Dioramas: Buildings & Ruins
Ruined buildings and city scenes.
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Somewhere North
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - 02:53 AM UTC
HI guys - and sorry for the delayed response - thanks to each of you for taking some time to leave a comment or two! I appreciate it! and...a Little pressure never hurt anyone!

As for pressure....work has been full of that lately....we've started a new fiscal year....into it less than a month and already fears over backlog, utilization...and so on and so on....so, what better way to address that despair and misery? tedious model building of course! I'm guessing it's a lot less expensive than a therapist!!....and only regarded to as a vice by those around us who wonder..."why does he do it...?"...hahaha!

Well, we all do it for a lot of reasons - - I enjoy the challenge, nobody wondering why you are doing it one way or other, when the "numbers will be updated, and when we can bill", and mostly I suspect, the process, which is 100% directed by us, the model builder! The effort can be wildly ambitious or simple as possible - if it's fun, it's a victory!

OK, yes...you all get the point...and, yes, I have been going at the T-55 - as noted above, it's another Takom, which I'm converting to an AMV - and while Tim lost count on the holes on the stanchions....there are a variety of new and improved challenges for this update. Small, oddly shaped parts, being put together - please have a look:





I don't need not stinking therapist!!! I've got Aber etch parts!!!






Just joking - while not easy, I really like building, then destroying these parts:







the bricks above are from Voyager - I ran out of the cast versions, so, what else? more etch (and they were pretty cheap!)!



So here's a bummer - I like what these details look like - but, they'll be largely screened by the fender skirts - so, what better reason to utilize more damage?:



By adding more damage, you're actually taking away objects that would otherwise block views - and my collection of prototype images suggest that what I've done is actually fairly light on the damage...

and finally sort of a bummer:



Before all the damage, this fender looked pretty good!! - no more....

thanks for having a look -

Cheers

Nick



JSSVIII
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Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - 05:38 AM UTC
Nick your builds are really nice, and I especially like all the PE work you've done, the quality of your detailing is fantastic! One thing I might consider though, for a road wheel to have as much damage as you've shown, generally the rubber mold seams would have worn off of the face that contacts the track. I'm sure that someone has a photo of one that hasn't, but I think in general that would be the case.

Nice job, can't wait to see more!
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - 05:57 AM UTC
Hi John - good eye and excellent point! next up - sand those road wheels!

thanks for taking the time to drop by -

Nick

jrutman
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Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - 08:42 PM UTC
Gobsmacked ! I know how much time and effort it takes just to bend even ONE of those fasteners on the stowage boxes. Man o man,I still don't get how you do it so well and so fast.
J
fhvn4d
#159
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Posted: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - 04:28 AM UTC
Been amazed at your work from day 1 and this project is no different!!!!
Johnathan123
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Posted: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - 06:31 AM UTC
Beautiful job You are very talented and an inspiration. If I could suggest that if you are going for a Syrian or Middle Eastern tank that you might want to remove the rear fuel drums or beat the heck out of them. I have seen very few pictures of them actually keeping the drums on for long. Thanks your posting. I can not wait for more!
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - 08:38 AM UTC
Hi guys - thanks for taking a look -

Hi Jerry - you've got that right....those little bits, just figuring out how to hold them is half the challenge...some of these are very small - next - shaping and not destroying them....then do it again another dozen or so times. I suppose it must be like golf - you really need to keep your head in the game. Funny, I remember a guy you made a long time ago - you shaped and attached a tiny, perfectly shaped "D" ring on his gear - I was blown away - how in the heck did you do that?!? As this tank is close to being done - back to the dio and figs soon enough! It's sort of strange - as tough as these Aber kits are, I really like them.

Hi Brian - thanks for taking a minute - I'm still appreciative of the tech input you gave me a few years back on the road construction dio. You know, I thought about you a few weeks back - I was in Santa Rosa, where some wildfires did horrible damage - while driving into town I came up on a convoy of national guard armored dump trucks - just like those you sent me reference pictures of!

Hi Jonathan - first, thanks for the nice words! Second, I'm glad you left your comment now and not later! I was about to paint it! Now - I've cut off the fuel drums - I looked at my ref pics too - not many fuel drums to be seen....it's too late to change T55 #1....but, not this one. I managed to do so without too much unintended damage.

Ok guys, happy thanksgiving to you and yours -

Cheers
Nick
WXerock
#450
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Posted: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - 02:17 PM UTC
Nick, your work as usual amazes me. There two T-55s are beautiful. I watched a lot of Live feed from the fires around Santa Rosa. My unit was providing support with our aircraft. I do hope no one you know was affected by them. The devastation was overwhelming from four miles up. I can't something what it looked like from the ground.

Regards,

Eric
Removed by original poster on 11/23/17 - 15:15:26 (GMT).
Removed by original poster on 11/23/17 - 15:16:47 (GMT).
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 01:37 AM UTC
Hi Eric - first, Man! I,m glad you were up there keeping an eye on things, and helping to fight the fires! My mom and dad live on the east side of Santa Rosa. They were evacuated for almost two full weeks, as the fires burned all around them - in fact, the fires burned on their south, east and north flanks - the fires came within about 1000' of them! I believe extraordinary effort by you and many others save their place! form my family, and many others from Santa Rosa - thank you!

On to a less important subject - building models.

The T-55 has already made it's way into the paint shop - you'll see some pre-paint pics below. Painting and weathering just started.

As I had just about enough with the micro etch, I began work on the "other" side of the street.

Same process as before, but less left standing. I might go back and add a column or two - it might need more vertical...or not - I don't know yet...Please take a look:















The next two images are beginning to better define the context of the build:





These two give you an idea of what's going on - the "other" side of the street still needs more - specifically weathering of the ground and adjacent smashed concrete near the knocked out AFV.

"This" side of the street...clearly has a long way to go -

thanks for having a look - no time today!

Cheers
Nick


165thspc
#521
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Posted: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 01:40 AM UTC
Yep! Since day one!
jasegreene
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Posted: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 02:54 AM UTC
This is just so AMAZING!!!!!! It has such a realistic look a couple of times I did have to look twice to see if this was not real photos from Syria.
maartenboersma
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Posted: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 03:02 AM UTC
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Thursday, November 30, 2017 - 05:26 AM UTC
Hey guys - thanks for taking a minute to leave some words of support - I appreciate them, as I'm well into the land of model building tedium! more, and more, and more debris...all intended to look the same...just keep going and don't worry about it.

Two notes up front, sorry for the mediocre pics....but, you'll get the point, and lack of time right now, means lack of lengthy text -

here we go - making debris for the streets - cut, prime, paint, then...glue in place, wash with dust, add pigment; repeat:





and below, debris to be used next to the buildings - set in acrylic/pumice - one without, and the other with pigment:

without:



With:



Even with this crappy pic, I think you can see why adding the pigment helps with realism....

Now, on to the bldg - one in primer:



the same, with some color - but, no pigment yet:




I think you can see it's getting there - finally, below you'll see the building as above, and next to it, in the foreground, one of those little segments - note the color difference. None glued in place yet. Also, I STILL haven't weathered the debris across the street....or even touched the sidewalk in the foreground....

have a look:



thanks for checking it out -

Cheers
NIck






justsendit
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Posted: Thursday, November 30, 2017 - 05:47 AM UTC
Man, that is GINORMOUS!!! You're doing some fine destruction here. Without the WIP photos, one could only begin to imagine the amount of work you've put into the rubble. Simply amazing! ... Sir Randomness. 🎩

Cheers!🍺
—mike
strongarden
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Posted: Thursday, November 30, 2017 - 09:35 AM UTC
Outstanding work, just seems perfect all around.
Thank you for your efforts Nick!
Regards Dave
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Saturday, December 02, 2017 - 10:34 AM UTC
Hi Mike,
Thanks for leaving a note! Yes, you're right...it is a LOT of rubble - pretty funny tho - with all of that debris, the landscape is actually pretty minimal...weird eh? All light grey, light tan, or faded black. Nonetheless, I'm still making it!! On the good side, it doesn't include many expensive materials etc (tho, the acrylic pumice is expensive, but a container usually lasts through a few builds), and instead more about continuity. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to lose the "pattern" - that is, make it all look the same through a few phases started at different times and so on. So far so good - take it easy -

Hi Dave - thanks for the positive words! I appreciate them! These builds and checking out Armorama etc are really nice distractions from work - I know I've said that before, but building and posting here is a real luxury!

Ok - thanks for checking it out -

Cheers
Nick
Dioramartin
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Posted: Saturday, December 02, 2017 - 01:06 PM UTC
And so it came to pass, your new Nick-name: Barney, the Rubble Guy. I dunno, unless it was a single building isn’t there an argument for a modicum of non-uniformity of debris? Whatever, I revert to my previous canine visage in lieu of further text
ti
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Posted: Saturday, December 02, 2017 - 01:49 PM UTC
Outrageously brilliant. Your work is just out of this world. You are a real inspiration to me. I get discourage but mostly, encourage to improve myself after seeing your wonderful work. although, I do not do a lot of military modeling, I tend use some of these methods in other genres of modeling. Great work Nick. Never seizes to amaze me.
One question, are you using plywood for the base under all that rumble?
jrutman
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Posted: Saturday, December 02, 2017 - 07:03 PM UTC
Excellent broken stuff. Randomness par excellence !
J
165thspc
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Posted: Saturday, December 02, 2017 - 08:25 PM UTC
Yes, Random is a hard thing to do!
Stickframe
#362
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Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 - 04:27 AM UTC
Hi guys -

Thanks for having a look, and sorry about the delay in posting.

Work has been a headache.....I just haven't been in the mood to do much...but, since the last post, I've made progress -

Tim - hahaa! either barney rubble or nick the blockhead!!

Hi Charles - - thanks for stopping - by and leaving some comments - about your question, you'll see below each that section of debris is built on little modules (the pic is of the underside) - using scrap material (bass wood etc) for the base. It's fairly light and durable, and easy enough to modify if needed.

Hi Mike and Jerry - yes, random, it's really hard to believe how hard it is to stay random. Jerry, i remember once you summarizing the situation pretty well - expressing that subconsciously, your mind is looking for order - and unless you go out of your way to break the order, you will indeed create a pattern - it's funny - I've seen this - completely unintentionally, objects being placed in the same orientation and equidistant from each other! you know if we (i) tried to do it would be next to impossible - lol - also...on a separate but related note, I've noticed when painting camo on uniforms, or chips on armor, the brush strokes can slip into patterns as well - same length, shape, direction and angle -weird eh?

Ok - enough - please see some updates below - starting with T-55 number two, done:

















And there you have it! another T-55 - - I've really enjoyed these builds - so much so, that I'm considering another for this dio! they're fun to build and a challenge to deconstruct and then weather -

And - back to the dio. Charles asked about the base of the modules, please see below:



I've been on a real kick lately to use anything I have laying around before I buy new stuff - even remnants of strip wood. This is the underside of one debris module - as for the top of the debris module:



Above you can see the light colored textured material - it's just uncolored pumice gel.



and above, some paint added - and the dark area, where the burned AFV will be placed.



Above, you'll see a bit more of the street- the pumice gel is painted and another layer of painted but unweathered debris added (along the left side of the street - visually it really pops out!). This "shiny new" debris will first get a wash of grimy dust, and then more and more pigment!

thanks for checking it out - next time...maybe another T-55??!! lol

Nick




jasegreene
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Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 - 08:40 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi guys - thanks to all of you for taking some time to look, and leave some comments!

This one still has a long way to go, so the positive words are really appreciated! - As all of you know, large scale tedious and repetitive tasks....take a lot of time and energy - and can become downright demoralizing!

Agustin - yep, it's a scratch build - converting the Academy M1151 into an M1165A1, then the elements that make it the SOCOM expanded capacity version. The bedrails, pioneering tools on the hood, and front bumper are among the most apparent changes from the previous versions. A deep junkbox is helpful for this conversion....haha!

Hi Rob - I'm glad you noticed that bumper! I have been looking for a reason to try and build it. As for the overall image, thanks alot - I'm glad it "almost" passed your "eye" test. Backdrops are always hard - I've concluded that I prefer a generally similar, but obscure background over something more precise - as a viewer you might be less likely to pick up on problems with scale or perspective. We'll see what happens here...and, your reference images helped this built a lot.

Hi James - thanks very much! I appreciate it! The process that we all take to get it where we want it - it seems different each time - and how it will settle out? - I'm not sure how I'll resolve the backdrop question...we'll see!

Hi John - thanks - and i appreciate your word choice - that it "captures a feeling" - seems on some projects, that's more relevant than including EVERY detail...per above, you never know! It is a strange challenge -to show enough...if not, that's really obvious - or, showing too much...can be fine, but also unnecessary - ask me how I figured that out!! haha

Tim and Cheyenne!! haha!thanks, brothers! Lets hope it flies when it's done!

Hi Mario - I'm glad you recall that build - it was a lot of GMV's! - each inspired on some level by your outstanding work! - similar, but not near yours. This one is getting better I think - I tried to tighten up a few details, and be less fussy a bout others - thanks!

Hey Jerry - haha - you know my pattern: finish a project, get a bit burned out, obsessively start something new...then start a post...and hope for the best! Seeking the convincing realism is a fun part too - looking for ways to convey real scale from small scale is fun- And - as I noted above - a key to this, is your fundamental rule: keep random stuff random - not as easy as it sounds....

Peter, Nacho, Dave, John, Jason, and Tom - thanks very much for taking sometime to leave a comment - I really appreciate it! Let's hope it turns out ok!

OK - on to today's post. I have not been following a particularly rational sequence with this build - As the building and debris have been going, I've had a few vehicles underway too.

Below - an "other" guy's vehicle damaged by unknown sources - but, the result is a broken front axle and burned tires. Continuing my self-imposed tradition of making some things harder than they have to be, this one received scratch built stand off armor. My reference photos typically show slat armor - but, having scratch built a few of those, I opted for bar armor. While not all that easy to do, substantially less bad than the alternative - Please take a look:





Yes...tedious. With some color, and as just finished:











This will wind up amidst the rubble, in front of the damaged building. For an "el cheapo" kit - as I recall, less than $25 usd, plus some extras, I'm pleased with it!

On the other side of the spectrum, I'm still working on T-55 number two (converting to a T55 AMV) - and still enjoy it! not easy at all:







Like the first one, this will receive more parts and much more damage - you can see missing ERA blocks up front and damaged sub frame.

Thanks for having a look!

cheers
Nick






This entire build is so incredible!!!The BRDM-2 with the scratchbuild slat armor is just something else.
justsendit
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Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 - 09:11 AM UTC
Nick!

That is some crazy sick detailing on the T-55! I love the wet fuel stains, and the tweaked-out rear drum straps, and the detached hinge, and the damage in general — looks very convincing!

I think your weathering techniques have jumped leaps-and-bounds — not that they ever needed to! 🎨

Cheers!🍺
—mike