The Bust Saga (part 1)

Marko Paunović, 10th April 2021

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If you are a bit older and from Zagreb, you probably remember Saga o Pičekima? If not, the joke will elude you. Well, hopefully beside the Croatian pun, you will like the rest of this saga. Goran and Marko will take you on a miniature painting journey while they build and paint one and the same bust for their Admin Challenge. Why call it a saga? Because everyone who knows them knows this will take a while to finish.... They chose a bust by Crecy Models that comes in two options – as King Ladislav Jagellone and as Grand Master of Teutonic Order Ulrich von Jungingen. Goran and Marko will do different versions...

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MARKO: When an announcement about this bust (King Ladislav version) hit me on FB, I knew I had to pick it up ... And Goran didn't need much persuasion either. As soon as he agreed, the idea of a new Admin Challenge was born for the FB group Miniature Painters Croatia ... In fact, Goran proposed it, and given (at that time) the situation of calming down with Corona and decreasing numbers of infected, we decided to work exclusively on Wednesdays during Hobby Corner on Wednesdays - motivation, learning, socializing, who knows, maybe we'll make a video clip or two... Before any serious work, I like to assemble things I'm about to use (in this case, the clean and uncluttered table is a big help) ...
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GORAN: In this Admin challenge, I chose to build my bust as the Teutonic Grand Master. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to the hardware store to get some kind of rod with which to attach the bust to the stand, but I will try to do it by next time.
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MARKO: The first thing I noticed in this set is that the crown will be difficult to separate from the "core" without damage. For some reason, the crown has an "podium" on the entire lower part that needs to be removed, and it seems firmer than any part of the crown.
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The first thing that came to my mind was a circular saw on my Proxxon. However, as soon as I started, albeit at the lowest ratio, the resin started to melt from the heat, and the vibrations were strong as well.
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So I gave up that option and tried it with a very sharp scalpel. This was accomplished with a great deal of care not to force the blade through the material.
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GORAN: I started working on the bust by using several types of scalpel blades to remove debris and artifacts from what I assumed to be a prototype cast, which, I also assume, was made by 3D printing in resin. Then I started to remove the large debris on the cloak of the bust, which took me the most time, because it is an irregular surface with a lot of curvature and unevenness.
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MARKO: Since Goran described the removal of the excess material, I will omit that part. The last thing I did was drill a hole in the bottom of the bust and the same on the makeshift wooden base.
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The idea is to do the painting with this base - even if I get paint on it, who cares, and when I'm done with the work, I'll put the bust on the plinth I intend to use.
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GORAN: In the end, I glued the cloak holders and decorative shields, and the helmet visor, which came off as soon as I stored the figure in the box, so I’ll have to come up with some more permanent solution to attach it.
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  • We visited: MOSONSHOW 2025
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    Last year, after participating in the Black Queen H&MPC 2024, our friends from Hungary, Gabor and Erika, asked me if I would be willing to judge at the Mosonshow 2025. I must admit that the question caught me off guard, I did not expect such an honor. I accepted in principle, considering that the competition itself was quite far away at that time.

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    As you can see in the photo, I accepted and headed to Hungary on the last weekend in April. This is my first time participating in this big competition and I have to admit that I wasn't really attracted to it before – precisely because of its size. Long waiting lines, endless lines at registration and the like are really something that didn't make me happy. After a little bit of asking around, I came up with a plan to come on Friday (I even took a day off for this) as soon as the doors opened and to do the registration and set up of the models (in categories that I don't judge, right :D ) so that on Saturday I could deal with the competition in peace.

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    Saturday started, as I expected, with work. Being a judge, although "prestigious", is not a fun activity at all. Count on a good part of your Saturday being taken up by duties. First there is a judges' meeting where the organizer introduces us to the criteria and method of judging they want. After more or less questions, the meeting ends and (fortunately) there is a meal prepared for the judges. And the organizer realizes that it is better for the judges to be satisfied, or at least full. After the reception, we head to the judging. On the spot, you meet the members of the jury whom you will be judging with. There are two category ranks. Hobby and Master. I judged three Hobby categories (Fantasy/SF figures, Fantasy/SF busts and Fantasy/SF dioramas and vignettes). Alongside me in the jury for these categories, there were Eszter Elek from Hungary and Keigo Murakami from Japan. The judging lasted until about 4 pm. That meant I missed the workshops I wanted to visit - but that is the price of judging.

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    During the judging, I also decided to award the Best of Show by UMS Agram award which went to Mr. Zijie Li in China.

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    The following is a gallery of some of the more notable works from the miniatures category.

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    Of course, at this huge competition, with over 2,500 exhibits, it was impossible to photograph everything, and below are some of the author's more interesting works.

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    Besides the handful of truly beautiful entries, the best part of the competition was, as always, the social aspect. Socializing with foreign friends and making new friends is the highlight of such competitions.

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    Finally, there was some shopping, and the Bolyai Makett Klub from Budapest made sure I didn't leave empty-handed. Thank you!!

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    Tijekom prošle godine, nakon sudjelovanja na Black Queen H&MPC 2024. naši prijatelji iz Mađarske, Gabor i Erika, su me upitali da li bih bio voljan suditi na Mosonshow-u 2025. Moram priznati da me pitanje zateklo, takvu čast nisam očekivao. Načelno sam prihvatio, s obzirom da je samo natjecanje bilo dosta udaljeno u tom trenutku.

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    Kao što vidite na fotografiji, prihvatio sam te sam se zadnjeg vikenda u travnju uputio prema Mađarskoj. Ovo je prvi puta da sudjelujem na tom velikom natjecanju i moram priznati da me prije nije baš privlačilo – upravo zbog svoje veličine. Dugi redovi za čekanje, nepregledne kolone pri registraciji i slično stvarno je nešto što me nije veselilo. Nakon malo raspitivanja što i kako, skovao sam plan da dođem u petak (uzeo i godišnji zbog toga) čim otvore vrata i da odradim registraciju i postavljanje modela (u kategorije koje ne sudim, jel :D ) tako da se u subotu mogu u miru baviti sa natjecanjem.

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    Subota je počela, kako sam i očekivao, radno. Biti sudac, iako „prestižno“, nije nimalo zabavna aktivnost. Računajte da vam dobar dio subote otpada na dužnosti. Prvo ide sudački sastanak na kojem nas organizator upoznaje sa kriterijem i načinom suđenja koji želi. Nakon više ili manje pitanja, sastanak završava i (na svu sreću) slijedi gablec za suce. I organizator shvaća da je bolje da suci budu zadovoljni, ili barem siti. Nakon gableca, upućujemo se na suđenje. Na licu mjesta upoznajete članove žirija s kojima sudite. Postoje dva ranga kategorija. Hobby i Master. Ja sam sudio tri Hobby kategorije (Fantasy/SF figure, Fantasy/SF biste i Fantasy/SF diorame i vinjete). Pored moje malenkosti u žiriju za ove kategorije bili su Eszter Elek iz Mađarske te Keigo Murakami iz Japana. Suđenje je trajalo do cca 16h. Time sam propustio radionice koje sam htio posjetiti – ali to je cijena suđenja.

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    Tijekom suđenja, odlučio sam dodijeliti i Best of Show by UMS Agram nagradu koja je otišla u ruke gospodinu Zijie Li-u u Kinu.

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    Slijedi galerija nekih zapaženijih radova iz kategorija minijatura.

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    Naravno, na ovom golemom natjecanju, sa preko 2500 izložaka bilo je nemoguće sve fotografirati, a u nastavku slijede neki od autoru zanimljivijih radova.

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    Pored pregršt usitinu predivnih radova, najbolji dio natjecanja bio je kao i uvijek društveni aspekt. Druženje s inozemnim prijateljima te stjecanje novih prijateljstava vrhunac su ovakvih natjecanja.

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    Za kraj, bilo je tu i shoppinga, a da ne odem praznih ruku, pobrinuo se Bolyai Makett Klub iz Budimpešte. Hvala!!

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    Marko Paunović, 5th May 2025
  • March to Hren28 week 5
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    Our team is preparing to perform at the Turnip28 tournament called H.R.E.N.28 in Slovenia in July. Ana, Mario, Domagoj, Seb and Antoni assemble their armies and paint, and we follow them on their way!

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    MARIO: „This week I finished the elephant and was finishing up the toff (Boletus). I added some fun details like the sleeping bag with the nobleman and the fishing rod, with added crows.

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    Boletus will have a banner of his own, and I modified his giraffe's neck and added more mushrooms."

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    Naša ekipa se sprema za nastup na Turnip28 turniru pod nazivom H.R.E.N.28 u Sloveniji u srpnju. Ana, Mario, Domagoj, Seb i Antoni slažu svoje vojske i farbaju, a mi ih pratimo na njihovom putu!

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    MARIO: „Ovaj tjedan sam završio slona i dovršavao toffa (Boletusa). Dodao sam neke zabavne detalje poput vreće za spavanje sa plemićem i štapa za pecanje, sa dodanim vranama.

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    Boletus će imati barjak za sebe, a njegovoj žirafi sam modificirao vrat i dodao još gljiva.“

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    Mario Grgurev, 5th May 2025
  • AGRAM LEGO SECTION - Orient Express: Third Lecture and continuation of the build
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    U srijedu 30.4. u sklopu naše Agram Lego Sekcije nastavili smo sa serijom predavanja paralelno sa izradom LEGO makete vlaka Orient Express!

    Treće predavanje u ovoj seriji je počelo u 18:00 i trajalo je otprilike 45 minuta u kojem nas je naš dežurni inženjer strojarstva Marko Paunović upoznao sa radom parnih lokomotiva.

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    Ulaz na predavanja je besplatan i otvoren za sve te prijave nisu potrebne.

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    Izrada makete je rezervirana za članove Agram Lego Sekcije. Ukoliko se želite uključiti u sljedeće projekte, javite se za više informacija na ums.agram@gmail.com .

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    Marko Paunović, 5th May 2025
  • AGRAM LEGO SECTION - Orient Express: Second Lecture and continuation of the build
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    U srijedu 23.4. u sklopu naše Agram Lego Sekcije nastavili smo sa serijom predavanja paralelno sa izradom LEGO makete vlaka Orient Express!

    Drugo predavanje u ovoj seriji je počelo u 18:00 i trajalo je otprilike 45 minuta u kojem nas je naš dežurni inženjer strojarstva Marko Paunović upoznao sa osnovama parnih strojeva.

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    Ulaz na predavanja je besplatan i otvoren za sve te prijave nisu potrebne.

    Click for enlarged picture

    Click for enlarged picture

    Izrada makete je rezervirana za članove Agram Lego Sekcije. Ukoliko se želite uključiti u sljedeće projekte, javite se za više informacija na ums.agram@gmail.com .

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    Marko Paunović, 24th April 2025
  • March to Hren28 week 4
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    Our team is preparing to perform at the Turnip28 tournament called H.R.E.N.28 in Slovenia in July. Ana, Mario, Domagoj, Seb and Antoni assemble their armies and paint, and we follow them on their way!

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    MARIO: „My next step was working on Proboscis, I wanted to add some texture to it so I sculpted his fur from brown stuff, along with a textured mass of mud on his back. I wanted to achieve the effect of overgrown plants and mushrooms on the skin. I also finished the existing trunks and added another pair.“

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    SEB: „Over the past week I have continued work on the conversion of the cannon Snail Knight.

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    I added Liquid Green Stuff (from GSW) to the metal parts (the paperclip) and then sponged it on to get a rust plus algae effect so that the overall impression was: they just came out of the water.

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    Today I added textures to the base.

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    And to end this part of the army building, before my trip to England/Scotland, here's a close-up of the snails pulling the cart. The rest will follow at the end of May, as far as I'm concerned!

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    Naša ekipa se sprema za nastup na Turnip28 turniru pod nazivom H.R.E.N.28 u Sloveniji u srpnju. Ana, Mario, Domagoj, Seb i Antoni slažu svoje vojske i farbaju, a mi ih pratimo na njihovom putu!

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    MARIO: „Moj sljedeći korak je bio rad na Proboscisu, želio sam mu dodati teksture pa sam mu kipario krzno od brown stuffa, zajedno sa teksturnom masom blata na leđima. Želim postići efekt obraslog bilja i gljiva na koži. Ujedno sam doradio postojeće surle i dodao još jedan par.

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    SEB: „U proteklom tjednu nastavio sam rad na konverziji topovskog Snail Knighta.

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    Na metalne dijelove (spajalicu) sam dodao Liquid Green Stuff (od GSW-a) i onda ga stipplao spužvicom da dobijem efekt hrđe plus algi kako bi cjelokupni dojam bio: upravo su izašli iz vode.

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    Danas sam dodao teksture po bazi.

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    I za kraj ovog dijela izrade vojske, prije mog puta u Englesku/Škotsku, evo jedan close-up puževa koji vuku zapregu. Nastavak slijedi krajem svibnja, što se mene tiče!“

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    Mario Grgurev, 24th April 2025

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