Takom Mk.IV Male "TV build"

J

Jens Andrée

Guest
Well, I'd just about given up on my figures for this vignette and suddenly they turned up!
Ok, not turned up exactly. I was picking up another package at the post office and the girl recognised my name. (which isn't uncommon to be fair ;) )
She had a package sat there since the 10:th with my name on it and as usual nobody told me - but there was a small box and my hope suddenly got rekindled and inside were my Imperial German Army Stormtroopers from Meng!!! About bloody time too...

So now I have all the pieces for my vignette, albeit a bit late since they were supposed to arrive first week in November... sigh.

Not so great post service like I've told you a few times...
 
J

Jack10

Guest
Nice one mate so glad they turned up for you! Looking forward to seeing he diorama get finished now keep us posted
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
Nice one mate so glad they turned up for you! Looking forward to seeing he diorama get finished now keep us posted
Cheers!
I've almost forgotten what I had planned to do so I'm also looking forward to see how it turns out ;)
Luckily I made pretty detailed drawings as I was building the base for the vignette so I have a pretty good understanding - I hope (?!) - after reviewing those drawings tonight...

Ordering stuff from Asia is sadly no longer a viable option for me which is not good, but I've got 40+ unopened kits in the stash so it's, in a way, a good thing too because I won't be spending as much money on every cool kit I see on eBay... hehe...

I haven't painted any figures since October at least so it'll take some getting used to again. I was getting there towards the end making acceptable, not great, but acceptable figures so I hope I don't have to start from page one again?
I've only had a quick look at the sprues but the figures seems very detailed, very little flash and very well made accessories like rifles, grenades, helmets, mines, flasks etc.
You who are a really good figure painter should have a look at Meng figures too because I think you'll like them! Very reasonable price too, which I've found Meng are throughout their product range.

I will build more Meng kits in the future for sure!

Wish me good luck getting this stalled and stone cold project again!
 
J

Jack10

Guest
Good luck my friend :cool:

I've not seen many meng figure kits so they do much ww2 stuff? I've only ever seen modern figures and a few ww1 sets? I'll have to have a look. I'm also tempted to go resin at some point! Just a bit expensive but might splash out if I see a figure I really like.
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
You're right Jack, they don't do that many figure kits - and the ones they have aren't all listed on their webpage.
I think they've done 13 figure kits in all, some WWI, WWII and modern + a couple civilian ones. Most of them are for a specific Meng kit, or a range of kits I think.

Good quality for the price regardless!

I've now built the two figures that I'm going to use in the vignette, apart from helmets. I will begin the paint process tomorrow eyes permitting.
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
I wanted to try something new on these figures and that was to spray white primer after the black in the direction the sun would shine on them to make it easier to create realistic shadows, and it looks promising! I saw a figure painter on YouTube do this and it seemed like a cunning plan.

Here are the two figures I've planned to use in the vignette. One trying to lob a grenade on the tank and the other running as fast as possible in the opposite direction... ;)

IMG_20180128_230453_01.jpg
IMG_20180128_230521_01.jpg

I've corrected the seam line on the grenade guys trousers and boots after the photos were taken. Helmets are painted separately, as some of the accessories, to make it easier.

I haven't painted figures since October I think so it's going to be a slow start...
Life in the trenches was probably very dirty for the soldiers so I will weather them quite a lot. Photos taken in the trenches were probably arranged so they had time to clean up first...? There aren't many "action" photos for obvious reasons so I have very little reference to go by.

Putty was required for these figures, and some detailing, but I like them a lot and they're very detailed! :smiling3:
 
J

Jack10

Guest
I see what you mean about them being really nice quality! The detail looks very crisp indeed! Nice idea with the white too. I do the same thing with painting the helmets separate. Makes painting the faces a lot easier! Nice work so far matey following with interest
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
Just caught up on this one Jens, some great work and I'm really glad you've finally got the figures.
I almost had to start by scraping off the patina from the figures from being lost for so long... :smirk:

Well, I finally got them and now I have to get back on track with this abandoned project, but after (again) finding the right places on the vignette I felt the creativity come back so I hope to finish this before something else decides to put a spanner in the machinery?! :tongue-out:
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
I'm getting there with the figures but right now I'm not so sure it was a great idea to paint the helmets separately because it wasn't until after gluing them on last night that I discovered that they were a couple sizes too big?!
Perhaps the helmets were bigger in WWI but this much?

See for yourself...

IMG_20180204_111447.jpg
IMG_20180204_111451.jpg

I only wish my figure painting-fu was stronger but it is what it is. They're going to be weathered before I add them to the vignette and I hope they turn out acceptable...
The eyes on the grenade lobbing chap looks like a zombie after a discrete wash... That needs to be fixed for sure!

I've surely waited long enough to get them!
 
J

Jack10

Guest
Look good mate I don't think the helmets look ut of scale from the pics of ww1 Germans I've seen the helmets do look a lot bigger than ww2 helmets.

Great job on them so far they will compliment the tank really nicely
 

flyjoe180

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I'm liking your figures Jens. Regarding the helmet, I always thought the WW1 version was larger anyway. Found this pic to show the size differences:

stahlhelm.jpeg
 

Mr Bowcat

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Probably of little relevance, but the British Fig. 14 (Huns Head) target dates back to the Great War and was used to teach squaddies how to identify and shoot the enemy when there heads popped over the parapet of a trench.

It's still used today in Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) & McQueen's competitions.

Screenshot_20180204-223811~2.png
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
Cheers guys!
I've been diving into all reference photos available and the WWI helmets are taller and bulkier than the later WWII ones, and perhaps a bit wider rim too?
The helmets on my figures are still too big but not as humongous as I initially thought...

img-7223.jpg

RD0627164862_1024x1024.jpg


At least it's close enough to continue and not try to find replacement helmets...

One thing is interesting about these early WWI helmets because whoever designed them knew what they were doing because this is still roughly the design most modern armies are using today, albeit in various composite materials and thick padding.

We've had a real cold front hitting even us in the south with -10°C and really cold winds so I feel a bit too stiff for doing the last painting bits so it'll have to wait until it gets a bit warmer - or at least my body has adapted...
I hate the white crap and I was hoping moving south would save me from it but fat chance of that. Luckily it's soon March and before April hits us spring will have begun!
 
J

Jens Andrée

Guest
This is my first real update in months on this project and it feels really good!!!

I've started to weather the figures but I can't really do much more until they're pinned and glued down to the vignette so a respectable glass of a descent port to build up the courage and then I was ready to commit to the project!

There's still a ton to do with regards to weathering, let alone doing the mud tracks that the tank made driving up the slope.
I've been debating whether I should glue down the tank to the vignette or carefully try to make the mud tracks so it can be removed, but I just can't see how I can do it tight enough since the mud would be pushed out, up and also a bit onto the tracks so I shall ponder on a bit more until tomorrow and then see if I'm ready to commit to that exercise...?

TakomMKIVDio012.jpg

TakomMKIVDio013.jpg

TakomMKIVDio014.jpg

TakomMKIVDio015.jpg

TakomMKIVDio016.jpg


I'm also pleased with the barbed wire I painstakingly made a couple months ago. It's as close to scale correct as humanly possible but it's a one core, not a two core twisted barbed wire because that proved both overly complex and made it look too thick. I will make the barbed wire rusty, like their posts, but that's one of the last steps because I don't want it to rub off.

Although it's a muddy scene I will finish the dirt/mud with a few different pigments towards the end to make it appear less wet.
It's a side effect of my PVA mixed with ordinary dirt raided from a flower pot. I hope some pigments will make it appear less wet...

This is my first ever vignette so I've made just about every mistake I could but I'm getting better and better at recovering from my mistakes so I've learned loads on this project and my next vignette/diorama will go much faster! (especially since I won't start another until I've got all the bits and bobs at home and not make the same mistake as this one ;) )

I'm happy with my grenade lobbing Fritz but his running pal Klaus has a face only a mother can love... Sometimes painting with oil paints just works and then you try the same again and it all goes ti*s up?!

Anyhow, some progress and I'm finally beginning to see the end of this project.
Did it turn out like I visualised it? No. Almost but not exactly. My dirt/mud isn't scale accurate and I will sieve the dirt next time and apply a thin layer of dry earth on top of the still wet PVA mud to make it look less shiny.
I've still not decided how to frame the vignette base? I've got an idea for something that might look great IF I can pull it off, but on the other hand a simple frame doesn't take focus from the vignette...

I hope it'll look descent enough to not have to hide it in a couple of months but it's been a fun project and I've learned loads for the next one!
I'm pleased with the tank though and 50% of the figures ;)
 

grumpa

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This is my first real update in months on this project and it feels really good!!!

I've started to weather the figures but I can't really do much more until they're pinned and glued down to the vignette so a respectable glass of a descent port to build up the courage and then I was ready to commit to the project!

There's still a ton to do with regards to weathering, let alone doing the mud tracks that the tank made driving up the slope.
I've been debating whether I should glue down the tank to the vignette or carefully try to make the mud tracks so it can be removed, but I just can't see how I can do it tight enough since the mud would be pushed out, up and also a bit onto the tracks so I shall ponder on a bit more until tomorrow and then see if I'm ready to commit to that exercise...?

TakomMKIVDio012.jpg

TakomMKIVDio013.jpg

TakomMKIVDio014.jpg

TakomMKIVDio015.jpg

TakomMKIVDio016.jpg


I'm also pleased with the barbed wire I painstakingly made a couple months ago. It's as close to scale correct as humanly possible but it's a one core, not a two core twisted barbed wire because that proved both overly complex and made it look too thick. I will make the barbed wire rusty, like their posts, but that's one of the last steps because I don't want it to rub off.

Although it's a muddy scene I will finish the dirt/mud with a few different pigments towards the end to make it appear less wet.
It's a side effect of my PVA mixed with ordinary dirt raided from a flower pot. I hope some pigments will make it appear less wet...

This is my first ever vignette so I've made just about every mistake I could but I'm getting better and better at recovering from my mistakes so I've learned loads on this project and my next vignette/diorama will go much faster! (especially since I won't start another until I've got all the bits and bobs at home and not make the same mistake as this one ;) )

I'm happy with my grenade lobbing Fritz but his running pal Klaus has a face only a mother can love... Sometimes painting with oil paints just works and then you try the same again and it all goes ti*s up?!

Anyhow, some progress and I'm finally beginning to see the end of this project.
Did it turn out like I visualised it? No. Almost but not exactly. My dirt/mud isn't scale accurate and I will sieve the dirt next time and apply a thin layer of dry earth on top of the still wet PVA mud to make it look less shiny.
I've still not decided how to frame the vignette base? I've got an idea for something that might look great IF I can pull it off, but on the other hand a simple frame doesn't take focus from the vignette...

I hope it'll look descent enough to not have to hide it in a couple of months but it's been a fun project and I've learned loads for the next one!
I'm pleased with the tank though and 50% of the figures ;)

Great work Jens, with your dedication you'll be running rings around us all soon enough.

Carry on mate.

Jim
 
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