The Nam – in 1:72
The Nam – in 1:72, a little diorama project broken in to 3 parts.
This little project used some Elhiem figures that I reviewed in Quick look at Elhiem 1:72 (20mm) figures. In this case the NAM01 – US Army M16s Advancing set of four figures.
I also incorporated the two Geek Gaming products that I reviewed in the following YouTube video:
And an old JB Models kit, the M113 ACAV personnel carrier.
So I’ll break the post down in to 3 sections, to cover , the M113 build, figure painting and finally the base creation.
The Nam – in 1:72 – JB Models M113
I picked this kit up on Ebay many years ago for quite a cheap price. It just came in a bag with the instruction sheet and decals.
It is a very simple kit, designed more for war gaming than as a detailed kit. But it is the only M113 I have in my stash.
To help improve its appearance, and to give me a toe dip in to doing simple modifications I did the following.
- Replaced the triangular tie downs with some bent pieces of staples. The original parts were just lumps of plastic
- Created some sandbags from miliput, just to give the top of the carrier some interest
- Added a small wooden box, created from cut own coffee stirring sticks
After giving the parts a coat of primer, the carrier was painted Tamiya Olive Drab XF-62.
I then added some washes of Citadel Colour Agrax Earthshade This project was the first time that I have tried the Citadel washes, and I was quite impressed with how they worked.
As you can see, I did not add the turret for the 50 cal or the 2 M60’s. The shields for the M60’s were not very good. Plus it was a bit vague as to where they should be placed. I quite like it as a standard M113.
I also didn’t use the decals, as they had degraded quite a bit. I’m also on the look out for some crew figures to be placed on and in the vehicle. So still a work in progress!
The Nam – in 1:72 – The figures
As mentioned above, I picked these Elhiem figures up a few months ago. This is the third set that I have painted, I’m hoping that my figure painting skills are improving!
Painting these figures also gave me an excuse to try out some Citadel washes that I have purchased. The two that I have are Agrax Earthshade and Reikland Fleshshade I love how Citadel give their paints such exotic and fun names. Have to admit that I was impressed on how well they work as washes.
Looking at the photos, I should have given the figures a coat of matt varnish, as they are a little bit shiny. Oh well, we live and learn.
The Nam – in 1:72 – The base
Being on a bit of a budget at the moment, I can’t really justify spending lots on my hobby. So the base for this little diorama is a 4×6 inch photo frame from a B&M store. Think it was 3 in a set for a couple of £.
Steps taken for the base:
- Sealed the photo frame backing board with PVA glue
- Cut some polystyrene into a slight slope feature and glued this to the photo frame backing
- Gave the polystyrene a good coat of PVA
- Mixed PVA with DAS modelling clay and mushed this on to the backing board
- Decided where I wanted the figures placing and then superglued them to the base
- Attempted to cover the metal bases of the figures with the PVA/DAS mixture
- Once dried gave it all a coat of Humbrol 29 Dark Earth
- Gave the areas that I wanted the Geek Gaming Scenics to be on a good coat of PVA
- Sprinkled on the Geek Gaming Scenics. I used Tiaga Hillside for the flat and Mediterranean Soil on the slope
- Once the grass etc had dried. I gave it a spray of artist colourless fixative
- Using some twigs from the garden and some loose flock, created 3 ‘generic trees’
Overall, quite pleased with how the ground work came out.
The Nam – in 1:72 – Finished
Stuart Fowle is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
