Hi Guys

First time posting, first ever diorama and first bit of model making for 25 years.

I will be moving in to 1/35 as my chosen area but thought the Tamiya 1/25 Tiger 1 was a great place to start. As a result I decided upon a scene which i imagined taking place during the battle of the Kasserine pass in early 1943. The idea is the troops and crew are surprised and start to spring in to action.

I am currently converting the very average Tamiya figures into DAK troops. This is done using plenty of milliput to convert boots into long trousers, repositioning of the hands and I have added a cap, binoculars and neck scarf to one of the crew members. I am currently adjusting the arm position and overall look of the commander which is taking some time but I want to get it right.

I am no historian, but love the second world war history, especially the Wermacht (not the idealism, just the uniforms and vehicles).

The Dioram base is made of polyfilla, a photoframe and crushed rocks. I finished this off with a flat earth acrylic combined with desert yeloow and white, waited for it to dry and then added highlights to the rocks, the result is pretty good i think.

I also used scrap coke tin to improve area's as indicated.

Here are some pics of the build and work done so far:-

























The above crew member now has some milliput ears and a 5 o'clock shadow so slightly different.

Ignore the tank commander as he is being repositioned but you should get the gist for the rest of the scene.

I'll post up pics as I progress, in the meantime if you have any questions suggestions then please feel free.

Thanks
Dave

welcome aboard Dave and great diorama piece for a return to the hobby. quite the undertaking doing it in 1/25 scale but the work looks top notch and the figures have come together especially well. thanks for taking the time to share all the pics of your efforts and look forward to seeing the final display. cheers, mh.

Hi H

Thank you for your kind comments and interest it is very much appreciated.

I have to admit to being in my second month making, modifying and painting this Dio, but it sure is fun and very rewarding.

The Tamiya is a bit of a dog, the figures are no better and it has taken a bit of time improving things, but the Devil is in the detail and once you get to the finish line in various area's it sure does come together.

The Afrika korp uniform is painted using an olive drab mix and built up shades of desert yellow and white with a darker very thin wash and then dry brushed white for a dusty effect and highlighting.

A large project that needs a title so anyone with any suggestions given the subject matter and poses of the figures, would be welcome.

I am adjusting the tank commander to have him about to put binoculors to his eyes with a neck scarf pulled up to prevent breathing in the dust.

Thanks
Dave

Hi Guys

Now completed the commander so posted pics below. I have modified by putting a new hand on a pair of new binoculours and then bringing the arm round so he looks like he has recently used or is about to use them. I have added a neck scalf and a spotted neckerchief and added the cables to the headphones.

This was all done out of milliput and shaping to make it look as natural as I could. I also added red spots to the neckercheif to add some more interest and a leather strap to the binoculours.

I'll now start on the two DAK troops which need some more modification before painting. I'm quite pleased with the results so far and I am looking forward to seeing it all come together upon completion.

Thanks

Hey Dave
The tank itself and the scene it is in look terrific. A couple of the natural light shots appear quite authentic
I agree the figures are naff but your alterations have already improved them out of sight.
Good return to the hobby!
Brad

nice compliment to a great tank Dave. the handkerchief is perfect with the addition of the polka dots. have your decided on a name for the dio yet? mh.

Hi Brad

Thank you for your comments.

The 1/25 Tiger was an original 70's model but it was re-released in the 90's. Tamiya should have re-worked the figures as they are the worst example of a panzer crew you could ever imagine.

The great thing about this hobby (I also like to refer to it as an art form), you can adjust and add pretty much anything with a bit of artistic license (and patience), however you can only do so much with poor quality. I read (I think it was Bill Horan) that you should never compromisse on the quality of the sculpture to get thhe best finish, so all my 1/35 figures I have purchased are Dragon gen 2 or Alpine resin.

I amm starting on the troops today which need alot of modification to match the DAK uniforms.

Thanks for visiting.

Hi

Not decided on a title yet, I have tried to capture the motion of urgency and surprise, maybe from a near miss that came out of nowhere, so need to express that in a simplistic way that will immediately draw you in to the scene.

Any sugestions I would happily use so please fire away.

Thanks for your help

Man, how do you do your eyes so well?

Hi there

I start with a completely white face, then building up the skin tones leaving the whites of the eyes. I will then mix the eye colour and target the area in wich I want the eyes to point.

Once this is done I add a touch of white paint to represent the light and cover in a very thin dark wash to add depth to the socket and reduce the stare effect when the eye balls appear too white.

Eyebrows are also important as the position adds expression

Dave

never thought of that, thanks!

This was even more difficult with these badly moulded figures as they had no eyes lol

Ok here are a couple of pics of the first troop that I am modding.

I need to open the collars, bring the jacket off the leg mould and get rid of the gas cannister strap.

I've already sorted the trouser bottoms and left hand thumb (so he is actually holding the rifle:-





He also needs a nose job

Great job on tank and figures!
I have the same running figure as you are using and I was wondering wehat to do with it. One problem I encountered was the size of the rifle; it is very small. How are you planning on dealing with that?

Hi Ron

Not really noticed that the rifle is not to scale as it does not appear that small to my eyes.

Can you be more specific? so I can undderstand what you mean. Milliput is my freind so will use this for any amendments.

The plastic rifle that came with the figure looks flimsy and small, compared to the figure. As if it is out of scale.

Hi Ron

I do not notice it to be honest, but I may add a bayonet to add a bit of length. Anyway figure 1 now ready for sculpting, I have narrowed the neck to make sure the open collar sits right and will adjust the facial features.

I might do away with the rifle all together and re-sculpt the arms and hands

Hi

Adjusted the face to add more definition and started to mould with milliput.

I'll tidy the collars with a dremel once dry:-







Pics are not great, as they do not do the mod justice but I am so far quite pleased

Nice work, Dave!
That's some serious retouching you're showing here.
Why not scratch the next one completely?

Hi Ron

Thank you for your comments.

I am not confident enough with scale so, although it is something I have considered, it's probably a step too far at the momment.

Having said that I could use the figure as a guide but I would rather mod these guys and try scratch building at 1/35...........any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Time to start on this fellas jacket, straps and belts

Ok jacket foundation done, I just need to add pockets to the left side and one either side of where it rests on the thighs, pluss the left side jacket collar.

I am waiting for it to dry rock hard before tiddying the edges and definition with a dremel. I'll add the straps andd belt out of thin sstrips of old coke tin so its not bulky i'll then add the ammo pouches at the end

Once again they look better in the flesh, picss are not good in my lounge light

Mod/conversion continues:-

I decided to do away with the left arm as it had an awkward position and a dodgy hand. I also want to create the sense of balance as he prepares to jump off the tank so I have moulded a straight arm which will be clutching the rifle.

I have added the right arm with blutac so i can see how it fits and temporarily put him in position on the tank.

I have moulded ammo pouches along the belt line and need to add the straps, belt and the other items to the rear.
:-




This is a slow process and the whole figure will need a tidy up from dremel, but the figure is starting to take shape

great sculpting work Dave, the figure looks very nicely balanced and details are good and crisp. super job. cheers, mh.

Thanks M

It's quite a challenge with some very fiddly area's, the ammo pouches took about 40 mins to sculpt, but I prefer to take my time when you are looking for a good finish

I can see the finish line on this trooper