Hi all. Decided that I'd try and do my second model as a work in progress.

Not a lot of photos to start with and what I have to date are a big crap. I'm getting a new camera and a few lessons next week so hopefully will be able to keep things updated with better photos.

The diorama will be a field command post in Northern Italy, late 1943.

I want to practice my figure-work so it will be mainly populated with figures ( roughly 18-22 planned ) along with a Kubelwagen, a Flakveirling 38 and a few other bits and pieces.

So far this is what I have together with the Flak 38 which along with the kubel has just been given it's base coat so I'll add photos of it later today.

The Kubel is the Italeri one. I wanted it to be set up as an ex- Africa Korp vehicle which has been used as a recce vehicle stripped down and armed up, so no windscreen, no hood and an MG34 added to the passenger side as well as an MG42 mount in the centre.

I've opened the doors, added door handles, mount points for the removed hood and windscreen, a fuel tank behind the dash, seat coverings ( which have then been tattied up a bit ), exhaust pipes, fuel-cap strap, fuel can frames on the rear sides, rifle clamps, a bit of battle damage ( particularly to the front ) and turned the wheels a little.

Then been undercoated in gun metal.













Any input as I go is welcome.

It looks good so far. Nice overall conversion. How about inside door handles? Shouldn't there be matching hook handles?

Yeah inside handles were added after those photos were taken, should be able to see them in these, weapons and gear have also been added. This is the extent of the vehicles that will be on this diorama. This is the basecoat.





Flak trailer which hasn't really had much done to it except a few dents.





Flak 38. Has had the barrels bored out, handle at the front replaced, shields thinned and the shield mounts replaced with more to scale tubing. I've also rebuilt the ammo stowage bins to hold the correct 8 mags. It's also had the sight cleared so I can put a clear part in there with the sight markings on it.

And this is the breakfast table and brazier I work on in between. Still need to do a little finishing on the table including painting the waterbottle.

These bits will make up the breakfast being prepared by an adjutant for the officers when they are interupted by the recce team reporting in.





The brazier is modelled on one I had in my back yard till it rusted away too much.

Nice update, great details. I see a great project building quickly.

why the silver undercoat. did u put salt on?

bthway, have u looked into making a pak-gun near it or maybe an opel command truck? maybe a sdkfz 250 or 251? that would look good.

The gun metal was because I was originally going to try and use it as preshading but my compressor went bung and is in being fixed and being impatient I ended up doing the basecoat with a Tamiya spray can.

At this point I don't want to do a large vehicle as I want the interactions between the figures to be the focus.

Currently the plan is a defensive earthwork with a radio command post in the centre, the Flak 38 to the right of this, a MG42 on a tripod to the left, a zeltbahn tent foreground left and the kubel foreground centre/right with the main focus being an NCO from the Kubel reporting to two officers who have come out from the command post.

The figures are being done now so should be able to put up photos of the ready to be painted ones in a day or two then I'll be doing the base to finalise the positions of everything before I decide if it needs anything else.

After that it's just finish painting them, stick them on and add the finishing touches.

First lot of figures are done and undercoated. There will be 4-8 more but as they'll be along the defensive positions I'll do them once the groundworks have been fully set out so they can be fine tuned to fit their surroundings best.

It's raining here today so had to use the flash so they're a bit glary but mainly just up to show the basic poses etc.

These two will be with the Kubel, they've both had their base colours added prior to painting. Both will eventually have helmets and goggles beside them on the Kubel. These two are old Tamiya Observation Group figures with scratchbuilt head tops.



These two are the radio operators and will be back in the corner of the command post. The sitting one is from the Dragon Field Command Post set and there is no way on god's green earth he was ever going to sit on that stool the way they come. As his legs are spread he's been set on it astraddle, so there has been much cutting and filling to get it to look like it's taking his weight and pushing into the legs though you can't really see it in this.



These three are an NCO from the Kubel reporting to the post commander while his adjutant looks on. The casual way he stirs his coffee is supposed to indicate that the report is routine and not an "achtung englanders" report.



These two are the change of shift getting up to eat, dress and take their place at the machine gun. These were made by carving back all jacket details and building up shirt details and suspenders. The standing figure's jacket has been made from foil covered with modelling putty then sculpted to shape. The tent is from the Italeri Kubelwagen set with the headholes covered in and the opening side replaced with tissue. it still needs the opening side smoothed off, ties and pegs etc added.



This guy is the 2IC waiting at the table to keep an eye on the sausages and bread cooking on the brazier. He was made from an assortment of arms and bits with a lot of moulding putty.



These guys are the Flak crew eating and drinking. It's meant to show one stubborn member arguing with the other three. One of the other three is laughing and waving him off.

Nice going mate!