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I am hoping to build up the nerve to try one of these competitions.
As I have zero experience with scratch building anything, I don't stand a chance at winning anything but I could definitely learn a ton from all the C&C that comes with participating.

Congrats to the Red Harvest for the win!
I can't wait to see what the next round will bring!

Congrats to Red Harvest on a well deserved win, and to all participating for a great display!

And M0rdain, congratulations on the new member of the family, and hats off to you, having found the way to finish your entry with your newborn in arms!

Another well done job, Cam, on running the Comp, and thanks to Dr H and Zammerak for the judging as well.

As to the Dr's comments and observations, here would be fine with me,and I'd certainly like to hear you critiques and advice.

See you all in the next one.

bridesmaid reporting for duty...

well...we have seen this coming...for me it was a tie between Red and LT from the beginning... but I kept me teeth clenched and worked on...showing spirit

and I am eager to see what red will come up with for the next round...
to be honest I sent a little prayer to the sky when opening the thread when the title had changed... and while the page loaded (my connection allows the odd thought inbetween loading...) I also thought about what I would choose for a new theme... and I couldn´t come up with a new idea....I bet it will be quite a challenge in itself for him to get a new inspiring theme...which I will join nevertheless....nevertheless....*shakes fist and tries to catch the bouquet* (or should I say bucket to match this theme better? )

congratz Red Harvest... you earned it... I showed all entries my wife and she was also tied in her decision who should win...LT or you... so...well done mate...!

and I hope to see the others in the next one again...and of course all you fellas that still haven´t had the guts yet...I look at you Eyeamrai or Vineheart01 or Barnzie4Moop....join in next round... there is nothing to be lost here... you can only gain fame and knowledge!!! (also...your own threads get a good kicking in the recents too ...nothing to be sneezed at all there^^)

cheers, vik (also... would it have hurt to use the term best man instead of bridesmaid..........after all the best man gets to (%(% the bridesmaid...)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh one other note... Doc... feel free to give us harsh and helpful criticism...I want to win the next one !

GamesEtc wrote:So what is the next one? =P

Please say it is pimping out a FW Thunderhawk =P

Unless it's crashed into an interesting terrain feature, it looks unlikely.

EyeamRai: These competitions are all about pushing yourself and learning new modelling techniques. The winning is just a bonus, and decides who sets the next competition. The people round these parts are very open and we all learn from each other (even the most experienced modeller can learn something from the least experienced).

Littletower wrote:As to the Dr's comments and observations, here would be fine with me,and I'd certainly like to hear you critiques and advice.

Right you are, here you go:

Bare in mind that these are my opinions that I made during the judging and are only my opinions.
I don't intend to offend or embarrass anyone, I was in judging mode and was picking faults. Hopefully, I come across as helpful.

Disclaimer over, Littletower:
Great work, nice attention to detail and convincing painting.
Only problems I see with the build is a discontinuity in the mud about the base of the sinks and the metal sheets could have done with rivets to hold them on (I like practical details like this).

The plumbing looks great (and at least there are rivets on the boiler ) and the little details, such as the taps, towel hooks, bog roll, and barbed wire, etc... add so much to the look and feel of the piece.

The painting is also good. The rusty metal is brilliant (quite envious of it really). The other things, like the wood are also well done. The boiler could maybe be done a little better, possibly by the addition of some shading (or more obvious shading) before the weathering. There are a couple of tiny slips on the edges of the sink bowls, but that is the only issue I could spot (and I really had to look hard to find them).

An extra note upon conferring is that the mud could have benefited from a bit more work. With more mud-like details (puddles etc) and some plant life in quiet corners. Apart from the rusty metal, you maybe could have pushed yourself a bit further with the painting.

The toilets/waste disposal side of the piece could have been emphasised a bit more (I did like the trickle with used bog roll, but could have been more...), as the showers almost steal the limelight.

Great piece overall.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
oh one other note... Doc... feel free to give us harsh and helpful criticism...I want to win the next one !

You want it in here, Vik?

You can just PM me the details. This way I can print it easier and put it in my log book

sure... I know where I slipped but maybe you have some helpful ideas and so on...

I am sure peeps know that I am quite hard shelled^^

Thanks Dr, really insightful and great pointers for works-to-come.

Truth be told, I agree with most, if not all, of that: I am not totally satisfied with the ground myself - though about some greenery and decided against it to keep the trampled-ground look, but not all would be as stepped upon, and something would have grown here and there - moss, at least -. That would have helped to break it up a bit and add more colour variations. Or puddles, with some more water here and there.

And agreed too on the latrines vs. showers issue, with the showers catching more attention; I just didn't find what to do/add on them to pop them up more.

Again, thanks for taking the time. I'll re-post your comments in my own blog, if you don't mind, for future consult.

Vik, thanks for the vote of confidence, glad you like it too!

Just came to a scary realization.... Both Cam, and LT will be (are eligible to be) competing in the next comp.... Were doomed

GamesEtc wrote:You can just PM me the details. This way I can print it easier and put it in my log book

Will do.

Viktor von Domm wrote:sure... I know where I slipped but maybe you have some helpful ideas and so on...

I am sure peeps know that I am quite hard shelled^^

Good good. Here you go:
(Insert the previous disclaimer here)
Vik;
Good effort. Really tells a story, and a humorous one at that. The poses and facial expressions of the guardsmen are great. Good work on the modifications like the dropped trousers.

The build work is good and I only found a couple of small gaps that could have been filled (where the lifting loops meet the toilet roof, for example).
On that note, I may have been tempted to fill all the join lines in the mimic loo (while leaving them as is on the others) to give it a really smooth finish, maybe even gone as far as to round all the corners slightly, just to emphasise the organic nature of the mimic.

The only other thing that lost you points on the building front was a lack of extra details; the base is very plain and needs some rubble/litter/dirt build-up in corners and some plant life would have been nice (could have even had it dying off around the mimic).

Before I move on to painting, I shall chastise you for your photography . It's difficult to judge something when half the pictures are blurry. You may have lost marks because something was missed (e.g. I only noticed that there was added detail to the mimic's green blobs (eyes?) from one of many pictures that they were in), or you may have been marked down for something that appears messy where it is, in fact, intentional weathering.

Your choice of colours is good and your painting is generally quite neat (I didn't find any slips). The use of washes could have benefited from some tidying up after application, to blend the dark patches into the main colour and avoid those "high-tide" marks.

While the toilets look quite grubby, the fence looks quite clean, so that could have done with a bit more weathering.
Your people could do with a little more work too; The skin could do with a layer or two of highlights to contrast with the shadows of the washes. Their uniforms could also do with some more highlights on the red to really bring out the details.

The inside of the mimic is generally good; the purple to pink could have been more gradual in places by building up the pink with many passes of gentle dry-brushing. More contrast again would improve the look of the fleshy parts (Yay for tentacles!).

The green slime on the fence and ground is good, do your other colours more like that and you will step up a level.
The graffiti is good and looks like it should in any toilet, timeframe, setting, or planet.

Very characterful piece and it was only the painting that really hurt you.

Littletower wrote:Thanks Dr, really insightful and great pointers for works-to-come.

Truth be told, I agree with most, if not all, of that: I am not totally satisfied with the ground myself - though about some greenery and decided against it to keep the trampled-ground look, but not all would be as stepped upon, and something would have grown here and there - moss, at least -. That would have helped to break it up a bit and add more colour variations. Or puddles, with some more water here and there.

And agreed too on the latrines vs. showers issue, with the showers catching more attention; I just didn't find what to do/add on them to pop them up more.

Again, thanks for taking the time. I'll re-post your comments in my own blog, if you don't mind, for future consult.

Vik, thanks for the vote of confidence, glad you like it too!

Glad to help. Go for it.

Some quick ideas for the toilets Vs. showers thing. Making the trickle bigger/longer/more obvious would help, as it looks more like a small add-on, rather than a feature (the showers got a large tank, the toilets got a little trickle).

Possibly, filling one of the toilet stalls with rubbish/junk/garbage bags would also draw attention to the toilet/waste disposal side of the piece. Could have added a humorous side to the piece, also. Not that that is always necessary, but sometimes a nice touch.

hey doc, thanks for the insights... I know my painting is to be considered soso...I am actually most of the time not really knowing what I am doing...(no fishing for compliment here... it really is a problem of me...) I am a strict "out of the pot" painter... I see in this so many levels of problems that hinders me to get to a next level... also I do know about drybrushing it seldom really works the way I want it to be looking like... which is always something that keeps me from using that technique later on again as I am anticipating a sub par outcome beforehand...as you pointed out the eyes of the mimic for instance...I first basecoated them with DA green...then wanted to add a drybrush with scorpion green...(harsh contrast between these two hues)...the half sphere of these eyes is looking almost like the eye of a fly...so a drybrush would have brought forth the detail of this shape in my opinion quite good... alas I ruined the drybrushing completely and thus I just then basecoated again with scorpion green and then washed with green wash to oblivion...ruining the details in the end totally and this made me actually quite frustrating...

your idea to make all the edges of the mimic smooth or rather organic.... I had the idea to cover all of the mimic with pva and then use super glue on the still wet pva... this gives a nice organic feel to the surfaces...I used it inside ...but I decided against it on the outside figuring that the mimic on the outside should look as close to the true toilets as it could do...it was a gamble...you never know when working on how your inner vision gets deciphered by the judges ...

I share your thoughts about the rather "empty" looking ground of the base... some heaps of dirt here and there and maybe the odd sign of plantlife really would have helped... again all these didn´t happen because of my hobby adhd... I should really learn to focus on top of all the other things I should learn...most of the time my mind is racing and my hands can´t keep up...it is most vexing...

also... you are of course right... the pictures are quite bad... I know I can and did already better pictures for the past competitions... I was rushing the whole job in the end... my fault... in fact... I only completed the entry to honor every others entry by still being with you here in the end and also to honor cam´s idea and the amount of work you judges put here too... so out of respect I probably should have done even more......
as for the soldiers...well...whenever I pic up a brush I am getting a higher pulse...it isn´t really my part of the hobby where I feel firm... never yet has my vision of a model be par with the executing of the project... which is a constant frustration... I guess I should one day start to get into a GW shop and actually paint some models with other fellow painters... as much as the talk here and all the stuff I see here helps me, it isn´t enabling me currently with the aid I need when I pick up a brush...I dunno if you all can understand me here... sometimes it is like you need the super nanny of painting sitting above your shoulder to give you a when it is needed in the very moment...so that you can correct yourself in due time...and not get the feedback when you´ve dug yourself yet again your own grave....

thanks doc for being honest... I got quite a lot of new ideas I need to implement into my next entry... we live we learn! .thumbsup: and never give up!^^

cheers, vik

Thanks for the congrats guys.

Well, I am pleasantly surprised. Congratulations to Littletower and Vik and Games Etc and M0rdain. Excellent entries gentlemen, It is an honor to be in the contest with you all.

 EyeamRai wrote:
I am hoping to build up the nerve to try one of these competitions.
As I have zero experience with scratch building anything, I don't stand a chance at winning anything but I could definitely learn a ton from all the C&C that comes with participating.

Congrats to the Red Harvest for the win!
I can't wait to see what the next round will bring!

Jump right in. You'll learn best by doing.

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
will you also nourish us with beer and hot dogs for free as the old writings proclaim?

Uhm, Bratwurst? Hot dogs are nasty. At least they are in the USA. :( We do all right with beer. So do you guys, and the Brits. (Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Mmmm)

and Vik, practice is the only way to truly improve painting. Theory is nice, but you need to develop the muscle memory.

DrH, Since we are having a public M&M, go ahead and let me have it. (I probably can guess few things... a gap in the wall joints? Forgot to glue it all together before photographing , exterior painting was tabletop quality (IMHO), needed some printed signage, the absence of a base -- which is a deliberate choice to make the building playable. and portable.)

As I understand it, I got next? Feel free to PM with advice on running it, and any other details. I plan to re-read through the other contest threads tonight or tomorrow.

I personally loved your piece, my only argument was that nothing jumped out. It was all very clean and very detailed but nothing jumped of the page. I had my Girl Friend help me with the tough calls and both of us loved the piece and it was clearly well done but her words were... Prepare yourself.. "its really good, but its boring" There was nothing fun or interesting (besides the overall hex design) it was very well done but nothing overly interesting.

Hope that makes sense!?

Again I LOVED your piece, I am in no way saying it was sub par by any means!

Any hints on the theme of the next comp?


And Yay! 200 posts!

Vik: Quite a long reply, hence spoiler.

Red Harvest wrote:DrH, Since we are having a public M&M, go ahead and let me have it. (I probably can guess few things... a gap in the wall joints? Forgot to glue it all together before photographing , exterior painting was tabletop quality (IMHO), needed some printed signage, the absence of a base -- which is a deliberate choice to make the building playable. and portable.)

I didn't actually knock points off for the wall joins. I knew you had built it "explode-able" to get at the inside. So I ignored those gaps. I did notice some rough edges of the walls that you lost a point for though.

You also didn't loose anything for not having a base (you didn't gain anything for what could have been done on a base either).

(insert the usual disclaimer)
Red Harvest:
Great attention to detail. From the taps, soap dispenser, toilet flush, shower parts, to the working doors, shelves in the shower and the hand dryers and bog-roll dispensers and the things outside.

Good use of scrap, such as the pill things for sinks, pins for the shower and taps etc. Very impressed with what you can achieve with your material of choice for the walls. Although you did stick with what you know best, you did push yourself with all the little details.

Good job with the layout within the confines of a hexagon (although you are probably used to this with all the other buildings). Matches the look and feel of your other terrain.

Good use of the printed textures and the colours worked well (although didn't count towards your painting scores, they did count for the colour choices and use of materials). I would have been very impressed if they had been painted (even if they hadn't reached the level of the printed detail). You actually gained points for the freehand signs that you wouldn't have if they had been printed.

You only really lost marks on little slips and rough edges.
Even though it's hidden when the doors are "shut", you should have finished off the top of the door (yes I remove marks for hidden things too).

Some of the corners of the outer walls are curling up a little and should have been tidied. Some of the edge highlighting and the dry-brushing (as discussed in my thread recently) could be neater. As you said, tabletop quality; effective, but could be better.

Fantastic effort all over. very nice piece.

Thanks for the C&C. Always helpful. Y'know the wear and tear on the edges comes from opening and closing the thing so many times. Next time I'll use some watered down PVA glue to harden them first.

Top of the door. Last minute painting, and I didn't want it to stick. So, next time, paint as I go to avoid that. I think paint as I go is the better plan for future projects anyway. Lesson learned. Now, to apply it.

Had an interesting time tracking down all the LoER threads. So I updated the article here http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_-%3DL%3D-Terrain_Competitions with the relevant links for contests 5-10.

congrats to the winners, hope the next one falls under good time frames for me so i can participate.

I need to make some good orky terrain lol. Well, tau too but thats a bit harder to make look right.

Yeah, if one of these falls in the winter I won't be as likely to drop out from it. I really wasn't expecting my diorama to take so long but things rarely go to plan.

Congrats to Red, and everyone who finished a project, they're all quite nice!

Next contest is live and you can find it here http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/609100.page#7093794 so come on over.

I hope everyone finds it worthwhile. And I heard about time frames, so there is some flexibility there.

And this is the first time I've led an internet contest. I have run RL painting contests, so... I'm not a total rookie. C&C for how to better things, always welcomed.

*rubs hands*

Sorry for the delay, new child and all. Its some good pieces to have lost to. I had great fun doing my poo demon I'm aware it could be better so would appreciate some C&C here. Here will be fine, don't want to spoil the flow.

doc?... will talk to you about all that on your thread then... but thanks for all that insight again!

Feed Back from Dr H.

Right so, actual feedback. Usual disclaimer, etc...

Cool reference and a great idea to use hot glue to make it. The colouration of the daemon and the surrounding mud is well done (I would say, the best mud of the competition). The basing with the mud and rocks and tiling is very good.

There are a couple of things I, personally, would have changed about the daemon; The yellow beak I would have blended it into the body and painted it brown to match. It looks too much like a beak and make the whole thing look like a chocolate-owl daemon, not a gak daemon, but that's a personal choice.
The fingers, though could have done with a bit more blending into the body, they still look stuck on and not part of the arm.

The remains of the outhouse could have been made to look more like it was originally an outhouse. While you have added the cross beam to the door at the front, the rest of the wooden pieces look like they have been randomly stuck in the mud around the daemon. If they were pushed up straight they wouldn't form the shape of the hut and any cross beams and corner supports have vanished (unlike on the front). If, on the other hand, they had been placed like that as part of the summoning ritual, they could have been made to look more like they had been placed in a ritual-like way. Somehow, more deliberate.

The reading material is nice, good effort on the freehand. Maybe could have done with some more colour on the written pages, some blocks of smaller script/type and the pages could have been made less stiff and lay more like real paper would have.

Some of the splatter could be improved by adding some smaller/finer splashes/dots. It looks a bit too regular in places and then there are patches of fine spray which should be more evenly distributed (some heavy splashes are next to areas with no splashes). You need more random in your random.

There is also a large gap where the paint has peeled away at the base of the toilet.

Then there is the scale/theme. It's too large to be a real toilet and as you say, it's a representation of a toilet being used to summon a daemon. However, is that really then an area where your army disposes of waste, or is the use of waste just part of a ritual? It can possibly be argued either way, but for me it doesn't quite fit the theme as well as it could have.

Overall, you weren't that far behind Vik and Games'. It really was a close thing across the whole competition.

It is a good, fun piece and that is what it was intended as.

Hey all! congrats to the winners!! Some amazing pieces in the mix there!!

Hanging my head in shame at my late drop out.... but going to take my butt over to the new competition link and throw my name in the hat!

Really awesome stuff on show! Going to really get the thinking cap on for this next one!

Cheers all!

Vik: I'm always glad to talk techniques. I may not be the best, or have all the answers. But I try to help.

M0rdain: Hope it helps.

It was helpful, thank you.

(in regards to the bit of paint that had peeled off. It happened when removing it from my paint station / empty paint pot covered in blue tack. but i did not have time to re paint. i kept putting it aside with baby stuff. hence why he was glued as is)