Neil's Airfix 54mm 95th Rifleman

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Looking very good Neil.

I always have trouble with Vallejo blues as they do seem to dry particularly shiny. I used Luftwaffe Uniform on my Jewish Partisan figure's trousers and giving it a coat of matt varnish made it even glossier. I thought it was the varnish, so got hold of a new bottle, but that just made it worse. There must be something particularly reactive that Vallejo use in certain pigments. Either way, I have no option but to repaint.

Good luck!
 
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Tim Marlow

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Going well Neil.....
Black and white are not the best for photography backgrounds though, your camera will over or underexpose the shot.....try a mid grey, or even better for this one, a mid orange.....
Regarding glossy VJ blues, I find a gloss varnish followed by a matt varnish works best on my small stuff.....
 
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Neil Merryweather

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Looking very good Neil.

I always have trouble with Vallejo blues as they do seem to dry particularly shiny. I used Luftwaffe Uniform on my Jewish Partisan figure's trousers and giving it a coat of matt varnish made it even glossier. I thought it was the varnish, so got hold of a new bottle, but that just made it worse. There must be something particularly reactive that Vallejo use in certain pigments. Either way, I have no option but to repaint.

Good luck!
Thank you Peter, I must remember to try adding the matt medium to the washes and see if that helps.

On the subject of painting ,generally ; you seem to paint all day every day-how do you keep at it for so long? I find 2 hours exhausting!
The concentration, the worry about screwing up, the physical exertion (yes!) of controlling the brush, the uncertainty of what the paint will do! How DO you do it?
Now obviously you know what you're doing where I am still a complete novice so that explains the uncertainty; and conversely I am completely comfortable with the surgery and anatomy aspect of figures, which I know is something alot of people shy away from, but I do wonder if I will EVER get to the stage where painting figures is actually therapeutic like it must be for you....!
cheers
Neil
 

Neil Merryweather

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Going well Neil.....
Black and white are not the best for photography backgrounds though, your camera will over or underexpose the shot.....try a mid grey, or even better for this one, a mid orange.....
Regarding glossy VJ blues, I find a gloss varnish followed by a matt varnish works best on my small stuff.....
Thanks Tim.
as for the backgrounds I had already come to that conclusion previously and forgotten- the screen was flickering like an old telly !......Orange is a bit out there-, don't you think? But in your honour I will try and find something I can use for the next shots :flushed:
and gloss varnish BEFORE matt varnish? That's really counter-intuitive, how did you come up with that?
cheers
Neil
 

Windy

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Morning Neil. Your scratchery has really improved this old kit and I'm looking forward to seeing the painting progress. If you're using a wet palette and don't mind mixing, Vallejo 970 deep green with a bit of black makes a really good Rifle Green.

Windy
 
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Neil

Well, time just seems to fly. I get into the zone and before you know it.... I try to work from around 10.00am to 2.00pm to save the eyes a bit and also get on with all of the household stuff. However, headaches and eyestrain are often the consequence of feeding the compulsion to paint.

I do get anxious while painting; can I make this work or not?, but nowadays I've begun to realise that if I stick at it, it will usually come right. Perhaps that's a sign of growing confidence. I do wonder though why we do it, when a lot of it is such a struggle - part of the appeal I suppose.
 
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Tim Marlow

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Hi Neil
I was having a brainstorm about the background....your figure is green so mid-red will make it pop....not orange....it’s the opposite colour on the colour wheel. As to gloss followed by Matt varnish, it’s something I’ve done for years on my gaming figures, which are handled a lot. The reason I do it is because Matt varnishes are softer than gloss varnish, so if the Matt is wearing off from handling the figure goes shiny before the paint job is damaged. I’ve never had a Matt varnish issue when doing this, so thought it might be worth a punt....the reason is probably the even sealed surface the gloss gives over the figure stopping the Matt sinking in on application....
 

Neil Merryweather

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Well , I said I would,Tim, so here it is.....

IMG_20190716_202500561.jpg
My poor phone had a hissy fit and kept trying to focus on the texture of the cloth.....it does make the colour pop , though, to be fair.
But I'm not interested in all the mucking about that goes with photography, so I went back to the trusty almost black paper and at least I could get it in focus!
IMG_20190716_202556985.jpg

IMG_20190716_202617215.jpg

It's been quite a challenge negotiating all the nooks and crannies under the straps etc. I must try and find clever ways of leaving more equipment off for painting, but the strappage is just so vulnerable.
I still haven't done the flesh, I just can't do it until everything else is done. Once it looks like a real person I know I will think of it as finished and lose momentum.
It's shading and highlights next-wish me luck!
cheers
Neil
 

JR

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Hi Neil.
What a blog, full of great tips, just had a complete reread. Know what I'm going to do when altering figures from now on.
 
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Looking very nice indeed Neil. It's easier to paint the gear separately at a larger scale, but at 54mm it can easily get damaged that way - always a dilemma for me.
 

Steve Jones

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Lovely work Neil. Its difficult to see how it can be any better but I am sure the shading will add another dimension. Good luck
 

Neil Merryweather

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Blimey! It's nearly 2 months since my last post on this build.
I did have a bit of a mojo breakdown, plus a load of other stuff to do, like work, go on holiday, paint the kitchen , do the garden(not my favourite). But here he finally is.
I'm happier with the painting this time ,but I muffed the matt lacquer unfortunately (it looks like he's been out all night and got covered in frost!).Hopefully there are lessons learned for next time.
I got impatient and used a rattle can .I did it properly afterwards with the hissy stick which did improve matters, but it couldn't rescue him completely, he still looks furry!
Anyway, I'm calling him done.
Rifles 1.jpgRifles 2.jpgRifles 3.jpgRifles 4.jpgRifles 5.jpgRifles 6.jpgVignette.jpg
Close up.jpg
Do I get into trouble for missing the group build deadline?
I've never done one before-please don't send matron round.............
 
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Very nice indeed Neil. All the extras have really paid off.
 

adt70hk

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Hi Neil.

Just caught up with this. Very impressive.

ATB

Andrew
 

JR

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Neil , beautiful work on the first figure.
I've had a word with Matron, said your alright this time, she's very busy at the moment, as some one stole her front wheel and she's having to walk everywhere.
 
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