Here is my latest Diorama "Panzerjagers!" All comments are welcome. Especially good constructive criticism!!! Give it to me! It will help me become a better modeler! Enjoy and Merry Christmas to all of you here at the Big A!

This looks great.......very real looking...............great job !!

Hi Art,
Very nicely done. I like your ground work. The only thing that sticks out to me is where the tracks come together, it sticks up. If using the rubber tracks supplied with the kit, try putting the joining seam at the bottom where it can be hidden by some ground work. Other than that it looks good!!! Merry Christmas

Thanks John, Thanks Kirk. I forgot to rotate the track to hide the join before I glued the Tank down to the base. OOPS! oh well, serves me right for gettin' in a hurry

A very attractive build, overall. You may be able to get those pesky vinyl track ends to join if you use a little superglue gel and a clamping tweezer. Give it time, as superglue can take a while to grip vinyl (worth a try, though it doesn't always work--it helps if the surface is free of paint).
You have opened the driver's periscope visor, but there is no periscope under it (a fault of Tamiya's designer). The periscope head slid vertically up through a slot in the driver's door. A small, wedge-shaped piece of styrene painted dark gray with a gloss black face will improve things.
Tamiya also cut corners by not including a clear headlight, and silver paint on solid styrene never looks right. Clear lenses can sometimes be found in the model car or model railroad accessories department. Alternatively, these unprotected headlights were often damaged by blast effects, and it was quite common to see them with shattered lenses. They could even be shot off entirely, leaving a bracket and loose wiring.
You've done a little weathering, but overall, the assault gun still looks extremely clean right now, more parade ground than battle ground. Your ground cover looks quite dry, which suggests dusty summer conditions. You could give your vehicle a layer of suitable dust with dry pigments or ground up artist's pastel chalks, applied with a soft paintbrush. Pick a color that is close to the exposed earth color on your base, and concentrate on the running gear and lower surfaces.

Thanks for the tips Gerald.
I am always afraid to use pigments on my builds now. Every time I have used them the finished product turned out horrible. Maybe it was the colors I choose or something?
If I were to apply pigments to this dio, should I just apply them dry or should I try to fix the pigments with thinner?

Hi there!
I really like the way your diorama turned out. The figures are very well painted, and the groundwork looks very realistic to me!
Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the kind words Pablo. I actually went back and added a little pigment to dust up the vehicle as per Geralds suggestion. Turned out pretty good actually!

Looks great, Al. Great job on the painting and nice layout of the scene.

The only small nickpick is that the tank hunters are very "out in the open". Some trenches, bushes or similar would fit the scene nicely as tank hunters would normally hide in cover until the tanks are very close. Now it looks like they came at the SU-122 from the front which is unlikely, but not impossible.

However, it does not change the fact that you made a very nice diorama and did some excellent painting. Thanks for sharing

Yo Art,

Nice job, a good groundwork and the figies have a nice expression on there faces!

The tank is nice done...always try to get some contrast in your work. The tank can use some other color variation...that will give the diorama some extra dimension.

Good job!

Greetz Nico

Very nice Art. I like this one a lot. Its a pity the track gap is so apparent. Yes we all have personal tastes regarding weathering and I agree a little extra here would go a long way, but it still deserves credit as its all well done. Your figures look the part as well.

Jesper - Ya know, when I started this I wanted to have the Soldiers coming out of a trench but I eventually opted not too due to space restrictions on the ol' model shelf.

Nico- Absolutely agree with you. My photo skills are really bad so the tank looks alot more monotone than it actually is. I painted the center of the panels a slightly lighter shade of the base color to add some depth and also used the oil dot method to add some variation to the overall color. It was my second time doing the dot method. It's still fairly monotone though....perhaps I was a little too conservative.

Frank- I did go back and add a little Mig Pigments to dust up the vehicle some. Thanks for the kind words on the figs....they were actually built for the "paint those Troops" compaign. Couldn't let them go to waste.

I have elected not to mess with the track. Not only will I have to pry it of the base but I am afraid the paint on the tracks is going to chip off when I rotate them.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback. I will definately use the advice I have recieved on my next project upon my return from Afghanistan. I was home for two weeks, spent Christmas with the family and was able to complete this dio so all in all I am pleased!

Looks Brilliant

Very Nice work, I like the looks of it very well. I’m not going to criticize as my thoughts have already been mentioned by other members above. Keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing some more builds of yours.

I like it too , and the very few boo boos are overshadowed by terrific painting and groundwork. Nice figures............. ..................Al

Gerard, John and Alfred,
Thanks for the kind words. I was also pleased with the outcome of the ground work. I used various grass clumps from Fredericus Rex (ordered from Miniature Warehouse) for the grass. Nice product...I highly reccomend it. Looking forward to completeing my tour here in Afghanistan to get back to modeling.

I feel your pain! I am on deployment too and I can't wait to get back and be able to build and paint again! Stay safe, keep your head down and powder dry!

Art - I am definately going through a serious modeling Jones! I was tempted to bring a kit with me on my return from R&R but decided not too. You stay safe as well partner.

outstanding work! I really like the way the diorama is laid out. You did an excellent job on the figures. The only possible suggestion that I can think of to enhance your work, is a slight more weathering on the tank.