Hey, gang
Well, this diorama will be my biggest undertaking to date. I plan on combining nearly all of Bravo-6's Vietnam series figures, Academy's M113 APC with Fruil metal tracks and Legend's accessories as well as a re-worked Tamiya M113 to show the effects of running over a mine.
I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew!. Oh, yeah, and I plan on incorporating some of Evoultion's recently announced figures when they become available. I thought about adding Tamiya's M48 with various aftermarket details, but then I'd have to buy a ping-pong table to display it.
The Fruil tracks and the Legend accessories are in the mail.
Wish me luck.
Randy

Wow.

I'll be watching this one. Looks mighty interesting!

-YL

Righteo Randy , I'm gonna follow this , it looks like an epic !
Good luck , I'm looking forward to seeing those figures painted .

Looks like this will be a good build!

Hi Randy, Looking forward to your progress on this Dio. "Good Luck"and happy modelling........Vince

Well, let the games begin!
Here's the Platoon boys decked out in their base coats. I used Vallejo's U.S. Dark Green for the uniforms and Tamiya's Khaki for the packs and web gear.
As you can see, I want a little contrast between the uniforms and the gear. Nonetheless, after a bit of dry-brushing and weathering, the contrast shouldn't be as apparent.
Randy

Your off to great start on your figure painting. Hope to see more progress soon.

this wouldnt happen to be a dio of an aussie giving th e universal middle finger "salute" would it? lol because i know bravo 6 is coming out with a figure of that.

That's exactly what it is!
Notice the Aussie figure standing next to the one tying his boots. That's not his index finger. lol

Here's Platoon with their helmets, weapons and boots painted with a coat of Tamiya's Flat Clear Lacquer Finnish applied. The camera's flash makes them appear a bit glossy, but in true light they're not.
Next, will be a brown wash followed by some dry brushing to bring out the detail. After that, I'll apply some Winsor-Newton oils for the skin tones.

Whay colors are you using for the camoflage for the helment covers?
Tom

I chose Vallejo's Olive Green for the basecoat, then added splotches and fingers of Olive Drab, Flat Brown and Grey Black. The shocking brightness of the Olive green basecoat is reduced after applying a coat of Tamiya's Flat Lacquer Finnish and a brown wash, I've yet to apply the brown wash. This also helps to blend all the colors together and lessen any sharp contrasts, somewhat similar to blending oils.
Happy modeling!
Randy

Hiya Randy,
So, you've finally started this one then, eh?
Good luck, mate.
I'll be following this one.
Joe.

Hey, gang
This project has taken a backseat to work, having been promoted twice in the last six months. However, I've managed to resume "work" on the project and, finally, post an update.
The first two pics show the base coats painted on Bravo-6's Aussie SAS, of which I'm still trying to correct the camo. The figure on the far left will, eventually, be wearing the tiger-stripe camo. I've found that my camo-painting skills need some improvement.
After that, you'll see I've added two more figures from Bravo-6 and two from Evolution Miniatures, increasing the total to ... (taking shoes off) ...18.





Below are the two figures from Evolution Miniatures, seated, and one from Bravo-6. As you can see, the two blend together seamlessly.








Unfortunately, the camera flash makes the paint appear glossy, when, in reality, it is flat. The figure on the left is one of the Aussie SAS, of which I'm attempting to apply a tiger stripe camo. I'm still working on getting it right.





I'm leaving the skin tones for last, having been an advocate of oils, which can easily smudge or accidentally wipe off during handling. However, after being treated to a one-on-one tutorial on using acrylics by an award-winning figure modeler, I'm going to try my hand at using Vallejo acrylics.



Well, I had to take a break from my epic battle with the figures and dive into Academy's M113A1, enhanced by Legend's M113 Accessory Set.
I started by installing the sandbagged floor, which, after trimming a little here and there, fit together fairly well.
I discovered that the sandbags are notched to fit into the bench supports, which required some test fitting. It all came together rather easily by installing one side of the crew compartment, followed by the sandbags, and then the other side of the crew compartment.
I didn't glue the bulk heads down so I can yank them out after painting to apply the numerous decals and then just drop them back in.

Hey Randy!
Nice to hear from you again. I wondered where you had gone! I've been looking forward to an update on this one for ages. I'm glad you're back on track with it buddy!
Boy, you've got some figure painting there! Looking forward to the next update.
Congrats on the two promotions, by the way!
Joe.

Thanks, Joe
It's good to be an active participant, again.

Looks like this is one to watch. Great selection of figures and subject! Looking forward to seeing the damaged M113!

really like vietnam dio's, so i will be following this one.
how good are the bravo figures as i am interested in them quite a bit.

Stan,
I have the entire range of the Vietnam series from Bravo 6 & IMHO they are the best figures on the market bar none!
If you like Vietnam dios then you just have to get these figures!
Joe.

The Bravo-6 figures, in my humble opinion, are by far the best on the market.
However, the two produced by Evolution Miniatures, quality wise, are also impressive. They blend in seamlessly with Bravo-6.

hey there Randy this is looking to be a nice big diorama!
the resin figures your using are they all bravo 6 figures??
hows the quality on them? from what i can see there looking like really good quality


tony

Hey, gang

I took a three-day weekend and devoted it entirely to modeling. Well, I ate, slept and watched football, too.
I applied a base coat of Vallejo's Basic Skin Tone to the figures and added a dab of Flat Flesh to the eyes and Cadnium Umber Red to the lips. To my naked, yet aging eyes, it looked pretty good. However, the camera, which is much more discerning, made the guys look like characters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with zombie eyes and ruby-red lips.
I'll certainly have to work on my skin-tone painting and photographic skills.
If you look closely at the figures in the background of the last ACAV pic, you'll see what I mean.
To vent my frustration over the figure failures, I decided to spray a coat of Tamiya Sky (XF-21) to the ACAV's interior. That went much better. I'm not too concerned about any painstaking detail painting associated with the blanket coat of paint because I intend on stuffing the interior with a myriad of ammunition and assorted equipment that will cover most of it, anyway.
I'm not at all concerned about the overspray of Sky on the exterior, either. Once I've applied the OD, weathering and a collection of equipment and supplies, a lot of that will be covered as well.
Most mechanized troopers opted to ride on the roof to avoid being trapped inside the vehicle if it ran over a mine or took a direct hit from an rpg. At least they had a chance of heading for the nearest ditch or fading into the jungle to form a defensive position.
Peace and Love,
Randy

The figures are looking good. I find that in 1/35 scale, lips are best left flesh color. For eyes, I use a cross method. First I paint a thin white line horizontally across the eyes. Next, I paint a thin brown (or blue) line vertically through the white, making a cross. Lastly, I go back with some flesh and "round out" the eyes. This method works well for me. Here are a couple examples.









One thing I see about your M113 though. It is missing the steering laterals. There should be two sticks that come up in front of the driver's set that are used to steer it.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, Gino
I'll give your recommendations a try.
I haven't put the steering sticks in, yet. It's easier to paint the sandbags and what not before putting them in and they're pretty delicate, as well.
Randy