This is pretty good Alex, great balance about the whole thing, nice colours that makes a whole.. i take it you won't be including any figures?

This is awesome Alex! Simple but very effective.

Primož

The last photo is striking. It elevates this diorama into a new plane and shows great vision

hi Alex another stunning vignette,makes me want to run for cover in my guille suit before the
hind gets m...sorry COD,bit of topic

might i suggest a figure in a hazmat suit staring at an off the charts geiger counter?

Lol! I was going to say, they have released resin cast figures for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R video game, one of them could be somewhat fitting to this

Hello gentlemen!

Well, thanks a lot for your positive feedback. Hope I'll not disapoint you in the future.
Cause, looking at this dio for a week or so now, I've started to feel unsatisifed with the way I've done it...
Something was wrong, don't know if it's the composition, the architecture, the painting or maybe all of this, but I could not say : this one is finnished.
I was in need of something strenght, and needed to feel happy to go for part 2 and 3. So the better way to get this was to build it again.

So this is the diorama now : I've put away the old one, and from the vector drawings that I've previously done, re-built it.
During the various update of the new one, I'll face the same problems that I've experienced. I'll try to explain in time how I could bypass them to get a better result than the first time.

The building is almost the same for the moment. Still heavy cardboard and evergreen for tiling.



Thanks for reading,
See you later for next installement.

Alexandre.

As a stilestudy I find it very interesting vith some very welldone effects - I find the story somewhat lacking - what are you trying to tell? and can it be told without figures or other items (like a left decayed teddybear?) ?

But the effects, especially the wet effects are stunning and looks spot on.

I´m looking forward seeing your second installation on the theme - if you are trying to create the feeling of a ghosttown, some effects can help - things left in haste - posters and signs obviously from another era etc. Good luck.

Cheers/Jan

Hello Alexandre! some times, when you works too much time in a project, you star seeings "phantoms" :-) , probably you need rest a bit about this work, when you returns you can have a fresh looking.

This vignette looks perfect (IMHO) in general you can "read" a feeling here:looneliness, abandon, etc...but if you want reinforce this , may be need adding some every day artifact ( as Jan says) that detail want occurs with the people: a suitcase among the grass, a teddy bear, etc

about building I think that you have a very good idea taking this "fuctional" style and this unbalanced form of the wall, but may be the steps of the stairs are too narow for a public building....

hope that this helps
Carlos

Hello gents.

Hi Jan, thanks. Of course, I've thought about all of this, but those are hard effects to master. I don't want to display an assortiment of junk, by putting here and there some items. But I've renounced because it does look artificial. That's a great idea, but I need to practise it to get a convincing effect.
I've some ideas with good'ol soviet signs...will see. Thanks for your input and for still following, sincerely hope I'll not disapoint you my friend.

Hello Carlos, of course it's help! You're absolutely right about long-time projects, taht's probably why I'm not able to correctly finnish anything. Thanks for your feedback about the building, I'm reaaly inspired by all the works you display here on armorama, so I'm glad you like it so far.
You're also right about the steps, I should have think about it sooner... Now I can't correct it without destroying the whole building.

Jan, Carlos and all of you, I'm really happy to get the opportunity to share and discuss my works with great people who give constructive comments.
I notice your ideas about leftover items. Will re-try it.

Well, for today's update :

I'm still on the building, that I wanted more impressive than the older one. The challenge was to get this on the same area, without obstruing the view and overload the scene.
Here were I'm now. I've made the facade higher, in order to work on it later. I've also thicken some walls and piles...
I've started the "gesso" work for concrete texture.

Feel free to comment folks if you feel it, I want this topic as an open one.





Alexandre.

Yo Alexandre,

Whow!!! What do I see here...a new start...but I can understand it...when you feel not well about a work or layout.

But I admire you're spirit...there should be more modellers like you...dare to start over, only that way you can achieve a result that's good enough for you're self.

Looking forward to see the next update.

good luck.

Greetz Nico

Hello folks.
Thanks Nico!

I can show you some progress, and an highlight on concrete texture, that I want more aggressive than before.
Here's also a little pics with all the ingredients I'm using.







Merry Christmas.
Alexandre.

Nice update Alexandre.

I agree with Carlos, certainly brave to start the project all over again but good for you.

I think a more heavily weathered concrete is a good idea. Before maybe it looked a bit too well looked after and recent.
Unlike my diorama (buildings that have recently been lived in but destroyed in fighting) you have a lot more freedom to really weather breakdown and portray the desolation and ruin of Pripyat. This is a city after all that has been left abandoned for over 20 years.

I think it would have a lot more battered peeling paint, and also maybe some graffiti from the various looters and tourists who have visited the place... if you fancied it and wanted to try your hand at Cyrillic graffiti it could be a good chance. Also if you want some phrase translated to Russian for this purpose just ask, I can get my wife to translate anything for you! Although Pripyat is in Ukraine many Ukrainians speak Russian, especially during this Soviet period...

If you wanted a human element without adding "props" like personal items graffiti would be a good alternative I think. Adds to the grim desolation while keeping it architectural only.

Brilliant update Alexandre! How about a small teddy beear for a personal touch!

Or an old soviet style canister gas mask or boot. There's tons of them scattered around.

I would say add an old painting as there is lots of old artwork that has been left there, but I don't think it would fit with this dio.

A perfectly placed old dusty gas snorkel gas mask right by the door way would make this dio pop IMHO

The difference between Russian & Ukrainian is very little.

Even the Cyrillic used between both countries is 98% the same save two or three character differences.

I can speak both + Polish as I am of Eastern European background so I can attest to this.

When you are in school in Poland or Ukraine as a child, your second language learned is Russian and then English.

Martyn, thanks for the background!
Shane: "...a kind of ghostly feeling seems to set in..."
Kaiserine, elsewhere: "...infinite styles of wet and damp texture of the ground...[strong picture there, too]"
JBA--HEINE-07 took time this Christmas to branch out into "Features," on Armorama. Awesome work.
Guy--I know you are out there...
05Sultan's creatures...

You guys are changing my outlook on modeling. Thank-you! It is a good sign when Kaiserine drops a work in mid-stream. Vitality of insight is tantamount above all, and must be kept alive, where-ever it leads.

I would post a photograph here, but do not know how. Go see the last one added to my profile pictures.

HEINE-07

No more litter box diorama then? wise idea
Then why being hasty in finishing a diorama, I suppose you'd rather be surrounded by 2 wonderful dioramas rather than 50 half baked ones, it's the sign of a future great diorama maker methinks..

Hi Alexandre!
I can't wait to see what will you do with the last one and what areas will you improve.

Primož

Hello Gentlemen, happy new year and a big THANK YOU for all the help and suggestions. Be sure that I'll think about it all.
Excuse my long silence, but I've had a break in modelling with the new year.

So here the 2010 first update :

A broken-fallen soviet-style ornament.
The star is done with evergreen card, and the backround with self-hardening clay.
It will be a central point in the future diorama, helping drawing strengt lines in the composition.
Here are the pics, before the painting and weathering, and the placement in the diorama, later.







Cheers,
Alexandre.

Awsome job Alexandre, if you put pripyat in on google there is a pripyat website with tons of photos.

Alex
Great Star how did you do it ??
Plaster real concrete ???
Bonne Annee
Seb

man, your star looks pretty good! like some fossil of sorts..

Hello Martyn, always here thanks friend!

hello Seb, well, the star is done in Evergreen styrene. I design the shape with a vector illustration software, then I glue it on a fine evergreen card. (0,1 thick).
I cut it, bend it with a photo-etched bender then glue it on the interior side.

The backround is made with a self hardenning clay that i let dry for few days. Once dry, it's really breakable and look as plaster or concrete.
When the background looks OK, I glue the star on it and do some putty work with Magic Sculp.

Hope it's clear enough, if not, please PM me...

EDIT : Hello JB, thanks for the comment, hope this one will pass the painting stage....I think this one is cool enough, I wanted to do a kind of "bas relief" or "fresque" idea....

Nice work Alexandre!

That star is fantastic! Really nice overall effect, for me though its the backing plaster that really does it. Great attention to detail on this concrete slab. The cracks and damage are excellent!