Hi all!

This is my Korean War M24 Dio, ready for the final touches. The scene is in February 1951 and according to the photos I have (and that I would like to recreate) the weather was cold and dry but there was no snow. I don't think it looks cold enough, do you have any ideas how to make it look colder? There is one bit of a sorry a** excuse for snow in the upper right corner...









Here's the bit of snow visible:


Thanks for any advice!

Cheers

not exactly sure how to make it look colder, but i really like your diorama as a whole.

Rock n roll!

I would tone down the green grass to a more brownish color. Maybe replace the snow for some frozen water instead.You might add a battered fuel drum on the side with frost on it. Still like the dio alot.

Maybe you can make something like this on your gras .








In Holland we call it rijp.

Nick Martens

Thanks for the thumbs up bob!

John, I was thinking about frozen water as well, I'll have to think of a way to do it. Would be good in the rice paddy as well I guess.

Nick, I like the Rijp idea, but i associate it more with fall mornings... I think the climate in February in Korea would be too cold and dry for frost like that, wouldn't it?

Thanks again for you comments!
Cheers

Sometimes you can see it fore the whole day but than its realy cold.


Nick Martens

One way to do ice is to use wax - colorless parphin (parfin?). Make a depression and melt a bit of wax in it. You can add a bit of resin around the edge or in cracks for unfrozen water.

You could give your figures red noses.


P.S. it was an idea from my mom.


Nick Martens

Very interesting, I've made a flakpanzer in a winter setting.



I've added some snow (Sodium Bicarbonate) and some tamiya clear for a bit off water effect on the tank. I also think you could use a darker shade of brown pigment and add it on some parts of the mud.

Martin

Hahaa! Love the red noses!

Scott, thanks for the tip! I think I'll try that wax method.

I'll also tone down the green grass a bit.

... and get rid of the "snow"...

The red cheeks/noses is a good idea. I would also add some more snow. I use Woodland Scenics Snow, which is microbaloons of strene. I have had bad luck w/baking soda by it yellowing over time and being eaten by bugs.

I did a similar scene using the Woodlands Scenic Snow.





EDIT: Whoops, missed the part about no snow. Some frozen water would definitely add to it.

Use an airbrush and spray diluted white on the grass from about 2" away. Keep going back until you achieve the look in Nick's post. You want the paint to be almost dry as it hits the grass.Experiment with the distance and viscosity.
Cheers,
C.

Hi,

I did this one

years ago with crushed marmor stones (the kind you get to decorate the garden)


Cheers
Claude

Martin, Gino and Claude thanks for the advice on the snow. Some great models you have there. How did you actually make the snow powder (whatever you used) stick to the model? Did you add glue first with a brush and then put the powder on?

What I was looking for in terms of snow was the old kind that has mostly melted before another cold spell came along and left some patches. So that wouldn't really be powdery. I tried something with a blob of glue and then powder on it but that was a no go. Recreating it with paint... well, the results are obvious on my pics.

Charles, thanks for the tip. I might try that on a mornig dio. For me frost is still too much associated with fall mornings than a really cold winter. But maybe that's just the weather here in Switzerland...

Cheers and thanks again for your comments!

For everything going from snow to frost to frozen water and whitewashing, check this out. It seriously is the best on the market:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/3754

For the light stuff, I actually used pump hairspray, then sprinkle on the snow. In the heavier, thicker areas, I used some white glue and built it up in a couple layers.

it looks good. what i would do is maybe tone down the yellow on the tank and the orange tarp and the green jackets etc with white or something just to give everything that grayish cold tint that everything seems to have on a cold winter day

Hey there Stefan,

If you take some Future or something similar (I don't know what you guys have over there in Die Schweiz) and mix in some sort of "snow" (Hudson Allen, Woodland Scenics, even baby powder would probably work) and brush it into the low areas...that will give a frosty looking effect.
Experiment with the amount of snow, what you want when it is dry, is a slight shine with a hint of the white snow effect.
Also I agree with Andrew, maybe tone down the red ID panel on the turret. Red is a "warm" color after all.
Good Luck,
Bill.

Gino--where did you get the figures?
thanks
DJ

Put in the refridgerator (Smart ass I know)
I think temperature is a hard thing to create in a dio without obvious things like snow. think about it, there are days when you look out the window and say it looks beautiful not a cloud in the sky and you go outside and it is 10 degrees. The heavy coats help, maybe some ice on the vehicle and if youre crazy enough maybe you could replicate the soldiers breath. Other than that I dont know
HTH
Evan

How about bare trees or bushes with a few leaves scattered on the ground? That always reminds me of winter.

Great Dio!! More cold looking---
How about a scarf around the face of the figures? or have the hoods up over the helmets?

Thanks for all the support guys! I toned down the green grass and tried the wax-ice, but I guess I'll have to practice some more, it looks just like... well, wax...

Jim, thanks for the tip, looks like a great reference.

Andrew, thanks, I'll try to tone down the tarp.

Bill, I'll try the future mix (on something else first, I don't wonat to mess up...) We don't have future, but I asked my sis to bring some from the states, and boy did she bring... I must have a 50 year supply now...

DJ Judge, the figures are the same I used, the DML Pusan Korea set, only I changed a few parts.


Evan, I'm not crazy, so I wont try the breath... Right now the coats and mittens are the only sign of cold...
Gary, I thought about the bush too, but my reference photos show most roads in the valleys between rice paddies... Might have to think about it again though.
John, thanks, but I don't think I want to mess with the figures anymore...

I'll take in some of your tips and post some more pics, if there is an improvement... Thanks again!

Hi all!

Well, I tried some old snow, future and snow powder. I think I'll call this one done. Any comments welcome!







Cheers
Stef

looks ok but the snow is still a bit odd looking in those clearly defined patches. i would dry brush the edges with white to soften the edges and make it look a bit more realistic. In fact, i think a very light dry brushing of white/ light grey over the who dio would give a cold effect. the problem is that you scene looks too dry and dusty. in very cold weather, water vapour in the air is forced out of the air where it condenses and freezes on stuff. so even in a very dry conditions you would get frost. perhaps some gloss coat misted with an airbrush from a long distance would help to create this effect.