Oh, I'm happy with where I am but I do love me a challenge.
There's always room for improvement.

Your build made the RPFs Facebook page Dennis.

_________________
PFC Mike Rizzuto MVM
USS Blackhawk
3rd Batt 12th Regt

Nice! Craft your fandom indeed - all thanks to this community.

Now Dennis and I have been discussing paint, and said it would be worthwhile putting this in here...

It's all very contentious, and sometimes it really is like watching paint dry.

But here is a rough breakdown of my experiments thus far.

(where possible, all photos have been taken under natural light)

Here's a selection of paints, basically I bought all the browns/greens/greys the model shop had. It may not be ALL of them, but it's 'most'. Certainly the ones we're interested in.



Please note... if you look on the lids of some of the greens, I've painted the pot colour onto half the lid. You can clearly see an 'actual' colour to 'pot lid' colour difference. That's hurdle number 1.

I forgot 30 on the above picture, so here's one of the greens side by side.




Now... I'm using this picture below, which is of Harry's spectacular screen used suit for colour referencing. Thus far it's the only bit I can say that is definitely screen used, and the pictures are taken with the same camera under similar lighting conditions for all samples. Trying to minimise any light/filter disparities.


Harry's knee plate is on the RIGHT.

So I had a play.



These schemes have been painted on Silver HIPS, and then weathered with a light coat of "HotSpot" grate polish. Whilst it's not the same 'stuff' as what Terry used, it is similar and the same method.


From left to right. The colours are as follows.

91 Black Green, 98 Chocolate Brown, 147 Light Grey, 80 Grass Green, 63 Sand.
91 Black Green, 98 Chocolate Brown, 147 Light Grey, 30 Dark Green, 63 Sand.
91 Black Green, 160 German Red Brown, 1 Primer Grey, 78 Cockpit Green, 94 Brown Yellow.
91 Black Green, 98 Chocolate Brown, 147 Light Grey, 149 Dark Green, 93 Desert Yellow
91 Black Green, 98 Chocolate Brown, 147 Light Grey, 149 Dark Green, 94 Brown Yellow

I didn't do any more because the permutations list would be pretty immense. But I think that gives a reasonable selection.


*** Caveat to the above: There will be 'some' lighting difference, because they were not all taken at the same time in the same place, I do apologise for my tardiness in this respect. ***

And that's where I'm at.

_________________
You don't have to be pitilessly sadistic to work here.... But it helps.
http://www.chefs-creations.co.uk/shop/index.php/colonial-marine

http://www.kgbairsoft.com/wordpress

Here's a shot of my Hicks display. It's had one coat of the white spirit/MIG powder sauce which I feel is perfect for armour, but in photos it looks like there's no weathering at all .

Same problem here Nick, weathering never really shows up in photos. :/ Mine looks quite fitting to the naked eye.
Great piece of detecitive work there, Rob, maybe we'll need a revised list of seemingly "correct" Humbrol codes very soon, not only for that elusive Brown Bess.

The way things are going it'll just be easier to build a time machine and go buy the old tins in 1986

When you sort that out Nick, bring me back a bag load.

_________________
You don't have to be pitilessly sadistic to work here.... But it helps.
http://www.chefs-creations.co.uk/shop/index.php/colonial-marine

http://www.kgbairsoft.com/wordpress

I'd be round the bins at Pinewood Studios!

_________________
MSgt Matt Bradley 'Crashdown' (Formerly Mattb)
A12/TQ2.0.82145E1
CO UKCM 13th Regt. 1st Batt. 'Freebooters'
"There are very few problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives."

I now finished my RACAL headset, it's fully painted, detailed and slightly weathered.
The metal clip thingy is handmade, but it was a bit too thick of a material so the angles are a bit off. Dimensions are taken off an original, though - I might try slightly thinner aluminium sheet next time but this'll do for now.

How's the durability of the RACAL headset?

Quite durable, actually. It has metal components where stress will be applied and the main head band is from durable, flexible plastic, no resin. Rest is resin, but good quality.

Awesome, thank you. I've been considering ordering one from Spat.

That's not a Spat one though. He uses a standard headphone headband.

_________________
My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

Oh, drats. I didn't know. Thanks for mentioning that.

Oh, yeah, mine's not a Spat RACAL, it's from the RPF, got it from a friend who got it from there - can't name the seller but could find out if required.

Phenomenal job! Love it!

Thanks, Korrick!

I just now found a way for the manny to hold the PR, him awkwardly "presenting" the Gerber didn't really do it for me.

Looks way better, methinks:


I also like how fittingly blueish today's lighting turned out...and by chance, whaddayaknow.

That looks amazing Dennis,all in all Exellent work

Neil

_________________
Cpl N.Storey A12/TQ2.0.02132E1
MARINE RAIDER

Thanks Neil! If only I already had patches to go with the rest.
Next thing will be fading the BDUs, another step that I am hesitant about. Don't want too much of a fade but would like to achieve the on-screen look and how the original Hicks' stuff looks that just popped up on ebay.

After Mr. display mannequin decided to fall over, everything is fixed up and back in order. He is now affixed to the wall in the back, and standing in a new spot.
He is no longer holding the way too heavy metal Pulse Rifle.

Also, like how dark it all looks in that dim light in this pic:

Top notch work. You came further in 7 months than I did in the last 3 years! Very nice.

Looks pretty close to a real person in the dark.
Glad you fixed everything ready for the first drop in 2015.

_________________
Sgt. Frank Peters 'reload' Smartgun Operator
A03/TQ3.0.12136E1 "It will be no picknick!"
AL Colonial Admin. - Sergeant at Arms (SgtA) -- 2020-2022
GERCM - Executive Officer (XO)
UKCM Foreign Legion: The Deviant Dragoons

Thank you, bigbisont!
It's only one ALIENS costume for me so far and I see you have several, so I had to up the ante a bit when it came to speed-building and finishing.

It was more like 9-10 months all in all up until now and there is still a small ways to go though.

I can't for the life of me stop fiddling with this.

The camo pattern on the hard parts had been given a first, seemingly substantial amount of grimey weathering in black and browns. It was wiped on/off in several layers, like you would with grate polish, but done with diluted acrylics.

It looked quite good to the naked eye, but on pics, it never quite showed.

In light of the excellent new pics of Harry Harris' Hudson armour, I decided my armour needs some serious darkening-down, so I went ahead and weathered some more over it, this time more matte black and some greenish/OD paint (Ral 7013 for that matter) for good measure in spots to break it all up a bit more and go slightly more greenish. Also, most of the new layer is sprayed on acrylics via some heavy dusting directly from the can.
After that, I kicked the parts across the basement floor.

Here's some daylight pics.





And of course, the ever popular comparison pic with original armour, this one from ALIEN War (picture credit Harry Harris afaik - I hope it's OK to use?).

The respective shades of the colours look pretty bang on to me. Close up, the dusting technique is a bit noticeable but it brings the whole pattern together and gives it a used and dusty look.

Your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?