"Easy Pickins"

[Steve Ski]

Will It Pass Muster?

I've got a bit to cover here, but I'll do my best to keep it short. This layout needs to be accurate.

With the tree finally finished as far as I will take it, it's now time to check character alignment and see if this story can be told in a convincing manner. After all, if I can't pull this off the whole thing will just have been a very lengthy exercise. However, I think I can pull it off, but yall will need to lend me some eyeballs, if you please. I believe I've got every angle covered where the visual direction is correct for each figure, so don't be shy. The figures are just pinned and I can adjust as needed.

You can see the foam has been glued to the base already. I was sweating it this morning wondering if I had any thin sheets or would I be waiting until I acquired some. Fortunately, I had several thin sheets set aside specifically for this base and had totally forgotten about them. It's only been a few years since I'd worked this dio steady, so I was bound to forget something, right?

I'll make a quick note here to say that when painting the eyes for each figure and having a scenario in mind, you should be painting the eyes to reflect the interaction you will need once these figures are placed. Obviously, right? In a scenario with a larger number of figures in a smaller scale this wouldn't be much of an issue, but in this scale, ya better have it figured out or you will be going back to correct the eyes. Some of these figures were painted a very long time ago, comparatively, so I recon I got lucky, lol. I've had this layout planned since the beginning, with minor structure changes, but the basic interaction is still the same. The placement of two figures has been changed, but this tells a better story as they are seen now.

Ok, back to the layout and figure interaction, the eyes, etc. The main issue was placing the Ranger in a position to see the Germans from decent concealment and not be visible himself. If his new guests were paying attention somebody would have seen him eventually, but he's got the upper hand in this scenario, the element of surprise. These guys don't look like they can agree on much of anything and a few of them look confused, so this is a perfect set up for an ambush thrown in the Ranger's lap. How could he refuse? And he was just stopping for a bite of cheese and some wine.

Hiding in an out building, shed, lean-to, whatever you want to call it, he's not easily seen, especially with the crawling ivy, bushes, and the tree with low hanging branches. The outside will get all the trimmings making visibility through the slats between boards very difficult. This really was the best solution to show how the Ranger would get the drop on four unsuspecting Germans who just so happened to stop to converse, or argue, over directions.

I have found quite a few pics from the inet when searching French farms buildings, out-buildings, sheds, etc., that are covered in ivy, brush, and overgrowth, so I know this scenario is very plausible. You can't see it from any of these photos, but he does have a great direct line-of-sight on these four Germans through the low hanging branches and his body is virtually invisible.

Making sure that each figure is looking directly at the intended recipient I realized the R75 pax should actually not be looking at the grenadier, but more towards the driver in a manner of disgust. There needs to be an air of disagreement and impatience on the part of the R75 crew. I've already made corrections on the board layout.

Now it's time to continue prepping the veggies and get the shed items made as well as prep the base for ground cover. There's still quite a bit to do before permanently placing these figures and snaping photos for the finish.

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to cut loose, all are welcome. If you see anything I'm not catching here, holler. Thanks for watchin.

Cheers, Ski.

 

[TimM63]

Will It Pass Muster?

I've got a bit to cover here, but I'll do my best to keep it short. This layout needs to be accurate.

With the tree finally finished as far as I will take it, it's now time to check character alignment and see if this story can be told in a convincing manner. After all, if I can't pull this off the whole thing will just have been a very lengthy exercise. However, I think I can pull it off, but yall will need to lend me some eyeballs, if you please. I believe I've got every angle covered where the visual direction is correct for each figure, so don't be shy. The figures are just pinned and I can adjust as needed.

You can see the foam has been glued to the base already. I was sweating it this morning wondering if I had any thin sheets or would I be waiting until I acquired some. Fortunately, I had several thin sheets set aside specifically for this base and had totally forgotten about them. It's only been a few years since I'd worked this dio steady, so I was bound to forget something, right?

I'll make a quick note here to say that when painting the eyes for each figure and having a scenario in mind, you should be painting the eyes to reflect the interaction you will need once these figures are placed. Obviously, right? In a scenario with a larger number of figures in a smaller scale this wouldn't be much of an issue, but in this scale, ya better have it figured out or you will be going back to correct the eyes. Some of these figures were painted a very long time ago, comparatively, so I recon I got lucky, lol. I've had this layout planned since the beginning, with minor structure changes, but the basic interaction is still the same. The placement of two figures has been changed, but this tells a better story as they are seen now.

Ok, back to the layout and figure interaction, the eyes, etc. The main issue was placing the Ranger in a position to see the Germans from decent concealment and not be visible himself. If his new guests were paying attention somebody would have seen him eventually, but he's got the upper hand in this scenario, the element of surprise. These guys don't look like they can agree on much of anything and a few of them look confused, so this is a perfect set up for an ambush thrown in the Ranger's lap. How could he refuse? And he was just stopping for a bite of cheese and some wine.

Hiding in an out building, shed, lean-to, whatever you want to call it, he's not easily seen, especially with the crawling ivy, bushes, and the tree with low hanging branches. The outside will get all the trimmings making visibility through the slats between boards very difficult. This really was the best solution to show how the Ranger would get the drop on four unsuspecting Germans who just so happened to stop to converse, or argue, over directions.

I have found quite a few pics from the inet when searching French farms buildings, out-buildings, sheds, etc., that are covered in ivy, brush, and overgrowth, so I know this scenario is very plausible. You can't see it from any of these photos, but he does have a great direct line-of-sight on these four Germans through the low hanging branches and his body is virtually invisible.

Making sure that each figure is looking directly at the intended recipient I realized the R75 pax should actually not be looking at the grenadier, but more towards the driver in a manner of disgust. There needs to be an air of disagreement and impatience on the part of the R75 crew. I've already made corrections on the board layout.

Now it's time to continue prepping the veggies and get the shed items made as well as prep the base for ground cover. There's still quite a bit to do before permanently placing these figures and snaping photos for the finish.

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to cut loose, all are welcome. If you see anything I'm not catching here, holler. Thanks for watchin.

Cheers, Ski.

Incredible detail work

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you, Tim!

 

[Steve Ski]

Whiskey and Wine Barrels


Since I'm not in the mood to work the base ground work yet I've worked the tree trunk for more texture and started making barrels. I'm going to make everything that I've got listed for the lean-to before doing any of the ground work. I plan on having chains, ropes, metal gears and pulleys, saws, hammers, sledge hammers, axes, shovels, brooms, rakes, etc. This will be a storage lean-to/work shop or open storage shed.

Trying to find something that was a close size for a wine barrel was a slight challenge until I found an older rattle can that would fit almost perfectly. I've got a few wine barrels and an old whiskey barrel here at the Ranchito, so getting the dimensions was no problem. I matched them up against the Ranger figure to get an idea as to whether they would be in scale and they are.

Before starting on these I watched a few vids on YT to get the basics, and off I went. I used pine strips for the larger barrel lid and body, but the whiskey barrel required a more flexible material, balsa wood. After cutting the strips to a reasonable width I pinched them with needle nose pliers every 3/16ths to ¼ inch to create the subtle curves. The pine was a little dicey at times, but the balsa wood was easy to manipulate. Each strip needs to be tapered top and bottom to account for the barrel width at each end, so they were sanded slightly to accommodate the difference.

As you can see, I wrapped the rattle can with some flexible yellow foam and blue tape to get the middle width. The same process was used on the wooden dowel used for the whiskey barrel. I applied super glue and got started applying the strips. Once you get a few in place the rest are easy to keep proper alignment. Then cut and sand the ends, you're done.

At first I was thinking of using copper sheet cut to width for the barrel straps, but sheet styrene was much easier to work and manipulate. I followed the wine barrel strap pattern that is present on the ones I have, same for the whiskey barrel. I used oils for the barrel colors and placed pin washes in between the slats before applying the straps. This gave clarity and depth to the overall look.

Once the straps were in place I primed them with Floquil primer and painted them with Tamiya Metallic Grey XF-56. This is very close to the galvanized color tone on my barrel straps, but I have no idea if this is even close to what was used in France in the 40's. I also made the huge nails, or pegs, that hold the straps at the joints. None of my barrels have any nails on the straps other than at the joints, but I added them here for character and interest to each strap. They are widely spaced, so it won't look too overdone.

After the straps were painted the each got a pin wash with oils for depth and to cover any light spots against the barrel. Lastly, the cork, or peg was installed and painted. I plan to make these very dusty as if in storage or neglected for years, but I'm not sure if there will be any old rust anywhere on the straps. I still need to research that. Also, I may add a very small amount of moss build-up at the base of each, using Migs enamels, but I'm still undecided.

Any comments or questions, holler, and thanks for watchin.

Cheers, Ski.

 

[Steve Ski]

Building Up Accessories

I've been busy building accessories that would be commonly found in a work shed/lean-to and I have decided to make this part of a winery. I'm not going full blown-out crazy, there isn't enough room to add too much, but I can give it that flavor. The Harley will be taking up a lot of space, so I'll be adding just enough tools to add interest and keep the eyes moving throughout the scene as much as possible.

I built a buck saw using a broken scroll saw blade and wire with pine scrap as well as a few block and tackles. Looking on line once again at YT was a time saver, great tool. I'm still undecided how I will attach at least one of the B&T's to the rafters, but the other will be on the deck.

Looking over some photos of B&T's I was able to come up with a simple design that would be practical for my need and easy enough to make using scrap pine and brass sheet strips plus some 12ga copper wire for the hooks.

The rope for these B&T's was first coated with water thinned Elmer's Carpenter's glue, then given a Burnt Umber oil wash to give it definition.

For the chain I used the old "shake and bake" method. Wet the cheap chain with black or Burnt Umber oil paints and drop into a sandwich bag with rust tone pigments, then shake it up. Once you pull the chain out of the bag give it a quick snap and most of the excess flies off. I'll be going back over this chain with an old tooth brush to clean it up, touch up the rust tones, and finish it off. An old Dremel lathe was used to turn the shovel handle out of some dowel chunks. This unit is so weak it was easier to use the sand paper than try to turn it.

Next up, after weathering the wine barrel, I built a barrel dolly from pine scrape and shaped most of it on the belt sander. Cutting thicker sheet brass for the base and supports for the wheels was necessary. The wheels are rollers from a tank long ago scrapped and they were perfect for this purpose.

After making a grid pattern for the dolly layout it all went together rather quickly. I Dremel'd out the cross-member slots which made the assembly very sturdy. I soldered the base and support bars together before gluing the unit to the dolly frame. Then I followed up with pins down the supports to retain the brass base assembly.

Once the brass was primed I painted the metal parts and wheels with Tamiya's Metallic Grey XF-56 and then painted the wood using Burnt Sienna oils. The standard rust and weathering applications were used to make the dolly look used and abused and now neglected.

So, with the major accessories made I will make a few more tools and give everything a good weathering. The dusting to mesh the accessories to the base will be the last step before securing each item in place.

More to follow soon and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

 

[Pantherman]

Building Up Accessories

I've been busy building accessories that would be commonly found in a work shed/lean-to and I have decided to make this part of a winery. I'm not going full blown-out crazy, there isn't enough room to add too much, but I can give it that flavor. The Harley will be taking up a lot of space, so I'll be adding just enough tools to add interest and keep the eyes moving throughout the scene as much as possible.

I built a buck saw using a broken scroll saw blade and wire with pine scrap as well as a few block and tackles. Looking on line once again at YT was a time saver, great tool. I'm still undecided how I will attach at least one of the B&T's to the rafters, but the other will be on the deck.

Looking over some photos of B&T's I was able to come up with a simple design that would be practical for my need and easy enough to make using scrap pine and brass sheet strips plus some 12ga copper wire for the hooks.

The rope for these B&T's was first coated with water thinned Elmer's Carpenter's glue, then given a Burnt Umber oil wash to give it definition.

For the chain I used the old "shake and bake" method. Wet the cheap chain with black or Burnt Umber oil paints and drop into a sandwich bag with rust tone pigments, then shake it up. Once you pull the chain out of the bag give it a quick snap and most of the excess flies off. I'll be going back over this chain with an old tooth brush to clean it up, touch up the rust tones, and finish it off. An old Dremel lathe was used to turn the shovel handle out of some dowel chunks. This unit is so weak it was easier to use the sand paper than try to turn it.

Next up, after weathering the wine barrel, I built a barrel dolly from pine scrape and shaped most of it on the belt sander. Cutting thicker sheet brass for the base and supports for the wheels was necessary. The wheels are rollers from a tank long ago scrapped and they were perfect for this purpose.

After making a grid pattern for the dolly layout it all went together rather quickly. I Dremel'd out the cross-member slots which made the assembly very sturdy. I soldered the base and support bars together before gluing the unit to the dolly frame. Then I followed up with pins down the supports to retain the brass base assembly.

Once the brass was primed I painted the metal parts and wheels with Tamiya's Metallic Grey XF-56 and then painted the wood using Burnt Sienna oils. The standard rust and weathering applications were used to make the dolly look used and abused and now neglected.

So, with the major accessories made I will make a few more tools and give everything a good weathering. The dusting to mesh the accessories to the base will be the last step before securing each item in place.

More to follow soon and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

Superb craftsmanship. Pantherman

 

[Blaze]

Exceptional! Your work is simply stunning.

 

[Steve Ski]

Superb craftsmanship. Pantherman

Thank you, Sir!

Exceptional! Your work is simply stunning.

Thanks, Blaze greatly appreciated

 

[Steve Ski]

Building Wine Crates and Bottles

This is pretty much a repeat from the "Embarrassing Moments" dio, but in a slightly larger scale. The process being the same I used the larger hot glue sticks for a more in scale appearance. Just melt the tip and let it drip. Actually, there's a lot more to it than that, but you get the idea.

The crate designs are different, but strangely enough, I used some of the same crate labels, oops. Must be a popular wine in Normandy I recon. Ya, that's it! Making these crates is very straight forward. I used some balsa wood for the sides and thin pin strips for the supports and handles and all of that is being held together with trusty old Elmer's Wood glue.

This Tamiya clear color really is great for making these bottles and dries to a high gloss. I tried to follow what actual wine bottles look like for different wines. Some of the bottles would be considered clear glass and others would be tinted green or dark green and some a dark reddish tone. I varied the colors for a variety to mix things up a bit.

If you wished you could make a bottle look partially full or completely empty just by the number of layers of paint you apply. I didn't bother making any partially full, but I will have one opened. Drilling a hole in the top of one of these is going to be a real pain, but I'll get one hollowed out somehow. The Ranger is enjoying some vino with his cheese and sausage, so he's got to have an opened bottle.

The bottle labels were taken from pics on the inet, printed, and glued in place. Some of the bottle tops have candy wrapper foil on them and painted with mixed Tamiya clear colors for variety. The others are just dipped in paint and allowed to dry upside down, then re-dipped at the top and dried again. It's easy enough to replicate the cork top by how many times you dip the top.

Once the crates were given an initial Burnt Umber oil wash I gave them some battle damage with dings, scrapes, chips, and heavily worn areas. I added the nails in the appropriate locations using a HB lead pencil, then gave each crate a good layer of Dull Coat before weathering and dusting. These are now set aside while I build the grape baskets, tools/clippers, and other shed items.

Making the bottles and crates was a fun diversion and will help add realism and character to the scene. Thanks for watchin and more to follow soon.

Cheers, Ski.

 

[JOHN R]

Love the way you made those bottles Steve, well done .

 

[scottie]

Steve,
Superb work on the accessories very convincing and realistic.

 

[Steve Ski]

Mucho appreciado, Scottie, and John!

 

[JUG]

Exceptional! Your work is simply stunning.

Steve these are my thoughts about this build too. I really like the moss growing on the wood fence classy touch.

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Lee. There's still a bit of ivy that has to crawl up that fence, too. More coming soon.

 

[JUG]

More coming soon.

Can't wait to see the ivory look you pull off. I'll be peeking in for a looks see. I like your Big Ticket items there amazing but the small background details you address makes the dio even better.

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Lee. This build has been way too long in coming. Still plenty of winter prep outside here at the Ranchito, but I plan to finish this before the snow fly, if I can.

 

[JUG]

This build has been way too long

Steve yes I understand what you mean I have one build over 10 years now myself. I'll still be watching your Magic with my Snow Boots in hand just in case lol.

 

[Rimmer]

Good to see this is still on the go Steve - cracking work!

 

[Steve Ski]

Good to see this is still on the go Steve - cracking work!

Thx, Gents. Too close to quit now.

 

[Edbert]

Thx, Gents. Too close to quit now.

You're not allowed to quit!

(something I'd expect a Ranger to say)