A while back I began a diorama project that I may actually finish! Set during the opening days of the Kursk Offensive it includes a Dragon 1/35 Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.G "Early" along with two crewmen (modified Dragon figs) and four or five Grenadiers (also from Dragon). The Stug. is supporting the clearing of a Soviet communications trench and the commander is surveying the next set of intrenchments in the distance.

The tank:















The Cast of Characters:



I converted "Grenade Guy 1" from a Gebirgsjager mortarman by removing the climbing boots and adding the jackboots from another figure.
before -

after -


Not all are shown nor have I decided upon the final lineup, some of these figs may not make the final cut.

The Base:



I "sandwich-glued" two pieces of styrofoam resulting in a piece that is 10" x 12" x 3 1/4" thick. I have yet to begin construction on the trenchline or the surface, that is forthcoming.



I will keep you updated.

rb

Hi Dave!
sounds interesting, and the build seems to me very good sofar!
I'll keep watching!
ciao
Edo

Nice work.

This will be a very interesting dio, please keep us posted!

James

Hi Dave, this is looking really good so far.

Nice interior and I like how you've also used the crew inside the tank!

I have had a little Kursk diorama in 1:48 scale on the bench for sometime now, one day I will have to get round to finishing it!

It's a really interesting period though, and I really enjoyed my research into the battle before I started my build. Interested to see how you lay this out and set things up on the scenic base!

Edo, James and Jon, thanks for the kind comments. I am deciding on barbed wire today, and it looks like it's going to be the Verlinden I have had in stock for years. I think I can make that work convincingly enough.
Thanks Fellas,
rb

Dave,

Excellent idea! No better Ostfront campaign than Kursk!

Will look forward to your progress and completion.

I would like to do one as well with the two bailout crews offered by Masterbox, one out of a T-34/76 and the other from a PzKw. IV Ausf. D.

Keep up the good work!

Bill B.

I'm going to go ahead and use a total of nine figures( Two Crew figures, and seven Infantry) in this diorama, the highest figure count in one diorama for me to date.





I haven't as yet attached "Flammenwerfer Guy's" arms yet, I'll need to fit the Flammenwerfer 'rig' first to insure proper alignment. After I cut the trenchline into the foam, I'll have a better idea how the final figure positioning will be handled.

rb

I started working again on "flammenwerfer guy" this evening. I didn't care much for the out of the box rig, so I have made some modifications. The molding on the hydrogen bottle (small bottle) didn't suit me so I made my own out of sprue and added a 'leftover' PE strap and buckle from my M41 project:


I used some Evergreen Brand .020" white styrene rod for the hydrogen propellant line and added another shorter piece for the flow handle on the fitting at the bottom of the fuel tank -

- and some black tubing from my Tamiya 88mm Flak gun kit for the fuel line:
- after it has dried overnight on the first end glued, I'll glue the other end, then do a bit of work on that gap between the frame and the belt.

razorboy

**** The Germans favored a mixture of gasoline and tar (the tar supposedly added to the range) ..... sounds pretty nasty to me - not something I want to be hit with!

rb

Nice work Dave, that flame thrower is looking good. Things like that sure are fiddly to build arent they?

Hi Dave, a very intresting subject you have developing here,

the stug crew is nice touch and a better option than having the hatches 'buttoned up'

keep up the great work

Hi Dave. Good start. Great idea to have operational crew in the Stug ... and with the in-action poses of the figures, its looking very promising. Nice details on the flame thrower as well.

Thanks fellas, updates as I get time to work on it some more.
rb

I have determined that these two knuckleheads are way to relaxed in their stances and must be replaced -

- their replacements are on the way.

"Flammenwerfer Guy" is assembled and needs a little filling here and there and some final seam removal before painting -


razorboy

The Dragon LAH Kursk and the Russian antitank team figure sets arrived yesterday, the final figure placement and trench design will begin this weekend.
rb

I've assembled all of the German figures I'll be using although they may or may not be in their final locations on the base in these pictures:





rb

You've got yourself quite an interesting dio layout there! And a lot of figures to paint, too!!

Personally I would move the flamethrower to the left rear behind the StuG, taking cover. You don't want to have one of those exposed to enemyfire in a situation like this!

I guess I should at this point, explain the storyline as it has developed in my mind. This squad of assault troops have followed a Stug. up to a communications trench, using the Stug. as small arms cover.
The squad has positioned themselves as close as is possible to the trenchline, assaulting it in about 5 seconds - as soon as grenade guys one and two have thrown their stick grenades.
The group on the left have lined up in order of travel with "Flammenwerfer Guy" in front, closely followed by Flammenwerfer's assistant, and "Bayonette Guy" following third.
Around the right side of the Stug. "MG Gunner" is closely followed by "MG Assistants" one and two, both carrying ammo cans and ready to follow him as soon as the grenades go off and he no longer needs to cover the "Bunker" on the trenchline.
"Grenade Guy 1" (prone) will follow those three around the right, while after throwing his grenade (Grenade Guy 2 - standing) he follows "Bayonette Guy" and is fourth in line around the left of the Stug..
"Squad Leader" will go around either side that pleases him once the rush begins, afterall, he is in charge.
That is what I have envisioned and once the groundwork starts to develop that may change a bit here or there depending upon any unforseen constraints in construction but for the most part - that is the story.

Thanks for following,
razorboy
Thanks for following,
razorboy

I worked on "Russian 1" today, he has a scratchbuilt RPG-40 in his right hand. The RPG-40 was a hand-held anti tank grenade and looked a great deal like a short can on a stick. To duplicate the "can", I used a piece of sprue and added the "rings" from fine gauge wire -

RPG-40:




rb

Been on somewhat of an extended "Christmas Break" .... back to work on it this week!
rb

Nice to see you working on this project again Dave. Looking forward to seeing some more updates.

Very cool!
Kursk is one of my favorite subjects and I plan on doing a dissertation on it before too long..

Cut my terrain contour and started on the trench and observation post this morning:







- Still wet, the celluclay looks a bit sloppy .... once it firms up, I'll smooth it out some.....




Less than 10% of the 'O.P.' interior will be visible when the diorama is completed though I still feel the need to complete it.

rb

I have nearly completed the trench construction today. Some touch up with Celluclay and paint as well as final weathering is still pending -


Next I will finish the O.P. roof, then it's back to the Stug.III to finish her and the crewmen. I won't finish the ground work until the Stug. & crew as well as the infantry are finished and have been assigned their final positions on the base.
razorboy

This is really starting to take shape. Keep it up!

Thanks Luke. As soon as it's good and dry I'll add some wear on that "Flooring" in the trench bottom. I am also considering eliminating "Grenade Guy 2 (standing)" as he doesn't quite seem to work in the scene.