Interior of "Zero Dark Thirty" finished up

Well, the interior is all done!  I actually could have finished the entire thing today, but a tape accident, followed by an exacto accident, followed by some unseen cracking, destroyed all three of my damned boxes.  VERY upset with this.  They were all out at the store when I was there yesterday, and I have no idea when they'll get more... plus, that is like 20 bucks worth of damn boxes.  Very angry about it... hope I don't mess up the next one:(

I'll do a few photos of the lighting (which is all wired up) sometime in the near future.

Taliban get some paint...

Here are my three insurgents, all painted up, along with a pair of AK-47s and a few bags of grain to decorate the room.  I feel like the green-stuff beards REALLY helped these figures... they were a bit cartoonish in their proportions, with really big hands, feet, and huge heads, but the beards have hid the heads a bit and shrunk them down.  Overall I think they look good (although I want to touch up the wash in the fold of the guy in yellow... it is a bit much.)

More soon!

"Night Vision" using tricky painting and an LED...

Well... got a photo, finally, in near darkness using the green LED.  And yeah, this should look pretty damn sharp, when it is all done:)  The fact that they are all painting in blacks and greens REALLY makes this look monochromatic, almost... it really fools the eye:)

Now I have to think about the positioning of the SEAL team.  I have three guys on the move (one running who you see above, one jogging who you see behind him, and one basically standing still... so either a team breaking into a run, or slowing down).  Then I've got two guys taking a knee aiming, and the guy by the door with his fist in the air.  So... the three guys breaching, one kneeling guy at the back providing overwatch, the two guys as is by the door?  A closed fist DOES mean stop, though, right?  So should I reverse the order of the guys advancing, like they are slowing down/stopping as they approach the door?  Thoughts?

Interior nearing completion for 25mm "Zero Dark Thirty"

Hi all!

Well, an unexpected day of babysitting isn't giving me a ton of work time, but what can you do... I at least got a little bit of the inside of the building mocked up (and finished the table, although I realize now I want to add some candles to it).  There is a bit left to do... I want to do a poster on the wall you cannot see, and I have to do blinds still on that wall over the window.  Plus, of course, gluing down the rugs, painting the figures, adding the AK-47s, and probably adding a box or two or grain sack.  Then I'll do the ceiling and ceiling light.  I'd like to add a cell phone or radio and a few other bits some people with experience recommended over at TMP, but I am not sure I can do anything that small.  Then again the laptop turned out good, so who knows?


The outside is largely done!  Here it is with only half of the figures (and not glued down either) and without the lighting.  I am not totally sold on the colors, now, of the figures... I might need to do a little more of the light green I used on the terrain to pull it all together.

And this second shot is with the LED jury rigged across the top... I took the photo in daylight so it is a bit strange looking, but in person is looks SHARP, and with all the lights out (which is what this is meant for) it will look INSANELY cool:)

Anyway... there we go!

More done of the interior of "Zero Dark Thirty"

Hi all!

Well, a bit more done in some spare time this morning... above you can see the interior of the house.  There will be a piece of wood blocking off the top of the roof from view, because there will be wiring in there... it won't be RIGHT up on the front of the scene, but back a bit.  Then I'll drop the light in through the roof.  Remember... the top and sides of this whole thing will be blacked out, so you'll only look in through the ends.

Here you can see the other end.  The sides will be blacked out, as will the top.  There will also be a little "roof" on this side at the top to serve as a rigging platform for the light. The battery will fit in the dead space between the two walls.

There is only one issue I am currently stumped by... okay, see the "outside" wall of the house?  Well, it reaches up beyond the top of where the house actually ends.  So I'm a little unsure as to what to do.  I was thinking of cutting it down a bit, but that might be tough now that it is built.  As of now I am thinking of just plastering the outside to the proper height (the height of the roof on the other side) and then not plastering above it.  By painting the spot above in straight black, but then painting the plastered part with a black/dark green mix it might "fool the eye" enough to make you see wall and then, above it, dead space.  Not sure... we'll see how it goes!

Oh, and I'll post a bit when it comes to rigging the lights, too, just so people can see how that works.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Start of the "Zero Dark Thirty" diorama

Well, here is the very very rough interior of the box for the "Zero Dark Thirty" diorama I am working on.

Obviously there is a lot left to do... the walls on the house side, the framing for doors and windows, the support for the lights (which will be like a roof) then sanding, plastering, and paint.  Then detailing.  Yay!

Thank you, nameless benefactor!

Just a nice note... an anonymous person actually "donated" a supporting membership for me over at The Miniatures Page!  For me (a single income household... and a teacher to boot!) that is something that I have a hard time affording, but what a wonderful gesture for someone else to do!  So thanks to that person, if you happen to read this!:)

25mm SEAL team painted

Well, paint is on the SEAL team.  A strange one, for sure, because remember the whole thing will be a night scene, and all of these guys will be lit with a green LED.  I DID do red lenses on the night vision goggles, but I don't think you can see them here.  So... done!  Three taliban to go, and then the scene itself!

Oh, and I have to do the dog too... I forgot to undercoat him, so he will get done.

The plan for my newest 28mm project!

Hi all!

Well, I have a new project that I am about to start!

After I did my "Death of Nelson" piece, my cousin asked (half jokingly, maybe) if I did commissions.  When I asked him what he was interested in, he mentioned he had just seen "Zero Dark Thirty" and would like something like that!  Well... why not?

So here is my plan!

It will be a small plastic box, like my 25mm Harry Potter piece, except you will look into it through the end, rather than through the side.

Now, it will actually be TWO scenes in one box.  If you look from one side, it will be a simple Afghan hovel, with a few insurgents standing around talking amongst some rubs and tables and the like, a few AKs propped up against the wall.  I will light it using a standard yellow LED; I am not sure if I will leave it open and just obscure it with a beam or something, or maybe I'll have to disguise it within a light source.  I will leave the sides unpainted (although the top will be blacked out) to allow this piece of the project to be easily lit and seen.

In the BACK of this scene, halfway down the box, will be the wall of the house; in this case, the interior wall, with a door and a curtained window.

Then you flip the box around and look in the other end, and you'll see a SEAL team preparing to enter the house through the door... this time you will see the EXTERIOR wall of the house.  This part of the scene will be DARK; I will paint everything (ground, figures, grass, wall of house, etc) in black and black diluted with green.  I will also black out the sides of the box, and may even black out elements of the end you look through, so you will be looking through more of a wide view slit.  The entire outside element will be lit with a green LED to create a false feeling of night vision.

So!  That's the newest project!  I may do double plaques for it too... something like "A Late Night Discussion" on the Taliban side and "A Late Night Mission" on the SEAL side... any suggestions for what to write are welcome.  Anyway, assuming I can pull off the night vision feel, I think this could be a very neat project:)

Anyway... any suggestions are more than welcome.  Should I light the interior of the house a few ways?  Should I put a green LED behind the window on the SEAL side so it glows, like night vision?  Any suggestions from you all are always welcome!:)

Food

Yum.  Roast chicken covered in butter and panchetta, homemade stuffing, fingerling potatoes, and a salad.

Some neat 28mm Modern stuff for sale...

SOLD, sorry!


Well, I have a new project coming up, but unfortunately I had to buy extra figures in order to get ones I needed.

So... I have some extras (or will, in a few days when they arrive!)

Anyone who does moderns need some extra stuff?  I have 7 extra AK-47s that need a home... great for either a diorama, strapped onto someones back, or as battlefield debris.  I also have the civilians who are circled above... they are PERFECT for anyone doing 28mm moderns who needs some civilians.

If you want to buy them, please let me know... maybe 2 bucks a figure?  The AKs... who knows, make an offer.

Hope someone can pick them up; I don't want them wasted here on my shelf!  Shoot me an email at grenadierguardscampaigns AT yahoo DOT com!