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.....

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.

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!

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....

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! 

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

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!