Having worked out how to post images I thought I would continue the assault on your senses with my Bridge Diorama, featuring my first attempt at water. The Bridge is a plastic kit from mirage which I must say is fantastic for the price, about A$12.00, (US$8). I fashioned some supports half way along the length so I could potentially drive a Sdkfz 250 across it. The supports are made from timber acquired from my not spo local hobby shop.

The water is made using E-Z Water by Woodland scenics. Not so easy and really disappointing as a product. It cools down too quickly to allow much lee way and my attempts to flatten it by reheating it with my heat gun threatened to combust my reeds. Also the product warped my base due to the excessive heat. And then I damaged the water attempting to straighten the base. Now I am considering re hating the water yet again.

BTW I apologise for the grainy pics. The lighting in my study is not really bright enough for this application. Anyway, here are the pics for your edification and pleasure.







What do you think?

Nick

great work.
i try to imagine with the 250 on it.

Ola Zed

In my humble opinion I don`t think the water is that bad but that is only from what I can make out in the pics. Especially like the 6th pic it looks like a quite steady but not too rough flowing stream..
What have you used for the groundworks looks very good. and what is used for the reeds??
About the mirage bridge.. I purchased my first mirage kit the: "C7p tractor Klara". yesterday at the KMK scaleworld event and I have to say that the kit looks promising and it certainly did not cost much. from what I can see the detail looks good and if I hear you now this bridge must also be quite good.

Anyway you are on a good trail here and a real nice start

Ive looked at this bridge a few times in my local hobby shop and wondered about getting it. Maybe I will now. From the pictures everything looks really good. As the area seems pretty deserted maybe fading ... weathering the bridge more would be an idea. Your ground work and layout is amazing. Very very realistic, with good use of stones and grasses. Im very impressed by all this. The water on some of the later pics, looks a bit flat and lifeless, but can be given some suface texture by squeezing out some clear-gel superglue and quckley adding ripples in appropriate patterns, with the flow around rocks etc. and then gloss varnish over the top. Should look pretty efective!
Good luck with the finsh of this ....... The overall effect so far, is to a really high standard, so should be awsome when finished!

hi, great work and I like the bridge, I can't wait for the final pics with the half track

Laurie

A very nice work, also the groundwork
I'll see the photos of the finished dio with much pleasure
regards

Very nice - very well organized and presented. I love the edges and the base. The rocks and reeds are really well done. I've used that water product before and understand the frustrations. In these pictures it does look pretty good though.
Two minor points I see, the rocks are very monotone in the 4th picture. A bit of wash and pastels dabbed on random rocks would diversify the colors a bit. Creating some shodowing and varigation.
The other point is that there isn't much of a 'path' up to the bridge. I may be missing it from the grainyness? Adding some pastels and washes as a foot path or 1/2 track path might add some detail to give direction and flow through the diorama.

My points are minor and my be off because to the photos so you ultimately decide.

If you have questions, just ask.

Thanks for the encouraging replies, guys. The diorama base is far from being complete adn I have some pastel chalks ready for additional colour depth. My main gripe is with the water and I suspect that I will be unable to resist heating it up again. I will have to remove the bridge first of course as my heat gun will quickly melt it into a puddle of plastic.

With regard to the path, the way I positioned the bridge left little room for the path. The focal point is meant to be the bridge with my sdkfz250 and some troops on the right foreground behind the reeds. I will try to model sum ruts and weeds on and around the track for additional definition.

Cheers

Nick

Howdy Zed,

To begin with, after reading thru the thread, I agree with most of the replies here. This said, I also can see you're a humble, and talented modeler. Your dio setting is very good. I especially enjoy your rock/boulder placement, your varied river bed base, your well thought out topography, and lastly your 'artist's' eye'.
Keep us all posted.

Tread.

P.S. Listen to the slodder's input, he's dead-on.

Hey she is lookin pretty good so far. I am really looking forward to the end result.

~Chip :-)

Nick:

Splendid job! I love the arrangement you've created thus far. Very nice balance of elements. I really like your reeds, very convincing.

I too know of your frustrations with ez water....it's anything but that. I don't know how reheating it will behave for you, but I can tell you one thing, from now on whenever doing water use Woodland Scenics newer product, "realistic water". It is 10 times easier than the ez water. You pour it onto your diorama straight from the bottle. No heating, no mixing.

Good luck on the rest of this beauty. Can't wait to see more!

John

Yep, I'm with you John. I think that I will use the new product next time as well as the water effects product. I think I will depict some germans bathing on a beach on the coast of Italy. Perhaps with a Nashorn in the background. And some pretty Italian girls fraternising with the enemy/ally.

All I have to do is justify the cost to the wife.

Regards

Nick

Your groundwork seems very realistic and well done , as the bridge also , that i think should have some intense signs of use and oldness, the water lokks a lill still but has a good surface look and nice bottom. put on the vehicle and it will show nicer ..keep up the great work

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but perhaps the problem you had with the water was too much at once. If that's the case, multiple, thinner applications might work better. I'm not sure where you're trying to go by heating the water, and it's hard to tell what you don't like about the water, but, again, if you added several very thin layers of resin, you might be able to correct it.
I really like the effects you've achieved with the rocks on the stream bank.

I can't really tell much about the water disposition, due to the grainy photos... but I too have been dissatisfied with E-Z Water.... i far prefer the two-part clear resin called Envirotex Pour-On... it works wonderfully, generates little heat, and remains liquid for quite some time, allowing bubbles to escape, and to get a nice "flow" effect if so desired.

As for the actual work, I really like the layout, and think you did a wonderful job on the terrain and the weeds. Coloration is quite nice as well, although the path issue mentioned earlier could easily be added.