Using up the FJ spare parts...

OK then, Ladies and Gents,  my first two-figure vignette! (Very) tentatively titled: "Just fire the F***ing thing!" Not sure I'll use that on the baseplate, but it seems to get over the urgency I wanted to convey in this one.
Made from parts mixed and matched from the DML "Hedgerow tankhunters" set, along with a fair bit of resculpting, rescribing and lots of lead foil!

More pics in the galleries as usual!
Maybe I'll get round to finishing "To the last bullet" and "Brothers in arms" at some point?

Another one down!

Maybe the concept for this one is wrong on a few levels but, what the heck, I enjoyed doing it!
This was a pretty quick one. Converted from an old DML para that I had kicking about.
Very minimal (for me!) conversion.

More pics in the gallery as usual.
Gary.

My first 120mm!

Ok Folks,

Another one finished.. Seems that I've got a thing about snipers!
This is the first 120mm figure I've ever done, so be gentle with me in the comments!
It's an out of production Verlinden kit of a late-war German Sniper. It might be old, but I think it can hold it's own against much of the newer stuff out there.

More pics in the galleries.
Over to you folks!

Gotterdammerung

Well folks, I finally finished the sniper! To be honest, it evolved a bit beyond the simple piece I planned originally, but that was before a certain friend of mine expressed an interest in it!
This is the same guy who has encouraged me through the last year or so and I have to say, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be at this stage so soon!
I think this shows the importance of encouraging each other. Only by sharing ideas and techniques can we take this hobby forward.
Mario Matijasic, step forward and take a bow! This one's for you!

More pics in the galleries...

'To the last bullet' is starting to come together now. I've done some more work on it and got the layout pretty much sorted now. Take a look... I think I know where I'm going with this now.

I've also done a bit more with the Berlin sniper too.

It's just a pity that work keeps getting in the way....
All comments etc, are welcome..

OK, it's that time again... Update time!
I wasn't satisfied with how the works in progress were going, so it was time to strip 'em down & start again!
Firstly, 'Brothers in arms'. I wasn't satisfied with the parka on the guy with the bandaged head, so he's getting a hooded smock instead. I've managed to sculpt the lower half so far and gotten his right hand into position. It'll be holding the wounded guys belt.

I always find that I start with a basic idea and it evolves as it goes along. No idea how this will end up, so keep watching!
Next, 'To the last bullet'. This has undergone major surgery!
First, I tilted the head back slightly on the shooter. I think this gives a more desperate look. This involved resculpting the collar area. I thought I'd give him the Knights Cross as well. He'll deserve it after this!

The wounded guy just didn't look right holding his chest. I thought it would give a more dramatic effect if he was gripping the shooters hand.

Only problem here is that the entire front of him had to be stripped and now needs resculpting! Oh well....

I've finally managed to make a start on the figure for the Sniper campaign over on HF.
Visualise a Berlin defender 1945 armed with a Stg44 & 'Vampir' IR scope...

He's using the knife to peel back curtains from a window. I might still change this one yet. Definitely  evolving as it goes.
I'm just glad I've got until December to get this one finished!

One of my recent works: FJR 'Sani' at Carentan, 1944

So, whats on the bench now?
Here's a taster......
First up, 'Brothers in arms'.

Next, a conversion from the DML ' Panzergrenadiers Italy set: Nice and simple.

This one I've been working on for a while, but Jerry Rutman beat me to it with the concept with the excellent  'Ich hatt ein kamerad' on Armorama. You can find it here: http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=187756&page=1 Truly inspiring Jerry!
Anyway, here's mine so far..

Entitled 'To the last bullet..'
All comments welcome...

And the next one is....

Well folks, The one I've been doing for the build log on HF is finished!
What do you think?

Took me long enough!

Sooo... Here we are, a year on in. Time to explain..
About this time last year, there I was, sitting at home with a shoulder injury, twiddling my thumbs, getting more and more bored by the day!
By chance, I googled 'modelmaking'. A hobby I last indulged in twenty years ago. Holy s***! What happened! The last time I looked, folks were still doing conversions of Tamiya figures and the odd white metal or resin Verlinden kit! Where did all these fantastic creations come from? Resin accessories, PE, scenics, microballoons  (WTF), anything the heart desires. Things had spiralled way beyond my comprehension. Way out of my league!
Nevertheless, I thought 'OK, I'll give it a go for old times sake'. 
A  couple of resin figures duly bought and painted. Oh dear! Painting by numbers, then washing with OD and drybrushing with white just doesn't cut it these days. What to do? Give up or learn? Being a determined old git, I devoured every article, photo and book on the subject I could find! I soon found that I wasn't satisfied with the standard figures and started to convert them instead. Eventually, after a LOT of practice, it started to come together. 
This is the first that I was satisfied with. A conversion of a Tamiya MG Gunner, 1:35, one of the 'premium ones' they released a few years ago.

It's getting there.
The next was this one. A conversion of another Tamiya 'premium' figure, the 'Winter Grenadier'.

OK, so now wer'e cooking!
Both of these were pretty simple conversions. Just a change of head and a bit of puttywork. At this point, I thought it was time to up the ante, so to speak.
I started to think about backstories to the figures. The last two, I enjoyed doing but, let's face it, they are just a couple of squaddies standing around in a field.... On the next one, I wanted to convey a story. 

The resculpting on this one was a lot more involved. The head selection was critical too. It had to convey the horror the guy was feeling on looking at what was probably his own future. The look on his face says it all.. Bloodied and smoke-streaked, he sees whats left of his comrade's helmet and swears: 'Not me as well, not for Grofaz!'
Well, it paid off! This one took third place in the HistoricusForma figure contest! How the hell did that happen! At this time, I'd only been back into it for about seven months!
So, after my head had shrunk to a size that would fit through the door... I started this one:

'The Hunter'. My best achievement so far!
This one was extensively reworked. I posted it on Armorama and got pretty favourable comments on it. Then life got more interesting...
Mario (Maki), one of the editors on HistoricusForma sent me a message asking if I would like to do a full feature on the build of this figure! Who, me? I thought he'd sent the message to the wrong person! Nope, definitely me. I nearly s*** myself. I didn't feel that I was experienced enough for that. Anyway, it worked out great, Mario did a fantastic job and the finished result can be found here: http://hfmodeling.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=4290

All I can say, it's been one hell of a year!
What's next? Well, I'm running a build log on HF at the moment. If your'e interested, it's here: http://hfmodeling.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=189211&page=1
I thought after all I had taken from the other guys on the forums, it was about time I gave something back. I've still got a few more things in the pipeline, and I'm getting better, so stay tuned!
Gary.