Hey Boys,

Thanks for the replies...

@-John, thanks for the nice words. The build up for the groundwork is very clear in the photo's above in this topic...but for you, I explain it more in detail.
First I made wooden frame with some balsa wood...put some isolation foam it in to fill up the hight and to make the elevation I needed to make the tank ditch.



Second, place some I-profiles in the base so later the corrugated sheets will slide in easy. I placed the corrugated sheets into the I-profiles so I can start with the groundwork...for this I used plaster mixed with dunesand en real earth and a bit of color (sand color)
One fine layer of plaster covers the hole spot perfect...in the still wet ground you can put some earth en fine dune sand, little rocks en pebbels. Once dry...several layers of paint come over it in different sand colors...so that's in a short story the buildup..if you have any questions...shoot!

@-Claude, I will do my best to achieve the same result like the 223...blending it in the groundwork shall be a great en fun work

Stay tuned folks!

Greetz Nico

Yo Boys,

A littke progress today...I painted the " pigtails" en the barbered wire in a dark redisch/brown color. That will be my basecolor...a good start to go the weathering.

I try to start tonight with a light wash on the ground...

Pics coming soon!

Stay tuned!

Greetz Nico

Yo Boys,

Yesterday I fix a few washes on the groundwork, light ones and a bit darkerder to on places where there's more shadow...also a put some washes on the rocks to but the result is not so good to see...
And I started a very light drybrush around the rocks to start the blending..






The groundcolor for the "pigtails" and barbered wire.



A small start on the rocks with vegetation from Joefix Studio...a small test to see how its fit...



All comment are welkom

Stay tuned!

Greetz NIco

Look Good Nico
Are you going to put some AT mines ???

Cheers
Seb

Yo Seb,

Thanks for the lookies!

Great idea about the mines...but I think it's to late for that now. I should put the mines in the begin stadium of the project.
Anyway...thanks.

This afternoon I did some drybrushing and a played a bit with some powders, mostelly sand colors...sure you're in the desert

Tommorw...the next step...powders an dust filters!

Stay tuned.

Greetz Nico

Looks really good, Nico. This project is coming along nicely.

Looking forward to see the finished result.

Looking great so far Nico. I like the barbed wire.

Very nicely weathered vehicle too.

Chas

From what company is the barbed wire ???


Nick

Hello!
I look forward end of your work! Leaves perfectly well.:-)

Yo Friends,

Thanks for the lookies...so fun to see you're replies!

@- Nick,




Well this barbed wire is from the plusmodel factory...nice stuff.





Well...the end is not so far away, only i have some troubles to find the right color for the barbed wire...i want a very realistic rust color..but that's hard to achieve for the moment...photo's will come soon!

Stay tuned!

Greetz Nico

Yo friends,

Update time!

What did I do in the last day's...well, I fixt some vegetation of Joefix Studio on the base, drybrushd the big rocks, also the little rocks get some attention about depht en color variation. Dustwashes en some powders where dropped on the baseground en fixed with some brush.
The Iron plates get also their dustwash and a layer off buff paint out of the AB to blend them in the base.

I'm not happy with the color of the barbed wire, I don't find the right rust color for it...this well get a second try...











The iron plates with the fresh dustwash over it.



The iron plates with dustwash and a layer off buff paint to blend it in.













I'm also looking for contrasting color for in dio...something to break the monotone color of the desert...anyone any ideas?

Comments en suggestions are still welcome.

Stay tunded.

Greetz Nico

Very nice! It just looks 100% realistic!

Lars

Nico, for more contrast i would start to strictly separate the dry water bed and the slope colorwise.

Also, i don't know if in desert environement things get rusty so much. So a simply blck and red (rust) mix would be good enough for the barbed wire.

Claude

very nice diorama, i have just read through the thread to catch up, and it a good build. I wish i had followed it a bit sooner.

looking at it though there is quite a bit of dead space (the area after the first bit of barb wire, covering the river bed) I think you may have been better having say a temporary bridge made from wood and barrels that had collapsed, this may well have filled the space and added to the story.

I am not sure exactly how you now go about breaking that area up now having gone so far with the build.

But it has given me some great ideas on how to create a realistic desert scene

just a question what did you use for the rocks?

cheers

Keith

Really nice work mate the diorama really looks great!

The rocks look brilliant

Martyn

Awesome dio man. Only complaint has to be the barrel. It sticks out like a sore thumb. You have to ask yourself also, how did it get there? how did get burried?

Liking it, keep it coming!
-Mike

To be honest, I think you need alot more rocks in your groundwork. Most photos of North Africa show the seert had alot of rocks and stones, that would definately help break up your groundwork. Look for some other desert dioramas, the one from Douglas Lee with the tortise race comes to mind.

Suggestions - Swastika flag, air identification. How about an arab on a camel, that could be nice & colourful, if there was enough room to put him on the opposite side of the base to the a/c (on the high side of the river bed), might be a nice contrast. Have to say I'm very impressed by both the groundwork & the vehicle on this dio. To those who think things don't go rusty in the desert, get along to the IWM & look at the LRDG Chevy there. It was found a few years ago with the remains of the crew, & is displayed as found. There is some paint left on in corners but the rest is a deep red-brown surface rust, though the vehicle is surprisingly sound apart from this.

Good job so far

Yo Friends,

Thanks again for all the replies...that gives me the strenght to go on.

@-Claude, well thats my first intention to...but i have to more accurat with that...the slope should maybe darker than the rest of the environment...ore the rest off the place should get brightner that the slope...have to work on that. Thanks!

@-Keith, You got a point ther about the dead space in the rear...but i like the feeling off a desolaat place...but you're right dio projects should be full off details and not with large uncovered fields...maybe a broken Allied sign can fill it up a bit?

@-Martyn, Thanks..you rock

@-Mike, Yes the barrel...it should better grinded first to et it more blended in the slope...but it has first some weathering steps to get...how it get there...after lots of rain for a few days, it was blow by the wind in the water that gattered in the slope/tank ditch...with the hot sun for a couple off months, the tank ditch was totally dry so the barrel rest there

@-Bob, Thanks for the idea...but i don't put more rocks and stones to the ground...for me it more than enough...but thanks for you're replie

@-Steve, thanks for the ideas...the swastika flag is a good one...about the rust...still working on that one...i will first fo some tests before I give it another try on the dio...thanks for the nic words.


What do you think about a palm tree behind the 223...???

Stay tuned

Greetz Nico

hey Nico your diorama looks pretty good! No suggestion really, I do like the metal covering of the groundwork a lot -but hey, no palm tree or you will destroy the balance of the diorama quicker than to say "palm tree".
What I would have done would have been to fill the ditch with dead palm trees for the sake of the weirdnes of it

Yo Jean,

Thanks for the reply...




I would say, why? But that's it...the weirdness of it...not bad not bad...maybe I'll give you're idea a try...thanks.


@-Keith, the rocks are made of tree cortex...first a few seconds in the microwave to kill all live in it...than a layer off varish to protect it from the paint and washes...

Greetz Nico

Stay tuned!

You want to fill the space:

Camel Squeleton ???
A piece of destroyed british plane ???but I like the dio like that.

I come back to the AT mines because the trench is not really impressive for the crew ???
I did try to find some pics but I didnot find some, this will no be really hard to add now.
Unexplosive 88mm shells ???

I am not a WWII expert.
Because without the mine how it will take to cross the trench ???? 2 hours ??? less.
Maybe you can create some holes in the corrugated iron plates and create some amout of sand around.

Tell me nico
Cheers
Seb

How about a colorful snake sitting in the trench. Guys can be watching it?

If you want a filler and a contrast how about a weather balloon that fell? Dont' know if they were used in North Africa?

Are there things like tumbleweeds? you could add a wad of long grass as a tumbleweed in the gappy area.