Revell/ICM 1/35 German Infantry 1914

[Neil Merryweather]

Great horticulture Neil. You've the patience of a saint.

thanks Peter, but really I haven't.
I always look for a quicker way to do repetitive things- that's why they are mounted on masking tape. It enabled me to do them in batches,rather than individually.
Is it impatience or efficiency????? Or is the one the father to the other?

[Steve Jones]

Terrific work on the base. Really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

[Neil Merryweather]

Well I've finally got around to finishing the base.
I darkened the earth and gave it a wash with GW Agrax Earthshade ink(and spilled the entire bottle over my trousers in the process :rolling: ).
Then I positioned the figures

The Sculptamold is very soft and doesn't give any support to the pins of the figures, so I drilled through to the plastic of the base.
Then came the planting, and this is where the softness of the Sculptamold was an advantage. I just made a hole with a needle and simply glued each stem in place with Evo-Stik, which I use because it is brown and flexible. I started in the middle and worked outwards, in case I ran out of plants.I did at one point and made some more, and it could do with a few more at the back. I still have a couple of sprigs left, but I can't be bothered now.
All told it took me about an hour.
And that's all there is to it.

...............and then I realised I hadn't painted the rifle slings! They are brown in the shot above because I used brown electrical tape-which is probably why I forgot to paint them.
Now that WAS a challenge, the risk of dropping the whole thing was heart-stopping( well ,maybe I exaggerate a little.........)
Anyway, here is a reminder of what I was trying to represent


And here they are



I resisted trampling too many as in the original picture there are not great paths showing through the blooms as you might expect. What I can't represent are the clouds of dust!


HUGE thanks to Gentleman John(Percy) Race for discovering and then providing the Nigella plants.
Thanks all for looking and for all the encouragement- it really does help me to carry on and finish these things.
Cheers
Neil

[Dave Ward]

Neil,
that is fantastic - the plants really push it up another level! I await your French poilus!!
Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Neil
That is superb. A very "out of the ordinary" dio. The planting makes it. You do indeed have great patience ...... and skill.
Jim

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil,
that is fantastic - the plants really push it up another level! I await your French poilus!!
Dave

Wow, thanks Dave.

Hi Neil
That is superb. A very "out of the ordinary" dio. The planting makes it. You do indeed have great patience ...... and skill.
Jim

That's very kind , Jim, thanks

[Guest]

Fantastic Neal. Really nicely done and there's no mistaking the reference - you've caught it exactly.

[Neil Merryweather]

Thanks very much Peter.
It's the first picture in my first book on WWI I had when I was a teenager and it's always piqued my interest, so it's very pleasing to have found a way-quite by chance- of referencing it.

[NickT]

Absolutely brilliant !!

[Neil Merryweather]

sorry double post and I can't delete it

[Neil Merryweather]

Absolutely brilliant !!

many thanks Nick

[Steve Jones]

Absolutely stunning Neil. You really have set the scene well. Its definitely up there with the best of them. Well done mate

[Andy Belsey]

Excellent Neil and Percy(John)!
Andy

[Neil Merryweather]

Absolutely stunning Neil. You really have set the scene well. Its definitely up there with the best of them. Well done mate

Thanks alot Steve

Excellent Neil and Percy(John)!
Andy

that's high praise, coming from Capability Belsey! thank you

[Mickc1440]

What a great piece Neil, the base really is superb