Sunday 12 June 2011

UNDER FIRE MINIATURES SELOUS SCOUTS "ON PATROL" 1/72.

 

Hello all,

I finally got round to finishing something!
This was more of a chance to try a few new things out and see what happens. 
 I tried to go for a dry river bed look about this dio.I was going to try and use some Vallejo water effect but bottled it.
To be fair the river bed looked better as a dry one.I will endeavor to use it properly one day!
 The base consists of one sheet of polystyrene packing foam cut in half and placed in each corner of the photo frame and the remaining slivers of foam was used to build up the landscape.
 The river bed was covered in Vallejo stucco (white stuff like tip ex).A good layer of sand and gravel was spooned over the bed.
This might have not have been the best to have used for this bit as I am not sure if it has dried yet!
I had to get the airbrush out to finish  it off.
 Some more woodland scenic rocks that I cast myself have been put around the base.Then came the PVA glue was spread over the whole base apart from the river bed and a sprinkling of small rocks and gravel followed by the ever present  sand.A follow up of rocks pushed into the sand  to give contrast.
Once left over night to dry the whole base was painted with Revell African brown apart from the river bed because it hadn't dried yet.
Then a quick sprinkling of MiG African mud pigment and gulf war sand.
The air brush came out to paint the river bed.Some silfor tufts got a good spray to lighten it up for a burnt look.
Next came the fun making my own trees.I want to make some "African" looking trees, you know the ones the stringy, flat at the top looking ones.I started by twisting about 15 strands of florist wire  and bunching them together in different strands.My first attempt was crap.It was huge and the the Vallejo pumice I used was just the wrong stuff, to sandy looking.

Once I got the rough shape I was after, I tried using Vallejo stucco to cover the wire.It took two coats of it to cover the wire.I think I need more wire probably a bit thinner to make more branch's but you live and learn.The foliage is from woodland scenic and works quite well, I am sure there is a lot better stuff to use.I used glue to keep it on the bracnhes on.The grass was glued on the base around the edges to show a "ford" type affair.A load more weathering pigment was spread around .Well there you go another base finally done.
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME.

Cheers for looking,     Rich.

9 comments:

Ubique Matt said...

Great looking diorama. Looks all the better with the dried out riverbed.

Regards,
Matt

Paul said...

Super work. The setting is spot on Rich.

Well done.

Thanos said...

Fantastic!!!
I think that the river bed, looks better this way. Your decision was right!
T.

Al said...

Superb, highly original work

Paul´s Bods said...

F**k me, that´s good!!!! I want to see this with a fitting backdrop...instead of you showing off with your exstensive range of colours :-D
Trees are a bugger...I´m going to have a bash at making some soon. :-/
Cheers
Paul

Captain Richard's miniature Civil War said...

You do some fantastic looking dios, Rich...very impressive and the realism is there.

Paul´s Bods said...

Right...I´m posting this as a test...see if yout hits go up about now. I´ve left a thread about what I´m doing (no I haven´t gone completely round the bend) at bennos and my blog.
Cheers
paul

Bartender said...

That looks really spooky!

Solo wargaming-on a budget! said...

Amazing work...inspiring!