When the 1/35 Nutcracker pre-release images started coming out, I was surprised to learn that it would include two 1/35 suits; a Gustav and a Melusine. With the new kits being 1/35, finding figures and accessories became a lot easier than 1/20 scale. Inspired by the vignette works of Calvin Tan, I created a compact two figure vignette with one of the new Gustavs.
Below is a brief build diary for the model.
The Gustav was built mostly straight out of the box except I sculpted new joint covers for the arms and added the wire for the window sides. The model was airbrushed with Tamiya. By thinning the paint way down, lowering the pressure, and working close to the surface, I was able to freehand the mottled green camo. The figure is modified from a couple of different Dragon figure sets with a sculpted flax jacket and additional gear. The figure is base coated with acrylics. I used oil paints for the greatcoat to achieve smoother blending, the rest is painted with Vallejo.
The Gustav is weathered with oil washes and filters. Chips and scratches are painted with Vallejo.
I replaced the kit head with a Hornet resin head. The quality on these things is amazing! The crisp details make painting so much easier.
Groundwork is Acrylic Matte Gel mixed with sand and small bits of gravel. Larger stones are pressed in while the gel was still soft. The base was painted with acrylics, detailed with pigments and then I covered the whole thing with root litter, natural and synthetic grass clumps and used painted paper leaves from Fredericus Rex for the long leafy grasses.
