One of my small dioramas, fun to put together.
Somewhere outside of Caen, France, a Tiger crew rests, plans and maintains the beast, while waiting for orders that never came.
One crew member has found a bottle of wine and his helmet is full with fresh chicken eggs! A rare treat.
Enjoy, comments welcome. Keith.

Ps. still trying this photography lark.

My apologies for placing the above in the wrong forum, if the admin s can move it, please do so?
Sorry chaps.
Keith.

Well, strictly speaking, it isn't anywhere anywhere near Caen. You've done a very nice build up of a King Tiger of the Army 506th Schwere Panzer Abteilung (the split turret numbers are the giveaway--they were the only unit to use that numbering scheme). They were issued their 45 Tiger B tanks at Paderborn after the Normandy breakout, and their first combat was around Aachen in September, 1944. They lost 14 tanks in the Autumn fighting, and were brought back up to strength for the Ardennes offensive in December. After the end of the Battle of the Bulge, the 506th became the only full Tiger battalion to remain on the western front, the remaining units being rushed to Hungary to stem the Soviet offensive around Lake Balaton. The 506th fought on and was eventually trapped in the Ruhr Pocket in April, 1945.
I guess you could just swap out the sign to relocate the diorama's locale. It would also be fairly easy to add the headlight conduit, which is conspicuously absent. It connects to the knob on the deck next to the driver's periscope. Soft wire will serve. I also wonder why the engine hatch has been removed from its hinges?

I will replace the sign for accuracy, thanks for that.
Your indeed correct, I need the power conduit.

Things like these details are important. Not that I ever intend to place it in any competition!!

It wasn't uncommon to remove the bolts from the hinges if they (hinges) became distorted and or damaged...The access hatch could then be lifted clear..

Keith.

Keith,

Besides the sign issue already mentioned, the only thing I'd say is that you have a 68 ton tank sitting in a building. Since my experience is that most European buildings have a basement...........well, I think we could all imagine what might happen. Granted, this particular building may not have one, but playing the odds.....I think too many modelers stick tanks inside of buildings which was, I'm sure, a tactic rarely used, due to a lack of mobility as well as the basement issue. Just some food for thought. It certainly doesn't make your scene "wrong", but it is, I'd say, at least a bit questionable.

Also, and this might just be an issue of the photos, the tracks on this tank look really clean and barely weathered. My photos always suck and I lose a lot of detail in them, so that might be what happened with yours.

The interior of the rear turret hatch should probably be the color of the tank (dark yellow) rather than white.

I think you did a great job on the building, the rubble, the figs, and the Schwimm. I'd say weather the tank a bit more, especially the tracks, and you're good to go.

Rob

Rob

Rob.
Your a gem mate, thanks for the input and help.
I spent many many hours inside the RAC Tank Museum at Bovington, during my two and half years as a junior soldier before joining my regiment and also when attending my instructor courses in later years. As a young Junior Leader during 1964 -1966 all I had to do was cross the road. I was lucky enough during that time to make friends with many of the staff and talked my way INSIDE many of the exhibits, including the King Tiger. It's hatch is missing.

Now not to be 'Picky' here but that rear loading/escape hatch was painted the same color as the interior for light reflection when leaving the factory. It would and was only opened in areas of relative safety or out of desperation, certainly never in action..Some may or may not have been repainted by individual crews to match the outside color..

Again with the tracks? What is to say that these were not fitted fairly recently in the field and have little or no running time on them? Something I have done countless times on Scorpion, Scimitar, Chieftain and Challenger 1's....They are fairly well covered in dust with some steel showing as on hard surface running. As you indicate, photography isn't perfect.

Unfortunately this is just one of the reasons I do not enter competitions, as most judges are not willing to think outside of the box and generally have a preconceived idea or notion of what they think it should look like or be.

Many buildings in France, Belgium, Holland (especially due to water table levels) and Germany do not have basements and we can safely say, this crew were smart enough to take a look around this one before backing it in.

As an old Tank and recce man, we tried to use building as and when possible in rear or waiting areas for cover and a little comfort, out of the wind etc...

but your points are relevant nonetheless and well taken. Please keep them coming as I add more of my work.

Keith.

Bravo Keith,
i like the way you accept the comments and still think outside the box. i feel and get the idea you do as well that modeling has taken a turn into an area where everyone thinks you can't model it unless there are 20 pictures and well documented proof of it's happening. modeling should have some creativity as well as fact, in the military sometimes you make do with what you have and sometimes you change tires, if a tank is on the road and way too muddy who is to say it hadn't just left the muddy field just outside of the scene.
a few small specs of detail overlooked aside i love the scene, hope to see more of your stuff.

Gary Smith
http://www.smithmilitarymodeling.com