Das Boot

[blakeh1]

Incredible work!

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Blake!

 

[Steve Ski]

1st Lieutenant is now on Deck

The third figure to this set is now on the shelf until the final punch list. I see more work needed on the back of the coat, but for the most part, the 1st Lt. is looking ok.

Since winter prep is taking a lot of time right now, I grabbed an old CD case cover and placed that on top of the figure to keep the dust off, but also to slow down the drying process just a little. I have also placed the figures into the refer, it works the same. My oils go in the freezer after each session, so cold is good for oils.

Well, I did snap a few in-progress pics, but not from the beginning, oops. At any rate, the process hasn't changed. Things are looking very glary right now making it sometimes hard to catch all the weak spots.





The final pics for now with Dull Coat and the hair dryer to finish him off until later. I added the bino strap and eliminated the flaps that would normally have been flopping around his neck. I really didn't see them as necessary and who would miss them anyway?





Ok, off to work Lt. Werner. Thanks for watching and more to follow soon.


Cheers, Ski.

 

[Steve Ski]

Lt. Werner Joins the Crew

Four down, one to go, as Lt. Werner is now ready for deck duty. This is the last figure wearing the heavy rain coat and hat. The fifth figure, Chief Engineer Fritz, has a life jacket and other clothing, plus goggles. As mentioned earlier while doing the last three figures, nothing has changed in the approach to painting this uniform. Once you're in the groove, keep it rolling as best as you can.

I'm not exactly happy with how deep the eye sockets are and I should have addressed that issue long ago. There was room for improvement, I just didn't do it. I am taking that under advisement, lol.



A closer look at all the figures together shows a definite blue tone to this particular rain jacket and hat. It was something I tried to address and tone down, so it's no longer overly pronounced now. He should be good to go. There will usually be a slight variation due to wear and tear and how new a uniform may be compared to any other crew member. Lt. Werner was a guest on board, so his gear was more than likely new, especially being a correspondent for the Reich. I like the tones, personally, so it will remain.





Working in this scale is a lot of fun when painting coats and trousers, especially if there is great definition. The tones just pop when the oils are blended from shadow to highlight, and IMHO, this set is no exception.

Also, the signal lamp has been painted and weathered, but I have not taken photos of it yet. There's a few details that need to be addressed, but the lamp will appear in the final photos.

Lt. Werner has been set aside while I start on Chief engineer Fritz. Thanks for watching and holler if you see anything that needs to be addressed.

Cheers, Ski.

 

[Pantherman]

Lt. Werner Joins the Crew

Four down, one to go, as Lt. Werner is now ready for deck duty. This is the last figure wearing the heavy rain coat and hat. The fifth figure, Chief Engineer Fritz, has a life jacket and other clothing, plus goggles. As mentioned earlier while doing the last three figures, nothing has changed in the approach to painting this uniform. Once you're in the groove, keep it rolling as best as you can.

I'm not exactly happy with how deep the eye sockets are and I should have addressed that issue long ago. There was room for improvement, I just didn't do it. I am taking that under advisement, lol.

View attachment 107828

A closer look at all the figures together shows a definite blue tone to this particular rain jacket and hat. It was something I tried to address and tone down, so it's no longer overly pronounced now. He should be good to go. There will usually be a slight variation due to wear and tear and how new a uniform may be compared to any other crew member. Lt. Werner was a guest on board, so his gear was more than likely new, especially being a correspondent for the Reich. I like the tones, personally, so it will remain.

View attachment 107829 View attachment 107830

View attachment 107831 View attachment 107832

Working in this scale is a lot of fun when painting coats and trousers, especially if there is great definition. The tones just pop when the oils are blended from shadow to highlight, and IMHO, this set is no exception.

Also, the signal lamp has been painted and weathered, but I have not taken photos of it yet. There's a few details that need to be addressed, but the lamp will appear in the final photos.

Lt. Werner has been set aside while I start on Chief engineer Fritz. Thanks for watching and holler if you see anything that needs to be addressed.

Cheers, Ski.

Amazing as usual. Pantherman

 

[Steve Ski]

Tanks, Me Hermano!

 

[Steve Ski]

Fritz Completes the Crew



Well, for an SBS, I'm seriously lacking in-progress photos, but I am happy to say all the figures have been completed and they are ready for mounting on the deck. This has been a long slog, but that light at the end of the tunnel, happily, was not a train coming from other direction, we are done. HA!

Fritz had a few uniform differences from the rest of the crew, so attention had to be paid to a few items specifically, namely the cap, life jacket and legging. I know most reference photos will show a darker, more towards the black shade for Fritz's jacket, but I wanted to keep the tones similar. Artistic license takes precedence in this case. I'm pretty happy with his final appearance regardless of the shades not exactly being accurate. But hey, call it shimmering glare from the ocean reflection, right? Sounds good to me.

So far, to date, this is the fastest turnaround for a set of figures completed, ever. I don't ever recall getting a set done so quickly, but I'm happy with the final results and thanks for following along.

In Conclusion

The poses and action portrayed by this set of figures is incredibly well done. Jeff Shiu has a knack for creating realistic scenarios and figure interactions with great effect. However, in all honesty, this has been a difficult set to work with. This set required much more than the average amount of filing, reshaping, as well as scribing-in important details. I did make quite a few corrections and some minor alterations, which became frustrating, and delayed the build.

I am happy to find that Jeff has taken the concerned complaints to heart and has recently addressed these issues with his latest release. Quality control appears to be back in order, from sculpting to casting, and I look forward to seeing what other adventures Jeff will take us into. Sculpting is an art form I could never attempt to venture into and we as painters appreciate all these guys and gals who work the putty to make us happy. Kudos to them all!

Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.