Airfix Harrier GR.1/GR.3 Diorama

[Nige201980]

Wow that's brilliant work mate

[Gav0909]

Cheers all.

Andy - Yes I will do a "bigger and better" skin tutorial when I can get the time to do it. I need some more practice with these paints first as well, the key with skin tones is getting the transitions between the shadows and highlights nice and smooth, and that is where I start to struggle a little.

I won't get anymore done on this now until after Xmas as I head home to the parents today for a few days. And when I get back I still have a PhD to finish and I will be back to work in the pub. Fingers crossed in the New Year once the PhD is submitted I will have a bit more free time to get this finished.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and thanks for supporting this build so far!

[UKscalemodeller]

Have a good one Gav.

[T3hGuppy]

Merry Xmas dude!!

[Paul]

Have a great Christmas Gav.

[Gav0909]

Bit of a verbal update here.

So with Xmas out the way I am back to writing my PhD thesis. And I am literally just a few days from submitting, so I am not going to touch plastic for a bit to save me from distraction. However while I am at home and not in the arse end of nowhere I am going to head to the big Asda nearby on the hunt for materials for the diorama base. So the shopping list looks like this.

Picture frame
Scale trees (might look in the local model shop for these)
Other odds n sods which might come in handy.

So it might be a bit of a rush to get the diorama base done between the 4th and the GB finish date, but its just the base to do, so I will go all out to get it complete!

In a bit!

[Gav0909]

Yeah I am not 100% sure on being able to complete the diorama base as I invisage it in my head.

To that I end, I am going to get a picture frame, and mix up some plaster and attempt to replicate a concrete hard standing area, rather than the woodland area I wanted. I will maybe have it as partially concreted and some scrub on the edge to give some interest. This should be quicker and easier for me to do, but whilst giving me a nice diorama for the models still.

I get paid today and need to go shopping later so will pick up a picture frame then if I can. I am on late work shifts all week though, so earliest I can get back to this is the weekend, so will be tight on time!

[chief5437]

Hope you get it done Gav. I'm looking forward to seeing the reveal. Good luck!

[Lee]

Just caught up on this thread!

Awesome work Gav

[Gav0909]

Cheers Lee

Sorry not got a picture (not much to show) but the other night I got my picture frame base and put a layer of tile grout/plaster as a base for the ground work. I have had this drying in the airing cupboard, and I am going to then skim the top with some plaster. Once that (hopefully nice and neat) layer is dry I will be carving a concrete surface effect into it and adding some flock, static grass etc to parts to mark out a hard standing area basically.

Will get some pics when there is more to show.

[UKscalemodeller]

Cheers Lee

Sorry not got a picture (not much to show) but the other night I got my picture frame base and put a layer of tile grout/plaster as a base for the ground work. I have had this drying in the airing cupboard, and I am going to then skim the top with some plaster. Once that (hopefully nice and neat) layer is dry I will be carving a concrete surface effect into it and adding some flock, static grass etc to parts to mark out a hard standing area basically.

Will get some pics when there is more to show.

Cutting it fine Gav. keeping the suspense going.

[Gav0909]

Hmm so I got my shifts at work for the next week. And on top of doing 4 4 til lock ups (so the back of midnight) in a row, I then have another 3 5-lock ups, taking me to Monday. So Tuesday the 14th is my first evening off from the pub. But I have PhD to do still.

Basically I ain't getting the diorama base done in time I don't think. Which I am really ticked off about. I can't even take any time before work on the weekend because I need to be working on my thesis during the days before work in the evening.

So I think all I can do is take pics of the Harriers and refuelling truck and ground crew figs together and enter that. And finish the diorama base when I can.

[UKscalemodeller]

You could, just for now, search for a picture of a runway, print it out and stick it on some card, it can act as a base for now. that's how I got the runway on my froggy's base.

[Gav0909]

Update 24 - Final!!

The time has come for me to bring you the final instalment of this project. I have managed to get something finished which will have to do, as time and cash are not on my side.

I will cover my base construction here and some finals thoughts and have the reveal pics in the appropriate section. Its late here so they may go up tomorrow.

The base idea was originally to try and recreate a German Cold War Harrier Hide, this would have involved making the hide itself as well as sourcing decent scale trees to give the impression of woodland. However with my limited time and financial resources I had to rethink this. I fou d the following picture online and so decided on a simpler diorama base.



Now I wasn't able to do the camo netting but have gone for the more open grass area look in my diorama. Here are some pics of its construction.

Picture frame being filled with plaster as a ground material base layer.


After adding a final skim layer once the first layers were dry.


Painted Citadel Scorched Brown as a base coat.


I then added a mix of green static grass and brown flock over this similar to my M10 base. I added a few clumps of tufts I had also.

So thats it! Head over to the reveals section to see the final article. I will edit the link into here when done.

I would like to thank you all for posting on my log over the last 6 months. Its been fun building these kits and while my original base idea went out the window I will perhaps finish the one day.

Thanks again and best of luck to everyone.

[Bissyboat]

Coming together nicely.

[Gav0909]

Cheers Bissy.

Here is the link to the reveal pics.

Reveal Pics