Hi everyone,

This is the start of my Dio for the Winter Warriors Campain. It was an idea I had a few years ago but lacked the time and money to get working on it.

The last few weeks I have been furiously ordering items from all over the place for the project and asking various questions on several other strands. I have to thank Frenchy amongst others for a lot of help on various questions.

So I ordered the following items :- Miniart Russia Infantry ammo boxes
Miniart Villiage Accessories
Miniart Barrells and Bottles
Masterbox Eastern region peasents
Masterclub WW2 Mosin-naginant 1898 rifles
Masterbox European Farm Cart
Accademy AFV Accessories
Reality in Miniature table clothes
Bastoin 35 Russian Hut No.2

As of today I am still waiting for :-
The Masterclub Item (sent to wrong address)
The bastion 35 item (lost in post 1 week to go)
Reality in Miniatre table clothes(not here yet)

Along with the ordered items I have from my stash :-

Revel M3A1 scout car
Evolution Russian Partisan
Helo Russian Scouts
Various other Russian figures which I shall be doing minor conversions.

Items to scratch build :-

Samovar
Snow chains
log pile
bread
Lamp

So work so far :-

Started the chasis of the M3A1.
Got a base constructed.
Begun painting tree stumps.
Assembled a fuel drum and a couple of jerry cans.
Cut up a small branch for the wood pile.
Replaced a few hats!
Assembled a barrel or two
Built a quick test samovar (looks ok but need to do a better(straight cuts!) version.
Made a templates for the scout car and the hut to check positionin on the base.

Here are some pics of bits so far.



Scout car



Twigs to be felled trees



For icon

[imghttp://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/26778/Luna_1_014_640x480_.jpg][/img]

Scouts



Partisan



Peasants



Cart



Barrels etc..



Twigs chopped for log pile



Plaster tree stumps.

New pics tomorrow

Paul
Paul

Small Update today, tons still to do :-

Mocked up something approaching the main Layout.




Second view.



Ok then, the wood pile + the log with axe I shall move to the other side once the hut kit has arrived, just put it there so I could see how it looks, the figure positions are only temporary so i could make sure I was happy with the idea of what I am doing. The kneeling figure at the front I am not sure if I will use I may place it in the upper section of the hut or just not use it.

The basic Idea of the dio is a small scout group is collecting/delivering some supplies to a local group of partisans somewhere behind the german lines in about 42/43. The partisans are using the hut as a store for equipment as it is a fair way from any population centre, only an old woodcutter and his family living there.

Paul

Close up shots of miniatures from the dio yesterday plus the civilians fully constructed.



Scout Comander





Partisans



The old man and woman



The old man

All for today

paul

looks interesting

So not much in the way of update pics today or yesterday, been hard at work on various bits. About half way through building the M3A1 looks ok. Been doing some ground work and am just about to start adding some filler to the base. Added a plinth which the hut will sit on.

Still waiting for the hut but hey I am told should be with my supplier this week sometime!! Would be nice. Just ordered another figure for the dio I will reveal more once I get it! The chain finally on order for the snow chains.

Still lots to do.


Paul.

Hi Paul

Count me in mate i shall be keeping an eye on this build, it looks very interesting.

Tom

Ok, so this week was a kittle bit of a loss really. Still awaiting my hut :-( adavised that the shipment has left rusia and should be here yesterday, however the vendor has gone on holiday until tuesday!

So I started to do some of the groundwork and hoping that the hut size is right!



And some more pics of the figures.





And finally the next package that arrived.

Revell's M3A1 White Scout Car is a fun little kit. I would, however, think that the Russians would be supplying partisans on the Eastern Front and not the other way around. The russians had their own scout cars, as well. Maybe, the Western Front scouts encountering Eastern Front scouts late in the war. But, I suppose it is a possibility that troops from the Western Front would ecounter partisans in some areas, where the lines are blurred.
Just remember, almost anything is possible and it is all about having fun. Give the rivet counters and the AMS the finger and build on.

You could be right there, but as you say anything is possible. I thought they could be supplying items looted from the germans, hence the german 200l drum and the other bits of german weapons etc. I will be adding later on.

Paul

The groujnd work about 4-5 days in .





So along with the ground work I have been trying a few experiments into different approaches to distressed winter camo. So far we have :-

Marmite Technique ( have tried this before worked ok)

Hair Spray (just allowing to dry )

Salt (still having trouble making it work no matter what salt I try!)

Experimental stippling technique ( just a thought will have to see I may give up)


Also I am trying to work out a decent and easy way of painting old weathered natural wood for the exterior of the hut (when it turns up next week). I have built a few panels made of Macdonalds coffee stirers chopped up a little and attached to another to use to hold whilst painting. I am going to try to start with an application of dark greyn graduated through some lighter greys over a base coat of dak brown, mainly through dry brushing. Thats the start the other one I may try just browns.

Paul

For white wash on the scout car, you could make your own white wash, paint the car normally in summer colors, then make some white chalk into a powder, add water, and apply.

Hi all,

at long last (2 months) my hut kit has arrived !!!!

I am going to make a start on it shortly once I work out if all the pieces are present!


Paul

********** UPDATE ************

They aren't.

I seem to be missing 2 pieces of part of the wall, and I think that there is a miss label on the parts list. A part which seems to be the ceiling(or floor) is listed as 2x but only one is supplied so I guess that I should only have one still if the kit says 2.....

The other two bits I will have to bash together some replacemnets unless my vendor comes back soon!!

Even though I am very annoyed what can I do it's not the suppliers fault but the manufacturers. Oh well I had better just take the plunge.

Paul

Not a bad idea I may try a test on that to. Thanks for the suggestion.

Paul

Ok so just some test shots of the set up for the interior, minus the items whih will be on walls etc.




Scratchbuilt wood store to go on the exterior of the hut. MIght have to shorten it a little once I have the hut finished and I know the exact height.



Old woman + grandaughter working at table will add loaf of bread and knife etc later, painted Items not finished yet.



With table removed.



Close-up shot of set up at the moment but I may change once finished.

Floor section is finished just requires painting, have designed as a pull out module for ease of building. Will have to add some height to the bottom of the hut to allow for the floor to fit snuggly.


Paul

Been very busy the last week with other things so just a small update with a pic of the progress of the hut itself.




Ok, so so far so good. I think the Bastion 35 kit will look fine once I finish it, it's just a shame about all the problems I have with it.

1. I had at least 2 bits missing, so I have had to botch together a couple of bits, but although I made a bit of a pigs ear of it they won't be seen so it does not matter.

2. The windows are far to fragile so I am going to rebuild thgem in plastic card as they will be stronger. I thought about building shutters as having them closed but I prefer the Idea of being able to see inside the room.

3. The instructions are far to basic, even after 20+ years of building kits I have strugled to see just how some pieces are supposed to go together.

4. The ends in my kit are not cut equally so that you have to be careful which way up you place them. Made it little difficult to places but overall I think it will not look like much of a problem.


Well I guess thats more like a mini review so I will give it a 10/10 for looks and 7/10 for ease of build!


Paul

Just a few quick pics showing refined placements for most of the items inc. the half finished hut. I think it's starting to get there?

Paul

Well, as the hut is getting there (problems aside) here is a quick list of stuff that still needs to be done.

undercoat, figures, hut, scout car.

finish surface work for base.

sort out frame for bottom to sort out warped base.

Make bread board.

Have another go at making the samovar.

Find a light for the ceiling.

Buy paint!


All that in mind I still have to sort out the ceiling and correct the size of the roof struts as they seem to me far to long. In fact I am unsure if I have even been supplie the correct ones, but I will have to adapt.

Paul

Note to self do not buy another bastion 35 hut!

No it's not that bad it's probably just me being ham-fisted. Although the instructions are really bad, not dragon kit instruction bad, but pretty terrible, I can't make up my mind whether they are that bad or if I should have more pages I don't have. Most of the problems stem from the instructions for the roof. They are less than clear in the way they have been drawn although I have procured a picture (from the manufacturers site) which is somewhat more helpful, although I think that this should have been supplied with it.

Well I am going to stop being annoied with it as it won't be that long and I will have it finished. I am not going to do any more of it today as I am suffering for kit-rage and I don't want to damage anymore of it. I htink I will move on to a little scratch building of some elemengts.


Paul

The Bastion Kit is not too bad it just needs better instructions. Just to make clear that I am not trying to slag the company off!!!

If anybody other than me is reading this I have top appologise. Unfortunatly my health has taken a turn for the worse so I have been unable to do much as my sight seems to be more than a little effected. I hope to resume the project soon as I can see what I am doing. If this post is full of typos I apopologise as I can barely read what I am typing.


Paul

Sorry to hear that, hope you get better soon

Robbo