Cristian Carlone

@cristiancarlone

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Project Summary

This project draws on two passages from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, both describing humans transformed into trees — not as illustration, but as inspiration for a scene in its own right. The discovery of a beautiful piece of bark during a mountain hike with my wife provided the ideal starting point. The kit I chose is a vintage Zaku II in 1/144 scale.

The first of the two passages is from Book I, where the nymph Daphne, fleeing Apollo, begs her father Peneus to change her form:

“….. A filmy rind about her body grows; Her hair to leaves, her arms extend to boughs: The nymph is all into a lawrel gone;…...”

The second passage comes from Book VIII, where the elderly Baucis and Philemon are transformed together at the moment of death — bark sealing their final words to one another:

“Old Baucis is by old Philemon seen Sprouting with sudden leaves of spritely green: ……., And saw his lengthen’d arms a sprouting wood: New roots their fasten’d feet begin to bind, Their bodies stiffen in a rising rind: Then, ere the bark above their shoulders grew,…..”

This diorama imagines a Zaku II, mid-patrol, seized by a sudden and rapid metamorphosis into bark. The cause is deliberately left untold — the scene is concerned only with the fact that it is happening, not why. The mecha shows only minor wear and tear: this is not an abandoned machine reclaimed slowly by time, but an active one undergoing an unexpected transformation.

Its legs have already been absorbed into the tree — only two broken fragments of a leg’s connecting cable remain, snapped off and emerging from the bark. The skirt armor has started its transformation, shards of bark protruding between the skirt gaps. The shield at its side is more advanced in the transformation, the wood having taken over it’s lower part. Vines emerge from the bark and slither along and over the Zaku’s arms and upper body, pinning it down the way roots seal over anything in their path. The shoulders are also covered, like vegetation hands holding it down. The mecha cannot pull free; it is being covered, so the transformation can continue. Still, in a futile attempt, one arm tries to lift what’s left of the body; the other reaches out, its hand open, fingers spread, in a call for help that will go unanswered.

Using natural bark, moss, and lichen, this piece is inspired by Ovid but also pays a small homage to a recurring theme in Tomino’s Gundam saga: nature reclaiming what humanity has taken from it.

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Metamorphosis week 7, ep. 42 - Of tunnel vision, do-over and a Thank You

Sci-Fi

97 days ago

Cristian Carlone

@cristiancarlone | Sci-Fi

Metamorphosis week 7, ep. 42 - Of tunnel vision, do-over and a Thank You

Ciao! This update highlights an error I tend to make too often when I’m engaged in a modeling project. I‘m too much into it that I forget to stop, take a step back and evaluate the progress so far to identify issues, flaws or mistakes. It’s a sort of tunnel vision where my peripheral perception disappears and I lose track of the project as a whole and only look at specific details or aspects forgetting the rest. This is exactly what happened with the tentative to blend the Zaku into the bark and removing rhe shine.

Luckily, a do-over is possible and this exactly what I will do in the coming days. A fresh start on the blending to ensure a closer resemblance with the bark, smoother edges and a coarser texture.

A big THANK YOU to this amazing GWCC community for their encouragement, comments, constructive criticism and ideas. A special thanks to Mecha Painter and to Christopher Koch. You know why! 😉

The photo shows the primary “tools” I’ll employ for the do over. Wish me luck!

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gekoch97 days ago
I used ground pumice and spray adhesive for ground cover sand on small dioramas , this seems to be a better way.
- CC
  Cristian Carlone97 days ago
  Replying to gekoch
  @gekoch , that's very interesting . Nice idea. I have a pumice bar at home. i cam grind some at try it.
CK
Christopher Koch97 days ago
Hey I love that we are all able to offer advice and guidance through this project! I think you are absolutely on the right track now with that tricky transition!
- CC
  Cristian Carlone97 days ago
  Replying to Christopher Koch
  @Christopher Koch , thank you again for your support!
GD
Garage de plamodel97 days ago
We've all been there — tired hands, tired eyes, mistakes happen! 😅 Sweet treats are absolutely the answer. 🍦 Just... maybe double-check the label before you scoop. Diorama sand and ice cream look way too similar, and I am NOT taking that risk. 💀😂 #DifficultiesOfTheHobby
- CC
  Cristian Carlone97 days ago
  Replying to Garage de plamodel
  @Garage de plamodel , thank you so much for your support. Your comment made me chuckle 🤭 I’ll surely keep an eye on the label 😂
MA
Mecha Assembly eXperience97 days ago
I love the idea of using sand to simulate the 'grit' of tree bark. 🤩 Looking forward to seeing the 'do-over' and hope you get the results you're chasing. Thanks for sharing and persevering. 🙏
- CC
  Cristian Carlone97 days ago
  Replying to Mecha Assembly eXperience
  @Mecha Assembly eXperience , thank you! I look forward to as well, as you may imagine 😊

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