Tree Building using plastic armatures in 4mm scale

[Mikkel]

Is this the first time the same person has been modelled on different days and with different clothes?

 

Or is it the sister?

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by Mikkel

[MAP66]

14 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Is this the first time the same person has been modelled on different days and with different clothes?

 

Or is it the sister?

 

Well, this lady first appeared on 7th September and was having a moan at Mr. Corbyn's lack of lawn mowing. So we must assume its Mr. Corbyn's wife.

I tend to use different characters to create different cameos. So same stage but different scenes so that the same characters can be used again and again to portray different scenes. 

 

[MAP66]

Hello folks,

I have uploaded lost images post May 2021 (pg 5 onwards) for those who might wish to revisit.

 

[MAP66]

Its been a while but I revisited my earlier tree diorama to see how I could create a cameo scene featuring a Border Collie.

Early developments show potential...

 

"What is it Shep, what can you see".

 

[Re6/6]

Love the groundwork under the tree.😀

[Blandford1969]

Wow is the only word for that

[MAP66]

"Now then Shep, what can you tell me about petrol lawnmowers which suddenly stop working?"

 

[MAP66]

Sheps back for one last visit, even though this does have legs to run 😀

"Now then Shep, are you certain this is where you last saw the sheep?"

 

[MAP66]

Sorry, I lied, here's two more...

 

"I think its obvious Shep, the sheep are long gone".

"Sorry Dave my bad - woof". 🐶

 

 

"Hang on Dave, I think it was that field over yonder - woof, woof". 🐶 🐑

"Shep, you better not be aving me on boy". 

 

[Mikkel]

Excellent little scenes, the colours and texture really work for me.

 

Shep is clearly all talk! 😀

[MAP66]

4 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

Excellent little scenes, the colours and texture really work for me.

 

Shep is clearly all talk! 😀

Thanks Mikkel,

When I saw that the Border Collies had been recently released 'who let the dogs out' well it was ModelU. I immediately said I need those as they would look good in a number of scenes.

[Sweet pea]

Mark this is a most enjoyable thread you have started. Excellent pictures of your modelling skills.

[MAP66]

41 minutes ago, Kevin Johnson said:

Mark this is a most enjoyable thread you have started. Excellent pictures of your modelling skills.

Thanks Kevin, very kind of you to say so.

[MAP66]

Its been some time since I’ve been active on this thread, what with the house move and all that. However, it’s now time to get back to tree building and remember the Oak tree? Here’s an image to remind you from page 4 of this thread.

 

 

I’m working on the Oak again and after applying postiche to represent the fine twiggy stuff, I then added the scatters for the foliage. Hey presto, I ended up with something which resembled a stick of broccoli, something which I was trying hard to get away from. Very frustrating 😠 

So, it was back to the drawing board. On reflection the branch framework wasn’t quite right as they needed to be longer so as to spread out further near the bottom for the characteristic dome shape of an English Oak, it was also a bit too tall with not enough out reaching branches at the top.

I was able to remove the postiche quite easily and then went about adding some more branches from twisted copper wire, these were then coated in deep gap filler and allowed to dry and then painted.

After painting, the additional branches were glued to the trunk and blended in with more filler. I thought that the best way to represent the dome shaped canopy would be to use sea foam! So, I did, I cut numerous florets of the stuff and used superglue with a spray accelerator to glue them in place to the outer sections of the main branches with the twiggy stuff facing in an upwards direction.

I started at the top and am gradually working my way down the tree, below is a progress pic to show how it’s looking so far. I think it’s already looking better than the first attempt, even without the foliage.

 

 

 

 

[Re6/6]

Excellent work on the armature

 

For adding seafoam to armatures I use Cyano Gel, which has a jelly consistency, and set with Zip Kicker accelerator which makes the set almost instantaneous.

 

     

 

 

[Blandford1969]

Wow, is all that can be said, when my laptop opening on your latest post I thought it was a photo of a tree you were going to model, rather than one you had actually modelled. Fantastic modelling

[sb67]

Good to see you back Mark, that tree is looking superb, looks very real in front of the backscene. 👍

[MAP66]

On 07/09/2022 at 17:13, Re6/6 said:

Excellent work on the armature

 

For adding seafoam to armatures I use Cyano Gel, which has a jelly consistency, and set with Zip Kicker accelerator which makes the set almost instantaneous.

 

     

 

 

Thanks John,

That gel glue is the same product that I usually use, unfortunately though as I had not used it for some time it had set hard in the tube.

So I have been using normal super glue with a CA glue activator from 'Green Stuff World' you spray it on as it comes in a small bottle 30ml. Does the same job though and the glue sets in a couple of seconds holding the sea foam firmly in place.

[MAP66]

Since the passing of Her Majesty, I have been sat in front of the TV with the Mrs watching all the news coverage and while doing so have been sticking more bits of sea foam to the oak tree. At such a sad and reflective time, I am unable to focus on much else.

Below are a couple of images of how the tree looks at the moment. However, I will not post any further updates until after the funeral.

RIP Your Majesty. God save the King.

 

 

[Re6/6]

Excellent tree work.

 

4 hours ago, MAP66 said:

At such a sad and reflective time, I am unable to focus on much else.

Indeed. Same here.

[Mikkel]

So well observed and modelled. No broccoli here, it's a masterpiece.

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Mikkel

[MAP66]

On 08/09/2022 at 12:39, sb67 said:

Good to see you back Mark, that tree is looking superb, looks very real in front of the backscene. 👍

Thanks Steve, 

It's good to be back in the modelling saddle again.

3 hours ago, Mikkel said:

So well observed and modelled. No broccoli here, it's a masterpiece.

 

Thanks Mikkel,

Kind of you to say so. I think this time I will take more consideration when applying the leaf scatters, I'm planning on an Autumn look with some orange and brown leaves amongst the green. Well, that's the plan at the moment.

[MAP66]

OK, I’m back again and on with the autumnal look for the oak tree. I was looking for leaf scatters which looked realistic in size and colour for an oak in autumn. Oak laves aren’t that big and anything over 1mm in size in my opinion would be well overscale. I eventually came across the below product from ‘Green Stuff World’ who are based in Spain. The colours and scatter size looked about right to me, so I took a punt and purchased a tub of the light green and one of the orange.

 

 

To apply the scatter and working on a small area at a time, I first dabbed small amounts of Hob-e-Tac glue to the extreme ends of the seafoam. It was then a case of carefully sprinkling on the leaf scatters, being careful to catch all the material which did not stick, so as to be used again. Below are a couple of closeups of the tree with scatters in place. I have to admit that I am pleased with the end result.

 

 

 

I then thought about the diorama to display the oak tree. Some time ago, I had thought about a park scene with a bandstand and maybe an ice cream van. Since then I had purchased the Langley brass kit for the bandstand which I am currently in the process of painting and an Oxford Diecast ice cream van. Here’s a final image of trying to mock up the scene. There will be seating, possible railings, grass and people also to add.

 

 

 

 

 

[MAP66]

Dave Arch getting in some last minute practice before Strictly on Saturday!

[MAP66]

A few progress pics of the diorama. The diorama base is 4mm ply, onto which I have now stuck some grey board to make it a bit thicker. The scene when completed will depict a bandstand with brass band, seating for the audience (probably deck chairs), pavement with railings, a service road for use by the park staff, seated and standing figures, ice cream van and finally the oak tree.

 

The York pavement sections are by Wills SS77 and I believe the cobble sets are also by Wills, but I have lost the packaging. They received a spray coat of grey primer and when dry a brown wash, followed by a grey wash. Then some final detailing with MIG sun bleach filter. The cobble sets still require additional detail painting.

 

I used various green colour blends of 1mm static basing grass for the grassed sections in front of the band stand where the seating will be. For the strips where the pavement meets the grass and around the base of the oak tree I introduced some dead grass colours in 2 & 4mm lengths. I built up the layers with a liberal coat of hairspray in-between and finally I sprinkled on some fine scatters to represent a few flowering weeds.

 

The path leading up to the bandstand will probable be made using a mixture of brick dust and very fine grit, but I need to experiment first. I also plan to add a few puddles and fallen leaves in the gutter and on the pavement. The oak is not fixed permanently as yet, as its easier to work on the diorama with it removed. That’s it for now folks.