Australians in Palestine (WIP)

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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
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April 12, 2020
Walk like an Egyptian... or is it "Madness"?
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April 13, 2020
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April 13, 2020
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April 13, 2020
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April 13, 2020
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April 17, 2020
I'll need to lighten up the skin as it is just too dark right now. By the way, the rifle slings are present now...
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April 19, 2020
The lay out the land. Next will be to fill the steps and smooth everything out.
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April 19, 2020
Base coats on the palm tree and the goat.
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April 19, 2020
Detailing on the tree and the goat.
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April 19, 2020
Finished goat. (It looks much better IRL, picture taken at 02:00 AM with crappy light.)
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April 19, 2020
Some heavy dry-brushing on the tree.
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April 19, 2020
Tree ready to receive its leaves.
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April 20, 2020
The base plate is now prepared to receive some plaster.
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April 20, 2020
I'm trying to get a "canyon" feeling going.
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April 20, 2020
Places!
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April 20, 2020
One car broke down, the other car stopped to help and a goat is watching.
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April 20, 2020
Layout from above.
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April 24, 2020
Goat and palm trunk finished and varnished.
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April 26, 2020
First leave prepped
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April 26, 2020
All leaves (not enough for the tree, but that's all I got right now)
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April 26, 2020
Palm tree with six leaves
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April 26, 2020
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April 26, 2020
Continuing to paint the figs.
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May 1, 2020
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May 1, 2020
I used the wrong kind of plaster, it shrinks. Need to put a second layer...
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May 1, 2020
Base coat after finishing the skin. I don't like the eyes though.
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May 3, 2020
A bit further, but far from finished.
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May 3, 2020
Finished! Front.
(I really need to enhance my photographic skills...)
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May 3, 2020
Finished! Left side.
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May 3, 2020
Finished! Back.
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May 3, 2020
Finished! Right side.
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May 3, 2020
(Almost) all the material used to paint these minis. I'm always amazed at that!
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May 7, 2020
NEVER use cheap paints! NE-VER! 🙁
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May 15, 2020
testing the effect of my pigments on the rocks.
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May 15, 2020
I don't use and brand pigments, but prefer to buy them in bulk (say 200 gr) in and artist supply shop. MUCH cheaper!
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May 15, 2020
Start of the first part of the floor-layer.
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May 15, 2020
Two other areas using the same mixture of sand, pigments and very small painted rocks that I prepared earlier.
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May 15, 2020
Still humid, but one gets an idea of the result. The idea is not to have a large uniform space but to combine zones of different colours, etc.
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May 15, 2020
Once it has had some time to dry and settle down, just turn the whole thing upside down and let the extraneous sand/pigment/rock mixture fall down. I really like this picture...
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May 15, 2020
The stiff brush is used to dislodge any part of the mixture that isn't glued down completely.
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May 15, 2020
I need some larger rocks coming out of the soil. Primed.
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May 15, 2020
Brown base coat.
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May 15, 2020
Rocks finished and glued to the surface. The idea is to show that some rocks have been displaced to form some sort of road.
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May 21, 2020
Airbrushing the outside in metallic black. Of course, I managed to gum up my airbrush...
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May 21, 2020
Cut the sides to skim the landscape. Again, of course, I managed to use the wrong blade to do so and will have to work for a few hours to rectify all that.
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May 24, 2020
This is a very frustrating kit! (Miniart 35550 "Wooden barrels & village utensils")
Brittle plastic, moulds out of alignment, quite some flash, nothing aligns correctly. Definitely NOT fun to work with. 👎 😠
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August 16, 2020
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August 16, 2020
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August 16, 2020
The landscape base is finished, the borders have been cleaned and painted with metallic black, like the sides and the base. Plants, people, a goat and two trucks will arrive shortly...
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August 16, 2020
First step in weathering.
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August 16, 2020
First step in weathering.
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August 16, 2020
First step in weathering.
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August 16, 2020
Going on with the MGs.
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August 16, 2020
Second step of weathering.
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August 16, 2020
Weathering almost complete.
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August 16, 2020
Weathering almost complete.
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August 16, 2020
Weathering almost complete.
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September 5, 2020
I want to put some more tires on the Model T's, so I took a mold of one original three times using "magic plastic".
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September 5, 2020
Aaaaand... done! (actually, I had to clean up quite a bit to get to this state)
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September 5, 2020
And I decided to use part of the resin rest under a tarp of the transport van.
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January 16, 2021
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January 16, 2021
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January 16, 2021
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January 16, 2021
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January 16, 2021
I need more Lewis drums, so I decided to create a mould.
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January 16, 2021
Latex in the mould
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February 25, 2021
The result, with a first trial.
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February 25, 2021
One by one moulding isn't enough, so I made another one with many more pieces.
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February 25, 2021
And the result.
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February 25, 2021
A first moulding using two part resin.
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February 25, 2021
The strange form in the cup will come in handy in another project some time... I think... I hope!
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April 18, 2021
Back to work... Primer on a lot of little parts.
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April 18, 2021
And the base coat.
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April 22, 2021
The Aussies Light Car Patrols had a system to recuperate evaporating water from the radiator. Basically, it was a copper tube going from the top of the radiator to a metal box affixed to the left running board. It acted as a sort of alembic, letting the steam condense before flowing into the "reservoir". I'm currently trying to get it just right...
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April 22, 2021
This Ford T is a pickup, therefore it will transport a lot of supplies, some of which is stored in the old metal-framed wooden crate. The plan is for the gunner of the rear facing Lewis gun (still to be installed).
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April 22, 2021
The pickup with the water box.
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April 22, 2021
All the stuff that still needs to be placed on the two cars: ammo boxes, heads (don't ask me...), spare tires and (top right) ammo drums for the Lewis guns.
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April 27, 2021
Trunks are full now.
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April 27, 2021
What soldiers need when establishing a forward base somewhere...
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April 27, 2021
Day to day items next to the bench.
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April 27, 2021
The water reclamation coils are in place.
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June 5, 2021
Getting lewis ammo drums in pairs.
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June 5, 2021
Getting lewis ammo drums in pairs.
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June 8, 2021
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June 8, 2021
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June 8, 2021
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June 8, 2021
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June 8, 2021
Finished Ford model T from behind
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June 8, 2021
Finished Ford model T from the side
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June 8, 2021
Finished Ford model T from the front
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June 8, 2021
Finished Ford model T from the other side 😉
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June 8, 2021
Finished Ford model T from above

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
I used the book "Light Car Patrols 1916-19" and I learned that most of the cars the ANZAC "inherited" from the Brits were in bad condition. As the two Ford Model Ts were already build and as I didn't want to dent and cut the plastic, I decided to give them another kind of battered look...

16 August 2020, 21:39

Urban Gardini
How have I missed this one! Grabbing a seat...

16 January 2021, 15:42

Laurent VILLANUEVA HELLER ForEver
great

16 January 2021, 15:45

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Sorry, haven't been very active with my modelling lately. Work, family, a global pandemic and other sources of botheration have kept me away from my workbench.
The latest pictures show all I could do in the last two to three month...

16 January 2021, 15:51

Urban Gardini
No problem mate, take your time as irl always comes first and do some modelling here n' there to keep your sanity, well the little that is left anyway. You're a modeller after all and as such not sane...

16 January 2021, 15:56

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
@Urban Gardini: Thanks! Keeping my mental health is quite important to me... I work in a psychiatric clinic! 😉

16 January 2021, 16:40

Urban Gardini
Lucky thing though that you're modeller as we modellers tend to be a bit looney. But that's what saves us in the end! Jokes aside you do need the hobby so that you don't take your work with you home.

16 January 2021, 16:59

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
@Urban Gardini: Actually, yours and Laurent's new interest in this project has incited me to continue... I'm working on it again!
Right now, I'm trying to make a dozen ammo drums for the lewis guns, then I'll need to paint all the "new" stuff that I've been adding as details (like a system to recuperate evaporated water from the radiator, and such).
I actually thought that I had already done 90% of the project, but it's more like 65-70%.
Thanks! 👍

17 January 2021, 14:10

Urban Gardini
It'll be nice to follow your continuing work with the Aussies!

17 January 2021, 17:33

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
It's very slow going for the moment, as I'm quite busy and as my wife has taken over my desk for one of her own projects... What I wouldn't do for love... 🙂

25 February 2021, 21:56

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Got my workbench and tools back, so I can finally resume work on the Aussies. One happy camper!

18 April 2021, 16:43

Urban Gardini
Nice mate!

18 April 2021, 20:33

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Coming along nicely I think. Still need to paint all the Lewis ammo drums and the spare tires and then, I can finally set the scene in the desert.

27 April 2021, 18:56

Urban Gardini
Great work mate!

27 April 2021, 22:58

Urban Gardini
Here's some musical inspiration for you! Youtube Video

27 April 2021, 23:26

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Whow! Genuine goosebumps! Thanks!

28 April 2021, 07:04

Urban Gardini
No problem mate! The whole album is goosebumps material...

28 April 2021, 09:38

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
The next part is going to be tricky: simulating three or four flat tires bound together with leather straps. Those cars generally carried a lot of spare tires...
Where's that Dremel?

29 April 2021, 20:32

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Been otherwise busy lately. Silly thing called "work". I wonder why I do it...
Getting back on track during the weekend. Promised!?

7 May 2021, 21:28

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Promise broken...
But I'm trying to get back into the saddle now.

5 June 2021, 11:22

Nelson Paulo
Awsome so far!

5 June 2021, 16:51

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Thanks Nelson! I hope to be able to place the cars and soldiers on the dio soon.

5 June 2021, 19:35

Jay Dubya
Watching this with great interest René, the trucks look fantastic.
I had a great uncle to served with the Imperial Camel Corp, mostly patrolling in the desert. I'm pretty sure he told me that they used to make 'roads' across the theatre using 'chicken wire', because that's what the Aussies did on back on their farms.
Not sure if that fun fact made it into your references, even if it's entirely irrelevant to your dio!!!

6 June 2021, 01:37

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Hi Jay Duya! The book I use as reference (Book: Light Car Patrols 1916-19 (by Claud Williams)) briefly mentions this!
But, no, it doesn't come up in the dio... 😉

Light Car Patrols 1916-19 (Silphium Press, Society for Libyan Studies )

6 June 2021, 10:38

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Excellent and very interesting book, by the way.

6 June 2021, 10:44

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
The Ford Model T's are ready! Up to the dio now! (took a while, but I'll get there... I guess!)

8 June 2021, 19:46

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Thanks Bughunter! A like from you is high praise to me... 🙂

8 June 2021, 20:11

Laurent VILLANUEVA HELLER ForEver
great

9 June 2021, 09:27

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
I'm currently finalising the dio. All major objects are placed, I'll only need a day or two for the last little details.
I won't add any pictures the this album as I'll open another one with only pictures of the finished project.
35 likes at the time of writing... That's a record for me by far! Thanks to all likers, comment writers, hints, tips, etc. Much appreciated!

9 June 2021, 21:26

Peter Hardy
Stealth build! Just found it! Now glued to the build!

9 June 2021, 23:10

Daniel Klink
Amazing show wow!👍

9 June 2021, 23:12

Urban Gardini
Lovely mate!

10 June 2021, 00:04

Dominik Weitzer
superb built!

10 June 2021, 07:51

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Thanks a lot for all the reactions, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I find myself rather a third rate modeller and having so many positive reactions surprises me quite a bit. (you should see my WW1 planes and you'll know what I mean)
Work is ongoing, I'm currently putting some plant life into the Negev desert...

10 June 2021, 19:56

Peter Hardy
Nothing third rate in what I an seeing! A lot of outstanding modellers have left positive and encouraging comments above. I may add that I have been hounding Rui to do this dio for some months. Then I find yours nearly finished! Takes the pressure off Rui, well, for a while anyway!

10 June 2021, 23:05

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
It's finished!!! Finally!
Pictures of the finished project here: Australians in Palestine (FINISHED) | Album by petitbilbo (1:35)
Thanks for all the fish! No wait, that's not it... Thanks for all the kind posts and the likes! 😉

13 June 2021, 15:42

Urban Gardini
Always know where your towel is...

13 June 2021, 17:07

René (Lord Bilbo) Bartholemy Автор
Aaaaand: *Don't panic!*
(I actually really always carry a towel in my backpack...)

13 June 2021, 18:08