Hi guys,

It's been a very busy and frustrating time for me lately, and I haven't been very motivated to spend much time in my hobby room. Having said that, I picked up this great Jon Smith Modellbau kit last week in the hope that it might get my juices flowing again.

I'll leave you guys to judge if you think it worked. I still have some issues with the sheen on the blue coat, but I should be able to deal with that when I start weathering.

I'm anxious to get some feedback to motivate me to finish this guy and get back into it.

Hi Tony,

Too bad too hear about your setbacks and loss of motivation, figurewise....

I like what you did on this figure, but I think you rushed it a bit, as your usual standard is a tad higher IMHO. I think the webbing could use a bit heavier outlining for example.

Anyway, hope this is not DEmotivating you, as this is definitely not my intention! Hope you get the knack pretty soon again!

Cheers,
Adrian

Looking great so far Tony! Keep it up!

Cheers,

Håkan

Hi Adrian,

thanks for your comments mate, I appreciate them. I agree with your observations on the webbing and will continue to outline and define the equipment as I progressively finish him.

Thanks Hakan, I appreciate your comments. I hope I can complete this figure to my satisfaction soon.

Oh Tony, I hadn't realized you weren't finished yet....

BTW, the dusty look on the blue is nice.

Cheers again,
Adrian

Tony,
Done this figure myself a few years back and yours looks great. Only the horizonblue seems a little green-blue, don't know why. It could be the lightning.

Marc

Take your time and not be anxious, relax and you'll be 100% back.
Nice work so far (too much lights on photos)

Hi Adrian, no worries mate, you were right. Hopefully I've addressed some of your concerns.

Hi Marc, I remember your version of this figure well, and saved the pics of it for reference. I agree the photos do look a little blue/ green but I assure you its just a lighting effect.

Hi Christos, thanks for the encouragement mate. I've been hard at work the past two nights. I agree with your comments on the lighting. I'll try something else next time.

As you can see, I've started weathering now, using mud and pastels to cover a multitude of painting sins.:lol:

He's starting to come together well now Tony.

Roger.

The weathering looks great. So he had his days at Verdun, maybe at Fort Vaux, Fort Doauomont. Maybe he has been at the Tunnel Tavannes.

Most people think that in the WW1 there was only rain and mud. But they where sunshine days also. But we only see pictures off mud and dirt.

Marc

Tony Its looking good mate. I have just blown it up to around 12 inches and cant see much wrong with it to hold you up. I think your weathering is very good, very subtle and blends in nicely with a spring day in on the lines when some of the mud has started to dry up.
I do agree with Nap. you have his coat looking as if its starting to rot around him. Super stuff.

Don

Wonderful, Tony! I've always liked the face of this French soldier - kinda amused and maybe enjoying the smell coming from the stew pot near by. The coat - as several have said, does almost look like it is rotting on him, like maybe the seams are about to split. Too cool!

All the best,
Dan

Happy new year everyone and thanks to Roger, Kevin, Carl, Marc, Don and Dan for your comments.

I am planning to depict this figure in a simple muddy wintery scene, which may be cliche for a WW1 Western Front scene, but also provides context for why the figure is wearing an overcoat and a woollen pullover. It is also consistent with the muddy battlefield base supplied with the figure, which I intend to use. It also helps to explain the weathering and the rotten state of his uniform, which I'm very pleased you seem to like.

looks really good Tony, very impressive to see the progress between the first set of photos and the second. Judging from that second grouping I'd say you're well on the way to a beauty of a figure, and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product on it's base.

Lovely weathering Tony! Lover to see him in the winter scene you're planning!

Cheers,

Håkan

Thanks Glenn and Hakan, as always I greatly appreciate your comments. I'm working on the groundwork now, just waiting on a base to come in the mail. Hopefully I'll have some further pics for you in a couple of days.

Looking very nice Tony, good to see you wet the brushes again mate

Tony cheers mate, I like what you done in this figure, now I wait the groundwork and better pics.