Saturday, June 13, 2009

Still trying to reach the summit!

In case anyone is wondering where I've been, work- along with the rest of life's constant demands- has been a canine of the feminine gender recently. As has been painting the Collina della Formica.

It is one
big model to paint, especially when the biggest thing I've painted in the last few years has been an artillery piece or two in 28mm. As a result, I ended up underestimating- by a large margin- just how long it would take me to paint this beast.

It has taken a number of tries with a various combination of paints, but I think I finally found a finish that seems to look like the rockscape as seen in various pictures of the Dolomites, and which would look equally at home on the Carso plateau.


Here is a shot from the business-side of the anthill.


This thing devours paint, brushes- and patience- like you wouldn't believe! Imagine painting a sponge with a triple-0 paintbrush...

I ended up spraying the whole thing with two (!) cans of Panzer Grey enamel spray paint from Tamiya as an undercoat. I then use Ceramcoat's mudstone to wet-brush on the main surfaces, leaving the dark grey in the crevasses. I then successively lighten the rock face with a drybrushing of sandstone and maple sugar tan by the same company. This is followed by a wash of tube acrylic raw umber. When dry, I give it a final highlighting of very pale gray (Ceramcoat's soft grey).

Basically another week or two's worth of painting to go, and I still haven't started painting the inside of the trench works yet. But I have to say I'm happy with the way it's turning out.


2 comments:

  1. Robert,

    The Collina is looking absolutely fantastic. I think it's going to be awesome when it's finished. I can't wait to see the Alpen Korps and the Arditi fighting over it. Wonderful stuff and very impressive.

    Good luck for the final push,

    Sidney

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  2. Thank you, Sidney. It is taking a lot longer than I originally thought it would, mind.

    In fact, had I known when I started on it just how much of a commitment in time and resources it would end up taking me, I doubt I would have taken the plunge.

    Nevertheless, I am very happy with the way it is turning out.

    And I still have those Kallistra trench lines to work on when this is done, along with a number of barbed wire emplacements! Still they should prove easier to make- and to store- than the Collina!

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