Akita Mountain

[cteno4]

Wonderful model and wonderful tale!

 

thanks

 

jeff

[gavino200]

7 hours ago, Tom C said:

Have you noticed that 'Hot stuff' by Donner Summer can be interpreded both ways ? 🤔

 

What? It's clearly a song about sake. Is there another way it can be interpreted?

[Tom C]

8 hours ago, gavino200 said:

 

What? It's clearly a song about sake. 

👍👍

 

Hot sake on a cold winters day to wash down a mochi while admiring the fine snow clad vista 🙂 

[Tom C]

A Distinguished gentleman.



As an occasional visitor to the temple, he has been noted at always to be seen, the carrying of a rosewood handeled walking cane upon his bodily person. Though quite why so is something of that of a mystery ? As he would, to the best of presumption, appear to be far from the age of such necessity.
All that is known of the gentleman in question, is that he made a rather most substantial donation to the monastery of Akita and that the aforementioned is rumored to be in his possession, that of a parts milling enterprise of some repute.

The bridge gate is made from a paper kit by Sankie:



It is beautifully designed and a delight to build.

[maihama eki]

Very nice! Tres bien! The figure and the snow on the roofs are outstanding.

[cteno4]

Sankei are great fun to build, very zen like process. Apt zen like building temple gate! 
 

nice gentleman. Carving the rosewood handle was a trick!

 

jeff

[gavino200]

4 hours ago, Tom C said:

A Distinguished gentleman.



 

 

Very distinguished. Like a middle aged Peter O'Toole. I love Sankei kits. I've got quite a few waiting for the opportunity to assemble. What did you make the snow from?

[serotta1972]

Wow, great work Tom.  I can barely paint a 1/10 scale driver let alone a 1/160 figure. Haha.

[Tom C]

6 hours ago, gavino200 said:

What did you make the snow from?

On page one of this thread I posted photos of a lady on a bridge. Snow description there.  Thanks for the kind words 🙂 And yes', Sankei's are wonderful. I'm looking forward to building the Pagoda. It's somewhere between France and Japan as I write.  I was named because of the way Peter O'Toole said the name Thomas in some film or other. Why my mother (who was/is in love with Peter) didn't call me Peter is one of lifes mysterys 😂 

[Tom C]

I built steps, lots and lots and lots of steps.

They will be blended into the mounain side with lots of snow. The monks will be busy sweeping them clear to prevent any nasty accedents by the unacustomed visiters. Health and safety ? Never herd of it. 🤔



Here in situ:



See, just like the real thing. I personally can't tell the difference. And nether can you. Got that ? 😂



And:



There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a............................................Oh, come on guys, you must know what ? 🤭

[cteno4]

Purse poodle? 😜

 

jeff

[Tom C]

Some progress on the Akita Mountain. Or to be a little more correct, Akita canyon. I made two stone bridges out of much modified plastic tunnel entrances. This was a bit of a job as they don't run at right angles to the canyon so they had to be built on the squif !

I cast the canyon sides using crumpled foil as a mold as I wanted to recreate shattered limestone. I smootened the lower portion were the spring floods smash rocks against them causing them to be warn smooth. It was rather hard to access as the canyon is 5" deep and only 1" wide. I'm often called banana fingers for good reason, and trying to work in tiny constraints is, how shall I put this, a little challenging 

I'm happy with the eco as one calls into the depths 

 

 

 

 

I am waiting on a track component before I can fit the scenery above the track bed. I wan't to paint all the rock faces in one hit so as to keep from trying to mach colors. So, untill the track part arives, I will amuse myself with making the controle panel and structures.

I'll keep you posted 

[gavino200]

You're making way too much progress. Please slow down or you'll make us all feel inadequate!

[Tom C]

Miho's is the Inn. The Best place to stay on the mountain.



Back in the day, long before Miho took it on, it used to be called 'The gate of a thousend sorrows' and was something of a den. Upstairs was a room of 'black smoke'. The floor was covered in tatami mats and red cushions. On the wall a silk print of a big dragon. After a third pipe, the dragon would climbe out of the print and walk among us. That's all long ago now and Miho keeps a clean sharp shop far removed from its past. Some times though, if I sit really quietly, I can still hear the dragon tiptoeing about.

Miho looking positavly radiant, survays her domaine.



Friday night is drum night. The drum nights at Miho's are ledgendary. Here's a clip to give you a feel of what went on;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9ne...JCHNrQ&index=4
Do watch until the end as she really ramps it up. It's only four miniutes long. And if you liked it, here's a different take;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6yk...JCHNrQ&index=5

The ambiance was always warm and welcoming, though should you be so foolish as to ask for anything other than Dave's fine Sake, you would be curtly shown the door. This is a class establishment you understand.

Us regulars would always bring chopsticks as halfway through the evening, a massive wok of fried noodels and veg would be placed on a stand in the middle of the room and was free for all.

In the corner stands Miho's joss. There are always fresh sticks burning under his nose. He rolls his eyes and gnashes his teeth on drum nights. He likes the quiet.

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by Tom C

[Szdfan]

I love the stone lantern! Tom, would you mind saying a bit more about how you made it? What are its dimensions?

Edited April 12, 2021 by Szdfan

[Tom C]

On 4/12/2021 at 5:06 PM, Szdfan said:

I love the stone lantern! Tom, would you mind saying a bit more about how you made it? What are its dimensions?

 

Hi Szdfan,

 

Thank you.

 

So sorry for the late reply. I cought the cable of my computer and sent it flying across the room ! It took a while to get it fixed. 🙃

 

The stone lantern I made is of the Nishinoya type. These are of a medium size and most favored by devotees of the tea ceremony (me 🤗) and are thus most commonly found in tea gardens. That said, monasterys and private dwellings used them in abundence too.

 

Here are it's dimentions. Note, each lantern is very indervidual and no two are identical.

 

 

All parts are cut/carved from plastic.

 

I drilled a hole up the center and inserted a fiber optic strand with the sheeth removed at the end to give light from the sides.

 

I hope this is of some help.

 

Tom

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Tom C

[Tom C]

Bridge thoughts.

Bridging thoughts are like stepping stones between what you currently believe, and what you want to believe.
In order to conect the dots, we have to span the gap.

I made all the components first. The roof is carved from plastic.


Next, assembly. With handrails from Sanskei. I had to cut out little wedges from each crossrail to alow them to bend to the arch of the bridge.


Painted.
 

And in its place with snow added. Night falls on Akita Mountain, hents the bad photos.

 

Oh look, beautiful glittering snow on the roof of the gate house. I just love snow 😍

 

 

  

Now, time to start the pagoda. Yipee 😊

[gavino200]

5 hours ago, Tom C said:

The roof is carved from plastic.



Painted.
 

 

 

I'm trying to work out how you made the roof. I can't quite see if the roof segment itself is curved or if it's just the corner eaves that are upturned. 

 

Did you make four triangles and heat treat them to curve them? The glue them together? Or are they four flat triangles with curved eaves glued to them? Or is it one piece of carved plastic with the eaves glued to it? 

[Tom C]

16 hours ago, gavino200 said:

I'm trying to work out how you made the roof

 

Hi Gavino,

 

1st I glued two bits of plastic sheet together.

2nd I marked the center

3rd I carved a curved slope to form each face with a knife.

4th I cut the ridge caps from plastic sheet.

5th I bent them into shape. No heat needed as they are so small. 

6th I glued them on.

 

I hope this is of help. 

 

Does your questioning mean you're going to make some nice little buildings too ?  🤗

 

Go well

 

Tom

 

[gavino200]

1 hour ago, Tom C said:

 

I hope this is of help. 

 

Does your questioning mean you're going to make some nice little buildings too ?  🤗

 

Go well

 

Tom

 

 

Thanks. Yes, for sure. I really enjoy making things like that, though my sculpting abilities are meager compared to yours. Your work gives me a lot of inspiration!

[cteno4]

Gavin, you might play with the syntra/palite I sent you, just cut triangles a bit wide to make a little flat pyramid and then just hit with the heat gun to sag a bit. You might even simpler just take a square and put it over a little star of 4 thin wedges going to the corners and just letting it droop with some heat to form the roof shape in one whack. EVA high density foam board (used in cosplay costumes a lot) is even more malleable.

 

jeff

[Tom C]

Painting the toe straps on her zori was teasting 😏

 

 

 

Close up photos are cruel, really cruel.

 

Trying to keep up with the latest fashion is hard work, last year it was three stripes on the sash, this year it's two ! really does your head in 😂

 

Both figures are heavily sculpted from Preiser originals. Their story will appear on this thread later in the week. You've been warned !!! 😀

[cteno4]

Excellent detail painting tom! Wow!

 

jeff

[Tom C]

The Pagoda

A young couple engaged in a PDA heralding a wind of change blowing through imediate post war Japan,


as a lone monk shovels snow.


Foregoing the warm embrace of another is a self sacrificial aspect of some organised religion I struggle with. That said, the greatest joy of life is our freedom to choose the path we wish to follow.

The pagoda in context;


Under a full moon.

[Tom C]

The Pagoda.

How it was made,

It's a kit by Sankei consisting of ten A4 sheets of colored card

I didn't count how many parts but there are hundeds ! They all slot together beautifully and this kit is a joy to build. It took a total of about eight hours. Eight hours of fun 
Here are some photos of it going together
  

 

 

Without exception, the parts fitted together perfectly and it was by far the nicest kit I've ever made.

The base supplied with the kit is a bit underwhelming so I built my own out of scrap tunnel wings, paper and wood.


The people were carved and sculpted in my usual manner. They take about three hours each.

In all, a super fun project. I think sculpting cliffs is next on the list.