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Find Him; Dead or Alive

figures and vehicle

Alanger's 35206 Red Army Stalin's Cossacks kit was a good four figures plastic kit. The figures were well detailed in good injected plastic. The kit includes two sets of heads and Papakha (Cossack caps) or hat alternatives. I chose the Papakhas which were typical for Cossacks. All of the figures were in walking poses. I converted one of them to a kneeling position. Two of the poses were more energetic walking poses and the last one (the one holding a pistol at hand) was kept in his original position.

Converting the kneeling soldier was done by first cutting off the limbs. Then reposing the limbs using wires and finally filling the gaps with epoxy putty. The hands were cut off and reposed to grasp the weapons. I made corrections and levelling with a rotatory instrument and sandpaper. Adding a pin in a the bottom (invisible) part of the figure helped me hold it while painting and then position it on the diorama.

Aer Moldova 3508 Army car Gaz-67 was not a very good vehicle kit, it was quite bad with a number of production problems. Parts didn't fit well and some parts such as windshield wipers were not included in the kit. Some putty work, and sanding/gap filling process and scratch building (wipers) took a few hours but it turned enhanced it well enough to combine with Cossacks in my diorama. For the blurry windshield I had nothing to do....

painting and detailing the models

I primed the figures and Gaz-67 in Humbrol 63 Matt Sand. As I let them dry, I checked my reference library to paint them in proper colours. I found out that Gaz-67 should be painted in green and uniforms should be khaki and green combinations.

I then started painting the flesh tones. I made a mixture of Humbrol enamels 61 Flesh+100 Red Brown+110 Natural Wood and applied a few thin coats. Then I made highlights adding 34 White to the mixture and finally washed the faces and hands of figures adding darker tones to the mixture. The pants and some of the shirts are painted in Humbrol 26 Matt Khaki, the other shirts are painted in a mixture of 102 Army Green and 76 Uniform Green. The uniforms are dry brushed by adding white oil to the mixture and some washed in black and raw umber oil paints. I painted all leather parts in 62 Matt Leather, the Bashlyk (Russian capes) in 100 Red Brown and boots in 85 Semigloss Black.

I added a few small details to the figures. A little red star decal is applied in front of the white cap of sergeant holding the pistol. I made a medal from thick paper for the other soldier in the green uniform, painted it gold and made a little red dot on it.

The Gaz-67 is painted in Humbrol 102 Army Green. To give the seats a more realistic look, I covered them with tissue paper soaked in diluted PVA glue and painted in 26 Khaki. I added a lot of detail to the back seat; fuel canisters, a blanket (from tissue paper) and camouflage stuff from lint. The wheels are painted in Humbrol 85 Semigloss Black. Finally I dry brushed and washed the whole vehicle with artists oils.

the bridge

The bridge is made from plaster of paris. First of all; I decided how big the bridge should be by using the jeep's size as a basic guide. I built a box using cardboard which was the mold for the bridge. For the aperture of the bridge, I used a tube from a cosmetic product packaging. A deodorant spray can helped too. I gently oiled the tube, otherwise the tube will cling the plaster, and when you pull it away the plaster will be harmed. Then I poured the plaster into the cardboard mold.

When the plaster was set; I saw that it would be nice to have parapets on both sides of the bridge. It would be easier to make this before pouring the plaster by adding some detail in the mold, but scratch building was much more fun.

The next step was marking the stones with a pencil. I recommend that you have a reference picture nearby in this step as a guide. Following the pencil markings, I carved the stones with a scalpel. Sweeping off the dust periodically with an old toothbrush will help you to see the details of your work and will prevent you from breathing the dust. Making your own diorama parts from plaster is really an easy and funny procedure but keep in mind that it must be done in well ventilated areas.

Preparing the base

As I have the figures, the jeep, the bridge and an idea of the scene, it's time to make the base. I placed the models on my workbench and thought about the dimensions of dio base. I decided 22x26 cm.s would be good enough for this diorama.

I have enough wood stock collected from a friend's furniture atelier (workshop) to make my own diorama bases. As a frame I used an "L" form wooden profile (trim). I cut them with 45 degree angle ends o the desired length. I placed a 3mm. thick mdf board cut in the same measurement (to fit in the middle) and fitted all together using white glue. The margins (edges) are made using the same mdf board by giving them the relief of the planed terrain and gluing them with white glue in their places. I used some clamps to settle the base. As the white glue dried, I applied a coat of yacht varnish which protects the wood from the damp of the plaster and gives a good, shiny look to the wood. After that, I masked the base with a masking tape to prevent eventual deterioration of the mdf margins because mdf stuff is very sensitive to water and plasterwork needs water.