Collins Does a Weekend Challenge

I always liked the poster art that went with Rogue One. It is one of my favourite new Star Wars films. People rag on it but for me it has all the elements of Star Wars that I want with the exception of Jedi, but they’re meant to be rare so im glad they didn’t really feature.

Then Dark Fire Designs released a set of stormtroopers that were almost perfect for this. on my Facebook chat the local Legion group were all ‘meh what’s the point of these guys, they’re not shooting etc’ so I thought I would prove these naysayers wrong and learn some new skills.

I have never worked with resin as a water feature material. I used a gel medium about 5 years ago for a BoW terrain challenge which worked but was slow to cure, overly pigmented and just a bit pants really. Now it is time to up the game and take a bit of art I really like and turn it into reality.

Now to make this a weekend challenge I have of course prepared. Namely got as many bits I’ll need together and preprinted the models.

the models were downloaded mid-week and printed off on an anycubic photon. it took a few hours to do all 5 of them and a spare head.

All the materials I think I will need have been purchased ahead of time.

plasticard for the base, tile grout for the sand, an aesthetically pleasing stick for the tree trunk, and a lot of water clear epoxy resin from CFS fibreglass. I also bought a Winsor & Newton cobalt ink to try and tint it with.

So some minor cheating but it is acceptable. After all Jamie’s 30 min meals all have preheated pans, ovens and boiled water so it is really a smart thing to plan and prep ahead.

This leaves 2 days and one evening to do this challenge

It’s important to rough up the surface so it gives the glues and grout somewhere to bond to, without it I risk the whole thing popping off. I am already risking warping at this size (20cm x 15cm).

The gallery above shows smooth (light reflective) and roughed up (not as reflective) surfaces. aka before and after. I used a mouse sander for this because it is quick and I happen to own one.

Make a tuna mayo with sculptamold and then just slap it on in a random fashion. I elected to bury the stick in this too as it would give it the look of being part of the beach rather than just stuck down.

I used a handful of the material and a dash of water. Then some more water just to smooth it down once it starts to dry. Now to walk the dog in the hope it dries while i’m gone and doesn’t warp!!

Firstly, DON’T USE SAND!

Secondly, prepare for mess, lots of mess.

WARNING!

when you mix ISO and ModPodge in the spray bottle you get a lovely gloop, thankfully it didn’t land on the diorama so crisis was averted. you have been warned though.

also, don’t smoke when ISO is being sprayed about, it is flammable after all.

Ok so the first play with resin wasn’t a roaring success but lets face it, the first time never is, and usually has an element of disappointment and shame in it.

I reached out online to ask for advice.

I can do a deep (25mm) pour with this resin but I need to keep it warm and viscose to allow the bubbles to float to the top and then use the burner on them.

I am currently running a second test with different tints in it to see how well I can put layers into it and see whether that will affect it.

the good news is the stick and the garden moss appear to look pretty good so I know that plan will work, at least in the short term, the moss could still rot. to combat this it has been on the radiator all day to try and dry it out, it won’t kill it or any bacteria on it but I will limit the moisture that gets encased in the resin. we will see. I thought about using poly fibre (cushion filling) but I really like the little leaves/spines that moss has and I cannot think of a way to replicate it yet.

Decided to do a shallow pour so I could get to all the bubbles with the burner more easily.

I added two ink colours to it this time to show where the layers join to see if it has a noticeable join line in the resin

Overall I am happier with my second attempt. I think it will be safer for me to do the pours in a few very thin layers.

I only need to build up to knee height on a stormtrooper and that is about 1cm… I haven’t got any Luke Skywalkers in this bunch!

The question now is do I put one layer of slightly tinted blue and then a few layers of clear, after all ‘water’s not blue’ is the new catchphrase over on the LukesAPS Facebook group. and they’re right, its reflective of its environment, but Scarif is basically the atolls of Mauritius and they have a lot of blue sky there. Just look at my research images.

I’ve done three layers in a cup test now.

First layer (lowest) was a blue ink layer with 2 drops of ink

Second layer (middle) was a aqua layer, with a 2:1 ratio of blue to green as the green is very very vibrant.

Third layer is clear with no ink.

Each layer was attacked with the burner but I must admit to spending much more time on the top layer. I found vibrating the cup (gentle shake and tapping) helped the bubbles get to the top where they were then easy prey for the burner.

I think I will do one layer of green/blue and the others all clear. and that’s based off looking at photos of Mauritius. I know it changes with the weather and that the water in the image I like is grey blue but I want to give the theme of warm sunny climes.

My test pieces were a lot faster to cure to a point that I was happy to put another layer on. This first pour is taking it’s sweet time.

To encourage the heat cured resin along its merry path I have put an oil heater under the desk and put a cardboard box over the model. This will increase the air temp around the model a lot more quickly than simply leaving it near a radiator.  I will need to check it often to make sure no bubbles take hold!

The second pour took a lot less tittyfarting that the first one. Luke (geek gaming Luke) suggested that it was because the ink was affecting the resin. I dismissed him at first and thought it was because I had overwhipped it or just down to my inexperience with resin but now after the second shallow pour I now agree with him.

I will have to keep that in mind or search for specific epoxy resin tints.

The image probably was taken in the shallows of a beach inside a natural harbour of the atoll. That means there will only be very subtle waves, basically disturbances from the wind and the people walking around in it.