My new dio idea: A Tiger I in a museum setting
The display in the corner is just gonna be some old german gear
The figs won't be actual guys, just manicans
I will also have a wood floor and some german propaganda posters around

Criticism and ideas welcome
Evan

sounds intriguing go for it hell it would be nice to see a tiger built up without battle damage and muddied up, not that a battle damaged muddied up tiger is a bad thing but we've seen all that before at least it would be an unusual setting for the beast and a unique setting at that go for it and good luck. Ant.

Interesting project. What scale will this diorama be? Are you going to have rope or rails around the main armor subject on display?

i agree with my bro that would be an unusual setting for the Tiger but it's something different

1/35 academy kit w/ interior
Interesting rope idea also
Thanks
Evan

I like the idea, however may I suggest the following small changes:

1) Rotate the the vehicle a few degrees (15 or so) so that it is not parallel to the sides of the base (this is under the assumption that the sides of your image represent the sides of your base)
2) Using the rope suggestion above, run it around the Tiger to suggest it cordoned off
3) Lose the manikins. Change them to say a grandfather and grandson, with one of them pointing at the vehicle.

You could lose the display, ammo and sign and I think you might have achieved the same museum effect.

Rudi

Great suggestions
I am just thinking of the signs and ammo etc.. to fill the rather empty space around the Tiger
Thanks
Evan
Hmm...wonder where I could get grandpa and grandson figs

Preiser has a set of WWII Refugees in plastic that includes an old man and a boy.


There is a also resin company that does a few WWII-era civilians, but I can't remember the name.

I have seen a couple dios like this. One was a sherman w/an old man and a young boy. Another was a split dio where the one side was a museum piece like your idea with an old man and a boy, the other was a WWII scene w/the old man (as a young soldier) walking along side the tank. It was pretty cool as one half of the tank was dirty and used looking, and the other side was pristine as in the museum.

you could have a old guy cleaning it, like someone would clean a sports car:D

Since it's a museum display and you have an interior, you could do a cut away section to show off the interior. Depending on where you did this, you'd want to research the thickness of the armor and add sheet stock as needed to the inside of the body.

How about the old man looking at the tank and the boy pulling away from him, his arm pointing to the sign for the gift shop!

Cool idea.
Remember - to depict a real museum Tiger you'll have to give it a highly fictitious and extremely garish paint job.
Cheers,
C.

Sounds interesting. Here's a list of the surviving Tiger Is that are in museums. And here and here are tours of two Tiger survivors in France. The both of these are late Tigers, so you couldn't use the Academy kit for either.

Also, I couldn't see a Tiger tank being on a wood floor in a museum. More likely concrete.

Scott

I've been thinkin about a cut away
Evan

Looks like a good plan. I think some equipment and extra items on the perimeter would be a nice touch, as most museums I've visited seem to have a lot crammed in most display areas.

Good luck with the progress! Cheers -

Tim

How about some display cases made from clear plastic sheet, with panzer crew uniform hanging in them, and tank and personal equipment? Could have various calibre German ammo shells on display, like the 20mm, 3.7cm, 75mm and 88mm? What about the Maybach powerplant on a display stand in front of the Tiger?

This diorama idea would make an awesome shadowbox, that would really add the museum atmosphere of being closed in.

Good luck with the build

Great idea! Manikins in museums always seem to lean forward in impossible poses, especially in the turret. Never mind the ill-fitting garments - that would be hard to replicate!
If you are going to have back walls, add some photos which everybody has already seen - nothing unique! It's a museum, it's not like we'd want to learn something... Under the photos you could have a continuous display case hanging from the wall at hip height with small artefacts - soldiers' handbook, bayonet, water bottle, helmet, medical kit, tools etcetera. Or maybe firearms.
What I also note in many museums is trays on the floor to collect leaking oil. Some museums pose their tanks on gravel beds, maybe even tilted as if they are going uphill (slightly). Other museums make elevated walkways or simple steps for you to be able to look closer at the superstructure or at the interior through a hatch or cutaway. I know of at least one museum (the Netherlands) where they have left battle damage on some of their tanks, but nevertheless painted over it so they look like they came out of the factory with prefabricated damage. Glossy paint of course...

Some of the tanks on display at Aberdeen show battle damage painted over, as well. Many of them have the shell marks painted in silver. Couldn't see the picture, but I like the whole museum display idea. I've long wanted to do a dio of the traffic circle at Ft Knox. Back in the day, there was a Sherman, a Pershing, and an M48 out there.

http://books.google.com/books?id=DZwQkZr0VrQC&pg=PA70&dq=%22tiger+i%22+tank&lr=#PPA70,M1

Scroll down to page 70, and you will see a Tiger I cutaway at Aberdeen.

Scott