nightshiftmodeller

These textures will never end!

My friends, work continues on adding more of the concrete-like texture. I started by brutalizing the hull and removing the plastic fenders. Then it was again about replicating the textures from reference photos, and each component has its own character! 

JS-2 and 3 might be the roughest looking tanks I've ever seen, because just about everything is gnarly. Even the flame cuts on rolled steel plates. Even welds around the smallest fixtures. Just everything! 

Also, I order...

Moar texture

My friends, the turret is now fully textured and ready to be finished with some missing details and weld beads! 

This was a real blast. Following references, I removed the pre-molded weld beads, scribed the seam line at the bottom and added the "scars" using a rotary bit. Then I stippled the cast surfaces with lots of modelling cement, followed by another round of stippling with diluted Tamiya putty. After this step, I dabbed some undiluted putty here and there and smeared it with ...

Early video

Final conclusion to this project - the finished "Savior" diorama! 

Sneaky-peeky

My friends, here's some small progress on the new project - the JS-2 I mentioned a while ago! This tank is going to be all about MAD textures. I'll try to follow reference images as closely as possible because every component on these tanks had its own, unique, gnarly texture. 

The ingredients for this model are: 

Tamiya JS-2 Mod. 1944

Friulmodel tracks salvaged from an old JS-3 model (RIP)

Aber gun barrel

Eureka XXL tow cables

Eduard PE fenders a...

Finished diorama

My friends, here are some shots of the finished scene. The water in the crater was a disaster! I had to redo the water four times! 🤣 

First time it leaked through the tape. Remove the tape, wipe  it off, re-tape it, pour again. The next two times it spilled out of the crater... you'll see in the video. And the water was too green, so I made a new mixture, poured it again, and it spilled out again 🤣🤣 

This time I went with it and masked the spilled part with...

HD photos... and some bonuses!

My friends, here's the finished diorama, and as per tradition, I'm giving you some Photoshopped pictures and also a comparison on how a 3D sketch looks compared to the finished scene. Enjoy! 

Moar groundwork

My friends, yesterday and earlier today I focused all my effort on painting the remaining terrain. It went smoothly at first, but then it didn't so much... I kept using the same techniques and paints like I did on the tank and the trench, but something wasn't working... and I realized it after good 7 hours of painting! 

The ground seemed very dull and completely desaturated. Honestly, I had no idea how to fix it, so I left it "sit" overnight and today gave some of the spots a very ...

Trench section done

My friends, this took a couple of days but I think the trench is pretty much finished. I might add a tiny bit of water at the bottom, though. 

I repeated the same techniques as on that first trial section, and it went like this:

Painting the wooden walls with Old Wood, Iraqi Sand, Burnt Umber, all highly diluted and painted with visible brush strokes. Then a heavy enamel wash with Brown Wash for German Yellow, followed with more acrylic work using Light Mud + Ash Grey mixture...

Early video

Glazing and other figure painting stuff! 

How about a gloomy trench?

My friends, yesterday I started painting the diorama. I had to use a spray can for priming because it would take hours with an airbrush :D 

The base colors were sprayed as following: Flat Earth, my custom dust mixture (same I used on the A7V), Buff and finally Deck Tan on the wooden parts. Some Ammo shaders in a few places and the base coat was ready.

I wasn't sure how to proceed so I made a small test section where I tried different paint combos. I think this looks pretty go...

HD photos

I think figures look better if they're photographed in their "natural" setting, so to say! :) 

Figures finished

Now onto the diorama, my friends! I also completed the video so now it's time to prime the scene in black or mahogany brown primer and start post-shading. 

I haven't painted heads that are attached to the body in a while. The last and only figure like that was the GI in the T29 diorama. It definitely makes the process more difficult but it's nothing impossible. Also, like I mentioned, tried to keep the skin tones less pale than usual... not sure if it was a success or not, but here...

Details done, skin colors next!

My friends, work continues on the figures and also outside the workbench. 

As usual, the black and white pre-shading doesn't work on all surfaces, but so far, at least from what I've experienced on the last bunch of figures, it only doesn't  work on leather and details that are WAY too small to cast any shadows on their own. 

I'll see how the skin tones go, because the sculpting on their faces is very nice. Will do my best to follow the shadows cast by the airbrush....

Uniforms

My friends, just a quick update. Yesterday I finished the upper torsos. Right now I'm assembling new furniture for my bedroom and it feels like I died 5 times today 🤣 This stuff is very exhausting, especially when you're assembling a large closet. 

Will do my best to finish painting all the details soon so I can move on to the skin tones. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Early video

Full weathering, enjoy!

Another set of pants

My friends, did some more progress this morning. Now onto their jackets! 

This glazing method is seriously heaps of fun. I used Khaki Grey as a base coat on the tanker figure and Flat Brown for the gentleman with a cane. Everything this glazed base coat then needs is one round of highlights (base color + some pale tone such as Pale Sand or Light Mud in these examples) and a round of shadows using diluted Black Brown. This color is also used to outline details and seam lines. <...

Figures!

My friends, today I started painting the British soldiers from Stalingrad. I can already tell these are gonna be more enjoyable than the Black Dog figure because the sculpting is much better! 

As usual, I'm using the BW preshading + glazing method, and I'm trying to make a detailed video about the process! More progress tomorrow! 

HD photos

These turned out pretty well methinks! 

Track on and we're done!

My friends, last night I added the tracks, gave them a rather rusty appearance (because this is going to be another abandoned tank) and sprayed the exhaust soot. 

Regarding the loose dirt on the roof, I found one close-up shot showing exactly this, lots of dried grass around the driver's cabin. When I was adding all of this, I had the tank placed in the diorama so the dirt would naturally follow gravity :) 

Earth tones

My friends, here are some simple earth effects. My guess is that this tank was rather clean thanks to its hidden running gear and most dirt would remain contained there. To change things up I used Wilder's Aqualine paint for the streaking rainmarks, but the process was as usual. 

Some stippled acrylic mud paste, loose dirt and grass on the roof, pre-dusting, streaks of dust with Aqualine, speckling with Ammo Splashes and Rainmarks Effects, darker stains with Earth and wash for Germ...

Patreon QnA

Lots of questions = very long video. Play it as a podcast while you're building models, not just collecting them! 

Next project?

I've been thinking about this idea since yesterday. On one hand, I want to "try something new" with every model this year, but this idea is just too good! And I wanted to build a proper, heavily textured, completely beaten-up IS-2 for YEARS! 

I also found new love for tall dioramas with a lot of vertical volume, so this setting fits that perfectly. It also presents the tank under a very dynamic angle. Everything on these photos has TEXTURE! 

But I always wanted to build ...

Question time!

As stated in the previous post, I'll take some more time to finish the A7V and release it as a full weathering episode the next week, so here's some space for a QnA video that I'll release for you this Friday! 😊 

The act of rustification

My friends, the rust tones are finished and so are the only 3 details on this model - the exhaust pipes and that wooden stool mounted on the access doors. 

Exhausts were first painted in Ash Grey from AK, then they received a heavy rust wash followed by chipped remnants of the base color with Ammo Dull Green. Then one more round of rust speckling and they were finished. The wood texture is a new recipe I discovered while painting figures: base with Black Brown and woodgrain with Ol...

More chipping and my updated studio

My friends, today I was finally able to do some modelling again because until yesterday, I had no workbench! 

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm currently remodelling most of my living space and I decided to start with my studio, as that's kinda the most "important" room. Just like the A7V, it's still work in progress and I'm awaiting new furniture, lights, and other small details to give it more of an industrial look. And, of course, another goal is getting rid of the "ugly" bit...

Early video

Post shading a four-tone camouflage, let's go! 

Sheeping

My friends, just a quick update. Finished the pin wash and started with some quick chipping effects. Between running around, moving furniture and getting the necessary supplies for room painting, I only managed to chip this side of the tank. 

At first I didn't want to pick out the rivets with a lighter color, but as you see on the green ones, the effect looks good and makes the model look not too dark, so I'll do the same thing with the remaining camouflage colors. 

Tomo...

Pin washing

My friends, I started applying the pin washes. Just like in the interior, I opted for enamels because they're more convenient for me at the moment. Wash for German Yellow was used on the rivets while Winter Streaking Grime was added into panel lines. 

I need to finish the remaining sides and then I can proceed with chipping! Again, if you enjoy washes, get a WW1 model because you'll have plenty of fun there :) 

Also, I think enamels blend a little smoother over a flat su...

HD photos

Post-shading was never so fun to photograph until now! 

Base coating done!

My friends, the model is now ready for weathering. I outlined every bolt and rivet with the Ammo Shader, gave it a coat of flat VMS varnish and sprayed the tracks in a mixture of German Grey and Flat Brown. 

It's funny because now it looks just how I imagined the finished model, so a part of me doesn't even want to touch it anymore 🤣 But of course, what follows are pin washes, chipping and rust tones, and, of course, some dirt on the running gear and bottom edges of the hull!&nb...