Here is the just assembled and loaded Merc L3000 truck added to the halted convoy. Weathering and mud to be added later. I really messed up on the front windscreen, got a small amount of glue on it and grabbed the wrong spirit to clean it. What a disaster, but at least most of it will be covered my mud and dirt.

Really like the low angle shots. Would be neat to see some when it's all done. Will be fun trying to get everything in focus though.

Things are moving again. The local hardware shop had a gasless MIG welder on special, so I was able to finish the table for the dio. The package from Great Models turned up yesterday with the final 28 figures, a BMW with sidecar and the Horch staff car. Photos below are of the 2 bases together and damn it looks busy.There is still a ton of work to do, lots and lots of detailing. As you see, the Dora flatcars have been weathered and slowly working my way up. At a guess, timewise, I'm a little over halfway there.

I think some greenery would be cool. Any plans for that?

Very impressive,

With the buildings this seems even bigger. Some green remainings for a colour change would be nice, indeed.

Cheers
Claude

The Dora isn't overpowering. It's HUGE, but with everything else it 'fits' - well done.

So, with so much invested in this one project did you take out a bit of insurance on it?

Looks fantastic. It will be great as you go through with the detailing. There seems to be a mix of winter and "warmer" weather figures. Is this a winter diorama?

Great work so far - thanks for sharing

wow, very nice. Looks really good, amazing really. I can't think of anything to say that would do it justice, just great.

sniper

I've thought long and hard about this. One thing I've learned after working on mine sites most of my adult life is that where there are tracked vehicles moving about, there's not a lot of vegetation left. As I go through and detail, I'll try and find places that would have been spared.



Another major problem! Season wise, all I can say is that it is between summer and winter, still cold if your not doing anything and sitting around.
I will be repainting the snow jackets back to some basic grey colours to give the scene overall conformaty, but there's a big shortage of figures that can be used for the variety of poses needed in just winter or summer.

Management photo op.

Damn! Huge! Wow! Damn!

I like the figures you have selected and the scene, totally what they would have done to show off thier new toy.

I would like to see a bit more shadowing on the two officers in the middle. And I would offer that you experiment with a bit of a brown wash on the heads of the figures to add a bit of a shadow layer. I like using oil paint and go thin at first, you can always add paint easier than take it away.

this video is crazy... didn't know that something like that exists

:[]--
To Peenemünde: it wasn't fired there for sure! It would have been just toooo heavy and way to big to bring it there... don't forget, Peenemünde is the last corner of an island, connected to mainland by only two small bridges at that time. I lived six years of my life in Peenemünde when I was a kid (still during GDR-times) and there was a lot of stuff going on in the forests there... but THAT one was just too big for there

After the

The dio is just amazing! U should definitely show it in public when it's finished. Must have been a damn hell of a work all together...

love it!

I don't mean bushes and trees, but there would definitely be some grass, weeds, and maybe some small shrubs near the buidings and in other less travelled areas.

Also, I feel the size of the metalling/balast is a bit overscale wwhen the figures are placed on it. Can't you crush it further?

Here's another little section I'm working on called "Lunchtime" The third pic shows that the onlooking crowd is getting bigger. Excuse the bare strip in the centre, I've only just recieved another packet of Celuclay to fill it.

Nice job - the weathering is looking good. Lunchtime is a great addition. The gathering is nicely done, lots of Dora interest, it draws the viewer in.

Wow! Very nice!

I must say that is really incredible. After all your hard work it will be your baby but after a while they grow up and must be shared with the rest of the world. I am sure some military museum would love to get that work of art. I have been wathing your work on this project and have been amazed. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I have been watching this project develope for over a year now and I just have to say that this is easily one of the top 5 most impressive dio's I have ever seen. I take my hat off to you, sir. If for nothing else than the amount of money you have spent.

I also thought I would include another youtube video about the Dora. It includes a few more scenes but most of the same stuff as the last one but then innexplicably goes to the carl morser..

Here's another small update of something I have been apprehensive about doing, canvas. After seeing Sante Candia's excellent 'Thor by Rail' model, specifically his write-up on making and painting the cavas cover, I decided to have a go and am fairly happy with the outcome. I'm in the process of making a canvas sheet being pulled off the Karl Morser on rail. This exersise is a bit more difficult as I'm trying to make it as a seperate item and not part of the contour side of the model.

I like the canvas, it works well. Although, in my time in the trucking industry, I learned quickly that you don't put a chain against metal. It would quickly tear up the canvas and/or paint on the barrel. You would probably have seen blocks of wood between the chain and the barrel and the canvas woould have been tied down over the chains. Since I am not certain of shipping practices in WWII Germany, I am not going to say categorically that I am right. I could be way off.

I'm pretty sure your right Rob. After unloading heaps of mining machinery off trucks in my lifetime, tarps are roped down afterwards. My sorry excuse is that I really liked the chain I used and didn't want to cover it. The Barrel is mounted in a wooden supporting frame and the chains are tied down over that.

Kym, what did you use to paint the rail trucks on your Dora? That's the effect I'm looking for when it comes time to paint my BR52.

Your dio looks great!

Barry

Hi Barry,
On the base colour of Humbrol Blue/Grey I used MIG Pigments - Dark Earth with Black Smoke along the bottom edges and wheels.