Sov Judge - progress

Okay, been working on the lady in dribs and drabs over the holiday period and here's what i've done.
Top pic is me putting a coat of white on the flesh and red areas - i'll be using Games Workshop paints and they're notorious for their transparancy.
Next is the flesh done and pastelled, with reds finished.
Last is the eyes and hair blocked in, ditto the gun and a bit of black on to see how it all contrasts.

Merry Christmas...

... To you all, my Blogging chums. All the best for 2010.

Sov Judge - grey

Well, went with a gun in the end. Its a spare weapon-thing from an old Gundam kit, with a tank wheel for a spacer between it and her hand.
And now in a coat of Halfords Grey Plastic Primer.

Sov Judge - assembled

Right, here she is all together. I wasn't able to put the right arm into its old position of hand on hip as the cloak wouldn't allow it.
Rather than cut away the cloak, i've moved the arm upwards which fits into the fold of the cloak nicely.
Trouble is, its looks a bit daft just up like that, so am gonna raid the bits box for some blaster or wicked looking knife that she could be sporting.

Sov Judge - Anderson decapitated

A sorry looking state and no mistake. I've removed all the bits needed to facilitate her attachment to the cloak. Not doing anything with the belt - i need the pouches as they'll be visible but the buckle can stay as it'll be totally covered up

Mega City One

Again on the 2000AD Forum, there's a "Location, Location, Location" contest - do your own backdrop from one of the strips.
This is mine and it was pretty easy to do.
Street and buildings made out of Foamboard and then tons of kitbits and toy parts for detailing, so of which are: the grid thing top left is a holder from my Mach 3 razor. The door below that is a top from a milk carton. The big ball thing on the right is half a container from an Anime toy.
I wanted a shop front in there and had an odd deformed pairs of lips whistle in the bits box so repainted it and that became the focus of - what else? - Jaggers Emporium.
I needed to people it, so here we have the Foundry Minatures Dredd and Alpha facing off in the street. The bystanders are a mix of figures i've collected over the years, including a couple of the old Games Workshop Judges.
The craft are, on the left, a solid resin jobbie and, on the right, the ship i made from the engine of the 1/24th Airfix Harrier.

Torquemada at Christmas

There's a really rather nifty advent calender idea going on over on the 2000AD Forum, where folk are invited to put up an image each day in December.
Just done mine, and here it is.
Its my quite large Torquemada bust i made a while back, based on the classic Kevin O'Neill Nemesis cover and made from Das Pronto over a tinfoil and wire frame, with GW Green Stuff for the tentacles.
Moody lighting achieved by plonking him on the ironing board, the kettle with a t-shirt draped over it for the background and me holding me reading lamp just inder him, pointing up.

Sov Judge

So, looking around for parts to start off a couple of projects and still on the rummage for bits for the Slab Ship.
But, for the first time in a couple of years i guess, i've a hankering to do a figure.
But what?
Had a rummage through my den and came up with a nice simple project - not original though as i've seen someone do this before.
Here you can see my old Halcyon Judge Anderson, which has had a bit of accident and the extra head and shoulders from my Iria kit.
The idea is to combine the body of Anderson with the head and cape to produce a Sov City Judge.
Pretty darn easy as the Sov version of the shoulder pads will be hidden. The article i saw on doing this before had the guy cut away the cape to reveal more of the body, but that would mean sculpting a new badge and belt buckle - something i'm not too confident at doing.
So will be keeping the cape as is, and the only bits of Anderson that'll be seen are her right arm, left boot and right leg. Which'll be fine as the Sov elbow pads, gloves, knee pads and boots are the same as Mega City's, except red.
As i say, a pretty simple little job. Of course, i'm down an Anderson figure then, but i was never really a fan of the pose and the face, while certainly being correctly based on Debbie Harry, had far too sunken cheeks.
And it does mean i finally get to use the really rather nice Iria piece, rather than let it collect dust in the bits box.

A couple of potential projects

Fret not my modelling chums, i'm still around.
Not much from me just lately, mainly due to my needing neato, tiny bits for my Slab Ship, but can't justify the 20 quid plus for the Tamiya kit to provide them.
So, eyes are roving for something new to start and i've in mind two 2000AD-themed one's.
One of them is Shakara's ship seen here.
Thought it'd be a doddle - make the basic shape out of Plasticard and sculpt the unusual prow right?
Not that simple when you see from the rear shot that its actually more of a handle shape rather than a long box affair.
Not being up to making such a shape, i'm lurking in hardware and homegoods stores looking for a suitable donor.
Will keep you posted.
Second project i may or may not do, again its a matter of being able to find the right materials, so i'd rather not waste mine or your time inposting about it if i don't give it a go.

My new Blog

Nothing to do with modelling, but thought you might like to swing byand take a look at my new Blog - basically a bunch of rambles on me being a nipper in the sixties and seventies:

http://a60s-70schildhood.blogspot.com/

Alien Documentary update

More interviews and some excellent, very rare photos have been added to this site. How i love the Internet:

http://www.zen171398.zen.co.uk/Alien.html

Slab Ship - getting there

Sorry, my modelling chums for the lack of updates just recently - work, a stack of graphic novels and pointless distractions (like yesterdays course on what a ladder is), has been keeping me out of my den.
Anyway, a quick photo for you today, not too clear as the thing is just so long and an odd shape that its hard to photograph.
As you can see, the conning tower is now back on after priming and i'm almost there with the detailing.
Trouble there is, i need very small, flat bits for the detailing, so as to not take away from the "slabness" of the ship.
And i've run out.

Slab Ship - starting priming

Thought i'd put a bit of primer on just to see how things look, and to make sure the bits i'm putting on aren't too clunky. Jury's out on that one...
Went with the conning tower as its still seperate from the rest and you can see in the middle pic how i've drawn on in red felt-tip where i'm planning on putting contrasting striping.

Our War Of The Worlds walk

Last Sunday i finally got round to doing something i've been planning for years - during the autumn follow the narrators journey in War Of The Worlds as he returns to Dead London and finally discovers the dead Martians.
Wells was brilliant at describing just where things happened so, armed with the book and an A-Z, we set off.
Documented it here:

http://thewarsoftheworlds.blogspot.com/

My Biog Living Axe

Think this fellas made an appeance here before, but the big 2000AD site has a show us your alien contest, so thought i'd dust him off. And while at it, put the pics here.

2000AD TV Advert

Like to watch this from time to time, partly to remind myelf how much the comics evolved and partly to remind myself what Tharg sounds like.

Slab Ship - hiding the joins

As well as putting on panels and small details, i've also got to address the problem of how to disguise the vary obvious joins between all the sections of Foamboard.
Getting round it partly by the use of Plastruct strips.
These are excellent - made out of styrene and come in a variety of shapes. You should be able to make here that i'm using "L" shape ones for some areas and "U" shapes for others.
Incidently, it looks like a whacking great gap there at the front where the prow joins on to the sides. There isn't - i've used clear tape to cover it up. And will be covering it even more with small panels soon.
You may also be able to make out that, for the join between the side and the bottom, i've used a cable-tie at the front, then a "L" strip and, beyond the sitckyoutbit, a "U" shape.

Dr Who meets FHM

Tsssk... Know Who has always had, to use a Tom Baker phrase, "crumpet" to bring in a certain section of audience but, really, its not subtle is it?
Give me Mary Tamm any day.

Slab Ship

You may remember this project from waaaaay back. Put on the back burner as new projects came along, but i've dusted it off and carried on adding bits to it. You can also see i've removed the conning tower for now for ease of detailing.

Dropship - done

APC - done

Der Schnecke - factory finish

All the colours are on and i'm starting to put in the metallics. Figuring it needs a "face", i'm picking out the front bulbous area to try and suggest a canopy affair.

APC - factory finish

Feel MUCH better about this project now i've reached this stage. It makes for a nice, big model and i can almost forgive the trauma of the build. You can see i'v started putting on paint chips and next its some mud i think.

Dropship - factory finish

Just about done now. Its been a real odd project, with things not going quite the way i planned.
I originally wanted to have it with the landing gear down to display it in this here hanger. But the legs were so damned awkward and spindly i gave up on that idea.
So, landing gear up and a in-flight mode. But would look daft without the crew in their seats eh? "No probs" thinks i, "i've loads of spare pilots i can put in there".
Nope. If you put anyone in the front chair, its head hits the canopy, stopping it from fitting. Hmmmm... So i'm going to be stuck with a properly fitting canopy but no crew.

New Dogbreath & Zarjaz

Glad to say the latest issues of these excellent 2000AD fanzines are now available. Really, to call them that is to do them a huge disservice.
To me "fanzine", 2000AD especially, brings back memories of the photocopied, really rather crude affairs of the late 70's/early 80's such as "Friends Of Tharg".
Both them and these share the common passion for the strips and characters that prompts the creation of the titles, but with Dogbreath and Zarjaz, everythings been notched up a huge degree, producing very slick, very polished looking publications.
And, with Art Droids guesting from now and then, they come across as kid sisters to 2000AD rather than fan titles.
Very much recommended (apart from the strips wot i wrote).
Linky:

http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/

Dropship - half decaled

Right, basecoat of Olive Drab is on and some panels picked out in Slate Grey as per the instructions.
I've also put on half the decals. Only half as the remainer are on the midriff area so decided to put this lot on, seal with varnish, then i can handle the ship while putting the last bunch on and not worry about any falling off.
Pleasently suprised with the decals. When the slid off the backing sheet and awful lot of white, milky muck came with them - guess its the fixitive ageing after so long of non-use.
Thought i'd have a problem once the decals had dried but the milkiness disapered and, in fact, the decals hug the surface really well and didn't dry too glossy.

Ray Harryhausen winner

By quite a clear margin, the award goes to those bony chaps facing off against Jason and co.
Technically of course its brilliant - then and now. But i wonder how much of it is also owed to the little additional touches that add so much, something Ray excelled at and is often overlooked for.
Here we have two classic examples:
The slow steps forward of the skeletons before the attack.
And that hideous screetch when they do - still chilling today.
And, of course, Bernard Hermann's score adds immeasurably to the piece.

American Werewolf In London

My good friend Ian has finaly started a Blog and its a nice entertaining ramble of his about the films he's watched just lately:

http://wwwmymoviediary.blogspot.com/

He's posted his thoughts on - and lent me - the Blu Ray release of AWIL. Now, i'm a HUGE fan of the film - its one of those rare films (like Carpenters Thing) that just doesn't date. A massive part of that, of course, is that the effects were actual props, working on set in real time, so haven't dated. Part is the knowing, sly humour (again, The Thing), that is still prevelant in the best films today. And, maybe most importantly, the characters are so well fleshed out and acted.
And, for me, it was released only a year after becoming a Projectionist so, with this film, along with so many others released at that time, i thought i'd landed the best job in the world.
To make it relevant to my Blog, here's a coupla shots of my busts i've dusted off to show you.

APC & Dropship - feeling better

Amazing what a bit of primer'll do. Now the crappy dark green plastic has gone, they're starting to look a LOT better. You'll see i've kept the wheels off the APC for ease of painting, ditto the wing armament as i want to paint the missles before attaching.

Cylons on Countdown

Coming to you via Andrews Blog, proof positive that the Cylons are here - and working on daytime TV.

Blade Runner Blaster - finished.

Gone as far as i want with this. Its not accurate in terms of detail or paintjob, but its vastly superior to the one i had in the 1980's so i'm happy.

APC - grit those teeth

Nearly done here too but this one's a real chore. Big gaps are bad enough, but the part fir is abysmal. Even the locating holes are too small and need opening up so bits fit together. The strange thing is, i don't remember it being this bad - and you'd think i would eh?
Can only think i've been spoilt in the intervening years with Fine Molds etc so notice it more now.

Dropship - nearly done

Getting there and, while its not as much of a slog as the APC, its still hard going. There's some pretty poor fits to be sure but the worst culprit is the instructions. In turns confusing, badly laid out and just plain wrong.

Gateway Shuttle - finally progress

REAL long time since i've updated you on this build i know. That's because a key kit i've needed has been very scarce. But, what long enough and anything'll turn up on eBay and i've just nabbed this bike kit for a decent £15.00. Its providing some important parts, namely the front bulkheads and very distinctive radiator up top (HOW many truck and tanks kits did i sewarch through before finding it came from here????), and you can see them put in place here crudely with Blu Tac as i want to be 100% sure of their placement before commiting to glueing anything.

WF Ma.K Walker - walking

Here we go with this big fella. Pleased how he's come out but, boy, he don't 'arf take up space on the shelf