Nice body count! X-acto Knives ... lock 'n' load! I'll be checking out this undertaking, for sure.

—mike

Hi Jerry ,

you were asking for a tip ? Okay , it's the End of the War and therefore most of the troops are relieved and happy ! Don't forget to add smiling faces , guys laughing and relaxing maybe someone or a few more taking a nap while waiting ???

And maybe some officers or nco's with angry faces standing longside the road because they don't understand why they are happy ? In their minds '' ist das Dritte Reich kaputt ''.

What i mean is , it's good to put a lot of figures on the vehicles but don't forget the interaction which is your great talent old buddy !!!

Ahumm..... hehe ,okay that's it ,thank you .

Kurt

@Nick-tahnks for the encouragement ol buddy! 3-4 hours per fig?? I was thinking 3-4 hours for all the figs!! loL

@Mike-yep,just got a new box of number 11s. All set!

@Kurt- As this truck was headed for the Amis I would think the people would all be anxious/worried? The war is still going on and they want to reach the West asap.
Having said that,I am going for a few "sub-plots" within the crowd and hopefully I can do that good enough so that you can pick them out? Sort of like "finding waldo"?
Thanks as always guys. It is always nice to inter act with the "old bunch"
J

Hey there Jerry, interesting project & lots of figures (about 26 per my count). The one aspect I'm very weak in for sure is figure painting especially those facial details. I'll keep an eye on this one & hopefully learn something.

Thanks for sharing again.

JGphins

Joaquin,
Thanks for the kind words. Yes,this will be a lot of work. They way these folks will be compacted into the truck bed I think I can save a bit of time by not worrying about their lower legs and feet too much. Just a quick clean up there will do as I am too old now to spend time on things that will not be seen that much.

I had to get the bed of the Ford roughed out so I could see what space I had to work with. There will be a canvas cover but it will be pulled up to the front of the bed and maybe cover a few baggage items?


Started on the first escapee last night. Pics will follow. Have a look.
J

The Ford is looking nice.

Nice! I love the look of it even before its painted, you can really see all the work. Should look very cool when all is said and done.

-Conor

Hi Jerry, I really like the additions, they really enhance an already great looking soft-skin. Not to mention … this should provide some containment and give the refugees a little more to hang onto during the bumpy ride!

A couple of suggestions (oh boy, here he goes again!) … Maybe leave off the tailgate and have some folks seated with their feet dangling over the rear. And is it possible to add a bit of sag to the suspension and tires as well?

—mike

Nice suggestions. The tires will get a little flattened out but I don't feel like messin' with the suspension as I have about 10 years worth of work on these 23 figures! LoL
The tailgate is gonna stay up for reason which will become more clear as I go on.
Thanks guys,for checking in,
J

Hi J ,

the truck looks good , great progress !

Kurt

Thanks Kurt!
Here is some progress on the "cargo". The first fig is done with clean up and under cutting. Maybe not the best most clear pic but hopefully you can tell? I spent about an hour on her believe it or not. And she will be re-posed a bit yet.



The one on the left is out of the box. (Preiser) Without head of course.
J

Oh yeah, I can tell — makes all the difference. Nice tailoring!

—mike

I have that same set of Civilians. The mold is old school, so not much detail present, but you have brought them up a couple of levels.

Thanks Mike and Greg,
That was my intention. I feel there is hardly any fig out there that you can't improve on at least a tiny bit whilst wielding a sharp number 11 blade! Some of the older ones you can really turn around.
J

Nice Jer , your figure work always amazes me [ one of my weak spots ] .
With your plan in mind this should be cool !!!

Nice! You don't really see civilians in dioramas. They add a very human aspect. I was chatting with a guy at the show today about trying to get dioramas to stir up emotion rather than show of a vehicle and have a few figures standing near it. This should be amazing in that it's got the excellent vehicle and the very dramatic scenario to go with it!

-Conor

Cheyenne and Conor,thanks men for weighing in here and the nice comments. I will do my best to keep it interesting. Maybe the addition of civilians in this one will make that happen?
Here we have the beginnings of a family group. Just rough posing so far and a bit of clean up and undercutting. The girl will get a coat and the Mom a large satchel or purse in her left arm. I tried to work on the boys' head but maybe a resin one will be substituted?

The family


How they will look on the truck. I will swivel the Moms' hand to fit on the canvas support rod.


The boy looks a bit too happy? But,you know how us boys are when we are that age. Almost anything is an adventure,even rough times like this. Anyone ever see the movie " Lore'" ?
J

Great show Jerry ! You have that nice flair to manipulate the figures in a very special way , well done sir !

Kurt

I like the grouping, a lot. I think maybe the woman's head might need to be moved up or level some. Just my 2 cents.

Kurt!-thanks bubba,for the nice comment
Greg-the Mom is supposed to be looking at her daughter so no level heads here.
J

Adding more figs to get a feel of what I am working with as far space goes. I have 5 figs left to put in there. I started out thinking I had selected too many but now I think I will have to search out more from my stash! I can fit more than 5 more in for sure,I think.
This is sort of like the "pick how many beans are in the jar" game from the old days. What is your pick?

Time for some luggage to file some of the space.

Jerry this is looking real awesome. The jumble of different figures is looking very diverse and interesting. I suppose if you have some space there you could put some luggage as Greg suggested. Maybe some assorted bits of belongings could go in there too- but you could also perhaps add some damage to the truck bed- like a hole in the floor or something along those lines- though considering its all built and glued up you might not want to do that. You could also have someone perhaps lying down and propping themselves up against the side of the load bed.

Thanks Karl,
I have decided to put a halt on adding any more figs other than the ones already selected. Here is a pic of the total load.



I am gonna fill up the extra space with baggage,etc,as has been suggested as I want to show people in a hurry,but with at least enough time to gather a few items. It is always heartbreaking to see pics of refugees and to see what they consider important enough to lug along with them. Some things make no sense but the sentimental value must be great?
Thanks guys,for looking in.
J

I have to add the canvas tilt to the back. I wanted to show it as being hastily pulled back to allow more head space. These are the biggest pieces I have ever "rolled' so I have to make it in sections. The first one was the vertical front part and the next was the first panel of the roof. I need maybe two more pieces. Also added some of the PE tie downs and made some clothing,etc,from the refugees. This all needs to be accomplished before the folks get added.





I need to fill in some holes and dents. The problem is when you roll of piece of putty this big and thin you need a lot of talcum powder to prevent sticking. This makes the putty dry out and it is hard to keep from cracking and splitting when you fold or bend it.
I really like this Miniart dude straight from the box. Nice sculpt. I did some undercutting and haven't finished with the filling yet but he looks good with no mods! Unusual for me to do.