CSM Minerva Armored Car + Base 1/35 - Done!

[RAGIII]

That is an awesome Armored Car. Your base painting is fantastic, and I look forward to seeing the results of the oil weathering! It will look incredible on that base!
RAGIII

[pepperman42]

That progressed quickly! Looks great!

Steve

[NigelR]

Superb work.....and fast!! I am retired and can't build this fast!!

[Dutch522]

Craftsmanship and photography are both top-notch, AJ! How are you finding the Gaahleri airbrush to work with? My son Curt just bought us each one on sale on Amazon... I haven't tried it yet, but it feels quite substantial. He says he likes his very much, it compares well with his Badger.

Dutch

[AngryJazz]

Thank you RAGIII, Nigel, Steve and Dutch 

The kit is very small so it's fairly fast to build. Also I got the new Dspiae circle cutter - it was great for making masks for the wheels.

@Dutch - I really like the airbrush! For this price im really impressed! It feels like a mix between a Iwata style spraying, but with the ease of a H&S for daily maintenance.
It may be my new go to when i need to do some fine work. The trigger feels softer on my fingers than my H&S Infiny so better for longer sessions.
However be aware - I've seen some Gaahleri airbrushes come with a rough looking noozle that affect the spraying. Mine was good, but maybe they had some quality / control issues in the beginning.

The mac valve I havent really used yet, but it feels well made. Not just a loose bit that can wiggle like my cheap Fengda airbrush 

[AngryJazz]

Well this part was one I did not look forward to.... The figure...

I have never done a real figure. I always cheated if there was a face... used a speedpaints. That's good enough for small fantasy figures where there's no real reference... but not in 1/35.

So all the figure techniques like layering, highlights, shadows etc... wow just overwhelming!
Think I should try to do a figure from time to time just for practice since I really think they add something to a build.

Im missing a varnish. Maybe it will help the blending a little.

Anyways enough talk, more pictures!

Next up is the base.

[RAGIII]

Excellent work on the figure! Looking terrific!
RAGIII

[NigelR]

I think the figure looks terrific, especially as you aren't a figure painter. As a standalone figure you would probably want to do a lot more, but for a figure going in a vignette this would look really good. A coat of matt varnish will pull all the layers together (because they tend to have slightly different levels of sheen). The only thing I would suggest you work on is adding a few dark lines to define the edges of the jacket, around the base of the hat etc. You can even add some brighter edge highlights in one or two places (especially where the light is hitting the figure) but be subtle, don't do what t he 28mm guys do.... 

Getting serious with layering and highlighting takes a lot of practice and is only the start. You then need to know about colour wheels, complementary colours, desaturation and a whole load of other stuff. As I am finding out.....

This is a great effort though, well done!

[AngryJazz]

Thank you RAGIII

Thank you Nigel! I appreciate the feedback and tips! It was all a bit overwhelming for this first try, so was just stumbling ahead. Goal was to just have something look like a person from 30cm away 
I managed to varnish it, so hopefully i can add a few dark lines as suggested tonight - Thanks!

Actually I really like the miniature painting videos on YouTube. Many talented painters and wonderful colors. I wouldn't mind learning more and adding it to my skill set. Thought about buying a box or two for practice.
May I ask how long it took you to build up your skills @Nigel? The figures with your latest build looked stunning!

[NigelR]

May I ask how long it took you to build up your skills @Nigel?

The worrying answer is well over 50 years, but that's not really the whole story.  I first started figure painting in the 1970s/80s with Historex and various other 54mms. But then I shifted more to wargaming and wargames figures and then drifted away from modelling for many years. I got back into making WWI aircraft in the late 90s.

However, it was only in 2014 that I really started painting figures again, primarily for a centennial display the Great War SIG did at Telford. I would say my figures from 10 years ago look very similar to the one you just did, maybe just a little more refined in some areas. When I retired six years ago I set myself a goal to try and get my figure painting to a higher standard, so I have been steadily working away. But I don't paint enough figures, because I spend a lot of time building aircraft and other WWI subjects.

I've always been interested in figure painting so I guess that has helped. I go to quite a lot of model shows so I have kept up with how the figure painting world is developing. I think the most helpful thing for me recently has been talking to expert figure painters. I run a lot of displays for the Great War SIG and we have two top level figure painters that often display with us, Paul Seeley (DaddyO on here) and David Lane. Looking at their figures up close and talking to them about how they approach figure painting has been really helpful. I would advise doing the same if you have access to any shows and good painters in your region.....

[FokkerFodder]

Looking great - it’s a lovely little kit and it should look great in the diorama with the figure (a Stalingrad German tanker figure i believe). I could look at the work of figure painters all day - I purchased a bunch of beautiful 75mm resin figures  being sold cheap a few years ago (Russian producers that the dealer could no longer source so he was getting rid of his stock) but I’m too scared to start on them!
Cheers
Matt

[AngryJazz]

That's a fair few years of modeling experience @Nigel 

I find it fascinating how we get our motivation and inspiration as modelers. Thank you very much for sharing!

It's nice to know improvements can be accomplished if we set our mind to it. I would love to be able to paint figures like that one day. I'm "only" turning 39 this year, so hopefully I can get to the level I want eventually 
I build a few kits as a kid, but only really got into the hobby 4 years ago. It was suggested to me as therapy while I was recovering from a severe case of work related stress. It's been a wonderful hobby for this.

Unfortunately there's not really any model shows or clubs in Denmark, so most of the interaction is online. I can imagine seeing stuff and asking questions would be great for learning.  I really like the work of David Lane - I often look at his work for inspiration. Maybe I have to stalk DaddyO also for some nuggets of wisdom 

Thanks Matt - I think you are right! I won it in a raffle and did not know the producer.
Give the figures a go! Worst case is having to strip the paint and starting over. I did actually enjoy the challenge, maybe you will too 

[PJ Fisher]

this is inspiring!

[pepperman42]

Great work! I highly recommend Mike Butler's book on WWI figure painting. Available on Amazon.

Steve

[AngryJazz]

Thanks both of you! I will look up the book 

The project have stalled a bit with the base. I mounted the resin on a foam board, but my cuts were a bit rough.
I used some wall filler to patch up the sides, but it is taking forever to dry and I had to apply it 3 times to hopefully get the result I want 

In the meantime I started a 1/48 Draken Jet. In a few days I can continue the Minerva.