Salut tout le monde..

Pffff finally done with this diorama. This is the first diorama that I really achieve. I've already posted here few in progress pictures in the past, but here is the final result. Here are some pictures taken with my cell phone, as my camera battery was empty. I wil post better pics once the battery reloaded.

It depicts a bunch of three free french guys in the Alsace forest, winter 44. FFF has lost many brave soldiers there, as germans were hardly defendinf the reich frontiers. The guy with the MG is a Free French airborn soldier, the guy digging is a goumier, and the black guy lying is coming the colonial infantry.
Their attention is focus on apparently a noise coming from the right in the forest, maybe a german patrol.

Ah and the diorama is called "Indigènes" (indigeneous I guess in English), being the name used in the french army for the colored troops.

I must say that it's thanks to Armorama if I've finaly decided to finish a diorama in my life. And the fever ain't going to leave me !!! A special wram thanks to Jean Luc Formerey, who gave me the opportunity to try the airbrush, which I like a lot. Merci Jean Luc, A charge de revanche !
Sorry for the poor quality, I wil do another set of pictures..

Best to you my friends,

Julien

Salut a toi aussi Julien...,
in my opinion you've made a very nice job , especially with the ground work...im impressed by the tree...very very nice . To be your first dio i think you should be proud of the final result.

Keep up the good work..!

A bientot,
Ciao
Alex.

Julien
Ce sembler fantastiques, mon ami!
I really like how this has turned out. With the way the figures are looking to the side, it opens up the interest to the viewer.
The groundwork looks A1 with it's dark soil and a variety of vegetation.
One small thing which is probably unalterable is to have the black soldier moved to rest against the treetrunk, and then his head tilted to a more upright position? Unless of course he is in the motion of leaning to look through the gap in the branches in the direction of the others...
Great work
Brad
P.S. I'm glad you have a taste for the diorama now. I expect plenty more of the same diversity!

Hi Julien,

Even though these are cell phone pics your dio looks excellent.

A really effective use of the figures and I love the addition of colonial troops.

Excellent stuff, get the camera charged and upload some better pics. Great to see this subject are being covered. Such a lot of possibilities with the uniforms and equipment.

First clkass work.

Cheers

Al

Julien
PAs mal du tout. I did reminber the progess pics of the figures.
Really outstanding Dio, maybe you can add some more stuff around the soldiers,
Carton boxes or canteens ??
Cheers
Seb

Hi Armorama'rers

More pics of Julien's excellent vignette can be found here: Indigènes, Alsace Forest,1944

Enjoy

Rudi

Thanks Rudi for your help.
Bradley : I know what you mean. It would have been nicer to have the black guy leant on te trunk, but the tree was not yet made when I sculpted the Black guy...anyway I can still say that he wa leant and then he draw up when he heard that strange noise.
Seb : I agree that some extra ammunition, weapons, etc could have add more details to the vignette, but I was impatient to finish this one, post the pics and start a new project.

Best to you my friends,

Julien

Julien
Pas de probleme, one comment on the beautiful pics on HF the ammo box look really clean compare to the ambience of the dio??
The pine where is it coming from ???

A+
seb

Re salut Sébastien,

I agree with your point ammobox, I used ink for the weathering, but apparently it was not sufficient. I have a question also : did the US amobox had something written on yellow on them ? On some pictures I have seen someting written in yellow, on others no.
The pine tree trunk is made of wire with tamiya putty, and thte branches are mode of asparagus.

Best,
Julien

Well Concerning the ammo box, i am sure that they had stenciling on them now, I cannot tell you the colour, you should ask that on a different post or PM Frenchy He will find an outstanding pic from his own collection

Cheers
Seb

Salut Julian ,

This little diorama has worked out so beautifully, I really love it , the Moroccan is fantastic love the striped jacket, outstanding. What did you use to create the pine tree? it looks great !

I seem to remember you had an officer in a kepi in some of the earlier posts I guess you decided against adding him to the scene.

Well done fantastic work

Best wishes,

Jerry

Hey Jerry ! How are you doing ? Long time no news..
Thanks for your comments.
yes the officier de la légion étrangère is missing in action : I was not really pleased with him, too long neck and I change his allocated space for the pine tree. Fotunaltely his head find a new place on an on going Bir Hakeim vignette...his body will haunt my extras box.
Ah and the pine tree is made of asparagus, wire and putty.

Best,

Julien

Julian ,

Another one bits the dust – so to speak , I am just back from my Holidays in France, I was in the region of Saintes at a wedding, - far to much to eat and drink !! So have been out of touch I also am planning Bir Hakeim vignette with a couple of légion étrangère in British Battle dress standing around looking dishevelled.

Next time I am visiting Paris I will drop you an email and we can meet up and visit musee des invalidees if you are free.


Best wishes,

Jerry

I will be more than happy to do that with you my friend.
We must exchange tips on la légion étrangère at Bir Hakeim, despite the fact that I 've start to do them with short..and not the british battledress.
I've search everythong possible on the net, just ask..

Best,
Julien

Julian ,
As you know the legion had a mix of British and French kit , Battle dress was popular due to the cold nights , the following book as some illustrations of French insignia on British Battle dress

Have a look at the Osprey men at Arms title ,
French Foreign Legion 1914–45
(Men-at-Arms 325)
ISBN: 9781855327610

Also have a look at the following if you can get your hands on them, the second title at least should be in the Bibliothèque nationale Paris

http://www.bnf.fr/

In order to die. Drawings by Feliks Topolski. [An account of the author's service with the French Foreign Legion.] Burke: London, 1955

The French Foreign Legion / Erwan Bergot ; preface by Otto of Habsburg ; translated from the French by Richard Barry. (’La Légion’. Paris : Balland, 1972.)

But you know Paris far better than me


Best wishes,

Jerry