Nice dancing chorus.....
Vasa - 1:65 DeAgostini [COMPLETED BUILD]
- Thread starter dockattner
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WOW !
I am not sure how I managed to miss this build log, but I am now glad that I did. You are certainly too modest as this is going to be a very nice fine build.
I am not sure how I managed to miss this build log, but I am now glad that I did. You are certainly too modest as this is going to be a very nice fine build.
Welcome aboard Donnie! Pretty atypical build log so far in the sense that half of it is acrylic paint on metal castings. I'll be getting back to what you are all more familiar with eventually. I've determined that the best approach for me will be to drift back and forth between woodworking and painting. That way I won't melt away when one aspect eclipses my frustration/failure threshold. If a normal ship build is half woodworking and half rigging (is that true?) - then this build will be divided into thirds with all the art pieces (yes, there are that many - 118 down and there are hundreds remaining).
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Swedish Rockettes. These are the principal dancers - the line dancers come next.
And now... Introducing the Swedish Line Dancers!
Turns out they weren't any harder to paint than the principal dancers. By which I mean they were not any easier either.
Turns out they weren't any harder to paint than the principal dancers. By which I mean they were not any easier either.
That sure is a lot of tiny pieces to paint, and you’re doing a great job! I’m looking forward to seeing them on the ship, and I can imagine you are too.
Much appreciated Dean! Yes, so small that I have now switched over to manual focus on my camera. Autofocus can't 'find' the ornaments in favor of the coin or the background - and I'm using a good camera (Canon 20D).
Sometimes my eyes also won't focus, but I haven't found the setting to correct that yet...
Very nice work Paul and I am sure you now know this is THE kit for Vasa if you are prepared to stump the extra cash over the others.
Kind Regards
Nigel
Kind Regards
Nigel
I used to work in dental labs and a few clinics... we used to a powder product called "alginate" as it was actually made from seaweed. Plus there are numerous other duplicating materials.
Thank you, Nigel! The cash outlay is significant - plus I find myself upgrading materials as the build proceeds. But the castings are terrific and at the end of the day (end of the years?) the extra cost will fade into the background. The ROI is "having a great time" so the joy/$ ratio is off the charts.
Me: I wonder if everyone is getting sick of looking at tiny metal bits?
You: I wonder if he realizes we are getting sick of looking at tiny metal bits?
These little guys will show up again on façades that cover various bulkheads at the level of the upper decks.
Imagine having that many pieces to CARVE for the real ship! I am always amazed by what they accomplished in the past with these big ships.
I am an artist as well as a model builder, so personally I never get tired of looking at things people craft or paint. That’s the joy of building these ships, woodworking, painting, etc.
In the end, you will have a beautiful ship to proudly display that you built!
But you do have a ship that’s in need of a few boards here and there...lol.
Am I seeing things or are his painted parts getting smaller and smaller? The detail is getting plain crazy! Great job!
more picts please
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Oh my gosh!!!! If I tried to paint all those miniature figures, it would take me a week to get my vision back. Super job Doc! I'm hoping you used some type of magnification tool. If so, was it anything special? Looks like you have some great momentum on your project. Continued success mate!
Cheers,
Ken
Thanks much Ken! Yes, I use a 1.5x magnifier/light combo thing. Nothing fancy - just something you would use chairside to read a book. I tried a headgear/magnifier that you sort of wear like glasses - it has interchangeable lenses with more magnification - but it made me seasick. I may try those again when I get to working directly on my ship - for now painting decorations happens benchtop so my reading lamp works nicely. The only issue I run into is sometimes the handle of my paintbrush crashes unexpectedly into the lamp.
Maybe others have better suggestions for us?
Paul,
It’s a good thing there is a zoom in function on my PC, that way I can see the big effort it takes to paint all those tiny pieces. What great job.
Jan
It’s a good thing there is a zoom in function on my PC, that way I can see the big effort it takes to paint all those tiny pieces. What great job.
Jan
I appreciate your kind words, Jan. It just takes time. If someone was contemplating this beautiful ship you need to really budget for painting time. And probably plan on more painting time than you think. The castings are nice but not perfect and they all need to be filed to remove flash and any creases created by the molding process. Next they need to be cleaned with a degreaser/acetone. Then they need to be primed using a priming paint for fine work (not what you would use for patio furniture). Then comes the painting. And the repainting. And shading if the piece is big enough for that. And then highlighting. And then touching up what you ruined while shading and highlighting. And...well, you get the point...
The line dancer army was about one day's work. But rewarding when done. Mini-victories along the way for what is otherwise a seemingly endless project!
For the record, faces are the hardest, but at 1:65 some of these faces are actually too small to really see - notwithstanding what the zoom function on your PC tells you
!
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