This is a really characterful and natural looking dio. The figures pose and the setting are really beleivable! This certainly will be a winner when finished.

@ Garth
Thanks for the kind words, Really appreciated.

@ Gab and Mark
Thanks for the good replies. I like the feedback given on the rod issue. Today I saw some footage of Bush Seniors Rod collection as he is probably an avid fisherman with 80 years experience with fishing. And he showed some really antique rods as well as rods from the early decades around the war years.
It gave me a good idea of how the reels looked like. And that is easy enough to make. With the info of both you guys I made up my mind and will leave the finished rod as is with a changed reel and make the other one with the wireloops and reel on top.

@ Jon
If it will be a winner I don't know...For me it is already a winner if it gets finished.
About the figures... I always think that it is not really important what the hands of the figures do...or what gestures they make... It can really be anything. What for me is really important is the right head on it... And that when they are doing something that they pay attention to the action. I think I did succeed with these guys.

Next week I hope to find a bit more time to go further on this project. Scratchbuilt some items and who knows maybe even starting on the groundworks a bit.

Norman Rockwell in Nazi Germany uh? Well Robert as usual from you your latest offering looks like an original and quite crisp work -I really like the refusal of easiness in scratchbuilding some not so obvious stuff like the fishing rod for instance, I will keep on following.

Hey Robert,

Great theme, following with interest. Prachtig.
Another thing on fishing rods and reels (yeah, I know, it's a model blog...):
You mentioned Bush. Be careful however: the history of American fishing gear is completely different from the European one!

US reels are (and were) the type you see when they catch tuna, shark or other big fish.
It is situated on top of the rod, just as the eyes.
They were never popular in Europe


In Europe, there's the British type, the one also used for fly fishing.

They are much simpler and don't have a gear.
NB! This type is fixed at the end of the rod, behind the hand you hold it with.

Petri Heil

Let me solve the whole rod & reel issue once & for all... change it into a spear & everyone should be happy...

Still a beautiful piece of work M8!

Can't wait for the next update!

Don

@ JBA
Thanks a lot for the kind words.. They absolutely mean a lot to me.

@ Jan
Thanks for clearing up the rod issue and the differences between the US type reels and fishing vs the European style. It was the info that made my decision which you will see below. Bedankt!!

@ Donovan
Hehehe going back to the olden olden days of fishing... a stick and a stone... and a huge load of patience... Luckily no need for that. I made up my mind and made changes.

Ok time for another update. There was not that much time this week but still I managed to do something.
I scratched the second rod (the bottom one in the pic) This time a 3 piece casting rod. With all the feedback that I received about the reels I replaced the reel on the first rod and scratched two centerpin type reels. They are bloody tiny. Just before making the pics I lost one that fell on the ground... spend around 15 minutes on my knees searching the floor. And eventually found it glued to my sock



To make the scene as varied as possible i decided not to give the other soldier a tacklebox/stool. I first wanted to make a little milkersstool but that didn't work out the way I wanted it. So in a completely democratic fashion I myself decided that a jerrycan was good enough for the boy. However to stay in the spirit of things I decided to scratch another much smaller tacklebox.


Also I received some news about the sunshade. I received an answer from Heineken:



And some compliments about the built and a question if I could send pictures when the project is finished.... BUT... now comes the problem. The Heinken Umbrella is not going to work. Currently I'm asking with the national beermuseum here in Holland to find out if there were breweries during the war years that used umbrellas like this. And if there were what they would look like. If the answer to that is no it will probably be an umbrella with the green and white patches simplky because I think those colors will work very well.

This is not the biggest or most inspiring update but I'm really glad I got the rods sorted out. All that is left now is some small stuff. And adding straps to some personal gear and then it is up to paint.

As usual I'm very curious to your feedback.

With friendly greetings

Robert Blokker

Robert, great looking peice that I'm sure it will catch peoples eye. You might try an unbrella with the Chinzano lable ( not sure if I spelled that right) but I seem to recall umbrellas with that logo in pic's. Don't forget the fish net. Bythe way. Where you going to get 1/35th scale fish hooks and weights . I really like this one. Not everything has to be pure military and this fits the bill beautifuly. Looking forward to the finished peice.

if I recall correctly, this is a bit of a 'what if' dio, as the actual vehicle never made it past prototyping, or rather, into proper production...

I think this would be the out you seek. I love that umbrella! It's great, extremely well done, and needs to be shown.

Here's a scenario; 1953, East German penal camps guards, in their SchwimmRSO (left over from 'wartime stocks'), having an easy time of their duty, fishing under a very nice sunbrella...

...for example, currently I'm working on an imaginative late war dio; 5th SSPzDiv stragglers who managed to make it out of the fiasco that was Budapest '45, with a Sdkfz 234/1 in a late war paint scheme (dunkelgelb, sharp demarcations over olivgrun), meeting up with other stragglers, 2 bicycle troopers... I love this kind of historically revisionist dio; it just lets me create. Bicycle troops with Stg44's... I should get some pics up here...

Please, use the Heineken 'brella!! It's great!

oh yeah, I need some of your sickness... those fishing rods are just too much!!!!!! lol

Those rods are great. The wire is so fine. nice job.

@ Bob
Thanks for the compliments. I checked your suggestion and I actually like the colors of Cinzano. I think I'm going to do a bit of research witbh Cinzano to see if they can help me a bit further on that. A nice blue and red umbrella will look pretty cool too. As for the weights and hooks... nobody is making them in PE so I have to scratchbuilt them myself as well.

@ Kaysersoze
Thanks...glad you like the fishing rods. Yes it is not a too serious or historical accurate dio still I want it to be within the World war 2 time frame. The Umbrella will be there only it will not be a Heineken one. Ihave send an email to the national beer museumof Holland to find out if there were breweries already using umbrellas and if not then I'mgoing to see if some of the stronger alcoholic drinks used them in the likes of Martini and as bob suggested Cinzano
Looking forward to your project as well. I always like these hypothetical stuff certainly when it is well thought out with a good story to back it up. I'm also working on a prototype 4 rad dio that takes place in the defense of Germany in the fall of 1945.

@ Scott
Thanks for the compliments of the rods. The wire with which they hang in the picture is around the thickness of a human hair... so really thin

I'm sort of guessing that production of advertising umbrellas might not have been a high priority in war time Europe. Perhaps you should be looking for products sold just before the war started. Things that might have survived till '42-43 largely unscathed. I'm assuming plenty of soft drink or sparkling water producers would have distributed them for advertising. I guess for the ultimate "Hummm" moment you could even use an American product like Coke or Pepsi

@ Mark
Very true that the production of these kind of items would probably not be very important during the war years. But that is not what I'm really looking for either. As you say I'm looking for something that was already there before the war and that managed to survive. I don't know about the Coca umbrella. Eventhough the colors are nice and bright It might be a bit too much. I'm more or less looking for european brands. Eventhough Coke was introduced in Holland in 1928 at the olympic games in amsterdam it became more popular at the end of WW2 when the American army brought loads of the stuff with them. Still it might end up being a Martini, pernod or Cinzano umbrella... those drinks have been very old by that time already and also popular throughout Europe. Who knows. the research continues. It is not one of the most pressing matters of the dio since I can change the top of the umbrella easily and as much as I like

Hi Robert,
Looking real good so far, the new fishing reel is definately looking better. I applaud you on yor scratch-building skills.
Thoughts on the use of an umbrella if you are unable to come up with anything... Maybe the German soldiers would have improvised some form of cover out of their issued zeltbahn which when buttoned together formed a kind of tent. As they were camoflaged this would give your fishermen some form of cover from the air... just a thought
What will you use for the water?
I am following this build with great interest

Regards, Paul

love your build.....but I think one should just have the old type stick pole. As if the they just met up on the road and had to improvise a pole....
The tackel box is assume... the umbrella super... need beer!
Cans for worms...wine bottle cheese...coffee pot? cups. Little fire going to cook the catch....
Fish carcus...yea need a fish on a line hanging up.
Always think out side the box! No weapons it would spoil it. Enjoy it's your build. Can't wait for more more more.

Michael

@ Paul
Thanks for your reply and the kind words... Those new reels were a PITA. They are small and even more detailed then the first reel which was quite simple in shape.
The zeltbahn idea crossed my mind as well however I decided not to go with that. the Zeltbahns made it too military for my taste. And I want it to be not too serious
I have found an online shop that sells clear casting resin in tins for making these clear shapes where a flower is preserved in. The prices are quite decent so I think I give that a try.

@ Micheal
Yeah I have thought about the stickpole idea but I decided not to. I want to give the idea of equals gone fishing. The guys don't have ranks either. And with all the stuff they are taking with them I wangt to make clear that was something the guys have planned.
Thanks for the compliments on the scratched items. a few more will be made but I'm glad I have the rods behind me. They were pretty much the hardest of the lot. Bottles of beer will also be there. I was glad to find that I still had a load of them in the scratchbox.
And you are absolutely right.. from the beginning the idea was to have not a single weapon in the project. Well only one ... a knife... you somehow have to cut the bread, cheese and sausage.

Beer bottles from scratch...I did the wine bottles...Worked for me...can't wait get back to work!

Michael

If my memory serves (occasionally) I have seen a few advertising umbrellas in wartime photos of France, Italy, and the Low Contries. I believe some of the pictures were in the Time/Life WWII series (great photos but the content stinks).
Aside from that, I love the attention to detail and the concept. Great!

@ Micheal
There has been a bit of a misunderstanding I think Which probably was caused by me. I'm not intending to scratchbuilt the beerbottles as well.. That would probably drive me nuts. I had some from I think Academy that I will use.
No clue when I will get back on it... This week I'm pretty full with work..

@ Charlie
Thanks for the compliments.Really appreciated.
I'm pretty sure that time will eventually come up with a good solution for the umbrella top. I will search till I find one. I can always leave it brandless. No prob there.