(Completed) RAF Bomber Command, WW2

This will be my last bust for 2014.

A challenging yet rewarding bust to work on. Painting the textures on the various accessories was time consuming but the additional dimension it brought to the bust made it worthwhile :)

(WIP 3) RAF Bomber Command, WW2

Approaching the finish line for this bust. Some straps and buckles to paint and attach.

Overall I enjoyed bringing this bust to life. The different materials & fabrics gave me an opportunity to experiment and try different methods.

Just note the oxygen mask and the oxygen hose are cast as separate pieces and should be pinned together. The oxygen hose also needs to be bent into shape. Likewise the cable from the mouthpiece of the oxygen masks needs to be bent and connect to the intercom cables.

(WIP 2) RAF Bomber Command, WW2

Getting back into the groove. Lots of interesting textures and fabrics to experiment on :)

(WIP 1) RAF Bomber Command, WW2

An older looking Brad Pitt :)

A slight variation to the flesh mix. I added some French Blue & Olive Green to the shadow areas.

(Completed) Life 6th German Army Stalingrad 1942

Finally completed this bust :) Great sculpt and a joy to paint :)

 

 

(Completed) Alpine BAR Gunner US 29th Infantry Division

Completed pics of the BAR gunner.

Pretty happy with the groundwork made of tea leaves and dried coconut husks. I am sure there are other naturally occurring material that is suitable for scale modelling :)

 

 

(WIP 1) Alpine BAR Gunner US 29th Infantry Division

My next project is a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) gunner from the US 29th Infantry Division released by Alpine Miniatures.

In my excitement to paint this figure, it slipped my mind to take some WIP photos. Much apologies, here's a photo taken during the rendering of the jacket. As you can see the groundwork is also in progress. More to follow in the subsequent posts.

(WIP 3) Life 6th German Army Stalingrad 1942

The Jon Sonja colors used to render the completed tunic are as follows:

Base: Olive Green + French Blue + Prussian Blue
Shadows: Base + Prussian Blue + Burnt Umber
Highlights: Base + Skin Tone Base

The key is to paint in thin layers and create a gradual transition of colors that is lightest at the top (shoulder) to the lowest part of the bust. To emphasise the highlights, a mix of Skin Base Tone + White was used  to pick out the highest areas. Likewise to create a distinct shadow area, a mix of Prussian Blue + Burnt Umber was introduced into the darkest folds of the uniform. In some case, I used Carbon Black to further vary the dark areas.

Glass Lenses

A fellow member of planetFigure (Thanks Nap !) introduced me to a product, Kristal Klear, to create the lenses of the glasses. I found a youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ_ggnLYkPM) showing how it was done. In the case of this bust, I used a size 2 brush instead of a toothpick to drag the medium across the glasses as the gap is larger.

(WIP 2) Life 6th German Army Stalingrad 1942

Here's the tunic rendered to about 80% completion :)

(WIP 1) Life 6th German Army Stalingrad 1942

This next project is a trooper from the 6th German Army during the Battle of Stalingrad.

The glasses gave the figure a nice touch. Some photos to share the process of rendering the face. If you noticed, the initial stages are rather messy as I was more concerned with blocking out the colors than blending. 

(Completed) Jeff Shiu SS Untersturmfuhrer Western Front 1944

Done ! Will be entering this into the Hong Kong Scale Modelling competition in Nov this year :)

(WIP 2) Jeff Shiu SS Untersturmfuhrer Western Front 1944

Painting the black leather trenchcoat on the subject is a trial and error process.

Initially I started out with a Prussian Blue + Burnt Sienna base. However this was too blue for my likely and a thin coat of Burnt Umber was painted over. The highlights on the trenchcoat was picked out by light drybushing with a mixture of Yellow Orche & Burnt Umber. (Buff works as well). This helped me to visualise  the fall of light and identify the subsequent areas I want to empahsise. Matt Black was painted into the shadow areas to give it depth.

Given the limited range of colours to work with, the weathering effects of trenchcoat gave it an addition dimension to an otherwise rather monotone area. It also allowed additional colours to be introduced. (Burnt Sienna, Yellow Orche, Fawn etc...)

Drawing on references, emphasis was given to the edges, joints and contact areas of the trenchcoat. Scratches were also introduced for a worn look.

(WIP 1) Jeff Shiu SS Untersturmfuhrer Western Front 1944

My next project is a Waffen SS Untersturmfuhrer (2nd Lieutenant) during the Western Front of 1944.

From his medals, this is individual is battle hardened veteran from earlier campaigns. I am planning to portray him as an officer from the 2nd Waffen SS Division " Das Reich". The division was transferred to France in anticipation of the allied invasion. In preparation for the allied forces, most of the Das Reich men were stationed in Montauban, a town north of Toulouse, for refit and resupply.

(Completed) Alpine WSS Wiking

Calling this project done for now. Some photos for sharing. Part of the MP40 sling was made from paper. Perhaps more weathering on the winter pants and boots before senging this off for IPMS Belgium :)

(WIP 2) Alpine WSS Wiking

Took on the challenge of painting white for the winter pants. I think it's decent for a first attempt. I started with a mix of off white & a small amount of burnt sienna as the base before laying on the highlights and glazing in the shadows. I am leaning towards some light weathering on the pants instead of the muddy works. (Had a bad experience with mud, still not proficient with such effects)

Base: Off White + small amount of Burnt Sienna
Highlights: Base + mix of Naples Yellow Hue/ Flesh Base, Titanium White
Shadows: Glaze with Burnt Sienna

I also pushed the highlights on the parka, hoping they would "pop out". While the bulk of the figure is almost done, there's some minor tweaks due to harmonize the colours. Hope to complete this in time for show organised by IPMS Belgium :)

(WIP 1) Alpine WSS Wiking

Found some time to start a new project. The figure is a 1/16 scale trooper from 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking" 

The cheekbones are very subtle so some "artistic license" is required to bring out the face to life. The anorak/parka which makes up much of the figure will provide ample opportunity to push the highlights.

(Completed) Petty Officer, Royal Naval Air Service, Antwerp 1914

Based on the reference photos, the uniform of the subject is dark navy blue.

This makes it kinda challenging (for me) to "play" with the shadows since the uniform is a rather dark. Nonetheless it was a good exercise for me to better understand blue :) The uniform started out a little turquoise, this was brought towards blue the glazing with mixtures of Prussian Blue + Black. Black was reserved for the darkest of shadows.

The base is looking kinda sparse for a city under seige. Will be looking for suitable material to create the chaotic atmosphere.

Base : Prussian Blue + a tiny bit of Orche Yellow
Highlights: Base color + Orche Yellow / Fawn or a color with yellow bias 
Shadows: Prussian Blue + Black, Black
Glazes: Prussian Blue