Hi fellow modellers!
Inspired and amazed by your work, I decided to try a challenging project myself.

My first 'grown up' dio will be of a WWI trench onto which crash landed a plane.
I know, it is a chellenging subject, but it is some time now that I think of it and I could not start with something else.

Now, I forgot to say that it will be 1:48 and that I'll ask you a lot of advice even though I tried to study your work in advance.

Since there will be a plane crash landed, the trench section will be maybe a bit longer than in real life, also there will be an observation post so that the trnch will not be that narrow allowing better view of the dio itself.
I started with the 'north' dich:





In this on I could not resist to try a little of earth patter: used ground coffee...



Here is a detail of the contenment wall and of a section of barbed wire I am planning to use later.

And here a detail of the corrugated iron (still not finished) that I am planning to use later...


This is it for the moment!
Please feel free to add any comment: they are most welcome!

ciao
Edo

As you add more detail the diorama really becomes 'real' - keep you eye on details.

Keep us posted.

Edoardo, Everything is looking good so far. Keep the updates coming....Vince

Hi all!
Here I am with some update.
While I keep on the trench building, I started to paint and weather the parts already build.
I don't know if this a sound practice, but I find that it is more enjoiable as diversifies the activity; besides it is very rewarding to see it take life...
As Vince and Scott have observed (by the way: thank you guys for the support!) the more you add the more it bicomes real...
Enought talking: let's look at some pics (sorry for the bad quality, next time I'll try to work during daylight and take better ones!)

This is the opper side of the north wall, note the 'skid' where the plane is chrash landed and the resulting slide on the parapet: what do you think? Is it convincing?
Here is another pic of the same spot, but from a different angle.



The next oe is of the observation post (still under construction)

Proceeding downwards I added the corrugated iron which is now weathered and in place.

The last one is a view from above of the trench where you can see the plan of the project


Hope you like it and, as always, any comment is most welcome!

Ciao
Edo

Looking good, I like the earth seeping into the trench, very realistic.

Be following this one.
Keep it up

Phil

Where did you get the barbed wire from? or do you have trained spiders with some very strange web making ideas.

Hi Phil!
Thank you for the kind comment!

Darren, the barbed wire is scratch built following a tutorial I found here on the site, which is very complete. I fear I have still to practice, though.
Maybe I'll hire some of those spiders you are talking about!!
ciao
Edo

hi edoardo

it is very well and waiting for completed dio

Hi folks!
a small updare tonight.
I thought of adding a couple of puddles as mud and water was a big issue on the western front.

Afert searching the site for hints and tips, I ended up with a very basic solution which is both cost effective and not too complicated given by very basic skills.

Now what I did was to carve some holes in the base and paint them brown, then I filled the holes with clear silica (the stuff you use to seal the windows).
My next try was to mx silica and brown oil paint (yes it can be done!) and I filled the hole with that.
the risults are incourageing: my 5 years son did not want to touch them in fear of dirting himself! According to him Puddle #1 is more like a "rain puddle" while puddle #2 is more like a "mud puddle". Now, wanting a more professional opinion, I turn to you for a judgment...

The last picture of today is just an update of the corrugated iron section I already show you...

Ciao
Edo

Absolutely terrific! I especially like the rough hewn timbers effect. The thing that seems to get my eye in a negative way is those small logs used as a shooting step. I have seen the same thing in another WW1 dio and thought it as being odd. It appears as if the soldiers would get their feet stuck between the logs or maybe flip them up when stepping up. I am surely no expert on WW1 trenches , but did they actually do them with the shooting step this way or did they just pile up sand bags for a shooting step ? All the same this is going to be one fine piece of work and a pleasure to see displayed.......Al

Hi Alfred,
thank you for the kind worlds, much apreciated!
As far as tha shooting step... I see what you say.
To tell the truth I am not an expert either, and I am much copying from you more experienced and skilled people.
Nevertheless I found some interesting pics on the net when I digged for inspiration and reference (I enclose them).
As a risult I now guess that, as always when in danger, just about anything would have been used. Looking at those pics I find that my trench is too tidy, the ground work too even... in a word: toylike... but when I try to add details they always appear not random enough to resemble reality...

Guess I'll have to study more...





Ciao
Edo

Hi, Edoardo , as I can see by the pictures they probably used whatever they could find to get up off of the cold wet ground.Maybe not too stable but dry feet in a trench is very important. Very nice work........Ciao......Alfredo

HI all!
it has been a while since my last post (by the way: ciao Alfredo! )

I have now some update, and I think that the overall trench looks quite better now...
I have started also the plane build (I'll post a cross reference to the Aeroscale site if you'd ever like to have a look). I also started thinking of adding some figures. My idea is that of a French pilot who, after downind the Fokker, returns to the site for a photo op; I read that trophy hunting was one of the main reason for a dogfight those days. What do you think? is it a convincing storyline?

Well, here some pics, hope you'll like them.





Here the South side is added...





It is all for now.
More updates soon (I hope!)

ciao
Edo

Hi Eduardo,

Very nice project and good effort on scratchbuilding.

I have the impression that some of your earth and stones are out of scale. Not sure about that because of the pics.
But as sifted earth is already limit scalewise in 1/35, the danger of being overscale in 1/48 is even bigger. So watch out!

Cheers
Claude

Hi Claude!
It is a real honour for me to get a feedback from you!

What you say, I fear, is totally correct: the dimention of the earth is an aspect I have completely overlooked...
I'll post some better pics next time so to have a better feeling of it and in the meanwhile I'll try to work out something to mitigate this effect...

Thank you again
ciao
Edo

Hi all!
No update on my trench, yet... all quiet on the western front...
But, since the trench is well under way, I started on the plane.
It will be a Fokker D.VIII and a build blog has been started on the Aeroscale twin site.
For those of you that are interested, here is the link:
=https://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/forums/164360&page=1

More to come soon!
Ciao
Edo

Hi guys!
I managed to have some update sooner than expected!
I started to work on the figures and the camera.
Here are some pics, hope you'll like them!

This is the camera


and this is the hole idea of the scene



Here is a detail of the photographer



Ciao
Edo

Hi all!
I have some update for you, at last!
During the last days I worked hard on this project and now it is almost finished.
Something is still missing, particularely relating to the figures, but we'll talk of this later.
Now I just can't wait to show you some pics and see how do you like them...
so let's start...









And the figures? Well, the problem is that the diorama is, I think, too small for them. If one has to take a picture of a person in front of the aircraft (as my storyline should suggest), one has to be somewhat far from the plane in order to capture it all, or at least a big portion of it.
But in order to do so, the photograper should be lìplaced outside the diorama itself, I fear.... I'll make some tries and I'll let you see the results for you to comment.

Ciao
Edo