Picking up the Brushes again…

It has been a while since I have done any painting but I did a little bit yesterday on a very long-term project. It is El Greco Miniatures Boer Commando bust by Carl Reid. I picked this up when it first came out in 2009, and I have been painting it ever since!

I have started working on the leather. One cross belt is part done and the other is undercoated. I am trying to show a worn belt with a new(ish) one. Here are some smudgy pictures.

Thoughts?

FigureWorld 23 July 2011

Dear All

As the run up to Figureworld starts we will be periodically sending you information about what activities are planned for the day. You may already know some of the great events that are taking place on the day but we will have further announcements as some activities that are now in late planning stage come together and get finalised.

The place in between the announcements to keep a track on the day is at the Figureworld website (http://www.tbfigureworld.co.uk) where today we posted the preliminary list of traders, something for everyone to buy we think as we know modellers have a great urge to spend.

Below is a little taster of what is to come.

For 2011 the seminars will be delivered by, Euro Militaire Best of Show winning, Chris Clayton. These will be held in a dedicated room, where attendees can find out how Chris goes about creating his award-winning models.

One of the most talked about aspects of Figure World 2010 was the complementary bust given to 30 exhibitors. This will be repeated in 2011. Every exhibitor of three or more items, receives a raffle ticket. Thirty of these are drawn during the day and the winners receive a specially commissioned bust free of charge. Look on The Basement Forum to see Adrian Hopwood’s series of postings on painting 2011’s bust.

Visitors to Figure World 2010 commented on the great range of traders present. For 2011 the trade area has been extended and new manufacturers and retailers have booked stands to add to the repeat bookings from last year’s traders.

The demonstration area in 2010 was very well attended. In 2011 more top flight demonstrators have agreed to share their knowledge and the area will be bigger with more space to see what they are doing.

For those staying all day there are light refreshments available in the venue and for those wanting something more substantial there are a good range of eateries in the town of Oundle, only a few minutes walk from the venue.

If you are a figure modeller, don’t miss out on the only event in the UK that has been put on to meet your needs.

If you have any comments then please mail us or grab one of us at any event

We look forward to seeing you there

The Basement Team

A Sepia Photo…

I am starting another new project, yes I know I have a lot on the go but this is part of a Group Build over on The Basement. The GB is on the theme of colour where you are supposed to pick a piece in one predominate colour and play with that theme. For me I have decided to have a go at something I have long wanted to do and that is reproduce a sepia photo.

The piece I have picked to do this with is Model Cellar’s Royal Flying Corps pilot by Mike Good.

It helps that this piece looks like it has been taken from a posed photo so is perfect for what I am going to be doing. In order to help work out some of the right times I have taken a picture of Mike Good’s painted version and manipulated it into a sepia picture using GIMP; a free piece of photo manipulation software. It gives me a good idea of what I am going for.

Here are some pics of the piece and its composition. The hat will sit on the piece of the table. It is supposed to represent a photo being taken inside the squadron hut, hence the wooden floor made out of wooden stirring sticks.

More soon…

Boer Commando WIP 5

Here are some more pics of this Boer Commando from El Greco Miniatures. This has been a long term project; I have been painting since April 2009. I decided to change the colour of the jacket from a light tan colour to a umber shade. I think it work better with the overall feel of the piece. I am starting to see the light at the end of tunnel with it. It is a nice piece but when you spend this long it gets frustrating. Next step is the leather work.

Comments welcomed as always.

1/350 S-Boat

Here are a couple of pics of Bronco Models 1/350 S-100 (Schnellboot).

It is a very well detailed piece with lots of etch. It measures about 5cm long. You can also see the start of the base here too, which built up with pollyfilla and then airbrushed and the gloss finish is built up using Vallejo resin water.

Here are some shots of the photo etch that make up the propellers.

A Couple of New Projects…

Here are the latest pieces to come across my bench. The first  is La Meridiana Miniatures Gurkha that is in their Monte Cassino range. It is good to see a figure of this period as it shows that there is more to WW2 than Germans. I haven’t done much since Euro Militaire, perhaps a dip after seeing so much superb work. A strange reaction I know but added to that a few things have got in the way. While the undercoat has been laid in and I have built-in some general shadows with the airbrush, it is the trousers that have seen any real progress. I am going to try to add some wear and tear into the battledress too.

Here is another piece that I am working on. It is a White Russian Officer from the Russian Civil War. The piece was sculpted by the late Roy Hunt. It is a great piece and it is a shame it was never released. I have started painting the face but it needs further detailing.

Comments always welcomed.

James McCudden VC – Completed

Well I have finally finished him. This is Hawk Miniatures bust of Major James McCudden VC. Sculpted by Carl Reid. There are a couple of bits to tidy up but he is bascially there. It is painted in oils and acrylics and I have tried to give him a tired look to give character to what is quite a plain face. I will be taking him with me to Euro Militaire this weekend.

All comments welcomed.

The Basement presents FigureWorld 2011

Dear All

After FigureWorld, the organising team were blown away by the reception that the event had received; for us it was fantastic to see all those modellers together, making the atmosphere on the day relaxed and enjoyable.

The choice for us was whether to put the show on again or not, and after thinking for a while, we have decided that the answer is a resounding YES!!

So with that in mind The Basement would like to cordially invite you all on Saturday 23rd July 2011 to FigureWorld 2011.

Where you might be thinking? Well we have found a new venue for the event, which once seen will show you why we just had to hold the show there, Figureworld will be held in the Great Hall at Oundle School, Oundle near Peterborough.

The Great Hall with its imposing oak panelling is just part of the historic Oundle School founded in 1556. Beautiful school buildings dating back to the sixteenth century nestle within the quintessential English market town, built mainly of limestone and with many listed buildings of architectural merit. Oundle is superbly placed geographically and easily accessible by road, rail or air. London is only 45 minutes by rail to nearby Peterborough and the A1 gives easy access from both North and South.

The show will have more space at Oundle which we will utilise to give a great experience on the day. So be on the look out for updates and information on the day’s activities.

The Great Hall is in the centre of the town and there are many fine places to eat, drink and shop. There are also hotels and Bed and Breakfasts in the area. Details of all amenities will be on the new FigureWorld website, which is coming soon.

The Basement Team

Event Information Available from:

The Basement Forum

The Basement Webzine

Facebook

Twitter

James McCudden VC – Pt. 2

Here is an update on the James McCudden bust. I have repainted the face as a I was not happy with it, I am now. The uniform is almost there too. I have also started to pick out the detail. I decided at the last-minute to fill his medal boards. Carl sculpted them with indents that do not really match the order of precedence for his medals of which there are six to be painted.

The top row should be the VC, DSO and MC. The second row should be the MM, his 1914-1915 Star and the Croix de Guerre. Once all these details are painted they should really bring the piece to life.

Close to finishing him now…Just in time for Euro Militaire.

FigureWorld Update

Amongst The Basement team you can imagine that excitement is beginning to build as we approach FigureWorld. We are learning more and more about the day and seeing the work at Maelstrom games continue apace so that the room is ready for the day, makes it all seem very real and very exciting

Figure World Demonstrations

The best news that we have this week though is that Conrad has almost finished sorting the demos for FigureWorld, 10th July and we couldn’t resist letting you in on a couple of people on the list

So here we go

Sean Green: Those of you who know ForgeWorld will know of Sean, he recently last year sculpted the Nurgle conversion kit for GW SoulGrinder and he’s responsible for some of the great models that have come from Forgeworld over the years.

Hedley Coppock:This guys NMM is second to none…its gorgeous, Some of you will know Hedley as Corpuscle here at TB and over on Cool Mini, great painter.

Rob Cardiss:Well to the fantasy guys this guy will not need much introduction, for the military painters amongst you take a look at Cool Mini and look up Demonherald, The Space Wolf Dreadnought he did last year blows me away every time I see it.

Hardy Tempest: Hardy’s reputation is in the Military side of hobby, his ancients are just…well come and see them and see for yourself, the way he puts texture into his models, there is not many painters who manage this as well as he does. He has his own website look him up you will find it worth it.

Theres a few others that we are saving for another mail when we will have a full running order and news on traders for the day.

Yes that’s right, not content with the treasure trove of Maelstroms Games shop, we have at least 4 traders on the day to help you part with some hard-earned cash, so make sure you bring some.

More in short while when we have confirmed some small details..

Just as a quick reminder that some of us are demonstrating this weekend at Maelstrom games, we will be there between 10 and 3.30, pop in and see us.

The Basement Team