In progress, Jeep is Tamiya's with Aber PE. Figures from Ultracast. Still got to add some glass to rubble and building, looking for a German sniper figure, in a pose that would suggest he is hiding? Anybody have any ideas where I can obtain one? All comments welcome.







Vinnie

Vinnie:

Beautiful work here on the damaged building and rubble. Academy's German Machine Gun Team includes a prone figure that would work as your sniper.

Keep us posted on this one as you progress. Thanks.

Steve

WOW, that building is Super! The tone and colors on the brick are dead on.
The PE looks well done too. Here's a 'heads up' on the jeep. The roof rack, the big U shaped pipe thing that goes around the back has poor joints if you use the plastic kit part. I don't know if PE set has one or not. I'd investigate substituting with solder or wire.

Dragon makes a nice sniper set, 4 figures, two in full snow gear, two in fall gear. One of the guys in fall gear is standing as if peeking around a corner. Also, if it's late in the war the Germans were known to 'mix and match' units just to get adiquate manpower to the front. That I believe would give you some leway in what the figure looks like as far as uniform goes.
You can go to the Open Window Campaign page and get an idea for sniper type activity and kits etc.
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?set_albumName=Winter-Dio-Contest&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

Vinnie,

Excellent building and debris

Keep up the good work.

Don't forget to post some shots when finished.

Another cool idea - get a small Christmas light bulb for the street lamp. Insert upside down and break it a bit.

Vinnie, I love your building and the rubble. As Scott stated your colors are dead on. I do, however have one comment about your rubble. Why does it end so abruptly? I mean you see beautiful piles of rubble and then all of a sudden you see a clean sidewalk. Did someone come buy and sweep the sidewalk and the street? Do you see what I am getting at? IMO, There needs to be more random debris scattered around the street and sidewalk. Even if the corps of engineers came by and cleaned up the bigger debris, there would still be something leftover here and there. The way it is right now it looks too clean. Just my $0.02.

Thanks Marty,
As you can see from the figures and vehicle, it is far from finished just yet, and the tape placed around the site would indicate that it has been cleaned up to some extent. I agree that the street itself would not appear this clean, but felt it would be unwise to place more debris on the street until final placement of the figures and vehicle.

Vinnie

OK Vinnie, fair enough. I look forward to seeing the finished dio. BTW, I would love to know how you made the rubble.

I made the rubble mostly out of polyfilla. I got a couple of bowls of builders sand, dried it, graded it.
Assorted bits of balsa wood, bricks made out of Dasclay, bits of wall made from Dasclay. Lump the Polyfilla on til the shape was roughly correct then stick all the bits in paying attention to where large blocks of bricks would have fallen, i.e. beneath the space inbetween windows etc.
While Polyfilla was still wet, spread a few of the larger stones (2-4mm) around, then cover all remaining bare Polyfilla with sand.
Hope this helps.

Vinnie

Wow! Looks very good, can't find anything wrong with it, wish my first dio was this good

Sounds pretty straight forward. One question about polyfilla...is it kind of like paper mache?

Sorry no, It's a brand of wall filler over here, I think you might call it 'spackle'? But I'm not sure, plaster-based powder, comes in a box, mix with water, used to fill cracked plaster etc.?

Vinnie

OK, I got it. Yes, it would be spackle. I am actually experimenting with stucco filler. It is sort of like spackle but it is a lot rougher so it gives good texture. Again, great job!

Spackle eh? I always had it in my head that spackle was your version of Artex! Ah well you live and learn!

Vinnie

hi Vinnie...Not only the building,the whole diobase is super.I liked every detail here.Painting of the bricks is very good. I am afraid I will have the same wallpaper (yellow-green)on one floor of my building. I see jims printables is a source for many of us. I think Scott also had the blue one.
The sniper figures of DML is old kit number 6093 ,now 10th anniversary as kit number 6177.

Thanks Engin, I'll keep my eye out for it. The sniper figure I have in mind is more of a 'hiding' pose though.
I envisage him hiding on the first floor just beneath the first window, desperately trying to remain out of sight, with a ladder that's been pulled up and laid along the ruin of the floor, again out of sight.
I have absolutely no idea where I'll get one, may have to scratch it. Hope not, I'm not sure I'm up to it!

Vinnie

Thats your first dio?

thats amazing... where did you get, or what did you use for that building and rubble?

Rich,
Thanks, the building is from Great North Roads, based in Plymouth or Portsmouth Uk, I forget which. All the rubble is explained above.

Vinnie

Google only turns up totalmodel.com for Great North Roads... do they have a web site or a retailer?

Just looked at the slip that came with it.....Great North Roads don't have a website, sorry. It's run by a bloke called Simon Farrugia and www.Totalmodel.com seem to be the only agents although GNR do turn up at most of the shows over here. Just looked at their new base, a ruined factory, INSIDE and out! Have to get that one! From what I can Remember I paid about £20 for the building section and the factory base is £45, but looks worth it. You can contact Simon at [email protected]

Vinnie

The building the groundwork and the setup is very fine i like it . The colouring also

Question about the Dasclay if I may?

You said you made the bricks/rubble out of it. Is it simply a case of slicing it with a knife or is there more to it?

Reason I ask is that I bought some of this stuff over the weekend but if truth be told dunno what Im gonna do with it. There are no instructions on the packet, other than once opened keep well wrapped.

TIA

Hey Teacher,
I love it so far, the only thing I would change at all, is I would bring some finer rubble out a little further, which has been mentioned, but I would either move the stakes holding the mine tape back further into the rubble, or bring it out around them. They are kinda sticking into bare concrete. Let's face it, army guys are lazy and it would be easier to stuik the posts into dirt than concrete. Awsome job so far!!!!

Hip Priest,
roll the Daz-Clay to the thickness you want and then slice into the sizes of bricks, whilst still wet smooth down the edges with a wet finger.
For walls and bigger pieces of rubble, use the edge of a knife to draw the 'brick' pattern on. Btreak a few in half when dry.

LeoGunner,
the metal spikes are actually driven in the gaps between paving blocks, this isn't very visible from the pics. It's very nearly finished, more rubble is now on the road, I'll try and post some pics soon, having a heart attack 'cos of rising blood pressure at the moment 'cos of 'orrible bloody kids refusing to work for GCSE's. (A bloody useless Brit qualification).
Ahhhhh....that's got that off my chest!

Vinnie

I must commend you for your work on the ruins and rubble. Outstanding, even more impressive given it's your first go-around.

Ok, Ok...I have to add constructive criticism. Hmmm, why aren't you finished yet??!! Get back to the workbench!

Stuke