I've used the Tamiya sandbags to fill in a gap. I've made the trench system a bit deeper than I meant to. Oops! So they'll be covered with some clay sandbags I need to make. How's this for bloody cheek though! Some spider had decided that the pillbox would make a great home and it was full of cobwebs! I appear to have a German spider in my house . Once I'm happy with the gunpit I can thet set about sticking all the bits and bobs in there. The bay at the back will be the ammo store for the Fh18. Need to raid the garden for more logs and get the ammo which is out of stock at the moment . Once I've done all that then I can start sticking my figures in.

Hi Guys some nice looking stuff being built here When I 1st saw this campaign proposal i did a Google search for the Atlantic Wall and came up with this image

So I would finally like to get moving with my contribution here and do a small vignette with these Dragon figures

as well as some stuff from the spare parts box and styrofoam to make the pit

Salutations

Great progress you guys (even if spiders where trying to take over your diorama), Sal welcome on bored!!

Regards all,

Hi guys,
Made some progress here, I know that my reference photo has fully clothed troopers but my figures and shirtless, and my skills are not to the point where I can sculpt them, so we have bare chested figures

more to come

Sal: Good progress. Nothing wrong with the bare chests, as it was probably summer there at some point. My only comment is that your pit seems really deep. From the photo, their pit is chest deep at best. If the pit is too deep, the field of fire would be limited to fairly vertical.

Happy Modeling, -zon

Yeah I was noticing that as well this morning while comparing my photo to the real 1 I added an additional layer to the floor of the pit but if it still too deep I may have to take a saw to the top of it

Sal: You'll figure it out. I look forward to your finish.

Happy Modeling, -zon

Zon was correct the pit was a little too deep so a 2nd layer was added to the floor and the MG stand. Then i Got out a sharp knife and cut about a 1/4 inch all around the top
I then re- plastered the top and painted the out side brown

More work will come this weekend

Sal, I'd say take out the top two planks and take it down to that level to get the right depth for AA-MG.

I've finally manged to get some ammo for my field piece which is now completed so I can crack on with putting ammo into the storage area

Nice idea with the AA MG pit, Sal.

I have the basis layout of my diorama ready. I am including some kits from other campaigns into this one. However, bunker and groundwork is entirely for this campaign

More to follow.

I´m back in modelling... after a few months of stop working on my diorama.
No, I was not in prison.

Yesterday I glued the 2 styrofoam-parts onto the base. (a wooden picture-frame)
The next step could be making the concrete-ground.
Some photos will follow soon.

Karl Flavell, your diorama looks very good!
Which material did you used for the "earth"?

Steve-o - very nice FlaK-bunker and really natural looking figures!

greetings...
Soeren

Yeah I guess I could have taken it down a little lower but this is what its looking like now

Its getting there, Im gonna put a kit hanging on the side wall and some more washes in some places. Any suggestion and comments are more then welcome.

@ Jasper, the flak bunker is looking good as well as the Stug, I really like the idea of combining campaign builds into 1 dio. Looking forward to seeing more

Hi Sal, your machine-gunner-team looks good!
Which colors or techniques did you used for the wooden parts?

I also have some wooden walls on my dio and tested only a diluted black... with interesting result.
But your brown wood looks very real to me.

Jesper, really good looking FlaK-bunker!

greetings...
Soeren

Soeren, many thanks for the compliment! I used real mud...lol. I dried it then crushed it and used a tea strainer to sift it so it was very fine. I somethines think the simple ways are the best

Karl, thank you very much for your help.
I´m not sure, how to add some "earth-material", but I have some material (from my previous project, a german WW2 gun in snow), from which I would use some material.
"Real mud" would be a good solution, but I have some "problems" with the "organism", which live in it.

My actual status on my diorama:
Due to my trembling hands, I made only a few additions.


I used 3 colors to paint the wooden walls.
Revell glossy black and "ochre brown" with some real pigments of a black.



The image shows the difference between the painted and a "fresh" wooden part.



Hmm, the wooden construction seems to be to small - using my image as a reference.
Perhaps I can use some "earth" for fixing this. (I would use a wooden material for adding in height)



Also the table had to be repaired - this time with real wood-glue.
(2 table-legs were glued)

greetings...
Soeren

@ Jesper: Great progress on the diorama layout, will you be adding some foliage and some figures?

@ Sal: Great looking AA-MG position looks real good even if it’s a little deep. Looking forward to seeing it completed.

@ Soeren: The ageing of the wood looks great, a very convincing method. Looking forward to seeing more.

Keep it coming gentlemen, great progress from everyone.
Regards,

Soeren, you wood looks really good to me, I used a mix of 5 drops of water to 1 drop of cheap craft store acrylic paint, but I didnt get a real wood grain look that I would have liked
But I think I'm ready to spray this with some Dull and call it finished

Even though it is still a little too deep Comments and suggestions are always welcome

Another small update from me:
Today I "made" the concrete-covered ground.
It has to dry and looks "okay" to me, but it is not as good as I wanted.

I used a "thick mixture" of plaster with some water and white/wood-glue and a bit of Revell´s black color for making a light-grey appearance.

Some edges of the base are not good, but I will see how to hide these error.
Also I have to sand the ground using sanding-paper later.

Photos will follow soon.

greetings...
Soeren

I have uploaded new images.







I have some problems with the picture-frame and its "holders" and I have to fix the edges using some wooden parts.
I have to make a "clean" ground to see, which parts are to "sand it". (Hmm, I hope, you know what I mean?)

greetings...
Soeren

Is this reality?
Unfortunately yes.

The reason are the 4 springs on the backside and the thick covering of plaster.

Hmm, perhaps I have to make a new one or use this one.
Any ideas?
I´m not very skilled in dioramas and bases.

greetings...
Soeren

Soeren

Did you apply the fresh plaster mix direct to the base board as a wet mix ????

If you did, it is likely that the drying out process is what has warped the wood.

If you start again and lay cling film, kitchen foil or some other water proof barrier over the base timber and mold the plaster to your required form. Then let it all dry and peal away the barrier and glue the plaster form to the base timber using a suitable epoxy.

Hopefully the base won't absorb any of the moisture and remain in shape.

Hope that is of help.

Nigel

Hi Nige, yes you´re right.
The drying-process seems to be the reason... and the problem.
So I have to buy a new picture-frame and will (or try to) use your advice.
It´s not possible to remove the glued parts from the base. (without destruction)

greetings and thanks...
Soeren

Hi to all, due I lost a lot of time for building the diorama, possibly I can not finish it until 06. June 2012.
I will try to continue, but perhaps I will withdraw from the camapaign later this month.
Sorry for that!

greetings...
Soeren

Soeren hope you can sort out the base as it was looking real good keep at it.
I have been a little slow myself because of other things needing to get done but I,am back on track now,have added plaster mix to base and some fine sand after building up the side walls with plywood now to add some beach obsticales and a small amount of shrubs and weed grass

Soeren, hope you will be able to save your work.

Nice scale and "depth" to your diorama, Keith.

I have made a little more progress on my diorama. It is basically finished with just a bit of airbrushing and a few details missing.

I want to see if I have time to add some figures as well. However, I do not want to rush it as I am not that good with figures to start with. So we will se if I can add the figures as well within the time frame.

More to follow soon.