Fighting top complete

Just knocked out the Fighting Top to the USS Constitution. What a project. My hat is off to the designers. I was in way over my head on this thing. If it hadn't been for such a well designed kit and well written instructions, I would have been lost. I'm happy with the final result and I'm ready to move on the the figure portion. I already have one figure painted and the rest undercoated. I'm considering re-sculpting the commander. I already posed him, but I'm thinking it needs a few changes. So, between now and the MMSI show, I'll be painting, painting, painting...

More Rigging

After I got done sculpting the muleskinner I had to get back to business. This model is over the hump and approaching the clubhouse turn. It's possible that it could be done late July/early August. Then I can get back to painting the figures. I foresee a marathon flesh painting session. Learning to rig a ship has been a real experience. I can see what captivates the ship modeller. It can be tedious at times, but very rewarding when it goes well.

A quick sculpt and WB report

This is a late 19th century Muleskinner. I'm doing it as a surprise for a friend that has helped me out with several projects over the years. From woodworking to bicycle maintenance he has been a ton of help. He owns a couple of mules that he and his wife ride and enjoy. It's 1/32 with a Wolf head, Verlinden hands and Airfix boots. I'm not thrilled with the boots, but I'm sure they'll look good painted up. I did reshape them some and also added bootstraps.

Workbench Update; Still rigging "Old Ironsides". I painted the pants on one of the figures the other day too. I'm past the halfway point and just about at the avalanche stage. That's where your progress reaches it's apex and you're just knocking out details as you come down the stretch to completion. I just hammer and hammer and things seem to get done. I was reading ahead in the instruction manual and I believe (cross fingers) that I've served my last morope. This is a tedious endeavor and I've done more than a few and thought I was going to go cross-eyed in the process. I'm working on the ground work for my "Surrounded!" diorama. I've been photographing the process too. If it goes well, I'll try to make an article out of it.

Finishing up a side project

The photo is the continuation of the John Basilone figure I've been working on. I'll be sending it out to it's new owner soon. There are still a few details to add and quick polish and cleaning. It's been a fun and rather quick project. Getting the anatomy right on a mannequin makes for quick sculpting when it comes time to clothe it.

Still hammering away at the USS Constitution. Photos soon. I'm almost to that next step in assembly. I've been giving my airbrush a workout. I don't airbrush often, but this project has kind of demanded it. The patron has asked for light weathering. I've weathered it just enough to give it some dimension. The rigging has been a tedious at times, but I've missed the challenge of it as I work on these other elements.

Post Tulsa bench time

The Tulsa show is always over too quickly. I had a great time catching up with friends, talking shop and swapping stories. My good friend Anders was voted the new Tulsa Medalist. Well deserved I'd say. Anders is knocking out some excellent work in the last few years. His latest sculpting seminar has set the bar pretty high for any seminars to be shown in the future. Jason Green won BOS with his bust of Cornwallis. Another neat feature this year was a display of collections. Mike Meehan had several busts by Sang Eon Lee, and Anders had several figures by a handful of well recognized artists.

Workbench Update; The photo shows an in progress figure that I'm doing for another painter. It's intended to be John Basilone performing the deed that was key in winning him the CMH. I hope to be finished sculpting by the end of June.

Just in time for Tulsa

I just got this fellow done for the Tulsa show. I'm calling it "Henry Kept a Journal". When my wife was in Europe last spring, she picked up a graphic novel for me that chronicled a British soldiers experiences during WWI. I thought it was a neat story with an unexpected twist toward the end. I don't know if it's true or not, but it reads true. I used a spare head from JMD and scratchbuilt the book.

Workbench report; I'm still hammering away at the fighting top for the USS Constitution. Nothing terrific to show there. Mostly just rigging that you could barely notice. I'll take some photos soon after another leap has been taken. After Tulsa, that will be my central focus. I also started a John Basilone figure for someone else to paint. I'm pleased with what I have so far.

More rigging and another project

I've been working on this thing quite a bit. This rigging business is t e d i o u s. It's also a pretty rewarding endeavor. Sometimes that's the way it is with learning a new skill. This thing has definitely handed me a steep learning curve. I'm less enthusiastic about the figures I have to admit. The more I work with them, the more frustrate I become. I know in the end they'll paint up just fine. My good friend and Master cabinet maker Mike made me a very nice oak base for this model. I got the mast and rigging fastened down this evening and I've been lightly weathering the mast.

I've been working JMD Models English soldier too. It's the Painter's Figure for the Tulsa show this year. I really liked the look of this figure, but I've found many things about it lacking. The sculpting is excellent,as is the detail. But the casting is not great. Not poor, but I think breaking it down into more pieces would have yielded a better casting. I decided to convert mine a bit. My wife bought me a really neat graphic novel while she was in Belgium. The character in the book fought at Ypres, and kept a journal. I've decided to model mine with a journal on his knee with a pencil in his hand. I discarded the kit head and used another from JMD. I should have photos of the figure soon.

Workbench update

Workbench update; I continue on the USS Constitution, but that has stalled a little while I wait for a base to be made. I'll work on the next one or two Marines in the coming days. I knocked out a 1/24 scale Martini/Henry mk.I in plastic for a future Thunderbird Miniatures release. I love building with plastic. In the photo is my "Surrounded!" diorama. I was going to finish the fellow with the m1 to display singly while I finished the rest. I've decided against this and instead I'll forge ahead with finishing it all before I display any of it. As I pointed out on TimeLines, a lot of thought has gone into the composition. Hopefully the viewer will sense the desperate straits these soldiers have found themselves in. The only question I have left regarding setting the scene is whether or not to go ahead with a dead enemy soldier that would be buried in the rubble.

Rigging a ship's mast AMFS show thoughts

Workbench update; In the photos are a Marine from the War of 1812 period and a portion of the Fighting Top of the USS Constitution. The top is a challenging kit, I have to say. I guess I expected to get a kit that was all resin. I was a little intimidated when I saw all the bags of rope, thread and string. As I progress on this thing I find that I've learned a few new skills along the way. The instructions for the kit are excellent and that puts a beginning ship rigger at ease. It's going together slowly, but it's going well. Since I'm out of my comfort zone and the kit is off the market, caution is the order of the day. A broken part could be a disaster. I did opt to replace some of the kit parts with my own home-made versions as it seemed easier to do that than to suffer trying to manipulate the kit parts. The result is the same. Not photographed, but still on the bench is my paratrooper vignette. I was going to display just one as a single figure while I finished the others. I decided against that and have forged ahead with sculpting the other two. MAYBE I'll have it for Atlanta next year.

The 2011 Atlanta show was last weekend. It was a great time. The AMFS organizes a very fine show. The new venue was very nice. The exhibit room was a little lacking in the lighting department, and the vendor's area was tight with vendors. Not a bad thing really. Lots of vendors is an indication of an excellent show. I knew I didn't have my strongest stuff this year. I considered entering this show as "Exhibit Only". In the end I thought what the heck and entered anyway. I was fortunate to win Best American Civil War with my wading Confederate. I won a silver in Painters and a silver in Open. I was a little disappointed about this. It was a step back for me, as at the last AMFS show I was fortunate to get a couple of golds. It's not a bad thing to under-perform. So, it's time to review techniques and finishes try to figure out how to keep up with the constant rising quality in what I see in the exhibit rooms.

OPINION: Atlanta added a Fantasy category this year. I know some shows have done this recently. I can understand why. If you're going to attract youngsters that are in to figures, this is what they're painting. But outside of marketing the show to this group, I have to ask, what need is there for this category? In my opinion, a figure's a figure. I've seen these types of figures at shows for years. They've been judged along side their more historical cousins until recent years. I think all judges and spectators can spot an excellent or poorly painted/sculpted piece regardless of period or genre. I don't want to sound critical of any clubs decision to add a Fantasy category. I'd hate to see the field get cluttered with too many categories. I think the sparsity of categories is one of the beauties of the system Shep Paine designed. With regard to figures, to me there's no difference in a Grenadier Guard or a Space Ork. I know roughly the same amount about either. But I'm confident I would be able to tell if one or the other was painted/sculpted well. Just my two cents.

Prepping for Atlanta

Workbench report; This little fellow is a commission that I was able to get done a little bit ahead of time. I did an Airfix conversion of a WWII Australian in the same pose a few years ago. I like the idea that the figure is wading through a nasty backwater. I tried to pick a head that had a facial expression that conveyed a bit of miserable determination. I tried something a little different to simulate the algae. I think this adds to the effect pretty well. I'm still hammering away at the USS Constitution Fighting Top. The focus lately has been on figures. I am at full stop on the top itself until my custom base is completed. I'll be honest and try to be delicate at the same time about these figures. It would seem that the caster is not used to sprueing up figure kits. There are some odd and heavy mold seams on many of the figures. A couple had such significant mold shift that if the company were still in business, I might consider asking for replacements. Luckily, I have enough redundancy in kit pieces that enough good figures can be assembled to complete the top with crew.

A while back on the forums I lamented that I had gotten fed up with trying to use acrylics as undercoats. I decided to give Humbrol enamels another go. I had gotten pretty disgusted with their formula switch to "Super Enamel". I had noticed lately that Humbrol no longer labeled their paint in such a manner. I was hoping this meant that a return to the older formula had also occurred. On a trip to St. Louis I stopped by CRM and grabbed a handful of colors I thought I might use. One of these was still labeled "Super Enamel". I opened it and one of the others and stirred the respective contents. The newer label seemed to have significantly more sludge at the bottom. This could only mean more pigment. I used some of this new paint to undercoat a couple of figures in the queue. I flowed off the brush like a dream and covered in one coat. It dried dead matte. What more could an oil painter ask for? Call me a throwback, but I'm back on enamels.

I'm planning on going to the Atlanta show this year. Last year I skipped in lieu of going to the MFCA show. Perhaps this is how I'll manage the show circuit going forward. The Atlanta show has such a homey atmosphere though. The draw MFCA has for me is an opportunity to see lots of European work and a huge vendor's area.

I'm still recovering from my surgery. I still have some weakness in the right shoulder. PT is helping, but mostly I just have to wait for the nerves to heal. At first it hampered my ability to sculpt and paint. I had rearranged some items in my studio to accommodate. Now I have enough strength that it's become unnecessary.

Convalescing

I've been getting a few items worked on while I recover from surgery. I feel really good, which is a little deceiving. I have to remind myself that I had neck surgery two weeks ago and I'm still not fully healed.

This figure is the first one ready for paint that will go in my "Surrounded!" vignette. It's scratchbuilt except for the head and some web gear. I enjoy doing details like the cartridge belt even though it's totally frustrating sometime. I would probably choose to do the belt first next time I do one of these. Trying to fit it into the space I allowed was a little bit of a trick. I'm pleased enough with the result that I'm not going to redo it, but it's something to remember.

I took on a sizable commission last month as well. I'll be building the USS Constitution Fighting Top from Meteor Products as well as several figures that go with it. It has been challenging so far for a figure modeler. I read through the instructions and have to say that I find all the rigging a little daunting. I think the result will be pretty satisfying. The casting on the figures is a little hit-or-miss. Luckily, the package I got had an extra set of Marines included. I was able to mix and match some pieces to get the best components. The mold shift on a couple of the copies was so bad that a re-sculpt would have been warranted. Photos later when I get something substantial completed.

Testing the limits

Just finished this little guy. I think it turned out pretty good. It was an enjoyable project. There are a couple of things I wish I could have done better. The leggings could be a little cleaner in the sculpting department. I was very pleased with the pose. It's balanced a little precariously. I hope it will hold up to travel. I had to get a little creative to pin the foot to the base. My main goal was a dynamic, action pose. I hope a sense of motion exists.

I have been pretty busy in the studio lately. My shoulder is getting better every day. I go for an EMG soon to see what's up. The doc says my neck isn't bad enough to warrant injections. That works out pretty well, because I don't really want them if they're not going to fix my problem. It's funny, I got back in the studio because I wanted to see if I was going to be able to get some work done if I wind up being off for an extended period for surgery. I'd hate to be off work and not able to enjoy my hobby. Recently, my triathlon training had supplanted this hobby. Being thwarted on my 1/2 marathon training was upsetting to say the least. But, it did get me back to the bench and I think because of this injury, I'll be able to find a better balance between these two pastimes.

WB report and shoulder update

Workbench report; In the photo is a forest setting that I finished the other day. It's intended to be the setting for the charging Indian that I sculpted a while back. That figure is currently on the workbench and about 75% complete. I think it's going to look pretty good when it's done. I've done this kind of setting before and there isn't anything really groundbreaking about the material I used. The trees are from Bayardi and have been embellished with dried roots and photo-etch items.

While my shoulder situation has improved, it still gives me some difficulty. Some things I used to do automatically take some re-engineering. I moved a small TV tray into my studio to use set my paint palette on. I also created a small lap-desk for my sculpting work. My workbench is rather high as these things go, which is how I like it. I have found that with my shoulder the way it is, I can't reach some things like I used to, so it necessitated these modifications. It has worked pretty well. I'll make improvements as time goes on I guess. I'm hopeful that I won't have to for long and I'll be healed up by December or so. I still don't know what I did. Waiting for results from the MRI.

Chicago 2010 & shoulder injury

Well by all accounts the most recent Chicago show was a great success. I had a difficult time this year. I developed an injury on Friday morning that only seemed to get worse as the weekend wore on. As a result, I didn't get to enjoy the show as I normally would have. I seem to have all the symptoms of a torn rotator cuff, which means surgery. I'm hopeful that it's a pinched nerve and will heal with time. I'm not overly optimistic though.

I did get to visit with a few folks and had some nice meals with friends. A few highlights for me; My good friend Anders' display, Wendy Rafalski's work especially the ones displaying water effects, Fletcher Clement's display, Mike Blank's display, and the very large Arnhem diorama by Dan Capuano. There was an awful lot of very good work on display, but these are the ones that stood out in my mind.

I'm looking forward to getting back after some projects that are on the bench. Winter is near and it's the off season for triathlon training. I've been able to sculpt, but I haven't tried painting yet. I'm going to have to reconfigure my workspace a bit to accommodate this shoulder problem. I'm hoping that this injury doesn't set me back too much.

Small scale armory

I've been hacking at plastic these last few days. I'm making some 1/32 ACW muskets intended for Reaper Minis. One Springfield, and one Enfield. I think they're going pretty well. I really enjoy working with plastic stock. It's really a matter of figuring out how to use the medium. I has it's strengths and weaknesses, just as everything else. I have a formula I use to make make muskets that I'm refining. It seems to work pretty well. I plan to challenge myself at making some more modern weapons later on. I'll post some photos after they're completed.

Clear workbench

I've wrapped up my work I planned to do over the summer. This is the last project I hoped to finish until August. I'll start painting the American Indian I sculpted a while back. I should have it all finished for Chicago. I'll be making some weapons from plastic in the meantime. Just a couple of small projects to fill in the gaps. I need to work out a new sculpting project. I have the beginnings of what I hope will be an ECW cavalryman on the charge. Ambitious for me because it will be mounted. More on that later.

Some painting

Well, I've been doing a little painting lately. I bought this figure second hand. I really like the coats on these characters. I painted Elite's Royal Horse Artillery a while back and really wanted to try another one of the coats. The figure was a little pitted/pebbled. I didn't find this out until I started to paint it. I thought I could live with the texture, but elected to strip and fix it. I smoothed it all down with scotch-brite pads and steel wool. I gave it a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000, and reprimed. This seemed to do the trick. It's all painted with oils over acrylic and printer's ink. I found the red hair hard to duplicate. I also had some difficulty getting access to the right side of the figure's face. I generally prefer to have the head as a separate piece. This one is cast in place and practically up against the coat collar. I did my best, but close scrutiny reveals the problems I had. It's still a great character and fun to paint. I did it in just under a month, which is pretty fast for me.

Here's a very good link about the character's history;

Kabul to Gandamak

A little sculpting

I seem to be getting a little bit of drive left now that I have the Alamo Scouts diorama out of the way. I started this a while back when I was experimenting with some action poses. The mannequin was posed up before it had any identity. I decided on a comfortable subject, a Woodland Indian. Not really identified with a particular tribe, so it's just a generic mid-18th century Eastern Woodland tribe. I've also been working on getting my folds to follow lines of tension. I think I'm making some progress. I'm hoping to get some paint on it soon and get on to the next one.

Tulsa Show

Well another Tulsa show is in the record books. It was a great weekend. The new Tulsa Medalist was Jason Green. He was also the recipient of the Best of Show, and Outstanding Exhibitor awards. Jason has been turning out Gold Medal work as long as I've known him. Recently he made a flawless transition to acrylics and his output has probably increased by a factor of five. My good friend Rusty Nail was there and won Gold as well for his very well done Boris, the werewolf. Anders Heintz had very nice display of Gold medal work as well. Tulsa local, Bob Davis pulled off a Hat Trick winning Gold Medals in all of the main categories. I was happy to have received a Gold in Open and Painters. My Alamo Scouts diorama was well received it seemed. A good time was had by all, and I can hardly believe the weekend passed so quickly. My show weekend was capped with a visit to Kimmy's across from the hotel for breakfast with the locals and the TX crowd.

Here's a link to a site devoted to the Alamo Scouts for your edification.