Sayonara, Building a 1/35th Japanese Garden.

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/13/13

That's so cool, it's like it just came to life!

Why thanks son,

I almost didn't post the patina at this stage because it looks like a mess, but, what the hell, it will look much better after two more steps.

Hi Bob,

Beautiful craftsmanship

The wood grain on the doors is perfect and the gazebo is awesome !!!! Great use of some pe fencing there and the patina is superb.


Randy

Thanks Randy,

Well, the patina will improve a lot when it is done!

Very , very cool Uncle Bob , beautiful work as always .........

The Andrea dude looks neat , any more figs. gonna participate ?

Thanks Glenn,

There will be four figures altogether. The Buddha statue, the Andrea Samurai statue, then, as this is kind of a sequel to the Marlon Brando movie Sayonara, there will be the Major Ace Gruver figure, Korean war U.S, Air Force Jet ace.

I will be converting the American Officer in the Masterbox kit, MB 3514 to a Korean war vintage Air Force uniformed Marlon Brando.

I will also convert a figure I bought in Japan to a wedding dressed Hana-Ogi.

Here is a photo of a Japanese wedding kimono.

They will be standing on the bridge after the wedding. You kinda had to see the movie!

 

[MrT]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/13/13

I have seen the movie! This is going to be great!

 

[Duke Maddog]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

This is really stunning work! I'm amazed at how realistic it all looks!

I wonder, on the Gazebo, are the pipes on the roof supposed to go in two directions? You've got some with the angles facing down and some with the angles facing up.

I am really looking forward to the girl in the wedding kimono and the Air Force officer. They are gonna look fantastic.

 

[ij001]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Just spent 20mins reading through this thread.... Takes a lot to render me speechless.

I am speechless.

Ian

 

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/13/13

I have seen the movie! This is going to be great!

Thanks Terry, I have always liked that movie. It came out in 1957, but I saw it first in the Maginot Caserne US army base theater in Verdun, France in 1959. I've probably watched it a dozen times over the years.

This is really stunning work! I'm amazed at how realistic it all looks!

I wonder, on the Gazebo, are the pipes on the roof supposed to go in two directions? You've got some with the angles facing down and some with the angles facing up.

I am really looking forward to the girl in the wedding kimono and the Air Force officer. They are gonna look fantastic.

Thanks Duke!

I should have mentioned that. You have a good eye! I build as I go along. I start with a shape and defined dimensions, then begin detailing. When I cut those tubes at an angle I intended to use them like that. After I affixed a couple, I was disappointed and decided to put a larger tube, a sleeve if you will, over those to make them more prominent. After that, they were all cut at an angle to make sliding the sleeves over them, but it no longer mattered which direction they were pointing as they would not be seen. The gazebo is nearly finished. I plan on posting it monday or tuesday along with some other progress. By the way, they should have all been pointed down as are commonly seen in Japanese architecture.

The wedding kimono won't be much of a conversion, however, going from WW II Ike jacket to 1950s Air Force dress blues could get tricky.

Just spent 20mins reading through this thread.... Takes a lot to render me speechless.

I am speechless.

Ian

That's quite a compliment Ian,

I appreciate it! I hope when it is finished, it lives up to that one!

 

[lupanzer]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Dear Bob.

...no words to express your work!...simply amazing



Luiz

 

[zwettejef01]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Hallo Bob with this message I can tell you that I also am registered on this site since last friday ; I've also seen on your last e-mail what you are "cooking" as present for your daughter and knowing your previous work I think you will surpass yourself again !
greetings ,
Eddy

 

[moon puppy]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Hey Eddy! Welcome aboard, why don't you do an Introduction for us all here?
https://www.modelersalliance.com/forum/introduction-forum
Thanks

 

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Hallo Bob with this message I can tell you that I also am registered on this site since last friday ; I've also seen on your last e-mail what you are "cooking" as present for your daughter and knowing your previous work I think you will surpass yourself again !
greetings ,
Eddy

Great Eddy, so glad to see you here.

Getting ready to post a large update.

Bob

 

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

I've had more time than usual and was able to accomplish a lot!

First, I built the bridge. I'm getting short on time, the wooden version would have had a lot more work with not as much drama, so I switched to masonry. here is the basic form I started with.

Then detailed out.

[

Finished the gazebo.

[

And built a Japanese Garden Lantern. I set it there for the photograph only. It will go somewhere else.

[

I gave the entire diorama, stone and earth, a base coat. The rocks are panzer gray, camouflage gray and light earth.

Then, 3 days later, I gave it all a wash using raw umber Artist's oil, thinned with rectified turpentine, applied with any large brush, then blotted most of it off with an old T-Shirt. here about a third of the bluff washed. (On the left).

[

Then all the way to the waterfall. Notice how the wash adds earth tones to the otherwise bluish cast of the rocks that looks so fake.

Here is the bluff completely washed. I'll wait a couple of days, then begin dry brushing in the highlight colors. BTW, the wash appears much darker now then when it dries. It will lighten considerably. The red and black gate will straddle the path when glued in place later.

The courtyard base coated. It will get the same wash treatment as the bluff and groundwork.

Finally, here is an overall shot of the diorama. I am always glad to get to this stage as it will really begin coming to life now.

Til next time

 

[Sharkmouth]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Really elegant...

Regards,

 

[moon puppy]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

 

[jknaus]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Updte Nov. 3 2013

Beautiful
James

 

[Duke Maddog]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Updte Nov. 3 2013

I'm completely blown away! I cannot find words to express how incredible this is!

I do hope you have pics of your daughter's face when she sees this! I am just....speechless.

 

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Really elegant...

Regards,

Thanks Saul!

Thanks son, I have to get my rear moving. Down to 30 days left!

Beautiful
James

Thanks James!

I'm completely blown away! I cannot find words to express how incredible this is!

I do hope you have pics of your daughter's face when she sees this! I am just....speechless.

Thanks. You know, I always try to do just that. I have three of her seeing them complete for the first time. Of course, that means in person for the first time, she follows the builds on here and my website as well. She prefers modeler's alliance because she likes to read the comments. She says they are always a surprise because they look different in person than on the web.

 

[MrT]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Yep this is very cool!!

Terry

 

[Tim A.]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Update 10/23/13

Geez Bob, absolutely stunning!


Tim

 

[bob letterman]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Updte Nov. 3 2013

Made a giant leap this post. Gotta make that deadline!

First, we have had a fig tree since 1998, 15 years. It has grown from a tiny little sapling in a tiny pot to this almost 100 pound tree. We even named it Howard way back in 2001 when we took a trip to the west coast with Dave Harper and Bill Chillstrum in the motor coach. We used to take it on trips and it would sit on the dash. All good things must come to an end. While we were away for a few days, we left Howard on our deck, it rained for three days straight and he was soaked. We did everything we could but he just didn't make it. I stopped Susan from pitching it because I knew I would need a lot of small branches in this diorama to convert into trees. So.... Howard is gone, but he will be immortalized in the diorama Sayonara.

The last photo I took of the last post was this one.

I gave all the groundwork a wash of raw umber artist's oil diluted with Rectified turpentine.

Every inch of the landscaping got the wash treatment, it pulls the diorama together. Buildings and nature begin to blend in tone over time as rain snow, sun and wind embed all surfaces with an earth tone that is perfectly replicated by raw umber. Without washing everything in the diorama, the buildings especially have an undesirable toy-like appearance. As you will see later, I even wash static grass.

Next, I did a lot of dry brushing on the stones. I used Khaki Drill, Matt white, a military tan for the dry brushing, using some artists oil burnt Sienna to add subtle reddish tones to the rocks as well.

Here is a photograph I found in a magazine that has the look of what I eventually want this to have. I'm not duplicating it, just the "Feel".

[

Then, before I add the resin water, I painted the back wall of the waterfall with gloss clear. That gives it a wet look and later, it will enhance the water by having an appearance of being soaked by the waterfall. If you notice on the picture of the real waterfall, on either side, the very dark color is pretty close to what I have duplicated here.

Then I started applying the static grass to the bluff first.

Then throughout the diorama.

I also washed the cobblestone path with the Raw umber mixture.

Finally, overall shots from the right and left. With the static grass, the topographic aspects of the diorama can be more readily seen, the swales and berms.

I have also began converting the two figures, and next up I will "wash" the static grass. It will make a big difference. Now it looks too much like Easter Egg basket grass. Then the dozens of trees, plants and flowers.

 

[moon puppy]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Updte Nov. 3 2013



Fig trees, hell they grow like weeds around here. Nice touch adding a member of the family to the scene

 

[MrT]

New birthday project. Japan dio. Updte Nov. 3 2013

Fantastic!!!

Terry