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Ok so here is my current build which is really just finishing an old one.The figures are just placed randomly at the moment to get an idea of how it will look.
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I don’t have any earlier shots than these because I started this years ago, and even though I have only just done the weathering of the LCVP and started painting the figures I hadn’t joined this forum so I wasn’t planning on blogging it.
[ATTACH]324921[/ATTACH]
The Higgins Boat is the Airfix one, built out of the box. The figures are a mixture of Revell, Italeri, Hasegawa, Caesar and Pegasus Hobbies. They are quite variable in terms of sculpting quality, even in different sets from the same manufacturer. This was fine, actually, because I wanted to show the GIs being different heights and wearing slight variations in uniform. I also wanted to get across the feeling of them being crammed in against one another, which is something you very rarely see with model figures.
There is actually rather an inaccurate variety of different uniform styles, in fact some are even paratroops which are completely wrong but I decided not to get too fussy about that.
Just thought I would drop that in now to stop the rivet counters before they get too excited!
I knew I would need a to do a lot of dismembering and use figures from different sets because there are very few standing still poses available. I avoided making duplicates because I wanted them all to be individuals. I pinned the bits together with fine wire and used this superglue and plastic primer which I got online.
To be honest, I don’t know that it is any better than ordinary superglue, given that these are static models and not wargames figures.
I filled gaps and made the respirator bags and life preservers with Duro green stuff.
I primed them with Rustoleum plastic primer which was a recommendation on some wargaming website or other. It works fine in that it gives a hard coat to the soft plastic, but when I started painting I discovered I had obscured some of the detail. I should have followed rule number one of spraying- that is that several light coats are preferable to one heavy coat! But I was on a roll and I had no intention of stripping the paint and starting again.
I started researching the uniform colours and I realised what a minefield it is!
I did a few tests and discovered that I didn’t have many suitable colours. Being new to brushing with acrylics I found that acrylic paint doesn’t cover very well over white, so I undercoated them all with a brown, to reduce the effect of any gaps in the paint. Maybe that explains why some people prime with black? I also discovered the difference in consistency between Model Colour and Model Air…..
I found a Vallejo colours list for D-Day GIs on another wargames website so I used that as starting point, but when the new paints arrived I found I didn’t agree with all the choices …. I could have mixed colours myself but I prefer to have ready mixed colours available for touching up if necessary at a later stage.
I have to say that whist I love the convenience of acrylics with the airbrush, I really don’t like them very much for brush painting. In fact I had such trouble with the fine detail of the webbing that I dug out my old Humbrol enamels, most of which must be over 30 years old!!!
And still working - after a good stir.
Back in the day I used to think nothing of painting the eyes on these 1-72 scale boys, but now, even with an optivisor, I find I’m happy with a pink blob where the face is!
The Higgins boat was primed with Halfords rattle can grey primer (lovely stuff), and I have a feeling that is how I left it… It was before I started the SM55 so must be at least 3 years ago!
I modulated it just recently with a couple of light greys through the airbrush, then a good coat of Klear before the decals. Another coat of Klear followed by a couple of oil washes, brown and black. And some brown pastel for the rusty bits (it was mostly plywood, so not much rust about).
I still need to add some details like ropes and fenders and the machine guns.
And then the big challenge… the water!
That’s all for now folks!
Ok so here is my current build which is really just finishing an old one.The figures are just placed randomly at the moment to get an idea of how it will look.
[ATTACH]324920[/ATTACH]
I don’t have any earlier shots than these because I started this years ago, and even though I have only just done the weathering of the LCVP and started painting the figures I hadn’t joined this forum so I wasn’t planning on blogging it.
[ATTACH]324921[/ATTACH]
The Higgins Boat is the Airfix one, built out of the box. The figures are a mixture of Revell, Italeri, Hasegawa, Caesar and Pegasus Hobbies. They are quite variable in terms of sculpting quality, even in different sets from the same manufacturer. This was fine, actually, because I wanted to show the GIs being different heights and wearing slight variations in uniform. I also wanted to get across the feeling of them being crammed in against one another, which is something you very rarely see with model figures.
There is actually rather an inaccurate variety of different uniform styles, in fact some are even paratroops which are completely wrong but I decided not to get too fussy about that.
Just thought I would drop that in now to stop the rivet counters before they get too excited!
I knew I would need a to do a lot of dismembering and use figures from different sets because there are very few standing still poses available. I avoided making duplicates because I wanted them all to be individuals. I pinned the bits together with fine wire and used this superglue and plastic primer which I got online.
To be honest, I don’t know that it is any better than ordinary superglue, given that these are static models and not wargames figures.
I filled gaps and made the respirator bags and life preservers with Duro green stuff.
I primed them with Rustoleum plastic primer which was a recommendation on some wargaming website or other. It works fine in that it gives a hard coat to the soft plastic, but when I started painting I discovered I had obscured some of the detail. I should have followed rule number one of spraying- that is that several light coats are preferable to one heavy coat! But I was on a roll and I had no intention of stripping the paint and starting again.
I started researching the uniform colours and I realised what a minefield it is!
I did a few tests and discovered that I didn’t have many suitable colours. Being new to brushing with acrylics I found that acrylic paint doesn’t cover very well over white, so I undercoated them all with a brown, to reduce the effect of any gaps in the paint. Maybe that explains why some people prime with black? I also discovered the difference in consistency between Model Colour and Model Air…..
I found a Vallejo colours list for D-Day GIs on another wargames website so I used that as starting point, but when the new paints arrived I found I didn’t agree with all the choices …. I could have mixed colours myself but I prefer to have ready mixed colours available for touching up if necessary at a later stage.
I have to say that whist I love the convenience of acrylics with the airbrush, I really don’t like them very much for brush painting. In fact I had such trouble with the fine detail of the webbing that I dug out my old Humbrol enamels, most of which must be over 30 years old!!!
And still working - after a good stir.
Back in the day I used to think nothing of painting the eyes on these 1-72 scale boys, but now, even with an optivisor, I find I’m happy with a pink blob where the face is!
The Higgins boat was primed with Halfords rattle can grey primer (lovely stuff), and I have a feeling that is how I left it… It was before I started the SM55 so must be at least 3 years ago!
I modulated it just recently with a couple of light greys through the airbrush, then a good coat of Klear before the decals. Another coat of Klear followed by a couple of oil washes, brown and black. And some brown pastel for the rusty bits (it was mostly plywood, so not much rust about).
I still need to add some details like ropes and fenders and the machine guns.
And then the big challenge… the water!
That’s all for now folks!
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