Thursday, December 12, 2013

IPMS Regionals - 2013 - Best of Show!


I had the pleasure of attending an IPMS Regionals event, and came home with my first "Best of Show" award -- along with 5 gold, and 2 bronze awards. One of the judges let me know that one of the bronze would have been a gold, but for a very, painfully obvious seam... which I had, of course, totally overlooked. Alas. Still, you won't catch me complaining as I hadn't expected that model (Castle in the Sky - Diorama) to even make the first cut.

Best of Show - Marder III M (Artillery)
GOLD - Ruby (Figurines)
GOLD - "Fresh Meat" (Cars - Custom)
GOLD - 1966 Oldsmobile 442 Junker (Cars - Stock)
GOLD - Alien Bust (Sci-Fi)
BRONZE - "Castle in the Sky" (Diorama)
BRONZE - VW Chicken Coop (Cars - Custom)

I got some great feedback from the judges on several of my entries, and I'll make some improvements before the next show on those models that didn't place this time.

I have to admit that I was totally taken by surprise by the "Best of Show" award. I had already handed out the "Best Weathering" award (sponsored by Secret Weapon - so I got to hand it out) and figured my job was done for the day. They actually had to call my name three times to get me back up there. When I finally got to the stage we had a discussion that went something like this:

Me: Sorry, what's up?
Head Judge: Best of Show
Me: Sure, what did you need me to do?
HJ: You won.
Me: What?
HJ: Best of Show, you won it. For your Marder.
Me: Really?

There was a fair big of laughter at this point as much of that was picked up by the live mic. Oops!

And now it's time to get on to the next projects, and keep right on painting.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Landscaping Truck - Final

I'll add the bungee cords as soon as the elastic arrives, and work out some bumper stickers in the interim, but otherwise....





Thursday, November 28, 2013

"Castle in the Sky"

Unless someone spots something I missed, I can finally say that this one is finished. The models are from Finemolds, and the scene was adapted from "Castle in the Sky."

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Castle in the Sky - WIP - Foliage Edition

The painfully slow process of adding foliage to the model has begun. I wanted to add a bit between the models so I'd have an easier time reaching those spots -- and so I can control the white flower placement, which will become part of the focus control.

Of course I still need to finish painting the figures, but that's beside the point....


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Castle in the Sky - WIP

My wife and I are both fans of the Miyazaki/Ghibli works, and the moment I found out that Finemolds made kits for some of them... well...



You get Pazu and a Guardian robot in one kit, with Sheeta and a Gardener robot in another -- so I had to buy both. The Guardian is in the mock-up, but I'll use the Gardener in the final. That little diorama will be a gift for my wife, while the Guardian will get his wings and be staged to jump off a cliff for my own collection. There's a long way to go, of course, but I'm happy with the progress so far.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Rust - Two Versions - Video

When Secret Weapon Miniatures sponsors a "Best Weathering" category, I get to weather the trophies. We cast them in resin, and then I paint them, pigment them, and put them in a socket... which is why we don't sponsor a lot of "Best Weathering" categories!






This time, since I had two of them to make, I decided to make them distinctly different - and capture the process on video.




A quick review of videos also made me realize that I haven't done a live broadcast in more than a year... and while I don't know that I'll go back to the live format, I certainly do hope to start getting back to videos here shortly.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Landscaping Truck - WIP

I really enjoyed the "Pick Up w/Equipment" kit from Meng Models -- which I had used to make my Zombie Truck -- and quickly made plans to create another, more mundane version of the kit. Given my three year old son's obsession with yard work, "Misterjustin Lanscaping" was born.

The tool rack was scratch built from brass tube, the tool bin from plasticard, and the TOYOTA lettering is from Voyager and is intended for another one of the Meng truck kits.

Of course any landscaping truck is going to need tools... and so I'm having a set of them run through the 3D printer, with some extra water jugs that I will use on other projects.





Friday, October 18, 2013

1966 Oldsmobile 442 - Final

Until I spot the next thing that needs "fixing," this is it for the 442 kit.





It wasn't easy to close things up and hide all of the trash inside -- but there's enough going on that when you see the kit up-close you're drawn through the windows, so it's not all lost.

And now I need to not break it until the December IPMS event.....

Saturday, October 12, 2013

1966 Oldsmobile 442 - WIP

This is the 1966 Oldsmobile 442 kit from AMT models. As cheap car kits go it's a nice one, although it suffers from a one piece window insert, as most kits in this category do. Otherwise I have no complaints, and as I didn't use the windows...

I'm doing this one as an abandoned junker, so the little interior details are going to add a lot to the story. In this case those include a plastic trash bag, a few old beer cans, some newspapers, and a handful of Playboy issues, all with appropriate 1976 labels or covers.



The windows were made by spreading out a thin layer of Realistic Water and then sprinkling on some crushed glass. Once that dried I cut it to shape and glued it to the frame with some Water Effects.



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Alien Bust




I had the good fortune to be able to take a creature painting class with Casey Love (MIB 3, The Thing, Blood, Predator, Race to Witch Mountain, AvP, Resident Evil: Requiem), during which I got to paint one of his original sculpts.

Casey is an excellent teacher, and I really enjoyed the class -- although we spent a lot of time covering airbrush basics, not as part of the curriculum but because so many folks had done little or no airbrushing prior to this. This is not a complaint on my part though, because it's always good to get a take on the basics from an expert -- and Casey certainly qualifies!





Monday, July 8, 2013

Wittmann's RC 007


I stopped doing commission work a long time ago, but sometimes you just can't say no. In this case I'm turning this 1/16 scale RC tank into Wittmann's 007. This thing has individually linked metal tracks, emits smoke from the exhaust, has a working suspension, and shoots airsoft pellets. Even the tow and stowage rings are workable. It's an incredible piece... and I'm only a little afraid of ruining it....

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Workshop Weekend - Flint, Michigan

I will be at Gamers Sanctuary on July 13-14th teaching six different mini-workshops.

••• SATURDAY •••
10am - 12pm "Intro to Airbrushing" (No Attendance Cap), $10
1pm - 4pm "Weathering Demo" (No Attendance Cap), $10
4:30pm – 7:30pm "Bring Your Model" (8 student cap), $10
 
••• SUNDAY •••
10am - 1pm "Basing For Gaming" (20 student cap), $10
 
 
2pm – 5pm "Hands-on With Pigments" (20 student cap), $10 
5:30pm – 8:30pm "Bring Your Model" (8 student cap), $10 
 
I also plan on bringing my X-Wing models with me, and maybe even a few points of Warmachine, to help fill in the Friday night.
 
Come out and say hello! 

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Tamiya 1/35 Sherman M4A3





This model was painted largely as an excuse to work with the flexible sandbags (THEY ARE AWESOME!) and try my hand at tying tiny, tiny knots.

The weathering was done using Secret Weapon Weathering Pigments as washes. This let me get a nice, rippled look of once wet dust. What you see in the picture, below, was largely washed away and only existed as a backdrop for the more recent dust.

Overall I'm very happy with the kit and how it came together. I've already found a couple of little things to tweak - like the misplaced rope under the bottom ditching log starboard side.

I'll take this with me to the Yuba City and Sacramento IPMS Regional shows this year.


This is a look at the color modulation, and forced focus, prior to weathering and filters. The finished effect is MUCH more subtle and really works as a whole.

CMON Voting Link

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Zombie Truck - Nearly Finished



This is the "Pick Up w/Equipment" from Meng models - and I actually purchased the kit simply to get my hands on the stowage that comes with it. When PoweredPlay started offering ready to go lighting kits I decided I had to try one as soon as possible -- and so was born this fun little project!

I kept the cab empty so that I wouldn't have to worry about where to put the wires, but the module is so small it would have worked if I'd just left out the engine. The hood comes off so that I can fiddle with things, but I also put the battery under the stand so I can just disconnect it.

The lights are incredibly bright -- enough so that they're clearly visible despite the fact that I have two 100 watt daylight bulbs shining in these photos!

The kit, and the lighting, were a real treat to work with -- and I'll try to get some finished shots up in the near future. I still need to do a bit of weathering, and then hide those wires!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Crystal Brush - 2013

So I've been just a wee bit busy with the Tablescapes Kickstarter Campaign, but I did manage to make it to Adepticon this year and enter the Crystal Brush with five models... one of which took gold!







I have to say that if one of my models was going to win I'm thrilled that it was my historical vehicle entry.

As the sponsor of the "Best Weathering" category I also asked Roman and Raffa for their opinion (Roman was judging Crystal Brush - top photo) and their reply was, "There's a German tank that is very good. The open artillery piece." I got to smile, thank them, and ask for a second choice... because I couldn't win my own award. That's probably the best compliment I've ever received on my work.

Of course then I got home and managed to drop my Crystal Brush trophy. All six pieces are sitting in their box. I am a sad, sad panda.

And now the model just has to survive until the California IPMS regional event this year....

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tablescapes - by Secret Weapon


So I've been... just a bit busy working to launch a new product line for Secret Weapon... and we kind of, sort of, maybe funded in the first 30 hours of our Kickstarter campaign. Seriously.

We have 28 days left to unlock the additional themes, and I'm already unveiled some shiny new mini-goal options. I am also happy to announce that I will have previews for the official "Secret Weapon - Tablescapes" bag from Battle Foam -- available here as an add-on as soon as we finalize the details.

Check out the campaign on Kickstarter


Monday, April 1, 2013

Forge World Jetbikes - Imperial Fists


The first of several planned squads of Imperial Fists jetbikes using Forge World models.

The power armor has been partially shaded with the airbrush, but most of it will be done with a brush so that I can better control the contrast against the jetbike.

I love the models and I'm enjoying the project. There's a display base planned for these three so that I can show them off when I'm not using them.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Octobust - Finished (Again)


Since the original post I have blended the black knobs on his head out so that the transition is less stark, and turned this into a pattern that runs onto his head. The tentacles have received a bit more modulation so that they're not stealing focus, and he got a hint of veins running through the thin skin near his ears.

And now he's finished again.... maybe.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Octobust - Final


This is the finished Octopus bust from JMD Miniatures. It is sitting on a 1.5" clear acrylic cube instead of a traditional wood or resin plinth. I thought this would help to emphasize the "wet" look and nature of the piece.

I'm going to keep coming back to work on the water effects as it takes a long time to dry between each application. In this picture the top right water droplet is still curing, which is why it has a milky look to it.

Otherwise....