Finally finished this. Started last summer with other projects and it finally evolved to this. Hope you like it.
Rick

Pretty Damm Cool & Very Well Done with a bit of comic relief. I like it !!! Grreat Tree, Wall, Cart and Paint job Keep On Modelin, milvehfan

Very nicely done. I really like the two guys on the upper level laughing and pointing. I can't tell from the pictures, but adding just a bit of whites to the donkey's eyes, at the back, would give him more of a look of being surprised at being up in hte air.

Hey Rick,

that´s a great Dio!!!!

I like the way you combined all figures, no matter from which manufacturer, without making their differences (in age) too obvious! Great painting on them!

Peter

Very funny, very entertaining to look at, and a well built model!

Great job mate!

Really cool integration, everywhere you look they are all 'in the story'.
Really nice.

@ Chas: Thanks for the pic. I knew that I had seen a similar scene before, I just couldn´t remember where ! It´s great to see Paras in action beside fighting scenes (of one I´m about to build )! Peter

That picture is what started it all!! A friend found it on the web,printed it,gave it to me and said,"You should do something like this." And so it went! (for a long time too!)
Rick

It seems like an eternity since I saw you complete something so this is a most welcome release!
I remember your great looking tree from last year. It's packed with things and action, plenty to see and yet a great hotspot.
The build itself is not flawless but I don't care, first comes the idea and the scenery and then only the technics, so that's a A+ for a very entertaining diorama indeed!
All my congratulations
JB

Thank you JB. I'm very glad you like it. It probably would have been done sooner but I tried a multiple-projects-in-progress trial that just turned into a horrible traffic jam on my workbench. Only the spiders and their hatchlings had a good time for a while! Just now starting to regain possesion of the bench!
As far as technical goes,well, I try to be close and believable but I try not to let minor rivets get in the way of the story or scene I want to show. The rewards are smiles,not hardware.
Cheers!
Rick

Looks nice, I like your tree. It seems Crete Dioramas aren't that rare anymore

A really great scene!
Made me laugh!

The composition is very good; lots of things going on, multiple levels, maybe a bit crowded.
It's original and full of humor!

Just 1 small remark. The wall is very "flat". There's little depth in it (on the pictures). Maybe add a few washes, drybrushes to make the stones different form each other and make them stand out. It would also blend in with the scene better, I think.

Other than that, you do have an eyecatcher on any show.

Thanks Ron! I had thought of washing the stones to give variation,but the more I looked at pictures of old,ancient,sun-scorched rocks of Malta,Crete,and Sicily, the more I thought it better to leave them. Almost small deserts surrounded by seas.
Cheers!
Rick

Great one Rick. Glad to see you have the time to build again. Hope to see you on the local show circuit next season.

Cheers,
Charles

Very nice job Rick.
Nice to see a little humor displayed.

Thank you Charles! Really missed the get togthers this year. will make it a high priority for '10! Heck, any pics of this years "Kick-Off Classic" or the Petaluma show? How did you make out?
Cheers!
Rick

Thanks Dave! glad you liked it. Might get another one out before the end of the year.
Don't want to rush these things, y'know?
Cheers!
Rick

Hi Rick,
Yeah, missed seeing you at the shows this year. I did very well at both shows this year (probably because I had multiple entries unlike the last couple years)

Kickoff Classic Photos:
http://svsm.org/gallery/kos2009

Petaluma Photos:
http://www.ipmssantarosa.org/feature_show/show_2009_expo/show_2009_expo.htm

Cheers,
Charles

I have to start by saying that I have never built a diorama. this, to me, is beautiful. It is well composed; has a story line that has some depth, not just a moment, is masterfully executed, and is very well composed (there is a 'thought out' feeling to the compositional elements, no matter from where the viewpoint). The coloration is also quite beautiful. You have great artistic ability, and a soldier's sense of humor. Thanks for the photos.

Matt

Thank you Matt. Very kind comments. I'm very glad you enjoy it.
Cheers!
Rick

Made room in my gallery for a couple more.....





Enjoy!
Rick