[Customs] Planters Take II Progress Update #03

(Click here to see Planters Take II Update #1)

Not much is happening anymore. Summer is over, and the cold is making its way in.























Plans are being made on how I'm going to document these over the winter. Nothing solid has been decided.

[Customs] Planters Take II Progress Update #02

(Click here to see Planters Take II Update #1)

Missed the photo day by 2 days. I blame work. Rain hasn't been huge this month so growth hasn't been as huge as last month's.

Hasn't been enough rain, and no one's been watering it as much, so grass length stays roughly the same as last month. Here's something interesting though. I'm not sure which case it is, but either the cars are being pulled downward from the roots or they've sunk from rain softening the soil underneath. Either way, it's pretty cool to see them bury themselves. Sooner or later, they may not even be visible anymore! Let's get snapshots on the planters:




The Stude's sinking rather evenly. The loose wheel sitting beside it is almost gone!




Blitzer is still going strong. That piece of moss I placed under it is likely the sole reason why it hasn't sunk like its back end; the moss was attached to clay and that is probably not going to sink from the mud.




The Wooden truck didn't come out as imaginative as I wanted back when I first toppled it over, but I guess it's cool enough the grass has sprouted in through the gaps.




Scrambulance has a neat stature and its load is rather tidy. It's sinking though. May take up to 2.5 years for it to be fully submerged into the soil at this rate.




M80 hanging in there. Its tilt was not deliberate. It's like it landed in a sinkhole area of the basket.




That's the Charger. Sitting on top of the Lincoln, it has a long while until the dirt rises to its level.... or when it sinks down to ground level. That Lincoln is practically buried at this point.




Armored Van still going great. It has sunk as much as the RV in the front end. It's at around "flood" level, I'd say.




The RV is one of the cars I can get a very good shot of from the front. It'd be sad to see it bury its face.




That's the M1. Yup, it's dug the most. It'll probably be first to dip its entire head in before the other get covered.




That wild tree. It's budding at the top! At this point, I don't know whether I should add supports at the cost of the planter's overall appearance, or see how long it can continue growing upward without collapsing on itself.

[Customs] Planters Take II Progress Update #01

(Click here to see Planters Take II Debut)

To my surprise, these lawn seeds sprout fast! I've already had to trim their length in half in mid-July:

That tall tree I've planted beside the '71 Charger is some wild species I found sprouting between the gap of two cement tiles I have in the backyard. It was only half that height when I first planted it.

Here's the monthly progress report:

The grass that I sprinkled all around wasn't such a great idea as it crowded the ground space too much. From an artistic point of view, we can say that the soil is the negative space while the grass is the opposite. With the extra grass growing everywhere but inside the vehicles, there wasn't a satisfying balance of the two and thus some were removed. More will be taken out as time goes on. But for now it looks like another trim is in order.

 

That thing is just going to keep going taller and taller! Totally did not see this coming and it pretty much is stealing the show. The grass itself has reached a length where I can start adding a layer of sand into the stage. Let's see how that will turn out in a month from now.

[Customs] Planters Take II

Being the bright individual I am, I've learned that I'd probably have a higher chance of success if there was sufficient amount of soil. While progress had been made last month, the miniature planters required watering every day as the vessel dries up due to the low volume of soil.

 Not being a gardener I imagine myself to be, days have went by where I forget to water the trucks and that alone reverses about 3 days of work. That's going to change this time.
I've abandoned the few grass leaves which eventually dried up, cleaned out the trucks and starting over. This time, I'm using an entire basket where seeds can spread out from the trucks and into the larger plot of contained soil so that watering it won't wash it away.

All conveniently acquired from a dollar store - soil and seeds even!

Surface painting was had. I find there's excitement to be had from destruction, especially when it's done creatively. Bodies getting battered, and imitation of rusted and dirty surfaces - call it a practice run leading up to future Rally and Weathered cars. I took this opportunity to add more planters, and ended up pulling a few out of the donor bin. This is a good thing as reducing the number of bodies in said bin is a side-goal with this hobby.

I must say I was thoroughly impressed for a first try. 

Each car had a mix of the following exterior changes:

• Scratched surface using a dremel with cutting disk.
• Partial paint-stripping (only the Abandoned Wrecks).
• Warped bodies done in with a hammer(only the Abandoned Wrecks).
• Beige acrylic paint rubbed one for the impression of dirt and dust build-up.
• Spray red primer in light uneven mists to create large rusty patches (only the Abandoned Wrecks).
• Sanded surfaces with 240-grit, and 400-grit sandpaper to dull the finish as well as refining details in the dirt and rust.
• Bent axles (for Abandoned Wrecks).
• Finished with a matte top-coat nail polish for paint protection.

Somehow I ended up establishing a sub-category of the Planter series which I called Abandoned Wrecks. They don't exactly carry a large vessel and they certainly are rusted up like a car you'd find in a barn. Never the less, I hope the grass will eventually interact with its space. I might need to grab some moss and stick them onto it.

The Unnamed Truck was previously a planter, but I had turned it into a wreck for practical reasons. The gaps between the 2x4s helped speed up the time it took for the soil to air-dry. It also meant no water could be stored as it would just run out. Simply put, it was a vessel with poor foundations. Luckily I've found a good reason to make it a Wrecked ride.

Surprisingly had less space than I imagined, but this will do for the time being. As you can see, I've tipped the Unnamed truck on its side to make it look like it's contents got spilled. Watering it too heavily washed all the soil down but what I want from it is grass growing from the dumped pile of mud. As for the planters, they've all been topped up and the wrecks have got seeds planted inside, except for the Continental being crushed by the Charger.

At the moment, the planters don't fit into the environment too well and the reason for that is because the dirt painted on is supposed to create the impression of sand. That said, I'll be acquiring a bag of sand to use, maybe even going as far as finding a specific type of sand to match that tan colour as well as possible. For now, it's potting soil.

[Customs] Planters Monthly Update 1

Checking back one month after, we've got a micro lawn in the making! Having the planters outside makes the chance of success significantly higher.

I had the three sitting on a pile of soil to give the impression they're off-roading vehicles which explains why I slapped soil onto the side of them. The pile would also allow the roots to expand and reach further for water. As expected, it's begun to wash away. It's time I made a vessel filled with soil, fertilizer and sand.

[Customs] Diecast Planters. Day 1

Launched a similar project last year in November hoping I could pull off an indoor planter on my computer desk. Sadly, nothing ever grew so I scrapped it. Now that spring has made its way in, I figured I'll have better success leaving them in the backyard to get fresh air, sunlight and rain. The best part is that now I don't have to look after it and the body will eventually become weathered from the rain and sun damage. Once it reaches that stage, this could be put into the Weathered Series.

If they had a roof, they were cut off. They're now full of soil and grass seeds have been planted. Perhaps a little fertilizer wouldn't hurt?

Will check back on these guys each month until September to see what progress has been made.