Here comes the figure.

Scratchbuilt -everything except the arms. I explain.

So i started as usual with a MS lump that I"dressed" around brass sheets for the arms and legs

the trousers are being done -here they are HALFWAY done

Ah, left you can see a resin fig I bought 20 years ago atsome modelling festival in Paris, the quality is typically French -not as"direct to the dustbin" U-models like, but more "really soso" MK 35 like. Anyway, the arms were good enough for my project, the restwent to the dustbin.

Another one for today uh?

okay, one thing I can do with metal that you can't do withplastic: deformation!

Back to this plaster thing -indeed it's quite porous but ihad the idea in a flash. Ever noticed how the rust tends to go in plaques onrusted boats? I think i first saw that some 20 years ago when I was visitingold bunkers on the Atlantic coast. Well, I wanted to create an effect ofextreme rust, so .. i put some diluted white glue on my plastic parts, appliedmy very thin plaster on the curves -it broke of course but in the end it looksokay, but just okay.

So I had the idea of using some Tamiya mastic to blend someof the plaques with the hull / cabin so that they would look like they actuallydetach.

Here is the gun platform as finished and trimmed and etc.

And now here are the completed pieces of the boat as will beshown in the diorama:

okay okay okay, let's *think* one minute.

I can't get away with it like this, it really looks like allmy former dioramas if I stay things like that. I have to bring on somethingnew!

So let's put a thin coat of over diluted plaster to roast inthe sun

Well here is a "nice" soldering work, the sightfor the guns  

Then the "completed" thing for the anchor -thereis actually a lot missing but i found a trick to get away with it.

And then the gun cradle, first part. Actually i should haveplan using photoetch for it, but didn't, I had to use some Evergreen sheets todo this part -there will be no gun actually, just a part of the cradle.

Well, here are some details added to the anchor crane..

And then several other details i could make through fromplans and the picture I showed earlier liken those 2 tiny chimneys as well asthe T shaped thing whose purpose escapes me..

First let's roll the PE bit i did first over some suitabletubbing

then let's solder it and fix it on some plastic tubing ofthe right diameter..

here is the shape as vacuform, that's the first try, it'snot perfect and I have been burning my fingers (the plastic was too thick and Ibroke the wooden frame around, so i had to vac form it with my bare hands, howstupid can I be..

Anyway, most of the shape is there and I only need to use a small part

so here it is while being further deformed with my Dremel

Now something more exciting, the side way,a ll done insoldered PE and brass rod, it IS strong :)

You can also see some of the stanchions I use/ will beusing, actually I wonder whether the top cabin needs them.

that's what really cool with feeling "free" towards what i model in that i can sever this or that part for pure aesthetic reasons ;)

well, a boring part today, the bit of the hull that won't becovered by either sea or sand:

First let's print the right cross-sections, print them downto paper, glue them on paper,

 cut the pieces and glue them together

cover those with plaster -work the plaster until the shapeis right, then  sand it

fix the plaster master on the top of some can, take a bit ofplasticard between a wood square and plug the heat gun..