Chris in Scale

This was a cool exhibit at Wonderfest!

This old 1:30 scale Gadakka mech from the anime, "Space Runaway Ideon" by Aoshima was a bit of a dog and soft on detail. Even so, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

But let's be real--the base is the star of the show! Cork was used to build the height and the tree/stump was custom sculpted. Various materials were used to bring it to life, especially the laser cut plants from Gamers Grass.

Other than the seat and console, the cockpit details are all from scratch, with Value Gear Details (of course) and HUD and dash decals from my dear friend, Rob Booth.

"Chapel of St. Martin" 1:35 scale diorama

This is a passion project. I've looked forward to this build for years, ever since I saw the Bronco "God's Blessing" box art in a .

In my "real life" I'm the pastor of a small, rural congregation, so I packed a ton of religious symbolism in this piece, most notably the lamb looking on and the sign/title of the piece, which refers to Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier-turned-minister in 4th century France.

The stowage details include a scratch built typewriter case, along with some beautiful bits from and other sources. I enhanced the communion kit and modeled the setup on historical photos of WWII era chaplain services where the hood of a jeep was used as an altar. The tarp and cloth are painted tissue paper, formed with the help of "Paper Shaper," and the jeep itself is from . Special thanks to my friend .lenahan.35 for the 3D printed lamb.

I realized the other day that I never shared photos of this Mk44 "Dragonfly" that I finished way back in 2024. It recently graced the table at Wonderfest, and today I'm sharing it with my friends here.

Just got back from an *epic* road trip to Wonderfest with fantastic friends, and here's the haul!

I was honored to walk away from the contest with two silvers and a merit award for my entries, but the real treasures are a resin/White metal Starship Troopers "Bug" sculpt, and especially the two bagged kits, which were gifted to me by the incredible Greg Friddle. Thanks brother! I'm wiped, but the mojo tank is overflowing!

This page is getting more views than normal the last few days. It makes me wonder if some new IPMS USA Nats drama is brewing. I didn't go, but I've heard hints. Nothing specific yet.

(Also maybe I'm just paranoid. This page is definitely not *about* Nats drama. The stuff just seems to *find* me.)

Working on a cork-based base for the little anime mecha. Need to refine and rough up the cuts on the top layers.

I want there to be at least one little rock overhang in the base. I think a large, mossy stump will grow up out of the top of the hill, with vines, roots, and jungle plants all around.

I'm considering what to use for filler to incorporate the layers of cork with one another and smooth out the back side of the hill. Thinking spackle may be the cheapest and easiest to work with, as long as it doesn't shrink too much. I'm open to suggestions.

I had a great time working on the finish of this representation of my friend's family camping/beach SUV. It features custom decals, added roof rack crossbar, and sculpted awning. Not too shabby for a sci-fi, armor, and figure guy's first auto model!

Built from the Tamiya Land Crusier 100 Wagon kit. Simple base still to come!

Had a great time and performed well at IPMS Houston's ModelMania show on Saturday. Brought home three golds and a silver!

Last month I did a demo for the Alamo Squadron IPMS club. Handout in the comments!

Chris McLain - Easy Airbrushing Black Basing Our good friend, Chris McLain, is shoing us how to easly do Airbrushing Black Basing, using... well, check the video!Enjoy!