Thanks Randy,

The figures are done but i forgot to take pictures for now, but i think i have better for now.

After a 12 hour modeling day i am finally approaching the finish line.

Here is a picture of the vegetation behind the houses. A bit of park area to do and some detailing in the courtyards, a matter of 2-3 days.

There are a lot of plants in this part!

Here is a view of my Army Theatre. I like that scene very much, because i do not remember seing such a situation anywhere else.
Playing a film with Laurel and Hardy

(Electric wiring need fixing)

A view frommy city road including weeping willow

Playing around with the placing of my vehicles

Hope you like it

Claude

Claude. Magnificent mate!
The subtle subdued colours of each building compliment each other so well. I love the army theater, and especially look forward to seeing the sculpting efforts
Brad

Wow, I'm starting to feel like I can walk right into some of those pictures and become part of Clervaux.

Hey Claude. As you commented on my grass in my diorama I would like to know what product/material you use for your grass like the grass outside Hotel de Commerce?
Also I would like to know about the brown bushes outside the hotel?

It's crazy how real you can make it look. I just can't get it to look right for myself : o

Cheers Simon.

I must say that this is one of most awesome dio around. I wish I had the space and talent to be able to do something like this on such a large scale.

And thank you for sharing this with us, I have gotten some great ideas form your work.

Claude
The only thing I can say is awesome. Keep up the great work. Looking foward to more photos!!.
Tom

@Brad, thanks a lot my friend,
I will show you the pictures in a few days (when it will be to late to change anything, i do not have the time for that anyway LOL). The make more sense when placed with the Lanz.
By the way, as i expected, no sign of life from Plus Model to get me those decals.
You buy a tractor of 75 € retail price and can't get themeven to answer regarding the 10 cent decals. Well, i dont mention Plus model again! Oops, to late :-)

@Jeremy, thank you very much. My fototaking is still very limited, but believe me, (a little bragging here), i was myself very satisfied about the view. Sometimes i work weeks on something before seeing it in place with the rest

@Simon,

the grass is hemp (the stuff used for sanitary isolation, available in all DIY shops). The only important thing is and that is (IMO) the error of most, is patience. Everyone make tuffts. Of course, you are finished in half an hour.
It took me a few days to plant an area of 15x7 cm. ( i will show you a better picture this evening, this is just a prelunch visit at the PC)
I also planted longer grass inbetween , even hair of a wig!
I made a real vegetaton, going from grass, to medium high plants to the bushes.
The brown bushed (this is meant to be a complete hedge) are very fine hair roots from an evergreen (fallen last spring during storms). Here also, i discard roots others would pay for, but choose only the ones you can not easily recognize as roots.

@Bruce, Thomas, thank you very much

Somewhere in between all this i was able to build this 600 gal. Fuel Trailer, a full resin and photo etch kit from CMK


Have a nice sunday

Claude

Hi Claude,

This is probably the most amazing model/diorama I'll ever see, the work goes on and your attention to detail doesn't faulter. A real labour of love. Thanks for the updates, absolutely terrrific stuff.

Al

Fantastic work as usual Claude! Thank you for sharing!

you are best example and my inspiration always thank heaven at inspire give you love building dio.

adisak.

Thank you guys, glad you like it.

Here is the more detailed picture i promised Simon,



I may comb the grass a bit more, but essentially this is it.

Claude

Call this one done!
A few hours of detailing and repairing, some woodworking to make the display expofriendly and i am ready to go!

I made two rose arches, scratched 4 little evergreens and planted a lot of other stuff.


Cheers
Claude

Fantastic Claude. Best of luck with the expo. I hope I get to see this in the flesh some day.

Thanks Claude. It's amazing how realistic it looks I must say. Saving the pics for reference.
I've been collecting some dry foilage, herbs, grass and some plants the last couple of days. I've put them in a glycerin bath (should preserve them). Also I bought some stuff made for model train dio, that looks pretty realistic. Will attempt to make some vegetation with that in my dio.

I too hope I can see this in person some day, looking better with each update Claude

Love the roof on the staff car - it's much better. The gardens look great, the foliage is all a model by itself.
The street with the jeep at the end looks so empty and clean. I can't wait to see it when it's done, it's calling for more story.

Claude,
Looking great as always. Good luck at the show.
Tom

Thanks Scott

Regarding the above, this is my biggest problem on this dio. The scene on the village roads.
You know that i attempt to make it as historical correct as possible.
At this precise moment of the action i probably can only show what i did now, fleeing civilians and retreating soldiers.
A streetfight with spotters is an alternativ, a road block with heavy fights is a possibility to, but in this case, every civilan action i made already is questionable because of the proximity to the fire action.

And then, how much of action? This is 2,5 meters of road! And more is coming!
Even one roadblock does not fill it. How much looks good, how much looks placed just to fill the empty room?
I can not fill it with more disabled trucks, only one is plausible, i did that. I will ad the fuel trailers somewhere. I can put one more disabled civilan car somewhere, but that's it! Why disabled is a must? Every workibng vehicle certainly got out!

The jeep is the one who was once placed in front of the gate of the castle. It only fits exactly here also, as the jeep turns left.
I will place the Lanz Bulldog near the castle (and near the cart with the horse so there is plenty there)
The view along the new houses to the top is even more empty. I placed my ambulance jeep there but it is at 80 cm from the border of the module and at 1 meter from the viewer. You can't even see the crew!
At that is before i add my next modules! Later, it will be purely for publications as no one except can make a picture of it.
I may move that one together with the Dodge near the first house of the road, so at least viewers can see what i did. Not often do you see closed Jeeps and even more seldom Litter carrier jeeps (Sorry, i just noticed that i did not show you a picture of that one, i will provide it later)

Do i have to fill it "traditionally" with plenty of action? We are talking here about a small, rural village in the Luxembourg Ardennes who is a pretty empty space even now on a sunday morning (and this scene plays on a sunday morning)! LOL
Imagine that under the treat of an advancing army?

I also think that my dio is watched and followed because of my structure building and landscape. There is so much to see now, that i believe that you need at least one hour to discover just that and more action may distract more then it brings. I am of course not sure about that, let's see what the expos bring.
Thank you Scott for the input, i really appreciate.

Thanks guys for your comments. I admit , i am happy that i am nearly done.

Claude

hey Claude, that was not the last picture you put but the one before the last that really made it for me -the one with the straw and Hotel du Commerce old house, this one is absolutely lifelike and gives a truly great vision of your work. i fell transported back 60 years ago with that one -minimal and lovely

Claude, as always, amazing work. I think the "action" that is going on is good enough. You don't have to fill in every space. That's what can be appropriate for small Dios, but we're talking a whole town here. It's more realistic that there are many open spaces even with a whole battalion in town. So I think you should stick to the plan. I'm already looking forward do the next book...

Cheers!
Stefan

Yo Claude,

Trully amazing and reallife work. Vegetation is spot on! See forward to Euro militiar

Greetz Nico

Magnificent work Claude! I understand what you said in your earlier answer concerning showing action. I think for many who have not seen real war they have an understanding based somewhat on movies and stories in books. As someone once said war is actually long periods of boredom puctuated with brief moments of sheer terror. The times when little happens do not make for interesting viewing in movies or reading so little is said of them.

I am reminded of the opening scenes of the BBC film series "The World at War" when they show theFrench village that has been left intact as a war memorial. The emptiness of the place affected me greatly as I imagine the people living there going about their lives until the soldiers came. I think sometimes we forget that suffering doesn't always show as bloody wounds, dead bodies, and destroyed vehicles. Sometimes it is the silence and the emptiness that mark the effect of war. When I was in the Army I visited a small death camp on the Czech border once. Although little remained, what was there and again, the emptiness of the place and knowing what had occurred there moved me in a way I never forgot.

If nothing else, I imagine a soldier entering such an empty place as your villiage. Is it truly empty? There could be a sniper behind every window, a machinegun nest behind every bush or wall. What waits around the next corner or in the alley? Is that a discarded box in the street or a bomb?

I see this all when I look at what you have made.

Thanks guys, i appreciate your words and comforts me on what i do.
I was myself pleasantly surprised with the view i created. Looking to a opening in my fist (restricting my view), wow, i loved it. (my shoulder hurts already from self praising, LOL, enough now. )
Other such views are now possible, the big diorama allowing for pictures without wall or photoshoped background.

Only one short adddition to my remarks above.
The extension planned now is only 1 more meter wide(x2,2 meter) , but climbs up to a height higher then the castle. I don't know yet if the distances will work scalewise and it could well be that the diorama will stop after the building of the river and not show the german attack at all. Lot of questions i will try find an answer to next winter.

I am now anxiously awaiting the publics reaction on the expos.

Hey, nobody said something about the stiff flag! I redid it in the meantime, so that's to late now.

Cheers
Claude