British Brown Bess Fire Power: Taking Aim (2 Viewers)

Dragoon said:
Quick question Mike, Did you seal the plywood base before spreading on the CelluClay? I've read of people doing that, but wonder if it's necessary.
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Yes, I put two coats of primer on the plywood plank. I also applied a bead of clear silicon caulk around the entire perimeter of the frame before inserting the plywood into it.

Mike
 
After drying overnight, the base with initial ground work is finished. There was a wee bit of shrinkage of the CelluClay on one corner and side of the frame where I had contoured it up into a small rise. The resulting gap between the CelluClay and the frame edge was very minimal (about 1/8 inch) and was easily filled with a bead of PVA glue covered with the dirt mixture.

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The resulting dirt mixture is an acceptable match to the base of the Maple tree as well as the bases of the figures. These bases will be easy to camouflage with strategically placed grass tufts as well as the magic of photo editing.

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. . . to be continued
Mike
 
Mike,

The ground work is looking really nice!! I'm sure you're very happy with the results. Thanks for sharing the progress of your project. Very insightful.
 
REVWARBUFF said:
Mike,

The ground work is looking really nice!! I'm sure you're very happy with the results. Thanks for sharing the progress of your project. Very insightful.
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Once again Mark, thank you and you are very welcome. I'm really enjoying do this thread . . . It's keeping me busy and out of trouble.

Mike
 
I thought I would continue the landscaping with static grass tufts that I have on hand. Premade grass static grass tufts are available from a wide range of providers that can be obtained on line direct from the maker or through Amazon. They come in a variety of sizes; 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, 7mm, and 12mm. For 1/30 scale figures I like using the 4mm, 7mm, and 12mm sizes. My favorite manufacturers are Gamers Grass, Warmtree, and Foimas. Although they are made as a "peel and stick" product, I always put a dot of PVA white glue on the bottom of each tuft to ensure good adhesion.

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Here's what I've done so far . . .

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I'm stopping at this point for two reasons: First I need to determine where I want the final placement of my figures. Secondly, these premade grass tufts can be expensive for what you get ($10 USD + and on up per sheet of 20-36 tufts). Even a small display such as this can "consume" a bunch of these. For that reason I have decided to starting making my own static grass detail. In the long run this will be a more economical way to go. To do this, I need to order a static grass applicator, static grass adhesive, and of course static grass in different sizes and color.

Mike

. . . to be continued
 
Making progress. Still have more to do. Finish the grassy areas, bushes and other foliage, and of course more figures. I plan on getting the King's Colours figure when released (April/May) . I will also have to wait patiently for the 2025 Collectors Club figure to be released which I don't anticipate until much later this year.

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. . . to be continued
Mike
 
paxtoysoldier said:
Looking forward to seeing this finished.
Pats
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This project's pace will start slowing down at this point while waiting on future figures as well as static grass supplies. I will offer new posts when I acquire new figures and/or when I add further details. I don't anticipate it being completely done to my satisfaction until much later this year.

Mike
 
Definitely been interesting watching you create this diorama base Mike.
Yes lack of space can be most frustating, but you seem to have found an answer that fits your problems.
I've wondered myself about doing some stackable dioramas, but with higher accessories such as your fence, makes, removable parts perhaps more useful, but then you lose the seamless appeal of yours.
Static grass using an applicator does help the budget a bit, since no one I think wants to spend much on the setting when the figures are the main attraction.
For myself I prefer using the longer static grass as more helpful in hiding faults. Another option available to anyone not fancying doing that, is to get sheets of static grass from Model Railway stockists . I have in the past got sheets approx 400 x 300 x 12 mm in a bright Spring Green and a late Summer yellow which you could cut to size.
Anyway, a well presented base does make all the difference in my opinion and you certainly have shared images of some excellent ones Mike and look forward to seeing you finish it.
On a side note, it was a shame TG decided not to widen their Royal Americans 60th Foot range in their FIW range of a few years back.
 
Horus said:
Definitely been interesting watching you create this diorama base Mike.
Yes lack of space can be most frustating, but you seem to have found an answer that fits your problems.
I've wondered myself about doing some stackable dioramas, but with higher accessories such as your fence, makes, removable parts perhaps more useful, but then you lose the seamless appeal of yours.
Static grass using an applicator does help the budget a bit, since no one I think wants to spend much on the setting when the figures are the main attraction.
For myself I prefer using the longer static grass as more helpful in hiding faults. Another option available to anyone not fancying doing that, is to get sheets of static grass from Model Railway stockists . I have in the past got sheets approx 400 x 300 x 12 mm in a bright Spring Green and a late Summer yellow which you could cut to size.
Anyway, a well presented base does make all the difference in my opinion and you certainly have shared images of some excellent ones Mike and look forward to seeing you finish it.
On a side note, it was a shame TG decided not to widen their Royal Americans 60th Foot range in their FIW range of a few years back.
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Thank you very much Steve for your kind comments and helpful insights. I'm about to jump in to the wonderful world of static grass. This will be my first foray into this aspect of modeling and diorama design, so all useful tips are welcome. With that said, I have been spending a lot of time watching static grass application tutorials on YouTube. Hopefully by the time my supplies are here (which I haven't ordered yet) I will somewhat know how to proceed.

Mike
 
mestell said:
Thank you very much Steve for your kind comments and helpful insights. I'm about to jump in to the wonderful world of static grass. This will be my first foray into this aspect of modeling and diorama design, so all useful tips are welcome. With that said, I have been spending a lot of time watching static grass application tutorials on YouTube. Hopefully by the time my supplies are here (which I haven't ordered yet) I will somewhat know how to proceed.

Mike
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My first couple of attempts were rubbish, getting the earthing pin bit right is the hard bit, after that it's just a matter of wishing you'd gotten longer grass !
 
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