Another one bites the dust - Maschinen Krieger Friedrich - 1/20

[DocRob]

Well señhores, while some of you are already finished with your builds, I´m still contemplating about what to contribute. I browsed through my stash, before my Berlin trip and found only a few tempting subjects. Needless to say, I was not very thrilled about the sandbox thing, firstly.
Then I had an idea, pulling the 1/20 Wave kit of a Ma.K Panzer Kampf Anzug Friedrich out of the shelf. This will be a little dio with the Friedrich´s operator literally having bitten the dust or sand to be more specific.



In Berlin, I bought some tiny but welcomed additions for the small scenery, including some squeezed water bottles and 3D printed skulls, which will add to the morbid scenery.



Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

Now this will be different. 

[DocRob]

22 minutes ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Now this will be different. 

I hope so, Carl 

Cheers Rob

[Landlubber Mike]

Way to think outside the [sand]box!  Looking forward to this one!

[Peterpools]

Rob

Terrific idea for the GB and looking forward to following your progress.

 

[CANicoll]

"Squeezed water bottles"???  Where did you even find such a thing?  And the skulls will make things interesting...

But this will be a cool build.

Edited October 1 by CANicoll

[DocRob]

22 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Way to think outside the [sand]box!  Looking forward to this one!

 

22 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Terrific idea for the GB and looking forward to following your progress.

I was not satisfied with my other sand related objects. A Do-17 in desret outfit, yawn, LRDG Jeep, a little better, but still yawn and then I found the MaschinenKrieger. There will be a lot of weathering involved and maybe some new techniques as well.
Firs, I have to build a huge 1/12 garage for the Daytona Cobra, which will be paused during the MaK build. I may be able to build two kits at the same time, but not a demanding one like the Cobra which occupies my whole bench with tons of parts and tools.

 

12 hours ago, CANicoll said:

"Squeezed water bottles"???  Where did you even find such a thing?  And the skulls will make things interesting...

But this will be a cool build.

Well, the AM producers are not what they were before. I could find the squeezed bottles only in 1/16 or 1/24 not in my projects 1/20scale .
Earnestly, like you, I was astonished that something like this even existed. The bottles are produced by MAIM, which I believe is a subsidiary of the German online vendor Sockelshop.de.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Well, it´s about time to actually do something with my planned Kampfanzug. 
I built up arms and legs and parts of the body, which is only fit loosely, to determine, how to fit the extremities for later positioning. The fit of the kit is very good so far and the limbs are connected via vinyl elements to keep everything moveable. I got two different left hands to choose from, but found this one perfect, to hold the squeezed empty PE-bottle.



I have to plan the painting of the interior and figure - ahem - the rest of it, to be precise and started to mask the side windows, which unfortunately have tobe mounted at a very early stage. That said, many parts are intersecting and depending on the right sequence to be build in.

The outer side of the windows is protruding, so I adhered a double layer of Tamiya kabuki tape onto it, sharpened the contour with a fingernail and cout around with a fresh blade. One layer was left on the outside, the other went onto the inside of the opposite pane and vice versa. Inside and outside masking done.

 

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

Rob

You're off and looking mighty good. Thinking outside the box is easily going to keep the juices flowing and something so different will be the finished build.  Of course, the GB is going to severely slow down your progress with the MFH Cobra but as you said, it's such a demanding kit, best garage it until you can devote all your build time to it.  

[DocRob]

19 hours ago, Peterpools said:

You're off and looking mighty good. Thinking outside the box is easily going to keep the juices flowing and something so different will be the finished build.  Of course, the GB is going to severely slow down your progress with the MFH Cobra but as you said, it's such a demanding kit, best garage it until you can devote all your build time to it. 

Thank you Peter, I get bored very easily with repetitions, so for me changing subjects, scales and materials is a must to keep on. As most times, I have a picture in my head, how everything should look in the end, let´s wait, if I can fulfill that.
There still is a maybe option with the planned dio in form of a sinister looking Neuspotter, but no details as of yet .

It´s a bit of a shame to park the Cobra, but on the other hand, time is spars at the moment and the Cobra needs full attention.

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

Rob

Agreed - keeping fresh and new, is the spice of life and helps so much in not doing the 'same old' in modeling, time after time. 

When it comes to dioramas and the build you are doing, imagination surely is one of the key elements and as the work progresses, the vision also changes.

Always following with great interest.

 

[CANicoll]

The wide range of subjects in our hobby is a blessing and a curse.  Keeps thinks fresh and learning new things, also I'll never get to build everything I WANT to build so I have to live watching others doing great builds.

[FullArmor]

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

Thank you Peter, I get bored very easily with repetitions, so for me changing subjects, scales and materials is a must to keep on. As most times, I have a picture in my head, how everything should look in the end, let´s wait, if I can fulfill that.
There still is a maybe option with the planned dio in form of a sinister looking Neuspotter, but no details as of yet .

It´s a bit of a shame to park the Cobra, but on the other hand, time is spars at the moment and the Cobra needs full attention.

Cheers Rob

Yes. This is true for me also. Even different scale can cause/enable to use new tectiques and learn much🙂👍

[DocRob]

On 10/6/2024 at 2:09 PM, Peterpools said:

Agreed - keeping fresh and new, is the spice of life and helps so much in not doing the 'same old' in modeling, time after time. 

When it comes to dioramas and the build you are doing, imagination surely is one of the key elements and as the work progresses, the vision also changes.

 

On 10/6/2024 at 2:20 PM, CANicoll said:

The wide range of subjects in our hobby is a blessing and a curse.  Keeps thinks fresh and learning new things, also I'll never get to build everything I WANT to build so I have to live watching others doing great builds.

 

 

On 10/6/2024 at 2:27 PM, FullArmor said:

Yes. This is true for me also. Even different scale can cause/enable to use new tectiques and learn much🙂👍

What Peter said about the spice of life, is absolutely true. I really like to learn something new with every build and to challenge myself somehow. I even started modeling projects, only as a canvas for a new technique. My first build out of the vague Ma.K universe (shown below) was only to learn a new technique of painting for example. The color on this Kampfanzug was only dabbed onto the suit in many layers to achieve a deep and uneven paintjob, with the weathering included.

I could never build only planes or the umpteenth Tiger tank and yes, sometimes I first shy away from a demanding new project, but at a certain point of progress, normally the flow sets in and I enjoy the build. In so far Chris, I build what I want, without limits, I couldn´t really enjoy the hobby without that free spirit.













Cheers Rob

[Landlubber Mike]

Really amazing job on that mech armor Rob.  I remember you posting it a while back.

Along the lines of the discussion above, I've also found dabbling in different modeling areas to really help broaden skills.  I hadn't built any models since I was a kid, but maybe a decade or so ago I got into wooden ship models.  Since Covid, I've gone into plastic modeling, and I think I've learned a bunch of skills that will definitely carry over on the wooden model side.  It's interesting in how even on the plastic side, there are different techniques whether you are modeling ships, planes or cars.  

I also recently decided to try painting fantasy miniatures, which I did for a couple of years as a kid.  I figured it would help me with figure painting for my plane dioramas.  Going online to watch various artists, my eyes were really opened to various techniques - zenithal highlighting, glazing, etc.  The one thing that really stood out was using very very thin layers of paint to build up to complicated hues like skin color.  I've been trying to incorporate those concepts in things like tonal modulation for large sections of uniform colors on planes and ships.  

Anyway, great discussion and really nice job as always Rob.  I always learn a lot from your techniques across disciplines, so thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[FullArmor]

That dabbing tecnique has cool end results. Must try sometime.

[FullArmor]

Those hanging smoke launchers are fun detail🙂

[FullArmor]

4 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Really amazing job on that mech armor Rob.  I remember you posting it a while back.

Along the lines of the discussion above, I've also found dabbling in different modeling areas to really help broaden skills.  I hadn't built any models since I was a kid, but maybe a decade or so ago I got into wooden ship models.  Since Covid, I've gone into plastic modeling, and I think I've learned a bunch of skills that will definitely carry over on the wooden model side.  It's interesting in how even on the plastic side, there are different techniques whether you are modeling ships, planes or cars.  

I also recently decided to try painting fantasy miniatures, which I did for a couple of years as a kid.  I figured it would help me with figure painting for my plane dioramas.  Going online to watch various artists, my eyes were really opened to various techniques - zenithal highlighting, glazing, etc.  The one thing that really stood out was using very very thin layers of paint to build up to complicated hues like skin color.  I've been trying to incorporate those concepts in things like tonal modulation for large sections of uniform colors on planes and ships.  

Anyway, great discussion and really nice job as always Rob.  I always learn a lot from your techniques across disciplines, so thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Hi Mike and DocRob. My thoughts of model building are very similar👍. I have learned a lot just watching tubers painting warhammer figures. Acrylic inks are great. These fantasy tanks and figures lets you experiment more.

[PanzerWomble]

Nice surface treatment Rob. 

 

I could never build only planes or the umpteenth Tiger tank 

 

100 %👍

For me , if you're not moving forward , trying and learning new stuff, it's just treading water .

 

[DocRob]

4 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Really amazing job on that mech armor Rob.  I remember you posting it a while back.

Along the lines of the discussion above, I've also found dabbling in different modeling areas to really help broaden skills.  I hadn't built any models since I was a kid, but maybe a decade or so ago I got into wooden ship models.  Since Covid, I've gone into plastic modeling, and I think I've learned a bunch of skills that will definitely carry over on the wooden model side.  It's interesting in how even on the plastic side, there are different techniques whether you are modeling ships, planes or cars.  

I also recently decided to try painting fantasy miniatures, which I did for a couple of years as a kid.  I figured it would help me with figure painting for my plane dioramas.  Going online to watch various artists, my eyes were really opened to various techniques - zenithal highlighting, glazing, etc.  The one thing that really stood out was using very very thin layers of paint to build up to complicated hues like skin color.  I've been trying to incorporate those concepts in things like tonal modulation for large sections of uniform colors on planes and ships.  

Anyway, great discussion and really nice job as always Rob.  I always learn a lot from your techniques across disciplines, so thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Thank you Mike. Like you, I always try to keep an open eye on new techniques, here in the forum or on YT or other places. I then try to adapt these techniques to my liking and abilities. I don´t like to be dogmatic about what skills I use to achieve a certain result, meaning, the result is important and somehow, I have to reach that goal. I always have a picture of a finished project in my head and that is my goal, no matter what. Certainly some projects are a bit to ambitious and stall or need to be altered, but that´s part of the game.
I built my Duchess of Kingston wooden sailing boat sans rigging and also found, that many learned techniques from plastic modeling helped a lot, but the ultimate necessity is a quality approach, no matter what kind of modeling I do.
Fantasy objects help to free yourself from to many fixed aspects and help widen the view, I ever found.
What you said about building up thin layers, specially with figures is absolutely right, but I found it very hard to do it right with figures. The culprits are first me and my clumsiness, sometimes blotchy results with acrylics, which doesn´t blend like I want and with oils it´s a whole different game.

One reason, the above shown AmmoKnight isn´t finished, is the figure, I planned to go with it. I tried my best to paint her up, but wasn´t satisfied. The welder girl was supposed to have welded the heart shaped patch onto the torn AmmoKnight, but this has to wait, till my skills are up to it.
 

Cheers Rob
 

[DocRob]

44 minutes ago, FullArmor said:

Those hanging smoke launchers are fun detail🙂

Yup, he has seen some action, therefore the need to patch him up a bit.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

3 hours ago, PanzerWomble said:

For me , if you're not moving forward , trying and learning new stuff, it's just treading water .

You are absolutely right PW, I would be long out of the hobby, if there weren´t new challenges all the time. Sometimes, there is only an idea, about how a certain subject should look in the end as a guideline. The process is then developed according. I once build a 1/32 scale PZL P.11, only to see, if it is possible to paint a plane kit convincing only with brush and oil colors.

Cheers Rob

[belugawhaleman]

Great work Rob and nice discussion on new techniques. I've see these

kits before and I like them...something different. Your treatment is excellent

as expected and lends itself for use on other subjects. I have recently had

an interest in a different subject matter..... That is, those egg girl kits I've been accumulating.

Although I don't think I'll post those builds here. I also thought  the Techniques your showing here could be  applied to some tractor models , Miniart's 1/24 ...lanz bulldogs. Thanks for posting Rob.  By the way......like the Welder girl... She should get an apron...but where's the fun in that?

 I'm looking on with interest

[Peterpools]

Rob

Right with you and the guys and even at my tender old age, I starting to look, learn and hoping to mix in a wider venue of new subjects and kits over the next few years. I had a ball when I built my HO Scale Railroad Yard Office and just might build another structure this year but in O scale: Bar Mills Jimmy's Small Engine Repair Shop:

 

 

 

 

[DocRob]

15 hours ago, belugawhaleman said:

Great work Rob and nice discussion on new techniques. I've see these

kits before and I like them...something different. Your treatment is excellent

as expected and lends itself for use on other subjects. I have recently had

an interest in a different subject matter..... That is, those egg girl kits I've been accumulating.

Although I don't think I'll post those builds here. I also thought  the Techniques your showing here could be  applied to some tractor models , Miniart's 1/24 ...lanz bulldogs. Thanks for posting Rob.  By the way......like the Welder girl... She should get an apron...but where's the fun in that?

 I'm looking on with interest

Thank you Paul, I´m sure the dabbling technique can be used on tractors, etc. The scale shouldn´t be too small, but 1/24 must be perfect.
The MaK kits from Hasegawa and Wave are cheap in Japan, that´s where I ordered most.
The apron, well, I actually never missed it .

Cheers Rob