My first dio! M151A2 with TOW is now completed

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Andre
"with a broken GPS he was lost in the middle of nowhere. The old and dirty map is his best friend now..."

Finally after some delays and loads of new experiences with new (for me) techniques, it is time to say my first Dio is done! And I'm happy with the final result.

It is shinning much more that I would like though. But even after some matt varnish coats I couldn't take that shine away. Any suggestion?

Also, have made an aerial...does it look nice from your point of view? I haven't glued it yet and so it is rather easy to get rid of it.

Anyway, being the first one and with all the new things I've tried on it, it doesn't look that bad overall...and the papaya box was a great base :D

It's time to stop driving and go on riding a BMW R75 with Sidecar from Tamiya...the thing is so damn small...let's see

Thanks is advance for any comment and/or suggestion which are always very welcome.

Cheers

AC

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geegad

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John
cracking first dio bud but its a shame there is so much shadow cant see it all

could you get some more photos??????

geegad
 

geegad

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yes thats its can see them.

quality like the map nice touch afc like your base as well if this is your first then looking forward to seein more of your work

john
 

Ian M

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Over all that is a great first dio.

If I may say a couple of things to help you out. I think that the jeep is very well built and Painted. Just a nice amount of weathering. Now about that antenna, It looks a bit in the thick side, and the spring at the bottom is big enough that he could use it in the suspension...As you said its not fixed on permanently so I would suggest that you find some thinner wire and do another one.

The figure is a bit bright and shiny maybe a darker green and a coat of mat varnish will help that.

I hope you accept this as it is meant; helpful suggestions.

I do like that Jeep!

Ian M
 

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Hi John, Thanks for the feedback. Wanna try to guess which is the route in the map? :D

Hi Ian, of course I accept these and all constructive feedback and I THANK YOU ALL for taking the time to give me feedback. Otherwise will not be able to improve.

1) antenna - might try to "burn" a bit of sprue and see if it works out.

2) figure -I've tried loads of things and the guy still shines :smiling3: are you proposing paint it again? or something like a wash?

really glad with the comment about the weathering. First time I did it and was very afraid to mess it up :smiling3:
 
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andygh

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I like these, they don't kink or break and are very fine

Military Models and 1/35 Scale Models by Accurate Armour
 

stona

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Nice composition and a well built model,I think that's a nice little dio. Regarding matting down the figure I'm wondering which varnish you are using. A good matt varnish should certainly work in one coat!

There are lots of things you can use for aerials,you already mentioned stretched sprue. I've used bristles from paint brushes (as in painting your house) to good effect. The big advantage is you don't accidently burn your fingers on plastic that is a lot hotter than you thought it was.

Cheers

Steve
 

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Andre
Andy, thanks for the website recommendation, but I think I don't want to spend more money on this one.

Steve, I'm using the Humbrol Matt Cote brushed straight from the bottle onto the model. Is there a better one or way to use it? I stir it the best I can...but maybe I'm not doing it enough...could it be?

Cheers
 

spanner570

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Excellent first diorama AFC. Lots to see and very well presented.

Nice to see someone else foraging for suitable stuff from the bin, and finding the perfect base hiding inside!

I use polyfilla powder to take the shine off my models or sometimes I use a very well diluted Dk. Grey acrylic and paint the figure with that. Like Steve says, a matt varnish should have sorted it out though.

Well done, nice build,

Ron
 

stona

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I use the Vallejo varnishes (available from the shop at the top of th page!) and it works well for me. You do need to give any varnish a good mix/stir but It should sort it out.

Cheers

Steve
 

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Ron - can you explain the powder thing better? all options are to be considered at this stage!

Steve - Will try it again tomorrow with the varnish well mixed

Thank you all for the nice comments and help!!!
 
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wanna_be_aviator

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Nice dio, good work for a first one! I hope that Joe isn't been tracked down by the enemy, he'd better find his way around and get off his bums! I also use Humbrol Matte cote airbrushed or handpainted according to the mood and whenever i don't mix it for a very looooooonnnnng time, I get that semi-shiny finish as well. When well mixed, it's great product. Cheers!
 
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Fenlander

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Matt varnish has always been a curse of modelling but, as the guys have said, it should be matt. The main reason it stays a bit glossy is down to mixing, you have to stir it twice as much as paint to ensure the matting agent is well distributed. I have also found especially with airbrushing that a light dusting of Matt varnish is more effective than a wet coat.

Great entry to dio building by the way. I always believe that a drama should hold a story and yours does. I have been modelling a while now and I have never achieved an effective drama so really well done.
 

AFC

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Hi Guys,

just as an update...

This morning following your advices and I mixed the varnish and mixed it and mixed it and mixed it...well you get the point :D ...and then I covered the figure up again with it. I guess it worked now! It looks less shinning although I might do it again once more.

What I found was that at the bottom of the bottle there was this white glue-kind of thing...I'm not an expert in Varnishes but I guess that's what makes the matt work. Also I noticed that when brushing the figure, the varnish wasn't as watery as before and felt it more like brushing a liquid glue.

Will post some pics once I give it another coat.

Come to think of it, maybe I should have left it shiny to simulate the sun hitting on his back :D (just joking!! matt is the way to go!)

wanna_be_aviator - the guy lost his enemies and that's why he ended up getting lost as well :smiling:

Fenlander - welcome back mate and thanks for the comment. Leave to each one of you to decide what will be the end of the story :smiling3:
 
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backonthecase

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AFC, great looking M151 there!

If it helps with regard to the antenna - If you or any of your mates/family play guitar, ask them to save you the offcuts next time they restring.

Bottom E string (guage 8,9 or 10) is great for the antennae themselves and top E string (in the region of 46 guage) is good for the springs at the base. Just be careful how you cut them as you can end up "flattening" the ends if the cutters are not sharp.

HTH

Stuart
 

spanner570

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Sorry with the late reply to your question about polyfilla A.F.C......

Get a small box of white polyfilla powder or tile grouting powder and put some dry in a bowl, get a small paint brush and hold the figure or vehicle over the bowl and gently apply the powder.

When done flick the model to remove any excess.

I find it works great on models where dusty, arid conditions are required and is not so harsh as some pigments and washes.

To colour it get some cheap children's pastels and scrape some off the required colour and add to the powder until the right shade is aquired.

Cheers,

Ron
 

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Ok guys! now it's REALLY done :smiling3:

Antenna is changed and glued and looks so much nicer!

The soldier is less shinny after aplying a second coat of varnish which also looks better.

Hope you all like it.

Again...THANK YOU so much for all your comments. Being my first one I though it was really a basic one and that it wouldn't get much of your attention. However, your very positive feedback just made me feel prouder and gave me the confidence to do more...so it's your fault if I post another one some time soon...the second one :D

Cheers

Andre

Stuart - Thanks for the hint. Another thing to look for in my friend's bin ;)

Ron - Thanks for the explanation. Will apply that technique in the next one.

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PS - Will practice in taking better snapshots for the next one!!!

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spanner570

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Don't belittle your achievements Andre, there is nothing basic about this mini diorama.

Sometimes simple is best, but me thinks looking at this your first dio., you have the skills not only to build big or small, but to have the imagination for a good storyline to go with it!

So here's to the next one!

Cheers,

Ron
 

geegad

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Hello I thought It looked good before and now that you changed things it looks quality we all live and learn you and I will learn things as we go along that's the beauty about modelling there is always something new to learn

Your first dio I would be more than happy to call it mine

John
 
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