Slum
- Thread starter tiking
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A
AlasdairGF
Guest
Charles, that's fantastic. Grew up in South Africa and went into the townships quite regularly - amazing how well you've captured the feel of it. The litter is spot on - love the Life magazine!!! - the colouring of the corrugated iron, everything rings really true. Fairly sure I've seen that exact car seat sat outside a shack in Rini township near where I went to uni! Great build, inspired stuff.
An amazing bit of work there. Can I ask about the wood. Old wood (depending upon the type) is nearly always a sort of grey, how do you get your wood to look old ?
Colin M..
Colin M..
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- Charles
Hi Colin. The old wood was done simply by diluted black paint. That's it. I know. Simple eh? Actually, I think the real trick is making sure you use Balsa wood. It absorbs the paint way better and gives it that old age look.\ said:
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- Ron
Whenever I see 'tiking' posting a model, I just know it's going to be superb....
And Charles, you haven't let me down. This is excellent.
Ron
And Charles, you haven't let me down. This is excellent.
Ron
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- Charles
I thought I'd do a write up on how and what I used to build this dio. Included new updated pics. So here it is:
Since this was to be a slum or kind of derelict subject matter, I decided to use a wood stump as the base of the diorama. The ground work was done on a white foam board (never did like this brand but it was the easiest to come by at the time. Low funds, in short). The frame work of the shanty was an ordinary cardboard used by artist. Nothing special about it. As I mention, cheap was the main theme for me not spending too much on materials. The corrugated zinc individual pieces were done using foil sheets and a tool that gives it the corrugated design. Again, I will use anything possible to keep cost down. But I found another material. I Used aluminum platter, that bakers use to put cakes or food on. I found some cheaper ones at a cheap store for very little money. I cut out everything around it and use the bottom which was perfect.
After the individual sheets were made they were glued directly onto a cross frame made from balsa, after it was painted. At the back of the shanty, I used scale wood painted first in diluted white paint and gone over in a much diluted green color. Then I went over it with a medium size brush to give it that worn look. Prior to painting the sheets I poked small holes and deformed them in various forms to give them that really old neglected and battered look. I painted most of the corrugated sheets a different color as this is done in most slum areas; at least in some of my reference pictures. I used random colors, such as orange, green, oxide Red, yellow, purple and white.
Now, for some of you, this might come as a shock to you but I still use spray cans. Yes, I know. I am stuck in time. I will buy one but have been scared off by the amount of painting you have to do between each paint job. But I will buy one for its flexibility. And of source it is cheaper in the long run.
For the rusty look I used a mixture of Mig’s rust, real dirt and black pigments. The drainage ditch just outside the shanty was simply done by carving out pieces and adding miscellaneous scrap. I added everything from crumpled up paper to plastic(cellophane).
The ground is mainly done using real dirt and Mig’s pigments. I also used some no-name brand pigments such as black, grey and amber. The doors on both sides of the shanty were made from Balsa and aged by simply painting them with a diluted black paint. I then hung a red piece of cloth at the front entrance of the doorway, as usually seen in these shanties. The pair of shoes on the ground just in the doorway was taken from the same Meng figure set. I sawed off the feet and hand drilled holes in them and painted them using Citadel Leather color.
BTW, these Citadel brands are very good. If you have not tried them, give them a try. The tires on top of the shanty are used to help hold the corrugated sheets down so they won’t blow away after a storm or strong wind.
In most cases they do not help very much. But the effect on the shanty gives the model authenticity. The tires are 1/24 tires taken from another kit. I just used a grinder and removed the threads.
The vegetation is nothing more than finely selected moss and small plant branches I got from outside. If picked and placed right it does look the part. The figures are from Meng. The pots, pans and cutlery accessories as well as the broken down bicycle are from Diopark. I must say, that Diopark as some really nice kits. If you have not bought anything from them, then wait no longer. You will not regret.
In the cooking area, I used balsa wood, broken up in small pieces to represent fire wood; weathered with black and grey pigments to give the impression that it has been used. The pot sitting on the top of the stones has been scorch due to it being used many times over. The car seat or truck is a resin replacement seat used for the Italeri HEMTT kit. The old bench was scratch built using balsa and stained the same way using the dilute black paint method. The vespa at the front of the shanty is a 1/32 (could not find a 1/32 at the time) scale die-cast model which I modified by adding brake cables and damaged the seat to give the worn look. The modeled was then painted in different colors, red, blue, white and rusted up to create the used worn effect that would fit the scene. Added a resin box painted with a light sand color from Humbrol and weathered using pigments.
All-in-all it has been a wonderful learning experience and something to honor those less fortunate human beings around the world living in such poor conditions. We are all human beings. Let’s be kind to one another. BTW, if you type in Slum in Google's search window, you will see many different types from around the world. Peace.
Since this was to be a slum or kind of derelict subject matter, I decided to use a wood stump as the base of the diorama. The ground work was done on a white foam board (never did like this brand but it was the easiest to come by at the time. Low funds, in short). The frame work of the shanty was an ordinary cardboard used by artist. Nothing special about it. As I mention, cheap was the main theme for me not spending too much on materials. The corrugated zinc individual pieces were done using foil sheets and a tool that gives it the corrugated design. Again, I will use anything possible to keep cost down. But I found another material. I Used aluminum platter, that bakers use to put cakes or food on. I found some cheaper ones at a cheap store for very little money. I cut out everything around it and use the bottom which was perfect.
After the individual sheets were made they were glued directly onto a cross frame made from balsa, after it was painted. At the back of the shanty, I used scale wood painted first in diluted white paint and gone over in a much diluted green color. Then I went over it with a medium size brush to give it that worn look. Prior to painting the sheets I poked small holes and deformed them in various forms to give them that really old neglected and battered look. I painted most of the corrugated sheets a different color as this is done in most slum areas; at least in some of my reference pictures. I used random colors, such as orange, green, oxide Red, yellow, purple and white.
Now, for some of you, this might come as a shock to you but I still use spray cans. Yes, I know. I am stuck in time. I will buy one but have been scared off by the amount of painting you have to do between each paint job. But I will buy one for its flexibility. And of source it is cheaper in the long run.
For the rusty look I used a mixture of Mig’s rust, real dirt and black pigments. The drainage ditch just outside the shanty was simply done by carving out pieces and adding miscellaneous scrap. I added everything from crumpled up paper to plastic(cellophane).
The ground is mainly done using real dirt and Mig’s pigments. I also used some no-name brand pigments such as black, grey and amber. The doors on both sides of the shanty were made from Balsa and aged by simply painting them with a diluted black paint. I then hung a red piece of cloth at the front entrance of the doorway, as usually seen in these shanties. The pair of shoes on the ground just in the doorway was taken from the same Meng figure set. I sawed off the feet and hand drilled holes in them and painted them using Citadel Leather color.
BTW, these Citadel brands are very good. If you have not tried them, give them a try. The tires on top of the shanty are used to help hold the corrugated sheets down so they won’t blow away after a storm or strong wind.
In most cases they do not help very much. But the effect on the shanty gives the model authenticity. The tires are 1/24 tires taken from another kit. I just used a grinder and removed the threads.
The vegetation is nothing more than finely selected moss and small plant branches I got from outside. If picked and placed right it does look the part. The figures are from Meng. The pots, pans and cutlery accessories as well as the broken down bicycle are from Diopark. I must say, that Diopark as some really nice kits. If you have not bought anything from them, then wait no longer. You will not regret.
In the cooking area, I used balsa wood, broken up in small pieces to represent fire wood; weathered with black and grey pigments to give the impression that it has been used. The pot sitting on the top of the stones has been scorch due to it being used many times over. The car seat or truck is a resin replacement seat used for the Italeri HEMTT kit. The old bench was scratch built using balsa and stained the same way using the dilute black paint method. The vespa at the front of the shanty is a 1/32 (could not find a 1/32 at the time) scale die-cast model which I modified by adding brake cables and damaged the seat to give the worn look. The modeled was then painted in different colors, red, blue, white and rusted up to create the used worn effect that would fit the scene. Added a resin box painted with a light sand color from Humbrol and weathered using pigments.
All-in-all it has been a wonderful learning experience and something to honor those less fortunate human beings around the world living in such poor conditions. We are all human beings. Let’s be kind to one another. BTW, if you type in Slum in Google's search window, you will see many different types from around the world. Peace.
A
Andy Mac
Guest
That's a real nice job Charles, well done.
H
hey
Guest
Great job !!
A
american
Guest
I think... I love you man!
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- rob
thats going into my top 5 of models i love on this site. museum quality.
grumpa
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- Jim
First rate realism! love the corragated metal. Just don't attempt an American "Slum' unless you're adept at making big screen T.Vs new cars and luxury appts! Oh! and don't forget the latest fashions! Leathers in particular! NOT laughing out loud! Just paying THIER bills!!
first rate
First rate detail work! Just don't attempt American "Slum" dio unless you're adept at building big screen T.Vs, new cars, and luxury apts.Oh! and don't forget to make figures obese and wearing all the latest fashions, mostly leathers. NOT laughing out loud! Just paying their bills! But at least they show their appreciation with a good mugging now and then.\ said:
first rate
\ said:
takeslousyphotos
No Tears Please. It's a Waste of Good Suffering.
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- Peter
Great attention to detail charles ......... The old scooter is brilliant. First class job.
Peter
Peter