Hi all

I've not long finished the Matchbox 1/76 Char B1 bis + Renault FT17 and decided to put them on a wee dio.

The base was made from a polystyrene block (I make a lot of bases with this) shaped at either end with a trench roughly cut out a shell hole simply melted with liquid glue.


The cover over the trench was some sprue rods glued together.
Then I looked at where to place the tanks.


Once I was happy I mixed up some plaster and layered it on the base.
While still wet placed the tanks in position.



(sorry about pics flash not working)
As the plaster started to dry roughed up the ground behind the B1, cut 2 pieces of plastic and scored them and placed them as running boards in trench with broken lolly pop sticks as side boarding.
The sandbags are sprue sections from an old kit that had the wheels attached to. When cut off left what looked like sandbags.


When dry painted base and added sandbags.
Barbed wire is hand made from electric cable as seen on a "how to " here on Big A.






Figures are Russian as I couldn't find any french or German in my 1/72 collection. Had to cut off the blankets on them but got away with the German by the tree by making it look like a bandage. The figure kneeling is a British ww1 figure painted in french colours.
Even though it is dry the ground has a wet look as seen in the pictures.










I'm happy with the way it has turned out especially as I don't have a lot of material etc to work with
Hope you like it

Comments welcome
SAS007

i really like this little dio,how did you get the wet look on the mud, and were the tanks hand or brush painted ?, i also like the look of your work bench ( nice and messy ) great job thanks for sharing .

Thanks for the comment Tony
All painted by hand ,some parts with a very fine paintbrush and a cocktail stick.
Think I got the wet look by painting the plaster as it dried.

Workbench is up in a corner of the loft away from kids & cats.




SAS007

Hi Steve,

You have done a good job there. Your painting skills on the two tanks are very good, especially for hand brushing. For the purpose of improving, here are some tips:

Mud: You have started well but it doesn't quite look right. It is a touch too glossy and smooth. Next time, think about where the really wet mud would be, remember, water finds the lowest point (i.e towards the bottom of holes, in the ruts). So concentrate the gloss in those areas, because mud on raised areas will dry faster (therefore, matte). To avoid smoothness, really work the texture of the mud with an old brush next time. Also, have you heard of the Resin method for making water puddles? I recommend it because it really improves a muddy diorama.

Mud on Vehicles: Be careful not to over-do it! Remember, mud builds up over time. It appears that your models have came straight out of the factory and onto the battlefield. Try to gradually add mud, grinding it in to every corner until the desired effect is reached. Again, mud on raised surfaces will be drier and less glossy.

Barbed Wire: It has been fantastically made, but you haven't painted it!

Frame: To give the diorama a good clean border and a more professional look, try to build dioramas within some kind of frame (a picture frame for example). It will help define the diorama, focussing the attention on the subject itself.

Keep up the good work, your doing a great job,

Chas