On the Edge of the Precipice - Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

I am going to call this done on this prescient narrative of a Landser perched precariously off the edge of a bombed out rubble during the early stages of the Battle of Stalingrad. I suppose it does reflect the hubris of the Army Group South during the summer of 1942 - and not realising the vulnerable situation they will soon find themselves in the coming months.

As a finishing touch, I decided to incorporate some building features like the street lamp and rain gutter from MiniArt Models. The painting was mainly done with acrylic paint from AK Interactive and Vallejo. For now this might be the closest I can get to making a diorama.  

Cheers,

Calvin

On the Edge of the Precipice - Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

 Inching closer to getting this completed. 

Cheers, 

Calvin

On the Edge of the Precipice - Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

More progress on the painting for the Splinter pattern helmet cover, uniform and rifle. I have also attached the gas mask canister to the figure at the back with a strap made from a strip of paper stiffen with super glue. 

I noticed that the details of the 1/35 scale gas canister was lacking in some areas due to the injection moulding process.

For instance, some rows of the recessed lines on the canister's body were missing. To engrave those lines, I first affixed the canister onto a plastic H-beam with Blue-Tac for easy handling. 

Next, I took the measurement of the space between two alternate rows with a pair of dividers. 

I proceeded to engrave the lines with needle of the dividers. One point was placed on an existing line as a guide  to maintain a straight path as a new line is engraved with the other.

The top and bottom of the canister are detailed by mounting it onto an improvised lathe in the form of a  14-V hand held drill. The body is cushioned with a layer of masking tape to prevent the drill's clamp from damaging the details of the canister. A broken off pen knife blade was used as a cutter to form the circular disc on the base and top lid.

Cheers,

Calvin

On the Edge of the Precipice - Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

Some progress on the uniform,  insignia and helmet cover this evening. The collar tabs and breast eagle are from the decals that came with the kit. I also decided to remove the chin strap on the helmet cover and add a new one around his face to convey a more "in the field" look. 

Cheers,

Calvin

On the Edge of the Precipice - Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

Putting behind the box art assignment from Alpine Miniatures, I resumed work on the Landser over the weekend. I also took the opportunity to try out the Field Grey tone from AK Gen 3 paint for the tunic. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Calvin

On the Edge of the Precipice -Feldwebel, 389 Infantry Division, Stalingrad, 1942

Here is something new I have been working on for the past week after the Star Wars binge builds. I suppose the main play of this project is to use a tall feature to elevate the presentation of the figure to create a vertical composition. How the figure got up there is besides the point; I wanted this to be a metaphor about the vulnerable situation of the German 6th Army group and their impending fall. 

The figure is from  Tamiya German Infantry Set (Mid-WWII)  (Item 35371) embellished with a Hornet head sporting the Splinter camouflage helmet cover. I felt that the body lacked the bulk to compliment the head and thus went about to pad some parts of the trousers and arms with epoxy putty.

The pipes and valve gates are made from sprues, styrene strips and rods. The brick wall is constructed from interlocking various parts of the brick wall set from Hero Hobby Kits. In all 3 sets were used for the wall - with some left over for debris and other future projects. They were textured with a ball burr on a drill - pretty much the same technique used to recreate the cast iron texture on armoured vehicles. Just a few more odds and ends to tie up before I break out the paints.

Cheers,

Calvin