Lexingtons last battle, 1//700

[marijn van gils]

Many thanks guys!

Meanwhile, I applied the last finishing touch: antennas with stretched sprue.

The Wildcats also received a "thingy" (antenna? pitot tube?) on their left wing, made from a bit thicker stretched sprue:


This had to be bent on the damaged wildcat, so I used 0,1mm copper wire on this one:










And the entire airing, with my thumb as a reminder of their size:


I also built and painted the liferafts and boats which will populate the diorama. Nothing too special yet, but they should look good when crowded with figures.




One figure already in this one, as it was easier to paint it together with the boat:


Now I'm working on the seascape, and then I can finally bring it all together...

Cheers,

Marijn

[LE BOSCO]

Hello Marijn

A work always as impressive I like it at 300 percent
a future "best of show" for many conventions !!you put the bar very high
cheers
Nicolas

[Ziga]

It's beyond incredible!

[J. Soca]

I love the weathering on those little boats and liferafts




Jose

[blacman]

I thought I'm crazy. But you are the worse case....

I'm just wondering about your weathering and shadowing technique.. It's so subtle and convincing... Would you discover the secret ?

[Goodwood]

Where did my jaw go?

[ModelMonkey]

Brilliant!

[hypno7]

VERY nice, those boats and liferafts look very good!

You managed to make the antennae on the airplanes look to scale! That is impressive...

Maybe this year I can see the diorama in a show?

[marijn van gils]

Mant thanks guys!

I'm just wondering about your weathering and shadowing technique.. It's so subtle and convincing... Would you discover the secret ?

Of course! The secret is that I have many years of intense armor diorama and figure modeling behind me, fields in which painting effects have become very important over the last 15 years.

The "secret" with the shadowing is that it is not a pin wash, with which you would let the paint flow around the details by capillary action. Instead, the shadows are actually painted on with less diluted paint, blending edges carefully with a clean brush moistened with white spirit. That way, more contrast (= darker shadows) and control (paint only goes exactly where I want it) can be achieved. The disadvantage is that it takes quite a bit more time to do. Great technique for small scales though!
Most of the other weathering techniques have been described in the previous pages. But if anything is not clear: just ask!

The total effect is achieved by layering a number of techniques, one after another. The techniques themselves are usually quite easy to do. Of course, doing them at a high level of finesse takes some time and patience. You can't expect this kind of results with a only couple of evenings painting! In fact, a couple of evenings painting usually results in only one of the layers�
But in my opinion, the most difficult part in a good paint job is balancing everything. Going far enough with every layer to make the model "speak" as much as possible, but not so far it detracts from it. This can only be learned with a lot of practice, and looking carefully at other models.

You managed to make the antennae on the airplanes look to scale! That is impressive...

Maybe this year I can see the diorama in a show?

Many thanks! In the flesh, it looked good, but I was also surprised that it still holds up under heavy magnification!
I just used the standard stretched sprue technique which Jim Baumann explained so well. The sprue is of course very thin, but nothing extra-ordinary, so I don't see why anyone else wouldn't be able to get similar results. Gluing the sprue in place was much easier than I thought it would be, and the insence didn't affect the clear glazing.

I hope to finish the dio during the next months. I'll keep you informed if I can make it to a show after that! It will be fun to talk again, and to see how your CVL is coming along by then!

Cheers,

Marijn

[blacman]

Thanks... A lot...
Greg

[gtbred]

how do you do that in 1/700?

[marijn van gils]

Meanwhile, I started the seascape, a first for me.

By far the best seascapes I have seen in the flesh are by Werner Dekeersmaeker. He uses Jim Baumann's watercolour paper technique, but glues it over shaped styrofoam for more dynamic seas, and spends a lot of care and time in painting and finishing.

I need a bit more choppy sea than Werner usually uses, and in a smaller scale (he usually builds 1/350th), so I needed much smaller waves which are hard to form in styrofoam. So instead, I sculpted a basic wave-pattern in Magic Sculp, on top of a 3mm sheet of plastic. I impressed the waves with a small teaspoon and smoothed it a bit with some water and my fingers.



In de hole for Lex, you can see the layers: styrofoam (I like some height to my bases, and it also keep everything on top stiff and straith), plastic sheet and Magic Sculp:




I like my groundworks to extend completely to the edge of the base, so I glued plastic sheet to the sides of the styrofoam before gluing the watercolour paper, and cut this even with the Magic Sculp waves at the top. Any gaps were filled with more Magic Sculp.

Then I glued the watercolour paper on top of this (after soaking in water for 15 min), with a lot of superglue, pressing the paper down into every wave. After drying, I "hardened" the paper with a coat of handbrushed varnish (to protect the texture from handling damage), and cut the sides and holes for the ships.
Then I filled the gaps between paper and plastic at the sides, sanded, and gave the sides a primer coat with black paint (you can see slight overspray on the waves).
It takes a bit of extra work, but the result are neatly finished sides of the base, with the water texture continuing right up to the edge.



With some of the paper I used:


I will have to place ships, boats, planes and figures (and do the painting of the sea) in different stages for me to be able to reach everyting but not damage anything, but we're slowly getting there!

Cheers!

Marijn

[JIM BAUMANN]

Ha! seen that kind of paper before...!!!

One thing that is worth doing now at this stage....
( just in case...(!)

( and read this thread all the way thru--especially the bit about glue and foam...)

http://privateerpressforums.com/showthr ... om-warping

all plastic and resin ships will in years to come--try and warp--and that kind of foam is also prone to pulling sometimes..( arghh!)

Just check out a sheet of t when leant agianst a a wall- even the 4 inch thick stuff can bow...

hre is what I normally do--I mount all my ships on a (stainless )steel plate

see here for thread

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37223

that will prevent the resin boats ever warping !







however -in your instance I would suggest as soon as possible you obtain a piece of mild steel ( muuuuch cheaper ) from a sheet metal fabrication place( or car bodyrepair shop)

- 2 mm thick( or thicker ) and get them to cut to the size of your base less 15- 20mm less all round, and bond it to the foam using a contact adhesive-- if you are placing wood /plastic around the base--if not--recess the metal plate into the foam( hence the lesser dimension so that it can be sunk within

simply gluing to the base will also work just fine !

BUT-- that way you inhibit the foams ability to move with thermal or other influences over the years


and your artwork-.( which it is! )

.....upon which you have expended many 100's of hours ...

.is conserved for your children ( in a glass case! )

best wishes

JB

[marijn van gils]

Many thanks Jim!

I had read your stainless steel technique, but thought I would be safe with the foam.
So I guess not... And the watercolour paper must exercise a considerable force on it, so I better go out and get me some sheet steel!

I will still add a picture frame around the bottom of the base, which will lift the base more than 2mm, so it will be easy enough to glue the steel to the bottom of the foam.

Thanks again!

Marijn

[LE BOSCO]

...So I guess not... And the watercolour paper must exercise a considerable force on it, so I better go out and get me some sheet steel! ....

Hi Marjin

or affix a watercolor paper on the bottom,just to counteract the forces,I have already done this with success!
good luck
cheers
nicolas

[marijn van gils]

Thanks Nicolas!

Mmm, that is much lighter, and much easier to obtain (I have enough at home still ), which are big advantages.
The steel is guaranteed rigid though� Which one to choose?

Cheers,

Marijn

[JIM BAUMANN]

for guaranteed ( non-experimental ) longevity... steel!

weight--does it matter?-- heavier bases are more stable and secure on the tables at exhibitions...!


I assume you will have a glass case lid for your base as well?-- so that your rigging and fine details are not ruined by dust...?
and spiders and atmospheric pollution, cat secure , child secure etc etc!!!

best wishes

JB

[MartinJQuinn]

I thought I'm crazy. But you are the worse case....

LOL. The pot calling the kettle black. I think is the best comment yet.

[thomastmcc]

simply stunning...

[Mgunns]

You are doing outstanding work on this model. I look at your work and I feel like giving up. Your work has certainly raised the bar to new heights.
This will certainly be an interesting diorama. My grade school friends dad was a member of the Marine Detachment on board the Lexington when it went down, so it has a special interest to me.