RGM-79(G) sniper team

[Muad Dib]

So, after seeing "Jarhead", the movie, I thought it would be cool to do a sniper team. I have finished one so far, and am mostly done with the second, now to build the diorama!

These kits are not the greatest, in fact, being only the second Gundam kits I have done, I had a bit of trouble with the legs and shoulders because I had to build the legs around the knee joints that were already finished and the same for the shoulders, around the finished upper arms. I just masked them off as best I could, and it seems to have worked pretty well. I did manage to chip the paint in a few places posing the darned thing, but the chips don't show up all that well.

Well, it's been a learning experience so far, now I get to learn how to build an outdoor environment diorama. It should be entertaining. I'll let you know.

Here's the pics.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/topright.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/topleft.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/rightside.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/leftside.jpg

As always, feedback will be appreciated, your opinions are valuable.

Enjoy.

UPDATE:

Well, I have started the diorama, and it has gone pretty well so far, considering I have never built one before. Because I've never built one, I bought a kit for model Railroading just to get the idea.

Here's the start;

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/foamsub2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/foamsub.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/papersub.jpg

So, substrate is done, paper is added, plaster is next.
I'll update this evening, as I have gotten a bit further along than this.

[Muad Dib]

So, I have made quite alot of progress on the diorama now. Like I said, this is a first for me, and I am just starting to figure out how to take decent pictures with my camera  :?

So, with the styrofoam and paper substrate together, I secured all of the paper with masking tape to make it easier to put the plaster cloth over it.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/tapeover.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/tapeover2.jpg

Now it's time for the plaster cloth...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/plasterover2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/plasterover.jpg

Next, cut holes in the plaster cloth for rock face placements, glue rocks in place..

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/rockplacement.jpg

Now, to get a better texture, I covered the plaster cloth with the celluclay. (this is my first time using celluclay, it's easy to work with, kinda sticky, but very simple)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/celuclay2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/celuclay.jpg

Painted rock faces with washes of ochre, brown and black. Tunnel portal with a black wash, then I hit it up with some weathering.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/paintrocks.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/paintrocks2.jpg

Washed ground with brown and black. Added ballast to track.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/paintrocksbase.jpg

Added turf.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/addedturf2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/addedturf.jpg

Now for the fun.....details. Added shrubs, texture to turf, weathered the tracks, painted sides of the diorama, etc.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/detail2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/detailsshrubs.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/detail8.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/detail5.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/detail4.jpg

thats the major update. I am still building trees, which seems to be a bit tricky, and I still need to finish the other RGM, but that's pretty much in the bag.
    I don't mean to sound like I'm "tooting my own horn", but I am suprised with how well the diorama looks so far, it has been VERY easy, and now I've got some other ideas I'd like to work out that don't seem nearly as impossible as I once thought.

Hopefully will finish in the next two weeks. I'll let you know.

[Marc]

Wow your dio looks fantastic!
Can't wait to see it with the kits!

[FichtenFoo]

I agree... nice looking groundwork so far!

[RichD]

Nice! Thanks for the detailed progress report!

[Muad Dib]

Thanks guys. I've got a few trees to build, and I ordered a few, to see the difference between "made myself" and pre-fabricated. I'm just trying to figure out how to attach the kits to the dio. :?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I'll take some pictures of the second sniper progress, just so you can see how difficult doing the shoulders and legs are. If you have not built this kit before, it's kind of tedious.

Again, thanks for the kind words of encouragement.

see ya soon.

[Major Blah]

When I first clicked through the picture, I thought to myself "This guy must be some hardcore rail road modeler before he picked up gundam"  But then I read that you've never built diorama before, I'm so shocked.

As mentioned above, the ground work is really quite nice.  Maybe your picture of the sniper is a bit dark, but I find it to be lacking in some highlight.  Yeah it's hard to hide with highlights in your paintscheme, but it looks good!    

[bhop73]

When I first clicked through the picture, I thought to myself "This guy must be some hardcore rail road modeler before he picked up gundam"  But then I read that you've never built diorama before, I'm so shocked.

Same here, that is seriously some awesome groundwork.  It should look pretty impressive when finished.

I agree with Blah about the snipers, they need more love.

[Muad Dib]

Thanks for the comments. True; the snipers do look a bit dull, and I do think that lends itself to the theme, I'm not sure what I would do to "jazz" them up. I do plan on weathering them a bit....but outside of that, I'm not sure where to go.

[bhop73]

I do plan on weathering them a bit....but outside of that, I'm not sure where to go.

Actually, that works for me.  I think they're just too clean now.

[mikiwank]

Whao, your's dio is cool.
It's your's first ?
I'do same sniper 1/144 actually. This kit goes back to 1996 but is of good quality except certain articulations which would deserve some modifs.

Miki

[Muad Dib]

Soooooo...

O.K. I did some weathering to one of the GMs, I took some photos, but you'll have to let me know how well the weathering shows up. It looks pretty good to me in person. Maybe I need to improve my picture taking. :?

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/weathered2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/weathered.jpg

I also "finished" the diorama. I think. I added all the trees (which I made), I added talus under the rock faces and near the tunnel portal, and added reeds/grass? in the ditch along side the tracks. I also used some weathering pastels to dull down the rust on the tracks.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/trees.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/trees2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/shawndoran/diorama/trees3.jpg

Now all I have to do is finish the second sniper ( final paint, decals, weather, FFA, assemble. Less work than it sounds) and attach the team to the dio, which I'm still not sure how I'm going to pull that off. I think the next time I post, it will be in "finished models"

[Muad Dib]

Whao, your's dio is cool.
It's your's first ?
I'do same sniper 1/144 actually. This kit goes back to 1996 but is of good quality except certain articulations which would deserve some modifs.

Miki

Thanks for the compliment Miki.
Yeah, this is actually my second Gundam model. I posted in-progress for my first model

http://fichtenfoo.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=843

It was a very simple diorama, so this sniper dio is way more involved. The snipers are 1/144, and yes, not very good on the articulation. I'm not confident with my ability to pull off any of the mods of seen on this site though, YET.

As for the Airmaster, it is finished, and I gave it to a friend of mine to photograph for me, as I did not have faith in my own photograpic ability. Now he has it and I have no photos or model to try to take pictures of :
My bad.
I guess I have to go and steal it back

[BM2]

really impressive - I only have one comment-Woodland scenics are great products -I love them , however what I see from the pics is an outstanding train layout and you have some mecha. Snipers seek cover - it's in the nature of a sniper how will you "hide" 2 mecha in this scene., other than that very good work! I am doing something simalar with a much smaller footprint-
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/johnfields/models/rx-79projectlong.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/johnfields/models/rx-79project.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/johnfields/models/rx-79project6.jpg

[mikiwank]

Your green camo is perfect for your dio. will the second sniper have to you it his rifle of sniper between the hands or the machine-gun?

[Muad Dib]

Your green camo is perfect for your dio. will the second sniper have to you it his rifle of sniper between the hands or the machine-gun?

Yeah, the second sniper will have the sniper rifle. And, thanks, I think the green I'm using will go well with the diorama. I'm just about finished with this project too. Look for it in "completed models" very soon.