I have been modelling now for just over a year and feel I am starting to get somewhere with it but the thing that I really want to do is dioramas so I decided I would have a bash at one and see how it goes. Nothing too clever but a learning piece for me.



So here is a mock up for my first ever dio - look forward to laughing along as I make a mess real soon

A few days ago the plastic dio bits arrived and while I am sure it's going to be possible to make something nice with this I don't think it's going to be an easy ride getting this vac form stuff to play nicely ...

There is going to be a figure in the Kubelwagen but I 'think' I need a 4th figure for him to be looking at, or a dog or something - maybe



and yes - I agree, it DOES look horrible

Here is how the wall sections looked on the vac form sheet ...


I cut them out as carefully as I could but because of the way the stone edging on the wall is done I could see no way to avoid thise problem ...


I cut a hole top and bottom and glued in some styrene rod to provide some support and the slipped in plasticard so I at least now have something to fill against ...




Here is how the joint looks along the edge of the wall - eeeek!



I am about half way through fixing that edhge on the other corner

I still think it will look good but based on hours of modelling 'fun' per pound spent this will be great value

It was really important to me how the two figures that portray the boot polishing scene worked together and with the scenery they are placed in. These two figures are meant to go together but on flat ground so there was quite a bit of tweaking needed to get them sitting just right in the scene and together. I also had a chicken and egg situation - I couldn't site the officer before the boy was in place - I cant' set the boys pose without the general in place etc. I knew I wanted the boy sat in the corner braced against the curb so I placed him first.


From past experience I knew he needed a firm base for pinning and what I had was some thing plastic and a gap of fresh air to the bottom base I had glued to the bottom of the vac formed part. So I left the torso off and drilled through the legs and suitcase right through the bottom of the base. Then I drilled a 3mm hole from the back and glued in some styrene rod - and then drilled that with a 1mm hole from the topside again for a brass pin.





Now I knew exactly where the boy was sitting I could site the general - the leg angle on the model was a bit weird so I got Zoe to replicate the pose to see where it was wrong. It needed reposing anyway to make it work with the new height of the pavement but the stool in the road - it needs filling and resculpting but that should be easy enough on the back of the knee there.



I pinned the bottom of the figures ....



and here is where we are now - not the horrible filling job on this corner - it's a focal point too so I will need to get this about right somehow

It's amazing how much work what seems like a small change can create. Now I have the officer on the curb and the lad sat in the street nothing lines up how you would like it.

With the officer's leg reposed now the arm and hand doesn't fall right - I fiddled at the shoulder to sort that and when the glue has set fully I will work on the fingers and thumb to get them to sit on the top of his leg properly

Also now the lad's right hand doesn't come where I want it either (to be honest it wasn't too good a fit even in the standard pose) - my only solution was to modify the shoulder to throw the arm out and then to cut the elbow and pull it in and twist in through around 45 degrees of rotation anti clockwise to make it look realstic - when the shoulder is dry I can cut and make the changes - here is the problem and stage on of what I hope will be the solution ...

I had a bit of a problem working out where the elbow was as it was covered in the right arm by a baggy shirt sleeve - luckily the left arm was bare up to the shoulder so I measure that one for length of the forearm and made my cut. Then I drilled and pinned (with some wire) both halves after cutting a little from the forearm to keep the anatomy correct. It set the angle and the twist of the forearm after using my own arm to see how that would look. I think it came out ok and now just leaves the armpit to be filled 9easy) and the bottom of the bggy shirt to be resculpted (maybe not so easy) but I did same the rolled cuff to try and make things a bit easier for myself ....

Here was what we had ....



and now we have this ....

Hi,

i'm sure you will take care of this corner issue. Enough putty or clay and sanding and you may hide it completely.
One quick observation, if this is all you want to put on the dio (your couple and the car) i suggest to already cut some of your dio in front of the car.

Nice to see another diorama maker

Cheers
Claude

Looks good so far! Haven't tackled one of those Miniart Buildings but I might just have to get one someday.

One observation: Wouldn't the boy sit on the walkway, close to the wall where he could lean against it when out of work? Sitting in the street seems a bit dangerous, even for those times... Just my thoughts!

Cheerio!
Stef

I know what you mean Stef and I will admit that I moved them around and posed it a number of ways. What I wanted to achieve was the lad being downtrodden in every way - he is sitting in the road which is submissive - it also makes him even lower than the towering officer - I ever moved the officers head (you can't see that yet) so he is looking off into nowhere - like the lad isn't even there or worth the time to look at.

Also - look at the state of the lad's house - I don't reckon he feels sitting in the road is that dangerous

There is a driver for the car who has one leg out on the side facing the viewer and his arm on the open door. He will be looking at something in the road - not decided what yet - maybe a dog , woman or child, maybe even a chicken

Then I can call it " why did the chicken..... "

In that case I'd suggest that the officer looks at the chicken as well, that would give the dio a focus and not two seperate stories. Just a thought!

Hey, you could also add a cow and call it "Cow and Chicken" (as in the Cartoon on TV... )

Cheers!

I have finished posing these pair of figures at last. I was really trying to get a feeling of arrogant nonchalance from the officer so
I reposed his head slightly to look away from the boy out into nowhere. This is also why i decided to put the lad in the road in the end - somehow more submissive ?

"In that case I'd suggest that the officer looks at the chicken as well, that would give the dio a focus and not two seperate stories."

oops! - too late - or is it ?

I see what you are saying and it makes sense

I really like reading through your thought processes. I am really glad that your first concern lies with the emotive aspect of diorama making. Many dioramas are built purely to show off hulks of metal called Panzers... and that can get a little dull sometimes.

I would like to see the officer and shoe-shiner placed more central in the diorama... but I'm not sure about your plan for additional figures... and your overall plan for the main storyline. I will wait and see what you come up with.

Keep going the way you are... you have much talent for dioramas. You have my interest and subscription.

Chas

Thanks for the comments Chas

Hearing other people thoughts is very very useful.

What I am hoping to get to at some point is building a really big diorama ( I have an idea in my head) and this one is to help me learn about as much as I can - especially what mistakes I make so I can avoid some of those next time.

The big dio I have in my head will have many sub plots and maybe that's affecting my thoughts on this one ?

I have to admit that I am not really very interested in tanks but find some of the other vehicles very interesting.

Looking really good especially for a first effort! I like the concept.
You probably could have saved "hours of fun" on the Miniart building had you read their tutorial on construction tips. I still have an unfinished building (first attempt) with pounds of putty trying to fill the gaps! Once you get the hang of their technique on assembly you can have a complete building together in a couple hours (less drying time for the glue) Anyway, great start and please continue to post in progress shots.......
Look under 'assembly guide':
http://www.miniart-models.com/

Cheers,
Charles

Hi Charles

Thanks for the tip. I did actually read that first and followed the tips and I am sure it would have been MUCH worse without those tips.

My problem is mainly due to the corner stones that protrude past the bricks on the corner - thats my only real problem area and I have nearly fixed that now so it's not all bad.

Hmm, that would be me... I come from the armor modelling side into the Dio and see it more as a way to present the vehicle. In that sense I guess it would be a vignettte, not a Dio... But I do agree with you Chas.

Cheers
Stef

I am certainly not knocking anyone though - surely the whole point is that we build the models we want. It would be so boring if we all built the same things wouldn't it

I have the cornerstones in the wall 95% sorted now - so on to sorting out the mess where the bricks meet :-(



I also can't build the 3rd figure until I build his jeep as he is sitting in it - and I can't put the chicken in the scene until I can see where he is looking. I think building the jeep might be a bit of a pain as I will need to prepaint some bits and then maybe mask them multiple times - we'll see .

looks good,
whgat do youy mean prepaint and mask parts of the kubel, wouldnt it be easier to paint basecoat and shading, then brushpaint certain details?

You are right James it wasn't as bad as I thought

Had one of those modelling days were it doesn't feel like you got much done. Now waiting for a heavy wash to dry so I can drybrush the grey and highlight the wood a little so I can glue this part together ....





You can see I missed a few ejector pins marks so need to sort those out somehow

Hey great idea buddy!. As chas pointed out allot of diorama's are really hunks of various Panzers. But yours has a certain charm to it. Great shoe shine idea! great looks like sasha from Enemy at the Gates.

Keep it coming mate

Slow progress but some progress. Interior grey now washed and drybrushed and the wood slats I had to paint and weather by hand and was a bit fiddly (zzzzzz)

Also went today to collect the picture frame I ordered that I will use for a simple base. I gave up in the end trying to find any decent wood and can't find MDF anywhere out here in Bulgaria either - very annoying

anyways ...

Your first diorama ever ? It looks very good to me, I like the setting and the figures are well chosen. The frame presentation looks well done too. Believe me, you won't make a mess of this one ! G.