Topic: Fichtenfoo's Hornethopter - The Red Hornet (Read 8067 times)

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #40 on:** October 18, 2011, 01:28:29 PM »

Thanks dude, your wish is my command!

Okay, fisherman is now done!

Got the figure put together using the mix and matched limbs of the 1/35 german troops, drilled a hole in the neck and foot for ease of painting.

Then layed down the primer

Then I brush painted them with humbrol enamels, I'm not a figure painter by any means (as I said in earlier posts about the pilot) I have a simple technique that just gets the job done fairly quickly with results that I'm happy with. Basically I paint the basic colours, then just make darker versions of those colours and paint the creases and shadow areas then mix lighter versions and dry brush to highlight.

First time I've used one of the 1/35 heads I bought a while back for a project that never happened, and now I've put some paint on it the detail really pops, its a really good cast.

I just held it in position to give a sense of the final pose (yes I could have used blue tack but its all the way down in the shed and its cold outside! :lol:)

Hopefully now you can get an idea of what I was going for with the figure, I'm really happy with the pose, wanted a "holy crap!!" dive in the water type pose but also with a raised arm as if the hornethopter is flying so low he's instinctively trying to protect his head.

As I post this I have some jute twine sitting in some cheap green acrylic paint ready to create some grass, as I said I dont like the woodland scenic stuff. The remaining bit of grass you can see on the corner of the base is the stuff that hasn't been pulled off in frustration (yet!!) Its got that bad hair plug look!

So yeah grass next then I'll make a start on the fishing rod, thanks for looking

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #41 on:** October 23, 2011, 12:50:03 PM »

Just a quick photo to show I'm not totally lazy and have been working on this! Doing the grass at the minute which is a really tedious process but I'm getting there!

The bit on the right is done and the patch on the left is halfway done. I'm using Fich's jute twine method of making grass http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/making-tall-late-autumnwinter-field-grass-from-jute-twine/

This will be finished soon then onto the rod and bucket

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #42 on:** October 24, 2011, 11:16:12 AM »

Another quick update just to show the grass and groundwork is now done.

The glue is still drying in places, thats what the white patches are. Used some mig pigments to accentuate a dusty path that leads to the platform, and brushed a little for dust onto the platform.

I also drilled some holes on the planks for nails, I then made a dark wash with pigments and filled the holes with that to give the impression of old nails and a tiny bit of rust spread. The pigments look darker in this photo because the fixer has just been dripped on.

I'll start on the bucket and rod next, more soon thanks for looking

FichtenFoo · « **Reply #43 on:** October 24, 2011, 02:27:36 PM »

When the grass is all dry, try running a comb through it and then teasing it a bit. That'll help it look less clumpy. Otherwise looking
great!

Morpheus · « **Reply #44 on:** October 27, 2011, 02:42:27 PM »

Great, very nice job !!!

Congratulations !

And good idea also for the dio !

All the best !

Bruno

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #45 on:** October 28, 2011, 05:02:56 AM »

Quote from: FichtenFoo on October 24, 2011, 02:27:36 PM

When the grass is all dry, try running a comb through it and then teasing it a bit. That'll help it look less clumpy. Otherwise looking
great!

Thanks for the tip dude, thats made it look better, wondered how you got yours looking so natural!

Quote from: Morpheus on October 27, 2011, 02:42:27 PM

Great, very nice job !!!
Congratulations !

And good idea also for the dio !

All the best !

Bruno

Thank you, appreciate the kind words

Should be more updates on this soon, works been a little slow this week, trying to sort out a place for me and my pregnant girlfriend, but I have managed to start on the bucket and the fish plus some details for the fisherman such as tackle box etc. Pics soon, cheers

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #46 on:** October 30, 2011, 01:29:06 PM »

Okay more work has been done, started on the bucket which will be falling off the platform with a fish spilling out of it.

First off I cut the bits for the handles to pop into off of the PE fret and glued them to the sides of the bucket

Then sprayed down the alclad black gloss primer

And then sprayed down some alclad aluminium

Once the metal coat had dried I sponged on some red brown as rust showing through

Gave the bucket a matte coat next so I could use some rust mig pigments to just enhance the rust and add variation, did the same to the handle and then glued it in position with some z poxy

I then primed some other details for the fisherman and the fish for the bucket. I found a bag for the fisherman and an ammunition box which is being used as a tackle box, both items were from a 1/35 SAS jeep resin detail upgrade kit from Legend.

Both were given a quick blast of the basic colour they were going to be

And then some details were brushed on with some humbrol enamels

Then I used some mig pigments to add shading and grime

The fish for the bucket was primed

and then I just used some humbrol enamels to paint it

Only other thing I've done today is made a start on the fishing rod, just painted the main rod shaft first with the black base, then chrome so as to be a nice bright undercaot for the alclad hot metal violet I sprayed on last

Next I'm going to start on making the reel, and I'm going to use some very thin fuse wire to make the eyelets on it. I've also started putting some gloss gel medium over my base where the water will go just to seal down all the bits of dirt, so none of it floats into the clear resin when I pour it.

More updates soon, thanks for looking

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #47 on:** October 31, 2011, 12:21:01 PM »

Today I have completed the fishing rod!

I'd sprayed the shaft hot metal purple, now I dipped the end of the rod in tamiya black acrylic to give the impression of a padded handle. I also made the eyelets by wrapping some fuse wire around a pin a couple of times and the cutting the hoops off to look like the eylets you get on fishing rods.

These were then glued on with some CA glue, very fiddly work!!

Last thing I did was to make the reel, it was a random part from a resin sprue that looked very 'reel' like, although I've no idea what it actuall is! I think its the sun compass from an SAS jeep, anyway this was painted black and then glued to the handle

I love it when you have an idea, think of how best to do it, and then it just works out exactly as you'd hoped! I thought this was going to be a real fiddly nightmare but it was actually pretty straight forward.

Well, the fisherman and all details including the fish and bucket are done which means (gulp!) time to pour some resin! I'm going to do some more research and will then do some practice pours.

More updates soon guys

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #48 on:** November 03, 2011, 10:14:14 AM »

Well I bought some resin, its a polyester resin from a company called 'ariba'

Did a test pour for colour and also to check the resin was okay and that it would harden alright without being tacky. I've never done this before so I'm following the instructions to the letter.

Poured some in a small tub I had, the mix of this is 100g with 1ml of hardener. I used some humbrol enamels to colour it brown (26) and a greeny blue (31)

After around 42 hours, it was solid and had no tackyness, which I was pleased about because I was hoping it would be as straight forward as possible! I was happy with the colour although it wasn't quite as opaque as I'd hoped, so I'll adjust that in the first pour.

Mixed up my cup of resin with the same hardener ratio as the test, I've been using electric scales to be as accurate as possible, the resin came with a syringe for the hardener so I've been able to be accurate with that too.

Then I mixed in my colours, doing it very gradually one small drop at a time to get the exact opacity I require, as this is the first pour it will be the darkest to help create the look of depth to the water when the lighter layers are added next.

This is my base, as I mentioned earlier I have sealed all the groundwork where the water will be going with gloss gel medium, thats why it looks shiny.

Now its time to hold my breath and pour it onto the base!

Well my first pour is in and I'm really happy with it, the colour is exactly as I wanted, the river water has started! Now I just have to wait another 40 hours for it to dry for the next pour, man I'd heard it gives off fumes and boy they weren't kidding it stinks!

Its currently sitting in the shed with clingfilm over it just to keep the dust off, more soon, when its ready for the next pour

Morpheus · « **Reply #49 on:** November 03, 2011, 11:16:06 AM »

Yeeees, very well done !!!

Do you have a photo or a specific reference to this resin ?
Ariba is a brand based in UK.
http://www.ariba-fibreglass-supplies.co.uk/index.php

All the best !

Bruno

FichtenFoo · « **Reply #50 on:** November 03, 2011, 12:12:04 PM »

40 hours?! Yikes... that's too much time for something to go wrong IMO like dust and the like. Still, looking good. Is that shrinkage or just excess from tilting the container? Also how fast does it set-up before waiting for it to cure? Because in the last few moments before a set-up in most clears you can manipulate the resin with a tool to get ripple effects.

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #51 on:** November 03, 2011, 03:00:23 PM »

Quote from: Morpheus on November 03, 2011, 11:16:06 AM

Yeeees, very well done !!!

Do you have a photo or a specific reference to this resin ?
Ariba is a brand based in UK.
http://www.ariba-fibreglass-supplies.co.uk/index.php

Thanks man! Its called Ariba Water Clear Casting Resin, heres the link to it on their page.
http://www.ariba-fibreglass-supplies.co.uk/fibreglass-grp/Water+Clear+Casting+Resin

Quote from: FichtenFoo on November 03, 2011, 12:12:04 PM

40 hours?! Yikes... that's too much time for something to go wrong IMO like dust and the like. Still, looking good. Is that shrinkage or just excess from tilting the container? Also how fast does it set-up before waiting for it to cure? Because in the last few moments before a set-up in most clears you can manipulate the resin with a tool to get ripple effects.

Yeah 40 hours seemed long, although most of that time was down in my shed so it was pretty cold, the last 10 hours was inside and it firmed up pretty quick so I think that was a factor.
This time I had gone to put it down in the shed but I've brought it back indoors now, hopefully it will dry quicker especially as its a thinner layer than the the test piece. I think its some excessive meniscus to be honest, although it did get tilted which didn't help, I'm hoping its not that bad on the final piece I'm just going to see how the first pour turns out, and I'm planning on doing all my ripple effects with gloss gel medium.

Morpheus · « **Reply #52 on:** November 04, 2011, 06:29:07 AM »

Quote from: Hunter Rose on November 03, 2011, 03:00:23 PM

Thanks man! Its called Ariba Water Clear Casting Resin, heres the link to it on their page.
http://www.ariba-fibreglass-supplies.co.uk/fibreglass-grp/Water+Clear+Casting+Resin

Thank you very much, Sir !

Bruno

Cpt.Copesetic · « **Reply #53 on:** November 05, 2011, 12:23:32 AM »

Great progress.

Looking uber cool HR.

G

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #54 on:** November 06, 2011, 04:57:45 AM »

Your welcome Bruno!

Thanks Captain!

I'm pleased with the water, I just hope all the pours go as smoothly!

Have now poured the next layer, mixed up another batch using the same colours but in less quantity so its not as coloured as layer 1.

I've now tucked it back under its clingfilm to keep all the dust off!

Now we play the waiting game

Next pour in another 40 hours! This resin doesn't actually seem to take that long to harden, I'd say it hardens in around 15-20 hours, but then it takes a while for the surface to lose its tackyness.

More soon guys

armorjim · « **Reply #55 on:** November 07, 2011, 04:50:00 AM »

Cool nice detail.

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #56 on:** November 07, 2011, 02:37:22 PM »

Thanks dude!

Okay the second pour seems to have dryed a lot quicker, I can only assume thats because the heating has been on full blast over the weekend!

Mixed up what will be the final pour, added just a single small drop of the brown and green enamel paint to the water, it almost looks like I haven't added anything at all

Poured it in until the resin is level with the side of my diorama base wall

Now its just a matter of letting it dry and then I can start to put the water effects on using the gloss gel medium and will start final assembly, which includes doing the fish and water spilling out of the bucket

More soon thanks for looking

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #57 on:** November 16, 2011, 01:18:18 PM »

Riiight, update time!! Finally got a chance to do some more, what with house hunting and Skyrim on my xbox and to be fair waiting for gloss medium and resin to dry its been a while since I've done anything!

Have now pulled my finger out!

Okay, the rod and the fishermens gear is now glued in place on the platform. Have to say I'm really pleased with the rod, and seeing it in place is even better!

For the waves cause by the water disturbance I used gloss gel medium for most of it, but did use some liquitex gloss super heavy gel for some larger waves as its thicker, which does of course mean it takes much longer to dry the more you slap it on.

Started off my using the gloss medium gel, the hornethopter is going to be over the platform so the waves are centered from there

Then I layed down some heavier waves with the heavy gel and started to create more disturbed water at the edge of the bank and more sweeping waves

Once it was dry I was pretty amazed by the results, especially as its my first time using this technique, it looks exactly how I'd hoped if no better!

There is still a bit of cloudiness in the larger waves, but to me that just adds to the disturbed look of the water, especially at the edge against the bank.

Next step is going to be the bucket and water pouring out and attaching the fisherman to the platform.

Thanks for looking, more soon, no more slacking!

Cpt.Copesetic · « **Reply #58 on:** November 17, 2011, 09:31:42 AM »

Outstanding HR.

That water looks just about perfect. Beginner's luck?

You're really making some great progress on this project, keep it up.

G

Hunter Rose · « **Reply #59 on:** November 21, 2011, 01:27:33 PM »

Quote from: Cpt.Copesetic on November 17, 2011, 09:31:42 AM

Outstanding HR.

That water looks just about perfect. Beginner's luck?
You're really making some great progress on this project, keep it up.

G

Thanks dude!

Its funny you mention the water because my luck ran out a little, some of the heavy gel stayed white at the edge and a little underneath near the bank after a gap formed and I used it to fill it!

Think I've kind of remedied it though, the stuff underneath isn't too bad, some of the heavy gel stayed white at the edge on top, so I've painted some vallejo mud, and tamiya red brown over it to cover the worst parts, and have put some of the gloss gel medium (which was fine) over the top in a really spiky messy sort of way to look like more disturbed water which will also distort the view of the whiteness underneath.

The good news is, the bucket and the fisherman are done and in place!

With the bucket I had a length of clear sprue that I carved to shape and used a lighter to heat polish away the whiteness caused by cutting. This was stuck to the bottom of the bucket, and the other end was glued to the water (all with 5 minute epoxy). Once dry I glued the fish in position on the clear sprue.
You can also see the new choppy waves which are still drying, and as such still white.

The fish and piece of clear sprue were then covered in gloss gel medium to look like sloshy water, and I started the beginning of some splashing at the base, this will be enhanced more gel once the first lot has dried.

Right so this is nearly done, and I think the water will look okay once the new waves have dried, there may be some whiteness showing through from the bottom but screw it I can live with that, I'm still really pleased with how its looking. And more than anything I'm excited about getting the Hornethopter in place, which is the next step.

So the next update, will probably be the last!

More soon guys, thanks for looking

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Author Topic: Fichtenfoo's Hornethopter - The Red Hornet (Read 8067 times)