Here is the latest figure I have painted, it is another by Young. Sadly it is not my best effort and modern warriors are not my favorite to paint. I am having trouble getting his right arm to fit properly but that is most likely due to my poor modeling skills. The thing I liked painting the best was the rusty tank thingy. Any tips or comments are greatly appreciated.

Very nice Mike.
The T34 cupola are 5 stars

Hi Mike,

Finally catching you doing something I am genuinely passionate about. And what a rendition for the tank part!

The pics aren'g giving me a good idea about your efforts with the figure. Could you provide some close ups?

I have the edition including the entire turret, which is pretty much sold out. I am really really tempted to at least kick start the head, now that you've done it.

Way to go!
Michael

Thanks Pedro ans Michael for the comments. I am really happy with how the T-34 Mantlet turned out.

Michael; my camera is not good enough to get high quality closeups, they always turn out blurry. I know the kit you are talking about it is really cool. does that kit also include the guts of the tank like they show on the website? And yes it is sold out or I would have bought that one too.

Mike,

Don't be so hard on yourself. IMO this is pretty darn good. The weapon looks like it needs a sling?

Mike,

You bet! It is literally the whole turret they throw at you, with more guts than you can wish for. And the best part is? Parts are molded in "normal" mode, meaning it is up to you to control the degree of destruction by manipulating shape of parts with heat.

The box art features a "topless" turret but the top comes complete in three pieces as you can imagine for this particular t34/76. And the barrel is complete, not just a section. Basically just the whole turret...

While Young's site says sold out, I got hold of it anyway. So you might want to try your luck with distributors who still have remaining stocks.

And if you struggle to find this edition but really want it, why not buy from UK? Historex should have a few left.

hey ya Dallas Michael, thanks for the comment. A sling is a good idea, that might allow me to mount the arm in the right position. how was Hungry or wherever it was that you went?

Tse I will look into that site, I have ordered from UK as well as Russia and have great luck.

Mike,

Hungary was great! I got to see some really cool Model Shop's and Meet some very talented painters and sculpters and bought some cool figures home that we don't normally see here in the states. All in all a really good trip. A big thanks to Balázs Schuller of Black Army for setting me up with the contacts.

Hi! Mike.
A wonderful work.
I liked the feel of a material of the jacket very much.
The ground work is also very beautiful.
T-34 looks very cool.
Do you also make AFV?
I congratulate completion.

Mitsutaka

Sorry I think I should clarify: the shop to look for is Historex Agent(s), not Historex.

Good luck!

Aw man, jour jusss teasing us. . . .

hey Mike. . . Inquiring minds want to know! Will there be news at Eleven?

In the form of more pictures? This looks like a very nice presentation. And
we only get two pictures??? I'm calling One Eight Hundred Whaaaaaaaa

I really like your style of painting, here Mike. The jacket and pants have a
special kind of look, the way you treat your highlight areas. Very interesting
and I like it a lot.

But I really would like to see more pictures you know. . . like a side view,
a back view. A shot from distance. . . .

rick

Mike very nice rendition of this great piece, i really like your tecnique of replicating rust, looks very convincing. I would imagine the elather jacket would have proved a challenge but you seem to have coped well with it.

Steve

Mitsutaka, Jayhawk & Steve; Thanks for the kind words, most definitley too kind. Painting the rust really turned out to be a fun project, I'm glad it is liked. Jayhawk I'll see if I can get some more pics up.

Very beautiful job Mike !! i like a lot the leather jacket and the pants, particularly well done the tank with the burnt rusty effects you have been able to create , bravo !!

cheers

stefano

Hi Mike,

Sorry I'm so late to reply, I'm trying to get the two figures to my latest vignette finished to start my next post hopefully in the next week. Anyway, I do like the overall feel of your vignette. Yes, I do understand what you are saying about getting the right fit with the right arm, and I do know like most, how frustrating it can be to get that perfect fit to make it look just right.
The next time you should run into a fitting issue, trying to fit weapons. I always cut the hands, extending the wrists, hollow out the sleeves. This allows you to change the positioning of the hand. Then what I do is snip off the fingers if they're not gripping like they should and I will pre attach the gun to the palm of the hand. Once these two are attached I will prefit the hand and gun back. I carefully feel where there is resistance, and using a file start knocking down some of the inside folds, gradually until you get the fit that you are looking for. Once you're able to fit the weapon, and it looks natural and you're happy with it, then its time to sculpt the mit or fingers on to the weapon, creating that realistic grip. Once this is complete, comes the strap. First and foremost is to make sure the strap is tight. I use lead foil. I cut the very thin foil to the width I want, then I start by doing a dry fit and cut any exess off. I 'll go back and attach the first point on say the butt of the weapon, and then keeping strap tight attach to the shoulder, let set up a bit and then I'll attach to the barrel of the weapon. Now, if it's the arm that's too stiff, then that may require a bit more surgery. I would cuit the arm in half and pin the two pieces together where you want the bend. Once set up take some Aves sculpting putty or some sort of putty and sculpt the new elbow and recreate the folds going into the upper and lower parts of the arms. Yes, easier said then done right? With practice it will come. The thing is, when dealing with pre existing molds, where things don't fit, you have to get over the fear of maybe wrecking something by sanding or cutting. That was my biggest fear anyway, but with practice and learning these simple steps, the fear went away and has become second nature. It will get easier with practice. All in all to achieve the natural look with most stock figures, you most likely will have to do some sort of altering through what I described above. Sorry for the drawn out explanation. Try to help out where I can!

Jim