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!!