When making dios do you normally add photoetch to the vehicle(s) in the diorama?

Yeah.... why wouldn't you?

It depends. I usually add photo etch if the vehicle is the focus of the diorama but if it is a 'background' piece I normally use it to a lesser degree unless there is a real glaring problem with the model that looks exceptionally fake. I add detail to all vehicles (scratch and/or photo etch)

Cheers,
Charles

I agree with Charles, if it's the prime subject and I can get the PE I'll do it. If it's not the primary subject then I may just scratch build details.
For me it comes down to cost and 'bang for the buck' and availability. I want the PE set to have an impact if I'm adding another $10 to overall cost.

I don't usually go crazy with the superdetail. When I do a diorama the vehicle is usually the window-dressing to set the scene, like a building or bridge or other structure. It is not the focal point. Therefore superdetailing is not necessary for what I do. Others may have a different outlook or concept, but that is mine.

Besides, building largely OOB means the diorama is far more likely to be completed in something resembling a timely manner.

it'll depend on the project, if im just building something simple and quick I may not bother, if im going to town to make a really nice dio i'll add all the detail neccesary to make it the best I can.
Incedentally, as an armour modeller, the AFV is 99% of the time the main focus of the dio and therefore will have the most time spent on it. I often see figures and groundwork as a way of setting the scene for the AFV rather than the other way around.

James

Whether a subject is in a dio or standing alone on a shelf I'll always add detail such as photoetch. My approach is this: if I'm going to superdetail everything else in a dio, a vehicle (such as an AFV) that is not given the same level of attention may look somewhat out of place.
Regardless of whether it's the main subject or a background vehicle, they all get the same treatment.

I take each and every vehicle very seriously. If I am going to add a vehicle to a diorama, I want it to be done correctly. I am in the planning stages for an Ardennes Battle Scene. It will have one KT, a Steyer Kommandeurwagen, and about a dozen figures. I haven't started the vehicles yet. The KT will have a full interior. It does not need a full interior, but I really want to see how that Tank Workshop interior builds up. I might be overworking the diorama, but it is my first attempt, and I do want to get it right.

It depends what your take on modelling is... for me it's a relaxation so I only add detail if I happen to have the stuff to hand. I'm just as happy to build something straight out of the box and ignore the views of the rivet-counters...it depends what kind of mood I'm in.
Whilst I appreciate the efforts that some folks put into their models, I feel that there is a certain amount of expectation these days that requires you add a ton of aftermarket items to every kit. Just find the level of detail that you're happiest with.

I agree withLian. It really depends on what modelling is to you. I usually add a few extra details but try really hard not to get too wrapped around the axles trying to be 100% accurate. For me the 80% solution works just fine. Don't let the PE and quest for 100% accuracy others find enjoyable hinder you from enjoying model building. It is really what floats your boat that matters.

It also depends on who your audience is. In my case the audience for my finished product is...me! My wife and 2 grade-school age daughters are not going to notice the fineness of the tool hold-downs on a Tiger. They just look at the finished product for a moment, go "neat dad" then move on to Spongebob (except the wife of course). Usually I don't have the time or inclination to put those little fiddly bits on and in the finished product I won't miss them anyway so I don't use them unless there is some overiding reason to do so. One of the many projects I have in the planning stages is a huge super-diorama which, because of its scale is going to include some of the oldest, cheapest kits of the particular subjects available, built OOB with no plans for extensive uber-detailing. It's a time and cost thing for me and with so many vehicles (7) and so many figures (40+) in one diorama there is so much to take in that I don't think anyone is going to sweat tiny details. Chances are it will never get built anyway.

Again for me, the diorama is a way to tell a story which is largely done with figures and scenery. Any vehicles which may be present (and there may be none - I consider myself a dio builder not an armor modeler) help set the scene but are not the focus of it. The vehicle is just another piece of scenery and small details that will only be noticed by a guy with hundreds of dollars worth of reference books immediately to hand don't matter for my purposes. The vehicle is not there because I have any particular affection for that specific subject. For example, if there is a Wespe in the diorama it is because the diorama required an open-topped German armor vehicle with a big gun, the Tamiya Wespe kit is nice to build and I got a deal on it - not necessarily in that order. I could just as easily have used a Marder II or III.

For other folks the diorama may be a way to show off the vehicle being displayed, usually I suppose because the builder has some affection for that particular subject. They may also be inclined to show off the finished subject to others or just take personal pleasure in the intracacies of the finished product. In that case I find it totally logical for someone to go B-to-the-W in detailing the snot out of it with every aftermarket product imaginable and buying hundreds of dollars worth of reference materials for that one vehicle.

That is why this is such a lovely hobby - plenty of variety to give everyone what they want.

That said, I like resin detail sets a lot - things you can hang on and around vehicles. They tend to hide all that fine PE work anyway which is another reason I don't go hog-wild. The Eduard Zoom PE sets are great too since they are cheap, easy to use and concentrate on details that will be most obvious like mesh screens. And I do love metal gun barrels, mostly because I find using them easier and less tedious than cleaning seam lines on molded plastic barrel halves. Yuk.

So you have to decide what really matters to you. In the end it doesn't matter if anyone else is happy with the finished product, so long as you are.

I agree with Mark, are you that should determine how much you need or want to spell out all the components of the diorama.

I particularly like that much detail all parts of diorama, figures, vehicles, buildings and so on. And incorporate pieces of construction itself.

Ie work each piece as if
Independent and ultimately integrate all.

This does not entail a significant increase in the cost, because in the market there EP not too expensive but very detailed (as you commented, Eduard) and then you can build many pieces with homemade materials and plastic rods.

The big problem is that doing so requires a great deal of time and patience to not agotarte

Greetings
Domi

Exactly my take on this also. Only you know what you want, what you can, what you can afford, what time you can commit and what you actually want the end product to be. If you look around finished galleries you see a wide variety of details, and levels there of ... so theres no fast rule ... theres as many answers are there are modellers.
You´ve got to consider all of the above really .... if you had/want all of the above, would you be content with one finished super-detailed dio per year ... or would it be better to hold back on some items/details and have several finished per year? But also very important is ... adding lots of details and throwing silly money at it, will not necesarily make a good dio.
Some of the most memorable dios Ive seen, have been great ideas coupled with good execution, and a few inspirational details made from scraps.