Hi Billy,

Glad you're still around, look forward to the updates.

Al

Hi Guys,

Some very old troops I thought I'd tart up. These are the DML SAS guys.





Thought the kneeling chap might work unloading one of the containers:



The other 2 are a bit more action types, might work as scouts but may not fit this scene



Still good practice.

Al

Hi Guys,

Well I though I better pause in the building programme to have a think how the final scene might look. I really got interested in the campaign through the possibility of the MB Horse Glider and wanting to build a few paratrooper figs for something different. .

As I have no idea when or if the MB Horsa will appear, I will reach a point where I have to stop on this one until it arrives, as any accurate placemnt of vehicles or figs will most probably depend on it being in place. The premis however remains the same. Landed paratroopers setting off for Arnhem form LZ Z. The Airborne troops starting to collect stores, and set about setting up defences for the LZ. At the top will be a Regimental AIr Post set up in the out buildings of one of the local farms. Stores being organised and most probably some defences being set up. Airborne troops moving towards their RV.

Moving towards Arhhem on the track way will be a column of Paratroopers, there would appear to be sufficient room for the inclusion of a carrier loaded up with stores heading for ther RV point.

In the forground would be the Horsa unloading a jeep and trailer with various activities going on around it and troops opening containers and getting kit organised.

One thing that struct me about the landing was the shear size of the DZs and the hugh amount of activity that was and must have gone on, as troops strated to sort themselves out from the landings, and it is that sense of activity that I hope to portray.

There was such a range of possibilities with this campaign it was hard to know where to start, armoured advance, fighting in the towns, river crossings and all the avtivities in between along with the landijngs and subsequent battles, so there are more thoughts on those and some of the information I've been reading up on that will probably lead to more but much smaller scenes.

Here are a few rough possible layout pictures, you will have to imagin the horsa in place





The trackway would be slightly wider, flanked by a low hedge, or possible just a wire and post fence.

Al

Hi Guys,

Whilst I have been working away on my paras I have also been working on an additional small scene for the campaign. This is to ensure that I actually finish something, so this is my entry for the Op Market Garden Campaign.









I'll keep working away at the other but until the Horsa appears it will not get finished so this is an alternative and my small contribution to the campaign.

Good luck to all, keep up the good work.

Al

Hi Alan,
I am really anxious to see your big dio completed, incl. Horsa!
Your "little" contribution to the campaign still looks great, allthough the pics are quite dark.

Hey Al,
That's quite an ambitious dio you're putting together.
It's going to be freakin' huge !!
I can now see where all your efforts with the jeeps, carrier, trailers and paras has been going.
Great work.
Cheers

jjumbo

hey alan

just seen your update on your dio!

this is immense ive never seen anything like it! im currently building DML s.a.s figs atm but am leaving them for s.a.s style never thought of using them for paras.
this dio is such a huge scale. do you know any info on the MB horsa glider??
like how big its gonna be exactly for 1/35th.
your other dio including the DML figures looks great aswell and good idea for doin a smaller dio! both great and always an inspiration to me!

keep up the good work


tony

Hi Ron, John and Tony,

Thanks for looking in guys.

Ron,

I will try for some lighter pictures. I need to re-do a bit of work on the dead German - he got grayed out in the final dusting. First building in about 14 years, about as long as I've had the kit sitting ina box lol, lol. The campainge gave me the thought to use it and I can also use it as a back drop for other figures as getting focus is always a problem for me.

John,

The board was a bit of a test to see how much room things might take up. A lot of work to do yet, but a carrier will fit and I'm working on about 6/8 more troops and starting to think about each bit and what I will need to do to each scene of activity. May switch a few jeep crews around, if I add a 6pdr (still hoping for a new one in plastic). The troops have been a lot of fun, but no point in trying to rush it until I see what possibilities the glider offers up.

Tony,

Yes, a bit of a monster. Don't have a lot of info on the Horsa, it will be a good while I imagine before it comes out. Might be opportunities to split the plane in two, who knows have to wait and see what comes out..

Glad you enjoyed the builds, looking forward to developments in the campaign.

Cheers

Al

Oh yes, don't forget the Welbikes

Hey Al,
Can only hope !!!
The Tamiya and Italeri (Max Peerless) 6pdrs are a bit long in the tooth and definitely need replacing.
It would be nice if some additional British field pieces were to be produced in plastic.
A new 25pdr would be nice, a 17pdr would be welcome and a 4.5 in. and 5.5 in. would fill a void in medium to heavy artillery.
Cheers

jjumbo

Morning John,

We live in hope, these are interesting times - who knows, the Vulcan 2pdr, Bronco Bofors and AFV/Vulcan 75mm pack are all welcome additions. Also been the new DML 105mm so we might get lucky yet.

Al

All, here is my contribution to the Market Garden campaign. This is my first campaign, and one I really wanted to do for personal reasons (my dad's side of the family lived through Market Garden in a small town close to Nijmegen). I wanted to build something a little more ambitious, but I like how this small vignette came out, as it really captures a more personal side of the war. My aunt told me when they saw Allied soldiers, they would always go ask for "cigarettes for papa, chocolate for mama." Hence, I have titled this small vignette "Chocolate for Mama".



The vignette itself consists of two figures, a DML British Para (somewhat modified, with straps added from graphic art tape and scratch built Rolo candy with authentic WWII label). The boy is a Scale Model Accessories figure; nice subject, but the casting is a little rough. I changed the position of his arm.

I tried a lot of techniques that were new to me, including filters (which worked very well to tone down the Denison smock), and a couple of different washes on the street. In addition, this is the first time I've used cork for scratchbuilding, and I like it!!

Here are a few in-progress pictures:


Laying the cobblestone. The sidewalk is three layers of .040 plastic card, sandwiched together and scribed.


Ready for plaster


Plaster added


Primer added

And some more shots of the final product:







It was difficult to get good pictures of the para, as he is kneeling and looking down from underneath his helmet. Let me know what you think. I'd especially be interested in hearing how others are painting the Denison smocks, that was definitely a challenge

Hi Mark,
a very effective little vignette you created! I really like it.
I think you might want to add some sand and/or dust between the stones in the street, in order to break up that very dark and cleanlooking area. Extend the dust onto the sidewalk, so all stones become 1 street, if you know what I mean.
Somehow the boy's body and head look strange. Is it the pictures?
As for the dennisonsmock, I showed how I did it in the beginning of the campaign. I recreated mine in a bit of a haphazard way, "splashing" the thinned colours on at random and blending them together.

Hi Ron,
Thanks for the comments. I'll have to try your suggestion for adding the dust. I just wanted to get the vignette finished in time. I was even debating adding two more figures, but I think the scene looks nice the way it is. I may still do it down the road though.

And yeah, the boy does look somewhat strange, although he looks ok in reality. The pose isn't the greatest, it's a little stiff. There was just no way to really modify him. As I said in my earlier post, the casting was a little on the rough side, and the resin is kind of brittle.

BTW, I really liked your diorama for this campaign, very original!

Hi Mark,

You've made good use of the old DML figure, it's a good setting. Same comments re the dust/sand, the scene is a bit too clean. On the para, if you have any, switch out the pouches and back pack for some of the Tamiya Infantry equipment, the DML pouches in that set are particularly poor.

On the painting my efforts are outlined on page 7.

Well done on the scene, a little can tell a lot.- - Congratulations.

Al

Thanks for the comments Al,
I'm not sure I would replace the pouches at this point, I may switch out the backpack, it looks too small to me. I may hold of on the weathering just a bit. i'm debating whether or not build a second small vignette to accompany this one, and would do the weathering the same on both.

BTW, I really like the stuff you've posted so far, especially nice work on your Jeeps......

Hi Mark,

Yes, the kit is a bit small as that set of figures was rather large. The ammo pouches should be be easy fix but a new pack would help too. I liked the poses of the figures but size wise I could never get them to work with anything else I had, so in the end I bined them.

Glad you enjoyed the jeeps they were a lot of fun.

Al

Hi everyone,
Nice to see everyone is pulling together for the end. I haven't worked on my original bridge scene since I destroyed the first one, but I did salvage one good plaster of paris boulder, so at least that was good for something. Seriously though, I have learned a lot from everyone on this campaign over the summer. You guys are some amazing modelers and I can only aspire to do what you can do. I keep thinking, with practice and organization things will get better and they have a bit.

I did discover one technique using oil washes over my acrylic base, which I end up mixing with a blending agent that I think works really well if you like the glossy look. I am trying to figure out the proper ratio of blending agent to linseed oil to paint to get it so that it dullens a bit as it drys. This said, the figures below were my first attempt and in spite of their flaws and unfinished nature, I am pretty happy with them.

I am also moving forward with my Bitter Taste of Defeat dio for that campaign and following Al's lead, I am almost finished my Tamiya Willy's jeep. Check it.

This is my submission for the campaign. It isn't a large dio, but like a said, but it is my first one. Give me a few days to add the final pictures once I finish the gear and maybe some last minute weathering, but this is pretty much it.

Presenting the Germans!



In action!



Ready to go!



Missing home.



The Crew.



Market Garden Germans



just a preview of what I am working on for the Bitter Taste of Defeat campaign. I wanted to show you my jeep, Al.

Been having a bit of a think. Sorry I've not logged in for a bit...illnesss and stuff like that. I've 80% finished the FAP but want to go further. I've noticed some people are submitting 8 month campaigns now so wondered if anyone would want to take this to 10 months? Gives us a breathing space. Going on the projects going on (like Al's monster dio which is looking s**t hot so far. Love it mate! Very imaginative conversions) I think we need more time to do the campaign justice. I hate rushing a job and imagine others are the same. Let me know your thoughts and I'll ask for an extension...

Hi Karl,

I submitted a mini scene just to get one finished, If the campaign gets extended I'll try and finish the Mortar crew scene I've been building for too, but the monster is dependent on the Horsa so I'm not goting to rush that one.

Look forward to eveyones updates, thanks for the comments and I hope you are feeling better.

Good idea I say, no point in rushing it.

Al

By the way, the Photo Gallery for Operation Market Garden has been created. PM me if you have problems with it as this is the first gallery I've created. http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/24967

Hi Gary,

I don't see anything listed under Currently Active Campaigns assuming that's where it is supposed to be.

Al

That's where it should be. *sigh* Does the link I added to my previous message get you there?

Should be there. I even logged out and I could see it.

My endpictures have been added!