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1/35 M5A1 Stuart of Lt. Kenneth Malick


Garandomatic
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Garandomatic

Rear. One thing I really wish I knew how to do was show dampness of the earth better. I tried a wash, but it just turned more brown and looked just as dry when it finally dried. Ideally, I would have achieved a muddy look around this puddle, but maybe I can achieve that with further practice.

 

The funny thing is, I asked a D-Day vet I know last night if my base looked like a hedgerow, and quick as can be, he said "Not a Normandy hedgerow!" Not the answer I expected! I figure, though, just looking at the base didn't make sense to him, and he didn't have an idea of scale. Not that it is as tall as many, but I have seen plenty of photos of them that are only a little taller than the tank, and as a full hedgerow would be larger, I imagine it would be significantly taller if I built a diorama that was truly as wide as a real one, since this is basically just the edge of the hedgerow.

 

I will look again, but if anyone knows of any tricks to make the earth appear wet in a diorama, please let me know.

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Garandomatic

Thanks again to everybody for their help and compliments. It's been fun, and I am looking forward to completing my halftrack, and after it, a 1/48 model of the Punched Fowl B-17G to hang above my tailgunner's uniform!

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Very nice. Good work on this diorama. The whole diorama comes to life. It feels like the hedgerows near St. Lo.

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny

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Garandomatic

Thanks a lot, man. I like a lot of aspects to it, and really hoped it didn't look too much like North Africa with all the dirt. The next one I do will be mud and snow, so that will be particularly interesting, and I'll need to do some homework before I attempt it.

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That's a great looking model and the terrain really sets the stage and showcases the model. You did a great job with that project.

 

As for simulating dampness you might try mixing a touch of deep blue like indigo, navy, ultramarine in to your earth shadow color. The blue will darken your brownish earth tone but it will give it that cool damp look and it should give you that visual difference that you are looking for. Add the shadow in light washes and add more to build up the color. Test it out in an inconspicuous spot under the bushes in case you don't like the results. You only need to add a tiny bit of blue to really change the color. I hope this helps. Good luck.

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I hope you don't mind me posting this photo I don't mean to hijack your thread but sometimes seeing an example is easier than trying to visualize something. This is an example of mixing blue with your base color to get that damp. wet look. Just add some blue to your base color and little bit at a time add a wash and build up the color. The closer to the water the darker the puddle will be.

 

You can see I used that "cool" blue shadow under the medic and other figures lying in the sand to give the impression that they were lying in wet sand.

 

The blue is also a good way to simulate oily and greasy stains on tanks, trucks and other vehicles around hinges, engine covers, gun mounts and other things that might be lubricated or have lots of grease on them.

 

Here is a link to the D-Day vignette if you want to see the other photos.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/206609-135-scale-29th-infantry-division-omaha-beach-normandy-d-day-figure-vignette/

 

Great work!

 

Dennis

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Garandomatic

Old Marine, thanks for that. I'll give it a try for sure... I don't know if I'll go back over this one, or attempt it on the next one, though. I feel like I am ready to move on after getting to this stage of completion with the Stuart. The M2 HT and M7 Priest I will do for my 342nd Armored FA guy will have plenty of mud, and maybe some ice/puddles since the picture I have was taken in the late winter/early spring of 1945. There's totally a science to it, isn't there?

 

Thanks again for all the compliments. Much of what I have one here was learned on the go, or from members, so I would highly recommend anyone with an interest to buy a kit and get busy.

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Exceptional workmanship! The Stuart looks amazing with the details and weathering. The figures are nicely painted also. I think you have captured the look of the scene you were going for. Bob

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Rear. One thing I really wish I knew how to do was show dampness of the earth better. I tried a wash, but it just turned more brown and looked just as dry when it finally dried. Ideally, I would have achieved a muddy look around this puddle, but maybe I can achieve that with further practice.

 

I will look again, but if anyone knows of any tricks to make the earth appear wet in a diorama, please let me know.

 

I'm using "Wet Effects & Damp Earth Mixture" by MIG productions. To see some results scroll down to post No. 13 and the following:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/132986-creating-mud-effects-with-pigments/

 

damp.jpg

 

 

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Thanks! I'm taking a break at the moment from my halftrack, waiting on figures that appear to have been shipped by donkey.

 

I'll investigate that mig product for sure. Thanks!

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