nightshiftmodeller
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Rumble in the jungle
🕑 Added 2024-03-22 19:43:30 +0000 UTCMy friends, this is a story all about how I ruined an entire diorama and had to make another one!
It's also a good tale about the importance of good composition! And even though both scenes are similar, it's the small differences that are truly important. An example - the hill behind the tank was too small in the first scene, and because I'm going to add a couple of monkeys in the diorama, there was no space for them. On the other side, the recessed area in front of us was too large and I wouldn't have anything to fill it with. Not to mention the palm trees on each side of the tank looked really corny, and again, the hill was too small for both of them.
Sadly, I didn't have enough veneer to make another oval base, so the new one has to be rectangular. What I also didn't have enough were the photo-etched palm leaves from Aber. I thought one set would be enough for two trees - wrong! But I ordered two extra sets that should arrive on Monday, so I'll fix it very soon.
Speaking of trees, they're made from sprues wrapped in copper wire, and covered in a thin layer of Magic Sculpt. The bark was meticulously sculpted with a wedge-shaped silicone brush, and after it dried, I added the apical bud at the top. There I tried to insert the palm leaves into the putty, but they turned out to be quite heavy and they kept falling down all the time. So it's better to leave the putty to cure and make holes with a small drill.
The small palm with paper leaves is my first failed attempt, I just recycled it. My first palm trunk was too thick and out of scale, but the top portion was ideal for this type of plant. The paper leaves are from Model Scene and I used an entire set for this tree. Chances are this species doesn't grow on Saipan, but I'm not gonna be a detective! :)
Another thing I wanted to mention - garden substrate of any kind, or even peat, is the ultimate ground texture! But not for all scenarios, of course. It's great for jungle terrain, and I can imagine it working in a WW1 setting as well. I'm going to add the ground texture to this new diorama before I go to bed, and then it'll be about adding vegetation, starting with grass, weeds, ferns, etc.
It's also funny how I did quite a bit of travelling across Saipan on Google Earth until I found an area that looked nice for the diorama's setting. I based the setting on that specific real place - a tank coming out of the forest to a more frequented dirt road. I also messed a lot with the angles in the new scene - the main road on the left is going uphill, but also the secondary road with the tank is angled up. After all, King Kong is slowly climbing to the top of Mt. Tapochau.
Lastly, Prague trip was beautiful and very refreshing! So much so I managed to put the entire Easter Egg video on Monday and since Tuesday I was preoccupied with my diorama struggles. My sincere apologies for the lack of updates, but I knew I messed up with the first composition, and wanted to show you some REAL results, not failed attempts.
Comments
Night Shift
The trunks are from Night Shift (trademark) :D And the leaves are from Aber :)
Night Shift
The palm trees were my first ever attempt, but they're not so difficult to sculpt :) It's just really hard to compose a scene with them if you don't have the leaves attached - it's like composing a finished scene with a few plastic sticks, not actual trees.
Night Shift
Yeah, I approached the first one with YOLO mode (that's what I use when I don't have any clear idea in my mind, so I decide to go with the flow), but it didn't quite work out this time :D
Night Shift
I'm not going anywhere anytime soon :) I try to reply to DM's and e-mails once or twice a week if possible (I call it office time, haha), and the only times when I'm not really available are the weekends or if I'm on a vacation such as last year.
Night Shift
Yeah, it took me way longer than I wanted, but I made the second scene without any filming because the techniques were the same, so it went much quicker :) Basically just one day.
Danny Jeurissen
nice start here Martin, the palm trees look very good, what brand may they be...
Jaie H. (aka DemiLancer)
Martin. It’s only a failure if you quit. Otherwise it’s just a learning opportunity. 🫶
Bob Yack
Just amazing work. Funny though.... your failed attempts would be my triumphs. Those palm trees are so freaking amazing!
Edmond Griffith-Jones
Martin, again with the outstanding.
Manuel Garcia Urreta
oh yeah! this is good
Ken C
Awesome work (as usual)!!
Modelite
Oh wow, it was worth it, the composition in the second one is much better! No dead space in front and the hill was barely noticeble in the first one! And nice that you have slightly bevelled the front part in the new one!
Joxar
night shift i hate to ask in case you're just taking a break from it or something (which would be totally fine), do you still reply to dm's?
George Davelaar
Wauw was worth waiting to see what you were doing. Waiting for the final results.
Solomon Hollowell
So that's why you took so long! The second diorama looks way better!
Enigma Models
My goodness you are such an artist. MAAAGNIFICENT!
Gerard
Another gem on the list! So good!!! Thanks for your passion!
