next builds.

Tuesday afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:57:00 +0000

I'm just beginning to see, now I'm on my way
It doesn't matter to me, chasing the clouds away.

Who was that, the Moody Blues? Anyway, it seemed fitting and frankly I couldn't come up with anything else off the top of my head.

So, work continues on the AFV Club M3A3. I've done some more pigment work and built up another layer or two back and forth between washes and pigments to create some depth but I still have work to do in that area as a whole. I just though it was different enough from the last set of pictures to post this update. I made some stowage and mounted it but it appears I need to tighten the rope a bit, which is odd because it was taught when I last saw it. Perhaps as I kept painting the tarp and net, they became softer as they absorbed the paint and squished a bit more. *note to self: wait until all is painted before attaching rope in the future.

I just added the tracks before taking the pictures, they have yet to see any paint or weathering so ignore their cleanliness, I just wanted to get them attached before getting too far ahead with the running gear. I used the kit tracks because I was not in the mood for individual links on this build. The plan was to avoid the aggravation on something that will be mostly hidden by filth but murphy's law poked it's head in. Since I use straight M.E.K. for my glue, it attacked the vinyl tracks like a rabid pit bull with it's balls in a vice and I had some major scrambling to do at one point to save them, which I believe I did but time will tell.

Anyway, enough chatter. Check out the pictures if you'd like, as alwasy, clicking on them makes 'em friggin' huge! lol.

Later,

K~

Happy Fourth of July

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Well, it's been a busy weekend.

I haven't really held up my end of the bargain here now have I? I guess all that 'part one' and 'part two' stuff was all for not. I should have called them something completely different considering my lack of follow ups. At any rate, although I haven't posted anything new in a few days, my M3A3 is just about ready for an update, it's just been far too time consuming drinking beer and eating food off the grill, making s'mores at the campfire, watching fireworks and sleeping out in the tent.

Speaking of which, between the boys kicking and the stray chocolate lab sniffing and whining to come in every hour or so, I didn't get much sleep. Thank the lucky stars for coffee...

So to all of you in the states, enjoy your fourth, stay safe and happy and relax while you can, the work week will be here before you know it. To all my friends and followers across the pond where this holiday doesn't mean quite the same thing, stay happy and healthy as well, water under the bridge and all that right? Or over the damn? I can't remember... ;^) Oh, and happy Canada day (belated?) to all of you up in the land of the maple leaf, eh?

Happy modeling to you all and remember, 'build how you like, and like how you build' It's a hobby for goodness sake, relax and enjoy it.

All the best,
Ken

July 1st Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Abrams) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:03:00 +0000

Sorry I'm tardy.

Yeah, it's been a few days but the weather has been far too nice and my son and I, who's now out of school for the summer, were out having fun. Anyway, I'll try to get a couple more models posted over the next few days depending on what else comes up. It's also a big holiday weekend so I may be off drinking Guinness and watching Fireworks.

For now, I'll post a few photos of my XX Corps M2A1 half track that I started showing here some time ago, progress on this one has been slow lately but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The reference pictures show a fresh clean vehicle right after receiving it's whitewash but I guess I am trying to show what it may have looked like weeks or more later. I like 'em dirty, what can I say. I'll be mounting this on a base in some muddy, sloppy snow and slush, so it should all turn out OK in the end.

Enough talk, here's a small update for now.