Very nice and interesting build Tim.
-
-
Thanks guys.
More progress is (slowly) being made...
Building a shed
Here you can see the beginnings of the out-house that I had planned for the upper part of the diorama. This helps to create a backdrop to the broken-down jeep which is going to be positioned behind the farmhouse and just out of sight of the advancing Germans.
However, beyond establishing the general shape and size of this structure in my early cardboard cut-outs, I hadn’t thought much more about it…
So I started to construct the sort of structure that I assumed this sort of home would require. The size and shape was dictated by the angles of the base - so narrower on the right-hand side. To try and trick the eye into thinking that it had more depth, I decided to split the shed into two halves: one a workshop, the other a wood store (important in an area which obviously has heavy snow fall in Winter).
Here you can see the basic shape coming together. Although it may look odd, the rear stone wall is actually parallel to the larger building and is designed to be ‘in the shadows’ anyway. The important thing is to give the illusion that the ‘shed’ belongs to the larger structure.
I had a bit of fun with the log store. I simply used dried twigs from my garden sawn and sanded into shape - sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing - but there’s also a bit of fakery going on!
Once it's all in place I like to think it looks real enough...
Comment
-
For a moment I thought the owner also had a man cave for his hobby...nice addition.
Cheers,
WabbleComment
-
Hey Tim, very dedicated work there
I'm thinking of putting up another building on the compound, interested?:smiling3:
Great work so far.
Jim.Comment
-
Excellent work Tim.. the building and shed are beautifully doneComment
-
Thanks guys.
I thought it was time to start looking at the composition of figures and vehicles. The idea I had from the start was that of the German recce group having just arrived at the farmhouse… out of sight is a broken down jeep and a group of GIs who have just realised their predicament. As one of the Kampfgruppe rounds the corner he spots the rear of the jeep and at that moment one of the Americans makes a break for it.
You can also see some of the other work I have done lately…
The tree is work in progress and I will deal with that in another post when I have finished it. However, it is the first leafless tree I have ever had to make and it is being constructed from all-natural materials.
The rocky outcrop which wraps around the base of the hill is made from plaster pieces cast from a Woodland Scenics mould.
Other details are the telegraph insulators added from brass and the rear step for the farmhouse.
Anyway, I’m happy with the way it’s turning out and can hardly wait to get stuck into the actual terrain…Comment
-
THE CORRUGATION MACHINE!
(AKA the most innocent fun I have had in ages)
To add some more variety and break up the monotony of laying tiles I decided that my shed should have a corrugated roof. So I started to look at the options…
I had some embossed ‘corrugated’ metal sheeting in my stash that I bought years ago from an architectural model shop (4AD in London) which I thought would work, but I soon decided that a) the ripples were too small and b) they weren’t very well defined.
Then I looked on line. My first choice seemed ideal: Juweela ‘Corrugated Iron Sheets’ 1:32 / 1:35 scale. These come moulded in hard plastic in a variety of colours and they actually look pretty good. However, although I have no idea if there is some sort of international standard for this sort of sheeting, to my eye they just look out of scale for 1:35 - especially for a small building like mine.
So I looked again and came across the wonderful ‘Greenstuff World Corrugator’.
This rather medieval-looking contraption is as simple and effective as it looks. You just run some thin metal sheet through the serrated rollers using the key handle and - voila! - you suddenly have some realistic looking currugated sheet. And it’s so much fun!
However, I learnt the hard way one limitation with this method. Once the metal is corrugated, although it is easy to cut sheets vertically, it is impossible to cut across the bumps (either horizontally or on the diagonal) without crimping the sheet and thus ruining the effect. So you need to cut your sheet to size first and then run it through the machine.
My first (failed) attempt was made using thin pewter sheet (which I generally use for making rivets by punching with a pin vice onto a pencil eraser). For the second go I followed a tip I have read somewhere and simply cut up a coke can (other fizzy drinks are available). This is cheaper and actually works better because the metal is slightly thinner but also stiffer.
Anyway, I was very happy with the outcome. The sheets were then glued to a false roof made from card - which helped to keep the whole structure rigid - and capped with a strip of pewter sheet bent at an angle.
Meanwhile, I have already primed my farmhouse and shed using black Mr Surfacer from a spray can. So, painting is going to commence very shortly.
Here is the roof united with the rather dark looking shed…
I couldn’t resist adding a horseshoe (from an old Historex sprue) above the workshop door. I couldn’t remember if it should be facing up or down. It turns out either will do, depending on your superstition!
Comment
-
Bravo!! So impressive
Miko (appreciating quality)Comment
-
If I’m honest, the corrugations are too sharp … You’ve got zig-zag corrugations there rather than curved ones. The other day I saw a picture of a home-made corrugating device someone had made from cocktail sticks glued at regular intervals on two bits of plywood or something, which worked by putting a sheet of thin metal between them and pressing them together, and gave much smoother curves.
Other than that, the shed looks good
Comment
-
Many years ago I saw a similar device which was a wooden antique, made for crimping gentlemens' starched shirt cuffs!
As Jakko says, the corrugations are a bit too sharp. How about a piece of thin card each side of the metal when you roll it through the machine?
I think the horseshoe should be the other way up so as to catch any good luck that's flying about rather than letting it fall out!
PeteComment
-
Jakko, I want honest appreciation!
I do take your point and I suspect that the cocktail stick method is probably the most accurate. However, these sheets are at the back of the diorama and they will mostly be viewed from the side - so I am confident that with paint, moss and a bit of melting snow they will look the part!Comment
-
Hi Pete,
I knew that the horseshoe would prove controversial. From my meagre research it seems that there are two schools of thought (or superstition) and depending on how you look at it, the shoe is either trapping the good luck or preventiong it from escaping.
Besides, these Belgian farmers weren't exactly lucky were they? First overrun by the Germans in 1940, then liberated by the Allies in 1944, only to be overrun by the Germans again!Comment
-
Bring on the black and let the pre-shading commence!
So, as I said, I decided to give the buildings a coat of Mr Surfacer black. This was from a spray can (which is expensive - I have now bought several jars of the stuff).
The rest of the base was then covered in a slurry of PVA and cheap acrylic paint. This is NOT intended to provide any texture for the groundwork but a) to seal in the surface of the ceilng foam board (which is very good at creating annoying dust) and b) to get rid of the bright glare of it’s original colour - which tends to make everything else look too dark.
Then I hit the buildings with a mixture of Mr Surfacer black and grey, progessively lightening the mixture and adding rough highlights. Frankly, I didn’t take a whole lot of care over this because everything is going to be painted again anyway, but it’s nice to see some of the details pop out…
Comment
Comment