This is my second crack at making a small diorama. It's inspired by the Battle of the Bulge. The scene depicts the advancing US Army overwatching German POWs making their way through the US lines to an uncertain future.
Enjoy!
Justin








Comments and critiques are welcome.

Great work and good idea! As to any critiques, it could be the pictures, but it seems like some of the figures seem a bit glossy. But like I said, it could just be the pictures. Either way, good job!

First off, nice job for a 2nd effort. I'm about to start my first diorama in about 15 years later this week.

My little comments.

-The germans' white camo is VERY white. Looks like they just left the dry cleaners. After running around in western europe in winter, they likely would be pretty dirty. My recommendation would be next time paint them a light grey color. This should also allow you to get some more contrast. With the all white uniform, it's hard to see the folds in the clothes, etc.

Also, you did a nice job adding muck to the jeep... but none of the guys have any on their boots. The motor crewman even has nice clean bottoms.

Just stuff to think about.


Also, what did you use to model the snow?

I think you may have something on your camera lens, but on Pic #2 it kinda looks like smoke coming from the mortar tube Nice effect but I also notice the little smudge on pic 1. Overall, really nice. I am preparing my first diorama with my second model ever built! I actually just started building last month, so hopefully and I can get them up to par with you guys.

nice dio. just a few things ,
1 would the mortar team be lobbing rounds next to oil drums , if they usually do wouldnt they need more rounds near by ?
.2 the soldier holding the garand , if he was holding the rifle like that he would have had to prop the butt of the gun on his leg ,(its a pretty heavy gun).
3 would german pows be allowed to walk near a mortar team and a 30 cal machine gun on the ground with no one manning it ?
. ,other than that the figures look pretty good , very natural poses .

Firstly, thanks for sharing this -- it takes a bit of guts to put your own work up for anonymous criticism on the internet!

I like the layout and story of the diorama -- most of the Americans are watching the Germans with a mix curiosity and wariness, keeping their distance. The snow is very well done, and the mud on the jeep is great. I also like the random "junk" lying around, just like in real life.

In addition to what some of the others have written, the two jerry cans in the back of the jeep are the old, very inaccurate Tamiya ones. The one mounted on the rear of the jeep is correct.

Again, thanks! You are an inspiration to me, who spends much more time looking at the work of other modelers, and not enough time finishing his own work!

Very cool.

My 2 cents would to get the mud a wet look by adding any type of "Clear Gloss" acrylic / enamel / maybe even a spray can at from your local art supply store.

Thanks for so many comments and tips! I didnt expect so much feedback!
My biggest thing I'll work on for future work is the photography, I'm not very inclined in that aspect! Again I really appreciate the tips, you guys are all correct and will help benefit my future works. I finished this back in October and I've since completed a 3rd dio that I'll post sometime soon after I experiment more with my camera.

Thanks to all for looking!
Justin

oh and the snow is just water, white glue, and baking soda mixed together

hi justin

thanks for sharing your work. nice set up. i like the mud. i would suggest to remove the mold line (where to halves of the mold meet) with sharp blade. you can see them on the jeep driver in pic 3 and on the boots of the guy standing next to the jeep.


keep up the good work

pav

Justin,

I was searching around the site, and found a link to this article. It follows up on what I was saying about the white.

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/figures/mbwhite.htm

I also have trouble with my pictures, so I bought a small tripod from Wal-Mart to steady the camera. Diorama look good.
Tom

Thanks Pav, youre absolutely right. I must admit I was a bit lazy on the figures which is something I've been working on and I think my skills have gotten a little better.

Hey Jesse, thats a very helpful article. I've learned an awful lot and it's definately something I want to work on. I've done a few other winter figures that are a bit better than the ones in this dio, but after reading the article it makes me want to strip them and start again.

Thomas thats something I want to invest in. My biggest frustration is using my little Kodak easy share. It doesn't seem to focus in very well for close up shots. I'll probably just have to try and borrow my girlfriend's Nikon. If she'd ever let me

Thanks for all the replies guys. I feel very welcome posting things on this site. Pretty soon (if I can get some good photos) I'll be posting another diorama featuring the Tamiya Field Kitchen that I finished back in November.

Thanks again,
Justin

Thanks for sharing dude. I'll give this a shot. Nice work by the way.

No problem! I've read that some people swear by it and others say the "snow" deteriorates after a while, but so far its working fine for me. I guess time will tell.