"Easy Pickins"

[kevin]

Standing by to stand by,............

Tell me you were in the service. without saying you were in the service.

 

[Deleted member 11187]

Really a super build Steve.
Jaw dropping.

 

[Steve Ski]

Tell me you were in the service. without saying you were in the service.

Ya, I kinda gave that one away, didn't I? Lol!

Really a super build Steve.
Jaw dropping.

Thanks, Peppy, very kind of you

 

[wjbrandel]

Great looking build, and a wonderful job on all of the little details.

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, WJ! Still on a weather hold.

 

[Steve Ski]

Weather Delays

I apologize for the final photos not getting posted, the weather has not been a friend this time around. So why the delay, just snap the pics, right?

Photos for this dio must be taken in natural lighting for the best final effect, outside, cloudy mornings. Set up and break down on a base of this size is not an easy task to repeat every time there is an interruption. I need clam early morning cloud cover, or fog, and those days are dwindling fast this year, with the forecast not being very useful at all. If it's not cloud breaks hitting suddenly, camera white balance inoperability, sudden wind gusts, or even sprinkling, it's the temperature.

To cover a dio this size I usually end up with 50-60 photos or more at the 22-20 aperture range, but I will include 18 to gather more light, but I will also lose some focus. It's a crap shoot, but can't be helped. I hate white washed pics, so I am trying to avoid that.

At any rate, 13yrs to completion, what's another month or two for photos, right? So, after three attempts I was able to get six photos. Yep, just six, and here's a teaser for ya. The rest will happen when the weather cooperates.

Thank you for your patience, I will get this done soon, I hope. Cheers, Ski.

 

[BarleyBop]

natural lighting

... nothing easy about your picking!
Looks like a promo shot from a motion picture...

What you need and deserve is one of these:

On the more technical side, you've said you play to the camera.

If you know that you will be photographing in certain light conditions, how do you decide how much light and shadow to apply with paint, or does it matter?

 

[Steve Ski]

If you know that you will be photographing in certain light conditions, how do you decide how much light and shadow to apply with paint, or does it matter?

Thanks, Barley, but the lighting crew has considerable seniority over me, HA! Yes, the camera is one to be played to, for sure.

Painting shadows; Wow, I haven't thought about that in ages, it's muscle memory for me, I recon. I'm gonna fall back on Shep Paines lessons for painting shadows on figures from my early days. That is where I refined my basic skill for it, and have never really veered from it. Those old magazines are treasures.

 

[Aya]

Hi Ski.
Well you finally got there Sir, after all those years.....It was well worth the wait buddy. Absolutely incredible scratch building to totally enhance the Kit builds. Apart from the stunning modelling involved in building the diorama in all it's glory, there is also a masterclass in figure and accessories painting too. Love the teaser Photograph...cannot wait to see the completed Diorama. A wonderful read from start to finish. Well done indeed. 10/10 and a Gold Star Mate.

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you kindly, Aya. It's been a long run off and on, never thinking it would ever get done, lol. Waiting for the light to be just right can make or break the entire investment, so I'm in no rush, but at the same time I'd like it done. It's the movement of the base I don't like, as it should be in its final position in the cabinet already, for good. I'll get er done, eventually, lol.

 

[Steve Ski]

Easy Pickins, Normandy, France, July 1944, 200mm Diorama

Army Ranger Rick's lunch has been interrupted by a few uninvited guests just outside of his hidey-hole in an abandoned winery maintenance shed. They appear to be lost and it sounds like they can't agree on which way to go. But Rick will give em a hand in short order. This is what ya call, "Easy Pickins!"

Figures are, Warrior Models' 1/9th US Infantry BAR Gunner, US Ranger, Verlinden Productions #2427, German Panzergrenadier Machine Gunner, Super Scale 200mm, Verlinden Series Super Scale 200mm Panzergrenadier, ReeDees Miniatures RM201 1/9 Scale Heer bike Rider, ReeDees Miniatures RM202 1/9 Scale D.A.K. Bike Rider, modified. The bikes are the Italeri's 1/9th scale Harley, and the BMW R75 from Dragon W/Sidecar. The shed and everything on this base are scratch built, from the tree to the wine bottles, with the standard ground work applied. The base footprint is 29.5"x14.75".

All comments are welcome. Cheers, Ski.

 

[Steve Ski]

 

[Steve Ski]

 

[Steve Ski]

I've spent two days editing this set of pics to have half not show here, so I'm not going to fight these pic posts anymore. You can view the entire string at MSC.

Cheers, Ski.

 

[BarleyBop]

Amazing.

I seriously can't tell what the scale is in the pics except that its obviously not 1:35.

The work on facial expressions, relative body positions as a group, veracity of the equipment and believability of the scenario and environment, quite frankly jaw dropping.

Bravo.

 

[Aya]

Hello Ski.
Not a lot i can say, as it is all there to be seen. Absolutely stunning, a work genius. Everything looks spot on, eye contact, body interaction and orientation, just perfect. BtW the dude in the Camo smock smoking the cigarette.. looks a mean SOB. Great work matey. P.S. As I am 72, could you perhaps make your next project a little quicker, as I would like to still be around to enjoy it.

 

[blakeh1]

Absolutely incredible with everything from the details to the photos

 

[Steve Ski]

Amazing.

I seriously can't tell what the scale is in the pics except that its obviously not 1:35.

The work on facial expressions, relative body positions as a group, veracity of the equipment and believability of the scenario and environment, quite frankly jaw dropping.

Bravo.

Thanks, Barley. th9is fall into the category of "playing to the camera," as in attempting to make the scene as life-like as possible. Does it work every time? No, but ya gotta keep trying and eventually it might happen.

Hello Ski.
Not a lot i can say, as it is all there to be seen. Absolutely stunning, a work genius. Everything looks spot on, eye contact, body interaction and orientation, just perfect. BtW the dude in the Camo smock smoking the cigarette.. looks a mean SOB. Great work matey. P.S. As I am 72, could you perhaps make your next project a little quicker, as I would like to still be around to enjoy it.

Thanks, Aya. Ah, you're a pup just like the rest of us, just ask the wife, right? I think my "long haul" days are over. I'm fortunate in that my display space is limited, meaning I will be in the "reduction" phase of dio builds from there on out. I will certainly attempt to fulfill your request, my friend!

Absolutely incredible with everything from the details to the photos

Thank you, Blake, mucho apreciado!

The full set of photos can be seen here; https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/easy-pickins-normandy-france-july-1944-200mm-diorama.699265/
I'm not sure why, but there seems to be an issue loading photo links that work correctly, even after reposting numerous times. This is not the first time I've had issues, the problem being consistent. My pics are held at Fotki, which works everywhere else. Oh well, some of the intense pics are not visible here, can't be helped.

 

[kevin]

Outstanding!.........both the dio and photography.

 

[Edbert]

Simply amazing!

Small aperture, for depth of field? What focal length is that, seems like you can use telephoto for those closeups, but long lens combined with small aperture leads to long exposures, and the trees in the background are not blurry. Is it a variable focal length lens?

 

[Belugawrx]

Incredible amount of detail you've added here Ski.
The paintwork and layout of this dio brings you right in...
I remember when you started this one some years ago, and it has all come together beautifully .
Well done...I expect to see some show hardware coming your way !
Cheers

 

[Steve Ski]

Outstanding!.........both the dio and photography.

Thank you, Kevin!

Simply amazing!

Small aperture, for depth of field? What focal length is that, seems like you can use telephoto for those closeups, but long lens combined with small aperture leads to long exposures, and the trees in the background are not blurry. Is it a variable focal length lens?

Oh boy, Edbert, now you're getting technical on me again, HA! Not taking pics all the time, I seem to forget all that stuff and have to relearn it, just like painting faces. I couldn't tell you the specifics except to say I run 1/1.3 at f25-20, depending on the lighting. Hopefully that makes sense. I can zoom with this smaller lense, though I do have a bigger one, never use it. This is a Nikon D60, so you can get the specs for that if you care to. This is one of those "necessary evils" that needs to be learned if we want to display our work without having to rely on someone who does it professionally.

Incredible amount of detail you've added here Ski.
The paintwork and layout of this dio brings you right in...
I remember when you started this one some years ago, and it has all come together beautifully .
Well done...I expect to see some show hardware coming your way !
Cheers

Thanks, Brother. It has been a very long time, so long, it's hard to believe it's been 13yrs, woof, gone in a flash. I think I'll be speeding things up from here on out, got a few shelves full of kits that need attention.

 

[John Waller]

Thanks for the great journey Ski, and congrats on the fantastic result. Been a real thoughtful and skilful trip from the start, solving lots of tricky issues like the foliage with well resolved solutions. Can't wait for the next instalment of the Ski show. Waterloo, Mid-Atlantic, Normandy,...... What next???

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks for the great journey Ski, and congrats on the fantastic result. Been a real thoughtful and skilful trip from the start, solving lots of tricky issues like the foliage with well resolved solutions. Can't wait for the next instalment of the Ski show. Waterloo, Mid-Atlantic, Normandy,...... What next???

Thanks, John! This has been a wild ride, no doubt, and thanks for always being there to nudge me along. I've got a couple of things in the cue, but my lovely bride wants her American Indians done mue pronto, so that will more than likely be next.

 

[hobbyknife]

Restart "Easy Pickins" 200mm Dio

Resurrecting this older 200mm dio has been a long time in coming. I literally had to stop the build, because there was nowhere to put this huge base once it was finished, and that's not cool. It only took a few years, 10 plus to be honest, to get another cabinet built so I could reacquire my original cabinet. Common, yall know how much a happy wife is worth right, everything!

This may sound crazy, but my oil painting style has changed somewhat and I can see some of the figures will need some minor attention to get them up to speed. The bikes are looking ok, but the R75 will need to be properly weathered since I did not do that before I stopped this build.

A lot has changed in those few years, yes few, cause time does fly. Even my SBS build log organization has changed; the way I personally file my write-ups on my PC, etc. No worries, we got this. And lastly, after the PBucket sham I had to find a reliable photo storage site for all my builds. Fotki has filled the bill perfectly. They aren't like some of the others, as in, "If it ain't broke, bloody well don't fix it!" Yall know what I mean.

Ok, so once the figures had been finished, minus dirt and grime, I built the Harley Hog followed by the R75 with sidecar. I then began working the basic layout to fit the story line. This scenario is of a Ranger relaxing and taking a break behind a cemetery wall when all the sudden Jerry and his cohorts show up out front without a clue as to his presence, hence, "Easy Pickins."

View attachment 114348 View attachment 114349 View attachment 114350 View attachment 114351 View attachment 114352

Looking over this layout 10 plus years later it's obvious the Ranger is not the same scale as the German figures. I have always known this from the beginning, so having him placed at a distance away from the others, as far as possible, should mitigate this issue. At least that was my intention. However, that gate is just a little too short for our Ranger, so I am rethinking this structure.

My initial intent was to build a corner section of an old barn, shed, or whatever, with plenty of foliage and overgrowth to make the Ranger's hidey hole much more realistic. I am still mulling this over as I prep the R75 for completion. I can always use this wall section for my 1/16th Airborne figures too, so not all is lost on that cemetery wall. I will certainly redo the wall tiles, they are way, way, too big, especially looking at them right now, woof!

So, more updates to follow soon. It sure feels good to get these massive figures back on the bench and finish this beast of a dio.

Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

Very smooth blends with the painting

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you, Sir!